Hello

Okay, before I get into everything, I want to quickly clarify how my "monthly" wrap-ups work. Some months I read/listen/watch a lot. In other months, I spend more time doing other things. So, for the months I'm not doing much, I don't see the point of making a wrap-up post. It doesn't mean that I haven't read anything or watched any movies. There were just too few to talk about or too many uninteresting ones that I would rather forget (lol). So if you were wondering why I haven't done one of these since April...now you know. 

Books

August was a surprisingly good month for reading. I read a total of 12 books, which puts me at 61 for the year. This is the most I have read in a month in a very, very long time.

I started August by reading 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad. This was my second time reading one of Awad's books, the first being Bunny. I enjoyed 13 Ways much more than Bunny, even though it had moments that hit a little too close to home. It left me feeling very seen. ★★★★★ 5/5

I followed that up with my first one-sitting read; My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood. It is a short story about a girl growing up with her mother, who may be a witch. I really liked it. ★★★★★ 5/5

My Daddy Is a Hero: How Chris Watts Went from Family Man to Family Killer by Lena Derhally was hard to read. I expected this when I decided to read it, but that doesn't change how horrendous the details of the murders are. The second half of the book is more dedicated to the psychology behind killers like Chris Watts, and I found that extremely interesting. ★★★★☆ 4/5

I started reading Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities #2) by Shannon Messenger a few months ago after borrowing it from my local library (and waiting months for it to be available). Sadly, I found myself in a bit of a reading rut shortly after borrowing it, so I had to return it and then reborrow it from Libby a couple of times before I was able to finish it. It had nothing to do with the book, though. Exile was fantastic. I didn't like it as much as the first, but the Keeper of the Lost Cities series is a long one, so I expect that a few of the books are just not going to be as much fun as others. ★★★★☆ 4/5

I posted a review of Her Forbidden Amish Child (Secret Amish Babies #2) by Leigh Bale, so if you want my full thoughts on this super problematic book, feel free to check it out. (I also reviewed the first book in the Secret Amish Babies series, The Midwife's Christmas Wish). ★★☆☆☆ 2/5

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai (translated by Donald Keene) was my first surprise of the month. I had heard so many good things about it and it is highly rated (even considered a classic in Japanese lit). I don't know if I just read it too fast or at the wrong time in my life, but I found it boring. I was happy when I finished it, but I never felt the need to DNF it. ★★★☆☆ 3/5

NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman spends most of its pages going over the history of the discovery and developments of how autistic individuals have been viewed and treated over time. I learned a lot from this book. ★★★★★ 5/5

The next book I read was an almost all-in-one-siting read. The Chain by Adrian McKinty is a book I had been meaning to get to for well over a year now, and I am so happy I finally had time for it. ★★★★☆ 4/5

I organized my bookshelves in August (well, mostly) and this led to me being reminded of several books that I haven't read yet. The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts was one of those books. This was great as it was sandwiched in after I got in the mood for some darker stories. I try not to read too many dark books back to back as it can sometimes intensify my poor mental health. The Girl with the Silver Eyes is a fun quick read that is perfect for fans of Matilda by Roald Dahl. ★★★★☆ 4/5

I found out about Any Man by Amber Tamblyn thanks to one of the many reading groups on Facebook I am in. I read it in one sitting.  Easily my favorite of the month. ★★★★★ 5/5

The Dirt Diary by Anna Staniszewski was another pick that came as a result of my tackling my bookshelves. It helped lighten the mood after Any Man, but I'm unsure if I will ever get around to reading the other books in the series. ★★★☆☆ 3/5

The final book that I finished in August was It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn and illustrated by Noah Grigni. I love the idea of this book. Some of the ways things are worded could be confusing for little ones. ★★★★☆ 4/5

As the month came to an end, I began reading Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed. I have yet to finish it, but I'm enjoying it so far. 

Movies

I somehow also managed to watch 7 movies in August. Now, normally I wouldn't list off most of these movies as they fall into one of my favorite bad movie categories, "Lifetime." So, we will just do this in rapid-fire mode... okay?

A Killer in My Home (2020) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ 2/10

Taken in Broad Daylight (2009) ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 5.5/10 - I think this was a rewatch...it felt very familiar.

A Son's Promise (1990)  ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10 - Decent story, decent acting, bad accents.

Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2012) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10 - Good acting, interesting story based on real life, got boring in the second half.

The Simpsons: When Billie Met Lisa (2020) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ 4/10 - Cute idea that quickly bombs.

Son in Law (1993) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6.5/10 - Childhood favorite. I had a conversation in which I couldn't recall the name of this movie, and so when I remembered, I obviously had to watch it.

Drop Dead Fred (1991) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10 - One of my all-time favorite films. This hits differently each time I watch it. 

For the hell of it, since I have gone over movies and books so far, let's do music.

Music

The overall mood was...moody and dark. TBM is almost always my top artist, so no surprise there. Jackson Wang had a comeback that I literally had on repeat. Every now and then you just have to listen to one of your all-time favorite albums from beginning to end (M83's Hurry Up We're Dreaming).

Top 10 Artists of August 2022:

1. The Birthday Massacre
2. Then Comes Silence
3. Jackson Wang
4. The Cure
5. M83
6. Aly & AJ
7. Twin Tribes
8. Bat For Lashes
9. Switchblade Symphony
10. Rosegarden Funeral Party

Top 10 Songs of August 2022:

1. Cruel by Jackson Wang
2. Titanic (feat. Rich Brian) by Jackson Wang
3. Once in a While by Rosegarden Funeral Party
4. Pretty Creatures by Then Comes Silence
5. Jaded by Betcha
6. So Beautiful by DPR IAN
7. The Tipping Point by Tears for Fears
8. All My Friends Are Turning Blue by Løren
9. Clown by Switchblade Symphony
10. Strangers by Then Comes Silence

How did your August go? What did you enjoy reading/watching/listening to the most?

Four years ago, having a child out of wedlock changed everything for Tessa Miller—including her engagement to Amish farmer Caleb Yoder. Now she’s determined to provide a better life for her son…even if it means working for her ex-fiancé. Only spending time with Caleb makes it harder to keep her past a secret. Will revealing the truth lead to forgiveness…and a second chance together? (Goodreads)

Book one of Secret Amish Babies was cute. It was a very wholesome and sweet story. There was some major miscommunication between the two main characters and that idea was continued in book two. However, the stuff that happens in Her Forbidden Amish Child is just messed up. If anything, it just points to flaws in Amish culture. Knowing that there are people who do behave like the people in this book is already upsetting, but taking that and using it as a basis for a supposedly comfy romance is sickening. The repetitiveness from the first book also spilled over to this one.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 2/5

Should you read it?

I would recommend skipping this one. This book contains the following triggers (please note that there may be more, this is just what I figured was most important to mention): Sexual assault, PTSD, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment

Book Information: Goodreads

Published: June 15, 2022

Leigh Bale: Goodreads, Twitter, Official Site

When Amish midwife Lovina Albrecht finds an abandoned baby, she’s determined to give the child a home for the holidays—even if doing so brings up difficult memories. But she’s not prepared for her bishop to assign standoffish Jonah Lapp to help care for the little girl. As their temporary arrangement begins to feel like family, can they overcome old hurts to build a future? (Goodreads)

So I have been tempted to find out what the hype was about Amish romance and that's why I decided to read this. I was in a bit of a reading slump and needed something simple to cleanse my brain. 

The Midwife's Christmas Wish is the first book in the Secret Amish Babies series by Leigh Bale. From what I understand, this means that each book will probably take place within the same Amish community. So, while each story will focus on different characters, previous ones may make an appearance. 

Overall, it is a very sweet and cute story that I could easily see as a Hallmark movie. As a book though, it is infuriatingly repetitive. Do we really need the synopsis of the whole story repeated every chapter? Each time a character has to take a moment to think, everything that inspires their reasoning for their current behavior must be refreshed. Why?

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Should you read it?

If you read a lot of Amish romance, you will probably like it. Also probably a good pick for those of you that like Hallmark movies and "clean" romance.

Book & Author Information: Goodreads

Published: November 30th, 2021

Leigh Bale: Goodreads, Twitter, Official Site

"When Queen Elizabeth I asks her court alchemist to show her England in the future, she’s transported 400 years to a post-apocalyptic wasteland of roving girl gangs, an all-powerful media mogul, fascistic police, scattered filth, and twisted sex." - The Criterion Collection

Rating: NOT RATED

Runtime: 1 hour 46 minutes

Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Released: February 1978

Directed by: Derek Jarman

Written by: Derek Jarman

Starring: Jenny Runacre, Nell Campbell (as Little Nell), Toyah Willcox, and Jordan

It is very easy to think of Jubilee as a more female-focused and dramatic version of A Clockwork Orange, as it takes place in a world of chaos and senseless violence that comes very close to mirroring the world you see in the aforementioned film.

The parts with Queen Elizabeth I felt out of place, and I believe that if you cut out all of those parts, the only thing you miss out on is David Brandon's performance as Ariel. It is almost as if the film had no real plot so the Queen scenes were added last minute to try to form some sort of concrete reason for the film's existence. The acting is mostly good, but with a dramatic flair that comes very close to just being downright cringeworthy. It is the kind of acting you expect from a stage play, not a movie. The characters are all interesting and have a mad hatter/hare quality about them.

This film has absolutely fantastic monologues in it. I admit that some of the moments are a little pre-edgelord-emo-kid from the 2000s, but they were what I enjoyed the most about Jubilee. Overall, the film comes off as very artsy political/social satire wrapped in a punk package.

I originally watched and reviewed this movie on August 13th, 2016. While cleaning up old posts I had a fond memory of this one and since my original review was so short I decided to rewatch and see if I still felt the same. Aspects of the original review are still there, but I have expanded on a few things. My original rating was 7/10 and upon a second viewing I dropped it down.

Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6.5/10

Should you watch it?

🤔 Do you like punk fashion and music? Do you like film history/cult films? If you answered yes, then I definitely recommend it.