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Book Subscription Box Selections — October 2024

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So, as you can tell, I have taken a little break from making any posts recently.  But with the seasons changing outside and the fall weather creeping in, why not make a comeback by talking about one of my favorite things – getting a new book every month!

 

I have loved being a member of Book of the Month and Aardvark Book Club over the last few years, as I have rediscovered a love for reading and get the satisfaction of getting two new books every month.  I am not a huge book-buying person, so opening up these beautiful boxes every month is the perfect thing to scratch that itch instead of spending way too much money at Barnes and Noble (which I do every now and then anyway).

 

Let’s take a look at this month’s selections!

The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke

Genre: Gothic Fiction

Short Blurb: A mysterious hiking accident kicks off this spooky tale of witchcraft, revenge, and a mother’s search for answers.

The Wild Huntress by Emily Llyod-Jones

Genre: Young Adult

Short Blurb: Enter an enchanting, monster-filled forest and join the deadly hunt in this stunning tale invoking Welsh mythology.

Dearest by Jacquie Walters

Genre: Horror

Short Blurb: Voices on the baby monitor, animated toys, creepy crawlers – motherhood’s hard, but has never been quite this horrifying.

The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

Genre: Thriller

Short Blurb: After a dating losing streak, she thinks she’s found Mr. Right.  But is he a dream come true or a nightmare in disguise?

The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Short Blurb: In this seductive tale of rival assassins and thieves, a desire for revenge might just ignite a dangerous romance.

When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Short Blurb: The Fall siblings live in hot Northern California wine country, where the sun pours out of the sky, and the devil winds blow so hard they whip the sense right out of your head.

The Lightning Bottle by Marissa Stapley

Genre: Thriller

Short Blurb: A love letter to rock ‘n’ roll and star-crossed love, we follow Jane Pyre’s road trip around Europe as she attempts to find out what really happened to her partner in love and music, who disappeared without a trace years earlier, leaving Jane to pick up the pieces.

This Cursed House by Del Sandeen

Genre: Horror

Short Blurb: In this Southern gothic debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth – they’re under a curse, and they think she can break it.

 

My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine

Genre: Romance

Short Blurb: Nothing sucks more than fake dating a vampire in this paranormal romantic comedy.

Where I End by Sophie White

Genre: Horror

Short Blurb: Aoileann desperately wants a family, and when Sarah and her three young children move to the island, Aoileann finds a focus for her relentless love.

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

Genre: Fantasy

Short Blurb: The demon Vitrine loves the dazzling city of Azril.  She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.  And then angels come, and the city falls.

Let me know which books you are thinking about picking up from these subscription boxes!

Monthly Book Picks — December 2023

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Happy December 1st!  The holiday season is officially in full swing, and that brings cold weather and the need to wrap up with a good book.  And there are some great selections when it comes to this month’s picks from each of the monthly book clubs, so let’s check them out!

Book of the Month December 2023 Picks

1. A Winter in New York by Josie Silver (Romance)

This delicious rom-com has all the right ingredients: secret family recipes, holiday vibes, and a big pinch of love.

2. The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen (Fantasy)

Buckle up for a dark and strange ride! This wicked rewrite of The Nutcracker has a couple of surprises up its sleeves.

3. No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall (Thriller)

Small-town secrets and family tensions are unleashed when a married couple moves into an old home with a bloody past.

4. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan (Historical Fiction)

Part family drama, part war epic — this harrowing, emotionally riveting debut depicts the havoc wreaked in WWII Malaya.

5. Tomb Sweeping by Alexandra Chang (Short Stories)

Brimming with warmth and vibrancy, this beautiful debut collection of stories asks sharp questions about modern life.

Aardvark Book Club December 2023 Picks

1. The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor (Gothic Fiction)

From the USA Today bestselling author of “Beautiful Little Fools”, Jillian Cantor’s “The Fiction Writer” follows a writer hired by a handsome billionaire to write about his family history with Daphne du Maurier and finds herself drawn into a tangled web of obsession, material secrets, and stolen manuscripts.

2. Yours For the Taking by Gabrielle Korn (Science Fiction)

The year is 2050.  Ava and her girlfriend live in what’s left of Brooklyn, and though they love each other, it’s hard to find happiness while the effects of climate change rapidly eclipse their world.  Soon, it won’t be safe outside at all.  The only people guaranteed survival are the ones whose applications are accepted to The Inside Project, a series of weather-safe, city-sized structures around the world.

3. The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell (Mystery)

Rupert’s 30th birthday party is a black-tie dinner at the Kentish Town McDonald’s — catered with cocaine and expensive champagne.  The morning after, his girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered on Hampstead Heath, a single stiletto heel jutting from under a bush.  You know how they live.  This is how they die…

4. What Waits in the Woods by Terri Parlato (Thriller)

Her ballet career derailed by injury, a once-promising young dancer returns to her hometown only to face a grisly discovery — and the increasingly alarming realization that nothing from her past is quite what she believed — in this electrifying twisty suburban thriller for fans of Stacy Willingham, Greer Hendricks and Megan Miranda.

5. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally (Historical Romance)

“Bridgerton” meets Agatha Christie in “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord”, a dazzling first entry in a captivating new Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin from Celeste Connally.

Amazon First Reads December 2023 Picks

1. The Amish Wife by Gregg Olsen (True Crime)

In 1977, in an Ohio Amish community, pregnant wife and mother Ida Stutzman perished during a barn fire.  The coroner’s natural causes.  Ida’s husband, Eli, was never considered a suspect.  But when he eventually rejected the faith and took his son, Danny, with him, murder followed. 

2. Split by Alida Bremer (Historical Fiction)

It’s 1936.  The seaside-resort village of Split on the Adriatic coast bustles.  The tourist spots are booming, passenger steamers dot the harbor, and Jewish emigres have found tenuous refuge from persecution.  But as war in Europe looms, Split is also a nest of spies, fascists, and smugglers — and now, a locale suspiciously scouted by a German Reich film crew.  Then one summer morning it becomes the scene of a murder investigation when a corpse is found entangled in fishing nets in the port.

3. The Lies You Wrote by Brianna Labuskes (Police Procedural)

The double murder of a married couple in a small Washington town draws FBI forensic linguist Raisa Susanto into an investigation that mirrors a decades-old crime.  Twenty-five years ago — to the day — Alex Parker murdered his parents, then took his own life, leaving behind a note admitting everything.

4. Olivia Strauss is Running Out of Time by Angela Brown (Women’s Fiction)

A woman has no choice left but to enjoy the adventure of life — and its surprises — in a funny and emotionally moving comedy of errors about the gifts of growing older.

5. Scorpio by Marko Kloos (Military Science Fiction)

On a distant Earth colony, an orphaned survivor of an alien invasion discovers that the greatest world-ending dangers aren’t behind her.

6. Sleeping with Friends by Emily Schultz (Psychological Thriller)

When Mia Sinclair-Kroner wakes from a coma, all she can remember are the movies she’s known and loved.  Her college friends quickly assemble for a weekend party, in an effort to help her remember.  But with old friends comes old wounds, and it soon becomes clear that Mia’s accident might not have been an accident at all.

7. The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan by Beth Merlin and Danielle Modafferi (Romance)

When a young woman hits rock bottom, she embarks on a positively Dickensian adventure in a witty and warmhearted novel about past regrets, old loves, new beginnings, and making up for lost time.

8. The Seventh Girl by Andy Maslen (Crime Thriller)

Fifteen years ago a serial killer was on a rampage murdering young women in Middlehampton.  Then the killings stopped, and the murderer evaded the police.  So when the body of another young woman is found bearing the twisted killer’s unique hallmark — the overpowering stench of lavender and an origami heart — DS Kat Ballantyne knows this can only mean one thing: the killer is back.

9. Two Women Walk into a Bar by Cheryl Strayed (Memoir)

Cheryl Strayed, the bestselling author of “Wild” and “Tiny Beautiful Things”, finds humor and connection in a poignant short memoir about love, family secrets, and reconciliation.

Monthly Book Picks — November 2023

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Happy first day of November!  I thought it was supposed to be getting chilly but all last week here in Massachusetts we had some days that were over 70 degrees!  How the heck did that end up happening?!?  Well the beginning of a new month marks the release of new books and new choices for three different book subscription boxes.  At the beginning of every month, I am going to be posting what books are in the three types of monthly book subscription services I am a part of and sharing which ones I end up picking up.  Since this is my first time doing this, let’s talk about what each of these services are!

Book of the Month — For years, readers have had the opportunity for new books to arrive to their front steps from new and emerging authors that have been curated by their selection of readers to see what book works best for you from a variety of genres, some of which become some of the most read books of the year!

          To try it out for yourself, check out my referral code! https://www.mybotm.com/6js2u6tz50q?show_box=true 

Aardvark Book Club — The first international monthly book subscription and the new kid on the block, featuring books from popular authors and those you may not have heard of before.

Amazon First Reads — For those who have a subscription to Kindle Unlimited, get early access to new books across a variety of popular genres and have it sent right to your Kindle.

Book of the Month November 2023 Picks

1. The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak (Spy Thriller)

CIA agent Amanda Cole is thrust into an international conspiracy involving high-profile assassinations and Russian blackmail.  It’s the case of her lifetime, but solving it might require her to betray another spy — who just so happens to be her father.

2. The Last Love Note by Emma Grey (Contemporary Fiction)

You may never stop loving the one you lost.  But you can still find love again.

3. Again and Again by Jonathan Evison (Contemporary Fiction)

From one of America’s greatest, most creative novelists comes “Again and Again”, a poignant and endlessly surprising story about love lost, found and redeemed.

4. What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez (Young Adult)

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten.  Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns most: her globetrotting parents — who frequently leave her behind.

5. This Spells Love by Kate Robb (Romance)

Reeling from a recent breakup, a young woman tries to heal heartbreak with a spell — only to wake up in an alternate reality where she’s lost more than she wished for — in this witty, whimsical friends-to-lovers debut rom-com.

6. Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward (Literary Fiction)

“Let Us Descend” is a reimagining of American slavery, as beautifully rendered as it is heart-wrenching.  Searching, harrowing, replete with transcendent love, the novel is a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation.

 

Aardvark Book Club November 2023 Picks

1. Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead (Horror)

From the critically acclaimed author of “In My Dreams I Hold a Knife” and “The Last Housewife” comes a gothic Southern thriller about a killer haunting a small Louisiana town, where two outcasts — the preacher’s daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks — hold the key to uncovering the truth.

2. The Good Part by Sophie Cousens (Contemporary Fiction)

By the New York Times bestselling author of “Just Haven’t Met You Yet”, a downtrodden twenty-six-year-old wakes up to the life she’s always wanted, but is it really a dream come true?

3. The Favorites by Rosemary Hennigan (Mystery)

A graduate student plots a takedown of the popular professor who wronged her sister in this provocative campus novel about privilege, power and obsession.

4. Love Interest by Clare Gilmore (Romance)

A sparkling adversaries-to-lovers romcom set at a magazine publisher in Manhattan.  When Casey and Alex are forced into proximity, they soon realize falling for each other is just as much of a risk as it is a reward.

5. The Reformatory by Tananarive Due (Literary Fiction)

A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead.

Amazon First Reads November 2023 Picks

1. Night Owl by Andrew Mayne (Thriller)

A shocking act of sabotage draws a retired spy into a deadly conspiracy in an explosive thriller by an Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

2. When We Were Enemies by Emily Bleeker (Historical Fiction)

Camera-shy Elise Branson is different from the other women in her matriline.  Her mother is an award-winning actress.  Her late grandmother, Vivian Snow, is a beloved Hollywood icon.  But when Elise’s upcoming wedding coincides with a documentary being made about Vivian, Elise can’t escape the camera’s gaze.  And even in death, neither can her grandmother.

3. Please Tell Me by Mike Omer (Psychological Thriller)

After a year in captivity, a kidnapped child escapes — only to reveal horrific truths that lead her psychologist on a race against time in this thriller from New York Times bestselling author Mike Omer.

4. Never Meant to Stay by Trisha Das (Romance)

A bighearted romantic comedy about family and finding the perfect match set against the exuberant backdrop of contemporary Delhi. 

5. Salt and Broom by Sharon Lynn Fisher (Historical Fantasy)

A gifted healer unravels the mysteries of a cursed estate — and its enigmatic owner — in a witchy retelling of Jane Eyre.

6. The Last Caretaker by Jessica Strawser (Book Club Fiction)

Katie’s divorce was, in a word, humiliating.  So when her friend Bess offers a fresh start — a residential caretaking job at a nature preserve — Katie accepts.  No matter that she’s not exactly a “nature person.”  How hard can it be?

7. Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey (Short Story)

From New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey comes a steamy novella full of hope and humor tracking a couple’s fake marriage for a year after the wild New Year’s Eve when they first say “I do.”

8. The Daughters of Block Island by Christa Carmen (Suspense)

In this ingenious and subversive twist on the classic gothic novel, the mysterious past of an island mansion lures two sisters into a spiderweb of scandal, secrets and murder.

9. Leave It to Us by A.C. Arthur (Women’s Fiction)

After inheriting Grandma Betty’s beloved beach house, Lana, Yvonne and Tami must return to the island of their most memorable summer vacations to renovate the property before deciding what will become of its future. 

10. Simon Says Good Night by Orit Bergman (Children’s Picture Book)

Simon didn’t say go to sleep…did he?  After he’s tucked into bed, Simon and his favorite toys get ready to play…Simon Says!

Why TRIANGLE OF SADNESS Should Win Best Picture

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Along with family trauma, “Eat the Rich” seems to be another common theme explored in media nowadays.  We have seen it in “The Menu”, “Glass Onion” and the one film that was able to grab a Best Picture slot “Triangle of Sadness”.

Set aboard a luxury yacht, Carl and Yaya — models and social media influencers — are surrounded by wealthy guests of all backgrounds and a crew that will stop at nothing to meet their needs.  When tragedy strikes the yacht, roles are reversed to see who can survive.

There is a lot of commentary out there about the top 1% of society and this film’s approach is to make it as a satirical black comedy.  It is broken up into three parts: Carl and Yaya, The Yacht and The Island.  Part One focuses on the relationship dynamics between Carl and Yaya.  Even though they are in the same line of work, Yaya gets paid more as a female model while also gaining a huge following online as an influencer.  We see how Carl is treated as a male model, feeling uncomfortable with the campaign he is doing and not getting front row seating when he is at one of Yaya’s runway shows.  But what this part focuses on is the relationship between the two.  After a dinner, Carl is expecting Yaya to pay the bill as she has promised she would pick it up the last time they went out, while Yaya automatically assumes Carl will pay for it as he is the man in their relationship.  Their conversation takes place in the restaurant, in the cab, and in the elevator of their hotel until it is (somewhat) resolved in the end.  This part of the movie not only introduces us to our protagonists, but establishes what they want out of life.  Both have a strong focus on the importance of providing.  Carl claims that he does not want to focus on gender roles when it comes to things like money because he wants them to be equals in their relationship.  But I think this is an excuse that Carl tells himself because he wants to be a provider for Yaya but cannot in their current moment in life.  He does not make as much money as her, which goes against the traditional standards the previous generation has gone through.  He feels bad that he cannot give Yaya everything that she wants to make her feel secure, so he gets in arguments with her about something as simple as paying the bill.  Yes, he wants to be seen as an equal to Yaya when it comes to their relationship, but the fact that he cannot give her the basics of her lifestyle means that he will never be good enough for her.  When Carl is able to provide something for two women in the third part of the movie, we see him feel better about himself and what he is doing because he is filling in that role as a provider.  This part not only establishes what Carl thinks of his relationship with Yaya, but Yaya herself tells us that she is only with Carl for the followers for both of them and how it can help both of their careers.  She is providing for them in a more untraditional way with the rise of social media and how fake relationships can boost sales or clicks or whatever is making them the money.  Yaya says she will stay with Carl until she meets a rich man that can give her everything she needs for the rest of her life.  Yaya, like Carl, cares about have things provided for — but instead of being the provider she feels comfort in being the providee.  There is nothing wrong with feeling comfort in knowing that your basic needs will be taken care of by your partner.  Her needs might not really all fall under the umbrella of being “necessary” but she deserves that feeling of being provided for just as much as anyone else.  We see both sides of what it means to have the feeling of knowing you are okay for the present and future, which plays into how their relationship ends up by the final part.

For Part Two, we are on the yacht, where Carl and Yaya have been invited for free in exchange for promotion of the trip.  We are introduced to the staff of the yacht, broken up into the staff that has more face-to-face interaction with the customers on board and those who are doing more of the behind the scenes work.  It is not surprising that it is mostly white, good-looking individuals that are apart of the customer satisfaction crew and people of color working away from the cruise-goers; they are even wearing white and navy shirts respectively.  Paula, the head of staff, make sure to tell the white-shirt employees to follow and accept any kind of offer the guests might ask, no matter how absurd.  If they follow every single request, there is a great chance they will end up getting a very big tip.  They end this meeting by chanting “Money! Money! Money!” because even those who are not seen as the rich that are on board, they still care about how much they will make at the end of their shift.  As someone who has worked a variety of customer service jobs, I understand the want of making people feel good about the service we are providing.  But I will also be the first one to tell you that the customer is not always right.  There are better ways of making sure all guests are satisfied, but having your only response be “Yes sir” and “Yes ma’am” is not what makes great service.  We see this when Vera, the wife of a Russian oligarch, insists that the entire staff take a break and go for a swim.  You can see how much Alicia, the young worker, is struggling to say yes as she is the first one to be asked to go in the hot tub with Vera; she was told she has to please the guests but she also has a duty to complete her work.  When you have money and power, you think that everyone will bend over backwards to make your life better because you have something they do not.  Whatever you are doing at that present moment is not as important as the request that they have of you.  After Alicia finally gets in the hot tub, Vera calls Paula over and makes the entire crew, both white-shirts and navy-shirts, stop what they are doing and take a slide down the blow-up slide the yacht has because they are all working so hard they deserve a break.  Because Paula has put in place this “Don’t Say No” rule, she also has to follow it and requires the crew to stop everything.  This includes the cooks, as they are preparing the dinner and cannot leave their stations in risk of the food going bad.  But the rich Russian lady wants you to go swimming so you must obey!  There is a lot of entitlement that comes with having the means to do extravagant things, but that does not mean that you always have to listen to them.  It is okay to say no to people in power because they are not always right.  You also cannot put people who work below you at such a risk of displeasing someone that it could get them fired essentially by the guest and not from you as the boss.  Rich people do not always need to have power, but unfortunately that is what our society has come to.  Vera sure is regretting making the entire staff do something at her whim by the end of this part though.

After tragedy hits the yacht, few characters are left stranded on a deserted island with little resources and no knowledge on how to actually survive.  Most of the people that end up on the island are the rich guests that have not had to do anything themselves in who knows how long.  Living a life of privilege does not always guarantee that you will get through all aspects of life.  You have access to more knowledge and resources than the average person to learn how to survive in the wilderness but you never take advantage of it because your daily life does not require you to utilize those skills.  Only one person, Abigail (who is part of the custodial staff on the yacht), can build a fire and catch the food and has to be the provider for everyone on the island.  One of the best parts of the movie is when Abigail realizes her power she has while they are all stranded on this island and makes all of the rich people and her boss say that she is the captain of the island.  And she has every right to because she is the only one that can keep them alive.  She knows that the power dynamics have shifted in her favor, something she has probably never experienced before.  When she crashed on the island, Paula was still giving her tasks to do because Paula’s only focus was keeping the guests happy.  But they are not on the yacht anymore — it should not be run the same way it was before.  The one with the most knowledge should be the one that is in charge, something we are not used to in society because money usually is what gets you power.  But just because you have the power when you deserve it does not mean you are immune to what comes with it.  Abigail runs the show at the beginning of their time on the island, but as everyone else is learning how to adapt and fend for themselves, she begins to feel threatened that her skills will no longer be beneficial to the group, therefore she will not need to be in power anymore.  They are all about to become the most equal amongst each other as the rich guests’ skills grow, and Abigail does not want that.  Even though she will still be the top dog, she will not have as much power as she once had.  Especially if there are threats to get them off of the island because she wants that power for as long as she can have it because if they leave that island, she will never have that same kind of rank again.  Power corrupts and it is why she can convince Carl to give her sexual favors in exchange for food for him and Yaya.  She knows the kind of grip she has on him and she will stop at nothing to keep that control.

There is time for change when it comes to how we view money in relation to power but also how we view power over those we find weaker than us, which is why it should win Best Picture.

This one is for the social media critics.

Why THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN Should Win Best Picture

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After being quarantined for well over a year, myself and many others were itching to get out and spend quality time with our friends.  That is not the case for Colm though, as he no longer wants to spend any time with Padraic, leaving him unaware and confused on this sudden shift in their lives.  “The Banshees of Inisherin” explores the ending of this friendship in one of the funniest yet saddest movies I have seen this year.

Off the coast of Ireland towards the end of the Irish Civil War, drinking buddies Colm and Padraic reach a roadblock in their friendship as Colm abruptly cuts Padraic off, claiming he is too dull and wants to focus on creating something that he will be remembered for with the remaining years of his life.  Padraic, while perfectly nice, does not understand this new situation he is so quickly put in and continues to try to befriend Colm again, until Colm threatens to cut off his own fingers every time Padraic speaks to him.

From that basic description, it may seem weird how that could make a funny yet devastating picture.  What I love about this movie is how simple the premise is.  You do not need to have read a book beforehand or be a fan of a specific genre; you just need to be a person.  Losing a friend, whether by a fallout or changing of lives, is tough and hurtful.  You want to know what you did or if you could change one aspect about your relationship to repair it.  But sometimes, it is not anything you did — that person has just changed.  That is what Colm is trying to tell Padraic throughout the movie.  He does not want Padraic in his life anymore because his needs and wants for his remaining years are different than what they used to be.  Does Colm go about ending their friendship in the best way?  No, absolutely not.  It happens so abruptly to Padraic that when I watched I thought I missed a scene.  I think this quick ending of a friendship that sets off the whole chain of events for the film is to show us that when you only think of your own feelings, you are blocked from seeing how it can affect anyone else.  I do not think it was selfish of Colm to end his friendship with Padraic, but it was selfish how he went about it.  Your actions matter even if you think your feelings are the only ones that are important.

As Padraic is failing to come to terms with this major change in his life, Dominic tries to fill this void as he also does not have any friends.  Dominic’s father beats him in public as he is “troubled” and is seen to get on people’s nerves even though he means well.  Padraic and his sister Siobhan take him in for a temporary amount of time.  Both Padraic and Dominic are outcasted by people that mean a lot to them and are important in their lives and that is what makes them perfect for each other at this moment.  Others may be put off by their quirks and that is what drives them together.  Padraic does not really want to become close friends with Dominic as his main focus is getting Colm back in his life.  But Dominic is right there ready to become that person Padraic is looking for.  Sometimes, friends can be found during the lowest points of your life, and if you do not appreciate them when they show up and make an effort, you may lose your only chance to really get to know them.

One of the funniest scenes in the movie is when Padraic is trying to prove to himself that he is not just “dull and too nice” like Colm thinks he is.  Instead of ignoring what Colm is saying about him. he goes to the extreme and tells a music student of Colm who is visiting the island for a lesson that his father has been gravely injured and needs to leave Inisherin immediately.  Padraic is so desperate to make Colm see him in a different light that he drives anyone away who has a chance of taking his place as Colm’s friend.  Colm wants to leave something behind when he is gone — that being his music — and Padraic is ruining those chances because he cannot accept that his former friend no longer wants to be in his life.  Padraic thinks that his lie to the music student will prove to Colm that he is not dull that he is not afraid to proudly admit it when they are about to reconcile.  You should not compromise yourself and what you believe in just to impress one person after they have made it clear they do not want you in their life anymore.  Whether that be a break up or losing a friend, you are great as you and you do not need to change just to get someone to like you.

Throughout the movie, we are reminded that the Irish Civil War is taking place.  I was actually unaware that Ireland had their own civil war in the early 1920s.  The war was between the Provisional Government of Ireland and the Irish Republican Army over the Anglo-Irish Treaty.  The Provisional Government, who were in favor of the treaty, ended up winning but the way left more dead than their own War of Independence did and left their society divided to this day.  Having this war as the backdrop of this movie is used perfectly to represent the in-fighting between those who used to have a connection.  The end of the film really drives this point home, as Colm wonders if the war is over and Padraic responds with even if it is, it might be better if the things they were fighting about cannot be moved on from.  Based on all of the events these characters have been through, bringing their feud to a new head once death and arson are involved, we forget why they were really fighting in the first place.  Both sides are not forever affected by the constant battles and no one is left off better than the other.  No matter how much the anti-treaty forces kept fighting, they would never have the resources to take down their own government.  Padraic could keep fighting for his friendship with Colm, but Colm would never budge as his mind was made up and he had threats ready for Padraic in case he did not respect his request to not talk anymore.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” shows us that life can change quickly and without warning, but we should never compromise ourselves or those who remain in our lives to reach an unobtainable dream, and that is why it should win Best Picture.

This one is for those who need a laugh during a sad time.

Why EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Should Win Best Picture

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I’m sure if you told the original 36 member of The Academy that a movie that includes a universe where people have hot dogs for fingers is the current frontrunner for Best Picture, they would have probably been left speechless.  Current members of The Academy might also be speechless.  But there is so much behind the zaniness that is “Everything Everywhere All at Once” that makes it the perfect choice for Best Picture.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (which I will be abbreviating as “EEAAO” from now on) follows the story of Evelyn, Waymond and Joy Wang as their laundromat business is being audited by the IRS while their family is struggling emotionally.  During their meeting, Evelyn is greeted by Alpha-Waymond of another universe, telling her she is the only one who can prevent the multiverse from falling to Jobu Tupaki whose goal is to create a toroid singularity.  Evelyn and Alpha-Waymond are able to verse-jump to different versions of themselves within the multiverse, harnessing the powers of those other versions to defeat Jobu and save the multiverse.

Science-Fiction films occasionally get recognition at the Oscars but only when they are big budget films that can usually, on the surface, appeal to a general audience.  That on top of the categorization of being an “absurdist comedy” usually does not get a huge population of people to check it out.  But “EEAAO” is a different kind of science-fiction film, as it includes strong themes of family, the meaning of life, and valuing you at your current moment in life.  And because everyone can relate to something the movie is trying to portray, along with it being a little crazy, it is no surprise that it made over $100 million, becoming A24’s highest grossing film of all time.

But a lot of movies, especially recently, have explored the same themes.  Why is this on different?  I feel like one of the main reasons is because of this mix of genres it plays with.  It has your important family moments — Evelyn not fully accepting of Joy’s girlfriend or what Joy has done with her life, Waymond wanting a divorce as he is not feeling important anymore, the possibility of losing their business, and Evelyn still wanting to impress her judgemental father. There is so much that can be pulled out of this film aside from the fun antics of the multiverse and that is why everyone can love it.  We have all gone through something that our main characters — either their main forms or one of their multiverse forms — have gone through and really makes us think about our decisions.  The multiverse personas we see arise because of the decisions the main characters make at some point in their lives.  One of the major ones that stands out is Evelyn deciding not to immigrate to American with Waymond.  In this universe, Evelyn becomes a Kung-Fu movie star and Waymond a successful business man, but both end up alone.  It is when we see clips from this universe that show us how just because you are rich and successful does not mean you end up with the perfect for you.  These scenes are some of the most heart-breaking to me, and Ke Huy Quan’s performance is what sells it.  Do not be surprised if someone who loves this movie starts crying when you mention taxes and laundry.

I also love the idea that Evelyn of the main universe is chosen to defeat Jobu Tupaki because she is the one that is the least stable in her current life out of all of the other Evelyns.  She is “the greatest failure” and therefore the best one to save the universe.  I love this idea of the person who seems the least likely to do anything right is the only one who can do anything.  It takes the trope of The Chosen One — someone who is destined to do great things — and flips it to be more realistic.  I cannot connect to a character who is naturally born great on a deep level, but I can connect to the one that is a complete mess.  There is so much going on in our lives that sometimes it feels like we cannot do anything right.  I have felt like this many times in my life.  But seeing that feeling being used as a strength makes me feel validated as a person when I think everything around me is not going the way that it “should” be.  There is power behind not feeling like everything is in your control and that is the beauty of life and my personal biggest takeaway from the film.

The reason why these themes hit home for myself and many others is because of the performances.  Michelle Yeoh (Evelyn), Ke Huy Quan (Waymond), Stephanie Hsu (Joy) and Jamie Lee Curtis (Deidre, the IRS worker) have all won awards for their respective roles along with the whole cast walking away with the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Ensemble.  All of this recognition is very well deserved because you connect with the characters no matter what multiverse version was currently on screen.  It’s hard enough to play one character as well as the cast did, but the fact that they have to jump back and forth between completely different versions of the characters they are playing is a task.  And everyone does it to 110%.  My personal favorite of the bunch, Stephanie Hsu, uses her background as a Broadway actress to propel her first film performance to all new heights.  Quan’s performance also makes me cry every time I think about it and I cannot wait to (hopefully) hear his future Oscar speech this Sunday.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” touches upon deep themes and meanings while keeping you entertained with the current trend of the multiverse by turning the idea on its head, and that is why I think it should win Best Picture.

This one is for the weirdos.

 

Gotta Catch ‘Em Feelings: The World Champion and the Return of Nostalgia

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After 25 years, Ash has finally become the world’s best Pokémon master!

On November 11th, 2022, the impossible happened. For the last 25 years, fans from all over the globe eagerly awaited to hear the news that Ash Ketchum was officially the best Pokémon master in the world.

Pokémon aired its first episode on April 1st, 1997. We were introduced to our protagonist Ash Ketchum — a determined, hopeful 10 year-old — about to start his journey to become a Pokémon master. Throughout the anime, we see Ash and his faithful sidekick, Pikachu, explore and discover this this ever-changing world of Pokémon, meeting friends of all backgrounds and building his team of pocket monsters. The brand of Pokémon is more than just the anime, as there is a manga series, a video game series, a trading card game and a mobile app all related to the franchise. There are regional and international competitions for the trading card and videos games. It is the largest media company in the world, and I have been around it for my entire life.

As a young millennial/old gen-z, I cannot remember a time when Pokémon was not in my life. I found my first Pokémon card on my walk to the bus stop (a Lt. Surge’s Pikachu) and fell in love with the franchise at the ripe old age of six. My siblings then joined in on the fun and for years we would play the video games, collect the cards, watch the anime, get little figurines from our dad when he had flights to Japan, and so much more. After a few years, we just did not care anymore.

When you go to middle school, that is usually the stage of life where being “popular” and liking the “right things” are the most important aspects that motivate your life. Some people are able to bypass this stage of worry and I will forever be jealous of them. But when you are young and confused about these changes taking place in your life, it becomes a challenge of whether you continue to support the things that have given you happiness as a young child or if you start to follow the crowd. There may also be people in your life that tell you that you cannot like something anymore because “you’re too old for that,” which could also affect how you feel about your childhood interests. For me, I fell into the former category.

As you transition from adolescence to teenager, there is this desire to grow up quickly because you are sick and tired of being told you cannot do something until you are older. You try to shed your childlike image in hopes that maybe your parents will extend your curfew or let you go to the concert without them. Usually the first to go is the childhood hobbies. You may naturally grow out of some, but others may get left behind on the journey of growing up. And after growing up myself, I have realized I wish I took more inspiration from Ash, who never grew up.

Ash has been a 10-year-old for the last 25 years and looking back, sometimes I wish I was too. But in my journey of discovering myself, I have realized that what I love and what makes me happy has not really changed int he last 20 years. What has changed is my view on life. When COVID first hit, I decided to buy a Nintendo Switch. This was my first gaming console that was just mine in so many years. The first game I wanted to purchase for myself was Pokémon Shield. I had not played a traditional Pokémon game since Diamond on the DS, but that was mostly my brother’s game I occasionally played. But the thought of starting my own Pokémon journey for the first time in 15 years brought me so joy during a time when I needed it the most.

During my college years and into my young adulthood, I have stopped caring about trying to gain that “popularity” so many crave as a teenager. I have taken part in activities that make me happy and gained some of the best friends and memories from that. I have gone back to becoming interested in things that made me happy as a child while finding new enjoyments along the way. I have made connections with my students based on these shared interests so they always have someone to talk to about what they like. Everyone hits this point in their lives when they want to grow up, but when they get there, they do not know how to make themselves happy. There should be no rush to grow up and we should not feel like we have to make sacrifices to do so. I wish we could all be Ash — aging but never giving up on our childhood dreams. Seeing how many of my friends were playing Pokémon Legends Arceus and enjoying their time with it filled my heart. This stigma of having to get rid of your childhood happiness to officially become an adult and treated like one seems to be dying in the age of social media. Communities can be created or found so much easier than the past. You can have that feeling of fitting in with what you enjoy without having to figure out what is “popular” or not. So thank you Pokémon for helping me rediscover my happiness. Seeing Ash complete his dream being broadcast on billboards in Japan gave me a rush of nostalgia that was shared with fans of all ages from all over the world. I cannot wait to see where Ash’s journey goes from here, because I am joining him until the end.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to write a letter to The Pokémon Company in hopes that they will remaster Pokémon Emerald next.

From the first meeting until the very end.