August Is Weird, So Here’s a Comfort List

Let’s be real: August is weird. It’s the Sunday night of summer—hot, hazy, and tinged with the looming shadow of back-to-school supply lists and the great denim debate (“Are we doing wide-leg or skinny this year?”). And while everyone’s Instagramming their last lake day or organizing their life with new planners, I’m over here building a comfort cocoon with books, binge-watching, and birdwatching.

This is my August Comfort List. A soulful, slightly salty roundup of the things bringing me joy as summer sighs its way toward September.

1. A Stack of Books That Don’t Make Me Think Too Hard

Gimme all the comfy cozy and low-stakes.

August is not the month for literary heavyweights. I need dialogue that zips, plots that don’t require note-taking, and characters I want to invite over for iced tea. Enter: contemporary women’s fiction, feel-good mysteries, and the kind of charming rom-coms where everyone owns a quaint bookshop and somehow survives financially.

This month I’m curled up with:

• The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley (Thelma & Louise meets Golden Girls with a side of emotional healing. An unlikely duo hits the road, chased by secrets and the law.)
• Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (A tea-shop-owning widow, finds a dead body and takes it upon herself to solve the case and offer life advice. She’s a gem. You’ll want her as your grandma.)
• Story of My Life by Lucy Score (Gilmore Girls meets Schitt’s Creek—a romance novelist retreats to a small town, meets a contractor, and finds that life imitates art. Expect sibling banter, quirky charters, and small‑town charm.)

Pro tip: Pair with a fan blowing directly in your face and a melting cherry popsicle.

2. TV Shows That Feel Like Sweatpants for the Soul

Low-stakes drama. Mild peril. Bonus points if there’s a British accent.

While the world debates the ethical implications of AI, I’m over here wondering if I have time to rewatch Call the Midwife for the sixth time. Binge-watching is my August love language—especially if it involves charming small towns, found families, or any show that makes me cry in a “my hormones are showing” kind of way.

On the current rotation:

• Will & Grace (1998) – (Timeless banter, iconic fashion, and Karen Walker. Need I say more?)
• Life in Pieces – (Like a casserole of family dysfunction, baked in bite-sized episodes and topped with heart.)
• Sweet Magnolias (I’m not saying it’s good, I’m just saying it’s deeply necessary.)

Also: there’s a Golden Girls rewatch happening in the background because Dorothy Zbornak is my spirit animal.

3. Soundtracks That Make Me Feel Like I’m in a Movie

Walking to the mailbox? Nah—I’m starring in a moody coming-of-age montage set to a ‘90s B-side and some emotionally devastating Taylor Swift lyrics.

Some women run marathons in August. I curate playlists like I’m soundtracking the film adaptation of my life. Music this month is a little gritty, a little wistful, and always just dramatic enough to make folding laundry feel like a scene worthy of slow motion and voiceover narration.

My current August moodboard sounds like:

• Oasis’ “Wonderwall” – (Because nothing says main character energy like pretending someone, somewhere, maybe almost loved you.)
• Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” – (Because healing can still have a killer bridge.)
• Tyler Childers’ “Lady May” – (Soft, sad, Appalachian poetry for when I want to cry about a tree.)

4. Crispy Edge Brownies & Cold Brew Coffee

Because comfort is also edible, and I will not be taking questions at this time.

August is basically a month-long snack break. My go-to combo? Cold brew that could double as jet fuel and brownies that have no business being that crispy on the edges. No shame in the boxed mix game here, friends—I’m not out here trying to win The Great British Bake Off.

Cold comfort, warm chocolate, and the audacity to eat them at 10:30 a.m. in my pajama shorts? Yes. That’s the August dream.

5. The Joy of Casual Birdwatching (Yes, Really)

Is this middle age? Perhaps. Am I mad about it? Not even a little.

Birdwatching has become my new therapy. I don’t know who I’ve become, but I’m the woman who refills her feeder daily and knows the difference between a field sparrow and a chipping sparrow. There’s something deeply comforting about watching a bird hop around and sing the sweetest song (like it owns the yard) while I sip my iced coffee and pretend I’m Snow White.

No binoculars needed—I’ve got a smart birdfeeder, a pair of curious eyes, and a willingness to marvel at nature doing her thing. It’s like reality TV, but better dressed (the male and female cardinal are beautiful) and less toxic.

6. Mid-Afternoon Showers Followed by Clean Sheets

If heaven had a schedule, this would be on it.

There’s nothing—and I do mean nothing—like a lukewarm shower at 3:00 p.m. in August. The sun’s still blazing, the kids are half-feral, and you sneak away to rinse off the day’s chaos. Bonus points if you’ve got fresh sheets waiting and your hair smells like coconut.

I follow this ritual with absolutely zero productivity. I crawl into bed like a lizard on a warm rock, read half a chapter, and pretend the laundry doesn’t exist.

7. Letting Myself Off the Hook (Within Reason)

Some things can wait. Like guilt and your inbox.

Here’s a little secret: you don’t have to “make the most” of August. You can just survive it. It’s okay if the garden is half dead, your freezer meals are Popsicles and frozen waffles, and your big summer goals turned into “read three books and don’t scream into the void.”

Comfort sometimes looks like lowered expectations. Like moving your to-do list to tomorrow. Like rewatching The Office instead of meal-prepping quinoa.

Permission granted.

8. Little Pockets of Silence

Yes, I love a good playlist, but sometimes I just need… nothing.

This one’s underrated. No Two Girls One Ghost podcast. No YouTube haul playing in the background. No conversation about where the socks went. Just silence. A breath. A break.

August is hot and heavy and noisy. So every once in a while, I turn everything off and let the hum of the ceiling fan do the talking. I stare out the window. I watch the birds (again). I let my brain stop narrating every moment of the day like it’s writing a blog post.

(Yes, I see the irony.)

Wrapping Up My August Nest

So that’s it. My August comfort list—part survival, part self-care, part soft rebellion against hustle culture and the ridiculousness of matching family swimsuits.

If you’re feeling frayed or fried, I hope you find your own comfort rituals. Maybe it’s birdwatching. Maybe it’s brownies. Maybe it’s standing in front of the open fridge, wondering what to eat for dinner and settling on spray cheese and crackers. No judgment.

Here’s to the gentle, unglamorous, deeply human art of getting through the month.

And if you need me, I’ll be on the couch, watching to the birds, and sipping iced coffee because it’s too hot to go outside!