a series of small astonishments
Hello again, kittens! I hope you've had a fantastic week. I'm subbing for a pre-k teacher for the last couple of weeks of school while she's on maternity leave, and I really enjoy it even when the tiny people drive me batty. They use first names (Miss Nic, Miss Shannon) because their regular teacher has a last name that is basically unpronounceable to four-year-olds, but it's pretty adorable. This close to the end of the year, they've met all of their benchmark objectives, so their days are mostly structured play and long recesses, and with an hour of specials (art, music, etc.) and an hour nap each day, I basically get paid to spend two hours of every school day reading. I have zero complaints.
But, on to the things that I've enjoyed!
Watch
I loved the Once Upon a Time finale. Even with the time- and realm travel, nothing felt contrived about it. And Snow and Charming retained their agency and, yes, charm even with Emma and Hook's necessary interference. Emma finally got to be the fairy tale princess she was literally born to be, there was lots of good stuff for Hook, and a huge personal obstacle for Regina that came back to Storybrooke with them. Carry on as you are next season, show.
I enjoyed the last episode of Game of Thrones as well, but all thoughts about it were eclipsed by anticipatory excitement after seeing Sansa's snow castle in the preview for tonight's episode. Snow!Winterfell is maybe my favorite chapter in the whole series, and I cannot wait to see it play out on the show. Sophie Turner has been breaking my heart in the best way all season, and I don't think this will be any different.
My favorite part of the Agents of SHIELD finale was Melinda May kicking Ward's ass. "Like you were ever on top." Love.
The Vampire Diaries finale was enjoyable. I'm sure the focus going into next season will be on Damon and Bonnie (who are clearly not forever!dead - and neither is anyone else, ever, apparently), but I am way more interested in Tyler, who I understand is not only not a hybrid any more, but just a human with an un-triggered werewolf gene. Give me this. The Reign finale was great, too, though I did want them to drag out Henry's death in a horrible, disgusting way. (Because isn't that how he died in real life? Slowly and in a lot of pain and other horrible pre-modern medicine ways?) BUT how hard do I ship Bash and Kenna? Ugh, I love them.
Orphan Black
It gets its own heading because holy shit. The last episodes have been most excellent. I love how Art understood that the Prolethians were Not Good even at a distance, and his tactics for slowing them down after watching Helena run by him. Just...when do you ever see a "heroic" character let the damsel in distress run past him? Or let the people hunting said damsel carry on with their hunting? And how much do I love that this is that show? And then everything with the two of them in his apartment in the last episode was gold.
I'm loving Alison in rehab (I missed her a little in the last episode), though using her kids as leverage makes me hate Donnie more than ever. And Felix! I love Alison and Felix so much.
And I like Cal, even though I don't trust him. He is a presumably straight, white dude, and every one of those has been a duplicitous douchebag at BEST. But I think that Dyad means something to him, and probably has something to do with the technology he developed that I don't understand. As long as he's taking care of Kira though, he can stay.
And oh my god, Helena is Sarah's angel! That scene in the bathroom was AMAZING. Helena being a "welcomed" part of Sarah's life - in Felix's apartment, "brother sestra", eating all of Art's food, "do not call me this" - I love it so, so much. Invoking Helena as a threat is Serious Business, and I love Sarah and Helena together so much. Murder twins, ftw!
And the Rachel stuff is fascinating and a little terrible (what happened with Paul was decidedly Not Okay, but says so, so much about her), and I'm actually glad Helena didn't kill her. Imagine that.
As an aside, I am totally going to start hissing at people a la Helena just to freak them out.
Read
Between substitute teaching and bubble baths, I've read a lot this week. I'm still finding my way out of the ASoIaF theory and analysis rabbit hole (I love this one a lot), but books! I would definitely recommend Wendy Wunder's The Probability of Miracles to anyone who enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars. (Especially if, like me, you're a little annoyed by John Green's veneration in a segment of publishing where most of the authors are women writing for other young women.) The subtle touches of magic and the unexplained are gret, but grounded within a balanced reality.
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron is about a dog who is repeatedly reincarnated who decides that it must be because he is supposed to fulfill some purpose. So-called "animal books" don't always work for me, recent evidence to the contrary, but this was recommended by a friend and it didn't disappoint. It definitely kept me reading, and I'm glad that I waited to finish it until I left school. (Because tears.)
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black was a truly original vampire story and didn't include a love triangle! Also, a trans character who was treated as a person instead of The Trans Character! Very enjoyable, do recommend to anyone who has an interest in the vampire narrative. (I really think that if this had come out a few years ago, it would have been wildly popular, but now it may have missed the vampire boat. IDK.)
Yesterday, I bought and read e. lockhart's We Were Liars in about three hours because it is So Good. I cannot recommend e. lockhart enough, truthfully - everything she writes is excellent. (The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is one of my all-time favorites and should be required reading for teenage girls, IMO.) Read it ASAP, you will not regret it. (And if you haven't already read, The Disreputable History, read that now, too, please, and then come talk to me about it.)
You can keep up with what I'm reading on Goodreads.
"Someone once wrote that a novel should deliver a series of small astonishments. I get the same thing spending an hour with you."
e. lockhart, We Were Liars
Hearts
♥ breakfast sandwiches ♥ library books ♥ Lenny the Lizard, the happiest classroom pet I've ever seen (I visit him in the kindergarten classroom when I'm in the building) ♥ "I drew it for you, Miss Nic." ♥ magazines called "The Food Issue" ♥ puppy love - that is, love from puppies ♥ finding the balance ♥ choosing a new summer slush flavor for my parents' restaurant - I'm leaning toward pink lemonade ♥ not feeling so tired I desperately guzzle anything caffeinated ♥ buying the ingredients to copy Panera's strawberry poppyseed salad, my favorite ♥ bubble baths ♥ season finales - I still have Criminal Minds and Glee (I know) waiting on the DVR ♥ I finally started writing the matriarchal fic I've been planning for weeks \o/ ♥ Zoya Odette ♥ grocery shopping ♥ Sophie Turner and her Sansa stanning - I agree with basically everything she says ♥ kittens
Tell me, what has hearts in your eyes this week?