Madam Secretary Season 1 Thoughts and Feels

Madam Secretary 

Season 1

Thoughts and Feels

4.43 out of 5 Stars

I had no clue this show was a thing until it popped up on my Netflix feed and now I feel like I missed out when it was airing live! Fortunately for the entertainment side of my brain, it was very captivating. Unfortunately for my productivity, it was very captivating.

Madam Secretary is a political show about the fictional Secretary of State, Elizabeth (Bess) McCord. Episode 1 sets it all up: ex-CIA, predecessor died in a suspicious plane crash, used to be a professor living on a horse farm. As each episode goes along, there is a wide variety of different crises that come up in the office and internationally that we get to see the State off take care of. It was really well done in my opinion (even though I haven't seen many political shows lol) because it wasn't over-the-top or melodramatic. There's one office romance, but it occupies minimal air time and there is some family drama as well, but that serves more as character development for Bess as we see her balance her high-profile position and her relationships at home.

Bess is fantastic. Seriously, I love that while she has her own very strong morals, she's also very comfortable listening to other people's perspectives. I especially love that if she's talking to her husband, she can keep up with his level of philosophical theory as an ethics professor (which, I love their relationship), so clearly she's done her research. Bess really strongly and quietly holds her own though in her position. Like I mentioned, she came into the office because the last guy died in a plane crash, so nobody really knew who she was or was thrilled she was there. The Chief of Staff especially, Russell Jackson, has a very stern personality, so it was all heightened. Bess just went about her job though and completely crushed it with success after success.

Overall, I liked how consistent the show was with through-line of the Iran Peace Talks and suspicious plane crash. I think they sort of nailed how much they needed to draw attention back to those puzzle pieces by keeping it fresh without overwhelming every single plot and episode with new information. But oh my God, I think the most intense episode was when Iranian Ambassador Javani died. I cried and cried. It was heartbreaking to see this man pass away in front of his son. That scene was so horrible, but so well-done and set up for that the tragedy hits home in your heart instantaneously.

Despite how well the show handled the overall/larger plot, I also really liked how each episode had it's own center. I feel like because the show was handled this way, we were able to see more of the "everyday," or I guess the variety, of situations the State had to handle. These situations ranged from navigating a person seeking asylum to going through a potential shooter outside the building to helping solve a crisis in Canada. It is so varied and each episode is going to be different from the next.

It was still a long season. This is not a Madam Secretary thing, but an American thing. I just don't really understand seasons that are 22 episodes long. I was not as upset about this as I normally am with TV shows because I thoroughly enjoyed the show from pacing to acting to plot. It did get to that point for me of, "oh jeez how many episodes are in this season?" But I didn't get to that point until much later than I would expect myself to. So even though it was a long season, I wasn't as annoyed with the 22-episode length like I am with other shows.

What I appreciated was that the show wasn't super dramatic. I wouldn't know, but I imagine it was just slightly a bit more dramatic than what actually happens in a political office. Then again, it could be incredibly boring, I have zero clue. But I think what it is for me as a viewer, is that it felt realistic. Like, Grey's Anatomy is very fun and dramatic, but I don't image doctors and nurses have the dramatic relationship scenes in a hospital they way they do in the show. With Madam Secretary, I don't get that vibe.

This show low-key gives me some sort of hope for the future of American politics. Not all politics are bad, but there are a lot of politicians that I am not happy with (this is a mild way to put it). And seeing a show about high-ranking political figures that are ethical and moral, not perfect, but they try, is a sort of balm, even if it's fictional.

I'm already watching season 2 and I am so happy to have found show to binge that balances some drama with some cognitive necessity. Just a dash brain power needed, but a healthy-sized dash. 

Thanks for reading!

Review of The Lost City by Amanda Hocking

The Lost City by Amanda Hocking

3.47 out of 5 Stars

***Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

In The Lost City is a wonderful spin-off of the author's Trylle Trilogy that follows a new protagonist, Ulla Tulin, as she tries to discover her parents and heritage. You do not need to have read neither the Trylle Trilogy nor the other spin-off series The Kanin Chronicles to follow this book. (Sorry there were so many negatives in that sentence haha!) Personally, I haven't read The Kanin Chronicles, but I totally remember loving the Trylle Trilogy back in high school. Now, I don't want to share my age, but let's just say it's been a minute since I've been in high school, so I read those books a while ago. But I remember loving them and loving the pacing and the originality of a book with trolls as the main characters.

The Lost City dives even deeper into this troll territory and I just love exploring new books that have unique/less common fantastical elements. How many other books are out there with whole troll societies and main characters?? And we really get to see a lot of interesting dynamics between the different kinds of trolls in this book, as well as some Norse mythology which was a delightful added bonus. Ulla is determined to trace her bloodline and any ancient genealogy books she can find in order to figure out who her parents are. She had been left with the owners of an inn back when she was a baby, and the only real working clue she has to guide her on this path is her mother's name, Orra.

The attempted discovery of Ulla's mother is only part of the plot. There's also the exploration of a great magical city (Mimirin) and some random strangers that don't quite fit in with the rest of the trolls. It was all very interesting, but it wasn't clear how all the individual pieces matched up with each other and there was no high-risk plot connecting everything until the end. So unfortunately, all of that great set-up sort of consumed the pages until about 60% of the way through for me. At that point, there were finally enough signals and larger events happening that I was able to go "What's going to happen next?" and really feel engaged with the plot.


Part of what I'm waffling on a little bit here as well is that the book was a really easy read. Like, I think it could be a middle-grade read. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there didn't seem, to me at least, to be any content or themes that would make the book inappropriate for a middle-grade audience. However, it is labeled as a young adult book and the main character is old enough to be venturing into the world on her own. In my mind, that puts the book in a weird market whereby middle-grade readers are trying to relate to a character that is experiencing things that they haven't come to experience yet, but also young adult readers could get frustrated if they feel like they aren't challenged enough.

Reading level and set-up aside, it was a very original world and story that I loved seeing unfold and develop. There were also great relationships between the characters. I absolutely loved how close Ulla was with all of the kids and how she was essentially Hanna's older sister in Mimirin. There's just such a sweet and powerful message there about choosing your family and being accepted by those you love.

The Lost City is perfect for you if you are looking for a fun and light fantasy novel. It had all the creativity and magic with so few pitfalls that I think would really brighten up any reader's TBR. Plus, I have a good feeling about where the series could be heading so I think it's a good idea to check this one out!

Thanks for reading!

Seberg Movie Review

Seberg

Movie Review

Honestly, I was only half paying attention to this while I watched it because I was cleaning at the same time. Because of that, I don't feel comfortable giving it any sort of starred ranking because I don't think it would be genuine.

Seberg is a historical, thrilling biopic (lots of things, I know...) about Jean Seberg, an actress in the middle of the 20th century who was an activist for racial equality. The movie picks up at the start of her involvement with the Black Panther Party and follows her throughout the next several years and the government monitors her and attempts to end her involvement with the Black Panther Party. She is aware on some level that she is being watched, but it is a slow unravel where she starts to question every phone call, crew member on sets, and interactions with friends.

Of the top of my head, what I was able to notice while I was half-paying attention was this:
1. The resolution felt soft and unsatisfying.
2. Kristen Stewart was amazing in this.
3. This topic was fascinating, but I wanted more.

1. Overall, I just didn't really like how the movie ended. There's no really clear understanding of what is going to happen to the other characters and even with Seberg herself, we only get that classic background music and text overlay describing the end of her life. What I'm really wondering is, if that was the resolution, what was the climatic moment in the movie?

2. I feel like Kristen Stewart gets better and better with every movie that I see her in. There were times that I would look up to the screen and just see Seberg. It would be a self-shock to remember that I was watching Stewart play Seberg. Also, there is such a slow unravelling of Seberg's character that I though Stewart did really really well.

3. The whole premise and context of this film is absolutely fascinating. More importantly, it is important for conversation about race in America. However, I don't think the film dived deep enough into these themes. They had a great opportunity, but I don't think they took advantage of it fully. Again though, I wasn't paying close attention while I was watching it, so I could be off about this.

Thanks for reading!

Review of Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

3.8 out of 5 Stars

I don't know why, but I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would. It was still good, it just wasn't the oh-my-god-I-loved-this good like I tend to feel about her other books. To me, everything seemed more surface level compared to previous strong personalities and intense plot development. In all fairness, I am coming out of a reading slump which could be heavily affecting the way that I am looking at this story and reviewing it.

As a whole though, it felt almost like it was written on autopilot if that makes sense? Like, JLA is a fantastic writer, so writing on autopilot is still going to give you a great read, but a lot of phrases were overly familiar, a lot of tropes were overly familiar, and I didn't feel that connection with the book that I was going to be on a crazy fun roller coaster. I knew all the turns and all the plunges so nothing was as exciting and new.

I honestly don't even really want to get into a huge review/break down discussion of the book, which makes my heart a little sad. BUT, I don't want that to be any indication of the quality of this book. I think my not wanted to give it a full review is part of me just coming out of my reading slump so please don't read too much into that.

I think the biggest "review" I can confidently give this book is that it is a sophomore book. Now, I have read some really bad sophomore books and this was not one of those. However, I think all sophomore books have the near insurmountable task of being more than a set-up book, and I think most fail. This one certainly wasn't a failure because there was definitely a separate plot goal in mind, but for the most part it felt like a set-up book. But what a set-up. Holy cow, that was a boss ending.

Was it fabulous? Eh, not so much for me. Was it good? Yes. I can very comfortably say that and recommend to readers of the series to keep going, especially because I am so intrigued about where we are going to go in the next book.

Thanks for reading!

Summer Books I'm Looking Forward To

Summer Releases

The June-August Books That I'm Looking Forward to Coming Out

Hello! So this list is both a long list and a short list at the same time. There are so so so many books coming out this summer that I'm looking forward to, but to help support the Black Lives Matter movement, I'm only going to list the books coming out by black authors. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, and I've also thrown on a list of educational books on racism and resources to find even more literature and media to make it easier for all of us to access.

Those of us who read (and those who don't) know how impactful literature is on the individual, the community, and the larger social awareness of the world. That impact - which is a small word that encompasses a huge range of effects and emotions - is vital. Which is why it is profoundly important that diversity is represented in literature. Excellent books are getting published every week, and it is important to carry the value of diversity beyond just this moment in time into the months and years and decades after this summer. But, for those wanting something newly released and don't know where to start, well. . . here ya go. . . :)

June

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

A Song of Wraith and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

A Song Below Water: A Novel by Bethany C. Morrow

All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson 

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

July

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Baryron

Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert

This Is My America by Kim Johnson

August

Now That I've Found You by Kristina Forest

Luster by Raven Leilani

Cry of Metal & Bone by L. Penelope

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly Baptist

Also, here is the list of books and resources to find more books to read and ways educate yourself about current events, history, and perspectives.

• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Be the Bridge by LaTasha Morrison
• The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
• Goodreads's Anti-Racist Reading List
• Harper's Bazaar's BLM Reading List
• Vogue's BLM Reading List
• Lastly, Netflix has created a "genre" (I think they're calling it this, but I'm not 100% sure. . .) called Black Lives Matter.

Thanks for reading!
(Final editing note: I believe the pandemic may still be messing up publication dates. I know of several books from the past couple of months that have been moved, but I'm not sure if summer titles have been moved as well. These are all up-to-date as far as I know.)

Should I Read Rhapsodic? (Rhapsodic v. ACOMAF)

The Similarities Between Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

In other words, should I read this book if I'm a SJM fan?

Quick short answer to this question ^^^ at the very end.


General Context about Me as the Writer of this Post:
1. I am a huge Sarah J. Maas fan. Like, massively huge.
2. I am planning on giving Rhapsodic its own full review. This is almost a prequel post so that I can sift through some of my thoughts and reactions.
3. This is, I feel like, old, small, book community tea. Yet, one that I still find interesting.
4. This is not going to be a slam post of any kind. I'm genuinely just curious about the conversation around and between these two books.

Phew. Here we go.
I read the ACOTAR books by Sarah J. Maas as they were coming out. I have very clear memories of hearing about Rhapsodic on Tumblr, Twitter, etc. because there were so many similarities between this book and the second ACOTAR book, A Court of Mist and Fury. (Which, in my own very biased opinion, is one of the best books ever.) There were posts encouraging people to read Rhapsodic, calling it a hangover cure or a tie-over until the last ACOTAR book came out, but there were also posts telling people not to read it because it was too similar and felt like a rip off.

Here's the thing: there is context to me that suggests certain elements of Rhapsodic were inspired by A Court of Mist and Fury.

A Court of Mist and Fury came out May 3, 2016. Rhapsodic came out November 15, 2016. This six month timeline would normally disqualify any notion of the latter copying the former, BUT, I feel fairly certain that Rhapsodic is self-published. Timeline and publishing-- it normally takes about two years for a book to go from agent at the start to on-selves at the end. Self-publishing however, can be very quick, especially if someone is genuinely skilled at writing quickly without the need for editors.

Why do I think Rhapsodic is self-published? Well, I'm actually not 100% certain on this, but when I tried to find anything about the publisher, Lavabrook Publishing Group, the only books that come up are Laura Thalassa's and her husband's. The only bit of information I could get about the publisher was that there is a mailing address for it in Ventura, which is an easy drive away from Santa Barbara (where Thalassa's Twitter says she's from). There's no publisher's website either, which seems very odd. It would also make sense to me from a business perspective for her to do this, because there are times that self-publishing sites bring certain negative presumptions about the kinds of writing someone is about to read. So even though it's self-published, it sounds like a full-standard publishing house novel. And maybe the company is growing and right now it's just her own small business. But the book still has the quick timeline capabilities of a self-published novel.

Now, the real odd wrench in Rhapsodic being "inspired" by A Court of Mist and Fury. There are old blog posts from Laura Thalassa saying that she originally got some of the ideas back in 2014. However, there doesn't seem to be mention to the things that would be common between the two books and it seems like odd timing to me that she didn't talk about Rhapsodic again or come back to it until a month after ACOMAF came out. To me, that seems like there was plenty of time for her to read ACOMAF and use pieces of it to finish up Rhapsodic. Like things clicked all of a sudden and she was able to finish it. Who knows? At the end of the day, these books are their own entities and if there are commonalities between them, well, then so be it. There are some things that can't be claimed by a single author or owned by one person.

Points of Similarity/Difference:

1. Bargains

Des and Rhys make bargains with Callie and Feyre respectively. Funny enough, Des even traditionally tattoos his deals onto the person's skin, sort of how Rhys does to Feyre. For Rhys and Feyre, the tattoo is initially one that shows how Feyre will need to spend a week in the Night Court every month for the rest of forever. But, I don't believe this is typically how Rhys marks his deals. I feel like he partially does this with Feyre to (a) give her a constant reminder about him, and (b) screw around with Tamlin. Also, their mating bond is an identical tattoo on her other arm, so I think it just is a connection between the two of them because Rhys has his own Illyrian tattoos.

Callie doesn't get a tattoo, she gets a bracelet instead with a bead for every bargain she makes. I liked this idea. I don't think I would have liked a bracelet that big, but it worked! But this also shows a difference between the tattooing for Rhys and Des. Rhys tattooed Feyre to get closer to her. Des didn't tattoo Callie so that she wouldn't be just another bargain.

Also, the circumstances around the bargains are very different. Des uses it as a side job and Callie gets bargains because she's bored and needs a friend to hang out with. Rhys I don't think ever makes these deals and Feyre only does it because she's legit dying and has no other choice. Very, very different.

2. Wolflike Boyfriend- Possessive + Temper Tantrum

Tamlin is a bit like Eli, I have to say. They both are super alphaholes, take on wolflike forms, and completely trash a house when they lose control of their tempers. They also are the old love interest that loses, which is a win in my opinion as a reader.

3. Heroine is taken away to a different kingdom

Feyre is forced to go to the Night Court with Rhys. Callie is "forced" to go to the Court of the Night. Yeah, they're kind of similar in this way, but even the tone of the "taken away" is different for these books. For Feyre, she really really did not want to go. She was there in the Night Court, throwing shoes and asking when she could leave. For Callie, she puts up a little bit of a fight, and then acquiesces once Eli trashes her house. So.... it's similar, but also very different.

4. Secret pent-up love

Not even going to touch this one because it is such a strong trope across all books, not just YA/NA fantasy. Is it there? Yes. Moving on. 

5. A Nighttime Court/Kingdom

Rhys is Lord of the Night Court, Des is king of the Court of Night... clearly there is a similarity, but honestly not one that I think is remarkable. Sort of like the "pent-up love" thing I didn't bother going into detail with, this is something that just seems common. Thalassa could have gotten a night court idea from literally dozens of places. And it's not like she had Des looking like Rhys on top of it. They have very different descriptions. The courts looks different as well, again highlighting the difference here between one as a fantasy novel and one as an urban fantasy novel.  So again, similar theme, but different execution.

If you notice, none of those things are unique ideas. So many authors use them so many different ways. What is slightly curious to me is the huge reaction that I saw this having on the social medias back when they were both new releases. But I think ultimately, while they use similar themes or pieces, they are very different stories. For one thing, ACOMAF is TWICE as long as Rhapsodic. It's also a complete fantasy whereas Rhapsodic is an urban fantasy. There are different creatures, different rules, different kingdoms, different travel, different writing styles and foci... a whole lot of differences.

So should I read rhapsodic? I would say it depends on what you're looking for, especially if you're coming off a Sarah J. Maas read.

If you're looking for that new adult, sort of edgy, fae romance, then yeah, go for it.

If you're looking for the complex character game and political development, then maybe not.

Thanks for reading!

Review of The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel

The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel

4.03 out of 5 Stars

 

~ Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. ~

This book came across my reading list at the most perfect time. I was stressed and I needed something as adorable and reassuring as this. The Trouble with Hating You was definitely intense. There were a lot of very low lows and definitely back out if you think there are themes you can't read. But, it is a triumphant story and the romance was one of the most adorable things I have read. It's a hate-to-love trope, so take that into consideration when you pick it up. I like those :) and that trope definitely lent itself to my enjoyment this book.

Liya and Jay are literally one of my favorite couples. Seriously. When Liya was stepping up and taking the initiative at work, Jay didn't complain or give her crap about it. No-- he cleaned up her lab equipment, bought them food, and just kept her company while she worked. That may be one of the most heartwarming things I've ever read. It was pure support! I loved it. And they just kept supporting each other over and over. And the banter. THE BANTER. I love a good banter between the ship in a book. Not fighting, but the little comments and pokes that are borderline snippy and playful and remind you of an old married couple. They had that banter down perfectly. A+

I think there's a lot of great conversation that can come from this book as well. About family, friends, intersection of personal life and work life, religion, community... it wasn't just a light and fluffy romance. There's really good substance to it as well. And I don't want to say that romance books don't typically have substance, but in here specifically, there was a potency to the substance and the themes. It elevated the story for me.

A highlight for this book that I think is tangential to the romance is the amazing friendships. They seriously were fantastic to see portrayed to be so real. The friend group that Liya has is so strong, yet they are all so different. And they all have different life goals, opinions, and sometimes step on each other's toes. But like the relationship with Jay, there was just so much wonderful support and it would bring a smile to my face to read about this group of lifelong friends.

The Trouble with Hating You is a perfect summer romance read. It is sweet, and funny, and I could definitely see a group of friends reading this together!

Thanks for reading!