Reviews Week 12

Reviews Week 12

March 21st- 27th 

Book 34: A Feast for Crows

by George R. R. Martin

Read March 18th-26th 

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It took me way too long to get back into this series but I'm so glad that I did. This was incredible and if it weren't for the Greyjoy chapters it would have been a five-star read like the others. I really like where George R. R. Martin took the story in this one, especially with the ending.

This time around I listened to the audiobook. The one read by John Lee and I absolutely adored his narration. My favorite perspectives to listen to were probably Sansa/Alayne's, Cersei's, Jamie's, and Brienne's. I know that it has been said a lot by readers of the books but I wish that the show would have stuck more to the books. There is so much in this book that I wish would have been in the show, though I am glad that some of it is taken out. 

George's descriptions and world that he created are so detailed and it creates such an atmosphere for the reader. It was an experience that I really enjoyed. 

I will definitely be picking up A Dance with Dragons very soon.

Reviews Week 11

Reviews Week 11

March 14th- 20th 

Book 29: The Last Unicorn

By Peter S. Beagle

Read March 13th- 14th 

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This book was phenomenal. I have heard a lot of great things about it over the years but I did not ever expect it to be this great. I adored every minute of this book. It makes me wish that I had picked it up before now but man, am I glad that I did now. A great example of modern fantasy at its finest, a classic in its own right, and an amazing book to read. I recommend this book highly.

Book 30: Groo: Fray of the Gods  

By Sergio Aragonés, Mark Evanier, Tom Luth, and Stan Sakai

Read March 15th 

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This was another great addition to the Groo books that I have read. I loved the look at mythology throughout this book. It reminded me somewhat of Terry Pratchett's Small Gods book, which is a favorite of mine. This was clever and had me laughing out loud a lot. I love Groo as a character and how much he messes up everything for everyone around him. And he never even realizes it and that adds to the humor. Also, Rufferto's side comments are always the best. Love the art style as usual.

Book 31: Groo: Play of the Gods

By  Sergio Aragonés

Read March 15th 

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I adore Groo's story in this graphic novel and really enjoyed reading it again. Groo is hilarious and I'm glad that I read this after reading Fray of the Gods this time around. Brings even more context to the story. I read this for the first time in 2017 and I will place my original review below that I did for a website that I was reviewing for at the time. 

2017 Review: 

A Short Synopsis

The Groo graphic novels/ comics have been around for decades and I remember when I first heard about them when I was a kid. This is my first venture into his tales and I can honestly say that I'm surprised by how much I really enjoyed this simple little graphic novel. This follows along with Groo, a very idiotic barbarian that literally ruins everything around him by just being there. His ultimate mission in this tale is for the search of the best cheese dip in the world. Hilarity follows him in every movement as he ultimately changes the course of everyone's lives around him. Groo's dog, Rufferto follows him around as he adventures throughout this book and interjects little side comments throughout. He reminded me of Garfield in his way of making fun of the actions of Groo, similarly to how Garfield makes fun of Jon. It was quite funny to read.

Writing Style

Throughout the whole piece, we see not only the adventure of Groo but also the reactions of the Gods watching everything going on below them. The queen of the land is trying to spread out into other lands surrounding their own and spread the word of their one god to these lands. Each of the Gods blames Diothos for the fact that he is the only one that they are trying to worship and anyone believing in anyone else is getting hurt for it. As a famous sailor leads them to the land that he discovered each person has their own plan. The sailor wants to get gold for himself and leave the others. The priests want to spread the word of their god no matter what the cost, even if they have to hurt people (this actually becomes a funny joke throughout). Groo is tricked into coming for the best cheese dip and no one really wants him to come along.

What I really liked about the style of writing was the switch back and forth between the gods and the humans that they are arguing about. It was an interesting and rewarding choice in creation because this just added to the humor.

The Art, Lettering, and Coloring

The art style is wonderful to look at. It still has this old type of style with bright popping color for each of the characters. Each character stands out with their own specific styles that fit their characteristics. One of the best scenes is when the citizens of the new land start thinking up new gods. There are really ridiculous ones such as The God of Repetition (who then repeats everything he says multiple times throughout), The God of Spelling Things Backwards, and my favorite: The God of Procrastination. Each of these gods looks different from each other and many have a look that matches what they are gods of. The more gods added to this scene looked great together.

The lettering really is nothing too spectacular but it goes along perfectly with the style of the drawings and the coloring. All of the dialogue stands out great against what is happening in the images. They look great together.

Final Thoughts

This is the graphic novel that I wanted and needed to read at the end of the year. I loved the humor and the style of each panel. Groo was a character that grew on me almost instantly. The poor guy keeps messing up everything for many of the people around him and many will run away to avoid him. He doesn't even seem to realize or care and I found him enduring. The only downside that I really found in this piece was how slow it was at the beginning. It took me quite some time to actually get into this but once I did I was hooked. The art style and writing style make for a great experience. I cannot wait to read more of Groo's tales from the past and any more that will come out.

Book 32: Spear

By Nicola Griffith 

Read March 16th 

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This started out slow for me but once I actually got into the book, it was very good. Stories about King Arthur have always intrigued me and when I read the description for this one it became one of my most anticipated books of the year. I'm so glad to say that I enjoyed this retelling a lot.

The prose was lyrical and absolutely beautiful in every way. I loved the character of Peretur and her journey throughout the book to become part of Artos's court.

I liked the different look at the "Merlin" character in this story and how he was different than any other depiction that I have seen done before. In truth, most of these characters were different than expected which I loved. Especially, the relationship between the Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot characters in the story. Gotta say that it was a great surprise that I have been wanting in an Arthurian retelling forever.

Also, the ending was great. I liked where Griffith took this and how it diverges from what you think would actually happen. My only complaint is that I wanted more from this world and I hope that we will get more eventually.

I highly recommend this queer retelling of the Arthurian legend. It was beautiful in every way. I'm going to have to order a copy of it for my collection, especially after hearing about the illustrations that are going to be in the finished copy. Please if you pick this up read the author's note. I loved hearing about the research that went into her writing this book and where Peretur came from.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this wonderful novella. All opinions are my own.

Book 33: The Black Cauldron

By Lloyd Alexander

Read March 17th

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I am so glad to say that I enjoyed this book so much more than the first one. It was such a fun adventure that I loved from start to finish. Taran and his friends really grew on me in this one and I definitely cannot wait to see what happens next for them. My favorite is still Fflewddur Fflam. He is just a joy of a character that I love reading and listening about. I also really loved the dwarf Doli and his part in this story. Hilarious.

It was great to see Taran grow throughout the book and really get into the leadership role. He learns so much over the course of this book and I look forward to seeing where he will go in the next three books.

“Child, child, do you not see? For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are.”

Oh, and the scenes with the three enchantresses were great. They were so much fun and brought a great eerie feel to the book at times too. I love how Alexander brings humorous elements into his fantasy and also creepiness. I look forward to reading more from him in this series and also the other books he has written.

That ending was absolutely perfect and I won't spoil it here. And I don't care at all that I figured out what was going to happen pretty early on. It was still great. Loved the narration in the audiobook again. James Langton does an incredible job.

"It is easy to judge evil unmixed," replied Gwydion. "But, alas, in most of us good and bad are closely woven as the threads on a loom; greater wisdom than mine is needed for the judging.”

There are so many great lines from this book, some I have quoted throughout this review. They really made me think when I heard them and they stood out a lot. I'm so happy that I loved this book so much and that I get to gush about it now.

Favorites of Winter 2022

❆ My Favorites of Winter 2022 ⛄

Below, I have listed some of my favorite music, movies, movie trailers, Youtube videos, and specials that I have watched or listened to this winter. These are in no particular order. 

Movies:

   1. Spiderman: Homecoming (watched January 4th): I'm a little late to the Marvel world but man, am I enjoying myself. These movies just draw you in with wonderful writing, humor, storyline, and characters. There are so many characters that took my interest: Peter, MJ, Ned, Tony, Happy, Aunt May, Flash (haha), Karen, and even Vulture. This is my third movie in the MCU and I'm just loving my time with them. 

   2. Spiderman: Far From Home (watched January 9th): This was a great follow-up. We get more relationship development between Peter and the group. Along with the responsibility of being Spiderman and how that endangers those around Peter. Also, the introduction to Mysterio and his storyline was so intriguing. I didn't know how that story was going to go but man was it interesting. 

3. Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2 (watched January 16th and 25th): These movies were just so incredible. Loved them so much and I cannot wait to see more of the Guardians. They are such a great group of characters and I loved watching them work off of each other. The music in these movies is so great, especially that opening scene in the first movie. What a great way of introducing Peter Quill. I don't know who is my favorite of the group as a whole. One minute I'm saying Rocket, the next I'm saying Drax, Gamora, and it continues through them all. I just really love this group of characters. I know I am late getting into these Marvel movies but man, am I happy that I'm getting into them now. They are incredible. I love the humor but also the hard-hitting scenes. So far my favorite is definitely Doctor Strange but these and the Spiderman movies are up there. 

4. Iron Man (watched January 29th): My brother and I decided to go back to the first movie in the MCU as we continue to watch them. It's interesting to experience these movies for the first time with someone who has seen most of them. This one was another movie that I really enjoyed. I had never heard any of the plot details of this movie so I really did go into the movie not really knowing what was going to happen. Which was great. I love Tony's character and watching him as he becomes Iron Man in this movie and the reasons behind it. I cannot wait to see the next movie and see what happens next in Tony's journey. 

5. Encanto (watched January 30th): This is definitely one of the best recent Disney movies. First of all, it is absolutely stunning. The animation is beautiful beyond words. Then we have the music by Lin-Manuel Miranda which brings so much to the movie. I loved his music in Moana but that has nothing on the music in this movie. I adored every song that he wrote and have been listening to a bunch of them on repeat ever since I watched the movie. It's so catchy and just beautiful. I loved the Madrigal family and their story. It was great to be able to see the bond that this family has. 

6. Luca (watched February 14th): This movie was great, not that I'm surprised because it's a Pixar film and they can do no wrong with me. I have loved almost all of their films over the years. Loved the story with Luca, Alberto, Giulia, and Giulia's father. Their friendship and bond were strong and powerful. I loved watching them as they tried to get ready for the competition. Also, the setting of the story felt so real. It was great how they made it really feel like we were in Italy, some examples of this were the music and certainly the books. It had a great animation style that stood out and showed the beautiful Italian landscapes.

7. Iron Man 2 (watched March 16th): Took too long to watch this one. Loved watching Tony's arc throughout it. Another movie that I really did not know much about going into, which I'm glad of. Man,
I hated Justin Hammer. haha. What a piece of work. Natasha's introduction into the MCU was pretty good, especially her first scene with Happy. It was great that Happy got much more of an acting role in the plot. Great scenes. Also, Nick Fury is really becoming a favorite Marvel character for me. I also want to say how much I love the choice of music in the Marvel movies. They just do such a great job picking music to go along with each of them. I am really enjoying watching Tony in these movies. His sarcasm is everything. 

Songs/Music:

   1. Soundtrack from Tick, Tick...Boom!: I love the music from this musical so much, especially "Come to Your Senses" and "30/90". I have had these songs and many others on repeat throughout the entire beginning of the year. It's just beautiful in every way. Andrew is such an incredible singer and I hope he does more musicals. Vanessa Hudgens just keeps getting better and Alexandra Shipp was phenomenal. 

   2. Soundtrack from Encanto: Like I mentioned above in my movie review, I absolutely adored the music from Encanto. My favorites are "All of Me," "Surface Pressure," "We Don't Talk About Bruno," and "What Else Can I Do". Lin- Manuel Miranda's music is so incredible and I cannot get enough of it. Especially, the songs in this movie. They are just so impressive. If I had to pick a favorite it would be "Surface Pressure" because I love the message in this song. Also, I'm a child care provider and watch a four-year-old, so I've been listening to these songs a lot over the last couple of months and they still are so great. 

3. Musical Playlist I made on Spotify: I have been really enjoying the musical playlist that I created on Spotify. It's the playlist that I have been listening to a lot when I am writing. 

4. Ed Sheeran and Luke Combs singing Ed's song "Dive" together in London: This was an absolutely amazing performance, with two of my favorite singers ever. So enjoyable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StWygkPN92E&ab_channel=LukeCombs

5. Benton High School's performance of Beauty and the Beast: I have been wanting to see the musical version of Beauty and the Beast for a very long time. We were supposed to go in my senior year back in 2012 but never got to. Then a high school around where I live performed it about two or three years ago but they were sold out and we never got to see it. Finally, we got to see it this year on March 13th at a local high school. They did an incredible job 

Movie Trailers: 

   1. Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness Trailer: I watched Doctor Strange at the very end of December and it became a new favorite. I cannot wait to see this movie. Especially, seeing more of Won. Won is my favorite MCU character. I adore him so much!

   2. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: I am one of the biggest Harry Potter fans and have always been. I just adore the Wizarding World. And Albus Dumbledore has always been one of my favorite characters ever. I am so excited for this movie and to see more of him, which is what I really wanted from these movies from the beginning. Jude Law's portrayal in The Crimes of Grindelwald was the best part of that movie and it looks like it might be even better in this one. Also, Mads Mikkelsen looks great so far in the role of Grindelwald, which seems to bring a creeper factor to the character. And they had Fawkes at the end of the trailer, so that is very exciting!! Less than a month is left now. Yes! 

Youtube:

   1. BooksandLala: I have been watching Kayla for a long time, I don't even know how long. Probably over five years. She is my go-to Booktuber out of any. I'm not a thriller lover but I will watch her talk about them all day long. 

        - Some of my favorite videos from her during this season were: 

            ~ 2021 reading stats

            ~ WORDLE chooses what I read

            ~ Weird reading challenge book controls my TBR for 48 hours

   2. SuperCarlin Brothers: I started watching the Carlin Brothers a long time ago and I really don't remember how many years it has been. Probably five or six at this point. I watch every single one of their videos and love the theories that they have come up with over the years. They have such clever ideas that always get me thinking. I love how they have been branching off into other fandoms and I hope that they continue to do that this year. 

         - Some of my favorite videos that they made in the winter:

            ~ J vs Ben: The PRETTY OBVIOUS Gilderoy Lockhart Quiz

            ~ J vs Ben: ENCANTO Finish the Lyric Quiz!

            ~ TOP 5 Secrets of Dumbledore Questions | Harry Potter Theory

            ~ How Did Dumbledore Put The Stone In The Mirror? | Harry Potter Theory

   3. With the Carlins: I love that Ben decided to make a Vlog channel at the end of last year when his little girl Addie was born. It has been a joy watching these videos and I have loved every single one of them. She is such a little cutie. I also really love seeing Ben try some pretty weird stuff like making clear ice. Never thought I would enjoy watching something like that. I love these because they feel like little home movies. 

        - Some of my favorites: 

            ~ Addison Meets Spider Man!

            ~ Addison's First Snow Day!

   4. The Library of Allenxandria: I got into watching Allen's videos almost two years ago and absolutely love him and his humor. His videos on the Discworld are what made me find him and I just love all of his content. I'm very excited for him to start doing history videos and I will watch them all.

       - Some of my favorite videos from him during this season were:  

            ~ Book Jeopardy Episode 12

            ~ 7k Extravaganza AMA Livestream

            ~ Equal Rites Review | Discworld Witches #1 

            ~ 25 Question Tag Part Two! | Orangutan Edition! 

            ~ Book Jeopardy Ep. 13 | Tournament of Champions of Champions! | Sarah v. Cait. v. Jessi!

 Specials: 

   1. Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (watched January 1st): This was an experience that I enjoyed with all my heart. I fell in love with the Harry Potter series when I first saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Before this, I had read the first book and watched the first two movies but what got me into the series was the third movie. After I watched that movie I picked up the book and fell in love with it. I loved the whole plot with Sirus Black and just the Mauralders in general. I was hooked on it and I have been ever since. So needless to say, I could not wait to watch this special on HBO Max. I bought a subscription for the month just to watch this show and man did it not disappoint. It was great! I loved listening to all of the actors and their experiences during the filming. My favorite part was when Robbie Coltrane was talking about the legacy of the movies. I put his quote to the side of this review. The special made me laugh and tear up at times. It was so beautiful and I recommend it to any Harry Potter fan. 

  2. Chris Colfer live event with Flipgrid (watched on March 18th): I adore Chris Colfer and have ever since I first watched Glee back in 2009. In 2012, I read The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell and fell in love with his version of classic fairy tales and other classic tales. Now almost ten years later it is my most read book (I reread the series every year) and it is my favorite series of all time. Chris is my favorite author and I just adore his writing style so much. I'm a big fan of retellings in all forms and I love how he has taken these stories and made his own from them.

I loved listening to him tell his story in this video of how he got to where he is today. This is a story I have heard before from his countless interviews, but I love that all the kids that watched this event were able to hear his inspiring words. It was a joy just listening to him talk. Loved his answer to the question about finding inspiration. Definitely, connect to his sentiment about that as a writer myself. 

I'm glad that kids will get to hear all of this and I hope that a bunch of them were able to. 

Love the quote he gave from his books. "The more the world discourages you, the more it needs you."  I had a lot of fun watching this video and just getting to listen to Chris talk about writing and his books. 

Reviews Week 10

 Reviews Week 10

March 7th- 13th 

Book 26: Oh My Gods! 

By Stephanie Cooke, Insha Fitzpatrick, and Juliana Moon 

Read March 10th

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This was an okay take on Greek mythology in a more contemporary setting.

The art style looked very nice throughout the entire volume and I liked the details of Mount Olympus. It probably was the best part of this story by far. 

The dialogue wasn't always the best throughout the story and it felt a little stilted in parts. Also, the characters just didn't seem like their Greek mythology parts as much as I would have liked, especially Zeus and Apollo. Not that I mind the modern take on them at all. I just think that they have the names of Greek mythology characters but feel like they could be any character in a contemporary middle-grade graphic novel. It just was strange to me. 

I can see somewhat what they did with Zeus since he's Karen's father. But, I find it weird that we have his children like Apollo, Artemis, and Athena also in the story and is not ever mentioned. It's made to look like none of them are children of Zeus which is not true to the mythology in the slightest. Also, he is so much unlike any depiction of Zeus I have ever seen and it just didn't feel right to his character.

The overall story in this graphic novel was okay and the mystery for younger readers that don't know much about mythology might be good. It was predictable for me because I know who changes people into stone in Greek Mythology but again this is meant more of an introduction into Greek Mythology, for younger readers. I think that this could be an okay intro for middle-graders who enjoy graphic novels and more contemporary school setting stories. But there are far better Greek Mythology stories out there for Middle-Grade readers, for instance, the Percy Jackson series.

 Book 27: Oh My Gods!: The Forgotten Maze

By Stephanie Cooke, Insha Fitzpatrick, and Juliana Moon 

Read March 10th

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A much more interesting plot and story, dealing with a video game troll. Also, a labyrinth Minotaur-inspired story! Which is always a plus for me. 

I think that this book was so much better than the first. The story was a lot more interesting and the overall plot with the game was a good idea. The artwork was great to look at, especially the maze scenes. I'm a sucker for a labyrinth-inspired story. Also, the whole newspaper idea was interesting. 

I will say though that I find it strange that we have Greek God and Goddess characters in this story like Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Ares, etc. and we don't get them really using their powers. There was so much opportunity for it in this one and they just didn't. Also, Ares is nothing like his Greek mythology counterpart. I was actually surprised when Karen was introduced to him in the story because I was expecting someone completely different. And again another child of Zeus that is not a child of him in this story. Though I will say the description of him at the end of the story does state it, unlike the others. 

I did like how the characters all worked together throughout the maze to find a way out of it and to help Ares find Jeff. I just think that we could have got so much more out of all of the Gods and Goddesses in these scenes than we did. This could have introduced some of their powers from mythology. We did get strategy from Athena and archery from Artemis but the rest just seemed to be there.

This was definitely a more enjoyable volume than the last and I do think that I would pick up another one in the series if more were to come out. I've always been a sucker for a Greek Mythology series and I think that this one is a cute one that younger readers would probably enjoy quite a bit.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of the book. All opinions are my own*

 Book 28: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

By Terry Pratchett 

Read March 11th and 12th

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The twenty-eighth Discworld book and the first Young Adult one. 

I really enjoyed this one a lot, especially with the messages that Terry throws in throughout the entire book. The book within the book was also another great addition to this story that I enjoyed reading and listening to throughout. And it goes along pretty well with the story, which does not surprise me at all.

“Because some stories end, but old stories go on, and you gotta dance to the music if you want to stay ahead”

This was a clever parody retelling of the Pied Piper and I loved how Maurice the cat was the mastermind behind it all throughout the book. I actually really enjoyed following along with the rats in this book and it was really interesting to see what they thought about suddenly becoming intelligent, well more intelligent for them. Their characterizations and group structure were very clever. I like how Terry humanized these characters in so many ways and made you get attached to them.

Also, we get a character that is related to the Sisters Grimm. I loved the clever ways that Terry brought this all into the story which I have come to expect in his works. He's just the best with references to other works.

“If you don't turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else's story.”

Terry's stories always have such powerful messages throughout and this one definitely has them too. We have philosophical discussions, thoughts on destiny, and plenty of ideas that will get

both young and older readers thinking. Also, I do want to mention how much I loved the character of Maurice. I love cats so much and I always enjoy when Terry talks about cats or has cat characters in his stories. Maurice is definitely up there with Greebo for me.

“Maurice watched them argue again. Humans, eh? Think they're lords of creation. Not like us cats. We know we are. Ever see a cat feed a human? Case proven.”

Reviews Week 9

Reviews Week  9

February 28th- March 6th

Book 25: Little Women

By Louisa May Alcott

Read March 3rd-6th

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Absolutely beautiful in every way. 

I have been wanting to read Little Women for years and I finally did this past week. It was absolutely incredible like I have heard so often about it. I love how attached I got to each of the characters in the novel, especially the girls. My favorite was Beth but I loved the others just as much. She just stood out so much throughout the novel.

“There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.”- Definitely, my favorite quote in the book. 

One of the best parts of this book is that we follow the girls through a good portion of their lives. We see each of them grow into young women. It was beautiful and I loved how much detail went into the overall story. Alcott spent a great amount of time on each of the girls and it felt like we really got to know each of them over the course of the novel. This helped me connect with each of the girls in each part of their life that we see in the novel. 

Another part that I really loved was the parts of the book that dealt with their plays, letters, or their various other writings. It was great to get into the head of these characters through their letters. I loved reading the plays that Jo created for them to act out. Also, I really loved the newspaper that they worked on together.

The sisterly bond throughout the entire novel was just beautiful and touching. They all love each other so much but I also really like the different duos that we saw in their story. Jo and Beth, Meg and Jo, Amy and Meg, and so on. I just really love how much they felt like real sisters, which makes complete sense since Alcott wrote this book based on her and her sisters. 

“I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.”

This novel made me laugh, cry, and just completely and utterly happy. It was one of the best books that I have ever read in my life and I cannot wait to read it again. I don't think that I need to recommend this book to anyone at all because it is so well known. But I will anyway. It is definitely worth the read and I cannot recommend it enough. I only wish that I would have read it before now. I plan on watching the 2019 film version pretty soon and I might do an adaptation review on it for this blog. I'd love to get back into those again. This would be the perfect way to start them on this blog.