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[analydime]

Beef S2

I’m afraid the first season struck harder. For what it's worth: acting and direction here are just as good as in the first season, but the overall plot and writing in general were not for me. The dialogues between the main characters are infuriating – and sometimes they should be for the sake of the plot and character building – but it takes a nonsensical turn at times.

Same goes for the final episode: the ending takes what I call the “Gone Girl” style: the main characters stay together to suffer in each other’s company, to torment each other, since that’s exactly what they both deserve. For what, you ask? For their stupidity, hesitation, inability to make hard decisions that do not involve reproduction, and lack of any moral judgement. But does their child deserve to be growing up in that atmosphere? That’s not for us to decide.

The other couple’s separation and the outcome they receive are much more satisfying, however unbelievable it is.

If the third season comes, I will be there, but perhaps less enthusiastic than before.

[analydime]

Enola Holmes 3

Now, let me vent for a little bit.

I didn't necessarily hate this new installment in the Enola Holmes series, but I'm quite far away from liking it – even a little bit.

It feels like everyone from the cast and the crew just couldn't be bothered to make this one properly. From the inconsistencies in the settings and visuals (really, the gel nails and fillers in late 19th-century England???) to the most boring plot in the series (however, perhaps it’s partly the plot of the original source – and even so, the screenwriter’s role would quite obviously be that of editing to make it better). But as I said, nothing made this movie a pleasurable experience for the viewer.

The experience of a comfy watch disappears with the third movie; so does good acting and direction.

I very much doubt that in the case of the fourth movie I would be bothered to see it.

[analydime]

A Place of Execution

This is the kind of read that makes your skin shiver with excitement and takes sleeping completely out of the question. However predictable and at the same time implausible the plot outcome of the investigation may be, you still crave all the details of the gruesome crime committed in the past. McDermid’s sharp writing is excellent; she may perhaps be the best crime author of this generation. The descriptions of the various settings in the novel are particularly good: the sense of imminent foreboding never leaves you as the novel goes on and contributes to the feeling of dread felt by the head investigators.

Ethics, morality, feminism, life in the 60s, and much more are explored in this novel. 

It’s my first Tartan Noir novel, hence the first crime novel I read that is written by a Scottish writer. Perhaps that’s something that makes this book feel so different for me from the others; it’s nowhere close to the plainness and moodiness of the Nordic noir or American-written investigation novels. 

Many critics strike McDermid’s attention to detail and repetition, but that’s the kind of read I’m personally into. A must-read for all fans of crime fiction and those interested in the time the novel is set in – it gives a good feeling of that generation’s comforts and troubles.

[analydime]

Harry Potter Audiobooks: Full-Cast Editions

Despite having read the books many times, I could not ignore the full-cast editions recorded for each of the Harry Potter books, and ended up listening to the three of them: Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows. Cush Jumbo narrated them, and to add a few more famous names: Hugh Laurie (Albus Dumbledore), Matthew Macfadyen (Lord Voldemort), James McAvoy (Mad-Eye), Kit Harington (Gilderoy Lockhart), Iwan Rheon (Remus Lupin), Simon Pegg (Arthur Weasley), Keira Knightley (Dolores Umbridge), and so many more. 

My personal favorites? Certainly a lot. Bill Nighy as Horace Slughorn was brilliant, Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Sybill Trelawney (for all the Derry Girls fans out there), Alex Hassel as Lucius Malfoy (the perfect casting of all), Michelle Gomez as Minerva McGonagall (she’s just so fitting!), Ambika Mod as Nymphadora Tonks, Leo Woodall as Bill Weasley.

The hardest job of all was set for Riz Ahmed to voice Severus Snape – beloved Alan Rickman did it so well that no one really stands a chance to outperform him. But Ahmed certainly did his homework, and to me, personally, he sounded pretty good, never making me question his authenticity. 

Several moments that stood out for me were the death and the funeral of Dumbledore – I’ve never quite experienced it the same way as I did this time with the full-cast audiobook. The surrounding sounds and Harry’s and everyone’s loss are so well highlighted that you share a tear automatically, not quite aware you’re just listening to a story. Serius’ death, however, was performed in such a way that made me want to skip over it as soon as possible; it was done without an overwhelming mountain of grief or unfairness. 

It’s a fun listen for both fans of the series and those just getting into this enormous (and controversial) fandom.

[analydime]

Three Thousand Years of Longing

(This entry is based almost entirely on a journal entry I wrote in December 2023, after watching this film. Upon the second watch this year, I added some details I missed back then).

“Hope is a monster, Alithea. And I am its plaything.”

I rarely care for visual effects in a film, since most of the time they add little to the story. But this is an exception. A myriad of life’s best conceptions, combined in just one frame, so attractively and so ambitiously, makes me gleeful with joy: mathematics, music, physics, literature, culture, history, art, fashion, sound design, and so much more. 

The story of Zefir appeared most magical, and the gifts the djinn gifted her seem to be most desirable to me. Who wouldn’t want to dream awake and have all the time in the world to gain knowledge? Who wouldn't want to live a life filled with extraordinary inventions, create scientific discoveries, and fill hours upon hours meditating on the mysteries of life? But with that comes a great deal of problems: preoccupation, obsession, really, that knows no borders. Could one really have a life like that without some dire consequences? I could not but sympathise with Alithea and her contentment with being in solitude, and her unapologetic need for stories. But at the end of the day, her ambition for story was no better than Zefir’s mania. One must learn how to let go when it becomes a little bit too much.

It’s about hope, too, its elusiveness and unpredictability. “And I do this piteously for one hundred years. With every failure, my will begins to fade.”

People are so often terrified of things that are foreign to them, be it a person, a tradition, or even an idea. And this beautiful film shows a way to introduce that "foreignness" into anyone’s life: through a story.

[analydime]

The unknown Orwell (1972)

“George Orwell to be, could I have but foreseen the future!”

This biography, written by Peter Stansky and William Miller Abrahams, examines the years that made Eric Blair what he was meant to be: George Orwell. Well before he wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four or Animal Farm, long before he became a famous writer, he was also a young man, an adolescent, a child. 

Being unable to even play with kids his own age that belonged to the working class, what his mother probably deemed “the threat of class contamination”, he later went on his own journeys to the “abyss” that helped him write Down and Out in Paris and London. At school, his performance was not special, and his writing did not excel in any notable way, but he read “voraciously, he wrote, he thought, he took positions, passed judgements, held attitudes.” 

In this biography, we see glimpses of what becoming a writer is: “there was an element of chance in his reading, so characteristic of the bookish adolescent who falls upon whatever comes his way, unhampered by preconceptions or academic obligations”. 

Blair also did not go to university after Eton, which the authors of the biography deem important, in fact “a deciding part in the making of the writer”. There's a lot of discussion about this concern, as most of Blair’s contemporaries in the writing world, of course, went to university. Blair’s take on friendships is illuminating and one I could personally relate to, too: “Throughout his life, in each of its successive phases, there would be friends who belonged to a particular phase, though sometimes earlier friendships, after an interval of years, would be resumed - without embarrassment, explanation or surprise on either side. That was Blair’s way”.

The second part of the biography dwells on the years of struggle that Orwell endured in becoming a writer. He needed years to clarify his experiences, to translate his feelings and opinions on paper for a reader to understand; he changed his persona depending on what he was writing, and often secluded himself for days at a time – simply speaking, everything that other writers do, too. 

His early writings were constantly rejected, but he “had made a total commitment to becoming a writer. It was the dominating passion of his life, which may account for the apparent thinness of his ‘personal relationships’ in this period, no grand love affairs, no intense time-consuming friendships, nothing to distract him from the chosen vocation”. His “defeatism was paired with the will to succeed,” and as we all know, he did just that.

This biography is a must-read for any followers of Eric Blair’s writings or any wannabe writer, as it provides powerful affirmations as to what a writer should be.

[analydime]

Off Campus

What was I expecting when I started to watch this show? Nothing positive; in fact, my original plan was to watch it to see how much I would hate it, but I ended up…kind of enjoying it? I don't know why or how the rom-com genre became so boring and conventional, but Off Campus really tries to do something interesting with a still-clichéd storyline. The show gets more melodramatic in its last two episodes and loses its initial fast-paced storytelling. Here, more tropes suddenly appear, and you occasionally get an urge to skip the irrelevant conversations and the hackneyed twists.

Still, this felt like a breath of fresh air, so I wanna say… 7 out of 10?

[analydime]

Little Fires Everywhere

Seems like only five years ago that everyone was discussing this show, and now it's finally my turn.

This is a hard one here. I can hardly find the right words to describe the feeling I had once finished watching the show: a kind of fleeting moment of realisation that nothing we ever do is right or wrong – really depends on your philosophy more so than on the outlining “goodness” of the world. And anything a person does in their life can be interpreted in such a way that even the most monstrous behaviours can find an excuse in their agent.

The show about motherhood can never be easy. It started so slowly that I almost quit watching several times, but I'm glad I stuck around. It will certainly make you think about the consequences of every small action you take, and how it influences your family.

Who's the monster in this story? Your opinion will probably change a few times while watching the show, but the point is: it’s never easy to be a mother, even to the seemingly “perfect” kids. With motherhood comes responsibility, and it looks like no one is ever really ready for it.

[analydime]

Rivals

Dame Jilly Cooper is very well known in the Isles for her Rutshire Chronicles series, on which this series is based. If you, like me, are not familiar with the novels, the Disney TV series will give you a good introduction to this series. And if the novel is a “beach book”, then the show is a “summer vacation” type, too. But this is no typical brainless romance series: behind a simple and steamy type of narration, there’s also politics, corruption, intrigue, and so much more. It’s funny and sometimes absurd, and the end-of-episode cliffhangers won't leave you unaffected. Perhaps the only distasteful thing about the series is the abundance of intimate scenes, but that is clearly a matter of preference.

The cast is a dream: from David Tennant, Alex Hassell, and Katherine Parkinson to Aidan Turner and Victoria Smurfit, everyone is so brilliant in their roles that it’s impossible to stop watching.

The show is light and joyful, so if you need a break from dramatic or action-fuelled apocalypse-type series (God knows I do), this is one for you.

Let’s see what season 2 brings for us.

[analydime]

The Count of Monte Cristo

As a child or even a teenager, I wasn't much of a reader. Despite having lots of books in the house, I paid very little attention to them because the authors had similar, local-sounding names, and the stories in their books were about the same people I knew in real life. And the greyness and boringness of life were enough for me to experience in reality, so I rarely looked at our bookshelves' contents. Little did I know that at some point later in my childhood, I would discover the great genre of an “adventure” novel, and so much did I love it, that my lovely mother subscribed to an entire adventure classics collection.

I ended up reading stories imagining what it would be like to seek treasure as a pirate roaming the oceans, about the Aztecs and their tribes, about life in Africa or Australia – countries that seemed so far away that I imagined it would take a lifetime to get there on my own. I read about the Amazons and Robinson Crusoe, and Sherlock Holmes, and Jules Verne’s stories were, of course, out of this world for me, sending my imagination out into the galaxy and beyond. I read Maurice Leblanc’s “The Secret Tomb” and wanted to be Dorothy and H. Rider Haggard’s “King Solomon's Mines”, and it seemed like the world was, after all, an interesting place to live in, as long as you find the right story to dwell into. But before I discovered all of that, I found “The Count of Monte Cristo”.

Alexandre Dumas’s story of loss, revenge, and forgiveness has entrapped my imagination and swallowed me whole; it became my bedtime book, and sometimes I refused to go to school without it – I simply worried that something would happen with it while I was gone. A year or two later, I would get my first computer and have my first “accounts” that, of course, required me to come up with a username. Let’s just say, it took some time for my sister to dissuade me from choosing Mercedes as my alias, because according to her, everyone would assume I meant the car, and not the book character. She was, of course, right, but my obsession knew no boundaries.

Because this book is the first I enjoyed reading and finishing to the end, it remains extremely important for me. It’s not just a fun adventure story but something that changed my life entirely and sent me on the course of finding some adventure myself. And of course, with equal importance, I treat new interpretations of this wonderful tale, among which is the 2025 TV series titled “The Count of Monte Cristo”.

Let me assure you from the beginning: I loved, loved, loved this rendition of the story. The acting, setting, music – everything worked very well for my taste, nothing was over the top, and nothing was missing. Despite the 200 years that had passed since Dumas had written this novel, it couldn’t be more modern. Not only are its political elements never out of style, with Edmund being imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, or Abbé suffering from his wisdom and outspokenness, or Villefort protecting his own career by condemning an honest man to eternal suffering. Love is big here, too, with Edmund and Mercedes being so cruelly and unjustly separated in their youthful, pure love, Fernand blind with his obsession with custom and want of Mercedes, the clearly queer-coded relationship between Eugénie and Louise – not too shabby for a 200-year-old novel.

Edmund’s impossible quest to hold faith and not lose hope is so well transferred to the screen, and Sam Claflin is just so damn good at it that it never stops being entertaining. He also gets to have his Gary Oldman/Sirius Black’s “I did my waiting” moment that he performs with the same intensity and skill as the other genius actor. Speaking of geniuses: Jeremy Irons is in this show, too, and is brilliant and lovely in the role of the abbot. 

Edmund swears vengeance on his enemies and goes on a long path of playing God, giving mercy to no one, only to drop the play and realize what life is really for: attendre et espérer! 

It was lovely, 10 out of 10.

[analydime]

Paradise: season 2

“I learned early on that you gotta hold on to the things that make you feel like you.”

Before finishing the last episode of season 1, I already had a thought of how hard it would be to talk about without spoiling it. But in season 2, so many things happen, and so much is revealed at the very end, that I am confident it is simply impossible to talk about it openly without ruining it for you.

I have to admit: the general dread of starting to watch season 2 of the show you loved so much is comparable to the feeling of starting a dessert after a wonderful meal: what if it spoils everything, and the whole experience is ruined? Fear not: this is not the case with Paradise. If anything, it only gets better.

Season two begins with a new character and her survival in the post-apocalyptic world (Elvis fans like me will be doubly pleased) and, of course, continues the old story of life in “Paradise”. The focus here is more political, from Sinatra’s loss of power to the new president’s ridicule and Jane's foul play. The mirrored reality of real-life politics, with its ass-kissing and money-grabbing, does not at all make you lose focus; again, it just makes it better and more realistic.

The female characters in this season are delightful. They’re interesting, and boring, and simple, and complicated, and fun, and mysterious, and disturbing – everything that men are, too. Annie, the new character played so aptly by Shailene Woodley, is of special interest to me. When it comes to being alone, I consider myself a kind of expert. There’s nothing I enjoy more than spending some time in complete isolation. I believe I can experience life fully with all its textures and senses and smells and flavours only when I get to do it alone. And yet even I can’t imagine what it would be like to spend that much time on your own, without anyone around to keep you company, and not go insane. On other levels, I relate to Annie a lot: the constant distrusting of people, not because she believes they’re all evil, but because she doesn't have much positive experience to rely on to believe otherwise. The feeling of being scared about everyone and everything, and the small steps one takes to confront that feeling and act anyway.

Sinatra’s character is something else here, too: she is just so complicated. When she lays her head in her husband’s lap, you can’t help but wonder what else to expect of her. Her humanity and vulnerability are finally seen, and all the motives become known – you might even end up liking her despite it all. Jane and her sociopathic tendencies are well-written, too, and we get to know a lot more about her past, and perhaps, future?

Teri and Xander’s story! He loved her at her weakest, showed up for her at her worst, and kept showing up for her. No wonder she stays loyal to him, emotionally and physically, even in the most terrible circumstances, after so many years. And if there is anything to be learned from their relationship here, it’s this: keep showing up for each other.

When it comes to the past and future, watch out for the little cues here and there: the mysterious messages, nosebleeds, and other strange events. What can possibly be going on? SPOILER ALERT: The quantum glitches and the understanding that time is being manipulated by someone or something else might shock you, because you didn’t expect the show to turn that much into sci-fi. But it works just fine here.

This season is 10 out of 10 for me. I can’t wait till season 3.

[analydime]

Think Twice

This is such a thrilling crime story that will make you cry for missing the twist at the end. Especially because the author’s red herrings are so good, you manage to persuade yourself you know exactly what’s going on. But boy oh boy will you be wrong. There’s just no way you won’t fall for it, and hey, it makes it such a fun read, I’m not even upset at being fooled so easily!

Toxic love is a big theme in this novel. Toxicity doesn’t really have one good definition; it’s a scale, and everyone has experienced their share of toxic relations, whether it’s family, romance, or friendship. There are always certain signs that protrude through the white blanket like blood. In this novel, we see the kind of love that’s blinding, painful, the kind that makes you kill for each other. 

The characters in this book didn't interest me much, except perhaps Emily. The author’s ideas on writing, its intentions, and goals are put so skillfully into Emily’s perspective – I really enjoyed reading those. 

For a crime book, this was a good 8 out of 10 for me.

[analydime]

PARADISE

“I’m not a monster. I’m a wife. I’m a mom.” (Or so she says.)

With a slow start that makes you wonder whether it makes sense to continue watching, the show builds such momentum that it takes on an unrecognizable flavour. By episode seven, your apathy will disappear entirely and will quickly grow into obsession.

The authors’ love, or at least knowledge of Lost, is evident, and for people unfamiliar with how the classic show that changed television handled flashbacks and characters’ backstories, it could be confusing and perhaps even boring. The show’s structure is nonlinear, but it does exactly what it needs to do: gives you the right amount of information at the right time and makes you beg for more.

The characters are so well written that you feel you know them in real life. It is almost shocking how well we get to know each one of them in such a short period of screen time: the writing is exquisite.

Xavier is such a genuinely nice guy, but you never get enough of him; you love him more and more with every minute he’s on screen. Sinatra’s equally magnetic, but of course in a completely different way. Everyone else is brilliant, but both Sterling K. Brown and Julianne Nicholson are insanely good in their respective roles.

It’s a 9/10 for me. Season 2 review is coming up (and boy, do I have a lot of good things to say about it).

[analydime]

This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum (2026)

This debut is described as a mystery/thriller/romance, but none of the genres really show up here.

If this weren’t an audiobook and if I didn’t enjoy the narrators’ voices so much, there is nothing in this story that could have made me stick to it. It’s not only cliched, it’s at times even infuriating, especially the so-called romance between the two main characters. It just doesn't make any sense, unless, of course, you’re so traumatised by life that you refuse to tell your best friend you’re in love with him for a decade and instead marry and try to have a child with a narcissistic, abusive, controlling, and frankly speaking, psychopathic husband. Perhaps it’s better to get some help? But hey, what do I know? I'm not a therapist.

So, there you are: as a romance, it didn't work for me at all. Their love story was unrealistic from start to finish; more than that, it was extremely boring.

Other characters are even more boring; unless you remember everyone’s name, it's nearly impossible to guess who’s speaking; everyone’s personality is either superficial and flat or non-existent.

What’s next? Thriller? Mystery? It failed there, too. The author’s commitment to the cliches holds until the end, with a resolution that is, again, unoriginal.

The language, however, is something you won’t have an issue with. It’s descriptive enough and does read as natural as it could get.

This was not for me. It’s a 4 out of 10, and mainly thanks to the narrators.

[analydime]

Send Help

"No help is coming, so you'd better start saving yourself."

My rule of thumb is that a movie doesn’t have to make much sense or be realistic as long as it’s fun. And this one sure is a lot of fun. A lot, a lot.

Where the script relies on cliches (and for the most part, it really doesn't; it’s as fresh as it could be), the two main leads make up for it. McAdams, with her unusual foray into the “disgusting”, really goes beyond her normal range and is not afraid to be ugly, socially awkward, and truly villainous, which for any of her fans would be a big surprise here.

Something needs to be said about Danny Elfman; he’s just perfection when it comes to the music score. Here, the disturbing combines with the comedic–the absurdity and mayhem are highlighted by music.

As the movie progresses and the tension between the two characters decreases, it starts to lose a little momentum, but the finale makes up for it, once again reminding us that everything's under control.

It's a definite 9 out of 10.

[analydime]

The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu (2025)

“Give me a book or a boy, and I’ll always choose the book any day.”

Over the years of reading, watching, touching, breathing, engaging in conversations, loving, hating, not feeling anything at all, I’ve been looking for objects or words or feelings that could make sense in this insensible existence and inspire me to be something more than just a collection of particles with the only purpose to form and then disintegrate into something else. And to my astonishment, I always find those small inspirations in the most unexpected places, like this book by Brionni Nwosu, which I came into possession of by accident. But now I wonder: what if? What if I never did, and never learned of her beautifully poetic approach to life, love, and death?

“Something as beautiful as this would not last forever. But does it have to? He knew fabric would fade. The threads would disintegrate, eventually leaving the glorious garment for rags. But is it better? Better to have a beautiful thing for even a short while rather than not at all?”

If you don’t recognise some of your own thoughts in Nella, regardless of your gender, age, or nationality, I would be surprised. To live and love and to lose people is her burden, but who doesn’t? Perhaps, unlike Nella, we don’t have to repeatedly do that for centuries without end, but that doesn’t make it easier. There is an end to all the love and all the suffering, but it’s an extensive journey, with so many years of starting over, finding space for people who come into our lives, and learning to trust them with our hearts and our souls again. And more often than not, we, just like Nella, refuse to let anyone in to relieve that burden and give ourselves a break.

“If I went, he would ask again. And again. I would come to care for him. Something terrible would happen, and I would need to leave the life I’d made.”

But does that constitute a good life? Refusing to feel at all rather than deal with a broken heart after whatever loss we experience: a lover, a friend, a parent, or our children. Would it be better not to have experienced those things and die without the knowledge of what your own heart is capable of?

“And what of you, Carmella? Are you a lover or a fighter?” “I’ve been a lover sometimes, sometimes a fighter, but I suppose it hasn’t mattered until now. What about you?” “A lover, of course. If you must fight for your love, was it even yours?”

The themes of loss are the most bittersweet in this book. It’s Nella's curse to lose everyone she loves, but somehow it makes her even more human and more alive in the eyes of the reader.

“But that’s the deal. That’s humanity. We will all lose the ones we love – either them or us. From birth, we make our way in this world. The gift is the choice of who we spend it with.”

And death, oh death. He’s the partner in crime, both the devil and the creator, the punisher and the pardoner in this story. “Death isn’t always a punishment. Sometimes it is a release.” Death is Nella’s oldest friend and the only one capable of giving her the well-deserved freedom she finally obtains after proving to him that humanity is indeed worth saving.

“That’s the part people miss. They think the worst thing is death. Death is the easy part. What they miss is the loneliness, all-consuming, that occurs as everything and everyone slips away, lost to the sands of time.”

It still surprises me how this book manages to be both light reading and yet contain the multitudes of human experiences and emotions. I am almost convinced that dear Brionni Nwosu has herself travelled through time and convinced death to grant us this living. If so, we thank her kindly.

It’s a 10 out of 10 for me.

[analydime]

Stoner (1965) by John Williams

“Lust and learning,” Katherine once said. “That’s really all there is, isn’t it?”

Academic (campus) novels are beyond my expertise; in fact, The Secret History has to this day been the only one I’ve read in the genre. But Stoner is not just a campus story; it’s a story about a man’s life. There’s something peculiar about novels that follow a person’s life from its start to finish; from the childish appreciation of the world to the dying man’s awareness of the futility of life.

Anyone who has been born into a non-academic family but later pursued a life of research or teaching sees themselves in young William Stoner: the inevitability of disgracing and disappointing his parents who had no intention of raising an accidental professor of literature. And William, with all his young affection (at least at first) to his wife Edith, his daughter Grace, and later to Katherine, his one true love had always been literature.

“In his forty-third year William Stoner learned what others, much younger, had learned before him: that the person one loves at first is not the person one loves at last, and that love is not an end but a process through which one person attempts to know another.”

But there’s so much more to the novel than just Stoner’s life. There’s love, family, university politics, wars, and more, and if I only could, my entire entry would be comprised simply of quotes from the book. But to do so would do little justice to the book; the best way to appreciate the little wisdoms that Williams was so gracious to share with us would be to read his story from the beginning.