Could You Repeat That? CCVI

I did not travel as I'd intended this summer, nor did I do anything that would merit great acclaim. What did I do, instead? I read, friends. I read so many books.


Children of Ruin, Adrian Tchaikovsky
It is the right and proper way of intelligence to be blown on the winds of subconscious whimsy. He does not need to know the deeper workings of his own mind, indeed he cannot, any more than he can know the precise positioning of his arms: the data is simply too complex to be consciously grasped.

The Ninth Metal, Benjamin Percy
"A steak knife magically flew across the street and into his parked SUV and hit him right in the heart. Weirdest thing, right?"

Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me, Aisha Harris
This moment gave me the kind of publicity many people dream of and spend an inordinate amount of time and effort attempting to manufacture; meanwhile, I just stumbled into this attention merely because I said I wanted Santa Claus to be a penguin.

Teach Me, Olivia Dade
Annette patted his hand, then removed hers. "Cause her pain, and we'll make quite certain you regret it."
"So much regret." Alfred offered him a genial smile. "The sort of regret that would cause a man to rethink all his critical life choices to that point."

Count Your Lucky Stars, Alexandria Bellefleur
"Livvy, relax. The doctor says I'm healthy as a horse."
She pursed her lips." Are we talking Seabiscuit, or the Red Pony?"

The Red Scholar's Wake, Aliette de Bodard
It was one thing to make the best of a bad situation--to be civil with pirates and try to build relationships even though all she could see, most days, was Ngà's pale face; it was quite another to boldly go kissing the leader of a pirate banner.

Shattered, Kevin Hearne
There is no way to perform Druidry without knowing how first. To even attempt it would be dangerous. I am beginning to think that much of what these people are doing in the name of convenience might be dangerous also. Magic does not happen free of cost.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, KJ Charles
"Joss, he's a baronet. You can't tup a baronet."
"Someone's got to."

Hook, Line, and Sinker, Tessa Bailey
She pressed her lips into a line.
Fox narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you doing that thing with your mouth because you're trying to trap all the psychological terms you want to throw at me?"
Her expression turned miserable. "Yes."

Miscellaneous Movie Moments XCVI (September & October 2023)

August is traditionally the "we don't know where else to open these movies" dumping ground of studios, and November is the "last chance to get in the big awards nomination window" timeslot, so September and October are generally pretty chill. (Except for horror movies, but I do not watch horror movies, so.) I found myself a good batch to watch, though!

Showing Up | Bottoms | The In-Laws | A Haunting in Venice | The Creator | Dumb Money | Killers of the Flower Moon

Miscellaneous Movie Moments XCIV (July 2023)

Once again, I am way behind on my movie updates! I'm trying to catch up before the end of the year, so I won't be writing a ton about any of these. Expect a lot of GIFs, though!

July was a pretty busy month for me, between a conference and a family wedding, so I didn't see a TON. But among them were some good 'uns!



Past Lives | Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken | Joy Ride (2023) | Mission: Impossible--Dead Reckoning, Part One | Kung Fu Panda 2 | Kung Fu Panda 3

Miscellaneous Movie Moments XCI (April 2023)

We've reached the time of year--long days and mild weather--when I will go see pretty much any film that's not a horror movie. I am largely omnivorous.



Although I've got to confess: I did not diligently take notes on the miscellaneous films I watched this month, so it's mostly bullet-ish points to go along with the usual GIFs.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | A Thousand and One | Suzume | Air | Renfield | The Super Mario Bros. Movie | Chevalier | L'Avventura | Star Wars: Episode VI--Return of the Jedi | Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.

The 2023 Tournament of Books

So there's this thing called the Tournament of Books that I was first introduced to via friend Amelia. (So...probably around ten years ago, in 2013?) Basically, the Morning News first releases a long list of a bunch of books that seem notable, then they narrow it down to a shortlist for March Madness. (I assume we're all familiar with WHAT a bracket looks like, even if we do not actually care about these things.) When the time comes, they tap a number of literati-type folks to judge between two of the entrants, winners go on to the next round, etc, etc.

The key thing they emphasize: There's no actual standard for what makes a "good" book! None at all! These decisions are all subjective and according to taste! We all win because we get to read a bunch of interesting books, basically. (But there is an eventual winner.) If you go to this page, you can see links to alllll the past decisions and brackets in the sidebar.

You deny our brotherhood. Insisting as you do in your sly way that our genealogies and our socioeconomic standings have set us apart at birth in a manner not to be contravened. But I will tell you Squire that having read even a few dozen books in common is a force more binding than blood.
"The Passenger," Cormac McCarthy

Anyway, I've been keeping track of things for the past decade or so. Some years I manage to read everything! Some years I manage to start all the books, and then some of the novels languish on my shelves, partially completed, for years. Some years I just don't have the energy. Who can say what each year can bring? Last year, I managed all of them and was very proud of myself. This year, I thought, why not try that again?

Also, I've color-coded the various texts. Purple means I own/ed the book, green means I read it before the ToB shortlist was released, and blue means I read it after the shortlist came out. I'm not even going to indicate favorites here--the Tournament proper will churn out semi-finalists, etc, but as they state themselves, it's all quite arbitrary! (Except I DID indicate favorites. But not winners! That's...somewhat different, right?)

She did bring a book, but she wasn't reading it, just bullying the ink into sense. "It's pretty good," she says. "It would be brilliant if it weren't the literary equivalent of a shirtless mirror selfie, you know, like, if the author only flexed when he had to lift something."
"The Rabbit Hutch," Tess Gunty

Miscellaneous Movie Moments LXXXVIII (January 2023)

The time has come, y'all! OSCAR WATCHING SEASON. I do like January as a movie-watching month--it's a good mix of genre stuff and awards bait stuff, and sometimes those two things even overlap.

Willow | Black Adam | Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery | Top Gun: Maverick | The Banshees of Inisherin | Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio | RRR | Elvis | Fire of Love | All Quiet on the Western Front | Shortcomings | Fancy Dance

Miscellaneous Movie Moments LXXXVII (November & December 2022)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Rise of the Guardians | Slumberland | Avatar | Avatar: The Way of Water | Ratatouille | Christmas with a Prince

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, 11 November 2022, Century Olympia 

I went to a 9 AM showing of the film, forgetting it would inevitably start with a funeral. Guys, I wept watching the friggin' Marvel Studios logo.

Four specific things I really, really love about #WakandaForever:

Miscellaneous Movie Moments LXXXVI (July/August 2022)

While I didn't watch all that many movies these past couple of months, the ones I did watch were pretty excellent. Action galore! #RepresentationMatters!



Thor: Love and Thunder | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Space Sweepers | Vengeance | Easter Sunday | Prey

Miscellaneous Movie Moments LXXXV (April/May/June 2022)

After my Oscars binge, I vowed to take a break from prestige films and go all in on my most beloved genre, science fictiony action. It's been a good three months, let me tell you.



Death on the Nile (2022) | Stargate: Continuum | The Batman | Spider-Man: No Way Home | The Lost City | Turning Red | Moonfall | Casablanca | Galaxy Quest | Ghostbusters: Afterlife | Ron's Gone Wrong | Dog | Moneyball | Morbius | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Could You Repeat That? CXCIV

The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu
"I refuse to believe in the futility of change, because I have seen how the lowly dandelion, with time and patience, can crack the strongest paving stone."

The Chosen and the Beautiful, Nghi Vo
Nick laughed, and I wondered if that was what love was, making someone forget the pain that gnawed at them and would not stop.



The Silvered Serpent, Roshani Chokshi
Before Enrique could start talking about the mythological significance of eggs, Tristan had loudly asked: "What came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Zofia was the first to answer: "Scientifically speaking, the rooster."

The Bronzed Beasts, Roshani Chokshi
"What do you think you're doing?" hissed Eva, under her breath.
Severin raised an eyebrow. "I assume 'watching and waiting with bated breath for my apotheosis' is not the answer you're looking for."

A Rogue of One's Own, Evie Dunmore
"Society is dumber but stronger than you," he murmured. "Be devious. Be subtle. If you can."

Could You Repeat That? CXCIII

In anticipation of my upcoming move, I've been burning through my hardcovers so I can donate/give away some books beforehand. I have...I have read a lot recently.

Outlawed, Anna North
And so I began my criminal career there in the house of God, with a leaky pen instead of a pistol and books instead of silver for my reward.

When He Was Wicked, Julia Quinn, x2
Michael wondered what the legal ramifications were for strangling a knight of the realm. Surely nothing he couldn't live with.

Legendborn, Tracy Deonn
I gaze hopefully down the hall as if someone might appear and rescue me from the Schrodinger's Cat of Conscious Boys scenario I find myself in, but it's empty and unhelpful.



These Violent Delights, Chloe Gong
There was a direct correlation between her willingness to be civil and the distance between them. With him several strides away, she wanted to commit homicide a little less.

Our Violent Ends, Chloe Gong
"Less than an hour ago, you wanted me dead."
"I said I wanted you dead," Roma confirmed. "I never said I didn't love you."

Could You Repeat That? CXCII

Girls of Fate and Fury, Natasha Ngan
I called her heartless in my rage and despair once, but it wasn't fair. Not once has that been true. Wren has always had a heart.
She's just been taught to ignore it.

The Heart Goes Last, Margaret Atwood
Are you having qualms, Charmaine? asks the little voice in her head.
No, silly, she answers. I'm having dessert. Plum crumble.
The women at her table are making mmm sounds. Red crumbs cling to their lips.

Libertie, Kaitlyn Greenidge
You thought he was braver than he was. You thought he had a bigger imagination. His imagination was a cooking pot with the lid on, boiling.

First Comes Scandal, Julia Quinn
And so she continued in her apparent quest to have the most awkward conversation of her life.

Miscellaneous (Oscar) Movie Moments LXXXIV (March 2022)

It's OSCAR SEASON, baby. I spent my entire Spring Break watching all the films I hadn't already seen and it was so worth it.

I'll probably post a full Oscars index post tomorrow or Sunday. Anyway. Onward!

Drive My Car | Summer of Soul | West Side Story | Licorice Pizza | Nightmare Alley | The Hand of God | The Mitchells vs. the Machines | CODA | Attica | The Tragedy of Macbeth | Coming 2 America | Parallel Mothers | Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom | Four Good Days | Writing With Fire | Cyrano

Could You Repeat That? CXCI

So much Dresden Files. So many Bridgertons. And a TON of AAPI authors.


Version Zero, David Yoon
It scared Max to his core to realize that when people saw one another, they saw different things.

The Silence of Bones, June Hur
The four-hour-long journey had filled my heart with one prayer--a prayer so immense, it felt as though I'd swallowed a heap of cloud.

Dial A for Aunties, Jesse Q Sutanto
Trust Ma to take pride in my etiquette when I've just shown her my date, whom I've killed, in the trunk of my car.

Could You Repeat That? CXC

Certain Dark Things, Silvia Moreno-Garcia
She leaned forward with the grace of an uncoiling snake.



Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis, Cara Black
The flashlight's yellow beams played across the rising water and the rivulets running down the walls. In a stone niche sat a statue of a saint, chipped and furred with moss.

The Relentless Moon, Mary Robinette Kowal
She watched me, and I have never felt so silently judged by someone drinking cold tomato soup through a straw.

The Once and Future Witches, Alix E Harrow
"It isn't possible."
Agnes raises her head from her candle-circle and meets their eyes. She should look like a grief-struck madwoman, broken and hopeless, but instead she looks like an angel cast down from Heaven struggling back to her feet with blood on her teeth, ready to make war with God himself.
"I do not," she says, very clearly, "give a shit."

Movie Moments LXXIX: Princess Edition

Happy Christmas, Grace! I take this opportunity to celebrate you, as you are just as awesome and innovative as all of these ladies here, and also probably much better in social situations.

What's the Deal

I've been doing Disney-associated princesses, mostly when looking at clusters of fairy tales. The following three, however, stand on their own, and I thought they deserved some spotlight, too.

Could You Repeat That? CLXXXIX

Everybody should read Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic and Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow immediately.


Transient Desires, Donna Leon
'Ah,' Brunetti exclaimed, forcing his voice into a deeper register, 'The voice of love responds, and my heart opens, brimming with the joy of...?'
'What is it, Guido?'

Murder in the Sentier, Cara Black
Every poem has an unwritten line. In this case, Aimee thought, a tragic one.

and

The small room didn't hold more than fifteen people. All men. And as much ethnic variety as bechamel sauce.

Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Julia Quinn
Penelope turned to her sister in disbelief. "Surely you're being a little melodramatic."
Felicity's overblown shrug was worthy of the stage. "Am I? Am I?"

TV Tellings IV: The Chair

"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more!"

Sandra Oh playing the chair of an English department at a small liberal arts college? I had read nothing about this--I hadn't even watched a trailer--but even sight unseen, I could almost guarantee, pre-watch, three things:

1. I'm going to spend most of the watch screaming at the screen WRT academic politics and processes
2. They are going to get English, as a field, almost completely wrong
3. At least one professor is going to seem to be having an illicit and gross affair with a student

But Sandra Oh, y'know? Plus, as all my English colleagues know, this is pretty much all non-English academic people will ask about come the winter holidays.

Anyway, this is a first watch reactions sort of post. Spoilers for The Chair may abound. Also, I cuss a lot.

Logline:
Sandra Oh plays the chair of an English department at a small liberal arts college.

Miscellaneous Movie Moments LXII (April 2021)

I know there’s still a few days left in the month, but I’m pretty confident I won’t be watching any random movies for the next few days.

One Night in Miami, 02 April 2021, streamed via Prime Video
Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown walk into a hotel in Miami. Apparently that actually happened. And here we have a movie that includes Aldis Hodge as Jim Brown and Leslie Odom Jr as Sam Cooke PLUS Regina King directed!

Miscellaneous Movie Moments LVII (February 2021)

The Cinderella project took up so much time!

Sundance Film Festival Shorts, 01-03 February 2021, streamed via Sundance
So most of the film passes were sold out once I realized they, y’know, existed. I snagged an “Explorer Pass,” though, which meant I could watch the shorts, the indie series, and New Frontier, which is basically the performance art category. Ish. Anyway, I can’t write full blurbs for all fifty of the short films I watched (yikes). And I only saw half of the program! So here’s, uh, very quick reactions to what I managed.