April Recap
May. 9th, 2024 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sleepypapercrownsIt’s already May! Let’s talk about some books and things I watched.
The Tea Dragon Festival by K. O’Neill (2019, graphic novel/fantasy)
This is the second volume to a graphic novel I read last month and although it definitely had more to offer than the first in terms of plot and messages it still didn’t live up to the hype I had heard. It is very cute and inclusive and I really liked how sign language was incorporated.
Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty (2022, sci-fi/mystery)
This was the first book for the![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
albatrosspages book club and sadly it fell really flat for all of us. This was neither a full mystery nor was the sci-fi world building great. It took so long to get going and then we suddenly cut away to all of these side character povs. Afterwards the same information gets relayed again to our main character and the plot is a mess until the end. I have forgotten most of what happened already. Very disappointing.
Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells (2020, sci-fi/ short story)
I needed a little pick-me-up after this mess and my library had just added this murderbot short story! It was so nice to be in this world again and I really enjoyed Mensah’s perspective. I wish this was longer! I have since bought the first murderbot novella physically and can’t wait to re-read the whole series.
We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian (2023, historical/gay romance)
Wooooooow. I was sceptical because of the time frame this is set in. I was scared it was going to be sad and depressing. But since Veronica has been singing Cat Sebastian’s praises for forever I finally caved and it was great! I was a little overwhelmed with how quickly the plot moved in the beginning but then we slowed down significantly and it was lovely. The yearning!!! Also Andy definitely has adhd and this representation I really loved (in comparison to Cleat Cute last month). The found family was great too and there’s even a cat. What more could you possibly want! I am so excited to read the companion novel that just came out.
Nettle & Bone by T.Kingfisher (2022, fantasy)
Another buddy read with a friend! This one is a non-traditional fairytale with great dark humour and a fun mix of characters. I was confused by the structure of the story. The beginning jumps back and forth between past and present for a bit, then we get the whole backstory until we catch up to the current time and spend the rest of the time in the present. I really liked how our main character wasn’t some traditional hero which she knows as well. So she finds people to help her in the task she has set out to do and they’re all better off for it. I especially loved the ending as well.
Concerning My Daughter by Kim Hye-Jin (2017, literary fiction/lgbtqia+)
Ooph. This was a hard one to read. It is about a mother who is taking her daughter back in because she needs a place to stay. The only problem is that her daughter brings a “friend” who is really her daughter’s girlfriend but the mother refuses to acknowledge that. She is extremely homophobic and dismissive towards her daughter’s girlfriend and keeps pestering both of them to stop what they’re doing so that her daughter can finally find a good husband and have a family. The other part of this novel is set in a nursing home where the mother is taking care of an old lady that has no family because she used to travel across the world. The descriptions of both the ageing of this patient and the homophobia of the main character were really harrowing to read. In the end everyone kind of grew together but I’m unsure if that makes it a worthwhile read.
Her Private Life (2019, k drama)
Can I pretend I watched this until the end? I stopped at episode twelve because every kdrama just gets flat out boring and/or unhinged once the main couple gets together. Otherwise I had a really good time with this. I was searching for a k drama that was over the top and silly and had cast away two others that were too depressing before this. It’s about a woman who is a fansite for an idol and even though it was cringe at points, it never felt like it was making fun of her. Even her love interest supported her almost right away which was lovely. The only thing I absolutely do not get is that somehow her adoptive brother was the second love interest??? Like, she was never interested in him but he was pining from afar and I hated that. Why!!!
Jennifer’s Body (2009, horror/comedy)
I almost died watching this because I am such a wuss, haha. I don’t know what to say about horror movies because I never watch them. Megan Fox is gorgeous though, I would’ve kissed her too, even if she was evil. Some of the lines made me laugh so hard and I will file that as a success.
All of Us Strangers (2023, fantasy/romance)
I watched this in a tiny cinema with a lovely grandma right next to me and it was certainly an experience. I don’t think she was expecting cum being liked off of people’s chests when she bought the ticket (I didn’t either). Andrew Scott did an impeccable job with his acting, so much of the talks his character had with his late parents was very relatable to me. Getting an apology from your parents for something that happened in childhood is probably something many of us would want. I cried a lot. The ending filled me with so much dread, I knew exactly what was coming and hated it. I even broke into tears again talking about it a day later with L. We both thought that the choice at the end was unnecessary and overshadowed all the character growth that happened before. Again, I ask why we can’t just have some queer joy in all this misery? It’s frustrating.
Suzume (2022, animated adventure/fantasy)
Man gets turned into a chair and gallops through the world to chase after a little gremlin of a kitten? 10/10. I have heard of this movie mostly because it is one of K’s favourites but I also kind of watched it because of Minho (of course). I loved it! I also burst into heaving tears at the end. Such gorgeous animation, you could really watch this whole movie frame by frame to catch all the tiny details. And the music!!! That reminds me that I should really listen to this soundtrack again. Anyway, I highly recommend it!
Lady Bird (2017, comedy/drama)
I picked this for movie club with H because it just got added to Netflix. We both have seen it before but enjoyed it so much more this time around. What a lovely movie and such beautiful cinematography. I loved this on so many levels and again the lines were so good. Also, in my notes I wrote “I am not being normal about Timothée and I have to admit that to myself.” Please don’t look at me.
Finally a month where I read a bit more fic again! 150k of it. Here are my favs:
- appendix a: ophiuchus by keetz (skz, minho/jeongin minho/chan) (this one made me feel extremely insane.)
- oh, mon pettit incendie by ozhaleegh (skz, minho/seungmin)
- an inch away from more than just friends by ksmwifeguy (skz, minho/seungmin)
- when I get older (I'm gonna be there to hold him) by merryofsoul (skz, hyunjin/jeongin) (a re-read but I loooooove them)
Books
The Tea Dragon Festival by K. O’Neill (2019, graphic novel/fantasy)
This is the second volume to a graphic novel I read last month and although it definitely had more to offer than the first in terms of plot and messages it still didn’t live up to the hype I had heard. It is very cute and inclusive and I really liked how sign language was incorporated.
Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty (2022, sci-fi/mystery)
This was the first book for the
albatrosspages book club and sadly it fell really flat for all of us. This was neither a full mystery nor was the sci-fi world building great. It took so long to get going and then we suddenly cut away to all of these side character povs. Afterwards the same information gets relayed again to our main character and the plot is a mess until the end. I have forgotten most of what happened already. Very disappointing.Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells (2020, sci-fi/ short story)
I needed a little pick-me-up after this mess and my library had just added this murderbot short story! It was so nice to be in this world again and I really enjoyed Mensah’s perspective. I wish this was longer! I have since bought the first murderbot novella physically and can’t wait to re-read the whole series.
We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian (2023, historical/gay romance)
Wooooooow. I was sceptical because of the time frame this is set in. I was scared it was going to be sad and depressing. But since Veronica has been singing Cat Sebastian’s praises for forever I finally caved and it was great! I was a little overwhelmed with how quickly the plot moved in the beginning but then we slowed down significantly and it was lovely. The yearning!!! Also Andy definitely has adhd and this representation I really loved (in comparison to Cleat Cute last month). The found family was great too and there’s even a cat. What more could you possibly want! I am so excited to read the companion novel that just came out.
Nettle & Bone by T.Kingfisher (2022, fantasy)
Another buddy read with a friend! This one is a non-traditional fairytale with great dark humour and a fun mix of characters. I was confused by the structure of the story. The beginning jumps back and forth between past and present for a bit, then we get the whole backstory until we catch up to the current time and spend the rest of the time in the present. I really liked how our main character wasn’t some traditional hero which she knows as well. So she finds people to help her in the task she has set out to do and they’re all better off for it. I especially loved the ending as well.
Concerning My Daughter by Kim Hye-Jin (2017, literary fiction/lgbtqia+)
Ooph. This was a hard one to read. It is about a mother who is taking her daughter back in because she needs a place to stay. The only problem is that her daughter brings a “friend” who is really her daughter’s girlfriend but the mother refuses to acknowledge that. She is extremely homophobic and dismissive towards her daughter’s girlfriend and keeps pestering both of them to stop what they’re doing so that her daughter can finally find a good husband and have a family. The other part of this novel is set in a nursing home where the mother is taking care of an old lady that has no family because she used to travel across the world. The descriptions of both the ageing of this patient and the homophobia of the main character were really harrowing to read. In the end everyone kind of grew together but I’m unsure if that makes it a worthwhile read.
Shows
Her Private Life (2019, k drama)
Can I pretend I watched this until the end? I stopped at episode twelve because every kdrama just gets flat out boring and/or unhinged once the main couple gets together. Otherwise I had a really good time with this. I was searching for a k drama that was over the top and silly and had cast away two others that were too depressing before this. It’s about a woman who is a fansite for an idol and even though it was cringe at points, it never felt like it was making fun of her. Even her love interest supported her almost right away which was lovely. The only thing I absolutely do not get is that somehow her adoptive brother was the second love interest??? Like, she was never interested in him but he was pining from afar and I hated that. Why!!!
Movies
Jennifer’s Body (2009, horror/comedy)
I almost died watching this because I am such a wuss, haha. I don’t know what to say about horror movies because I never watch them. Megan Fox is gorgeous though, I would’ve kissed her too, even if she was evil. Some of the lines made me laugh so hard and I will file that as a success.
All of Us Strangers (2023, fantasy/romance)
I watched this in a tiny cinema with a lovely grandma right next to me and it was certainly an experience. I don’t think she was expecting cum being liked off of people’s chests when she bought the ticket (I didn’t either). Andrew Scott did an impeccable job with his acting, so much of the talks his character had with his late parents was very relatable to me. Getting an apology from your parents for something that happened in childhood is probably something many of us would want. I cried a lot. The ending filled me with so much dread, I knew exactly what was coming and hated it. I even broke into tears again talking about it a day later with L. We both thought that the choice at the end was unnecessary and overshadowed all the character growth that happened before. Again, I ask why we can’t just have some queer joy in all this misery? It’s frustrating.
Suzume (2022, animated adventure/fantasy)
Man gets turned into a chair and gallops through the world to chase after a little gremlin of a kitten? 10/10. I have heard of this movie mostly because it is one of K’s favourites but I also kind of watched it because of Minho (of course). I loved it! I also burst into heaving tears at the end. Such gorgeous animation, you could really watch this whole movie frame by frame to catch all the tiny details. And the music!!! That reminds me that I should really listen to this soundtrack again. Anyway, I highly recommend it!
Lady Bird (2017, comedy/drama)
I picked this for movie club with H because it just got added to Netflix. We both have seen it before but enjoyed it so much more this time around. What a lovely movie and such beautiful cinematography. I loved this on so many levels and again the lines were so good. Also, in my notes I wrote “I am not being normal about Timothée and I have to admit that to myself.” Please don’t look at me.
Fic
Finally a month where I read a bit more fic again! 150k of it. Here are my favs:
- appendix a: ophiuchus by keetz (skz, minho/jeongin minho/chan) (this one made me feel extremely insane.)
- oh, mon pettit incendie by ozhaleegh (skz, minho/seungmin)
- an inch away from more than just friends by ksmwifeguy (skz, minho/seungmin)
- when I get older (I'm gonna be there to hold him) by merryofsoul (skz, hyunjin/jeongin) (a re-read but I loooooove them)
no subject
Date: 2024-05-10 12:05 pm (UTC)I feel the same way about the ending of All of Us Strangers. I still think it's a good movie because the rest of it was so touching, but I wish that ending was different...
no subject
Date: 2024-05-11 06:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-05-10 12:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-05-11 06:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-05-12 07:06 pm (UTC)