Summer Playlist 2026: Resources for Reflection and Inspiration
The school year is winding down, and summer has a way of opening up time to read, watch, and listen for the fun of it again. So, we asked GOA faculty and staff what they’ve been into lately. Here’s what they recommended: books, podcasts, songs, shows, and films to dip into whenever you get the chance.
📚 Read
Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite
An intergenerational page-turner set in Lagos, exploring female relationships, the pursuit of happiness, and the pull between tradition and unconventionality.
Irreplaceable: How AI Changes Everything (and Nothing) in Teaching and Learning by Peter Nilsson and Maya Bialik
Our entire team read this one. A look at what AI does — and doesn’t — change about teaching and learning.
The Chief Inspector Gamache Series by Louise Penny
A Canadian crime-fiction series set in Québec, with thrilling plots and characters who are the heart and soul of the books; start with Still Life (2005) and read through to The Black Wolf (2025).
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
A legendary music producer’s invitation to reconnect with innate creativity and more intuitive ways of seeing, listening, and being — a timely call in an age of AI-generated overwhelm.
📺 Watch
Chernobyl: What 40 Years Without Humans Did to This City (video)
A look inside the abandoned Chernobyl exclusion zone, where nature has reclaimed the ruins and wolves, wild horses, and radiation-feeding fungi now thrive.
Henry Winkler’s 2026 Commencement Address to Emerson College (video)
Eight minutes of joy and laughter from a beloved storyteller.
Roaming Wild Rosie (YouTube channel)
A British thru-hiker renovates an old cabin in Sweden, with calming, beautifully filmed videos on DIY builds, woodworking, and seasonal Nordic life.
Suffs (musical, streaming on PBS through July 31)
Tony Award winner Shaina Taub’s Broadway musical on the American suffragist movement and the friendships, heartbreak, and action that brought women together — and sometimes tore them apart.
🎧 Listen
Aperture (song) by Harry Styles
A euphoric, slow-building song that rewards patience; a five-minute reminder that the best songs let the light in gradually.
Michael Pollan’s Journey to the Borderlands of Consciousness (podcast episode, The Ezra Klein Show)
A conversation with Ezra Klein about Pollan’s new book, A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness, and the mysteries of the mind.
Prizefighter (album, 2026) by Mumford & Sons
The iconic vocals, perfect lyrics, and guest vocalists will not disappoint. A must as you roll into summer!
What resonates with you here? What would you add? Let us know: hello@globalonlineacademy.org.
