books:
1. tamsyn muir, gideon the ninth (4.25)
this was so much fun!!! if i'm being fully honest, i don't think i understood much of the lore or the worldbuilding aside from the general vibes of each of the houses, and the necromancy itself kind of went over my head at times. that being said, i don't think the point of this is necessarily to understand everything that's happening, but rather to be entertained by gideon as she's trying to figure shit out, and just see how everything plays out. i really liked the mid-way through switch from academic competition to among-us-esque murder mystery, and from there on, i felt extremely gripped to this read. gideon throughout is an incredibly funny narrator, and will probably go down as one of my more memorable protagonists overall. i really liked the characterization of others too, especially the harrow-palamedes dynamic and dulcinea (kinda, no spoilers lol). even though i barely understood what was happening, that is not going to stop me from picking up the second book at some point. :)
2. lisa genova, still alice (4.0)
lisa genova came to the tucson festival of books in mid-march, so i read this in about 4 days leading up to her talk and signing. this is the first of her books that i've read (given my career path and interests, i'm trying to read more things by physicians/scientists, so this was definitely in line with that aim). and i'm so glad i read this because it's so deeply moving on so many different levels. alice's journey through early-onset alzheimer's is devastating and sad, but there are is also poignance, beauty in her redefined relationships with her husband and her children among others.
at her talk, lisa genova mentioned (among many things) that alzheimer's affects memory, but doesn't touch emotion. while people with alzheimer's might not remember who you are, they remember how you made them feel. i found this profoundly beautiful and moving. and i got this signed right after which was amaaaazing!!!
3. suzanne collins, sunrise on the reaping (3.75)
godddd i read this in literally one day (started at like 3pm and finished at 11pm because i could not put it down at all). i haven't read songbird (and probably won't tbh) so my reference point for this is solely the original trilogy. by comparison, this is so much more devastating. like. whatttttt.
i think the point about propaganda is pretty convincingly made throughout sunrise, though it might be a bit heavy-handed at times. throughout my time reading, i always had what we know about haymitch's games from the original trilogy in the back of my head, but still so much surprised me, which is actually the point of the whole thing. like. we don't know because the capitol and snow control everything that we (and katniss) sees. very smartly conveyed.
i was so close to giving this 4 stars, but i think it's pretty solidly at 3.75 because the complaints i did have were significant. mostly, i think haymitch in this suffers a bit from being the too-knowledgeable and too politically-savvy main character. his understanding of politics, the games, and the capitol-district relationship is (in my opinion) too nuanced and correct for a 16-year-old growing up dirt-poor in the seam. there are ways to communicate hatred of the capitol without being too aware of what's going on (i think maysilee is a great example of this actually!) but there were definitely moments where i thought haymitch too readily agreed to things or understood what he was told too well, and this just felt a bit too out of place for me. also the references (especially in the first section of the book) were just. a lot.
i'm also wondering if maybe a lot of my complaints are just from the fact that this is literally YA and feels very much in that vein in some places (in terms of the complexity at which things are communicated). i haven't read a lot of YA recently, so i'm not so much used to it. just an interesting thought.
i don't want to make it seem like i'm dogging on sunrise because i absolutely 100% really enjoyed it. this was great. the fact that this franchise continues to be extremely relevant even today is a testament to how brilliant and important it is.
4. (=) jeff vandermeer, authority (3.25)
i read annihilation in january and enjoyed it (rated it 3.75 btw) but it was admittedly quite freaky, so i took a bit of a break before picking this up. in terms of atmosphere, this was definitely a lot more of the same; the best part about both of these books is the eerieness around area x and the southern reach, the hairs going up on the back of your neck because you think you're being watched but you're not sure what. in annihilation, while i desperately wanted answers to my questions, i was willing to forgo them because of the reading experience, and in my rating what i felt outweighed what i intuitively took away from the novel (which was admittedly almost nothing if not a long list of questions). while authority does answer some of those questions, it took a while to get there. the pacing in especially the middle section is really slow, where control is almost bumbling and blundering his way around the reach. the last section of the book is good enough for me to want to read the third installment, but if the catalyst for the plot happened like 20% earlier, i think i would have enjoyed authority a lot more.
4. (=) mieko kawakami, breasts and eggs (3.25)
speaking of pacing (lol). according to my fable account, i took more than 2 months to finish this (feb 11 - apr 17). that's forever for me, given that my average is usually like 2 weeks or so? i really enjoyed breasts (the 1st half-ish of this), but comparatively, eggs was such a struggle. i would pretty much only read like 15 pages at a time and then put it down, just because of how slow it was through the middle section. the social commentary is perhaps the best thing about this, and i really resonated with the meditations on body image, physical sex vs. procreation, and what it means to be a mother. but i think the differences in when and how each section was written really stand out. natsuko's interiority actually works well (imo) in breasts and i loved her interactions with her niece, but eggs just felt like such a slog. technically this is rated the same as authority, but i listed it second because the reading experience on authority was definitely better for me. still down to read kawakami's other work though!
5. rebecca roanhorse, black sun (2.5)
i read this as a fun read / palette cleanser after finishing han kang's human acts in february (which is heartwrenching and masterful btw). black sun has been on my tbr for forever, and i was coming in expecting to at least enjoy this. unfortunately, of the three narrators, the only one i actually vibed with was naranpa (and i think the exploration of faction, class, and religion as political power is really quite good in her arc! she's girlboss fr). i thought xiala was too one-note and serapio was just creepy ugh. honestly this probably would have gotten at least a 3 if it didn't have a cop-out ending. one of my biggest book pet peeves is endings that don't actually resolve anything. safe to say i will not be picking up the next installment.
currently reading: taiwan travelogue
movies:
1. sinners (5.0) ★ 🎦
i watched this movie almost a month after it came out and all of the theaters in my city were still absolutely packed, which is just a testament to how fucking GOOD this is. everything about this was just so excellent. it was everything i wanted it to be and more. i'm having trouble communicating how much i liked this beyond just incoherent screaming but like whattttt hellooooooo. and that one sceneeeee like this is what cinema was made for. THIS. i have probably listened to every single ryan coogler interview about this movie and i still cannot get enough.
2. conclave (4.0)
definitely guilty of watching this after the pope died lol. but i was actually surprised at how much i liked this movie! despite basically being just a bunch of cardinals locked in rooms and forced to talk to each other, from start to finish this felt engaging and hit all of the beats it needed to. on a serious note, i think the movie very aptly conveys how tense faith is, and religion and change and all of that. but still, i very much enjoyed ralph fiennes just being a diva for the whole movie. tedesco's vape hit after the tremblay thing? DIABOLICAL. and from a cinematographical(?) (is that a word) standpoint, so many shots in this movie were just stunning. the focus on reds and whites... godddddd.
3. (=) annihilation (3.5)
watched this after finishing the book. this is definitely a case of the film adaptation and the book being vastly different, but imo that is necessary because the way the book is written and especially how the biologist narrates the whole thing is 100% not conducive to how stories are told in screenplay. still, this captures the vibes and atmosphere of the book really well, which i really appreciated given it was my favorite thing about annihilation (the novel). the last 15 minutes of this are legitimately terrifying. while i wasn't like up awake at night thinking about this, in the moment, i think it captures the exact right level of freakiness in each scene.
3. (=) thunderbolts* (3.5) 🎦
this is fully top 5 marvel movies. i liked how much this leaned into the darker side of marvel, and how much it actually dwells on the darkness these characters are feeling. i also really liked how the fight scenes felt, and for marvel third acts, this one is definitely up there in terms of quality and cohesiveness with the rest of the story. florence pugh is a stand-out (i will be honest i would not have watched this movie if she was not in it). despite this being an ensemble cast she very much carried the movie and felt like THE clear lead. i've really enjoyed what she's done with yelena since she joined the mcu, and i'm excited for what's ahead in terms of further explorations of this character. lewis pullman as bob/sentry was great too! i liked what they did with us agent as well, and i think those three (yelena, bob, walker) definitely had the most consistent characterization in the movie. bucky and ghost felt very much there but not really explored. i will probably not be consistently keeping up with the mcu, but i might tune in to fantastic four if it's good.
4. revenge of the sith (2.25) 🎦
these are objectively terrible movies but when the re-release was announced i just knew i had to watch. star wars as a franchise has taken up so much of my life, and (despite it being terrible) revenge of the sith is still my ultimate favorite star wars movie. i forgot how bad the first half of this is... but tbh once anakin turns it suddenly switches to peak cinema. the anakin-padme sunset two-shot before he decides to confront windu? cinema. obviously the mustafar fight is cinema. but even the ending and the set-up for a new hope is pretty good. i spent most of the movie quoting lines back to my friend and laughing lol, but this was still a good experience and definitely nostalgic.
shows:
1. andor s2
andor is genuinely one of the most relevant, moving, and important things on tv right now. absolutely nothing star wars has ever done (or ever will do) comes close to what andor has done and continues to do. it's so much more than just a silly star wars spin-off and its importance supercedes the weight of the franchise. andor's empire is real; its oppression, subjugation, absolute authority, and horrific crushing of the people on the ground are real. i can't believe we're going from this masterpiece to the next shitty piece of content star wars rolls out...
2. adolescence
obviously there's a lot of talk about the single-take episodes (rightfully so), but for me, episode 3 as a whole is what sealed the deal. stephen graham and christine tremarco are excellent as well.
3. station eleven (thru ep. 3)
i'm watching this with my sister when we find time, and it's been soooo good so far. it definitely captures the essence of the books! we're barely into it and watching slowly but i definitely understand the hype!
4. agents of shield s7 (rewatch)
this is one of the two formative pieces of media in my life, and i come back to it whenever i need to feel something. no one gets it but me. i cry at the ending every single time.
5. wheel of time s3
each season of wheel of time just keeps getting better and better, which i am so stoked about! i think the rhuidean episode in this season is the best episode of the show so far, hands down no questions asked. just absolutely brilliant storytelling and execution. compared to the highs at the start of the season, i think the end felt a bit lackluster. only perrin's storyline felt complete and while they set a lot of ground to cover at first between the aiel waste, callandor, the tower schism and tanchico, the pacing in the last few episodes fell a bit flat. as it has been since season one, rosamund pike is an absolute stand-out. she carries every scene she's in and is just so compelling on screen. i completely understand the fact that they retconned her whole ending just so she's on screen more, because this show would not be what it is without her.
overall, the standout this season was definitely the continued characterization of the relationship between rand and moiraine. post-rhuidean, this was the show at its best. i also really, really loved elaida! shoreh aghdashloo is a delight on screen, and the elaida characterization gave her so many more layers and so much more bite than i remember her having in the books. also super excited for egwene to become more important!!! (girlboss slayyyyy)
given how much time was spent focusing on and repairing the lan-moiraine relationship in s2, it was a shame to have lan sidelined this season. it lowkey felt like he did nothing throughout the whole season, and i constantly wanted more from him. rosamund pike and daniel henney sharing scenes was the highlight of past seasons, and it felt like we missed that a bit here. i also wish we actually got the conclusion to the tanchico crew's arc, which was left almost completely open. i know we'll get it later, but like. i need it now.
6. heartstopper s3 (thru ep. 7)
i only have one episode to go but lowkey s3 has pissed me off. i'm only here for tao and elle fr.
7. criminal minds s2 (kinda rewatch, thru ep. 21)
wouldn't even call this a rewatch considering i've only ever watched this show sporadically. but i've been watching it as i eat lunch (lol) just to have something on the background. emily prentiss <3
sports:
my teams have been mostly insanely depressing to watch this year and i'm actually going to lose it some day. probably took like years off of my life atp.
- real madrid: finishing this season with no trophies hurts like hell (i don't count cwc 25 because i think it's stupid). getting knocked out (and thoroughly outplayed) by arsenal of all teams over two legs is frankly embarrassing. we didn't get thrashed by barca in the cdr final like i expected, but our performance in the first half was terrible. rodrygo (bestie) was terrible and him leaving in the summer is unfortunately a likelihood (rip me). i hate that we lost because of two goals on mistakes. and that kounde scored the last one. absolutely ripped my heart out. and then in the clasico, going up 2 goals early and then losing the game over the next 30 minutes of the first half literally destroyed me. rodrygo getting no playing time and some castilla kid getting the sub-in ahead of him... yeah he's gone fr :((((( the only two (yeah 2 that's depressing as fuck) highlights this whole season have been mbappe actually turning it on post-january and arda guler making the most of the very few minutes he's had (also since january). it feels weird to count modric and lucas officially leaving as wins, but both were actively terrible and it's a good thing they're both gone. can't believe this. at least we've got huijsen and trent is coming soon too... god. i needed this season to end so badly. and i'm glad it finally did (oh wait cwc 25 coming up so i guess it's sort of over? but also not...)
- f1: so this season has actually been somewhat exciting at times! no one could have predicted the lawson-yuki swap so early. bestie needs to lock in soon but i think he's done okay so far in his first few races at red bull, considering he's finished at least better than lawson and perez (admittedly, the bar is literally in hell). ferrari are terrible... god. honestly what did i even expect. unserious ass team. but the williams and merc comebacks are crazy! and piastri cooking in wdc!!! him beating ln4 to a wdc would be absolute peak cinemaaaaa. grussell mr. consistency has been great to see, and kimi has been great so far in his first season. also hadjar! proving the haters (me) wrong! and stroll up 14-0 on alonso is crazy. can't wait to see what's coming up in the next few races!
gaming:
again this should be pretty short but my brother gifted me the remaster of horizon: zero dawn for christmas and i've been getting more and more into it recently. i'm maybe like 80% done with main quest but i've been staving off starting at the point of no return for a while and just doing side quests lolol. been thinking about it a lot actually! aloy is definitely going to go down as one of my favorite video game protagonists, and i love how much personality she has! combat mechanics and the feel of the game are also different to other (granted very limited number) of these kinds of games that i've played. and the graphics on the ps5 are amazing!
i'm also playing stardew valley sporadically as a way to decompress. currently summer year 2 :) and i got my sister into it too!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
