Let’s start with the Queen first, shall we? And no, I’m not talking about the animated Queen Elizabeth and corgi movie in the theaters. I’m talking about THE queen, Queen Bee, Queen Beyoncé. Wow! Stop everything right now (even reading this blog post!) to go watch the Netflix show Homecoming. It is BEYONd amazing! (See what I did there Beyoncé?) It’s FAN-TAB-U-LAZING! (That’s a combo of fantastic + fabulous + amazing, and yes this documentary is ALL THAT!) ‘Nuff said. I can move on….
DOCUMENTARY
What I’ve Been Reading and Watching
So, this monthly post in the past has been a “What I’ve Been Up To” post for each month (click here to see all of the posts in this series), but March escaped me, and now I’m at the end of April. Suffice it to say I’ve been up to a lot! Aside from the daily grind of work–which as a librarian pretty much rocks, I can’t necessarily recall everything that I’ve been up to. Although I did travel in the last two months with a trip to Thailand with students and another one to Vietnam with the family for spring break. Holidays always mean lots of free time, so I was able to get some good reading and watching in during these last two months. For this post I thought I’d stick to what I’ve been reading and watching, yet I chose the very best two books, audiobooks, movies, and TV shows rather than listing everything that I’ve been reading and watching. Here goes….
BOOKS
Out of all the books I read in the last two months, two were completely remarkable. I intentionally choose the word remarkable because I’m still thinking about both of these books. These titles were really, really good, and while The Thousandth Floor is definitely for YA readers, I’d encourage any age to read The Sky is Painted Gold.
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
Oh, A Sky Painted Gold, by Laura Wood, is so dreamy! It has so many qualities that I love about a book: Fitzgerald’s rich description, Jane Austen’s romantic tension, Shakespearean’s comedy of errors, and Vogue’s fashion. When I’m reading a book that I want to slow down because it’s just so good, I know I’m reading a great book. A Sky Painted Gold is like that. I didn’t want it to end. Can that suffice for a review? I don’t want to give anything away–rather I’d like you to trust me when I tell you that A Sky Painted Gold is a really good read.
The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
Days after reading The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee, I was still thinking about. Even now, weeks after reading this book, thoughts of it will come into my mind. There are four main characters who serve as narrators. First off, I love it when multiple points of views are shared. Second of all, I feel so bad for the villain. I mean, I still feel so bad for her even though she’s totally messed up. In fact I feel for all the characters. This book takes place far off into the future–a future where the weather is controlled and communication through our devices can happen with a flick of the eye. The wealthy live up on the thousandth floor or a little below while the poor live down below and the even poorer live below the hundredth floor. I don’t usually read sequels–there are too many other books for me to read, but the fact that I’m still thinking about these characters means I’ll be reading The Dazzling Heights.
AUDIOBOOKS
I love an audiobook where the author reads their own words. It makes it that much more special to listen to, and that is probably why out of all the audiobooks I listened to in March and April, I chose these two to share–they’re read by their authors.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
I had started Becoming back in February, but then the book expired on my Overdrive account. I was quite devastated as Michelle had just met Barak, and they were starting to fall in love. I was definitely eager to be able to check the book out again! Once I did Michelle did not disappoint. I am not a very political person, but I am proud to say I voted for Barack Obama. Listening to all the stories and the entire history behind his becoming president with her support and her sacrifices was very interesting. What’s special is in Michelle’s eyes they are still BECOMING and will forever be evolving. Aren’t we all?
Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
Do you ever feel like you need a pep talk? Just someone to cheer you up, make you feel validated, give you a little empowerment? Well, Rachel Hollis is definitely your girl–litearlly! Girl, Stop Apologizing totally got me pumped–just as her other title, Girl, Wash Your Face, did the same. (Here’s my review of her first book.) Rachel Hollis is such a little woman, but wow! Does she pack a punch and lift up other women. I’d love to attend one of her Rise workshops; I can’t imagine how pumped up I’d be after one of her weekends. In the meantime, when I need a little pick me up, I know my GIRL!
MOVIES
I only knew that Creed was a boxing movie. That was it. Oh, and I also knew it was well liked among kiddos. As I began watching, things started becoming familiar, and then, when Rocky Balboa showed up on the screen, I was hooked! Creed and Creed II are like the 20 year post sequels to the Rocky series. I loved Rocky as a kid. In fact I can remember going to see Rocky IV with my dad in the theater. Imagine my surprise when Drago–the bad guy from Rocky IV–is again a pivotal part of Creed II. Talk about taking me back in time, yet (spoiler ahead) this time Drago leaves the viewer with more feel goods than in Rocky IV. What’s fun for me was watching these two movies with my own kiddos, and by accident, I pushed “purchase” instead of rent, so we can watch them again and again. Ooopsie! (But not really!!)
TV
Workin’ Moms
I love a show that’s about 20 minutes long that will offer a little entertainment in a short amount of time. Workin’ Moms on Netflix does that for me. Between the four main characters, there is always something to relate with each one of them whether it be work demands, relationships with our children, depression, or boredom–to name just a few of the show’s themes. While these are heavy topics, they’re delivered with humor so chuckling is a part of the viewing. And when I have a quick 20 minutes to spare and would like to be entertained, I switch on Workin’ Moms. Oh, and the other cool thing about this show is it’s Canadian which highlights how great Netflix is at keeping things international. I love that about Netflix.
Ozark
Kevin and I have had a hard time agreeing on a show to watch together. His favorites have been Breaking Bad, Narcos, and El Chapo. Can you sense the trend? Finally I’m giving the whole drug lord theme a try, and we’ve been watching Ozark together. It’s pretty good, and I can see how he gets sucked into the drama of this genre. Maybe one of these days I’ll give Breaking Bad a try–especially since it’s known to be one of the greatest shows ever.
Game of Thrones
The 8th season of GOT (Game of Thrones) just came out, and I have finally given in to all the hype around this show. Since it isn’t on Netflix, and we don’t pay for HBO, I bought the first season of the Game of Thrones from iTunes. And guess what?! I’m really enjoying. Let me explain my resistance: I tried reading the book. I got about half way through and found myself so bored by the plot–especially when I felt I could predict what would happen. Since trying and failing to read the book, I hadn’t had any interest in the show till now. Somehow with all the hype and lead up to season 8, I finally felt compelled to see what all the fuss was about. And at present…. I can hardly wait to see another episode. Yes, Game of Thrones the show is really good, and now I understand all the hype!
Killing Eve
I’m saving the best for last with this one. Oh, Killing Eve is so very good. Similar to my love of A Sky Painted Gold, Killing Eve has all the elements I admire in what I watch: suspense, drama and humor, amazing sets, and stunning locations. There’s one other special element to Killing Eve and that would be Villanelle’s wardrobe and costume changes (for when she’s killing!). This cat and mouse chase between MI6 spy and sexy assassin have me waiting for the next episode. And now that the two females know one another the chase just got more absurd. This series is definitely worth paying for–which I do! (It’s BBC American which I found through Amazon Prime Video, but it’s not available in Hong Kong. It’s worth every penny though!)
An Extra Mention:
Author Kate Quinn
Currently, I’m listening to The Huntress by Kate Quinn. She also wrote The Alice Network which I thoroughly enjoyed listening to last spring. When I saw this historical fiction expert had a new novel, I purchased it for our Overdrive collection right away. Here’s the thing that makes Kate Quinn’s books so enjoyable: the narrator’s voice is so seductive, secretive, and soothing. Saskia Maarleveld is the narrator for both her novels, and she’s part of what makes the story so good–especially considering that both books have multiple points of view, and Saskia changes accordingly even as a Scottish man! If you like World War II spy novels, you’ll definitely enjoy Quinn’s books.
What I’ve Been Reading and Watching!
There it is! Not all the I have been reading and watching these past two months, but definitely my very favorites. Have you been reading or watching anything worth sharing? Do tell!
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