In August, the Adaptation staff have been keeping busy with these great shows and books!
Eureka, ended after 5 seasons
I just did a binge-watch of Eureka, an original series that aired on the SyFy channel a couple years ago. The premise is that all of the greatest minds—scientists, inventors, etc—live and work in the same town in Western America, a town called Eureka. Of course, with all of these people in the same place, things are bound to go wrong—sometimes horribly wrong. And who is there to fix things? Why, the local sheriff of course! Sheriff Jack Carter may be as normal as everyone else is smart, but in a town full of super-geniuses, his brand of common sense is exactly what is needed to make sure Eureka doesn’t go up in smoke—sometimes literally.
-Jenn
Tiffany Aching in Discworld by Terry Pratchett
I wholeheartedly recommend checking out the Tiffany Aching sequence in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. If I’m being candid, yes, I work for the UK company who publishes him and yes, I was just paid to proofread the newly released final Discworld novel…but they are freaking phenomenal. In fact, I recommend the whole series, actually. But if you can’t handle too much hilarity at once, this sequence is a good intro to the author and the world. You get a glimpse of the Discworld witches and other beloved characters through a young protagonist, and the Nac Mac Feegles are the single most hilarious bunch of otherworldly beings I have ever read about. They will have you in stitches with every cry of “Crivens!”
-Jess
Dance Academy, 3 seasons (and a movie to come)
Netflix kept recommending Dance Academy for me (probably because I love Center Stage and Bunheads), and I’m about halfway through the first season. It’s an Australian show following Tara and her friends who attend the National Academy of Dance, a boarding school for the best dancers in the country. It’s got all the high-school issues—crushes, body image, nemeses, over-baring parents, neglectful parents—all mixed in with ballet. I’m really enjoying it as a sort of low-key, feel-good watch when I’m tired and don’t want to focus too hard. It kinda of reminds me of a much less dramatic, dance version of Degrassi.
-Kendyl
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and other concerns) by Mindy Kaling
-Sarah
That’s it for us this month, but be sure to leave your own recommendations in the comments!
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