It’s a humid weekend in New Jersey, which means you’ll probably want to spend at least some time in the air conditioning. When you do, we’ve got some shows, books, and music that will help you make the most of it in this week’s Staff Picks!

Ted Lasso

Apple TV’s feel-good soccer comedy returns for a surprise fourth season and honestly, we need it. Sure, the series is probably never going to recapture the pure magic of its first episodes (available to borrow from the library), but it remains an utterly infectious ray of sunshine in a time where darkness is seemingly all around us all the time. So put down your phone and back in the joy of this series, even if only for a few brief moments. – Sean Farrell

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

Told between the present and the past, this psychological thriller follows the unraveling of a series of murders by a serial killer that happened over several decades. This is loosely based on the murders of Ted Bundy, whom a Florida judge once called “a bright young man”. I found this to be unsettling and well-paced, and an interesting look into what makes serial killers so fascinating to the general public. – Kara Buono

Revolutionary Cape May County: A 250th Celebration

The Museum of Cape May County has teamed up with the Cape History Coalition to produce this special magazine full of stories of our area’s past. Featuring pieces by the staff of the Museum itself as well as the Lower Township Historical Commission, Historic Cold Spring Village, the Dennis Township Historical Society, the Greater Cape May Historical Society, the Endicott Reardon Family Museum, the Wildwood Historical Society, and from our very own Avalon History Center, the 70-page publication is chock full of fascinating tales sure to please any and all local history buffs! It is available to read online at the link below and in print at various locations around the County. – SF

Press Your Luck

I’ve always loved gameshows, and growing up the classic Press Your Luck was always one of my favorites. This latest edition is on its seventh season and while I somehow missed it when it first premiered, stumbling upon it now it has me hooked. Keeping the key elements that made the original so endearing they have updated the formula by adding an exciting series of bonus rounds filled with thoughtful prizes and rapidly escalating dollar amounts that make each episode more engaging than ever. Delightful host Elizabeth Banks guides us along as we learn more about the contestants and helps ensure that we feel deeply invested in the outcome in a way that is rare for the genre. This is a winner. – SF

Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews

While this series, which blends fantasy and science fiction in a modern day setting, has been receiving regular installments since 2013, I started the first one recently, and quickly tore through the entire run to date. Dina is an Innkeeper in a small town in Texas, but she doesn’t run a standard B&B. Her broom is a deadly weapon, her inn is magic, and her guests are not from Earth, but rather from all corners of the universe. Werewolves and vampires are real – they’re just not from this planet! Start with Clean Sweep on audiobook and immerse yourself in the problems of an intergalactic Innkeeper. – KB

Therapy at the Club by FLO

British R&B trio FLO return with a stunner of a sophomore album. Stuffed with fun earworms that feature clever lyrics over silky smooth production, this thoroughly modern record recalls the best of the 90s and 00s while still retaining its own confident identity. It’s hard to tell what makes something a hit anymore, but this deserves to be one. – SF

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Cover photo by Timothy Tan on Unsplash.