In January I read four books/short stories, watched four movies including two documenteries, and played one video game.

Books:

The first thing I read was the short story These Deathless Bones by Cassandra Khaw. This is a horror short story about a witch bride who is the second wife of a king and the conflict between her and his son. The son is a horrible person who kills both people and animal and he gets what he deserves. I loved Cassandra Khaw’s writing and the ending.

In Mercy, Rain by Seanan McGuire is a short story set in the Wayward Children series following Jack in the Moors. Set shortly after Jack goes with the mad scientist and gives us some idea on what Jack’s life was like in the Moors. I love this series and Jack is one of my favorite characters so I always like getting more of her story.

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amelie Wen Zhao is a Chinese inspired fantasy where demons roam the land after the war between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Rivers. We follow An Ying who decides to enter the immortality trails to heal her dying mother. I loved the premise but not the execution. I’m getting a little tired of competition stories and I didn’t find the romance believable.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley is the first book in a slow burn enemies to lovers Romantasy. We follow Osric a member of an order of assassins whose magic is slowly dying. He forces Aurienne a healer to help him by funding a cure for a plague. The story is primarily about their relationship and budding romance but mysteries are uncovered. I loved this book and have a full review posted as well.

Movies:

In January I watched two movie and two documentaries. I rewatched Jurassic Park which has always been a favorite and I think will continue to be. Really all I have to say is if you haven’t seen the original Jurassic Park you should.

Next I was able to go see Iron Lung in theaters. Iron Lung is the YouTuber Markiplier’s first feature film and is a horror movie that is based on the video game of the same name. After the events of the Quite Rapture where all of the planets and humanity expect those on space stations have disappeared, moons covered in oceans of blood have been found. We follow the Convict Simon who is being sent down in a submarine to explore these blood oceans. I loved this movie and have a full review posted. I need to purchase a copy because this is one of those movies that I think is better understood on rewatch.

The first documentary I watched was Markiplier From North Korea, which is a documentary where Markiplier travels to South Korea with is mom and learns more about the family history and his grandfather’s escape from North Korea. I watched this because a book of the same name is coming out and I wanted to see what the documentary is. I would recommend this for fans of Markiplier.

Finally I watched the documentary Wick is Pain which is all about the John Wick movies, how the movies where made, and how physically tasking they were. I enjoyed it and I would recommend it for fans of the John Wick movies.

Video Game:

The only video game I played this month was the puzzle game Is This Seat Taken. Which is a puzzle game where your characters who are different shape have to be placed in cars, planes, buses etc. while taking into account each characters preferences such as not hearing loud music, being next to specific characters etc. I played this on Switch and found it to be a cute but quick game.