Hello, lovelies! Today, I’m going to talk about the books I read in November and December, along with the movies, T.V. shows and music I watched/listened to. I realize this is really late and I’m not very good at reviewing books, but I like having these posts to look back on. I hope you enjoy!
Previous Installment – Books I Read In October (Plus Other 2020 Favorites)
//Wait For Me by Caroline Leech
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
The perfect blend of sweet romance and historical flavor, Wait for Me, from debut author Caroline Leech, brings a fresh new voice to a much-loved genre.
It’s 1945, and Lorna Anderson’s life on her father’s farm in Scotland consists of endless chores and rationing, knitting Red Cross scarves, and praying for an Allied victory. So when Paul Vogel, a German prisoner of war, is assigned as the new farmhand, Lorna is appalled. How can she possibly work alongside the enemy when her own brothers are risking their lives for their country?
But as Lorna reluctantly spends time with Paul, she feels herself changing. The more she learns about him—from his time in the war to his life back home in Germany—the more she sees the boy behind the soldier. Soon Lorna is battling her own warring heart. Loving Paul could mean losing her family and the life she’s always known. With tensions rising all around them, Lorna must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice before the end of the war determines their fate.
My Review
This was a sweet historical romance. It was different from other World War II historical fictions I’ve read because it focused more on civilian life. The novel is in Lorna’s point of view. She’s an 18-year-old, Scottish high school student, who lives on a farm. Back then, when German soldiers were captured, they’d be sent to work on farms to replace the workers who became soldiers. Since Lorna’s two older brothers are fighting in the war, Paul is brought to her farm every day to work.
As you can guess, they eventually become friends and fall in love. It was more slow-burn than I thought it would be. Lorna distrusted Paul from the get-go, but she learned a lot about the war through their conversations.
“I am German, yes, but I am not a Nazi. There is a difference, and one day I hope you understand that.”
The book takes place during the last year of the war, so they had been at war since Lorna was twelve. I remember the in the first chapter, Lorna was running late for her calculus test, and it was a reminder that life went on during wartime. Everything didn’t just pause. What I like about historical fiction is that we get to read about what life was like in different times, so I enjoyed reading about things like clothing coupons, soldiers living at the base, what people did to save face, etc.
I will say that this novel is very light historical fiction. It did not go dark in any way. I wish that the book was also in Paul’s point of view so that we could see the prison camp he was taken to every night and learn more about his family, but I still enjoyed it. The side-characters were memorable and entertaining. There wasn’t really a plot. It was more about the characters’ day to day lives during the war, and the judgement Lorna and Paul faced when their relationship was discovered.
//Check Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu
Goodreads Synopsis
Y’all… I might not be ready for this. I may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It’s nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There’s checking. And then, there is Jack—our very attractive but moody captain.
A collection of the first half of the megapopular webcomic series of the same name, Check, Please!: #Hockey is the first book of a hilarious and stirring two-volume coming-of-age story about hockey, bros, and trying to find yourself during the best four years of your life.
My Review
I read Volume 1 in November, and I think that if I had read the second volume last year instead of in January, this would’ve made it onto my favorite books of the year list.
Check Please is a graphic novel about a gay college hockey player who loves to bake. Eric Bittle (Bitty) is the narrator, and the chapters are framed through his YouTube videos, where he talks about his life, baking endeavors, and his hockey team. The first book chronicles his Freshman and Sophomore year of college.
My favorite part of the book was the cast of characters. We love non-toxic bro male friendships<3 All the characters were so funny and kind and accepting. I don’t know anything about hockey, but the book explained it in a way I could understand. The art style is beautiful, and it made me miss living on a college campus. The first book also isn’t plot heavy. There are little plots sprinkled throughout the book. Each chapter is kind of episodic, which makes sense since this was originally a web-comic. They blend together pretty seamlessly, but I think the second book approaches it better. If you’re looking for a feel-good new adult graphic novel, I highly recommend this one.
//My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russel
Goodreads Synopsis
Exploring the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher, a brilliant, all-consuming read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer.
2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher.
2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager—and who professed to worship only her—may be far different from what she has always believed?
Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, My Dark Vanessa juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood. Written with the haunting intimacy of The Girls and the creeping intensity of Room, My Dark Vanessa is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself.
My Review
I’m not gonna talk too much about this one because I talked about it in my most recent blog post, but I will reiterate that it destroyed my soul. My favorite books are typically the ones that make me feel strongly, and this book made me fucking angry. I think it handled a very tough topic in a good way. Even though Vanessa romanticized her teacher’s abuse when she was younger, we the reader could clearly understand that it was wrong and could even understand why she was still denying it in her 30s. Everyone’s reaction to her teacher grooming her was too real, and the prose of the book made it even better. It’s a difficult but important read. Stuff like this isn’t talked about enough.
//The House Of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Goodreads Synopsis
At his coming-of-age party, Matteo Alacrán asks El Patrón’s bodyguard, “How old am I?…I know I don’t have a birthday like humans, but I was born.”
“You were harvested,” Tam Lin reminds him. “You were grown in that poor cow for nine months and then you were cut out of her.”
To most people around him, Matt is not a boy, but a beast. A room full of chicken litter with roaches for friends and old chicken bones for toys is considered good enough for him. But for El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium—a strip of poppy fields lying between the U.S. and what was once called Mexico—Matt is a guarantee of eternal life. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself for Matt is himself. They share identical DNA.
My Review
This is also one of the four books I talked about in my last post, so I won’t dive too deep in this review. This is a middle-grade science fiction book about the clone of a Mexican drug lord. The premise itself makes it different from what I’ve read before. My favorite part of this book was hands down the world building. Every time I picked it up, I became immersed in the setting and was intrigued by the layers Matt uncovered about the family that owned him. I did not see the plot twist coming (though I probably should have) and it was set up really well. My main complaint is that the ending felt rushed. I think if this was planned as a series instead of a novel, it would’ve been better because I think it did enough to where a cliffhanger would be satisfying. Things were tied up too easily in my opinion. The author wrote a sequel over a decade later. I’ll probably pick it up at some point this year.
//Wonderland by Emory R. Frie
Goodreads Synopsis
They think she’s mad. They’re right. After returning from Wonderland again, Alice Liddell has been sent to the Facility-an asylum specially designed for others like her. Such fantasies are no longer suitable for a girl of seventeen, or so they tell her. Everyone around her demands she be sensible. Her story has been twisted for the entertainment of children. But Alice knows the truth. She won’t be moved to sensibility. And she’s not the only one. Along with her new friends, Alice is thrust into a journey to save the Mad Hatter from the Queen of Hearts. But things are never so easy. Alice quickly discovers her fate is tied closer to her fellow Facility escapees than any of them could’ve imagined. Stories weave together in unexpected ways as Alice and her friends find themselves deep in something that effects far more than just Wonderland. This is just the beginning.
My Review
This is a self-published book that was handed to me for free three years ago at a book festival, so there were a few typos. It’s a light “What could’ve been” fairytale retelling about Alice being placed in a mental institution after returning from Neverland. This isn’t a new idea, but the author added to it by including other fairytale characters. Basically, Alice is in the mental institution where she meets Wendy from Peter Pan, Red from Little Red Riding Hood, Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, and Kai from The Snow Queen. The story follows the five of them as they try to figure out why their stories exist in the real world but were changed, as well as what brought them together in the first place.
In the first book, as you might’ve guessed, they find themselves in Wonderland where they have to battle and overthrow the Red Queen. The backstory for this Alice’s Wonderland is different, so the changes were cool.
From what I gathered, each book in the series tackles a different setting: Neverland, Enchanted Forest, Giant Realm, and wherever the Snow Queen lives, while tying together this overarching storyline that connects the five characters. I’m very confused about that because the first book was mainly setup along with the Wonderland plot. I’ll probably read the second book because I like Peter Pan, but I don’t know if I’ll finish the series.
This was a fun read. The writing style was easy to read and the worldbuilding was cool in that it put an interesting spin on existing characters and settings. It honestly read like fanfiction,
//Tintin Volume II: The Broken Ear; The Black Island; King Ottokar’s Sceptre by Hergé,
Goodreads Synopsis
The Broken Ear: The classic graphic novel. A sacred tribal statue has been stolen from the museum! Tintin and Snowy are on the case! Clues lead them straight into the heart of the jungle.
The Black Island: Investigating a mysterious plane crash, Tintin discovers he’s onto something big! The case leads Tintin to Scotland, where he learns of a monster that stalks a lonely island.
King Ottokar’s Sceptre: The story tells of young Belgian reporter Tintin and his dog Snowy, who travel to the fictional Balkan nation of Syldavia, where they combat a plot to overthrow the monarchy of King Muskar XII.
My Review
I finished all the Tin-Tin graphic novels I owned for my goal of finishing all the unread books on my shelf. I enjoyed this volume a lot more than the the other one I read. The mysteries and adventures were much more entertaining. There were some racists depictions because it was written/drawn in the 1930s, but other than that, I enjoyed all three comics.
//City Of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson
Goodreads Synopsis
In the shadows of Sangui City, there lives a girl who doesn’t exist. After fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother arrived in Kenya looking for the chance to build a new life and home. Her mother quickly found work as a maid for a prominent family, headed by Roland Greyhill, one of the city’s most respected business leaders. But Tina soon learns that the Greyhill fortune was made from a life of corruption and crime. So when her mother is found shot to death in Mr. Greyhill’s personal study, she knows exactly who’s behind it.
With revenge always on her mind, Tina spends the next four years surviving on the streets alone, working as a master thief for the Goondas, Sangui City’s local gang. It’s a job for the Goondas that finally brings Tina back to the Greyhill estate, giving her the chance for vengeance she’s been waiting for. But as soon as she steps inside the lavish home, she’s overtaken by the pain of old wounds and the pull of past friendships, setting into motion a dangerous cascade of events that could, at any moment, cost Tina her life. But finally uncovering the incredible truth about who killed her mother—and why—keeps her holding on in this fast-paced nail-biting thriller.
My Review
This book is a YA mystery thriller about a Congolese refugee, Tina, who’s mother was murdered by a shady businessman in Kenya. The book follows Tina as she tries to expose his crimes and get revenge. A lot more happens after that. There are multiple different elements to the book, like the fact that Tina is a part of a gang, her discovering what happened to her mom and why they had to flee the DRC, and the intricacies of the businessman’s illegal activities.
//Dune by Frank Herbert
Goodreads Synopsis
Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for…
When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.
My Review
This was the last book I finished in 2020, and it was a great way to end the year. This is a very popular novel and I talked about it recently, so I won’t go too much into it. I enjoyed the worldbuilding, the intricate political systems, and am excited about the movie.
//Other Entertainment//
//Movies
- Footloose – This movie made me laugh so hard. Is it a rule to make movie musicals as goofy as possible because this movie was a lot? It’s about a guy who moves from Boston to a Christian town where it’s illegal to dance.
- How To Train Your Dragon – I love this movie. I haven’t watched it in forever, but I think it’s better than the book.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier – I hadn’t watched many MCU movies in 2020 because my brother and I re-watched the entire saga twice in 2018 and 2019 in preparation for Infinity War and Endgame. I just played this one randomly and had so much fun watching it. The fight scenes alone make this one of my favorites. Watching this sparked me and my brother to watch the Marvel movies again (out of order).
- Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight – This trilogy was my favorite of the movies I watched in November. Each movie tells the story of two people in the span of a few hours. The first movie takes place in their twenties. A boy and girl meet on a train and decide to jump off and explore Austria one night before they go their separate ways at sunrise. The second movie takes place nine years later when they’re in their thirties, and the third another nine years later in their forties. My favorite thing about the movies are the conversations they would have. The camera would follow them in one take as the backgrounds changed, and their conversations were so mundane but felt real. It subverted every rom-com trope and showed the intimacy of connection. It also shows how much life changes over the span of ten years. I’m curious to see if they make a fourth one because we’re reaching another nine-year mark.
The second one was my favorite.
- Taylor Swift: The Long Pond Sessions – This “movie” was essentially Taylor Swift singing the album acoustically and discussing the process of writing Folklore in quarantine and what the songs were about. It made me miss concerts. I can’t wait to go to concerts again. I wish Americans would stop being morons/the U.S government made it possible for people to stay at home without becoming homeless.
- Interstellar – I watched this with my dad on my birthday. It’s a really great movie. Basically, humans made the air on earth unbreathable and we only have a few decades left on earth with oxygen. This engineer has to leave his family to go on a space mission to find a planet survivable for humans. It’s honestly really sad because of time dilation and we see the man’s children grow up without him and the toll it takes on all of them.
- (500) Days of Summer – It took me way too long to watch this movie. I’ve been hearing about it for years, but it isn’t on any streaming platform. Anyway, this movie is about a guy who falls in love with a girl who tells him point blank she doesn’t want a relationship.
- Star Wars Episodes I-IV – I set a goal of watching all nine Star Wars movies in December, but I only got through half of them. December ended up being a very YouTube heavy month. I watched a lot of movies and shows in November, but December ended up being a pretty light month for movies. I do plan on finishing rewatching the entire saga. Personally, I don’t think the Star Wars movies are good individually, but they’re great altogether.
- Life In A Year – I saw a clip of this movie on TikTok. I honestly haven’t seen Jaden Smith in a movie since The Karate Kid. The movie is about his character’s girlfriend (Cara Delevingne) dying and him trying to fill her last year with all the milestones of life. I was expecting a basic dying teenager movie, but it surprised me. Parts of it are pretty basic, but I thought the acting was great.
- Behind the Try: A Try Guys Documentary – I love the Try Guys YouTube channel, but I wasn’t planning on watching their documentary when it came out. I was in a bad mood one day, so I decided to find it online to watch it and it made me feel better. I wouldn’t call it a funny documentary, but I enjoyed it. It’s about how they became friends, joining BuzzFeed, how they literally built their video department from the ground up before starting their own company and all the stresses that come with that.
//T.V. Shows
- Downton Abbey – I watched the first episode of Downton Abbey last September but didn’t continue it until November. There were a few weeks where I watched it every day, but then I got spoiled for the ending of Season 3, so I stopped watching halfway through that season because I wanted to pretend that things stayed happy. I’ll probably continue it at some point. Downton Abbey is about a rich family who owns a manor. We flip back and forth between the servants’ storylines and the lords and ladies’ storylines. The show really picks up once World War I starts.
- Self Made – This is a four episode limited series starring Octavia Spencer. It’s about Madame C.J. Walker, an African American businesswoman and first female millionaire in America. It was a really well-made show.
- Young Sheldon – I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Big Bang Theory, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this prequel. My dad really loves it, which is how I got into it. It’s about Sheldon Cooper as a kid in Texas and his family.
- Tangled: The Series – I had been watching this show since it came out a few years ago, but stopped a few episodes before the finale. I don’t remember why. It was around the time quarantine started last year. The show follows the aftermath of the Tangled movie. Rapunzel’s story is a lot more complicated than you’d think. This show is why I’m excited about the Tiana and Moana shows that are coming on Disney+. If they did this good a job with Tangled, I can’t wait to see what’s to come. (It also has all the original voice actors, plus a few more Broadway stars, so the music is amazing. Alan Menken got an Emmy for it.)
- The Umbrella Academy – I’m gonna be honest, this show was confusing. It was good, but it took me a few episodes to get into it. This was one of the shows I Netflix Partied with my friend Kat, and I probably wouldn’t have finished it otherwise. Anytime I’d look away for a minute led to be being confused for the next ten. A lot happened. I personally prefer the second season over the first one. The plot was a lot more interesting/less confusing now that I understood what was going on. I’m excited about the third season because they ended on a great cliffhanger.
- Station 19 & Grey’s Anatomy – The new seasons of Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy came out in November and they did not disappoint. Out of all the shows that have been including the pandemic in their storylines, these shows have done the best job. It makes sense since both shows are about first responders, but every episode packs a punch. Just…wow. The mid-season finales for both made me so angry and I can’t wait for the show to return in March. They dove into topics that I hadn’t thought about.
//Music
- Punisher Album by Phoebe Bridges
- Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions
- Angels Like You By Miley Cyrus
- Evermore Album By Taylor Swift – This album drop took me and many others completely by surprise. I think this album has more mature songs, but Folklore flows better as an album.
- So Long by Niall Horan
Well, that’s it for now. I read a lot of really good books at the end of last year and was able to watch a bunch of movies and shows during break, so it was nice to reminisce. I hope you enjoyed and I’ll see you next time!
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