Last month in pop culture

Best TV show I saw: “The Reluctant Traveler.” Eugene Levy prefers the inside to the outside, the relaxing to the adventurous and the known to the unfamiliar. This show examines what happens when such a person travels, and because Levy is a brilliant comedian and actor, it’s a blast to join him on the journey.

I also enjoyed: “Poker Face.” Natasha Lyonne portrays a woman named Charlie who’s a human lie detector. When her unique ability lands her in hot water, she hits the road in her Plymouth Barracuda and ends up solving crimes in every town she hides in. Imagine if Jessica Fletcher and Columbo got on the mob’s bad side.

Best movie I saw: M and I celebrated the anniversary of our first date over the weekend. Back in 2006, we watched the romantic comedy, “Serendipity,” starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, despite being 600 miles apart (we chatted about it in IM). Seventeen years later, we’re still together and still watching that movie (or visiting the restaurant of the same name whenever we’re in New York City).

Best thing I heard: My favorite podcast, “The Vinyl Cafe,” is sort of back, even though its beloved host, Stuart McLean, has died. His long-suffering producer, Jess Milton, has created a new podcast called “Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe,” where she posts a couple of classic stories from the shows and then adds a bit of behind-the-scenes commentary. I’m loving it.

I also listened to: “The Grimmcast,” another podcast featuring behind-the-scenes commentary, this one about the show “Grimm.” The series, which ran on NBC from 2011 to 2017, featured a homicide detective with the ability to see magical creatures. Claire Coffee, Bitsie Tulloch and Bree Turner, who also appeared in the show, are watching the program for the first time and sharing details about the filming process. They also interview other members of the cast and crew and answer listener questions. If you’re a fan of the show, as I am, you’ll dig this weekly chat. And if you’ve never watched “Grimm,” why not start now? It’s fun.

Best thing I read: “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus is one of those books everyone raves about but you put off reading because it can’t possibly live up to the hype. The plot certainly interested me: A woman working as a chemist in the 1960s faces discrimination, recrimination and even violence due to her intelligence and gender. When she becomes the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show, the heroine begins changing lives and seriously challenging the status quo. The cover art really turned me off, but on a whim, I decided to give it a chance and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

I’m also reading: National Trust Scones, a blog written by Sarah Merker that was recently featured in The New York Times. Back in 2013, Sarah and her husband joined the National Trust, a society that helps to conserve and manage historical properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Over the next decade, she would visit these sites, taste the scones on offer and write a blog post about each experience. Since discovering her blog, I’ve not only started reading the whole shebang from the beginning, I’ve also purchased her book about the experience. (Note to self: Visit Brownsea Island in the summer and Hughenden at Christmas.)

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