Books
 Book and Author: The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Format: Physical Paperback Age Demographic and Genre: Adult Classic Pages: 231 Rating: Read for the 18 Reads of 2018 reading challenge: A play. This is the most uneventful Shakespeare play I’ve ever read. I already knew the most basic elements of the plot because of the Thug Notes video. There’s little action and a lot of conversation. I wasn’t a fan of the excessive racism and religious prejudice directed at Shylock. Though he is the antagonist of the story, I feel as if his anger is justifiable after reading Antonio and Bassano’s comments about Jews. However, if one ignores the ridiculous ending to the play, these comments can spark an interesting discussion about prejudice. I read the modern English translation, so that paired with the footnotes made the innuendoes, often vocalized by the character Lancelot, obvious to me. Some innuendoes were funny, but the rest were just awkward and unnecessary. Now I see why I didn’t study this play in high school. |
 Book and Author: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Format: Audiobook, Physical Hardback Age Demographic and Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Pages: 444 Rating: Click the link to read my book review. |
 Book and Author: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Format: Audiobook, Physical Paperback Age Demographic and Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Pages: 138 Rating: Click the link to read my book review. |
 Book and Author: The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern
Format: Audiobook, Physical Paperback Age Demographic and Genre: Adult Fantasy Pages: 512 Rating: Read for the 18 Reads of 2018 reading challenge: Winter Read – Fantasy Click the link to read my book review. |
 Book and Author: Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
Format: Audiobook, Physical Hardback Age Demographic and Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Pages: 388 Rating: Click the link to read my book review. |
 Book and Author: Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Linsday Cummings
Format: Audiobook Age Demographic and Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi Pages: 534 Rating: Click the link to read my book review. |
Movies and TV
 Movie: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Source: DVD Genre: Comedy Drama Rating: I had high expectations for this movie. Since the book had no plot, there needed to be some form of improvement. However, the changes made only worsened the narrative. I didn’t know that was even possible! I gained nothing from this movie. It made me so frustrated I had to turn on my rage music! |
 Movie: A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
Source: Theater Genre: Adventure Rating: I’ve now gone to the movie theater four times this year. This never happens! This month my literature teacher made me leave the comfort of my bedroom for a “field trip” project in which I had to see a Wrinkle In Time at a specific theater in my hometown. I had to take pictures (check the slideshow below) and write a review about the movie and my experience at the theater. While apparently everyone else has read the book in middle school, I’ve never heard of this story until the movie trailers came out last year. Obviously, I had no expectations going in. It was a pretty good movie. The best part was the actor who portrayed Charles Wallace. He has such incredible acting range for a nine-year-old. However, once the main characters started exploring the darker side of the universe during their search for Meg and Charles Wallace’s dad, it felt more like a horror film more than a sci-fi movie. Think Alfred Hitchcock meets The Twilight Zone. I won’t reveal any spoilers, but the climax gets scary dark. I have a high tolerance for dark story elements, but that part of the film was inching too close to demonic territory. If I didn’t have to watch this for school, I would have left the theater. |
 Show: Rick and Morty by (selected episodes)
Source: YouTube and TV Status: Complete Rating: I’ve heard a lot of praise for this Adult Swim cartoon. Rather than committing my time to binge-watching all three seasons, I decided to watch the pilot and other popular episodes. (The following episodes are not listed in the order in which I watched them.)
Rick and Morty is overhyped. I don’t care much for the characters. Most of the episodes I watched lack structure. A majority of the jokes are too crude for my taste. Outside of the “Pickle Rick” episode, I barely laughed. I know the show has an overlying arc that involves character development and multiple dimensions, but none of these episodes gave me a reason to continue. |
 Show: Grown-ish (Season 1)
Source: TV Status: Complete Rating: While I’ve enjoyed watching Black-ish, this spin-off surpasses the original. Zoey is the main focus of the show, but the other main characters each get at least two episodes to explore their various character arcs. The show also discusses sex, drugs, safe spaces, how to be a good friend, and what it means to be an adult. Even seemingly trivial arcs like Zoey’s back and forth between Aaron and Luca help her grow as a person. I can’t wait for season two. |
 Show: Once Upon a Time (Season 1)
Source: Netflix Status: Complete Rating: After months of sporadic binge-watching, I finally finished season one of Once Upon a Time. A few years ago I watched this season’s summary video before moving on the season two since the whole first season wasn’t available OnDemand. Now, I’m glad I took the time to watch all twenty-two forty-five-minute episodes because so many details were glossed over in the summary. Fans of the show may hate me for saying this, but Rumpelstiltskin is my favorite character, Regina being a close second. Everything he does has a distinct purpose, even if no one knows the reasons. I loved seeing how the darkness inside him wars with his love for Belle and his son. The reoccurring themes of good vs. evil, family, true love, and what lengths one will go to, to protect those he/she loves is executed perfectly. Also, has anyone else noticed the large number of single parents in this show? I think Prince James and Snow White and Cinderella and Prince Thomas are the only couples with children. I don’t think I’ll watch up to season seven, but at the very least I’ll rewatch season two. |
What I’ve Been Listening to
For each of the following songs, I’ve listened to the original versions as well as some string, music box, and lullaby covers. I also listened to a few Broadway arrangements for songs from American Idiot.
- The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
- American Idiot by Green Day
- “Godzilla” by With Confidence
- Paramore
New Music
 Song: “Comparison Kills” by Jonathan McReynolds
Source: YouTube Genre: Gospel Rating: I normally don’t listen to gospel music recreationally, but my sister does. While on our way to a family function, we were listening to Johnathan McReynolds’ Make Room album in her car. Though most of the songs were good, “Comparison Kills” stood out to me the most for its imperative lyrics. The ballad reinforces the importance of not comparing your life to those of others. Especially on social media people only present the best versions of themselves. Coveting what they have or striving to be what they are is dangerous because you don’t know the struggle they had to go through to reach that level of success. That success might even be an illusion. Even if you’re not a Christian everyone should listen to this song at least once. |
 Artist: Various Artists
Source: YouTube Genre: Lofi Hip-Hop Rating: I’m not sure what provoked the people of YouTube (or whoever controls my suggestion feed) to recommend the 24-hour Lofi Hip-hop radio, but I’m glad this mysterious being did. Whether I’m doing homework, working on my novel, or typing up blog posts, I don’t like writing in silence. However, Paramore and Panic! at the Disco normally distract me and I end up singing instead of writing. Lofi Hip-Hop is the perfect solution to that problem. The songs on this particular radio are calming, consisting of unique mash-ups that incorporate movie quotes into the mixes. While the piano and guitar’s melodies create a serene atmosphere, the steady, electronic beat keeps me alert, unlike the other instrumental music I listen to. I’ll be sure to play this radio in the background during future writing sessions. |
Haul
I didn’t find many books at the thrift store this month (which is a good thing considering the size of my immediate TBR shelf). While most of these were already listed on my Goodreads TBR, I unexpectedly found Anastasia: the Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914, a fictional diary that documents the latter part of Princess Anastasia Romanov’s life, at the Thrift Store (yes that is the name of the store). At Ollie’s Bargain Outlet I bought the Color the Classics The Wizard of Oz coloring book for $1.99 (see my completed coloring pages below) and This Star Won’t Go Out, a memoir about the girl who inspired John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars, for $0.79. I had some money saved up for book buying so I took a trip to Books-A-Million. There I bought Stars Above and Since You’ve Been Gone. That same day I switched out my edition of Peter Pan for the Penguin Classics format, which I bought from Salvation Army.
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