Posted on May 4, 2023 in TV
“You” Season 4 – I was really hoping this would be the last season because this show has been going for too long. This show is so over the top and stupid that I expect it every season. I actually liked this season relative to the others because of the setting and the cast. I really hope Joe gets what he deserves in the last season.
“The Mandalorian” S3 – I loved this season much more than the general consensus it seems. There was one episode I found boring (and it wasn’t the Plazir 15 one). The finale felt a bit rushed but it ended on a happy note. I am not a devout Star Wars fan. I have seen all the movies. I didn’t watch The Clone Wars or Rebels, only a few eps here and there. I’ve dabbled even in the fandom. I do find the Filoni and Favreau shows consistently entertaining for me to stick through with it. The action is great to watch and I’m glad we have cinematic TV. It’s not perfect writing all the time but it’s entertains stuff.
Posted on May 2, 2023 in Books
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Maybe it was all the hype around this and the emerging “cozy fantasy” genre term but I expected to like this more than I did. I think it was has some lovely moments. I really like Mosscap the robot. It’s wonderfully short as well. It didn’t wow me the way others have though. A solid novella. I will consider reading the sequel.
3.5/5 stars. Read April 5, 2023.
The Dragon’s Promise by Elizabeyth Lim
The sequel to Six Crimson Cranes which was one of my favourite reads from last year. I was a bit disappointed. I partly blame myself as I have been in a reading rut related to some health issues recently. This sequel was too long at 500 pages though. In the first book, I was not bored with the action and there seemed to be a more cohesive journey and mission for Shiori. In this book, there are several side quests. It was too much and I basically got bored. I think if this book were half the length, it would have deserved it’s rather nice ending. This makes me rethink reading more from Lim as I think there was too many characters and quests in this book.
3/5 stars. Read April 5-8, 2023.
Vacationland by John Hodgman
I adore John Hodgman. Ten years ago, I started listening to his podcast Judge John Hodgman and it remains my absolute favourite podcast and one of my favourite things in general. I became a MaxFun supporter for the show. He is so considerate and humanist on that podcast. I like his sometimes streams of Get Your Pets and Zoning Out where he plays Sim City. He is so chill and compassionate when interacting with guests. In the past few months, I have been suffering from insomnia and to help me sleep or keep me company in the bad nights, I’ve relistened to a lot of the JJHO again. I was running out of episodes so I decided to get the audiobooks. This one was good. I missed some of it when I fell asleep in the middle but I liked the start and the end especially the reflections on his mother’s passing.
4.5/5 stars. Audiobook.
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
This was part of a banned books list. I didn’t realize until I started it that I had already read another graphic novel from Mariko Tamaki. This was well illustrated. It’s a coming of age story and realistic with some of the dialogues by the younger leads. There is a teen pregnancy storyline which was okay. I preferred more the dynamics between the lead and her mother. In any case, a nice book.
3/5 stars. Read April 22-23, 2023.
The Cat Who Saved Books by S?suke Natsukawa
A cute, cozy novel. Low stakes. For bibliophiles. I gave this a generous 3.5 when most of the book is a firm 3. I liked the ending.
3.5/5 stars. Read April 27-30, 2023.