This month has been more about reading than watching TV and
movies, which you will see reflected below.
I have been really concentrating on reading more. I used to read all the time, but as an adult
it feels so hard to focus. It is so much
less energy to watch TV or a movie after a long day at work. Reading takes effort and concentration, which
I struggle to exercise. Lately I have
been making the effort to carve out quiet time to read more because I know I
enjoy it so much once I get into the right frame of mind. Because this month’s entertainment leans more
to the book side, I decided to forgo one of the TV series reviews and did a
third book review.
Warning: Although I
tried not to delve into plots too deeply, there are potential spoilers in the
reviews below. Read at your own risk.
TV Series: Supernatural:
Season 8 (2012)
Season 8 was a return to the Supernatural I love. My husband and I devoured this season in a
couple of binge watches. Season 7 (which
I did not review) was dedicated to the eradication of the Leviathans, which were
nasty people-eating monsters, and no fun at all.
They were defeated at the end of the season and have completely
disappeared from the storyline. Season 8
returns to demons and angels. Castiel
has found his sense of humor and lost his superiority complex. Crowley returns as the main antagonist
because Dean and Sam have found a possibility to lock the gates of hell
forever. The show relies heavily on some great
secondary characters including a vampire named Benny that Dean befriends, a
prophet named Kevin who is helping the Winchesters to close the gates to hell,
and a bumbling hunter named Garth who keeps crossing their path. The humor is
amped up again with some great episodes like Hunteri Heroici and LARP & the
Real Girl. Overall, I just felt like
this season returned to the ideal mix of good chemistry between characters, a
feeling of hope to overcome the obstacles, and humor to make it fun.
Movie: Annie Hall (1977)
Over the last couple of years, I have enjoyed several Woody
Allen films with my favorite being Midnight in Paris. Because of this, I thought it might be nice
to watch some of his older films. I
picked Annie Hall on name recognition initially. (Full disclosure: This movie was referenced in the series
finale of Dawson’s Creek, but I assumed it was a Spielberg film due to Dawson’s
idolization of the director. I was
surprised to see it in the list of Woody Allen films on Netflix.) When I saw the critical acclaim, awards, and
Diane Keaton attached to it, I figured it would be a great one to watch. Overall, I would say my reaction to the film
is underwhelmed. I liked it well enough,
but I ended feeling just a little disappointed. The movie is funny in an understated way. It also tells a pretty timeless and relatable
story about that one relationship that you can never truly forget. However, it does feel dated, which is
understandable, but it makes harder for someone like me to get the cultural references. The biggest thing though was that it lacked
the whimsical feeling that his modern films have. The artsy cinematography and fantastical storylines
are what I like the most about Woody Allen films. Annie Hall was not a bad movie, but I think
you need to be aware that it is not much like what he puts out today.
Movie: The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
I liked this movie, but many people will not. It follows the story of fifteen year old
Minnie’s sexual awaking, starting with losing her virginity to her mother’s
boyfriend Monroe. The relationship with
Monroe obviously does not work out with hurt feelings on all sides, Minnie,
Monroe, and Minnie’s mother.
Additionally Minnie makes other rash sexual decisions including a fling
with a rich boy from school and an instance of prostitution (blow job to a
stranger for $5). The time period (70s)
and setting allows for a freer morality around sex and drugs with the result
being much less worry over the pedophilic nature of Minnie’s relationship with
Monroe and much more focus on how everyone’s feelings play into the
storyline. Minnie is obviously still
immature, so her narration and reaction to events reflects that innocence. Her mother and Monroe are also immature
despite their ages, and that is also reflected in how they deal with the
situation along the way. I felt the
story was very authentic, not overdone, and relatable. However, viewers who are offended by explicit
sex scenes and/or the Monroe/Minnie relationship should just skip this one. Bonus:
Kristen Wiig turns in a great performance as the mother, showing she can
hold her own even in more serious roles.
Book: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (2012)
I chose this book based on false assumptions and had no idea
what I was actually getting. When I told
my therapist about an ex-boyfriend who became a fitness & nutrition nut,
she asked if I had read Me Before You.
Because of that, I assumed the book was about the relationship between
the main character and the fitness nut.
In actuality, the relationship is about the main character and her quadriplegic
employer, leaving the fitness nut boyfriend to more of a side plot. However, the initial misunderstanding did not
keep me from enjoying this book. I
absolutely loved it. The story is so powerful. It is about rethinking first impressions,
overcoming obstacles, knowing what you want, and accepting things that cannot
be changed. It is not the most tightly
written book. There were a few things
that just did not seem realistic (what 27 year-old in the western world has
never used a computer?) which were a little distracting from the flow of the
storyline. The plot though more than
compensated for any bumps in the storytelling.
I highly recommend it to those who love romances. I also cannot wait for the movie version due
out soon.
Book: No One Knows by J.T. Ellison (2016)
I recently joined the Book of the Month Club which for a
monthly subscription gives me a choice of one of five books recommended by
judges associated with the club. For my first
pick, I chose No One Knows by J.T. Ellison.
It had been a while since I read a suspense thriller, and this one
looked good. For the first half of the
book, I really enjoyed it. It did remind
me of Gone Girl (saw the movie, but not read the book), but I did not consider
that a negative. Unfortunately, my
enjoyment fell apart in the second half of the book. The book skips around between narrators and
time periods, so that it leads up to the final plot twists. However, the early chapters do not flow
nicely into the final conclusion. There
is a subplot surprise that pops up at the end of the novel that just seems
pointless. Then, the conclusion to the
main story feels forced and inconsistent with the earlier characters. I just felt confused and uninterested by the
end instead of engaged and wowed by the whodunit. I think there are better mysteries out there,
and hopefully I will read one soon.
Book: Steadfast by Mercedes Lackey (2013)
Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors. I first started reading her Heralds of
Valdemar series when I was in middle school.
I have not stopped reading her since, consuming a sizable chunk of her
work. While the Heralds will probably
always be my favorite, I am also a big fan of her Elemental Masters
series. These are gritty tales, set in
Edwardian England, full of underground magic, encompassing a constant battle
between good and evil. Each novel is
loosely based on a different fairy tale, although I admit I do not always
recognize it in the story until I look it up later. Steadfast is based on the Steadfast Tin
Soldier (I did not recognize it). The
book is based on a circus dancer, who is on the run from her abusive husband,
unknowingly a danger to everyone around her due to her untrained elemental fire
magic. Two men, both elemental mages,
take it upon themselves to help her escape her past and learn to control her
magic. I enjoyed this book, but it was
not my favorite of the series. Mercedes
Lackey is an enchanting writer that makes me keep turning the pages until the
very end. While that was true for this
book as well, I was left feeling unsatisfied by the ending. It was just too quick and pretty. The buildup of the story took forever, while
the climax was introduced and over in a matter of pages. The characters introduced subplots and plans
that never contributed in the end, and the actual resolution felt too
convenient. I am glad I read it, but the
books that came before it in the series were better.
Overflow:
TV Special: Kevin Hart:
I’m a Grown Little Man (2009) – Yes
Book: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding (1999) –
Yes
See you next week!
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