Review Round-Up
Books, movies, and shows I read/watched in May.
I know I didn’t post one in April, but here’s May for you to enjoy taking a look at!
Books
Earthling by Sayaka Murata - 4/5
The book on all the Weird Fiction lists and it certainly was weird, but like most weird books I liked it. There were a few parts in the beginning that were difficult to read do to subject matter, but I really enjoyed this book and loved following Natsuki as a protagonist.
Wrongful by Lee Upton - 2/5
Thank you to The Next Best Book Club for sending me this in exchange for an honest review! I think Upton had a lot of fun writing this book but it just wasn’t for me. Geneva was an annoying protagonist to follow, and the point of view and writing style completely changes by the end.
This Spells Love by Kate Robb - 3.5/5
I’m not a big romance reader but this was recommended by my friend and it was fun! Light and predictable like most romances are, but Gemma was a fun protagonist to follow, and this book was set in my city!
I.R.L. by Jenny Goebel - 2/5
Some good, creepy moment but I think we need to give our young readers more credit. We don’t need to make action after action after action happen in a book to make it more interesting to them.
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica - 4/5
Vaguer than I was expecting, but I loved the protagonist and the themes of survival, love, and hope throughout.
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau - 4/5
We need more dystopian middle grade novels, it’s such a great genre!
Movies
My sister tried to get me into this musical by making me listen to the Original Broadway soundtrack but I hated Alice Ripley’s voice so much that I just couldn’t. Cue the proshot in it’s magnificent with the very talented Caissie Levy in the lead role. An absolutely stunning production!
Aftersun dir. Charlotte Wells (2024) - 5/5
Another movie night pick with my friends and a winner! This move was fantastic, with some brilliant shots. I need Charlotte Wells to direct more than just an oatmeal commerical after this!
The Skeleton Twins dir. Craig Johnson (2024) - 3/5
I thought there was a lot of good things this movie was trying to show, particularly giving a realistic look at depression but I wanted just a little more from it. It also felt surprisingly long despite only being 90 minutes.
TV Shows
This arc was hilarious! I was not expecting how much fun or how often I would laugh watching it. Also the weird villain laughs just keep coming!
One Piece - Season One - Matt Owens and Steven Maeda (2023)
I just can’t get enough! Though really I wanted to be caught up for whenever season 2 comes out. It’s a pretty good adaptation, I understand why some changes were made but I think the anime is something really special and has a charm the live action just doesn’t fully have.