Review Round-Up
Review Round-Up
Books, movies, and shows I read/watched in August.
Starbucks officially has Pumpkin Spice and I am FINISHED with this hot weather and ready for Fall. Let’s take a look at August’s round-up!
Books
Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley - 2/5
Note to self: don’t read a book just because it compares itself to Yellowjackets. It would be easier to just read Lord of the Flies instead.
Watermark by Christie Ann Conlin - 4.5/5
This was such a well-written short story collection! Canadian Gothic with a lot of nods to Flannery O’Connor.
Not as good as the first in the series, but honestly a pretty good YA mystery. I like how realistic the characters and plot are, as well as exploring the issues of true crime and what comes after solving a crime.
Stay, Illusion! The Hamlet Doctrine by Simon Critchley and Jamieson Webster - 3.5/5
I always want to learn more about Hamlet and this book offers a lot of good ideas that I would probably use if I was still in university. I do wish Hamlet scholarship would stop focusing on Freud and Oedipus so much. I get it, but I think we’re at the point that other theories can be discussed.
I read this book because it’s set in Barry’s Bay and I have family who live in that area. I have my own issues with it, and I don’t think this couple would survive in real life, but there were parts of the book I enjoyed more than I thought.
Absolutely incredible! I love the parallels the authors explored in this text and the solutions they brings forward to bring reconciliation. It was also a pleasure to hear them talk about this book in person!
I’M SO HAPPY TO BE BACK IN THIS WORLD! Tes and Kosika are great new characters to be introduced to and I am so excited to see what the other two books in this new series will bring!
Widow Fantasies by Hollay Ghadery - 5/5
Flash fiction is such a hard thing to successfully write, let alone a book of flash fiction but Ghadery does this marvelously. Great character work and stories in only a few pages!
Movies
Last Night in Soho dir. Edgar Wright (2021) - 4/5
This movie had a KILLER soundtrack and I loved the use of practical effects. It’s not perfect, but I had fun watching it!
Drop Dead Gorgeous dir. Michael Patrick Jann (1999) - 4/5
This movie was hilarious! I’d never heard about it before and watched it for a movie night but I love a good mockumentary with a stacked cast!
Billboard Dad dir. Alan Metter (1998) - 4/5
This MIGHT be the best Mary-Kate and Ashley movie. Seriously, I was shocked by how good this was. Fun, a decent plot, and alright acting. It’s a win in my books!
School of Rock dir. Richard Linklater (2003) - 4/5
A rewatch. I hadn’t watched this movie in so long and forgot how good it is!
TV Shows
Technically not finished season 4 yet but almost! David got carjacked, Michelle Trachtenburg was there for a bit, and Ruth has awful taste in men. Also Nate and Brenda are a mess and shouldn’t be together.
I would DIE for Tony Tony Chopper.
Why yes, I did only watch this because an actor I love dearly is appearing in the second season, don’t judge me. But in all seriousness I love this show and will probably be watching The Boys at some point. The best way I can describe Gen V is that it’s like an adult Sky High, and I love Sky High!
I haven’t played Fallout but Ella Purnell is in this so I had to watch it and people said it was good. And it was! I didn’t have as much watching it as Gen V because it’s about the world surviving a nuclear apocalypse and, therefore, sad, but it was still good!