This has been a difficult month for me. I’ve dealt with a lot of grief and focused a lot on developing good habits to support my mental and emotional health. So, the media I consumed was a bit limited.
If you’ve been following my other blog page, you’ll know I’ve cut out a lot of things like YouTube and comics on my phone. To make up for this, I’ll talk more about different tapes I’ve found and listened to.
Here is how I rate things!
- No redeeming qualities whatsoever visually, aesthetically, or as a story.
- It was so boring I could barely pay attention or it frustrated me SO much I couldn’t finish.
- I had a headache, but somehow made it through.
- I could make fun of it. . . because of how bad it is.
- It’s not good, it’s not bad. It’s just blah.
- There were various interesting aspects but nothing to really gush about.
- A solid story. Good characters, plot, and visuals. However, it’s not amazing.
- I genuinely enjoyed watching/reading it. I could see/read it again with friends.
- A great experience! As a film/show it is visually stunning and has an incredible story I could go back to multiple times. As a book, I could do the same.
- Near Perfect (nothing is perfect.) It has become one of my favorites. I could also write entire articles on it.
Books
The Gentleman and the Thief (2020), 7.5/10
LONDON 1865
From the moment Hollis Darby meets Ana Newport, he’s smitten. Even though he’s from a wealthy, established family and she isn’t, he wishes he could have a life with her by his side. But Hollis has a secret: the deep coffers that have kept his family afloat for generations are bare, so he supports himself by writing penny dreadfuls under a pseudonym. If not for the income from his novels, he would be broke.
Ana Newport also has a secret. Though she once had a place in society thanks to her father’s successful business, bankruptcy and scandal reduced his fortune to nothing more than a crumbling town house. So Ana teaches music during the day, and at night she assumes the identity of the “Phantom Fox.” She breaks into the homes of the wealthy to reclaim trinkets and treasures she feels were unjustly stolen from her family when they were struggling.
When Hollis’s brother needs to hire a music tutor for his daughter, Hollis recommends Ana, giving him a chance to spend time with her. Ana needs the income and is eager for the opportunity to get to know the enigmatic gentleman. What neither of them expects is how difficult it will be to keep their respective secrets from each other.
When a spree of robberies rocks the city, Ana and Hollis join forces to solve the crimes, discovering that working together deepens the affection between them. After all, who better to save the day than a gentleman and a thief?
Synopsis via Goodreads
Hmm. . . I like Sarah Eden’s books but this one was just okay. The key for me is if I buy into the romance. I wasn’t as invested in Ana and Hollis’s relationship as Elizabeth and Fletcher. I like the backdrop for the story in Victorian England which is a nice plus.
The Bachelor and the Bride (2022), 8.5/10
London, 1866
Dr. Barnabus Milligan has always felt called to help people, whether that means setting a broken bone or rescuing the impoverished women of London from their desperate lives on the streets as part of his work with the Dread Penny Society.
Three years ago, he helped rescue Gemma Kincaid by secretly marrying her to protect her from her family of notorious grave robbers.
But six months after Gemma and Barnabus exchanged vows, she realized her love for her new husband was unrequited. To protect her heart, she left, telling Barnabus to contact her if his feelings for her ever grew beyond a sense of duty.
When Barnabus sends a letter to Gemma inviting her to return home, she hopes to find a true connection between them. But unfortunately, he only wants her help to foil the Kincaids, who have been terrorizing the boroughs of London, eager to gain both money and power.
Heartbroken, Gemma agrees to help, but she warns Barnabus that she will not stay for long, and once she goes, he’ll never see her again.
Yet as the couple follows the clues that seem to connect the Kincaids to the Mastiff, the leader of London’s criminal network, Gemma and Barnabus realize they might make a better match than either of them suspected. Perhaps the marriage that had once saved Gemma’s life might now save Barnabus—and his lonely heart.
But before the once-confirmed bachelor can properly court his secret bride, they’ll need to evade the dangerous forces that are drawing ever closer to the hopeful lovers and the entire Dread Penny Society itself.Synopsis via Goodreads
This third installment for the Dread Penny Society was more up my alley. One of my favorite subjects I studied in high school was graverobbing. I found old stories like Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Body Snatcher (1884) fascinating. This book had plenty of grave robbing, with some romance sprinkled in.
The one grievance I have with this story is how many times it used the phrase, “He/she shook their head.” I should have kept a tally of how many times I heard it. . . but that would have been obnoxious.
Dragonwatch (2017), 8.5/10
In the hidden dragon sanctuary of Wyrmroost, Celebrant the Just, King of the Dragons, plots his revenge. He has long seen the sanctuaries as prisons, and he wants nothing more than to overthrow his captors and return the world to the Age of Dragons, when he and his kind ruled and reigned without borders. The time has come to break free and reclaim his power.
No one person is capable of stopping Celebrant and his dragon horde. It will take the ancient order of Dragonwatch to gather again if there is any chance of saving the world from destruction. In ancient times, Dragonwatch was a group of wizards, enchantresses, dragon slayers, and others who originally confined the majority of dragons into sanctuaries. But nearly all of the original Dragonwatch members are gone, and so the wizard Agad reaches out to Grandpa Sorenson for help.
As Kendra and Seth confront this new danger, they must draw upon all their skills, talents, and knowledge as only they have the ability to function together as a powerful dragon tamer. Together they must battle against forces with superior supernatural powers and breathtaking magical abilities.
Synopsis via Goodreads
This was a nice read after I finished Mull’s Fablehaven series! I liked the concept and hope the other books are as interesting as this one. The problem is. . . my mood has changed. I’ll pick up the other books in this new series at another time.
My favorite moment in the story is when Kendra stands up to the Dragon King on her own and turns her back on him. It was quite empowering to read and I look forward to exploring this world more in the future.
Midnight For Charlie Bone (2002), 10/10
A magical fantasy that is fast-paced and easy-to-read. Charlie Bone has a special gift- he can hear people in photographs talking!
The fabulous powers of the Red King were passed down through his descendants, after turning up quite unexpectedly, in someone who had no idea where they came from. This is what happened to Charlie Bone, and to some of the children he met behind the grim, gray walls of Bloor’s Academy.
His scheming aunts decide to send him to Bloor Academy, a school for geniuses where he uses his gifts to discover the truth despite all the dangers that lie ahead.
Synopsis via Goodreads
SO. . . . . I’ve talked about this series so many times it is probably redundant by now. Surprisingly, I haven’t done a big review on this series which is a shame. Someday, I’ll have the time and brain space to do so.
For now, I simply love this story’s simple message on choosing the light and honoring your ancestor’s legacy. Anyway, I won’t write too much more about the next two books because they are part of the same series.
My favorite part of this book is when. . . huh. . . I don’t think I have one. I just like the whole book! How funny is that?
Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (2003), 10/10
My favorite part of this book is when Mrs. Bloor uses the time twister to go back in time (hopefully). I love it when people can grasp the happiness they desperately longed for.
Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy (2004), 10/10
Honestly, I like anything to do with Scarpo out in the city. The interview Dr. Bloor has with the endowed about who is “at fault” for the crazy things happening in the city makes me laugh. Plus, I always feel so satisfied when Uncle Patton recovers.
Webtoons/Manga
When I Stopped Being Your Shadow 6/10
This story was so blah that I remember only slivers of it. I’m pretty sure she divorced her adulterous husband to be an artist and fell in love with the second prince. It wasn’t too different from a lot of stories I’ve read like this so. . . meh. Read it if you want.
My Lover’s Personality is a Little Strange 2/10
Here is yet another story with a GARBAGE hero who pulls the female lead along on a “leash”. The poor girl loses her family, is sold into slavery, is “rescued” by the prince, and he makes her his lover. But THEN he loses his memory and almost kicks her out but GASP she’s pregnant with his child! Eventually, he gets his memory back but even then he is so distrustful and awful to her that I lost all faith in him.
Don’t read this. Please.
The Emperor’s Sleepless Nights 2/10
Wow, look at that. Another garbage male lead story! The difference between this and the last one is I don’t remember anything about it. 🙂 So. . . yeah. Apparently, I did hate it so I can’t recommend it. Past me probably had the right idea about this story.
He’s Just My Brother Your Grace, 6.5/10
This drew out the brother-sister fake-out relationship with the male lead SOOOOOO long I almost threw my phone across the room. Plus, I didn’t even care about the love story. This has melted over the last few weeks into obscurity and I don’t feel bad about dropping this story forever.
The Mushroom Girl, 5/10
This is a Webtoon series with great art, but a watered down rushed story. I didn’t get it and the ending twist of the female forest spirit and her mom giving birth to the main girl was kind of. . . dumb.
But, again, I like the art and am interested to see what this artist does in the future.
Movies
Lincoln (2012), 10/10
As the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.
I have nothing to say about this movie I haven’t said before. I appreciate its historical accuracy and love how Daniel Day-Lewis disappeared and really BECAME Lincoln.
Reagan (2024), 6.5/10
A drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the oval office.
So, funny story, when I went to the theater to see this with my parents and brother it was awkward from the get-go. The reason? I looked around the room and turned to my brother saying, “This hasn’t happened in a long while but I think we’re the youngest people in this room by at least two decades!” He gasped and said, “I thought I was the only one who thought that!”
I honestly don’t know how to feel about this movie. I don’t know enough about Reagan to know if I believe everything this movie wanted to tell me. I don’t like to be emotionally manipulated by media even if I like the historical figures they are talking about.
I didn’t understand why this random Russia guy was narrating the story rather than someone who personally knew Reagan. I also think it would have been better if the younger actor continued playing Reagan until he was in his fifties. I didn’t get using the older actor from his thirties through his presidency.
One thing I did want to note is this movie’s rating online. I don’t think it deserves the low score that it does. when I pondered WHY so many people were hating on this movie, I realized that this movie was mostly made for those who actually knew Reagan. The older generation doesn’t go online and write reviews. So. . . its a biased perspective.
I will watch this again once I read up on Ronald Reagan from several perspectives.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then Bigfoot (2018), 7/10
A legendary American war veteran is recruited to hunt a mythical creature.
Well. . . this was a movie I didn’t expect to sort of like. But, it was pretty okay. I think it was mostly because I thought the younger version of the main actor was super handsome. He was beautiful candy for my eyes! But I didn’t tell my brother that. He watched it because there was a diseased Bigfoot in it.
I liked the idea that even if Hitler was assassinated the Nazi Regime would have just kept moving on like nothing had happened.
TV Shows
I didn’t watch anything new. I rewatched episodes from Bluey (2021) and Adventure Time (2010) with my brother to wind down at the end of the day and that’s about it!
Bluey (2021)
Adventure Time (2010)
From the Perspective of an Old Soul 