The summer is the perfect time to catch up on all the TV shows, movies, and books that you were too busy to keep up with during the high points of the year. Here’s everything you should read and watch this summer to keep you entertained!

Watch:

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

The reboot to the 2008 classic movie musical is finally here after a whole decade! With the return of many original cast members such as Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth, as well as some fresh faces such as Lily James and Cher, this reboot is definitely one to see in the theatres. The movie features the same characters, but at a different stage of their lives. Here We Go Again (which includes music made famous by ABBA) follows a pregnant Sophie as she looks back at her mother’s life on the island. The sequel also flashes back to the time when Donna (Meryl Streep) was pregnant with Sophie. The movie will be released in theatres on July 20th, so there’s still time to see the original movie before the new one comes out!

Orange is the New Black Season 6

This iconic Netflix original follows Piper Chapman, who is sentenced to 15 months at Litchfield Penitentiary for money-laundering, and the friends she makes while doing her time. At the end of the previous season, Piper, Alex, and Nicky hide out in a bunker as their fellow inmates get bussed to a different prison. Season 6 is expected to show what will happen to the inmates when they arrive at the new prison, as well as what continues to happen to Alex, Piper, and Nicky back at Litchfield. There’s still time to binge the first five seasons before the new season comes out, as it isn’t expected to be released until July 27th.

Eighth Grade

Eighth Grade follows the life of a teenage girl, Kayla, to show viewers what it’s really like to grow up in this day in age. The film was written and directed by comedian Bo Burnham, though it touches on heavier subjects from anxiety to self-reflection. Burnham said he hopes that viewers do “not look at her (Kayla) nostalgically… [and don’t] go ‘Oh, just wait until you have to pay taxes kid, it gets way worse.’" He explains that “the actual experience of it is relative. You can recognize that without falsifying it. You can find laughter in it, without dismissing it." Eighth Grade touches on very real subject matters while remaining comedic, so be sure to see it once it hits theatres on July 13th.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Season 4

Jerry Seinfeld returns to the screen in his Netflix original where he invites other famous comedians into retro-style cars to get coffee. Each episode is filled with both laughs and genuine conversations between the comedians. Along with getting to know each comedian a little more after each episode, you also learn a lot about old style cars and coffee. The new season arrives July 6th, featuring comedians such as Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, and Ellen Degeneres.

Read:

From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein

This memoir, written by one of the Obama administration’s stenographers, provides a behind-the-scenes look at the administration as they travel across the world. Dorey-Stein describes the friends she made while working for the President, as well as the love she experienced and the heartbreaks she endured. This story is also about finding your place in this world and figuring out your purpose. Just from the previews of the memoir, it seems as if the time Dorey-Stein spent in the White House is something out of a movie. Her memoir hits shelves on July 10th.

No One Tell You This: A Memoir by Glynnis MacNicol

MacNicol, a forty-year-old, single, childless woman, wonders if she will ever fulfill the societal standards of a normal life by getting married and having children in this memoir. She ponders whether or not she should be sad that she doesn’t have the things that society deems necessary. MacNicol also wonders why there isn’t a guidebook on how to be a single, successful woman in this world.  She reflects on her life and how she, through the process of self-discovery, learned that in order to determine your own fate, you have to face life’s biggest fears — death, loneliness, and love. This journey through womanhood will be available on July 10th.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

This book discusses topics and messages that are quite relevant in today’s society. The story follows a young African-American woman, Starr Carter, who grew upin a very poor community but goes to private school in a wealthy neighborhood. Starr is thrown into reality when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her unarmed childhood friend at the hands of police officers. Throughout the book, she is torn between the two worlds in which she lives, hoping to protect the community she grew up in while wanting to save herself at the same time. This book is being adapted into a movie starring Amandla Stenberg and K.J. Apa. The movie doesn’t hit theatres until October, but reading the book before seeing the movie is always a good idea.

Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson

This novel is a perfect romantic read for the beach. Art lover Tina Hopgood sends a message to Danish museum curator Professor Anders Larsen about ancient exhibits. She wasn’t expecting a reply, but she got one from him — and Larsen didn’t expect her to respond to that response, but she does! They continue to correspond, discovering their shared passions and hardships in life, and they end up making a real connection. When Tina suddenly stops replying, Professor Larsen is stuck between not caring for this stranger and following his heart. This book has been available since May, but it’s the perfect love story for your weekend beach trip.