2017 Bookish Goals

2017 Bookish Goals

We are well into the new year now, and after much thought and deliberation, I have decided to compose a list of 6 things that I am going to try to maintain or accomplish in the year 2017. I don't want to call them "resolutions", because there's something about that word that doesn't motivate me as much as the word "goals" does. I'm not sure why and it's probably strange, but that's fine. :)

1. My Goodreads Challenge of reading 101 books this year.

2. Read a larger variety of books (like, poetry, adult books, ummmm.... still gotta research this one).

3. Blog everyday! If I can't, then let no more than one day go by without blogging.

4. Try writing.

5. Read more classics.

6. Give audio books a legitimate try. 

So this post is a bit shorter than my others- but I think a nice short list is doable in a way that isn't overbearing but still challenging. Wish me luck and good luck with yours!

Thanks for reading!!

Clace (from The Mortal Instruments): A Ship in My Fleet

A Ship in My Fleet

Clace (Clary Fray and Jace Herondale)

From: The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

***Assume post has spoilers for the entire TMI series***

Alrighty, so I'm rereading the entire TMI series at the moment (that's why there's been less book reviews), and I realized that this was the perfect time for me to share why I ship and love Clace.

When I Started Shipping:
If we're being completely honest here then I started shipping them the second they meet. Yes, in Pandemonium- which is weird now that I think about it because nothing really happens in that moment. But I think it was Clary's stubbornness and grounding in reality clashing with Jace's sassy supernatural point of view that did it. As stereotypical as it is, I saw the snarky personality and was like, "Yup. Him." Totally a cliche, and I totally don't care.


Favorite Canon Moment:
OF thE enTiRe SerIEs??!! Oh boy....hm. (***sits and thinks for 20 minutes***) ONE of my favorite moments is definitely when the two of them are in the Seelie Court. I KNOW- this is probably one of the most awkward moments of the entire series because they are still siblings at this point, but the emotions running through that scene were so intense, and that's why it's one of my favorites. They get totally lost in each other! But then Jace pulls away and there's all of that tortured Herondale crap that they all have, and it made the scene so much more real; because of that, it is one of my favorites.

Jace:
Ladies and gentlemen, it is at this point that I will go into my love for the Herondales. I'm totally kidding (but I love them), this is about Jace Lightwood-Wayland-Morgenstern-Herondale. The evolution of his character is fantastic, and what's even better is that it just gets better for Clace. The same thing happens with Clary's character. But what I love about Jace is that he is so goddamn loyal to those he loves. This is such a Herondale trait and I love it. The sass- that's the other thing that I LOVE about him. He is just so sassy with everyone, everywhere, and I love it. I also kinda love his arrogance. In real life, I hate that; but in books, it seems different. I'll have to explore that phenomenon in a later post.


Clary:
Clary is like the kind of person I want to be, at least how she is toward the end of the series. She takes matters into her own hands and steps up to the plate to get shit done. PLUS, I really love how she's artistic and can create new ruins. Jace can have all the monkey jumping powers he wants, I want Clary's ruin powers. What I love about Clary's character is that it is realistic. Sometimes people give her crap because in the beginning of the series she "isn't a strong female" character. Let's be real (at least for me), if I was suddenly and violently thrust into this world of vampires and shadowhunters and demons, I would not be some automatic demon slayer. I would be like Clary, being smart about the situation, asking questions, training, learning the do's and don't's of the world. 

Clace:
THEY WORK SO WELL TOGETHER!!! Jace is sassy and arrogant by nature, and Clary just has none of it. They grow together through the series and help even each other out. Jace helps Clary be confident about her abilities and Clary helps Jace put things into perspective and humble him. And together, obviously, they were able to save the world along with the rest of the gang. They have been through so much, more than so many other ships that I know of, and they are still doing fantastic. If this changes in Lord of Shadows I might lock myself in a room and cry for days. Clace is one of my all-time ships, and I think this is true for quite a few people, making it like a classic ship in current YA literature.

I can't wait to see what happens for this ship in the future!!

Thanks for reading!

Shadowhunters 2x03

Shadowhunters 2x03

"Parabatai Lost"

Thoughts and Feels

This episode was so so so so much better than the others. The actors really fit with their characters, there were no majorly awkward lines, and the pacing was a thousand times better. Plus, we got to meet Maia!!! I love this character in the books and I really love how Aisha acted out the character in the show. This episode was so nice- it was like a blend of true TMI but also slightly different and headed in an apparently beautiful direction. Ok- spoilers ahead and this was stream of thought, so it might be a little jumpy!


When everyone thought Alec was dead..... I cried. I was not emotionally ready for that- I was not prepared- I could not understand- it was too much for me to even possibly consider!!! It was just so drastic, for them to kill such a main character that I loved, that I had no idea how to react. Part of me was like, "They can't do this, there'd be no recovery and they'd probably lose most of their viewers." Another part of me though was like, "Oh my god they have done crazy random crap before that I could totally also see them doing this." I'm not quite sure what that says about my faith in the show... but then, of course Alec isn't dead. He was only very close to death but ended up being ok. Phew- false alarm.



So Simon in this episode wasn't really a focus, which I think worked really well. I have to say though, that I actually really like the growing tension between Raphael and Simon. There was almost a mini verbal showdown between them while their in the coffee shop with Simon's mom, and I really liked that part. I'm interested though to see how their going to keep Camille in the plot line this early on in the overall arching plot, because she isn't actually corporeally present until book 4. Comprehensively, there are still quite a few whole and plot details that are wrong or off about the vampires in the series. For example, in the show Camille sired Simon, but in the book Raphael did.

Looking at the bigger picture though, it seems like we are mostly back on track with the books. Or at least, we are on our way of getting back to some of the original genius of the books. Of course there are a few differences, like I don't think they'd bring in Imogan Herondale, which would be sad but not totally necessary. Instead of her, they have Aldertree in charge already, and just like in the book, he is a complete and total ***. What I am really excited to see next week is Jace's imprisonment in the city of bones, because at that point, they really have potential to swing it back around to the books. In the preview they showed part of the break in, and I think it's happening! We're getting the TMI world that we love! The one concern on my mind that I think I saw (but hope I didn't)is demon possession? Umm.... I really don't see how that would be able to work..... but for now I'm going to look at the positive. This episode was really interesting because it almost seems like the show is backtracking and correcting its issues- as though it is redoing the beginning or first half of City of Ashes. It makes me so happy to see this and so SO hopeful for the rest of the season and show!!

There is only one other thing slightly bothering me: Jocelyn is awake. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, in the books she is not awake at this point. As of now, I think the show has done an OK job of her character, but I'm worried about how it will change the show equivalent of the beginning of City of Glass. The main reason why Clary wants to go to Idris is because she needs to get the potion from Ragnor Fell.... but that's happened already. I guess it won't really be a problem if she goes just for the political reasons? I don't know. It's probably only a minor problem, but it snagged my attention.


Wow oh wow did I like this episode! I think I can confidently say that this one was my favorite out of all of them, seasons one and two. Next week is season four with new showrunners! I hope that this episode was like  transition of the two and that it keeps moving in this very nice looking direction.

Thanks for reading!

La La Land Movie Review

La La Land Movie Review

4.9 out of 5 Stars

Holy smokes- I cannot express accurately how much I enjoyed this movie. Everything about it was simultaneously beautiful and nostalgic and yet also heart-breaking and bittersweet. The acting was great, the cinematography was fantastic, and oh my word, the music was the highlight of the show for me. If this post won't convince you of going out to see this movie, I should probably also mention that La La Land has won more than several awards already, including seven Golden Globes (Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Musical or Comedy, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Screenplay), so if a personal opinion doesn't sway you, maybe that will help. :)


One of the striking things about this movie, to me at least, was that it isn't dependent on the actors. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were phenomenal in the film, but there were so many other incredible aspects that make this movie so great, that they all balance out and contribute equally to the success of the film. Emma, Ryan, the camera motion, the words, the music, the sets, the costumes, everything was just so seamless that it was incredibly and beautifully cohesive and amazing to watch.


I have to give a special appreciation to the music in this movie. I grew up listening to jazz around my house, and I have always enjoyed it, and it was so nice to have it shared the way it is in this movie. In one of my favorite scenes, Ryan is describing how jazz is always new and chaotic and you can never tell where it's going, and I just related to the passion in that scene so much, because I am that person. When I think of jazz, I don't think of the elevator music, I think of the artfully individualistic and collaborative effort that makes jazz jazz, and it was thrilling for me to have it represented in that way. And the scoring of the movie itself represents this too, because there were several times when I thought a chord was going to resolve one way, or a piece was going to close with the usual patterns, and they didn't. It was so refreshing and exciting to sit through and listen.

La La Land exceeded all of my expectations. It was at the same time a contemporary story, yet had such an old fashioned Hollywood feel to it, making it (probably and hopefully) an all-time classic. I am definitely going to be buying this when it comes out on DVD; I'm actually going to be seeing it in theatres again later this week; and I really hope everyone gets a chance to see it at some point.

Thanks for reading!

Movie Releases in 2017

Movies Coming Out in 2017 

This year is going to be the year that just blows my mind, both with books and movies. Here are the movies that I am really looking forward to and can't wait until they come out!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7)
 
Thor: Ragnarok (November 3)

Logan (March 3)

Wonder Woman (June 23)


Justice League (November 17)

Beauty and the Beast (March 17)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 26)


Cars 3 (June 16)

Fifty Shades Darker (February 10)

Before I Fall (March 3)


Fallen IS COMING OUT THIS YEAR FINALLY

Let It Snow (November)

Oh my! So many movies!! Six super hero movies and three Disney movies!!!!There are a few other YA books being turned into movies at some point (Red Queen, Shadow and Bone, Looking for Alaska), but as far as I can tell, they are not going to come out this year. There are already so many though, that this is probably a good thing!

Thanks for reading!

Shadowhunters 2x02

Shadowhunters Season 2

Thoughts and Feels

Episode 2: "A Door into the Dark"

SPOILERS

So last Monday the second episode of Shadowhunters aired!! Overall, I think it was slightly better than the first episode. There were some really great moments and fight scenes, but there were also some super super weird and awkward parts that I did not understand and thought they were a bit unnecessary.  

This episode was great for character development though, and I think it was good that they started to progress into some of these developments, especially because they become critical for what's coming next. The main one that comes to mind is Jace. In the books, Jace believes that he is actually a monster and we really start to see some of that in this episode. I think Dom did a really great job showing this as well, especially with the scene when Jace and Clary jump off the boat. Jace just looks so tortured and confused and it was perfect. 

 

Strange things: Dot coming back; the adamas-parabatai-tracking-stone; "Encanto"; Jocelyn. 

 

Awesome things: Simon Lewis; Clary's character development; Jace's character development; Izzy and Alec sibling bond

Concerns for the future: Sebastian; Valentine's boat; Simon

SPOILERS FOR BOOKS

Ok, so thinking about it, it seems like they're going to put book three into this season of the show. But with book three comes Sebastian... and with Sebastian comes a lot of other major important plot and character details. I am SUPER worried about how the show is going to progress with this. For example, THEY NEED TO KEEP THE SEBASTIAN SECRET SECRET!!!! Part of what makes City of Glass so great is that this character comes from nowhere and subtlety starts to reveal that he is actually a piece of shit. And then the actual truth is revealed in such an epic way, and I really want the show to embody that and not give away obvious teasers that will ruin it. They seem to have a tendency to ruin the set ups for these moments. The set up is great, but then there's something else that comes up and it's like an obvious wink to the audience that that isn't what's real.

The next two things I think will be fine... that boat needs to blow and Simon needs to become a Daylighter. I think they'll be able to do it, I just really want to see it.  

The next episode airs this upcoming Monday, January 16 so catch up online and watch!! :)

Thanks for reading!

Review: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

 Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

(overall and with no spoilers)

 

I remember back when these were being published individually as ebooks, and I remember thinking that there was no way that they could be anywhere near as good as The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices. Of course, I had to read them though, especially after reading Lady Midnight, and I really REALLY enjoyed them. Simon Lewis has grown to be one of my favorite characters from the series-es- I had always loved his character's humor and personality, but know he has climbed even higher on my list.

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy have all of the humor and character greatness as the rest of Cassandra Clare's books. There may not have been as much of a plot line, but I think it was totally ok. It really was more of an anthology, and I appreciated that it was done this way instead of trying to make it another great overarching plot. I'm not sure if many people would be looking at this if they haven't been already introduced to the Shadowhunter world, but if they are- Cassandra Clare's books are some of my all time favorites and I highly recommend reading them, starting with City of Bones. If you have read the others, I recommend trying to read this one before reading Lady Midnight. I read it after reading Lady Midnight, I still loved both of them tremendously.

Thanks for reading!

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