March 2019 Wrap Up

On April 8, 2019April 7, 2019 By AllieS.In Book Review, Movie Review, Wrap UpLeave a comment

So March was a very busy month for me, so I didn’t read very much but I did watch some TV shows and movies.

Books:

34895950 The only book I read this month was The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill. The Tea Dragon Society is a short graphic novel set in a fantasy world where tea leaves are harvested from dragons. The story follows two young girls, Greta and Minette, who are learning about tea dragons and how to take care of them. It’s a beautifully illustrated story inspired by anime and manga with very unique fantasy concepts. Many of the characters are a combination of different fantasy races and use different fantasy elements. I would like to see the story continue as this first book is so short at only 72 pages there isn’t much time to connect with and learn everything about the characters. 3.5/5 stars.

TV Shows:

clonewars I finally finished the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show which will be getting a continuation on Disney’s new streaming service that is supposed to come out sometime in 2019. The Clone Wars show is set in between the Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith movie and does fix some of the problem that the prequel movies have. The big thing is it gives much more information about the Clone Wars and fleshed out most of the bigger relationship from the movies. This show made me believe that Obi-Wan did consider Anakin his brother and the relationship between Anakin and Padme is much better and is given time to grow. Anakin is given a padawan in Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka is an amazing character but also allows the audience to see Anakin as a leader and in different stories and positions from the movies. However, there are some episodes that are just not that good and can be skipped without missing any plot or story elements. I would recommend not watch most to the episodes that feature Jar Jar or primarily focus on the droids. Also the show was not originally released in chronological order so there are two ways to watch it, episode release order or chronological. I would recommend watching the show in chronological order as it gives you a better sense of the state of the Jedi during the Clone Wars but before Revenge of the Sith.

Movies:

Captain_Marvel_poster So I saw Captain Marvel and I liked it, I do have a full review here so I won’t go completely in-depth. As the newest MCU movie and connected to Avengers: Endgame I would recommend going to see it but it’s also a good movie that can be understood without having seen any of the other Marvel movies. Connections to other MCU movies are mostly in little Easter eggs that you will understand if you’ve seen some of the other movies but they don’t detract from the story being told. I loved seeing a younger Nick Fury and how the Shield that we know from the other movies started. All of the acting is great and while the movie is funny none of the jokes become too much and make it feel like a comedy. However, many of the jokes will not connect if the 90’s references are not understood. Ultimately, it’s a movie about a woman realizing and coming into her own power.

Cloverfield_paradox_poster This month I also finally set down and watched The Cloverfield Paradox which I liked the most out of the Cloverfield movies so far. The movie starts out with some info dumping about how the earth is running out of power sources and so the world has sent a team to a space station to work with a massive particle accelerator to attempt to find a new power source. When the experiment works all hell breaks loose on the space station has they ended up breaking the fabric of reality. Though it is a science fiction movie I would classify it more as a body horror such as Alien or the Thing than just straight sci-fi. I’ve never loved any of the Cloverfield movies and this ones no exception though I do like it better than the others. In Cloverfield I felt like the characters were very annoying and I didn’t care what happen. It doesn’t help that I have never been a fan of found footage movies either. 10 Cloverfield Lane on the other hand was a movie that I like the concept of but found the movie as a whole very boring. So, I didn’t have high expectations for Cloverfield Paradox. Though I don’t think Paradox was needed as part of the Cloverfield series I did like the concept of the movie and I wasn’t bored. If any of the Cloverfield movie got direct squeals I would want it to be Paradox as I feel like it has the most that could be done with it given how the story and ending is set up. I do plan to post a full review so for all of my thoughts check that post.

Witch Child by Celia Rees

On March 16, 2019March 15, 2019 By AllieS.In Book ReviewLeave a comment

803120 Witch Child by Celia Rees is a historical fiction young adult novel that follows Mary Newbury who escapes a witch trial in England and travels with a group of puritans to the new world. However, it becomes clear when they arrive in Massachusetts that Mary must be careful as she is an outsider who could easily be tried as a witch and she might just be one.

Witch Child is written as a diary so we see Mary’s story unfold through her own eyes. She believes herself to be a witch but that thought and any of her actions through out the story could easily get her in major trouble. Rees makes the story very realistic for the time period both in the use of puritan values and beliefs as well as information about the Native American’s that Mary interacts with. Mary unlike the rest of the community sees a kinship with the Native’s as they are both outsiders that the puritan community would attempt to get rid of. The tribe used in the story is the Pennacook nation which was a real Native American tribe in the Massachusetts area when white settlers arrived in the new world.

Witch Child is a reread for me as I read the book initially when I was a teenager. I didn’t love it as much as I remember because I’m older now. Sometimes I like to go back and read the books published when I first started reading Teen or Young Adult books as the Young Adult book market is much different now. I remember when bookstores called it the teen section and YA really wasn’t a big thing. Now days it feels like YA is written for an older audience than it used to be which makes Witch Child feel more like a middle grade but I still like the book.

Rating:

DNF (Did Not Finish) #1

On February 13, 2019February 11, 2019 By AllieS.In Book Review, DNFLeave a comment

I used to try to finish all the books that I started but as I’ve gotten older I’ve stopped doing that as much. I believe that life is too short and there are so many things that I could enjoy that I shouldn’t have to force myself to finish books or shows if I’m on longer enjoying it. But I still want to talk about why I stopped reading. Sometimes there’s not to say so I don’t want to write full reviews. So here is a list of the books that I’ve recently did not finish and my reasons why.

Bats of the Republic by Zachary Thomas Dodson is a dystopian novel told through letters, recordings, notes, newspaper clippings etc. and while a very cool concept not very I trusting to read. After about 60 pages I had not connect with any of the characters or story so I stopped reading.

Handbook for Mortals by Lani Sarem is famous for the fact that the author scammed her way on to the New York Times bestsellers list. When I bought the book, I knew about the story but couldn’t remember the title or author so I bought it anyway. I couldn’t even get though the first chapter. The story was boring and didn’t grab me, the first person perspective does the story no favors and makes the protagonist annoying and the descriptions make no sense. I have no idea how this book even got published.

The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory, the fourteenth Plantagenet and Tudor Novel, follows Lady Jane Grey, who was queen of England for nine days, and her two sisters. When I bought this book I thought I would love it as I have loved some of Philippa Gregory’s other books. However, I’m learning that her book are very hit or miss for me. The book is told from Jane, Katherine, and Mary’s perspectives but I barely got through the first 50 pages of Jane’s perspective. I found Jane as a narrator to be far too pious, boring, annoying, and I felt like she hates all the other women in her life. To start the book like this made me not care about the story or any of the characters which almost always stops me from finishing a book. I feel like if you love all of Philippa Greogory’s work or Lady Jane Grey story is what you are interested in than you might like this book but it wasn’t for me.

Rogues edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois is a short story collection focusing on the concept of the rogue and how the authors featured in the book wanted to play with that concept. It is becoming clear to me that I don’t like short story collections unless all of the stories are either from the same author or from the same series (ex: Doctor Who). Even the stories from authors I like and have read other things from, I just couldn’t get though everything bored me and I’m not really sure why. I like the idea of these types of collections as a way to see if I might like the authors other works but it never seems to work out the way I want it to. I think many people will enjoy these stories and the book overall but the format did nothing for me and because of that I couldn’t get through any of it.

Parasite (Parasitology #1) by Mira Grant

On February 9, 2019February 8, 2019 By AllieS.In Book ReviewLeave a comment

13641105 Parasite is the first book in the Parasitology trilogy by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire). In the year 2027 humanity no longer deals with sickness and disease due the genetically engineered tapeworms created by SymboGen that everyone now carries. The story primarily follows Sally Mitchel who nearly died six years ago but was saved by the SymboGen tape worm. However, things are starting to go wrong with the tape worms and people are not acting like they should so Sally must figure out what is going on and her new place in the world.

The story starts out very interesting seeing how the world is different from today. As I don’t think there would very be anything that would convince me to carry a tapeworm. Sal, as Sally prefers, doesn’t remember anything from before that accident that nearly killed her so she is being treated as a medical miracle even years later. It’s clear that while she understand everyone want to find out how she survived and what happened she hates being treated like a child. As a sleeping sickness starts affecting people everywhere Sal and her boyfriend start uncovering secrets that will change everything and that puts them in grave danger.

Though I’ve loved many of Seanan McGuire’s other works there is an important plot twist about halfway through the book that completely lost me. Given that the science seems very sound in the rest of the book this twist seemed to come out of left field and didn’t flow with the rest of the story. Seanan McGuire’s endings though, especially in her science fiction horror books, feel like a gut punch or that didn’t just happen, did it? Its nothing that I ever expect and it always causes me to want to read more.

If you have any anxiety or fears based around medical events or parasites/bugs I would consider not reading this series. I absolutely loved the NewsFlesh series and have loved many of Seanan McGuire’s other work so I was expecting to love this book. Though I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was hoping with the ending I do plan on continuing the series but I don’t think I will have that high of expectations for the rest of the series.

Rating:

Wayward Children Series(#1-3)

On January 25, 2019January 30, 2019 By AllieS.In Book ReviewLeave a comment

The Wayward Children’s series by Seanan McGuire follows kids and teenagers who have traveled into fantasy worlds, have returned home and how they cope or not cope with being brought back to a world that is now not really home.

Every Heart a Doorway follows Nancy a new student at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children who traveled to the Halls of the Dead, is now back home and her parents want her to be the way she was before she left. Shortly after Nancy arrives at the school another student is murdered and the plot revolves around who is killing the students and why. This book introduces multiple characters that we gain more information about both in this book as well through out the series and how these other worlds work on a scale of Nonsense/Logic and Virtue/Wickedness though it becomes clear that world can present themselves one way while their rules don’t seem the same. One of the things I love about Seanan McGuire’s books is the fact that many of the characters are diverse such as different religions, sexuality and identities but this diversity is not the main focus of the plot. The characters are diverse because the real world is diverse. Every Heart a Doorway so far is my favorite book in the series.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones follows Jack and Jill, twin sisters that we met in book one, and tells the story of before they arrived at school and the world that they went to. Jack and Jill’s parents treated their daughters as one being a tomboy and the other a girly girl regardless of how they felt about it and that caused them to resent each other. When they arrive at the Moors, a world much like Universal’s classic horror movies, they finally chose who they were for them selves with Jack working for a mad scientist and Jill becoming the favorite of the Vampire that ruled the town which changes everything forever. Technically, books one and two of this series can be read with either working as book one however, I feel like Every Heart should be read first because of what happens to Jack and Jill at the end of book one which shows what they become where Down is their back story and why they are the way they are.

To discus Beneath the Sugar Sky in any detail I will have to mention spoilers for book one, so if you don’t want that just know that Beneath is my least favorite of the series as I feel the story is not as good as the other books and the fat representation is very heavy-handed which makes parts of the story hard to read.

Spoilers:

Beneath the Sugar Sky follows Rini the daughter of Sumi, who was killed the beginning of book one. Rini has traveled from the world of Confection to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children to save her mother’s life and her world. Because of Rini’s quest several other students join her in traveling through different world to put Sumi back together again and help her save Confection which allows the readers to see different worlds than have been shown in the other books and see some of the previous main characters. Though the plot of Beneath revolves around Rini and her quest to save her mother a new student, Cora, is the main narrator/character for the book.

Cora is a curvy young woman who travel to the Trenches where she was a mermaid but is now the new arrival at the school. Generally, I love how Seanan McGuire handles diverse representation but this time it felt very heavy-handed. When the reader meets Cora it is made very clear that Cora is fat (she repeatedly calls herself fat throughout the book) and as the main narrator of the book we hear Cora’s internal monologue thought most of it. It’s clear that in her previous schools that she has been bullied for her weight and at one point was not comfortable in her body but some times it seemed a bit too much and I just wanted it to stop. By the end of the book the only things I felt I knew about Cora is that she fat and a good swimmer. Fat representation is need but I felt like it could be done better. The one thing I loved about this book is the fact that the character travel to some of the different worlds and Seanan McGuire’s writing style is whimsical and sucks you in.

Overall, I love the Wayward Children’s series and I can’t wait for the next book In an Absent Dream which comes out in January 2019.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes Review

On October 16, 2018 By AllieS.In Book ReviewLeave a comment

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes PBK mech.indd So I just finished Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty and this is not the first book I was expecting to review for this blog. I currently have multiple books and shows going, which is unusual for me,I never know what I will finish first but I thought my first review wouldn’t be on such a hard topic.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes is part memoir, part death history, and part discussion of the death industry in the United States. Caitlin is candied about the truth of how many American experience death and know very little about the death industry while at the same time injecting a very morbid sense of humor that allows the reader to be more comfortable with the topic. Caitlin runs a funeral home in California called Undertaking LA and a YouTube channel called Ask a Mortician.She is also the founder of the Order of the Good Death.

This book is hard to discuss because I really don’t know what to say given the subject, as it can sound weird that you like a book about death. In some ways as a historian that specializes in public history (museum, memorials, historical sites etc) I feel like I’m more comfortable with the idea of death than some people. As many of these sites deal with war, tragedies, and history that is taught involves people that are dead.Smoke Gets In Your Eyes pulls back the curtain in the death industry and gives a glimpse into how the modern western world handles the dead. No matter how much of a history buff you are historians write and research about events and people but most books still wouldn’t discuss in detail how the dead are treated and handled.

I biggest take away I have is that everything we do as humans is because one day we will died and the real question is what is a good death to you. What is it that you would want to happen to your body and possession when your gone. And are the major conversations that you need to have with family or friends about your future plans and possibly theirs. I know as a millennial we often have pretty morbid sense humor which I get as many days it seems like the wold is about to go up in flames or is already on fire depending on your prospective. However, I think most of us don’t want to die today or anytime soon. Planing for the inevitable future is not a bad thing and there is so much you can do with your body or remains if you want to, for example being shot into space.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes is a powerful book about death and the death industry. Thought not for the faint of heart Caitlin Doughty does intersperse these harder topics and slightly graphic descriptions with her morbid since of humor. I would recommend this book to all those wanting to know about the death industry and those who have seen her on YouTube.