Hello, lovelies! Long time, no see! I have not blogged in a long time. Mostly because I was busy with grad school and politically depressed about the Supreme Court. Thankfully, the election went well and Trump will no longer be president. I am over the moon that Georgia is blue! I’m not surprised considering Atlanta is a majority black city and has a pretty large Asian and Hispanic population, but I know how gerrymandering works and have seen voter suppression in my community for many years. That makes this win that much sweeter considering all the barriers so many people had to break for Georgia to get to this point.
I’ll talk more about this again at some point because good lord, has a weight been lifted off my chest. Today, we’re going to talk about books and other entertainment. I hope you enjoy.
Related – Books I’ve Read During Quarantine | April – August 2020
//Books//
//Sammy Keyes & The Wild Things by Wendelin Van Draanan
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
This is not the summer camping trip of Sammy’s dreams. She imagined shady glades, meandering streams, a deer or two. What she gets are scrubby shrubs, blazing sun, rattlesnakes, ticks, and scorpions. Her fellow campers are desperate to catch a rare glimpse of an endangered condor. To Sammy, the trip is nothing more than the painful in pursuit of the unspeakably ugly.
But when she and two other girls find an injured condor, Sammy’s intrigued at last. As they track down a clue, they stumble onto two classmates and wind up lost. Which leaves three girls and two boys in a canyon with one tent and six billion biting flies. Oh—and an armed and dangerous high stakes poacher.
S’mores anyone?
The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it’s the drama in Sammy’s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.
My Review
This is my favorite book series. I reread it all the time. You don’t need to hear me talk about it again. I downloaded this audiobook from the library randomly one day to listen to while I worked out.
//Cinder by Marissa Meyer
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.
She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
My Review
I started rereading the Lunar Chronicles series in September. I listened to the audiobooks the first time I read them, and loved them so much that I bought physical copies of the series. When I was in the mood for a reread, they were already on my shelf.
I’m going to be honest, the only reason I read this book the first time was that I was on a ten hour drive from Chicago to Atlanta, and this audiobook just happened to be 10 hours and available at my library. I liked it the first time I read it. It was predictable, but I couldn’t really bar a Cinderella retelling for being predictable. The later books are better, but this was a good start to the series.
After reading the series and loving it, I had a much greater appreciation for the first book. It was really fun to read. I had forgotten about many scenes since I hadn’t read it since 2018.
(Also, I forgot that there was a pandemic in this book, and I was recently reminded that the Legend trilogy also included a pandemic. All three dystopian series I read in 2019 included pandemic storylines, which was completely accidental. Clearly, the universe was trying to tell me something.)
Anyway, this reread was a lot of fun. YA science fiction can be a hit or a miss, but I enjoyed the dialogue about cyborg rights. I’m planning on writing a spoiler filled “Book Talk” on the series when I finish rereading it. I’ve had this idea for awhile about rereading popular series/series from my childhood and discussing them (i.e. Percy Jackson, 39 Clues, Maximum Ride, etc.). It just seems like fun. I started rereading Harry Potter this year to start off that series of blog posts, but I don’t know if I’m comfortable doing that. The Lunar Chronicles post will probably take awhile because I want to savor this reread and I typically go through series pretty slowly. Either way, that blog post will come someday.
So yeah…my final review is that I liked this book more upon reread.
//Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
‘Armageddon only happens once, you know. They don’t let you go around again until you get it right.’
People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. But what if, for once, the predictions are right, and the apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea?
You could spend the time left drowning your sorrows, giving away all your possessions in preparation for the rapture, or laughing it off as (hopefully) just another hoax. Or you could just try to do something about it.
It’s a predicament that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon now finds themselves in. They’ve been living amongst Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and, truth be told, have grown rather fond of the lifestyle and, in all honesty, are not actually looking forward to the coming Apocalypse.
And then there’s the small matter that someone appears to have misplaced the Antichrist…
My Review
This book was fun. I don’t really know what else to say about it. It’s literally about an angel and a devil losing the Antichrist. I feel like every chapter I read included a “where did this idea come from?!” moment. I want to know how Prachett and Gaiman debated and organized all their ideas because there were many.
The novel was really interesting and the dialogue was funny. I actually listened to the audiobook and watched the T.V. show at the same time. I’ve never done that before, but I kind of timed it so that the show never spoiled the book. Anyway, Neil Gaiman also wrote the show, so it’s practically a perfect adaptation of the book. I highly recommend both. I had a good time reading it.
//Other Words For Home by Jasmine Warga
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
I am learning how to be
sad
and happy
at the same time.
Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.
At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.
My Review
This book was really sweet despite it’s sad premise (something I love about middle-grade books in general). We follow Jude’s life in Syria, how her life is during the uprisings, and leaving her father and brother behind to live in America. Then we see how she and her mom adjust to living here. What I enjoyed about this book is that it showed day to day adversity. Not the biggest extremes. It was little things like her English classes in school and how people reacted when she started wearing a hijab. Becoming a woman and wearing a hijab for the first time was such a happy milestone in Syria, but people kept treating it as a bad thing and asking her if she was forced to wear it.
She and her mom move into her uncle’s house. His wife is white and his daughter is mixed. The book explores that quite a bit. Like how Jude’s cousin is both avoidant of some aspects of her Syrian culture but envies Jude for being able to speak Arabic, something her father never taught her. Jude and her aunt end up having a great relationship, but Jude’s mom feels like her sister-in-law has made her brother forget his culture. Like I said, the book didn’t go into extremes. It showed the little sorrows and joys of Jude’s experience. A bunch of other stuff happens in the book, but the main point of the story was to go through a few years with Jude to see her refugee experience and adjusting to life in America.
//Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles.
She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life.
When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own. As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.
My Review
This was my least favorite book of the main four books in the series. I don’t typically like when new points of view are added in the second book. The Lunar Chronicles did a good job with this, but every time I read it, I wanted to go back to Cinder’s point of view.
I forgot most of what happened in this book. I only recalled the major plot point reveals that related to the end of the series (Books 3 & 4 were my favorites), so I deleted most of Scarlet’s quest and romance from my brain. Like the first book, this one was better upon reread. I was a lot more focused on it rather than just waiting till Cinder or other former characters came back. I still think the best thing that came from this book is Thorne. He’s the funniest character.
I’ve noticed that opinions on this book are pretty split. It’s either the favorite or least favorite in the series. Two of my friends read this series in high school. One of them agrees with my ranking of this book, and the other considers it her favorite. BookTube has revealed a similar dichotomy.
//The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantes is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas’ epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s.
My Review
Full Disclosure: The original classic is over 1,000 pages, so I read and abridged version. I enjoyed it enough to reread the full version someday. This book made me feel so sad. It’s about a very good man who is happy and in love. He is put in prison for over a decade over a crime he didn’t commit. In that time, he comes upon a lot of money (I won’t go into detail) and becomes a count. When he gets out of prison, everything and everyone is different, including him. He devises a plot to get revenge on the people who caused his wrongful imprisonment. It was intriguing to see this genuinely good man’s descent into cruelty. I highly recommend it even if you’re not a fan of classics. I don’t want to give too much away because I went into this book blind. It made it significantly more interesting.
//Other Entertainment//
//Movies
- Kiki’s Delivery Service – I feel like people are going to be mad about my review for this because this film is well-loved. This is a Studio Ghibli film that I haven’t watched before but have heard a lot about in the last year. The premise of it is interesting. A young witch leaves her home at 13 for a year to find her specialty. The animation is beautiful as always and I loved the music, but the movie was just okay. The plot was pretty boring TBH. I’m glad I watched it because I’ll be able to appreciate the references, but it’s not my favorite of the Ghibli movies I watched in quarantine.
- Ever After – I was so excited when this came on Disney Plus. It’s hands down the best Cinderella retelling.
- Enola Holmes – This movie was a lot of fun. I had high expectations for it because of the stacked cast, and they were exceeded. This movie is about Sherlock Holmes’s little sister. Their mother goes missing, so Enola sets off to find her, which leads Sherlock and Mycroft to search for Enola. It’s fun quirky movie with many twists and turns. I hope they make a sequel.
- Barbie Princess Adventure – I’m definitely a sucker for the classics, but I don’t mind the newer Barbie movies anymore. They definitely went downhill for awhile, but the new ones they’re making that correspond with the show are decent. I watched this movie at 2 AM, so maybe take my review with a grain of salt.
- An Emperor’s New Groove – He’s the best Disney Prince.
- Toy Story – I decided one day at the end of the month that I was going to watch all the Toy Story movies in a row because I hadn’t watched them in years. I got through the first two and enjoyed them, but I haven’t re-watched 3&4 yet.
//T.V Shows
- Good Omens – This show was a perfect adaptation of the novel. It wasn’t word for word the same, but I didn’t mind that because it got mostly everything right. Like I said before, one of the authors of the books was the screenwriter, which made it all the better. Michael Sheen and David Tennant couldn’t have done a better job.
- Cursed – This is a high fantasy show that I watched with my friend Kat via Netflix Party. I personally didn’t enjoy it. I probably wouldn’t have finished it if I hadn’t been watching it with someone else. It’s a King Arthur retelling about a teenage sorceress.
- Once Upon A Time – I watched this show in high school, but I stopped watching at around season 5. I didn’t plan on re-watching the entire show, but I had forgotten a good chunk of the first two seasons, so I decided to give it a re-watch. I still like it. The first few seasons are solid. The Peter Pan season is my favorite (The Frozen one was also good).
//My Spoiler-Free (ish) Rant about The 100 Finale
People were sending the author apologies after the finale aired! I legit haven’t seen that happen since Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I am very upset about this season. It made zero sense. I agree with Twitter in that it has dethroned Game of Thrones as the worst final season. I will never be able to enjoy The 100 the same way again, which makes me really sad since it’s my second favorite show.
I have invested so much time into this show. My dad recommended it to me in 2014, and I somehow continued watching despite stopping twice (At the second episode before the murdering started happening, and in season 3 until my nephew said it got better after a certain character died). I watched it every week while I was in Europe, yet I couldn’t be bothered to watch the episodes live during freaking quarantine. I will never be able to recommend this show to anybody ever again.
Okay, now for the review. I will stay as vague as I can. I actually watch this show for the plot, not the ships (I didn’t actually ship anybody until Season 4, so I was very late to all the drama thankfully.), so I was fine with the fact that they killed off a certain character in the thirteenth episode. I was upset about it because it didn’t make any sense and the character deserved a better send off. Then we find out that their death was completely pointless and didn’t amount to anything! What was the fucking point! I knew it would be too good to be true for them to live happily ever after like the end of the books because literally only one ship survives the show finale. Literally someone has died in every other pairing. The only other happy ship ended with them dying together and orphaning their son, so whatever. I didn’t boycott the show like a lot people apparently did afterward despite how poorly that death was handled. It’s fine that they didn’t have a happy ending in the show. Book are always canon anyway.
But it got worse. So many random plot devices were added in the last few episodes that made things that happened years ago completely pointless. There was no growth at all. No one learned anything! I was literally rooting for everyone to die and I think the main character experienced something worse then death. This character would’ve killed themselves after what happened. Anyway, the plot this season was dumb. It was interesting at first, but no sense when they dove deeper. The ending was complete bullshit. I feel like the show-writers were trying to make it super profound, but in the process they destroyed a lot of progress that had already happened. And the plot device they used was so random and out of left field. It made no sense.
Also, the main characters weren’t in half the episodes. The first half of the season spent the majority of it’s time focusing on side characters, which would be fine if this weren’t the final season. And when the main characters were there, they were completely out of character.
There was also a lot of poor quality footage. I didn’t notice until my friend pointed it out, but I couldn’t unsee it afterward. The season just wasn’t shot well. I don’t know how to describe it other than “it felt off.”
Anyway, my main complaint is that the plot was dumb and it made everything that happened up until this point, pointless. I was rooting for the entire human race to die at the end. I’m pretty sure they killed one main character per episode in the last four episodes, so they may as well have committed. Just…I feel like the fact that fans were sending the author apologies is enough of an explanation. It was bad. My advice is to watch the first two seasons and imagine a happy ending. Because this ending was so dumb.
//Music
- Both of Us by B.o.B ft. Taylor Swift
- Born To Die by Lana Del Rey
- Eres from Soy Luna
- Valiente from Soy Luna
- To Build A Home by The Cinematic Orchestra
- Video Games by Lana Del Rey
- Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers
- Graceland Too by Phoebe Bridgers
- Let’s Hurt Tonight by One Republic
- I Know The End by Phoebe Bridgers
Well, that’s it for now. I’m sorry my blog posts have been meh during quarantine. I just entertain myself at home in between grad school, which is why these are the only consistent blog series. I feel like all my blog posts in 2020 have been me being tired and complaining about politics (something y’all apparently like since my post engagement has gone up), but there’s only so much of that I can take. Anyway, I’ll be back when I’m back. I’m not going to specify when I post next because I’m usually wrong in my predictions.
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Have you read any good books recently? Any good T.V. shows, movies or music?