A Blog about Books, TV & Movies
Hi everyone, I’m going to be keeping this short but: I am taking an indefinite hiatus from blogging for the forseeable future. I am just very busy with my other projects and things I am involved with and I just don’t have a lot of time to spare to blogging at the moment. I want to reassure people that I am still reading and I hope I can return to blogging someday.
Keep reading everyone!
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-Up where I give updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!
So I just want to address the elephant in the room as it’s been a month since I last posted on this blog. This month has just been very busy for me both in my professional life and my personal life, there’s been a lot happening and a lot has been on my mind. Something had to give and I chose blogging as the lesser priority for me this month. I will try my hardest to get the book reviews for the books that I read this month out in June (yes, I did read books this past month).
This month I was able to read four books this past month! Which I am very happy about and definitely an improvement over last month.
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
I will elaborate more in my review, but I think this was the best book I read this month. I think the Sanderlanche in this book was one of my favourites from Brandon. Again I will explain more in my review.
Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson
This is a novella that should be read after Words of Radiance, which follows Lift a character from the interludes in Words of Radiance. I like Rogues, especially Sanderson’s Rogues and this was a fun read. Review will come.
Keedie by Elle McNicoll
Another hit from Elle McNicoll and it follows what maybe my favourite character from Elle: Keedie. Review will come.
Cell by Stephen King
I actually liked this book. It’s not my favourite from Stephen King but I still liked it. I will expand more in my review.
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Ambercombie – 27%
Yep, I’m back in the world of The First Law Trilogy and things are still very interesting and quite a bit of fun actually. I am very interested in seeing where this ones goes.
As I mentioned earlier in this post, I’ve been very busy with my personal and professional life. There’s just been a lot happening to me. I’ve also been focusing on my mental wellbeing this past month.
I am currently watching Season 2 of Community and I am really liking this season! The guest stars continue to impress me and the jokes keep landing. I also finished watching all of the Tenth Doctor episodes and I now understand why David Tennant is so popular as The Doctor.
In Dungeons & Dragons, back in my September 2023 Monthly Wrap-Up, I mentioned that my Wizard/Rogue character was in a campaign that ended unceremoniously. Well this month I started an all new campaign, and I brought that character back. The way that campaign ended never sat well with me as there was no real ending and it was all abrupt, and my Rogue/Wizard was a character I put a lot of work into. Now with this new campaign, this character will have another chance to complete their story.
I am also about to be involved with Curse of Strahd campaign, it will be an interesting experience for sure.
I’ve also written a lot of poetry this past month, which has been very therapeutic for me.
I’m continuing to plan out what I’m going to do for my vacations this year.
For reading after I am done Before They Are Hanged, I plan to read a few graphic novels before I return to the Stormlight Archives Series.
For TV, I plan to finish Community Season 2 and then watch the final season of The Librarians.
I plan to make the most of the warmer weather as we head into summer!
May was an incredibly busy month for me but overall I think it was better than the previous month. Onwards to June! See you all next time!
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-Up where I give updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!
Yeah, as I predicted a drop in reading. Of course this is related to reading the second book of the Stormlight Archives (hey reading a 1310 page book takes time!).
Harley Quinn, Vol. 4: The Final Trial by Sam Humphries
I had a lot of fun reading, and this even had a deep theme of grief and loss. There was a lot of fun moments such as Harley going back in time just to stop the DC Crossover events from happening (that was hilarious!).
Spider-Man Dying Wish by Dan Scott
This was not my favourite Spider-Man story. I found the whole “switch bodies” thing overdone in comics and I didn’t like it here.
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson – 92%
Yes, I am almost done! I’m reading through the Sanderlanche and ooh boy is this an exciting one! Full review will come!
So I didn’t quite get to watching the second season of Community, but I intend to watch it soon.
This month was a difficult month for me, as I had some drama with friends this past month. And I personally want to put this month behind me.
This month wasn’t all bad. I participated in a Virtual D&D Epic for the first time, bringing back my Tiefling Criminal Sorcerer from January (the one that casted Fireball for the first time!): Sly Jallas.
A D&D Epic is when a large group of tables all play in a connected setting and the events at each table impact a greater story and ultimately impacted a larger interconnected narrative. This was my first time trying this and I have a few thoughts:
1) There were more breaks than an normal D&D session would be. Which is awesome. Although I kind of wished we would use the breaks to better know each others characters a little better.
2) I don’t know if it was the module but the first part was awesome! It involved my two favourite things in D&D: Roleplaying and combat! The quest path we went on was just perfect for my character as it involved the faction that my character was part of (which is Zhentarim)! I don’t why but I felt like the second part of the adventure felt like filler that just led to a much more interesting conclusion in Part 3.
3) The rewards we got for participating was great as we got three magic items (two of them were very relevant for my character) and a lot of gold, and a level up!
4) I love the idea of Epics and it definitely does fit in with the idea of a co-operative roleplaying game.
Meanwhile in the Candlekeep Campaign with my Inquisitor Rogue / Wild Magic Sorcerer Halfling Jago Hayward has obtained the record for casting Fireball the most out of all of my D&D Characters. He casted it three times and it was worth it every time!
In the Phandelver campaign, my Tabaxi bard is having fun with shenanigans!
Also this month marks five years since I’ve been at my job.
I’ve recently put my days in for time off this year, so now I get to plan what do during my vacations!
I do hope to watch Season 2 of Community. I really enjoyed the first season! And maybe I will finally watch the last season of The Librarians.
I recently got the new Elle McNicoll book: Keedie. So what I am planning on for the month of May is to read one book from my three favourite authors: Brandon Sanderson, Elle McNicoll and Stephen King. Maybe I’ll even read another Octavia Butler book if I have time in May.
April was a difficult month for sure, and I hope to put this month behind me, and for brighter days ahead. There were fortunately some bright spots throughout this month. See you all next time!
Title: The Amazing Spider-Man: Dying Wish
Author: Dan Slott
Genre: Superheroes
Pages: 136 pages
Synopsis:
Dr. Octopus was given a year to live, his body in terminal decline after a lifetime of brutal battles against Spider-Man. So the brilliant madman used that time as you might expect. First, he mobilized an army of Octobots to take over Manhattan. Then, he assembled six sinister villains to abduct Norman Osborn’s child. Finally, he pursued Spider-Man to the ends of the Earth while threatening to burn the planet to a cinder. Each time, his ambitious plans ended in failure…or did they? Were his defeats further proof of his madness – or his genius? With Dr. Octopus hours from death, Spider-Man is about to learn the answer, as one of his oldest enemies turns the tables on him with a dying wish that spells doom for Peter Parker and everyone he loves!
Amazing Spider -Man 698-700
(from Goodreads)
So I picked this up at the Library and I saw it and I went “Oh another Doc Ock vs. Spider-Man story, that’s a classic matchup, why not?”, but it’s anything but the typical Doc Ock vs Spider-Man story.
I honestly didn’t like this story. But before I tear this apart, I do want to say what I did like about it: I liked how the Avengers made a cameo appearance in it. I also liked how many of the important characters in Peter Parkers life showed up and played a role in the story. Doctor Octopus is in it and a bunch of Spider-Man’s villains all show up in this story.
However this story doesn’t work for me. For one thing they used the “switch bodies” trope, where (sigh)… Doctor Octopus switches bodies with Peter Parker. Yes, I know. It’s an overdone trope and I hated how it was used here. Doctor Octopus is dying so he switches bodies with Peter, where he can be young and healthy, and Peter Parker is trapped in Doctor Octopus’s dying body. And of course Peter Parker wants his body back.
Do not read on if you want to be spoiled!
I really didn’t like the ending of this story. At the end Doctor Octopus wins and he decides to become good and to become a “Superior Spider-Man”. I just don’t buy Doctor Octopus’s conversion to the good side, as it just kind of happens. Also Peter Parker dead? What the hell Marvel? Of course, I do know Peter Parker comes back later, but still what the hell Marvel?
End of Spoilers
Overall, I did not like this Spider-Man story. I think there are plenty of other good Spider-Man stories to read. It’s best to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Title: Harley Quinn, Vol.4: The Final Trial
Author: Sam Humphries
Genre: Superheroes
Pages: 208 pages
Synopsis:
“Year of the Villain” arrives in Harley Quinn, even if Harley is doing her best to avoid it! Lex Luthor has an “offer” for Harley, and he won’t take no for an answer-so get ready for Harley-er Quinn! And Harley asks the inevitable question-who is DC’s “Villain of the Year”? It’s an award-show like no other, as DC’s best of the worst celebrate themselves in the Hall of Doom, with the winners picked by the fans!
Collects Harley Quinn #64-69 and Harley Quinn: Villain of the Year #1, including alternate pages.
(from Goodreads)
This is the sequel to Harley Quinn: The Trials of Harley Quinn. Harley Quinn has to deal with the grief of losing her mom, all while getting into Hijinks. Oh and she goes in back in time throughout DC’s history to stop the yearly crossovers. Oh and she has to host the villains award show. Yeah…
This was a very fun graphic novel, it had a lot of good jokes in it. I loved the jokes involving Harley Quinn going back in time to stop the yearly crossovers from happening. That is peak meta humour in my opinion. They even made jokes poking fun at Scooby Doo and an issue where they poked fun of McDonalds. Where the Hamburglar gets released from prison for embezzling money from McDonalds. It was hilarious.
I also just enjoyed the meta and the fourth wall breaking that went on in this book.
At the same time, though this graphic novel does get deep with it’s theme of Grief and Loss. As Harley Quinn loses her mom at the beginning of the book, and we do explore how grief and loss effects her. And we see Harley try to get the family back together in order to stay strong. It also shows that despite her being one of the most chaotic characters in the DC Universe, she has real human emotions.
Also while Petite Tina plays a more minor role in this graphic novel, the fact that she asked someone to look for Harley after her disappearance just proves how good of a friend she is to Harley. She maybe a minor supporting character in the Harley Quinn series but she is one of my favourite supporting characters.
I guess my only complaint about this the tone of this book, as there were times where the humor conflicted with the theme of grief and loss.
Overall, I enjoyed Harley Quinn: The Final Trial. It’s full of fun, with some great character moments from Harley. And if you love fourth wall jokes and meta jokes, this is well worth the read.
Rating:
Title: White Sand, Volume 1
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Fantasy
Series: White Sand #1
Pages: 160 pages
Synopsis:
On the planet of Taldain, the legendary Sand Masters harness arcane powers to manipulate sand in spectacular ways. But when they are slaughtered in a sinister conspiracy, the weakest of their number, Kenton, believes himself to be the only survivor. With enemies closing in on all sides, Kenton forges an unlikely partnership with Khriss — a mysterious Darksider who hides secrets of her own.
White Sand brings to life a crucial, unpublished part of Brandon Sanderson’s sprawling Cosmere universe.
(from Goodreads)
White Sand is a book from one of my favourite authors: Brandon Sanderson. This is the first graphic novel (that I am aware of), of a story taking place in Brandon Sanderson’s universe. When I heard that this existed, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to give this a try (not having to imagine everything that is happening is nice).
Kenton, a weak sand master but has skills in other ways survives an organized attack by Kerztian warriors. He believes that he is the own survivor and meets an expedition led by Khrissala, a mysterious Duchess with a team of Professors. And Kenton guides them to Lossand. He takes them to Lossand, where Kenton learns of other survivors and has to assert himself as a leader.
For characters, Kenton was an okay character. We do see him struggle throughout the book and he had to really earn what he got throughout the book. We also understand his motivations. He isn’t my favourite Cosmere main protagonist but he is interesting and maybe in the next two volumes, I can grow to like him even more. Khrisalla is also a very interesting character, and it turns out I have met this character before in Mistborn: A Secret History (spoiler alert!).
Once again Brandon Sanderson did it again with his magic systems. This time the magic system revolves around: Sand! Yes sand! It’s called sand mastery which involves telekinetic manipulation of white sand, a process that leaves the sand black for a time, at the expense of the user’s water supply. I love how Brandon makes magic systems around different things: Mistborn it’s metal, in Stormlight it’s rocks, Warbreaker it’s breath and this book it’s sand.
For worldbuilding, I won’t make any final judgements on it till I read all three volumes. The pieces are there for something unique but I can’t shake the feeling that this is Sanderson’s Tatooine or Arrakis. Although I will say when we got to Lossand is where the world did get a little more interesting and hints at a larger world.
I do have some issues. I know this is split in three but the ending of this volume kind of just ends abruptly with Kenton showing his powers. Also there wasn’t a real “Sanderlanche” to this one, it’s one of the things I look forward to in a Sanderson novel. And it’s absence is noted here. Maybe in volume 3?
Characerization is a bit of an issue for me in this, as while Kenton and Khrisalla are interesting, we don’t really get inside their heads. And one of Brandon’s best strengths is his characters and getting inside of the characters heads.
Overall, I enjoyed it for being a good hour of a read. It has the potential to be a very important addition to the Cosmere universe especially with the appearance of Khrisalla. I will definitely read the rest of this series because as a Cosmere fan, I need to know where this goes.
Rating:
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-Up where I give updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!
This was a great month for my reading. 7 books this month! Woo-Hoo! I am very happy about that!
Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
DNF at 30%
While I admit the premise of this was interesting, but this was poorly executed. The characters felt flat to me and I didn’t feel attached to any of the characters. Dialogue was terrible and there were too many POV changes and the plot felt all over the place. This had potential but it fell really short.
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
I was disappointed by this novel, it started off being very interesting for the first half as I was on the edge of my seat, but in the second half it went really downhill for me.
Deadpool: Too Soon? by Joshua Corin
Sadly this was the third disappointment in a row for me, as while I did get a few laughs, I had no idea who Forbush Man and Shiklah were. So when Forbush Man gets killed off, I didn’t feel anything because I didn’t know anything about this character. It was a nice short read but I would only recommend if you are a die-hard Deadpool fan.
Deadpool: Back in Black by Cullen Bunn
I did end up liking this a little better than Deadpool: Too Soon. It was cool to see a different take on the symbiote storyline. And Deadpool being confused with Spider-Man was hilarious.
V for Vendetta by Allen Moore
This was a book that I really enjoyed. I loved themes it explores such as Anarchy vs Facsism, Freedom and Nuclear War are all covered in this book.
Tales from the Perilous Realm by J.R.R. Tolkein
I read this because of book club, it was cool to read lesser known stories from Tolkein. And I think this shows how great an author and a storyteller Tolkein really was.
White Sand, Volume 1 by Brandon Sanderson
I did finish this over this weekend but I wanted to get my V for Vendetta, Tales from the Perilous Realm and this post out. Review of my full thoughts will come!
This month I watched the first season of Community… and I loved it! It has a great cast of characters and I love the chemistry between these characters. I just love how all the characters are eccentric in someway.
I started a biweekly campaign in the setting I’ve always wanted to do for Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonlance. For this campaign I am playing a Fighter Cavalier Knight of Solamnia who is out to be the ideal knight and wants to restore the Knights of Solamnia’s reputation during the War of the Lance. I’ve always wanted to do this setting as this setting is the Star Wars of D&D. And that is reason enough for me to play in this setting. And I look forward to playing more with the party.
This past week I’ve been focusing on my mental health after having a bad fight with two of my friends.
We are heading into April, so I am hoping to be outside more as the weather becomes warmer.
This month I am hoping to watch the second season of Community. For my reading my top priority is reading the second book in the Stormlight Archives: Words of Radiance. This is a long book, it’s about over 1300 pages long, so I’m not expecting to read too many books this month.
I am also looking forward to more to the Dragonlance campaign. I am just excited to explore this world.
I am also looking forward to celebrating my five year work anniversary in April. This is a very important milestone for me.
March was a very busy month, especially with my volunteering activities and getting used to working for my new boss. However there were plenty of brightspots and I achieved a fair amount this past month. See you all next time and Happy Easter!
Title: Tales from the Perilous Realm
Author: J.R.R. Tolkein
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 403 pages
Synopsis:
The definitive collection of Tolkien’s classic “fairie” tales, in the vein of The Hobbit , illustrated by Oscar winner Alan Lee.
The book is the perfect opportunity for fans of Middle-earth to enjoy some of Tolkien’s often overlooked yet most creative storytelling. With dragons and sand sorcerers, sea monsters and hobbits, knights and dwarves, this collection contains all the classic elements for Tolkien buffs of all ages.
Roverandom is the story of a toy dog who becomes enchanted by a sand sorcerer. He gets to explore the world and encounter strange and fabulous creatures.
Farmer Giles of Ham is the tale of a fat, unheroic farmer who, having unwittingly managed to scare off a short-sighted giant, is called upon to do battle when the dragon Chrysophylax comes to town.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil tells, in verse, of Tom’s many adventures with hobbits, princesses, dwarves and trolls.
Smith of Wootton Major takes us on a journey to the Land of Faery, thanks to the magical ingredients of the Great Cake of the Feast of Good Children.
Leaf by Niggle recounts the strange adventures of the painter Niggle, who sets out to paint the perfect tree.
(from Goodreads)
So considering this is a book with different short stories/novellas, I am going to do my quick thoughts on each of the stories. So here we go!
Roverandum:
Now this is the story where it’s mostly meant for kids, but just because something is meant for kids does not mean it’s bad. It’s the story of a dog who gets turned into a toy dog from a Wizard (yep, a Wizard did it), and he goes on a quest to get himself restored into a regular dog. I like the backstory of it being a gift to one of Tolkein’s sons after he lost a toy dog that was really important to Tolkein’s sons. And Tolkein made this story to try and help his son feel better. And I feel that tells us that he was a caring father. This was a simple, imaginative and quite a fun read.
Farmer Giles of Ham:
I liked this story of an unassuming Farmer ends up becoming a hero when he dealt with a Giant. And when an evil dragon comes, he has to reluctantly become a hero and deal with the dragon. This was a fun story to read as it does show Tolkein’s humor. And I love it when Dragons are part of a story. Give me a story about a person who has to be a hero and has to deal with a Dragon (probably my favourite fantasy monster/creature) and I’ll probably like it. I liked this story and I think it’s worth reading no matter what your age is.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil:
This was kind of a disappointment for me. As I find the title a little misleading as Tom Bombadil is only involved in like 3 out of the 16 stories. I did like the poetry in some of them. and I did find it cool that these all take place in Tolkein’s world.
Smith of Wotton Major:
This was a decent novella about a great cake is made every 24 years at the Feast of Good Children. And one year the Master cook hides trinkets and a star in the cake, the star had faerie magic, and one of the boys who’s name is Smith accidentally eats the star. And he is able to walk through the land of Faery. This was just an okay story. I’m just kind of indifferent to it. Although I do feel like this story is about getting old as we see Smith grow up and become an older person throughout this story.
Leaf by Niggle
This is a short story about a painter named Niggle who is trying to work on a picture leaf by leaf. However he can’t complete his work as he keeps being distracted as he wants to help people. I honestly feel like out of all these stories this was the most personal for Tolkein as I feel like this story was an allegory of his creative process, his own life and his fear of dying without finishing his important books such as The Silmarillion. It was a very good short story.
Overall, this was a great collection of Tolkein’s stories and I think this book’s stories prove how good and talented Tolkein was as an author and storyteller. I highly recommend this if you are a Tolkein buff or if you just love reading Fantasy. I think you will have a good time reading this.
Rating:
Title: V for Vendetta
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction
Pages: 288 pages
Synopsis:
In the near future, England has become a corrupt, totalitarian state, opposed only by V, the mystery man wearing a white porcelain mask who intends to free the masses through absurd acts of terrorism.
(from Goodreads)
V for Vendetta takes place in a future England after a Nuclear War where England turns to Fascism.
There is quite a bit of things that I like about this book. For one thing the artwork in this is beautiful and I like how the artwork makes you pay attention to the details.
I love the character of V. V is such a mysterious character, he’s like the Shakespearean Philosopher Anarchist. Whenever V shows up on screen, he just steals the entire scene. There are other characters that are worth talking about as well. Evey Hammond’s character goes through quite a bit and learns what prison can really be. The story of Valerie Page, a gay actor who occupied the cell next to V in Larkhill was a story full of heart.
I also like the themes this book covers. This book covers themes such as Nuclear War (this book takes place in 90s Britain after a Nuclear War), and the climate change created by that Nuclear War. Another major theme is Fascism vs Anarchy. Freedom is also a major theme as our character are looking for freedom while living in a Totalitarian state.
This book and the movie are both great. And honestly the V symbol and the Guy Fawkes Mask became popular because of this graphic novel.
I don’t have too many complaints about this book, but if you are the kind of reader who just doesn’t want to read about politics while reading. This book definitely isn’t for you.
This is the second time I read an Alan Moore novel this year and Alan Moore is starting to grow on me as an author. As both the Watchmen and V for Vendetta to me are very good graphic novels. I really recommend this book if you want to read something that will make you think.
Rating:
Title: Deadpool: Back in Black
Author: Cullen Bunn
Genre: Superheroes
Pages: 112 pages
Synopsis:
During 1984’s Secret Wars, Deadpool was introduced to an alien symbiote who went on to become Spider-Man’s black costume and, eventually, Venom.
OK, OK, maybe that really happened in Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars. Point is, did you know that after Spider-Man rejected the costume… it went slinking back to Deadpool on the rebound? And they went on adventures together? You didn’t? Well, you will, now, thanks to this series by Cullen Bunn (Deadpool Killogy) & Salva Espin (Deadpool & The Mercs for Money)!
Collecting: Deadpool: Back in Black 1-5
(from Goodreads)
When I first saw this in the library, I knew that this was going to be fun. For those of you who don’t know the alien symbiote was a major event in Spider-Man’s timeline. Here it’s revealed that after the symbiote left Spider-Man, but before the symbiote got attached to Eddy Brock creating Venom. The symbiote got paired with Deadpool! And this book describes what happens when the symbiote is attached to Deadpool.
There were a few good things I liked about it. I did get a few laughs from it. And I loved how everyone thought Deadpool was Spider-Man and Deadpool having to tell them that he’s not Spider-Man.
I also enjoyed the bounty hunter team that was hunting the symbiote. They were a fun team and I got a few laughs out of them. I did liked the reveal at the end of their connection to The Collector (a recurring character in the Marvel Universe). I also found the inclusion of Power Pack fun in this series. This was my first time reading about this superhero team, but I am down to read more about them.
I also liked how in the end they connected it to how Eddy Brock got the alien symbiote. This story maybe a retcon but it still made some sense.
However, I have a few complaints about this. The first issue in this was very poorly paced as I didn’t find the intro to this series very fun and I was kind of bored by the first issue. If I am bored by Deadpool in the first issue that’s not a very good thing. Things did get much better second issue onwards.
I also just didn’t really like Deadpool’s symbiote version of his costume.
Overall, Deadpool: Back in Black was an okay story. I did ended up liking this better than Deadpool: Too Soon?, but I only recommend this if you are both a Spider-Man fan and a Deadpool fan.
Rating:
Spencer's Bookcase 