rose_griffes

You're the sheep, I'm the shepherd

2026-04-22T01:07:54Z

This has been an overwhelming school year, so… yeah. Too much to retell for the moment.

Media consumed recently-ish:

music
Super-obsessed with British singer Ren’s breakthrough song “Hi Ren” from late 2022. I just came across it earlier this month, however. It’s far more than a song; it’s performance art. Theatrical in the best way.

When it comes to music I love, I find enjoyment in reaction videos--a YouTube staple nowadays where someone records themself listening to a song for the first time. So after stumbling across this song, I went down that rabbit hole as well. Fascinating how the creative types (musicians and so on) immediately see the duality portrayed in the song as part of the creative process, whereas a lot of non-creator types see it as a commentary on mental health. (It’s both.)

Related side note: one of the more popular music reactors on YouTube is an opera singer whose channel is called The Charismatic Voice. Recommended, if you’re interested in that.

( cut for more music )

books
Tangled Up in You, by Christina Lauren, is a modern-day retelling of the movie “Tangled,” which was Disney’s retelling of the Rapunzel story. Fun and emotional; I liked it enough to read a few more novels by the writer(s)*. But this one was the best by them.

*Apparently two writers working together, using their first names to make a joint author name.

Matt Dinniman has a book series known as Dungeon Crawler Carl--sort of a role-playing game story, although it’s an original ‘game’ / series. I’ve read… the first two, I believe. I think that’s all that is available through the online library options for now. At any rate, the books are surprisingly moving for an RPG type of tale. I think there are several more published, and that the story is ongoing.

Currently reading an older novel: Gore Vidal’s Burr, published in the 1970s. The Hamilton revival led me to this; plus, I had never read a novel by Vidal, so that gave me two reasons to try it. I’ll get back to y’all and let you know what I think after I finish.

television
The only show I’ve watched this school year was season two of Andor, which I liked but didn’t love. It’s not going into my “must be purchased in physical media” list. See my previous post for some of the reasons why.

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several books and a coupla films (seen on a tiny screen embedded in the seat back)

2025-08-20T01:23:53Z

I had a massive pause on visual media for most of July due to travel. Some reading, because that’s easier while on the road (most of the time).

Wet Grave by Barbara Hambly is the sixth novel in the Benjamin January series. The story had a good balance of personal story with murder mystery plot.

Lois McMaster Bujold’s new Penric & Desdemona novella, The Adventure of the Demonic Ox, proves that well-established authors are not opposed to whump. Hee.

Kaliane Bradley has a first novel, The Ministry of Time. Time travel shenanigans! Weirdly compelling doomed romance! Interesting characterization! Questions about identity! The most charming 19th century Arctic explorer you can meet on a page! I actually shrieked out loud during some parts of this. I’m not sure I can answer the question, “Is it quality?”, but it is fun in a strangely morbid way.

Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder, by Bellamy Rose, reveals a lot in its title. Quirky murder mystery, with bonus romance. Pomona Afton is a spoiled rich girl at risk of losing all her money if she doesn’t solve the murder, so she’s motivated. And overdue for a growth arc. Silly and fun distraction read.

Rebecca Ross has a duology, Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows. Very “new adult”, I guess I’d say. The story has an innocent feel to it, even though the leading characters are reporting from a war zone during most of the story. The stakes are more personal than geopolitical as well. The world-building was probably my favorite element: Gods are real, and they’re a pain. Time to kill some of ‘em!

Stone and Sky is Ben Aaronovitch’s tenth novel in the Rivers of London series. And I read it at the beginning of July when I was also busy keeping (or failing to keep) a bunch of high schoolers out of trouble in Europe, so it didn’t stick in my memory as well as it might have otherwise. But it was a good distraction, and I appreciate the ongoing character growth. Oh, and Peter and Abigail take turns as story narrators, which is a fun addition.

And continuing with novel series, Sherry Thomas’s Miss Moriarty, I presume is another entry in her Lady Sherlock books. I tend to buy these when they eventually go on sale; they’re not “must read INSTANTLY” books for me. But Thomas is a writer whose stories work for me. They’re solidly formed with a variety of well-defined characters. If you enjoy variations on Sherlock, you'll probably like this.

Plane ride movies! Agnes Varda and an artist who goes simply by JR made a movie together in 2017, two years before Varda’s death at age 90. JR puts large-scale photo prints on mostly-flat surfaces of various kinds (buildings, cliffs, and more). Varda was a long-time filmmaker whose films had tremendous influence on other movie creators. The resulting collaboration between these two artists is called Faces, Places in English; Visages, Villages in French. It was a moving travelogue with some real moments of emotional catharsis.

A Bicyclette, called Ride Away in English, is another French documentary/follow-our-real-life-adventure movie, from 2024. Mathieu Mekluz is in his fifties; his adult son Youri died in his mid-twenties and Mekluz decided to pay tribute to / sort out his grief for his son by doing the same epic bike ride across Europe that his son had once made. This film blurs the lines between documentary and fiction; both Mekluz and his film buddy Philippe Rebbot are actors. They left on this trip with no script, but it’s not necessarily a true documentary. But did I enjoy it? Was it an interesting narrative? Yes and yes.

Edited to add: I have not kept up with Dreamwidth this summer. At all. And I make no guarantees for the future, given that I'm teaching a new subject in a new school district. But hey, feel free to link me to anything I simply MUST read or know. Hopefully I'll log in here at least once a week.

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one book, one TV show

2025-06-23T23:20:10Z

BOOK: The Shepherd’s Crown is the last Tiffany Aching novel by Terry Pratchett. I may have read it before? But I didn’t particularly remember it, and I wanted an audiobook to entertain me while doing a bunch of tedious chores, so Pratchett won out. And I enjoyed it: both the story and the narration.

TV: Andor, season two, five episodes in.

opinions about sounds (and more) here

This isn’t the first show on Disney+ that has made me think “needs less soundtrack”. But I’m shocked that it’s this show–season one’s soundtrack was a huge part of the success of it all. I could tell just a few minutes into episode one of season two Nicholas Britell wasn’t doing the main soundtrack work.

Some of my less-enthusiastic response to season two is simply that I generally prefer origin stories to, er, the stuff that comes later. At any rate: Andor is still a very good show. Just not season one good, alas.

I am very pleased that Wilmon is back for season two: he’s the young man who threw a bomb during Maarva’s funeral/the riot that ensued. The actor has an interesting face, and the character was at a potentially interesting point in his story.

Other elements, sans real spoilers: there are two romantic relationships happening and I’m… at a loss for words about one of them. Other than maybe “Gah!” The other one is heartbreak waiting to happen, but it’s also plausible, so I’ll just wait for the fallout.

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LONG OVERDUE media post.

2025-05-26T19:01:31Z

FILMS and TV:
There was a new Wallace and Gromit movie, Vengeance Most Fowl. Apparently the studio made a deal with Netflix, but the film itself was in movie theaters for a brief window. During which I saw it! It wasn't up to the level of, say, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Still a fun and entertaining film, though. Next time I sign up for Netflix, I’ll be sure to rewatch it.

Later I rewatched Jurassic Park, which housemate A had never seen. We both enjoyed it, although some elements didn't age very well. I’m thinking specifically of the whole “Dr Grant doesn't like children but Dr Sattler wants him to like children.” Also, still can't quite believe they cast someone 20 years younger than Neil what's his face as his love interest. I mean, I can, but… Anyway, the special effects held up well, and the overall story was still super entertaining.

(Neil whatsisface is a babe, don’t get me wrong. And Dr. Sattler is obviously a consenting adult, and yadda yadda yadda - but generally speaking it’s not a romance that works for me within the story, so I’m happy to nitpick it.)

Oh! And I rewatched beloved film Arrival with housemate A - another movie she’d never seen. A. noticed Denis Villeneuve’s distinct lack of ANY HUMOR AT ALL, which is accurate to all of his films that I’ve seen so far. A bit of levity wouldn’t go amiss, Villeneuve! But we both (still) loved it.

Finally finished rewatching Rings of Power, which works even better on its second round: the story arcs are more perceptible now that the story is more complete. Good cast, good visuals, interesting takes on the source materials.

[edited to add: I haven't had time for Andor, season two yet! Hoping to watch it in June.]

BOOKS:
Seanan McGuire published book 18 (!!!) in her Toby Daye series - The Innocent Sleep. This one differs from previous books – the story is told from Tybalt’s POV rather than Toby’s. It worked well for me, and was a good change of pace.

I’ve read and/or listened to all of the novellas and novels in the Murderbot series by Martha Wells. Lots of fun even though I accidentally read them out of order. I’ll give the new show on AppleTV+ a try once I have any time for TV. ~~Maybe next month?~~ I have no idea when that's gonna be.

Alison Goodman has a trilogy that can be loosely described as Regency-Era Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fewer quips, more anguish about maintaining social standing in a highly stratified (and dangerous) society. I enjoyed all three. The first book is called The Dark Days Club.

Ben MacIntyre wrote The Spy and the Traitor, about Oleg Gordievsky, who worked for the KGB and then began feeding information to the West, due to ideological differences. His escape from Russia was thrilling–a nice sustained gallop within the story. I then read MacIntyre’s Rogue Heroes, about the history of Britain's SAS. Both worthwhile books.

T. Kingfisher continues to create both creative fantasy romance and the most hair-raising dark fairytales. Paladin’s Faith was the former and A Sorceress Comes to Call the latter. I’ll keep reading Kingfisher for both. (She also writes straight-up horror, which I sometimes have to avoid due to general squeamishness.)

Common theme in this post: revisiting familiar media. I re-read a couple of novels by Dick Francis, and listened to audiobook versions of two more novels by him. They’re very much centered in the time frame when they were written, which is… both good and bad, I guess. But Francis always did his homework for story settings and details, and while there are commonalities between the male protagonists, he also managed to make them distinct enough to feel worth reading. And hey–sometimes you want to read about a morally good guy dealing with bad situations.

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first post of 2025

2025-01-07T03:19:30Z

I saw three movies in three days in December!

First, Wicked.

not spoilery

Visually impressive. Excellent performances by the leading women. But my top reaction was “Huh, wish I’d seen this as a stage musical.” I do plan to watch the second film.

The War of the Rohirrim

Peter Jackson’s team makes an animated LoTR film

Visually messy - some impressive moments, but it didn’t have a consistent style. The leading woman was drawn with what I think of as anime face: huge eyes, tiny nose, pointy chin. But her aging father looked like… well, like an aging father. And there were even landscape moments that did something similar, with the spectacular adjacent to the mundane. So that was frustrating. The story mostly worked for me while still not being something I cared about much: just sort of… there?

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

1970s book turned into film set in the 60s or 70s, with much fidelity

Really enjoyed this. Timely, given that I saw it a week before Christmas. The cast was good, including the kiddos, which is essential for a film like this. Pretty explicitly a religious story–more specifically, a conversion story. I didn’t even resent the voiceover, although… eh. Could’ve still been left out. Honestly, my favorite of the three films from the week.

The Rings of Power, season two:

This is a positive opinion!

I didn’t have any real quibbles with the aesthetic of season one, but season two was nonetheless a big improvement. Galadriel got the leading-lady hair she deserved! Almost everything came together in ways that gave real moments of character development. My one quibble is due to unforeseeable cast drop-outs. So hopefully ~~hot elf~~ Arondir gets more to do in season three.

I recently rewatched the first episode of RoP season one with housemate A, whose comment was, “Huh. Galadriel isn’t a Mary Sue, unlike what the internet said.” After just one episode! I still don’t think s1e1 is very strong, but apparently it had enough to make the Mary Sue claim obsolete. But also, s1e1 has a LOT more “we’re telling you what’s gonna happen (but you won’t realize it until much later)” than I remembered.

BOOKS. Julie Anne Long’s Palace of Rogues romance novel series continues to be a delight. They’re historical romances set in London, but with a boarding house as the key location, there’s more variety in the people featured in each story. (Also, I’ve listened to a few of the audiobooks in this series - yay, library! - and they’re funny. Although it is disconcerting at times to hear the sexy bits narrated, given how often I skim over those parts.)

Ghosted: An American Story, by Nancy French. French’s husband, David French, is a former lawyer turned political commentator who got a lot of heat when he pushed against pro-Trump forces. He’s very politically conservative, so this didn’t go over well. (To put it lightly - we’re talking about death threats, among other things.) Anyway, I first came across Nancy French’s work via her husband’s writing. She mostly did ghost-writing–relevant to her book title, but not the only meaning behind it–until this autobiographical work. It’s dark, it’s hopeful, and it’s interesting. Definitely some tough topics, given Nancy French’s difficult childhood, difficult adolescence, and difficult ongoing life.

I am horrifically behind on reading ANYTHING here on DW, and that may not change soon. Feel free to link me to whatever I missed that I should see.

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improvements and impatience

2024-10-22T23:28:59Z

Work: v. v. busy; reasonably good group of students this year. No "worst class you'll teach in a decade" happening this year, hurrah.

Books: still slowly reading Barbara Hambly's Edwardian vampire series and 1830s New Orleans series. With frequent interruptions from other books, none of which I have time to rec at the moment. Maybe this weekend?

(Almost signed up for Yuletide this year, because both Hambly series that I'm reading were listed. And my beloved Andor! I talked myself out of it - not enough free time.)

Slowly watching Rings of Power, season two. Stronger than season one, in my opinion - so far, at any rate.

Made a planned week-long trip during the school year for the first time ever. (I've missed work for a week in the past, but it was for reasons like the flu or Covid.) Anyway, we all survived it: me and the students. And the substitute teachers. Although AAAAUGH, prepping ahead of time for missing an entire week was a nightmare, and I don't plan to do so again if I can avoid it.

Less than a month until Thanksgiving break, hurrah hurrah. Looking forward to visiting parents and some of the siblings as well. And then it will be a sprint from Thanksgiving to Christmas, which means it's time to work on that Christmas present for my mother. (If it's a success, I may post pics here. It's a *crafty* project.)

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one measly movie

2024-08-29T23:47:33Z

I watched the 1972 film The Day of the Jackal, based on a novel of the same name, which is loosely based on real assassination attempts on then-President De Gaulle in 1962. Weird real-life interplay that I was unaware of: apparently the Venezuelan terrorist and assassin known as Carlos the Jackal received that nickname because the novel The Day of the Jackal was spotted near a weapons stash belonging to him, and it was assumed that he was reading it.

Anyway! The movie was a dandy, with a driving narrative and nicely-done character acting. Although I'll admit: I had gotten this film confused with another 1970s political thriller called Three Days of the Condor, and was wondering when Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway would show up. ("Wow, this is a bold choice, not showing us our big-name stars for the first 40 minutes!" That, uh, was about the time I finally checked which movie had Redford in it. Not this one!)

Things to know: in spite of being set mostly in France, there is almost no French spoken onscreen. The French characters--there are many!--are mostly played by British actors. But the movie was filmed on location in mainland Europe, and it's a real time capsule in terms of "Oh, hey, Paris looked like that 50 years ago, cool." Oh, and relatedly, one of the unintentionally funny moments was when our would-be paid assassin demands... half a million dollars to do the job. And everyone gasps at the audacity! Half a million!

Also, there are rotary phones and people are smoking cigarettes EVERYWHERE, whether inside or outside.

In other words, I enjoyed it as much as a time capsule as a film. But it really is a good film, too!

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v. random update

2024-06-30T21:14:26Z

Oh hey! It's another update! Go me!

MEDIA: The movie Thelma is worth seeing in a theater, if you're able to do so. It disappeared quickly from the closest theater, so we had to drive to the next town to see it. I would guess that nonagenarian June Squibb had a fun time in her first leading role; her character was flawed yet sympathetic, and the script took great care in the family relationships. Oh, and surprise ~~Agent Coulson~~ Clark Gregg! I wasn't expecting him. There are some other casting surprises, about which I'll say nothing in the post itself. Feel free to chat about the film in the comments if you've seen it.

GARDEN: This has been a good year for the cucumber plant, weirdly enough. Not sure if it's because housemate A got a bit generous with the bone meal or because of the wildflower patch right next to it, or the copious rains in late May/early June. Or all of it, which is the most likely explanation. At any rate, after plentiful rains came oppressive heat, so the cucumber plant is unlikely to produce much more fruit. At least, not that we'll actually eat. (If it gets hot enough, cucumbers taste bitter.)

The yellow tomato plant has done okay, the cherry tomatoes are abundant, and the plant that's supposed to produce those purple tomatoes (Cherokee purple, a heritage plant, NOT a genetically modified purple tomato plant) has done absolutely nothing. It's tall, but hasn't set any fruit. This is my second attempt at Cherokee purple, and it's been, er, fruitless. In the literal sense.

Didn't remember to plant any squash of any kind, and not sure if I will now, given how early the hot weather showed up.

TRAVEL and REAL LIFE: I've already visited two siblings, one on east coast time and the other on west coast time. Sprained my ankle right before the easterly trip, which was unfortunate. For July I'll do a bit more traveling, but not by plane. And I may start an online course related to teaching, as well as painting (walls and ceilings) a bit. Should probably make a priority list for all of that.

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tv-block? tv-slump:

2024-06-18T17:21:41Z

I’ve been in a TV slump. TV block? Nothing sounds appealing on the two platforms I’m currently paying for, even though I just rotated to one of them specifically to watch, er, stuff. Bah.

At any rate: I have read stuff and watched things over the previous three months, so here’s a catch-up post about that.

I’m continuing my Barbara Hambly dive, alternating between her James Asher series and her Benjamin January series. Both excellent, by the way, although I feel like the fourth Benjamin January book, Sold Down the River, is where things really came together for me. (I’ve gotten through book 5 on that series, and am currently reading number six in the James Asher books.)

Mimi Matthews is a popular historical romance novelist; her stories often focus more on historical elements than the actual romance, which I appreciate. I’ve read three of her “Belles of London” books - The Belle of Belgrave Square was a bit gothic in a fun way. Edging towards Brontë territory without full-on Rochester for the male lead.

Still in the historical romance (emphasis on historical) side of things: Alison Goodman’s The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies worked for me as a collection of mystery stories with the beginning arc of a romance. No sequel yet, which means no resolution for that arc, but I was fine with that.

What all of these books have in common: a strong element of “here’s the history” included in the tale. That may not be your thing, but apparently I’m good with it. So... yay? At least there’s something (books) where I’m not blocked, as opposed to television, where I am.

The movie The Fall Guy was a semi-flawed but entertaining summer outing sort of film. I had a fun time and the actors appeared to as well.

Before canceling Disney+ the most recent time around, I did finish the Ahsoka series. My grade for it hasn’t changed; it’s a mid-range show that might be worth watching if you’re into the characters or that specific time frame. Otherwise… eh. A bit frustrating, to be honest: the cast is excellent, but the other elements didn’t coalesce around them effectively.

And that’s the update. Feel free to tell me what I should watch on Netflix, if you’re so inclined. I have a list! Alas, it’s uninspiring to me at the moment!

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The narrative is hungry.

2024-03-21T00:21:15Z

Media update Jan-Mar 24

Audiobooks! I still find them a bit frustrating at times, especially when I miss a word or don’t know how to spell a character’s name. But I’ve listened to a few of them lately.

Ben Aaronovitch has a collection of short stories set in the Rivers of London universe. I enjoyed them; Kobna Holbrook-Smith is widely appreciated for his work on the Peter Grant novels, and most of these short stories were from Peter’s point of view.

I listened to a Miss Marple novel. Given my frustration with not knowing how to spell character names, or the occasional missed word, I figured I would go with a story that would be slightly familiar to me. A good plan, it turns out: I wasn’t so distracted by “how is that spelled” and it was ok to drift away from the story for a few seconds now and then.

Book-books. E-books in this case. I’ve read several historical romance novels by Grace Burrowes, and she’s a “yay” for me. Meredith Durant was more frustrating, given the good plot mixed with ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE anachronisms.

Rachel Aaron’s By a Silver Thread trilogy is, well, complete with three books. Her stories don’t have the depth of prose that, say, Seanan McGuire can achieve, but the plots are coherent, the action works well within those plots, and I was rooting for the lead character. So: future Detroit with magic and gods. If that seems intriguing, give her books a try.

Lois McMaster Bujold has an eleven novella / twelfth book in her Penric & Desdemona series. Still consistently enjoyable!

One of y’all mentioned Barbara Hambly’s novels recently, and the name struck a chord. The last time I looked for her books, my local library had ZERO e-books of hers. That has changed, so I read the first of her vampire novels, set in the early 1900s. Hambly is a dedicated researcher, and one of her goals is to achieve a certain level of period appropriate characters and behaviors–even with the vampires, whose attitudes and comportment align well with their original cultures and languages. Book one of the vampire series is called Those Who Hunt the Night. I plan to read more, but I may have to go to the ACTUAL library (*gasp*)--they have books 1, 3 and 7 available as e-books, but not the others.

Hambly’s series featuring protagonist Benjamin January begins with A Free Man of Color. January, or rather Janvier, is a black man living in 1800s New Orleans. I’m in the middle of book three, so this is also a successful-for-me series. Both this series and the vampire novels have a mystery at the heart of each book; solving, or at least mitigating, the problem is essential to at least one character’s survival in each story. They’re not, however, classic whodunits. Characters clash and there’s usually not a clean-cut happy ending. Just people moving forward, sometimes carrying scars.

Didn’t finish: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins. Not due to a lack of quality in the writing; it was more about not necessarily wanting to read through a villain arc, especially knowing in broad strokes where the story would go.

With the current Disney+ subscription, I rewatched the Narnia films from the 2000s. All enjoyable, although the third one had a lower budget, which was visible in the FX quality. Also, just and less-effective writing. But still good enough.

Ahsoka series: I’ve made it through most of the episodes of season one. So far my grade is “mixed”.

FINALLY: Dune, part two: aaaaaah! The narrative loves Paul Atreides. It made a Paul-shaped space JUST FOR HIM. He says he doesn’t love the narrative back, but he’s lying to himself. LINK ME TO YOUR POSTS ABOUT DUNE!

Aaaaand this post has been in progress for weeks, so I’m stopping now. Whatever I missed, I can write about next time ~~whenever I come up for air again~~.

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severe overwhelmitis

2024-02-22T02:14:58Z

FYI, this whole school year has been a deluge of work - more than usual for a teacher - because of changes in the curriculum. I've been alternating between barely reading my feed here and NOT reading it at all. It's disappointing; DW takes first place as social media that I actually care to use rather than merely browse. If I've ignored a post of yours that might normally catch my attention, feel free to holler. Just know that yours aren't the only posts I'm ignoring or missing.

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2 movies and a tv show

2024-01-21T18:43:56Z

In December a friend and I watched the new Hunger Games prequel movie, A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Unlike the previous HG movies, I hadn’t read the novel before seeing this film, and my vague impression was “... something about Snow?”

I did figure out fairly quickly that ( spoilers, I guess )

In January I saw the Wonka movie prequel, which was airy like a meringue, and which lasted as long in my memory as a meringue would. Meringues have their place! Even the movie version of them! At the same time, it’s still a bit disconcerting to see all of that money invested on the (beautiful!) final product and realize later that you can’t recall much more than a vague outline of the story and the characters. Not even an ear-worm song remains!

I started watching the new Disney+ Percy Jackson series. Housemate A likes it, so it’s something we can watch together. The first two episodes didn’t really catch my attention, but since I was watching with someone else, I persisted enough for the pay-off. Which is to say: I’m now really enjoying the season, five episodes in.

I read book one of the series YEARS ago, and I recently-ish saw a stage version of The Lightning Thief. So I have only a very vague sense of where the story is going. Not sure if that makes it more or less enjoyable than knowing the main plotlines from the books.

( my one complaint )

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"good enough" is, in fact, good enough

2023-12-14T01:31:07Z

I've seen all three Disney+ Doctor Who episodes. Not much sticking in my brain after them--as in, I've forgotten details and I don't have time to refresh my memory before typing this--but the villain in the 3rd episode was a delight. As was Ncuti Gadwa as the new doctor. I'm not cutting for that as a spoiler, given that the news has been out for... a year, maybe? At any rate: if episodes continue to show up on Disney+ when I'm still subscribing to that platform, I'll probably watch. But Doctor Who is unlikely to be the show that motivates me to keep / resubscribe to Disney+.

Housemate A and I watched the 80s movie Ladyhawke. I'd forgotten that Matthew Broderick was in it, which is hilarious, given his key role in the film. Still a delight, if extremely dated due to its soundtrack.

I reread almost all of Lois McMaster Bujold's World of the Five Gods series. Ista, my beloved! Penric, my darling! And, er, those other two novels that aren't about Ista or Penric, which I therefore didn't re-read. At any rate: WHAT A TREAT. AGAIN. In fact, I'm listening to the audiobook of Paladin of Souls, even though I just re-read it. (Thinking about it: reading a text and then listening to it may be the way to get me to enjoy audiobooks. Hm.)

And now it's time to work again. Bah, humbug.

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an actual post (instead of a poll) for November

2023-11-30T01:46:24Z

In the last five months I’ve watched the Muppet movies that a) had a theatrical release and b) are easily found online. Muppets from Space, the only non-musical of the bunch, isn’t available.

some blather about that, plus an embedded video

Unsurprising favorites: either beloved original The Muppet Movie (1979) or The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), which had the winning factor of Michael Caine taking the role of Scrooge as seriously as an actor NOT interacting with puppets.

Charles Grodin used a similar tactic in The Great Muppet Caper as the lovestruck yet pragmatic villain. His quirky humor made his screentime the most compelling; the movie dragged a bit when he wasn’t around. I’m still cackling at his delivery of the line, “Thieves aren’t breathing down your neck,” to his sister in the film (played by Diana Rigg).

Really random side note: more than 30 years after Grodin co-starred in the film, he wrote RPF about an imagined almost-fling with Miss Piggy–posted in Vulture magazine.

Caper gets a bit too silly at times, but I still enjoyed Miss Piggy’s modeling reverie, which has a full-on parody / homage to Esther Williams’ films.

In spite of the nostalgia factor of the earlier films, I would put Muppets Most Wanted (2014) ahead of them–third place after the original film and the Dickens adaptation. It might be due to the eccentric music, but also there’s just something about the very idea of ~~evil Kermit~~ Constantine, the world’s most dangerous frog, that makes me giggle. Plus, Ricky Gervais as henchman villain Dominic Badguy was perfect: Gervais isn’t a favorite of mine, but this role suited the production well.

Loki season two:

eh, a few spoilers

I haven’t read many reviews, but there seemed to be a consensus that the first part of season two dragged a bit. I certainly felt it, and it wasn’t helped by the aesthetic, which didn’t have enough variety. Most of it looked a bit muddy, even though it also looked expensive.

But the acting was fantastic, and the ending worked very well for me. A winner overall, even if it felt too slow early on.

Started the new Doctor Who episode on Disney+, but haven’t yet finished. How did they get David Tennant’s hair to be so tall?!

BOOKS!
Ava Reid’s The Wolf and the Woodsman was a pointed fairy tale that I didn’t love, but that made me think. So, success on that front.

Curtis Sittenfeld did a ton of research about Saturday Night Live to write her novel titled, Romantic Comedy. Enjoyable, not nearly as fluffy as one might think, given that title. I liked it more for the behind-the-scenes view of an SNL clone than for the people and romance.

Non-fiction: Jasmine L. Holmes’ book Carved in Ebony is about ten black Christian women, all American, and their impact–both in a historical and religious sense. It’s an explicitly religious book, by the way–in both the women profiled and the author herself. I started reading (e-book) and finished with the audio book, which worked well for a change. I’m not often an audio book consumer, but I had Thanksgiving travel and needed a lengthy distraction.

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oh look, it's a post about Doctor Who - first time in almost a decade

2023-11-28T02:45:49Z

I wasn't going to watch the new Doctor Who special, but then I got spoiled for a returning character and my interest was piqued. And apparently the thing I would hope for in regards to this character does, in fact, happen in some way. Also, this is on Disney+ and I'm subscribed to that platform for the moment, which makes the whole thing feasible in a timely* fashion.
*unintentional, but amusing

However: I haven't watched Doctor Who since midway through Eleven's time. And having checked the "previously on" section of this episode, it seems like it might be a good idea to watch the Christmas special from last year in order to get needed context. But maybe I shouldn't bother at all, not even with the new episode? IDK!

View Poll: Doctor Who

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undecided

2023-10-17T02:56:52Z

Given the many appearances of Yuletide letters showing up on my DW dashboard, it's sign-up time. I'm currently undecided: I could definitely tackle a writing prompt for Andor, but you have to offer to write for multiple fandoms, and the list of possibilities is a) loooong, yet also b) obscure and/or weird. It's not just the pressure of what to offer to write - it's also choosing what to request.

I've written for Yuletide, er... twice? But signed up three times - and had to default that third time, woe.

Looking over the television fandoms, I'm amused to see the 1980s Anne of Green Gables miniseries. There's always something for L.M. Montgomery's books, in some fashion or another.

Anyway. If you've looked over the available fandoms and you're aware of something (other than Andor) that I might be able to write for, lemme know.

Oooh, Abbott Elementary! Hm.

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spooky scary!

2023-10-14T01:09:31Z

Annular eclipse tomorrow! Very exciting! I’m not in the path for complete annularity, but it should still have enough coverage to be interesting.

TV stuff:
I resubscribed to Disney+ the other day; I’m planning to watch Loki, season two, as it airs. More or less, anyway. And continue watching most or all of Star Wars: Rebels, and then Ahsoka, season one. Plus whatever else strikes my fancy - probably some Muppet movies and older Disney films.

OH! And a rewatch of my beloved Andor, of course. Maybe I’ll make progress on my Ferrix refugees fic.

Books:
Ben Aaronovitch has been branching out from his Rivers of London series - exploring characters other than the RoL narrator, Peter Grant. Winter’s Gifts was a short novel featuring Kim Reynolds, the FBI agent who makes a few cameos in the RoL series. Unfortunately for Aaronovitch, his “American woman working for a federal agency” voice is just… not quite right. But I still read all of it, and was entertained.

I went on a whole re-read and new-read binge of Kay Hooper’s Bishop/Special Crimes Unit novels. She’s now up to 20 books - the first was published in 1997, the most recent in 2020. They feature psychic investigators - working for a special branch of the FBI - and sometimes-psychic murderers, if that seems like it might be of interest. These are sort of like the Law & Order of murder books. Very much in line with my “too tired to devote my reading brain to anything too taxing” reading tastes of late.

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I missed August. So on to September!

2023-09-17T22:47:20Z

I still haven’t watched much television lately - the only streaming service I’m currently using is Amazon Prime, and instead of television, I’ve been on a bit of a binge for 90s-2000s action movies, preferably with espionage. We’ve rewatched:

The Fugitive, which is still pretty awesome. Prime Harrison Ford (he didn’t kill his wife!), plus Tommy Lee Jones is warmly compelling. While there’s an element that didn’t age well for me, and the conspiracy at the heart of the film is odd, the acting, cinematography, and music more than make up for it.

The Bourne Identity. So, writer/director/producer Tony Gilroy doesn’t like Star Wars, but worked on Rogue One and was the main force behind the prequel-prequel show, Andor. Well, decades before that, he created a script for this Robert Ludlum novel, part of a series of books about former spy-assassin Jason Bourne… yet he didn’t like the novel. Interesting choices, Gilroy. At any rate, the writing in this film still works for me, but as with The Fugitive, a lot depends on the visuals (actors, cinematography, fight and chase choreographers) and the soundscape (John Powell’s soundtrack, the other sound effect artists).

The Bourne Supremacy, in which Gilroy doesn’t even pretend to adapt the second novel of the same name. Frustrating character death early in the movie, but I still liked the film well enough. Matt Damon is fine in the leading role, but they could have gone for someone with a less American-looking face. Ah, well.

Not a rewatch: Patriot Games features more Harrison Ford, who was too old for this role, but *handwaves*. Also, Sean Bean played the STUPIDEST IRA TERRORIST EVAH. Hee. It was not a great plot, though entertaining enough.

I also watched Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves for the first time. It was cracky fun. Doesn’t fit the themes of the other movies on this list, but OHMYGOODNESS, REGE-JEAN PAGE IS STILL THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MAN IN THE WORLD.

~~Mrs. Potts~~ Angela Lansbury didn’t get enough screentime in the 1980 film The Mirror Crack’d, but given that a still-luminous Elizabeth Taylor was onscreen instead, it was fine. I remembered the plot - including the why and how for the murder - from the novel, so this was strictly for the fun of seeing Taylor and other actors of her generation shine onscreen.

I tried two spy/crime related television shows from Canada, Three Pines and Absentia. Both were Not Great. Oof. Oh, and the first episode of Prime’s Hanna just didn’t click for me. Maybe too violent? I don’t recall now - it’s been a few weeks since I made the attempt.

Currently on my “I should watch this show” mental list: Carnival Row, season two (on Prime). Season three of The Witcher (Netflix). Ahsoka (Disney+), though I may choose to finish Rebels first.

What I’ll probably actually watch next: The Bourne Ultimatum. 3 Days of the Condor. Something else with spies and action from 10-50 years ago.

Books! Seanan McGuire did a swerve and swerve back with Sleep No More, the 17th (seventeenth!!!) book in her Toby Daye series. Still highly enjoyable, though I think I liked the novella at the end even more.

I thought I had read all of Rachel Aaron’s solo novels, but then I found a ⅔ complete trilogy that starts with The Last Stand of Mary Good Crow and continues with The Battle of Medicine Rocks. Instead of the future *with magic* we now have the past (American western) *with magic*. And it’s good! Not without flaws, but I recommend it. Hoping for book three sooner rather than later. (No title or release date yet.)

T. Kingfisher continues to impress. Nettle & Bone doesn’t fit into her other story-verses; it’s something of a fairy tale, but grittier and longer.

Kate Clayborn’s contemporary romance Love Lettering won me over with fonts.

Heroine Complex is a contemporary superhero-action-romance, and solid without being transcendent. I’m willing to try more by Sarah Kuhn in the future.

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a July post

2023-07-31T23:16:55Z

Rushing to make a post before July is finally over. Summary: I was traveling quite a bit during June (Europe!) and July (the US). I fully intend to annoy everyone with lots of photos. But that will be another day.

Stuff I have watched! And read! Let’s start with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

two things you should know that I don’t consider spoilery, but I’ll be overly cautious

First: the movie is A LOT. I don’t get sensory overload easily, but I was in a daze after watching. So maybe don’t watch right before, I dunno, some big party, if that’s something that could bother you as well.

Second: this film is the first in a two-part story. So the ending is, well, not. An ending, that is. I figure it’s useful information; expecting the story to have a complete arc would be frustrating.

I really enjoyed this. If I had to grade the film, I’d say A minus: it was a bit too long.

I saw the Barbie portion of Barbenheimmer with a sister-in-law, two nieces, and a nephew. It was liked or loved by all!

positive opinion with a mild spoiler or two

I wanna watch it again! The middle was a bit saggy for me, though obviously not so much that it became unenjoyable. The “real world” was a bit too unreal, particularly the bits with the Mattel executives. But it was relentlessly fun and an excellent homage to both the iconic doll and several classic movies.

My extremely conservative s-i-l loved it and cried at Gloria’s speech.

(Not sure if/when I'll watch Oppenheimer. Possibly this weekend?)

For US Independence day, Housemate A and I watched The Muppet Movie (the original from 1979). We had enormous and scary thunderstorms the night that our city was supposed to do a fireworks display, so this was an adequate substitute. The film is very patriotic: a roadtrip across America (even if they do accidentally veer into Canada at some point, according to some song lyrics), a classic American dream realized (making it big in Hollywood!) and Fozzie Bear even sings a patriotic song.

Anyway: still a delight! A must-watch for any Muppet fans.

TV: I didn’t watch anything noteworthy. In fact, I don’t think I watched anything at all.

BOOKS: I read all of the remaining available books by Rachel Aaron: all five books in the Heartstrikers series (it starts with Nice Dragons Finish Last), plus the first book in a planned duo (DFZ Changeling), and I’ve pre-ordered the next one. Safe to say that I’m a fan. A magical near-future with dragons: it’s very much my jam.

Chelsea Abdullah’s The Stardust Thief was excellent and I’m looking forward to reading the next one. Apparently she has a trilogy planned. Jinns, evil princes, good princes, a merchant of magic, and a lot of classical fairy-tale / mythology references make for a fun blend. FYI, book two doesn’t have a release date yet.

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a June post

2023-06-02T22:26:01Z

I haven’t been watching TV at all. I think my brain is in “I can’t bring myself to care about it if it’s not Andor” mode, which is hilarious. But also: SO BUSY! There’s been too much going on for me to think about shows that I’m not watching.

I have read some books in the last... *checks DW* ... month?! Wow, it really has been more than a month since my last post.

So. Quick thoughts about books I read in late April - May.

For the Love of the Bard, by Jessica Martin, was a twee romance, featuring a town in Maine that has a bit of a Shakespeare obsession. That was the best part: getting to know the author’s invented city and the many ways Shakespeare’s works are incorporated into it. Probably a fun read for theater nerds.

Julie Anne Long’s Palace of Rogues romance series will wrap up soon; I read the first two books (of a planned six) and liked them both. I literally laughed aloud at least once while reading the second one.

New-to-me author Rachel Aaron has several novels set in a magical future. I’ve read all three books in her DFZ (Detroit Free Zone) series, and they were just a blast: popcorn novels at their very best. Mages, sentient city-gods, a smidge of romance, and a lot of intriguing plot.

Looking forward to reading more of Aaron’s work - she has another series set in the same future, but focused more on dragons.

I didn’t finish Claudia Gray’s The Murder of Mr. Wickham. It just wasn’t the right moment for it.

Aaaaand back to the whirlwind. I probably won't be here most of June. Too much to do.

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brief book update

2023-04-30T23:26:23Z

Having kept Netflix an extra month after finishing season two of Shadow and Bone, I am slightly embarrassed to report that I watched… basically nothing else. I have a to-watch list on the platform, and a google doc somewhere around here with more things to watch! But apparently I don’t make time to watch stuff unless I really want to watch it.

At least not at this time of year. And with my current schedule. *takes a deep breath*

But I have read some books. There’s an interesting tetralogy or quartet - whatever you prefer, I like both terms - by Jacquelyn Benson. The London Charismatics series features a young woman with visions of the future, a touch-sensitive seer of the past, and several other unusual powers. Starting in 1913 London, the series eventually moves through and beyond World War I.

I liked the female lead, Lily, and her prickly nature. The slow-build romance took the right amount of storyline–not always front-and-center, but still a part of Lily’s evolution in the books.

a few spoilery observations

The weakest point for me, and it’s a big one, is Lily’s relationship with Sam. The author doesn’t build a solid enough foundation in book one to justify what we see between them later.

However, the rest of the story makes up for it. I like the prose, the characters are distinct and well-realized, and the world-building as a whole deserves a solid grade.

I tried reading Matrix, by Lauren Groff. It’s a historical novel about 12th century poet Marie de France and her time as an abbess*. The prose initially intrigued me, but then repelled me. What’s with this no quotation mark style?! I got so frustrated reading it that I gave up. Punctuation such as quotation marks helps with reading comprehension, at least for me.

*Marie de France may or may not have been the Abbess of Shaftesbury. There’s a lot of speculation about her identity; we simply don’t know.

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multimedia matters

2023-03-27T23:44:38Z

Roommate A’s favorite film is the 2002 adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby. Having watched it, I can see why she loves it--it’s delightfully earnest as well as visually appealing. Young Charlie Hunnam and Anne Hathaway make a gorgeous couple; Jamie Bell as Smike pulls real pathos into a character that could have been one-note.

Seanan McGuire published her final InCryptid novel this month; books eleven and twelve are both written from grandmother Alice Healy’s point of view. She’s, uh, NOT a traditional grandmother. I appreciated the slow revelation of the villain in eleven, and the comeuppance for that villain. Book twelve pulled most of the family back together with some well-earned reconciliations. (And some well-earned rejections of reconciliation.)

Anyway, if you like monsters and fighting and planet-hopping and a smidge of romance now and then, I recommend the series.

So. Shadow and Bone, season two.

retraction of high-pitched scream

Remember how I said that episode six felt like a good place to end the season? Perhaps they should have. Episodes seven and eight were wildly uneven. Ultimately I was okay with where Mal’s part of the story went, even though it’s different from the novels. But that might be my problem with other elements: I know (roughly) how the original trilogy goes, and my expectations, even at a subconscious level, probably ran parallel to those ideas.

Still not a fan of Mathias. He was a hard-to-sell character in the books. Most of the Fjerdan storyline in the duology is a least-favorite part. Also, enemies to lovers is not my favorite trope.

I do wish Inej had gotten more backstory. It will be truly disappointing if she doesn’t get more development in season three. Assuming there is one. Because season two was a bit too messy.

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three-fourths of the way through: S&B, season two

2023-03-23T02:31:23Z

I've seen 6 out of 8 episodes so far, and...

*insert high-pitched scream*

Amazing that David gave THE MOST ROMANTIC speech we've heard so far.

Tolya and Jesper finally getting some backstory! Woohoo! And all thanks to magic hallucinatory poison gas! Hee.

I am interested to see how an earlier revelation of Mal's true nature (Morozova's descendant, the Firebird in the flesh) is going to play out. If I remember correctly, that detail didn't get revealed until book three in the trilogy. And Alina and Mal figured it out themselves, I think.

Sankta Neyar! Was she in the books as a living character? I don't remember. If not, she makes a great addition.

Too bad we're unlikely to keep Sankta Neyar (within the episodes themselves, that is), given that WE LOST BAGHRA! I like how both of these women were written: not as pleasant older ladies, but as forces to be reckoned with.

The story elements have really pulled together, and so far it feels less forced than the first season. Except that episode six felt like a very natural place to end the season, and yet there are still two more episodes to go? So.

Ok, fine, Shadow and Bone gets a DW tag. Now I'm gonna have to find all of those other entries where I talked about the books or the show and tag them.

Having seen this much of the season, I think it's safe to say that Netflix waiting to renew a third season means two things:
1. There's not going to be a rushed ending of season two.
2. SERIOUSLY, NETFLIX?! They should have green-lit three seasons from the beginning. Or at least after season one was reasonably successful. Less waiting around for new seasons for the audience, less of the cast getting older and changing appearances, more forward momentum for the show...

Bah.

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Shadow & Bone, season two - first half

2023-03-19T00:38:12Z

Halfway through season two of Shadow & Bone. Mulling over how, yet again, the ability to binge-watch impedes fannish activity. The week-to-week wait is a shared experience!

a few thoughts of a somewhat spoilery nature (through episode 4)

The actor who plays Jesper continues to be the strongest of the main cast, IMO. His budding romance with Wylan is cute; Wylan is adorable in every way.

Lots of fight scenes in episodes 1-3. I did a fair amount of looking away from the screen, even though some of the fights were quite stylized.

Love Tamar and Tolya - very good introduction to them. As (nearly) always with this show, the aesthetics of character design (hair, makeup, clothing) were done well. Tamar is... *mwah* love it when a woman rocks a short haircut.

Poor Alina is being pursued by ALL the men. Hee. I mean, yeah, it's actually a terrible problem to have, but on the other hand, kinda funny in a low-key way. Although she's not being wooed for her Alina-ness, but for the power she possesses, so. Not fun for her.

I wonder how episode 4 would play out for a viewer unfamiliar to the book story: would Kaz seem like a plausible baby-burier? I think yes. At any rate, good job on giving the audience - and Pekka Rollins - confirmation that no living babies were actually buried.

Genya! Genya with Baghra!

I can't give a final judgment for now, but so far I'd say this season is stronger than season one. For one thing, the larger pieces of world-building have been established, which leaves more room for characters and nuance.

Watching Lockwood & Co. is currently on hold. I'll get back to that soon enough.

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chapter two arrives; and two requests

2023-03-15T01:11:56Z

I added a second chapter to the Brasso fic. Post-season one finale, Brasso and those few others from Ferrix on their way to Gangi Moon. Thanks to yourlibrarian for helping me rephrase a few things.

After (1908 words) by rose_griffes
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: Andor (TV), Star Wars - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jezzi the Ferrixian (Star Wars), Brasso the Ferrixian (Star Wars), Wilmon Paak, Bix Caleen, B2EMO | Bee (Star Wars)
Additional Tags: post-episode, Grief/Mourning
Summary: Brasso has always hated leaving atmo.

For the moment I'm not working on any new fic for Andor. Feel free to leave a prompt if you think of an idea to request. I may try some drabbles or 3-sentence fics; those are always fun. I don't want to stop writing for this show yet!

Different fandom beta request: if you know The Man from UNCLE (2015 film) and are willing to look over a short (less than 2000 words so far) fic about Gaby Teller, let me know.

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