January (and December) Reading Roundup
Advent Gospel Reflections by Bishop Robert Barron
- Genre: Religious nonfiction
- Why I read it: It was Advent
- What I thought of it: Anyone familiar with Bishop Barron's Catholicism film series knows his theological explanations are solid and accessible. This was no different.
- Would I recommend it: Yes! Just be sure to get the copy for the specific year, since Advent is a different number of days depending on when Christmas falls.
"Witness for the Prosecution" by Agatha Christie
- Genre: Cozy Mystery
- Why I read it: Kind of genre research for my WIP, I guess?
- What I thought of it: Though the twist was a little predictable by the end, it was still an interesting story with a good concept. I also enjoy Christie's writing style.
- Would I recommend it: Maybe, if you're into cozies, but I think some of her other stories are better.
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow
- Genre: True Crime / Journalism
- Why I read it: Someone on Tumblr posted several excerpts and it looked interesting
- What I thought of it: I feel like this is the kind of book that anyone who cares about journalistic integrity should read. It wasn't that entire news outlets were lying (though some publications did do that in order to smear victims), but rather they didn't report the truth, which can be just as bad. The title, "Catch and Kill" is the phrase used for purchasing a story in order not to publish, so it won't see the light of day.
- Would I recommend it: Yes, but trigger warnings for sexual assault of all kinds.
"Old Man and The Gun", "Chameleon", and "True Crime" by David Grann
- Genre: True crime
- Why I read it: I loved Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon and was looking for more true crime from him
- What I thought of it: I loved all three essays, which are from a book I had read parts of previously, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes. These are the kind of weird accounts that seem too fantastic to be real: a septuagenarian bank-robber and escape artist, a man who literally takes on the identity of children, and a murderer who wrote his crime into a novel and the detective who used that writing to pursue him.
- Would I recommend it: 100% yes!!!
Capirotada: A Nogales Memoir by Alberto Alvaro Ríos
- Genre: Memoir
- Why I read it: Book club
- What I thought of it: This book was sweet and funny, and brought back memories of when my family used to go to Nogales every Black Friday. I enjoy boyhood stories, like those of Patrick McManus; this was in the same vein, with various (slightly) hyperbolized recollections of youth.
- Would I recommend it: Yes, especially if you want something charming. This is like the slice-of-life cosy of memoirs.
"Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds" by Agatha Christie
- Genre: Cozy Mystery
- Why I read it: I'm on a Christie kick
- What I thought of it: I liked this one best of Christie's stories so far (though I have admittedly only read four an a half). It had a great set-up and pay-off, and the twist was slightly different from what I was expecting. Much like Arthur Conan Doyle, she introduced a set of twins, but their being twins had nothing to do with the crime!
- Would I recommend it: Yes. It was fun.
"The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger" by Agatha Christie
- Genre: Cozy mystery adjacent
- Why I read it: Still on a Christie kick
- What I thought of it: This one was interesting because it was more of a little adventure than a mystery, and I feel there was a lot of backstory I was missing, as this was the only Tommy and Tuppence story I've read. That being said, the twist was super predictable, telegraphed from almost the moment a certain untrustworthy character entered the room.
- Would I recommend it: Only if you want to study the cozy genre. I will say, this story has inspired me to finally write a post about why every genre needs to learn from cozies, but that will have to wait until later.
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
- Genre: Cozy mystery
- Why I read it: See above
- What I thought of it: The entire cast was well written, and I especially liked Cornelia, who I assume was supposed to either have Down Syndrome or autism of some sort (she was referred to as 'simple' a number of times). The different subplots with the side characters / murder suspects were intriguing. Unfortunately, the main murder plot was exceedingly predictable, and I don't think it's just because I've seen a lot of mysteries. Also, I did not approve of Poirot's decision at the end regarding the murderer's fate (Sherlock Holmes would ever have allowed such a thing to happen!).
- Would I recommend it: I guess. It was a well written story, just not the best mystery, if that makes sense?
10 under 10
Inspired by @zukadiary‘s 12 Underclassmen I’m Into, here’s my spin on introducing you to my favorite young ones. 10 actresses under ken 10, presented in order as they are in that randomly generated graphic above.
1.) Yuunagi Ryou, Hoshigumi Technically nicknamed Shimo, she has inspired many nicknames that I am the sole user of. I’ve watched more shinkos than I’d like to admit just to catch her saying a few lines in her bizarrely husky and staticky voice. Japanese Twitter has noticed that she’s getting very ヤバイ. One of the best dancers Hoshigumi has, full stop, and probably the most entertaining person I’ve ever watched fuck around in the back of scenes. I would pay full blu ray price for a star angle on her in group scenes. (Ask Me About her Food Antics and penchant for Touching Musumeyaku.) Her classmates have described her as ”強い”. I might be in love with her. Dream role: Hot Bad Boy in a 90′s teen romcom, Anyone in RetJ, a greaser in Grease.
2.) Honoka Kozakura, Hoshigumi Please sign here! (What’s this, you ask?- it’s a petition for the Hoshigumi Producers to Treat Honoka better!) Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, except the one time she got a shinko lead. Voice of an ANGEL. Captivatingly Present onstage. Word of God says she puts in a heartbreaking amount of real-life research into characters she plays and their circumstances, and it SHOWS. She is an ACTRESS. Dream role: Cinderella.
3.) Taiki Hayate, Hoshigumi I genuinely don’t have much to say about Taiki because she’s a 105th and hasn’t grown into anything resembling her potential, which I am assuming she has based on the fact that she’s huge and delivered some IMPRESSIVE side-eye directed towards no one in particular in the Oceans Hatsubutai that I saw. Also, from her Takawiki profile:
What’s not to love? Dream role: Bill in Me and My Girl in approximately 12 years.
4.) Irodori Michiru, Yukigumi I think it’s fair to admit that I love Michiru because she is probably the cutest human being I have ever seen in my entire life. She looks like a cat. She has the sweetest smile. I’d trust her with tasks like helping alter a dress while it was still on my body, and like being my baking partner for a neighborhood bake sale. Sweet voice, good actress, apparently was tracked against Kuracchi once upon a time but we see how that worked for both of them. I hope Yukigumi keeps her visible for as long as she wants to stick around. In my dreams, her and Machi Yuuka (or more realistically, Aasa), are the top combi of Yukigumi. Dream role: Katherine in Newsies....
5.) Amato Kanon, Hoshigumi I could literally just write “Amato Kanon Will Be Top Star One Day” here and leave it at that. I have never in my life been so sure of anything. Kanon has made my shoulders shake with laughter (like in Elbe, as Johnny, always yelling, always skittish), and made my stomach drop in a way that a ken-3 otokoyaku should NOT be able to do. Her role in God of Stars is *chefs kiss* inspired. She’s got GAME (onstage). Multiple people have reported to me that they are unable to take their eyes off her. Cries a lot. Loved the hell out of Nanami Hiroki. Just had her first shinko lead, and I hope that was like lead number 1 of 5. Dream roles for her to play: Romeo, Ronan in 1789.
6.) Sumika Amane, Hoshigumi Sumika Amane won me over when I noticed that in the Killer Rouge rockette, she was looking towards the rafters and appeared to be earnestly PRAYING she wasn’t about to fall over. She’s played a non-speaking maid for like three shows in a row. She’s way taller than you think she is gonna be. She gets to sexy dance on the ginkyou in Éclair Brillant and it’s honestly more effective than I expected. Always in pink, the SWEETEST fashion sense, super cute ears. She may not be moving up in the troupe, but every day she moves up in my heart. Dream role: something where she speaks.
7.) Aosaki Iori, Soragumi “Aosaki Iori doesn’t even look like herself” - zukadiary, on the picture in the graphic. She’s right. It doesn’t. When the pictures of the 103rd class came out, I picked Aosaki Iori on face alone, and I don’t regret it. I can’t say anything about her stage presence because Soragumi seems hell bent on hiding her from me, though I DID spot her THREE TIMES in the background in Oceans 11. She is TINY. She’s a good dancer! She has huge eyes and a wildly honest and innocent aura about her. I have no idea what she’s gonna grow up to be like. She’s not even in the upcoming Soragumi split. In my dreams, I get to see her for longer than 30 consecutive seconds as a bellboy that Seiko literally shoves aside. If You See This Child, please call me. Dream role: Literally just let me see her.
8.) Ruri Hanaka, Hoshigumi Another 103rd pick on face alone, but BOY THIS ONE REALLY TURNED OUT TO BE SOMETHING. Ruri Hanaka has: more game than any ken 10+ otokoyaku I have ever seen, more raw sex appeal than Makaze and Aasa (bear with me) put together. I saw two twitter users refer to her as “Rockette Killer Rurihana”. She’s RIPPED. I made eye contact with her once and had to look away because I could not TAKE the energy with which she was looking at me. She gets dance solos for a reason. She runs fast (she was a HIT after her role as Betty in the Elbe Shinko.) I could list what she’s good at for an hour and I wouldn’t even be done. Dream role: Elle Woods in Legally Blonde
9.) Natsu Hayato, Soragumi This picture of her actually looks exactly like what Aosaki Iori looks like in real life. The main difference is Natsu Hayato is visible, (probably partially because she’s like nine feet tall.) She was in Sora’s Uptown Funk brilliant dreams. She kind of got the dance. Mostly she fucked around in the back with her oversized shirt not tucked in. Needless to say, I think she’s INSANELY cute and charming. She’s had some good shinko roles. Sweet sweet smile. Dream role: Sailor Uranus or a barista in a coffee shop romcom.
10.) Mizuno Yuri, Hoshigumi We call her “Noodle” because I have never seen a like longer, noodlier musumeyaku. Has been partnered with Kai multiple times in the past, which shows in her dance technique (best described as “following the suggestion of the choreography”). Once she tried to talk about Kai and cried so hard someone else had to take over for her. She has a TRULY STRANGE and wobbly way of speaking. Insane dimples. Genuinely reminds me of a newborn giraffe. Seems to have a FUN sense of humor and REAL personality though- and I can’t wait to see how she grows into it, though since they keep giving her either shinko LEADS or shinko nibante musumeyaku leads, maybe we won’t have to look too hard to see her. Dream role: Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act.
confessions of a season 8 era shipper
So I'm not going to call myself a member of the "old" guard, but maybe a middle one. I started watching Supernatural after seeing enough gifsets of Cas and Dean's reunion in 8x02 to intrigue me into starting with season 8. (I was also nursing my first child and spending a lot of time on the couch, so in between new episodes I ended up going back to start Cas' arc in season 4, and eventually back to the beginning... basically I really effed up the watching order but I got there in the end.) Something about the intensity of that scene, the open joy on Dean's face, the colours... it got me. It still does.
Season 8 was endgame territory. I say this because for much of the season there was no indication of a renewal and every likelihood that it could be the last after a lackluster season 7. The quest narrative of the trials to close the gates of hell, the ramping up of the destiel relationship (including a scripted “I love you”), all of this was barreling towards a potential ending of the show. It was an interesting time to join the fandom, with fresh eyes and unjaded heart, reading meta written by people who’d been watching for years which only seemed to confirm what I was seeing on my screen: the unfolding of an intense relationship between an angel and a man that was following all of the cues a romance should follow.
I don’t ship easily. I have literally never shipped a ship that hasn’t sailed. I am very particular about my ships and their dynamic, and I am very particular about the way in which they proceed. I’m all about the Han and Leia, Ron and Hermione, Will and Lyra, Tripp and T’Pol, Percy and Annabeth, Fitz and Simmons, Ronan and Adam, Strike and Robin, David and Patrick (!!), to name a few. So when it came to Dean and Cas, I’ll admit I was a bit arrogant - I assumed they would sail too. I had a good record.
As season 8 turned into season 9, and then to 10, I watched a lot of people who’d been around longer than me burn out and for many, Charlie’s death was the final straw. I also watched new meta writers come in, with fresh eyes and unjaded hearts, and thrill over new developments in season 11, 12, 13. I didn’t completely burn out or give up on the show, but my own activity in the fandom slowed, in part because I was having children and doing a master’s degree and working full-time all at once, but in all honesty, it was also because I found I didn’t have much to say. I love Dean, and I love Cas, and I love them for each other, but the long-game holding pattern the show has been playing with them for several seasons now has just not been all that interesting to me.
That feels a bit blasphemous of me to say, but there it is. The mixtape was good but it wasn’t enough. The moment when Dean got through to Lucifer!Cas was *chef’s kiss*. Dean’s whole arc after Cas’ death? Nice. But these two men haven’t had an emotionally honest conversation in years. And even when they approximate one, they never skirt anywhere close to a conversation about them. They skipped past the place where this crucial conversation should have been (a million opportunities, but most recently after Cas’ return in season 13 at the very least) into #married life and while I derive some satisfaction from that dynamic, it sure as hell isn’t enough for me.
So. All that to say.
We are in endgame territory again. For realsies this time. And according to promo for next week’s episode, Dean and Cas are about to hit a roadblock. A bad one.
#married life is over. They’ve got my interest again.
At this point, I am not here to say that I think romantic destiel endgame is happening. I do think that tearing Dean and Cas apart at this point - the darkest before the dawn - tells us pretty clearly that Dean and Cas united, in some fashion, is endgame. I think that Cas’ deal with the Empty means that at some point in the future - before the end - Cas will be finally, truly happy. I think that there are ten years of reasons in the show they could go there with them. I think there are countless real world reasons they should go there with them. I do not know if they will.
I will be watching these next few episodes - and the early ones of the final season - very closely to see if they give me a better idea.
10 things i hate about you pynch au:
adam is kat, ronan is patrick
i know plotwise it would fit better if ronan was kat because he has brothers and adam doesnt, but adam is literally kat and ronan is literally patrick so why not change stuff a little bit, so hear me out
• adam and blue are siblings, but like not blood siblings maybe adam ran away and the fox way ladies kind of adopted him • i know maura is not like kat and biancas dad but use your imagination • so they wont let blue date anyone until adam does • and adam has no time for dating because hes all about studying™ • so gansey !!! who has a crush on blue, finds out about this dating thing and he asks henry for advice and together they ask ronan to consider taking adam out because henry knows™ they would work together (maybe theres no money involved? or maybe there is and ronan takes it just to piss them off and that’s how they end up being best friends) • so stuff happens and ronan falls in love too fast • adam does too • but shit happens and he finds out it was part of a deal and it turns so angsty • anyway you know how the movie goes • ALSO RONAN DEFINITELY WOULD SING I LOVE YOU BABY TO ADAM IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL • AND THE PAINTBALL DATE !!!! • omg and the poem !!! adam writes the poem and ronan’s heart breaks when he hears it and hes so sad because he hurt this amazing boy and he hates himself for that • so he apologises by buying something (idk what lmao maybe a book?) that adam really wanted and adam hates it but not at all because ronan said exactly what he wanted to hear • so they kiss and live happily ever after
the end