OMG WHAT A DELIGHTFUL ROM-COM GEM OF A BOOK. A Twitter war, uncertainty about the future, endless mentions of baked goods and well-developed main characters are just some of the things that makes Tweet Cute an extremely engaging and clever read.

Pepper is an extremely driven high schooler who has got the overachiever image down thanks to the brutally competitive environment of her school. Hailing from Nashville, Pepper is still adjusting to the NYC life four years later and it shows most in the way she never wanders farther into the city than she needs to. Usually, I find people-pleasers annoying and despite Pepper definitely being one, she is also earnest and responsible which is why it’s easy to understand why she’s pretending so hard to come off as put together when she’s clearly not.

Jack is an easygoing, humorous and a family-oriented main character and I just loved all these things about him. He shows up at their family-owned deli, Girl Cheesing (how awesome is the name?!), without ever been having asked to and is secretly an app developer. What truly endeared me to him, though is the fact that he’s always felt like an outcast especially as opposed to his suave gay twin brother, Ethan, who has everything going for him and more. Jack is basically as much of a loser as Ethan isn’t which was hilarious to read about because Emma Lord said gay rights.

The plot is paced well and the revelations keep on coming and pretty much never when I thought they would. There’s definitely a Kasie West’s P.S. I Like You vibe going on here with Pepper and Jack not only regularly chatting on Weazl, an anonymous chatting app Jack developed for his school students, with each other as well as in real life and on Twitter. I truly appreciated their various dynamics as it clearly brought a depth to their budding (read: begrudging LOL) friendship. Really, most of the book is about them becoming friends so romance doesn’t really play that big of a role overall and I was into it.

Although, there were some angsty moments when it came to Jack and Ethan’s brotherly dynamic, I loved them both. I just wish there was more to Ethan than almost every mention of him including him making out with his boyfriend. Sure, the two characters are pretty distinct but Ethan wasn’t nearly as developed as some of the other secondary characters. In contrast, Pepper and Paige’s sisterly dynamic is nothing short of amazing and I loved that they were so involved in each other lives and ran a baking blog together.

Oh and Pooja was a great addition! I loved that Emma Lord decided to bypass the girl-on-girl hate by having their disgruntled relationship bloom into a full-fledged friendship. In this house, we love progressive female friendships.

Luckily, Tweet Cute doesn’t suffer from absentee parents syndrome. In fact, it’s the opposite with Jack’s family playing a central role in his life along with him having a close relationship with his grandmother, the founder of their deli. As for Pepper, her Mom turned out to be overbearing like 75 percent of the time which was not cool. It was clear that her family had turned more and more distanced overtime, but they were all still present in each other’s lives.

There are some weak parts in Tweet Cute with the main one being that for such a big food joint chain, Big League Burger only had one person hired to manage their Twitter presence (and Pepper, of course), which was hard for me to wrap my head around. So definitely some convenient plot points but overall, Tweet Cute is a well-written contemporary with equal parts funny and heartwarming moments and a debut at that. I’m sure I’d read whatever Emma Lord writes next!

Emma Lord is a digital media editor and writer living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, grilled cheese, and a whole lot of love. Her sun sign is Hufflepuff, but she is a Gryffindor rising. Tweet Cute is her debut novel.

 

TV WATCH

When the list of shows watched in a month keeps decreasing…

• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.D. – I admit I only watched one episode and couldn’t make myself continue, I’m scared and I still have nine episodes left to watch. Great.
• Sense8 – UGH THIS FINALE MADE ME SO EMOTIONAL. I cried for 20 minutes at one point, no joke. Sun Bak, Riley Blue, Lito Rodriguez and Will Gorski are my forever favorites.
• Vida – I saw the buzz around Vida on Twitter when it got renewed for season 2 and decided to check it out mainly because it’s a show about two Mexican American sisters. The first season only has six 30-minute long episodes and wow, both the sisters are a mess. I obviously liked Emma, who’s a lesbian and a boss lady, more and Lyn not so much because she can be very manipulative, but it’s clear that both need help stat. In all, it’s a really good show, apart from all the cheating, as it shines a light on the lives of queer Latinx women, gentrification and homophobia in a largely Mexican community. Also, found family feels!

 

MOVIE WATCH

At this point, I’d be surprised if I end up watching more than one movie in a month.

• Love, Simon (8/10) – I am so happy to have finally watched Love, Simon! I read the book back at the start of 2015 even before it came out (pun unintended LOL) and have been so excited for the movie adaptation especially after I guessed which actor was cast to play Blue. There are definitely changes from the book throughout and in the last scene but I love both the endings of the book and the movie.

 

LIST OF READS

Second best reading month in terms of quantity which makes me happy because I really didn’t get to read as much at the beginning of the year.

• This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender – The diversity and disability representation were done well and by a non-binary author at that, but most of the characters and the plot itself ended up being forgettable.
• The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard – TOO GOOD. Shipminds are fucking adorable and I love the twist on Sherlock Holmes/Dr. Watson.
• Moxie by Jennifer Matthieu – This is such an infuriating book about what girls have to face when it comes to dealing with the opposite gender on a daily basis and I’m hoping I can write a review to detail exactly why.
• The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan – I just couldn’t take a 12-year-old’s POV seriously but all in all, it’s a fun book.
• Void Black Shadow by Corey J. White – I should have reread Killing Gravity because it took me a while to remember who’s who but I ended up loving the whole space prison premise and can’t wait for the final showdown in Static Ruin.
• The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang – A plus autism representation, a kickass heroine and a great half-Vietnamese love interest. Here’s my review of the book.
• Running with Lions by Julian Winters – I so wasn’t expecting a gay Muslim love interest! It ended up being such a great love story with a main character who’s undecided about his future plans. I’ll be posting my review sometime this month.
• Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds – This is essentially about racism against Black people in the US, but also somewhat about Miles Morales as a superhero.
• The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard – Just as good as The Tea Master and the Detective with an equally adorable shipmind, but with a time travel mystery Thai time aaah.
• A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi – This isn’t out until fall and I’m so grateful that I got to read it already. I posted a pre-review on Goodreads which details why this book is so important.
• Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett – Best love interest, worst friends, a horrible dad and an amazing hiking adventure, I guess Zorie can’t have everything in life.
• Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh – Too much focus on the romance but I’m into the world-building and really want to know more about the Psy so definitely continuing.
• Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews – Best fake marriage trope ever, still hate Hugh but the book is worth it due to the female characters and the disability representation.

 

LIST OF BOOK ACQUISITIONS

If anyone would like to know, I’m 33% through my 2018 TBR but this includes the multiple editions so it’s not very accurate, ha.

• The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard
• Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
• From Darkest Skies by Sam Peters
• The Last Adventure of Constance Verity by A. Lee Martinez
• Steeplejack by A.J. Hartley
• The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
• A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by Ellen Oh, Elsie Chapman (ed.)
• The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
• Running with Lions by Julian Winters
• The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
• The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
• My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
• My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
• On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard
• The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard
• Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke
• A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
• Everything About You by Heather Child
• Hannah Green and Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence by Michael Marshall Smith
• Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
• Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
• Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller
• Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
• The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
• The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
• The Light Between Us by Katie Khan
• Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews
• Kindling the Moon by Ilona Andrews
• The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty
• A Time of Dread by John Gwynne
• Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald
• A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White
• Valor by John Gwynne

 

PLAYLIST

Basically only listened to music for first half of June.

How was your June?

WHO KNEW A BOOK ABOUT AN AUTISTIC HEROINE AND A MALE PROSTITUTE COULD BE SO CUTE AND HOT AND CUTE AND HOT?!

For real, though such a great debut. The author referred to it as ‘reverse Pretty Woman’ and it’s basically that but while I pretty much abhor the movie itself and whatever it stands for, the basic premise is the only comparison. The Kissing Quotient has genuine depth and a lot more to offer than a movie that I basically couldn’t even stand watching all of. I mean, Michael is even two years younger than Stella and their relationship is interracial so way to break stereotypes.

Anyway, I basically read this in less than a day because apparently that’s what I do now when it comes to contemporaries. In all seriousness, it’s addictive as hell and you really just have to know all the things once you start reading and instantly get curious about what compels an econometrician to hire a male escort.

Stella is a badass through and through. She has a strong sense of identity, is a hard worker, loves being an econometrician, takes promises seriously and is generally quite a determined person. Being an own voices representation of autism, all the situations involving Stella and her autistic tendencies from being unable to catch social cues to overstimulation are portrayed realistically and executed so well.

Michael is an all-around great love interest. He is familiar with money problems, is so genuine and kind like I really don’t think there’s a sleazy bone in his body which is great to see when paired up with his escorting ways. Also, I yelled when I found what exactly his day job is; it was just so refreshing to read about it. He has a great relationship with his mother and sisters, is Vietnamese Swedish and I seriously loved getting to know more about the Vietnamese culture via the ample presence of his family.

The Kissing Quotient explores quite a lot of things from how women tend to act normal in the face of basically any kind of mental health, importance of consent and insecurities that surface when you open yourself up to another person. Really, Stella and Michael both such well-developed characters with problems of their own that it’s easy to get caught up in their story. A thoroughly heartwarming, humorous and sexy debut. The thing I loved most about the book is how in the end, the only way Stella knows how to be is her way as to her it isn’t a disorder and I appreciated that so much because sometimes everyone’s normal is not the same and that’s okay, but also that we’re all human and some experiences are universal.

 

 

TV WATCH

Four is the new twenty haha.

• New Girl – I can’t believe this show has ended. The last season was all kinds of amazing.
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.D. – This season is fucking ruthless on the team and I’m loving that but also cannot handle it, please stop.
• The Flash – I’m just ? about the season finale because I feel like it totally missed the mark despite being Inception-like. The only thing I’m glad about is the reveal of the Mystery Girl even though her name is LOL, yeah nope.
• Killing Eve – I MAY NEVER RECOVER BECAUSE OF THE LAST 30 SECONDS OF THE SEASON FINALE. What in the world, show? I love it, though and I cannot with just how unpredictable it is. 10/10 would recommend.

 

MOVIE WATCH

Oh, boy.

• Avengers: Infinity War (7/10) – I mean, it’s an entertaining movie but I just couldn’t take Thanos or his ‘responsibility’ seriously. Years and years worth of build-up for this? Nah. But you gotta love how this movie came for everyone’s favorites, that was a ballsy move despite everything and I loved all the team-ups and how Thor single-handedly won this movie.

 

LIST OF READS

Best reading month in terms of quantity this year, yay!

• To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – This was basically a super fun standalone fantasy and dark, I had a good time.
• America Vol. 2: Fast and Fuertona by Gabby Rivera, Joe Quinones, Flaviano, Stacey Lee – I think it nicely tied up everything. I’m glad it exists even if it’s nothing extraordinary and Jen Bartel’s art is always worth it.
• What If It’s Us by Adam Silvera, Becky Albertalli – Man, I had such high hopes from this and I ended up liking it, not loving.
• Isola #2 by Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl – Kind of slow-paced for a comic series but still gorgeous.
• Ragdoll by Daniel Cole – I’m surprised what made Ragdoll great wasn’t the serial killer but the actual murders and the detectives tasked with catching the killer.
• All-New Wolverine Vol. 4: Immune by Tom Taylor, Leonard Kirk – Probably my favorite volume after The Four Sisters? Such good wholesome content combined with very traumatizing stuff.
• The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee – Such a fun book that also addresses some serious topics. I can’t believe this only came out last year because it somehow feels like it’s been out way longer.
• A New Journal by Brenda Clough – This is essentially a historical murder mystery and I always like those.
• Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 2: Masks by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero – OMG, the Wolverine/Hawkeye team-up ended up being everything.
• Fault Lines by Marie Brennan – A great follow-up to the introduction, I’m sure this will only get better.
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire – All I have to say about this is in my review which I’m actually super proud of.
• Baby Shower by Cassandra Khaw – Much more of a filler but still interesting.
• The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones – THE ART! Stunning and I loved Black Bolt himself, too.
• The Gauntlet by Michael R. Underwood – Kris shows off their dueling skills and I love them even more now.
• Trade Deal by Malka Ann Older – Trouble in paradise or well, Twaa-Fei, noooo.
• Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren – I’ve been hearing so many good things about Roomies so I decided to check this out when I saw it as download on Edelweiss. It’s a fun read with a Korean American love interest.
• Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar – Holy shit, this book dismantles so many misconceptions when it comes women and sex that it’s hard not to love it.
• Spiraling by Marie Brennan – Why is everything going to hell, aah.

 

LIST OF BOOK ACQUISITIONS

I tried, okay LOL.

• To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
• The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
• Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport
• Yumi by Renée Ahdieh
• The Lays of Anuskaya by Bradley P. Beaulieu
• The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
• This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender
• The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
• Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
• The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
• The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
• Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen
• A Man of Shadows by Jeff Noon
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
• The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
• A New Journal by Brenda Clough
• Fault Lines by Marie Brennan
• Baby Shower by Cassandra Khaw
• Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
• We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
• Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• The Gauntlet by Michael R. Underwood
• Trade Deal by Malka Ann Older
• Spiraling by Marie Brennan
• The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
• Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar
• Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe

 

PLAYLIST

Finally getting back into the habit and man, I missed music in my life.

How was your May?

I decidedly did not have high expectations from this series ever since I read Every Heart a Doorway and ended up feeling quite whelmed about its half-cooked murder mystery plot that severely underutilized its amazingly well-developed set of characters across a range of gender and sexual orientations. However, after having read and adored Down Among the Sticks and Bones, I can’t help but wonder how is it even set in the same universe as Every Heart a Doorway like this is exactly the content I was here for in the first place.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones is as atmospheric as it gets and that is, in part, due to its evocative setting of the Moors. What starts out as a tale with subtle dark undertones brewing under the surface, in a way that you just know in your bones that this story is not supposed to end well, slowly and steadily edges toward a world wholly shrouded in darkness and it is exactly as amplifying in its intensity as it sounds.

Adults are essentially solely responsible for shaping up the minds of children in any way that they like which can easily take a turn for the worse when one has parents like the Wolcotts brining with their harmful per-conceived notions about children and their roles into parenthood. Among all the things that Down Among the Sticks and Bones does, it reinforces the magnitude of the seemingly insurmountable responsibility that is having children and then raising said children which, to be quite honest, is sometimes baffling to me. In the immortal words of Hazel from Saga: ‘The only action that has vaster repercussions for the universe than making a life is TAKING one…which is why I’ll never understand why most people put so little foresight into doing either.’

To that extent, Down Among the Sticks and Bones is much like the countless stories of what happens when two people that are highly unequipped at best and not really meant to be parents at worst act on their ill-advised allure of well-behaved children. While it isn’t always traumatic for the children for their parents to have some hopes and expectations from them, putting insensible restrictions upon them anywhere from enforcing them into strict gender roles to discouraging particular habits from forming never does them, let alone anyone else involved in such a situation, any favors. It always ends in one form of disaster or another that either ends in identity crisis levels of utter rebellion or acute submission and the twins are no exception.

However, it’s not only the Wolcotts who can be held responsible for bending the twins’ personalities so excessively. The Moors were never easy on the twins as the Master and Dr. Bleak further shaped them into two different kinds of monsters but monsters all the same. For Jack and Jill, exchanging one kind of authoritative figure with another comes with its own set of expectations. Destined to deal with death in their own ways, Jack finds love in the form of a resurrected girl while Jill falls deeper into a life of isolation born out of conditional love.

Naturally, towards the end, it’s far easier to sympathize more with Jack than it is with Jill. Yet they’re each a result of their own circumstances and in my view, both twisted in such ways that while sating their deep-rooted desires to do and be exactly what their parents denied them for so long also exploited them so oh so well. So really, the moral of this particular tale is that it’s the adults that should be feared at all times.

Other things of note are the ever-shifting sisterly dynamics that come into play from the beginning encompassing all the stages of a sibling relationship from the hating-each-other-with-a-hot-passion to maybe, just maybe all is not yet lost. It is thought-provoking like all fairy tales are meant to be and the style of omniscient narration works wonders for the story and its pacing. Heart-wrenching and cautionary, Down Among the Sticks and Bones is a modern fairy tale with razor sharp teeth and a slant of light at the end of the tunnel or in this case, at either ends of a staircase.

 

 

TV WATCH

Kinda sorta getting back into the habit.

• Jane the Virgin – I MAY NEVER RECOVER BECAUSE OF THE LAST 30 SECONDS OF THE SEASON FINALE. What in the world, show?!
• The End of the Fucking World – I finally finished it and I’m honestly still not sure if I even like the show. What the fuck was that ending, though?
• New Girl – I can’t believe it’s gonna be over so quickly and that it’s the last season, but I’m loving it so much.
• The Flash – Oh boy, this season has been pretty predictable and there have been way too many average episodes because FUCKING RALPH DIBNEY. Please stop.
• Killing Eve – This is a show that my sister recommended to me and I decided to try it out when she explained what the first episode was about. Boy, did I ended up loving it right from the first minute. Killing Eve is basically about a psychopath female assassin and Eve who’s tasked with catching her. It’s funny, it has gruesome murder scenes and just amazing. 10/10 would recommend!

 

MOVIE WATCH

Oh, boy.

• Ready Player One (6/10) – I honestly had such high hopes because I wanted to have a good time and sigh.

 

LIST OF READS

I honestly tried so hard to be better at reading and almost succeeded.

• Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum – This was a great contemporary! I basically cannot get enough of the whole pen pals but hate each other IRL trope so had to read this.
• Pride by Ibi Zoboi – SO GREAT! I loved Zuri and this is probably gonna be the only retelling of Pride & Prejudice that I will always recommend since I’m not a fan of P&P at all.
• Circe by Madeline Miller – CIRCE, MY LOVE. There were definitely some weird things because Greek gods but overall, it’s beautifully written and I couldn’t get enough of it.
• The Fifth to Die by J. D. Barker – SO TWISTY. Loved it. Although, I’m a bit mad that it introduced too many things and didn’t answer all of them, whyyy.
• The Barrow Will Send What It May by Margaret Killjoy – The first book, The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion, is probably my favorite but this was good, too. I really we get more stories about these queer anarchists demon hunters.
• Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente – So good! There are way too many things and run-on sentences in the sense that a paragraph would start somewhere and end up talking about something completely unrelated. It does take some getting used to but I’m glad I pushed through because THIS BOOK sobs.
• Black Bolt Vol. 1: Hard Time by Saladin Ahmed, Christian Ward – THE ART! Stunning and I loved Black Bolt himself, too.
• Arrivals by Michael R. Underwood – A great start! It’s my first ever foray into reading episodic serials and I’m a fan.

 

LIST OF BOOK ACQUISITIONS

Zero sense of shelf control, ha.

• The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan
• The Barrow Will Send What It May by Margaret Killjoy
• Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
• Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
• The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
• The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
• Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
• The Breakthrough by Daphne Du Maurier
• Three Japanese Short Stories by Akutagawa and Others
• The Three Electroknights by Stanislaw Lem
• Daydream and Drunkenness of a Young Lady by Clarice Lispector
• The Missing Girl by Shirley Jackson
• The Distance of the Moon by Italo Calvino
• The Finger by William S. Burroughs
• Lance by Vladimir Nabokov
• Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno
• If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
• The Finger by William S. Burroughs
• Lance by Vladimir Nabokov
• One Way by S. J. Morden
• Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• America Vol. 2: Fast and Fuertona by Gabby Rivera, Joe Quinones, Flaviano, Stacey Lee
• Pride by Ibi Zoboi
• For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig
• Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
• The One by John Marrs
• Arrivals by Michael R. Underwood
• The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 6: Imperial Phase Part 2 by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matt Wilson
• The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
• First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
• One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde
• The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde
• Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
• Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly
• The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
• Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
• What If It’s Us by Adam Silvera, Becky Albertalli
• Obsidio by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
• A Pocketful of Crows by Joanne M. Harris
• Space Unicorn Blues by TJ Berry
• Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
• False Hearts by Laura Lam
• Circe by Madeline Miller

 

PLAYLIST

I actually put it on my to-do to listen to more music and failed quite miserably looking at the state of my playlist.

How was your April?

 

TV WATCH

Slowly getting back in the space where I want to watch TV shows, phew.

• The Flash – I actually cannot help but spot so many glaring plot holes this season which makes me wonder how they executed the current storyline in the comics. As it goes, there were a couple of filler episodes that I absolutely didn’t like much and they clearly show the writers messed up but then Enter Flashtime and Run, Iris, Run happened and abso-fucking-lutely made it all amazing again. It’s still a great arc, though as well as A GREAT SHOW AND WESTALLEN REMAINS ICONIC.
• Supergirl – I definitely have a hate/like relationship with this show. I love it when the focus is on Lena Luthor, female friendships, female villains and the Danvers sisters. All the rest can go to hell, really.
• Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams – I’ve only watched the pilot as yet and I was not disappointed. This is the vein of Black Mirror but decidedly not on its level so far. I’ll watch it all, though
• Black Mirror – Did I finally feel mentally prepared enough to watch the rest of the season after getting too mindfucked by the Crocodile episode? Hell yes! I absolutely loved Hang the DJ and decided to watch Metalhead soon after but ended up hating it because of the moving camera work which always gives me a headache and the fact that it was shot in black and white. Why? I’m relieved that Black Museum didn’t disappoint, though and I could have spend all day in that museum, to be honest. Letita Wright is awesome in it and even though I pretty much predicted what was going on, I still loved it.
• Jane the Virgin – This is the one show where I never could decide between the two ships and the show ended up giving us both and I love it. What? Haha. Also, can I just say I’m so happy about Petra’s arc this season. However, I really feel like they’ve told the story they wanted to, but we’re still getting one more season after this so I wonder what that’s about.
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – I actually haven’t caught up on this yet but it’s still going strong.
• This Is Us – I finally, finally caught up on season 2. I didn’t mean to watch almost all of it over a single weekend and I got so tired of crying, you wouldn’t believe but I just couldn’t stop. What a mess of a person I can be haha.
• On My Block – I didn’t even know this show was a thing until I saw some people yell about it on Twitter and decided to check it out. Oh my god, what a ride! This is basically about a bunch of 14-year-old POCs, their friendship and all the drama that comes along with it and I loved every minute of it. Did not like the cheating at all and the use of the word ‘bitch’ so many times, but apart from that it’s a hilarious, dramatic af show that I couldn’t get enough of.

 

MOVIE WATCH

I’ve been watching so many amazing movies this year, I feel spoiled.

• Thor Ragnarok (8/10) – I mainly only knew to expect ridiculousness from Thor: Ragnarok and it more than delivered on that front LOL. I do honestly feel like they underutilized Hela and her arc could have gone so much better. Also, tumblr is quite conflicted about how Loki wasn’t Loki in this movie which was a disservice to his character but hmm, I think I liked whatever he had going on in the movie for him.
• Black Panther (10/10) – This was probably the most anticipated release for me right after Pacific Rim’s sequel and rightly fucking so. WILL PROBABLY NEVER GET OVER ITS AWESOMENESS, NOPE.
• Pacific Rim: Uprising (10/10) – Apart from that one plot twist that I 100% was not expecting, will never get over, how dare they, I LOVEDLOVEDLOVED IT. Getting emotional over hugeass jaegers in a cinema, that’s me right here. I actually loved how fast they are in the movie and Gipsy Avenger fucking slayed, sobs. I can’t wait to rewatch this movie countless times.

 

LIST OF READS

February was a great reading month and while March was also great quality-wise, it totally sucked quantity-wise and I’m sad about that.

 

February Reads

• Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel – This series finale was everything I wanted it to be and more and I’m emotional about it.
• Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear – This was my first Bear book but definitely not the last! It’s a historical murder mystery but with some steampunk elements and the main character is a prostitute. A bit of a mouthful but it totally works!
• Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett – I read this because it’s similar to PS I Like You
• The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton – This book is fucking cray like I had no idea what it was all leading up to and I ended up enjoying it a whole lot.
• P.S. I Like You by Kasie West (reread) – Yeah, so I had to reread this because reasons. It still remains a favorite.
• All-New Wolverine Vol. 2: Civil War II by Tom Taylor, Marcio Takara – I will forever be a fan of Laura Kinney being unimpressed as hell with Captain America. Laura and Gabby killed me even more, if that’s possible and I surprisingly liked Old Man Logan.
• The Wicked + The Divine: 1923 by Kieron Gillen, Aud Koch – This had such stunning art and I personally loved that there was a lot of story than art so it was almost like an illustrated novella.
• The Hating Game by Sally Thorne – HOTTEST ELEVATOR KISS, SAY WHAT. No but for real, this book was great and I was amused throughout reading it.
• Fence #4 by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad – Shit-talking continues, I love it. I do need it to speed up, though.
• Love to Hate You by Jo Watson – Decided to try it out because of a combination of it being cheap, me being weak and liking the premise. It turned out to be an okay read. I wasn’t the biggest fan because it kind of veered into new adult category with a little bit of bad-boy-turned-good which is so not my thing.

 

March Reads

• Saga Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples – ALL THE FEELS. Sir Robot is finally relevant, this is what I’ve been waiting for.
• Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples – Probably the most depressing way to end a comic, I’m just—
• All-New Wolverine Vol. 3: Enemy of the State II by Tom Taylor, Nik Virella – I liked it and I also didn’t like it because of so much lost potential. It’s still a great series and Laura Kinney still fucking slays.
• Clean Room Vol. 1: Immaculate Conception by Gail Simone, Jon Davis-Hunt – This one was a bit of a mindfuck so I’m glad I decided to read it and can’t wait to check out the rest of it soon.
• Opal by Maggie Stiefvater – 10/10 would not want to be inside Opal’s head again, thanks. I did love all the Pynch, though and there were some reveals which hmm.
• On the Edge by Ilona Andrews – I was expecting this series to have the same set of characters which is why I wasn’t expecting it to get resolved in one book with a happily ever after so I wasn’t
• The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang – I pretty much have almost no bad things to say about this one. It’s violent as hell at times, gets very dark and is just straight-up an awesome military fantasy.

 

LIST OF BOOK ACQUISITIONS

Oh man, so Marvel started doing these weekly $0.99 per volume sales and I get conflicted on the regular now because do I really need these and bye moneys.

 

February Acquisitions

• Blood Orbit by K. R. Richardson
• Dear Martin by Nic Stone
• Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer
• Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
• The Wicked + The Divine: 1923 by Kieron Gillen, Aud Koch
• Lotus Blue by Cat Sparks
• Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
• Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
• New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
• Night Owls by Jenn Bennett
• The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
• Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
• Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
• Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples
• Saga Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples
• The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 6: Imperial Phase Part 2 by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie
• On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
• Love to Hate You by Jo Watson

 

March Acquisitions

• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• Everybody Lies by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz – an audiobook that I’m excited to get to, whaa
• Attack of the Fifty Foot Women by Catherine Mayer – another audiobook that I’m looking forward to
• Clean Room Vol. 1: Immaculate Conception by Gail Simone, Jon Davis-Hunt
• Opal by Maggie Stiefvater
• The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
• Black Bolt Vol. 1: Hard Time by Saladin, Ahmed, Christian Ward
• Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 2: Masks by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero
• All-New Wolverine Vol. 4: Immune by Tom Taylor, Leonard Kirk
• All-New Wolverine Vol. 5: Orphans of X by Tom Taylor, Juann Cabal
• She-Hulk Vol. 2: Let Them Eat Cake by Mariko Tamaki, Georges Duarte
• Elektra: Always Bet On Red by Matt Owens, Juann Cabal
• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
• The Final Frontier by Neil Clarke (ed.)
• Void Black Shadow by Corey J. White
• The Fifth to Die by J. D. Barker – I’m still surprised I got approved for this, can’t wait!
• Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
• The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams
• The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones
• Those Above by Daniel Polansky
• The Smiler’s Fair by Rebecca Levene
• The Hunter’s Kind by Rebecca Levene
• The Brother Sinister: The Complete Boxed Set by Courtney Milan – Ellis out here trying to really get me to read histrom, haha

 

PLAYLIST

I still haven’t been listening to a lot of music lately and still don’t entirely understand why. Posting my February playlist here because I legit have one song on my March playlist, RIP.

How is your spring going so far?

 

TV WATCH

Wow, a longer list than usual. How?!

• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – This season is just chockfull of feels and I’m just sobs. Also, it’s probably my favorite now.
• Black Mirror – I fully intended to watch the whole season but episode 3, Crocodile, fucked me up real good and I have been avoiding the show ever since. I do think the first two episodes didn’t really feel like Black Mirror for some reason and then episode 3 took it too far.
• The End of the Fucking World – I have only watched the first two episodes, (fail, I know) but I’m definitely watching it all in February since it’s fucked up.
• The Flash – I actually cannot help but spot so many glaring plot holes this season which makes me wonder how they executed the current storyline in the comics. It’s still a great arc, though as well as STILL THE BEST SHOW AND WESTALLEN REMAINS ICONIC.
• Supergirl – I definitely have a hate/like relationship with this show. I basically love it when the focus is on Lena Luthor, female friendships, female villains and the Danvers sisters. All the rest can go to hell, really.
• Black Lightning – I’ve only watched the first two episodes and it is great! It has some awkward dialog like all CW shows tend to but I’m loving the dark vibe. Also, the Pearson sisters are badass.
• One Day at a Time – OMFG SEASON 2 KILLED ME.

 

MOVIE WATCH

Sorry for turning this section into taking about movies I planned to watch instead of movies I watched, but I totally failed at watching Thor: Ragnarok like I planned to in January. I’m hopeless, I know.

 

LIST OF READS

I got to read so many great books in January that I would totally pat myself on the back for my own reading choices if I could, ha.

• Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant – DAMN, I’m on a mission to get everyone to read this fantastic book! It’s a slow burn kind of a suspense but the payoff is so fucking worth it.
• Saga Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples – You know when books try to talk bad about a female character just because the main character have a little something going on but then you actually end up loving them? That’s basically what happened here with Gwendolyn. I’m so glad she’s actually a part of the comics instead of being this vague female character that got wronged.
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – SO GOOD! The WLW OTP basically destroyed me and then that plot twist happened.
• Saga Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples – Volume three introduced a couple of romantic pairings and can we just not? I’m so here for a bisexual Gwendolyn, though.
• Mariam Sharma Hits the Road by Sheba Karim – I think the best thing about this book is how it tackled Islamophobia in one of its scenes and I’d probably recommend this book for that alone. I do have a lot of thoughts because road trip! friendships! gay Muslims! so hopefully, I can make myself write a review.
• Saga Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples – Definitely the most disappointing volume so far because suddenly there had to be a marriage conflict and what’s better than dangling a possible cheating storyline. NO THANKS. It’s still good, though.
• Saga Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples – This volume just fell short for me because I’m not a fan of any of the current arcs except for Gwendolyn and co. Sigh.
• Fence #3 by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad – SO GOOD. I’m loving how they’re expanding on it all and introducing some fantastic characters like the Black woman fencing coach. YESSSS.
• Join by Steve Toutonghi – This was fucked up and way more science-y than usual so I couldn’t really care about the characters and the end kind of left me ?
• All-New Wolverine Vol. 1: The Four Sisters by Tom Taylor – SO GOOD, SO PURE, SO ASLKDJHDF. I just love Laura Kinney so fucking much and the story arc of this volume is life-ruining levels of good.
• Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno – I STILL HAVEN’T RECOVERED, IT IS SUCH AN AMAZING BOOK.

 

LIST OF BOOK ACQUISITIONS

Book buying remains out of control in the new year, ha.

• Snow Falling by Jane Gloriana Villanueva, Caridad Piñeiro
• Mariam Sharma Hits the Road by Sheba Karim
• The Devils’s Revolver by V. S. McGrath
• Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
• Fence #3 by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad
• Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• A Red Peace by Spencer Ellsworth
• Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
• A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell
• Side Life by Steve Toutonghi
• Failure to Communicate by Kaia Sønderby
• Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
• Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel
• Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno
  
• If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

 

PLAYLIST

I actually listened to zero music in January and I don’t even how or why.

How was your January?

 

TV WATCH

I’m so glad Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finally came back, I missed it so much.

• Supergirl – I started my December wanting to catch up on a show and somehow ended up choosing Supergirl. I actually really liked a few of the episodes and then Mon-el fucking came back. >.>
• Voltron: Legendary Defender – I fully intended to watch seasons 3 and 4 but only managed to watch season 3’s premiere even though this show is great.
• Jane the Virgin – Oh my god, can this show stop making me cry? It delivers family feels AND murders so can’t complain and I’m loving the whole Jane as an author storyline. I also plan to read her ‘debut,’ Snow Falling RIP.
• The Flash – THANK YOU FOR THE FEELS YET AGAIN, SHOW. Honestly, I want to lie down on the floor whenever I think about how the mid-season finale ended sobs. It is all going down fucking amazingly well, though.
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – OMFG THIS SHOW. I died laughing at some of the episodes while others skew more towards serious subject matters. In short, an all around fuck-yeah-I-love-it season so far.
• The Gifted – I’ve only watched the pilot as yet and I immediately became a fan of the X-Men underground storyline which is why I’m mad that the Struckers get any screen time at all with their mediocre as fuck acting.

 

MOVIE WATCH

I watched like the first 12 minutes of Swan Princess because Ellis has been wanting me to and then I gave up. What an epic fail hahaha.

 

LIST OF READS

I’m so glad I had a great December in terms of reading despite barely having enough time to read in the last two weeks of it.

• X-23 Vol. 3: Don’t Look Back by Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda – The final X-23 volume by Liu left something to be desired but hey, I still love X-23 and I’m so excited to read about her adventures as Wolverine.
• Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews – HELLO, I’M DEAD BECAUSE OF ALL THE AWESOME. I quite liked the Muslim rep in this and the djinn storyline is great.
• Trust No Aunty by Maria Qamar- Hilarious and relatable!
• Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews – This was just so funny and asdfghjkl the wait till May. I actually think about this series at least once every day and cannot wait to reread it soon.
• Croak by Gina Damico – This was such an unexpected but hilarious read! I cannot wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
• The Diviners by Libba Bray – I forgot quite a lot which then came back to me quickly as I read. I was mainly reminded that I love almost all of my Diviners (re: Sam can go fuck himself).
• Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin – Another unexpected read! I quite liked this post-apocalyptic look at what would happen if technology was eliminated.
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, Jim Kay (reread) – Another magical addition to the illustrated editions.
• The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty – An all around amazing high fantasy debut! I need more stat.
• Fence #2 by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad – SO GOOD. I’m loving how the hate-to-love is spanning out.
• Saga Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples – Finally! I LOVE IT and cannot wait to binge the rest of it in January.

 

LIST OF BOOK ACQUISITIONS

I didn’t even add a few of my book buys so this list got edited a couple times which LOL.

• East of West, Vol. 1: The Promise by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta
• A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
• Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
• Jade City by Fonda Lee
• When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
• Moxie by Jennifer Matthieu
• Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews
• Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
• The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories by Mahvesh Murad, Jared Shurin
• The Court of Broken Knives by Anne Smith Spark
• The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden
• The Devourers by Indra Das
• Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastian de Castell
• Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
• A City Dreaming by Daniel Polansky
• You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins
• Fence #2 by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad
• Rebel Genius by Michael Dante DiMartino
• Provenance by Ann Leckie

 

PLAYLIST

I barely listened to any music in December and basically none after mid December.

How was your December?