When Victoria Wright was twelve years old, she had precisely one friend.
F I L M S
1. Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen | ☆☆☆☆☆ | White ppl.
2. The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan [R] | ★☆☆☆☆ | Worse than I remembered.
3. Toast, S.J. Clarkson | ★☆☆☆☆½ | I. Okay.
4. The Devil Wears Prada, David Frankel | ★★★☆☆½ | I'm so mad, Anne Hathaway was High School Musical 2'd!
5. The Man from Earth, Richard Schenkman | ☆☆☆☆☆ | Stace, why?
6. Four Brothers, John Singleton | ★☆☆☆☆ | Killed the wrong white brother.
7. First Winter, Benjamin Dickinson | ☆☆☆☆☆ | Nah.
8. Bee Movie, Steve Hickner & Simon J. Smith | WTF?! | I hate men.
9. Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, Tyler Perry | ☆☆☆☆☆ | Tyler Perry, kiss my black ass.
10. Peeples, Tina Gordon Chism | ★☆☆☆☆ | One star for just not being Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.
11. Stoker, Park Chan-wook | ★★★★☆ | lol incestuous serial killers.
12. True Grit, Coen brothers | ★★★★★ | OH MY GOD I CANNOT BELIEVE I WAS SO FUCKING, ABSOLUTELY LATE ON THIS. WOW.
13. Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro | ★★★★★ | I'm not sure how to write my thoughts on this film, because I loved it that much, so I am just gonna say EVERYONE MUST SEE IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. It's the cutest anime.
14. 21 Jump Street, Phil Lord & Chris Miller | ★★★★☆ | I am shocked over how much I enjoyed this? I feel terrible I avoided 21 Jump Street for so long. The film was genuinely funny. I wanted to die. My sides were hurting so fucking much.
15. Crush, Malik Bader | ★★★☆☆½ | I loved this film sfm. I'm not even kidding. It could've been better plotted, truth be told. That way the "twist" wouldn't have seen so abrupt, but Crystal Reed was darling, and there needs to be more teen thrillers our world.
16. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Harald Zwart | ☆☆☆☆☆ | It was boring as fuck.
17. Teen Wolf, Rod Daniel | ★★☆☆☆½ | SMDH.
18. Now You See Me, Louis Leterrier | ★★★★★ | Just solidified my growing crush on Dave Franco, and I am so terribly upset abt this. I wasn't born to love a Franco. Also: - Isla Fisher was so qt. Jesse, perf. Woody Harrelson, amazing. I love you, Four Horseman; come back to see me soon. MAGICAL HEIST.
19. Side Effects, Steven Soderbergh | ☆☆☆☆☆ | WOW THIS FILM WAS SF BORING MAN, BORING, but I'm still totally mad for Rooney Mara.
20. Martha Marcy May Marlene, Sean Durkin | ★★★★☆½ | This is a film that I probably shouldn't use hearts to describe someone's performance but - Elizabeth Olsen: ♡♡♡. I pick brilliant celebrity crushes.
21. Ain't Them Bodies Saints, David Lowery | ★★★☆☆ | tbh I wish there was more crime in this crime romance, but the letters her character shares w Casey Affleck's were a lot. It was a v pretty film, though.
22. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Francis Lawrence | ★★★☆☆½ | SUCH AN IMPROVEMENT OVER THE FIRST.
23. Frozen, Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee | ★★☆☆☆ | It was all right.
T E L E V I S I O N
1. New Girl, Season Two | ★★★★☆ | I wish this seriously quit pretending I am supposed to like Cece and Schmidt together, but overall still my delightful little joyful treat.
2. The Mindy Project, Season One | ★★★☆☆ | More Mindy and Danny making faces at another, and less everything else, pls.
3. Ben & Kate, Season One | ★★★★★ | Cancelled | Like, honestly? I am most upset over the cancellation of this comedy series bc it was genuinely perfect? Ben & Kate was one of the most heartfelt comedies I've ever witnessed-and that includes the below, Raising Hope! I do wish Fox allowed them to film the final two episodes for they could just run them off sometime this summer or something. ugh I'm so upset. I hope to see the entire cast in different projects soon; I'll watch.
4. Raising Hope, Season Three | ★★★★☆½ | I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU.
5. Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23, Season Two | ★★★★☆ | Cancelled | I loved the series even though episodes were aired clearly out of order and total disregard. Gone too soon. Chloe/June is forever my one true pairing. I'll miss James Van Der Beek playing James Van Der Beek beautifully.
6. Elementary, Season One | ★★★★☆ | I like this show a lot. I am very much excited about the next season.
7. The Hour, Series Two | In progress
8. Doctor Who, Series Seven | ★★☆☆☆½ | Part II was better than Part I. It was great to see the Amy I fell in love with. Clara's face was the most beautiful to me.
9. The Carrie Dairies, Season One | ★★★☆☆ | Super cute high school fluff, I appreciate it.
10. Wonders of Life, Miniseries | ★★★★★ | Perf.
11. House of Cards, Season One | ★★★★☆½ | I swear to God.
12. Arrested Development, Season Four | ★★★☆☆½ | (Music notes.) "Hello, darkness, my old friend..."
13. Teen Wolf, Season Three: Part A | ★★☆☆☆½ | WOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS SHOW CONTINUES TO GIVE ME EVERYTHING I NEED (CUTE SCOTT/ALLISON MOMENTS DESPITE THEIR BREAKUP, SCOTT/ISAAC EVERYTHING) THEN MAKES ME HATE EVERYTHING ELSE (ALLISON/ISAAC CAN BURN IN HELL). This half of the season sucked. Jeff Davis bought into his own hype, but despite everything, I can't wait for January. I'm gonna be mad.
14. Catfish, Season Two | ★★★☆☆½ | YOU CAN STILL BE MY CHOCOLATE KISS.
15. Orange Is the New Black, Season One | ★★★★★ | YO. THIS WAS FANTASTIC.
16. Breaking Bad, Complete Series | ★★★★☆½ | I love you, I love you, I love you.
17. The Mindy Project, Season Two | ★☆☆☆☆½ | Dropped | Fuck this show, honestly. Like, fuck this entire program.
18. Sleepy Hollow, Season One | In progress
19. Reign, Season One | In progress
20. The Carrie Dairies, Season Two | In progress
21. Brooklyn Nine-Nine | In progress
22. Raising Hope, Season Four | In progress
B O O K S
1. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, Jonathan Auxier | ★★★☆☆ | Decided to finish this before returning it to the library, and it was a definitely a fun tale, especially for a first time author, but I feel like he needed a better editor or something? Some aspects of the story could've been cut out or shuffled around also there's such thing as women??? but otherwise it was honestly cute.
2. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan | ★★★☆☆ | It kept me entertained while traveling, also hashtag friendship, but it overall read like a young adult publication. Which no problem, but I expected something more advance?
3. Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple | ★★★☆☆ | I can't tell if I loved or hated this book. Everyone had the worst qualities, and none were redeemable, esp. since this was suppose to be a satire of Rich High Tech Life, but I laughed a lot and the ending made me feel happy for Bee. idk IT WAS WEIRD.
4. The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Emily M. Danforth | ★★★★☆ | Enjoyable, although that may be a strange word to use, coming-of-age novel. Although it dragged a bit during the third part and WOW AT A CERTAIN GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION, I wouldn't hesitate recommending it to friends and such.
5. White Cat, Holly Black | ★★★☆☆½ | I had a delightful time reading this story. What Holly Black lacked in technical difficulty, she made up for with interesting world-building and relationships. At times it could be a bit predictable, but overall I am looking forward to reading the next in the Curse Workers trilogy. Hopefully more exploration of the crime families are on its way, bc why the fuck not?
6. This is How You Lose Her, Junot Díaz | ★★★★★ | Wow.
7. The Sigh, Marjane Satrapi | ★★★☆☆½ | Delightful, although short fairy tale, to be honest! There were aspects I wish were better expanded upon or explained-why did Rose want the seed of a blue bean?-and romantic entanglements that make me roll my eyes, but everything was ever-so charming and I smiled a lot towards the end. The illustrations were lovely as well. Terrible review, I know, but it was just so cute.
8. Tell the Wolves I'm Home, Carol Rifka Brunt | ★★★★★ | Have you ever wanted ever-so bad to write a real, proper review, and yet everything that comes from your head sounds absolutely disagreeable? That's how I feel.
9. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version, Philip Pullman | ★★★★☆ | There's no point here that must be made. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version is a delightful anthology filled for stories I did and didn't grow up with, and Philip Pullman was detailed enough to write little footnotes about what he added, subtracted and worked around. The covers for both the United States and United Kingdom editions are magnificent, too.
10. Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See, Juliann Garey | ★★☆☆☆½ | I do not doubt this novel being well-written; - it frankly is. Garey clearly knows her way with words, because despite all my qualms, I remained fully engrossed. Nevertheless, it got maddening whenever we went back to Greyson's international travels as we never really met a woman of color who wasn't a con, thief, etc. or a just your average plot device, and it got enraging, so I started skipping passages? And that unsurprisingly started to deeply impact my appreciation, truth be told. So, like. This was definitely a it's not you, it's me scenario. Maybe I should take a break from reading novels about older white men, but I am definitely will keep Juliann Garey on my watch list, because again, she does have a certain magnetic way with words.
11. Tenth of December: Stories, George Saunders | ★★★★☆½ | Too lazy to properly write thoughts, no matter how short they end up being, but my most liked stories in this collection includes "Tenth of December," "Victory Lap," "Puppy," and "Escape from Spiderhead." Yeah.
12. The Spindlers, Lauren Oliver | ★★☆☆☆ | Truth be told, I feel a bit disappointed in this book? On paper (ahahah ha), it read as something I would genuinely enjoy, but Oliver's execution fell a bit flat. I had a hard time connection with the characters, and the story lacked some of the charm needed to pull it off. Basically I'm hoping I'll enjoy Liesl & Po more than I did The Spindlers.
13. The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne M. Valente | ★★★★★ | I LOVED IT, I LOVED IT, I LOVED IT. I CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE tbh.
14. A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend, Emily Horner | ★★★★☆ | I liked this a great deal? I still can't be sure if I misread the summary or I'm dense, but I hadn't realized the lead character's love interest was her former middle school bully. Despite that, this book ended up wonderful, sweet and kind. There's a positive up-current throughout, and I am glad to have read this. I wish I was exposed to more happy LGBT young adult novels when I was younger tbqh.
15. Starting From Here, Lisa Jenn Bigelow | ★☆☆☆☆ | I don't know how I found myself in a "I just don't care about the protagonist" streak, but this was definitely a pass/no thank you/I've read better, and now I'm mad.
16. Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures, Emma Straub | ★☆☆☆☆ | This was merely okay. Emma Straub wrote a story that was very historical. Everyone felt real enough that I almost believed they weren't fictional; however, the style it was written in was so detached from everything, everyone, that it was difficult to connect to story. This would have made a fantastic screenplay, but as a novel, I honestly don't give a fuck.
17. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling | ★★★★★ | Ripped from the pages of Readmill (!): I haven't surprisingly read a Harry Potter novel since I completed Deathly Hollows in 07, so deciding to reread Prisoner of Azkaban was heavy. Okay, that isn't entirely truthful. POA is probably (read: definitely) my favorite in the series. It's a slow burn, but always delightful. Like, I am v glad staying up until five to finish Rowling's best work(, even if that's clichéd,) was a good choice!
18. The Good House, Ann Leary | ★★☆☆☆ | Didn't care enough to write a review, I suppose.
19. Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape, Jenna Miscavige Hill | ★★★★☆ | Fuck Scientology.
20. The Fun Parts, Sam Lipsyte | ★☆☆☆☆ | Men.
21. Liesl & Po, Lauren Oliver | ★★★★☆ | This was super charming. I had a few issues with the way certain things were handled, but all in all I was glad I read this.
22. The Year of Shadows, Claire Legrand | ★★★★★ | Hahah, I am not surprised to say I loved everything about this novel. I have been waiting months to read Year of Shadows, and now that I've finished it, I am clueless on what to say. Legrand's mastery of words is awe-inspiring. It was comforting to see fate, ghosts, forgiveness and the like interwoven so gorgeously; - like The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, I must recommend this to all, ah!
23. Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell | ★☆☆☆☆ | lol k.
24. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Sáenz | ★★★★★ | THINGS I LOVED ABOUT ARISTOTLE & DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE: (a) It was a slow-burn romance between two boys-of-color, specifically Mexican-American. Finding LGBT+ centric stories about non-white folks is difficult as fuck, and boom! here's this young adult novel that features such. (b) Both their parents are amazing and supportive and so absolutely wonderful. Neither set of parents had that "oh my god! my child is gay" freak out that the media loves to depict. I mean, yes, of course, parents aren't always supportive. That's why I'm not personally out to mine - I know a little smth about that fear - but it is so nice to see smth that gives hope, that my parents won't hate me forever. (c) It had a happy ending. THAT'S ALL I REALLY NEEDED. I JUST. I loved everything. It was touching and sweet and idk words. Everyone read this book. (d) and oh! IT WAS SO V POETIC. There were lines that just flowed beautifully, that I want to etch into my skin and soul. "The problem with my life was that was someone else's idea." All right, okay, goodbye.
25. A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki | ★★★★★ | lol WOW. Sometimes you know when a book is gonna stick with you from the very first line, but you don't want to declare it incase you are mistaken; - however, then you finish, and you realize you were right from the jump. A Tale from the Time Being was that for me. That's what it means to be a time being, old Jiko told me, and then she snapped her crooked fingers again. / And just like that, you die. That, - that is something that sticks with you.