Month: February 2019

The Television Tag

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Siobhan at Siobhan’s Novelties tagged me, thank you! I’m currently at a really cute cabin hanging out with my friends who all are too good at karaoke (I can honestly not compete with this) and having a great time.

Favourite Shows?

I’m here for this, the whole list is already on my phone.

  • MR ROBOT!!!
  • Orphan Black
  • American gods
  • Hannibal?? I’ve talked a lot about it to people recently as something I would never recommend anyone to watch, but I do like it too much.
  • How to get away with murder
  • Jessica Jones
  • Daredevil season 3
  • Sense8

Favourite Genre?

I guess it’s fantasy-ish stuff, I like everything with like genuinely good fight scenes, to the point where I might skim through the plot if it’s boring enough (cough, most superhero stuff). I do also really like the psychological thriller/drama tv series though, but it’s harder to find good ones.

Least Favourite Show

Siobhan had harsh words for 90 Days Fiance and I completely agree. with her, it’s awful.

But – here’s a more controversial one. I really hate Friends. My bestfriend and dad was both loving watching it, I couldn’t get away and I just don’t find it remotely interesting or funny. I’ve tried so hard, believe me.

Most Re-Watched Show/Favourite Show to Binge Watch?

The first season of Orphan Black! I’ve made the bestfriend (and dad) mentioned above watch it, sitting through the season with them and it’s so satisfying and just so much details you don’t get the first time watching it.

I haven’t watched the last episodes yet. Like I’ve been on S5 E7 for so many months, I just can’t bring myself to watch the last four episodes.

Do You Prefer Watching Things Week-by-Week or Binge-Watching?

Binge-watching. I know that when I start a season of a tv series, if it’s a good one, I’m going to be too drawn in and have no choice. So I don’t usually watch too much Netflix, and no TV at all. Just that one weekend when I’ve finished all important tests and deserve it. Hah, there’s been a couple mistakes of course.

Favourite Television Characters?

Jessica Jones, I just love her so much. My biggest pet peeve is when tv series or movies have the characters with the perfect morning/night routines, no matter how much shit is going down. From the moment I saw Jessica Jones just roll out of bed, and go to track down bad guys I was like YESS.

Bilderesultat for jessica jones gif shithead

Favourite Television Ships?

I don’t usually ship people that hard?

Show You Could Never Get Into?

Many. Friends, of course. The vampire diaries, even though I loved vampire books at the time.

Show You Fell Out of Love with?

Every single one that have more than four seasons, including the beloved Orphan Black.

Cancelled Too Soon?

THEY AREN’T RENEWING THE PUNISHER FOR A THIRD SEASON. WTF IS WRONG WITH THEM. Did they see even see Giorgia Whigham as Amy? And the punisher’s fun banter with her? AAHH.

Guilty Pleasure Show?

Like the shows finding the wedding dresses, we’re all critiquing the shit out of that like we know anything about fashion. (I really like couture fashion shows in general though, like that new Paolo Sebastian show for SS19? Watched it three times, excellent.)

What Are You Currently Watching?

Nothing, because I haven’t had time. See binging problem.

I Tag

This tag was so much fun, but I feel I’ve just tagged people in other things. So if you want to do it, feel free to link to me so I see it!

My Good Reading Habits Tag

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I was tagged by Siobhan at Siobhan Novelties, thank you! The tag was created by Ally from Ally Writes Things. This was much more difficult of a list than expected! It’s like trying to give positives about yourself, it always come with a “but…” followed by how I break most habits regularly.

Rules

I’ve started to DNF more books, without feeling guilty

I saw Siobhan had this one on her list of some sort as well. There’s just too many books and too little time! Even like NetGalley copies – I don’t have that much motivation and patience if I can’t like the book. Better to DNF even 70% in than struggling through it, is my opinion these days.

I search for what the author tried, or perhaps managed, to accomplish even in a book I disliked

I feel like this is common, especially as book reviewers. But since I’ve more seriously started writing stories, it really helps to disect it a bit and just find out where it went wrong in the story or in my interest of it. It doesn’t mean you can’t judge a book harshly.

I’m not stressing about how much I should read

Which I did just as I started to write a book blog. Got to have books to review right? Not really. First, I’ve gotten better at having a few books I’ve yet to review, because little time. For example right now, where I’ve read more than I’ve written. And if I really haven’t been reading at all, why should I post, no one’s forcing me.

I use Goodreads to keep track, and also a journal

It’s my biggest habit of these ones. The journal is especially because websites sometimes overwhelm me, so I just regularly copy my TBR and the month’s reads down on paper and it’s much easier to bring to the library (the few times a year I have access to one).

I don’t buy a lot of books.

I feel like this might be the most controversial one, because I wince on others behalf when they have like three copies of the same book, even though I halfway get it and try to not judge. (Just like what do you do with them? How do you choose which one to give away? Keep them all – for what?) I just gave away three plastic bags of books to a friend, but those books were from a few years ago, with only a few new ones that I disliked. She was confused and grateful, I felt lighter. I have lots of legitimate reasons why I’ve moved over to nearly just ebooks and audiobooks. But biggest reason is money, for someone who’s a student. Also that I’m moving in a couple months and are not looking forward to dragging any books across the country twice, let alone those I will never read again.

I tag:

Kristen @ Beyond secret pages. Naty @ Naty’s bookshelf. Amy @ Bookish heights. Aj @ Aj Sterkel. & The reading chemist!

No pressure! Also, if I’ve tagged you in a lot, I’m sorry because I need to keep better track

I’ve read a lot and posted little | Bi-Weekly Update

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New book posts:

Other books I’ve been reading:

I’ve got a lot of new reviews coming out as there were none the last two weeks, oops.

  • I finally finished “Six easy pieces” by Richard Feynman
  • A brilliant short story “The ones who walk away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin, one of the authors that I know I would love the writing of if I just read more from them. A mini review will be out shortly!
  • In addition there’s a review of “Women in science” by Rachel Ignotofsky coming out, where the inspiration of quote of the week came from.
  • Legion: skin deep which is the second book in the trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, but won’t be reviewed before I read all three.
  • The wicked king by Holly Black
  • Branches by Rhiannon McGavin (poetry)

Added to TBR:

  • I am not a serial killer by Dan Wells
  • The calculating stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
  • The godfather by Mario Puzo
  • The blade itself by Joe Abercrombie (fantasy)
  • All systems red by Martha Wells (fantasy)
  • The gutter prayer by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan (fantasy)
  • So you want to be a wizard by Diane Duane (fantasy)
  • Black sun rising by C. S. Friedman (fantasy)
  • Influence: the psychology of persuasion by Robert Cialdini

Recent book buys:

  • The wicked king by Holly Black
  • Preorder of The truth about keeping secrets by Savannah Brown
  • The body in pain by Elaine Scarry

Three things on my mind:

  • I’m just going to post three very varied youtube videos here because I’ve been sick a week and then studying too much the other week to make up for it. My brain feels empty and chaotic at once. Fun. I did preorder “The truth about keeping secrets” by Savannah Brown just before watching Ariel Bisset’s video on what preorders actually mean.

Movie & TV Adaptations That I’m Terrified Of (Part 2) | Book Things

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Tv series produced by BBC, based on book series by Philip Pullman

Remember the movie that everyone think is crap? Well, it’s bad plot-wise, and without the moral depth on the books, but at least I thought the effects like the polar bear was nice to look at. I’ve read the golden compass in depth for an essay recently, and it made me x5 times hyped for the tv series. There’s so much to take from! Questions of morality and humour! I just found out Lin-Manuel Miranda is playing LEE! Not too excited about casting choice for mrs. Coulter. I have high hopes for this one, it can’t fail a second time?

When? Filming wrapped in december, so it’s supposed to be out sometime now in 2019

Tv series produced by Amazon Prime and BBC Two, at least 6 episodes, based on the book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett

I almost forgot Good Omens and that would’ve been bad. I’m so excited for it! Gaiman is heavily involved in the production, which is very promising. American Gods, his other book, has already become such a good tv series, it’s extremly aesthetically pleasing in a way that adds to the story. So I’m having good hopes for this one, especially because of the trailer. David Tennant is cast as the demon Crowley (not that I’ve seen doctor who).

Also I just listened to Neil Gaiman’s recent podcast episode on “Tea with Alice” where Neil talks about criticism of why it hasn’t come out yet (answer: film doesn’t edit itself). Twenty minutes in there’s tears in my eyes as he says how Terry Prachett wanted him to make it so he could watch it before he died, but went too soon, and now Gaiman has taken it on himself as to finish his friends last wish.

When? sometime in 2019

Here’s my review of the book

Tv series produced by Starz, at least 8 episodes, based on book by Daniel O’Malley

I’m terrified of this adaption. Know why? Stephenie Meyer is a producer. One of the castmembers described it as “violent and more sexual”, seemingly putting down the original book a bit as he describes the tv show. The rook is a fantasy book, with characters with weird supernatural powers, which is always a challenge to make work on screen. (This is going to be so bad, I can feel it.) The biggest trouble I think is multiple characters controlled by the same brain – a hivemind. Here’s where I throw my hands in the air and hope the people behind it all know what they are getting into.

When? Imdb claims it should be out in 2019, but there seems to be little updates

Here’s my review of the book

Tv series produced by Hulu, at least 8 episodes, based on book by John Green

As a fan of John Green and vlogbrothers I know it’s been a long road to get “looking for Alaska” adapted, with movie deals falling through. Now we’re finally getting it! The actress cast as Alaska is Kristine Frøseth (norwegian!!), which is surprising because she’s relatively “unknown”, but hopefully goes really well. The biggest problem with adapting this series is if the message of the book being about the problematic sides of a “manic pixie dream girl”, and not being so subtle so it instead seems to promote that concept. This is a well-known problem though, and surely will work out. I think it’s going to be very interesting how they adapt this movie, and what kind of tone they set with it.

When? 2020

American gods will be back for a second season 10. March 2019!

The movie “PS I still love you” comes out probably late 2019. Tt’s the sequel to “To all the boys I’ve loved before” and it’s surely going to be as good as the first one.

A discovery of witches will continue for a second and third season. I enjoyed the first season, but cringed so much, so I hope it gets better.

Books I LOVED with Under 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads | Top Ten Tuesday

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl to bring bookish friends together. A new topic is posted each week.

I’d written and scheduled this post, but it seemed something disappeared. So here’s the efficient, shorter version! Reviews are linked.

Branches by Rhiannon McGavin (poetry)

Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson (poetry)

Counting Descent by Clint Smith (poetry)

The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan (ya)

Under 5,000 pages:

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman

Space Opera by Cathrynne Valente (sci-fi)

Books on my TBR:

Fransesca’s Voice by Nova Fornell

The Gearheart by Alex White

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

All the Lonely People by David Owen

Science Feminist: Quote of the Week #19

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Another week – another quote I found  from the absolutely amazing illustrated book Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky!

This is one quote that’s hard to live by, but the person behind it really did.

Rita Levi-Montalcini was a nobel prize winning jewish nevrobiologist, who became 103 years old. She won the nobel prize for research in nerve growth and understanding of the development of the nervous system, by studying embryos. There were a lot of odds against her, being italian under Mousselini, jewish and surviving two world wars, not to mention being a woman. She was a feminist very adamantly straying from the expected path of marriage and family, choosing to go to university and becoming a pioneer in science and medicine. To which she says she was never lonely or had regrets about.

She had to withdraw from university in Italy as anti-semitism grew, established a laboratory in her bedroom and when bombs fell she would bring her research to the safety of the basement. When she and her family had to go in hiding during the Holocaust, she got some eggs and continued studying the nerve tissues of the embryo, which eventually led to her prize winning theories. The stories of this woman and those like her never cease to amaze me in their persistence. And how little I know of them before I look, which “women in science” gives a great starting point of.

2018 TBR Round-Up

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I’m always joking about how much (or little) I actually follow my TBR and before I wrote up my big TBR for all of 2019 I had this in mind. So I went through my pasts TBR myself, but Ally Writes Things inspired me to share it!

TBR Spring:

read 3, DNF 1, currently reading 1, not read 1

TBR Summer:

read 5, DNF 2, not read 1 and kind of currently reading 2

TBR Autumn (here’s where it goes downhill):

Read 2, DNF 1 and not read 7

  • Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake: not read
  • Slasher Girls & Monster Boys: not read
  • These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly: not read, but will this year
  • Palace of the Damned by Darren Shan: not read
  • Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson: not read
  • At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson: DNF
  • Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik: read & reviewed
  • The F- It List by Julie Halpern: not read, but will this year
  • The Concept of Anxiety by Søren Kierkegaard: not read, but will this year
  • The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman: read

If I throw the DNF in with the read ones (because at least I gave them a try), I’ve read 53% and not read 39%. Not amazing results, but better than expected honestly.

After that last disappointing list, I gave up on making a winter TBR and also apparently went full in on trying to make on for the whole of 2019. It’s been working pretty well one month into 2019!

New podcast&book finds! Bi-Weekly Update

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New book posts:

Other books I’ve been reading:

  • Soft magic by Upile Chisala (review to come)
  • Women in science by Rachel Ignotofsky (review to come)
  • UnngÃ¥ øyekontakt av Nora Aschim (norwegian poetry)
  • Gull i grusen av Rebecca Kjelland (norwegian poetry)
  • Andvake av Jon Fosse (norwegian)

Added to TBR:

Spoiler alert – it’s a lot.

  • The love & lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabrina Khan (ya, new release)
  • These witches don’t burn by Isabel Sterling (ya, new release, lgbt)
  • Fence by C. S. Pacat (graphic novel, lgbt)
  • Spin the dawn by Elizabeth Lim (new release, fantasy)
  • A separate peace by John Knowles
  • The lessons by Naoimi Alderman
  • Special topics in calmity physics by Marisha Pessl
  • Rosalind Franklin by Brenda Maddox (biography)
  • The reheasal by Eleanor Catton
  • Obsessive genius about Marie Curie by Barbara Goldsmith (biography)
  • Wicked lovely by Melissa Marr
  • Severance by Ling Ma (sci-fi)
  • So far so good by Ursula Le Guin
  • Plastic by Doug Wagner (graphic novel)
  • The master algorithm by Pedro Domingos (science)
  • Call down the hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
  • Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (fantasy)
  • The body keeps the score by Bessel van der Kolk
  • Illness as metahphor & aids and its metaphors by Susan Sontag
  • Kuby immunology by Judy Owen (like literally an immunology textbook)

I feel I should explain the three last books? In my 2019 TBR I explained some of my reading goals, in which one of them was to search for good descriptions of pain. The immunology textbook I can’t explain, other than I heard it was good, it’s just my exsistential crises over choosing an uni programme coming through (still think it’s going to be physics).

Recent book buys:

  • Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
  • In the woods by Tana French
  • The sea around us by Rachel Carson
  • A portrait of the artist as a young man by James Joyce
  • The trial by Franz Kafka
  • Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Three things on my mind:

  • I watched Divergent again on netflix. I haven’t sat down and watched the whole thing since the release. It’s not a good movie, but it could be a whole lot worse (like Allegiant aah). The book just gives such an insight into Tris’ fears and fearlessness. What it made me think about though is just how much teenage me adored that book and any book where the main character breaks free and exchanges monotony with freedom, even if it comes with risks. Like the training, especially fight training, parts of a book, tv series or movie is absolutely my favourite part, because the main character has to find their strength quickly. And they’re always unfamiliar with the people and how far they mentally can push themselves.
  • I’ve been sick. And studying. It’s been a bit of a mess of trying to figure out a new schedule that still meets deadlines and tests, which is always fun
  • I’ve been listening a lot to “the Robot and the Unicorn” podcast by Alex Cox and Kathy Campbell and it’s wonderful. Fav episode I’ve heard this far is “Priests and belief”, but if you don’t know about any of them before, perhaps start on another episode that’s a bit more goofy and regular. Also the Ologies podcast by Alie Ward had new episodes on sea turtles and tortoises, which were so much more interesting than I expected!

Movie & TV Adaptations That I’m Terrified Of (Part 1) | Book Things

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I started writing this post and realize there’s SO MANY book adapted movies and tv series coming out this year, along with announced this year, that I’m making this post at least two parts.

Movie and tv series produced by Lionsgate, based on book series by Patrick Rothfuss

I was out of my mind excited when I heard my favourite fantasy books were going to get a tv series, and a movie also which is confusing.

Let’s first look at the movie: Sam Raimi was announced would no longer direct it two months ago, to a mostly relieved reddit crowd it seemed like. The movie will follow the actual kingkiller plot, which is what could be a big hit or miss, depending on how close to the original material they are and if they’re serious about it. Patrick Rothfuss, the author, is heavily involved and also got Lin-Manuel Miranda on the team as a producer, so that’s a relief. I’ve heard Rothfuss quote Lin as “being the chairman of the dont-fuck-it-up committee”, so we’re all nervous here. Also Lin is writing the music, which is a joy!

The tv series will be set a generation before the actual book series, which I have better faith in because there’s no expectation. In summary I’m absolutely terrified and excited about it all.

When? No one knows when production starts, I don’t think the actual script is done either.

Movie produced by Disney, based on the book by Eoin Colfer

This was one of my favourite series as a kid, with the protagonist Artemis Fowl being a rich, criminal mastermind of a kid. He’s always on the edge of being a villain and doing good, and has a butler named Butler who protects him. With fantasy elements like fairy-officers and goblin criminals the movie can turn out really bad. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping they get both the effects and the main character personality and motives right, because that will make or break this film. It’s supposed to be geared towards kids in that there’s humour, but I just hope it hasn’t lost its cleverness. I honestly didn’t get any info or vibe from the trailer, so I’m not certain what to believe.

When? 9. August 2019

Movie produced by Warner Bros & Amazon, based on the book by Donna Tartt

I love this book, but it was very much chaotic and surreal in how fast things develop – going from one place to an entirely different one multiple times – and it’s going to be really interesting to see how they solve that on screen. I’m not so excited about Ansel Elgort as the main character, honestly some of the cast choices makes it feel like they’re going to downplay the craziness of the book and make it boring and average. The synopsis is that “A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” which is technically true, but even that sounds boring as hell and isn’t really an intro to the whole plot.

When? 11. October 2019

Tv series produced by Netflix, at least 8 episodes, based on the book series by Leigh Bardugo.

Netflix is exciting! I personally didn’t like the shadow and bone series, but the six of crows is included as well in some way. I had hope, then I saw the screenwriter of birdbox is on it and that the two book series would go parallell and interlap in the tv series. No, please, don’t. I’ve seen a lot of negative reactions similiar to mine. I know it was just announced, and they should get a chance, but I’m nervous on their behalf trying to weave two very different and complicated stories together just because it’s placed in the same universe.

When? It was just announced, so no idea

Movie produced by Disney, a remake, but technically based on story from The book of thousand and one nights so that counts 

I like the cartoon Aladdin. Disney haven’t had much luck with getting me to watch the remakes lately. There were a Belle one? The Lion King is coming soon? Freaking Dumbo? The jungle book of 2018 was good, but average. I hadn’t heard about the little mermaid before it popped up on netflix. It has a shockingly low 20% on rotten tomatoes – I got to watch this one now, to see why. I’m honestly more excited for Mulan, after it got its asian cast.

When? 24. May 2019