Justin’s Newsletter: August 2025
Vol. 5, Issue 8
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What’s Up With Me
August was mostly a vacation month for me, punctuated by a painful day when I had to put my beloved dog Fiona down. It was so hard. She was such a special, sweet, cuddly dog, and everyone loved her. And she let them by immediately offering her belly for some rubs. She also loved to sunbathe and she used to tap the top of my foot with each of her paws when I stuck my foot out. She was a family member for 12 years, and she was about 15-17 years old. When we first went to Pasadena Humane to get a dog, she jumped up onto the cage and said, “Hey you! Over here, pick me!” She picked us, we didn’t pick her. Such a beautiful, smart dog. Her bud Nico is going to miss her so much, and so are we. I can’t believe she’s gone. My heart’s broken.
It was nice of Pasadena Media to put together this news brief about my awards and work this year. Also nice of them to use a photo of me from 10 years ago, lol.
Watch the latest episode of “Pasadena Monthly with Justin Chapman.” This episode features a review of the month's top stories, a history segment, and an interview with Caltech President Dr. Thomas Rosenbaum! Read more here.
Around Town
Great Reads
Here are some recommendations for interesting books I’ve read recently:
Banco: The Further Adventures of Papillon—Henri Charrière
This is a sequel to the non-fiction book Papillon about the author’s schemes and adventures in Venezuela after 13 years in a notorious French penal colony in French Guiana in South America for a murder he maintains he didn’t commit. The first book (and the 1973 movie adaptation starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman and the 2017 remake starring Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek, both of which are excellent and highly recommended) chronicle his brutal treatment behind bars including two years’ solitary confinement and his nine escapes from prison. This second book chronicles the years after he’s released as he tries to pull off various schemes to make the money he needs to go back to France to get revenge on the prosecutors, judges, cops, and witnesses that he said framed him. Charrière (nicknamed Papillon) later admitted only about 75 percent of his book was true, but both books are really fun reads nonetheless.
Men in Love—Irvine Welsh
One of my favorite authors (and a friend!) has written a new sequel to his groundbreaking Trainspotting. Yes, Irvine Welsh already wrote a sequel (Porno) and a prequel (Skagboys) and a couple of follow-ups (The Blade Artist and Dead Men’s Trousers), but somehow he keeps managing to wring more meat off that bone—and thank god he does. This may be my favorite book by him. It is so funny I actually laughed out loud. Not many writers can do that. This book takes place after Trainspotting but before Porno, and my understanding is that he may do a Men in Love 2 and Men in Love 3. It features the four friends from Trainspotting (Mark Renton, Sick Boy, Spud, and Franco Begbie) as they traverse the trials and tribulations of falling in love in their twenties. He also released an accompanying soul album of the same name (“Men in Love”) with the Sci-Fi Soul Orchestra. There is also a new documentary about him coming out soon called “Reality Is Not Enough.” Dude is living his best life over there.
Great Listens & Watches
“King of the Hill” is back and it’s soo good. Getting a 14th season of one of my top three favorite shows more than 15 years after the original series ended was a dream come true for me. The show’s social, cultural, and political commentary is as sharp and poignant as ever. There are some changes that take some getting used to, such as some new voice actors and a new animation style, but I’m afraid Mike Judge can do no wrong and he’s still batting a thousand (for a cherry on top, a new season of “Beavis & Butthead” is airing this week on Comedy Central!). The new KOTH season has a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it was the most-viewed adult animated season premiere across Disney+ and Hulu in five years. The 15th season has already been completed and will come out next year. What a time to be alive.
Spotlight on My Past Stories
Here’s a look back at my first interview with author Irvine Welsh. I met him in 2006 in Seattle and wrote a story about him and his books for Pasadena Weekly. We hung out a few times after that and he generously wrote a nice blurb about my first book which went on the front cover.
And read all of my journalism here.