[thenovelescapes]

june 2017

- the television - 

My first order of business in June was to finish Schitt’s Creek season three. This show has been a surprising gem. Catherine O’Hara as Moira Rose is hysterical, and the David/Stevie relationship is so interesting and generous and compassionate. I love watching the Roses embrace their life in Schitt’s Creek and find ways to engage and become apart of the community.

This month, I also watched seasons ten and eleven of Grey’s Anatomy. Season 11 was really hard to get through, knowing what was coming towards the end (I’m still mad at Patrick Dempsey). I never skip episodes when I’m doing a rewatch, but I just could not bring myself to watch that death again. I think my Grey’s viewing is going to end with these two seasons - seasons 12 and 13 aired too recently and I honestly do not care enough to continue - but it was a good, albeit frustrating, ride. After Grey’s, my sister and I dived straight into a Veronica Mars rewatch. I haven’t revisited the show since the movie came out in 2014, but Veronica remains one of my favourite female characters of all time. We blasted through eleven episodes in a day, and I was reminded how much I love the relationships on this show - Veronica and Keith, Veronica and Wallace, Veronica and Logan… basically Veronica and anyone.

Orange is the New Black released their fifth season at the beginning of the month. All 13 episodes take place over a span of three days and deal almost exclusively with the aftermath of Poussey’s death and the ensuing riot. There are some satisfying moments and Danielle Brooks knocked every Taystee scene out of the park, but overall, I thought the season was unfocused and kind of disappointing.  

Since finishing Mad Men, my parents and I have been stalled in our joint television watching, but this hasn’t been for a lack of trying! My parents are notoriously picky, and yet ambivalent, media consumers and they have rejected every suggestion I’ve made since April. They said no to The West Wing, they had no interest in Lost, and they didn’t like Veep. VEEP. How can anyone not love that show? But, finally, we have settled on How to Get Away With Murder. Apparently, the secret to getting my dad to watch a show is that it involves bourbon and/or murder.

Finally, a new Netflix original series was released this month - GLOW. The series stars Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin, and focuses on a group of women who, under the (mostly useless) direction of Marc Maron, learn to become Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Wrestling is not at all in my wheelhouse, so I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the show as much as I did. Brie and Gilpin are wonderful, and the wrestling/training sequences are so entertaining. I watched all ten episodes in a day. (Oops?)

- the books - 

I read some damn good books this month.

First, I read Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy. This YA novel is such a fresh, frank exploration of sexuality, poverty, teenage romance, family and friendship. Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia is so good I very nearly threw it across the room (more than once). The plot is intricate and well thought-out / executed and the prose is absolutely gorgeous - the descriptions of the orchestra music made me cry. In addition to the beautiful writing and fascinating, well-rounded characters, there is an A+ mystery. I loved it so much and you should read it.

Generally, I think poetry isn’t for me. Even in university, I could never quite wrap my head around the poems we discussed in my literature classes, but Milk & Honey by Rupi Kaur is beautiful. I began it last month and doled it out sparingly, just so I could savour it even longer.

Roxane Gay’s much-anticipated memoir, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body was published early this month. I read it in a day. Gay is so honest about her past and the realities of being a human in this world when you don’t look the way society expects/demands of you. It is hard and sad and rage-inducing to read about the cruelty that she has had to endure in her lifetime, but it is also extremely moving.

This month, I also read Startup by Doree Shafrir and listened to two audiobooks - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling, narrated by Stephen Fry and Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, narrated by the author.

- the movies - 

Wonder Woman! I’ve never been a huge fan of the big smashy-smashy superhero movies, but it was undeniably powerful to see a female superhero saving the day on the big screen. The film dragged in places, and I didn’t particularly enjoy the final fight scene, but Gal Gadot was mesmerizing as Diana and I’m very glad I saw it in theatres.

I also took advantage of Netflix’s movie library this month and watched Mona Lisa Smile, Under the Tuscan Sun and A Sunday Horse. The first two were re-watches, and just as delightful as ever, but the third was chosen out of desperation at 1am when I was having SO MUCH FUN with anxiety induced insomnia. It was extremely cheesy and, disappointingly, the two main characters (Nikki Reed & Ryan Merriman) never made out - but I love myself an inspirational horse story.

Finally, if you need a good laugh, I highly, highly recommend Oh Hello! On Broadway. John Mulaney & Nick Kroll play two elderly men - Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland - who have lived together on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for 40+ years. It is incredibly funny.

- the miscellaneous - 

When something is popular, I either jump on board right away or I wait years before giving it a shot - there is no in-between. So, this month, I finally started listening to My Favourite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. I’m catching up - slowly but surely - and I have some mixed feelings about it, but listening to horrifying tales of murder while I’m at work is strangely soothing. Like, no matter how terrible the day is going, at least my arms aren’t being hacked off with a machete? Perspective.

Lorde released her sophomore album Melodrama mid-month, and it is perfect. The angsty teenager that lives inside my heart is so emotional and happy about it. This album (particularly ‘Liability’ and ‘Hard Feelings/Loveless’) is meant to be listened to while driving home on a summer night as the sun sets with the windows down.

I hope you’ve had a great start to summer ‘17! As always, happy reading, watching and listening!

[thenovelescapes]

may 2017

I know that we are well into June already, but let’s just pretend I posted this three weeks ago. Ok? Okay.

- the television - 

I did not mean for this to happen. When I put Grey’s Anatomy on in the background while cleaning in March, I really did not mean to re-watch the whole series, but somehow it is two months later and I’m nine seasons deep. (I watched seasons seven, eight and nine this month). The later seasons of this show (particularly 8) make me so unbelievably angry - (I could write an entire dissertation on what a human dumpster fire Owen Hunt is) - but I’m just seething and powering through.

To counteract the rage, I watched seasons one and two of Schitt’s Creek - a dumb, and surprisingly charming, Canadian sitcom - as well as season three of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Master of None season two, and the first season of Dear White People.

- the books - 

After my mini-slump in April, I rebounded hard in May and read nine books. I’m now 16 books ahead of schedule on my 2017 reading challenge (SUCK IT, GOODREADS). Not all of the books I read this month were good, but the ones that were were so good they almost made me mad. 

The not-so-good: The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin and What I Had Before I Had You by Sarah Cornwell. McPartlin’s book is extremely sad, but I couldn’t settle into the writing style or the characters enough to fully enjoy it. Cornwell’s novel had a confusing narrative structure, underdeveloped characters and couldn’t seem to decide what kind of book it was - young adult or adult, magic realism or contemporary. It was a quick read, thankfully, but not a particularly enjoyable one.

This month, I also read a string of young adult books that are all absolutely amazing. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a vital, timely read that explores race, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement in the lives of teens, especially the remarkable protagonist - Starr. Public Relations by Katie Heaney & Arianna Rebolini is a fun, Harry Styles-inspired story of a woman who works in PR and falls for her client, Archie Fox, as she orchestrates his image-revamp. The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord is the summer-camp story I’ve always wanted. The cast of characters is so unique and inclusive, and the story packs an intense emotional punch. Grace and the Fever by Zan Romanoff is the perfect novel for anyone who has ever felt self-conscious for loving something “too much” (and also for any One Direction fan). I read it in a single afternoon. 

Finally, in May, I read We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and listened to the Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince audiobook, narrated by Stephen Fry.

- the podcasts -  

I’ve always loved ReplyAll, but I had never done a deep dive into their archives before. My long commute and dull work days mean that I have plenty of time for podcasts, so I spent the month of May going all the way back to November 2014 with Alex Goldman, PJ Vogt, and (sometimes) Alex Blumberg. Listen if you’re a fan of the Internet, Twitter,  and funny, baffling technology stories.

I also stumbled across an interview/conversation podcast from comedian Pete Holmes this month - You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes. I’ll be honest: I find Holmes suuuuuper grating, but it is admittedly interesting to hear two comedians have hour-long conversations about nothing and everything. I only listen to the episodes with people I already know and like, so some highlights are Phoebe Robinson, John Mulaney, Kate Micucci, Andy Samberg, and Josh Gondelman.

- the movies - 

With my sister, I rewatched Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince this month. I also saw Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in theatres, and took to Netflix for two comedy specials - The Comeback Kid from John Mulaney, and Thank God for Jokes from Mike Birbiglia.

- the music -  

Hi, my name is Cristina, and I miss One Direction.

But! The boys have started to release their solo work, so there is still new music to look forward to. In May, the first of the bunch (and my personal fave), Harry Styles, put out a full album and it is. SO. DAMN. GOOD. I want to live inside it. Tickets to his first solo tour went on sale last week and I dropped a distressing amount of money, but I will be seeing him perform live in 381 days! WOO. Seriously though, even if you never got into 1D, you should listen to Harry’s album - I promise you won’t be disappointed.

- the miscellaneous -  

This month, I went to Las Vegas for the first time. It only took a few hours to come to the conclusion that I do not have the correct constitution for that town, but there is some A+ entertainment available to those of us who do not enjoy clubbing or drinking dozens of watery margaritas. While I was there, I went to see Le Reve, a Cirque Du Soleil show with truly impressive acrobatics, synchronized swimming, and a confusing plot, and Celine Dion’s concert at Caesar’s Palace. Celine is a Canadian icon, and so talented, but I was surprised at how emotional I was watching her perform. At one point, she started singing Beauty & the Beast, and I burst into tears. Live music + Disney = kryptonite for my tear ducts, apparently.

I hope you’ve been having a wonderful start to the summer, and, as always - happy reading, watching & listening!

[thenovelescapes]

april 2017

This is the first April in five years that I have not been studying for final exams and feverishly reading the textbooks I neglected during the semester. Instead, I’ve been spending my days at work, commuting three hours to/from work, and watching Mad Man with my parents. It’s a wild life, y’all.

- the television -

Speaking of Mad Men, my parents and I wrapped up the series this month with seasons five, six and seven. It’s clearly very well made, and the acting is impressive, but I’m not sure I liked it? My only real opinions about the show are a) Jon Hamm is a fox, and b) Peggy Olson is the best.

In April, I also continued my re-watch of Grey’s Anatomy with seasons three, four, five and six. Predictably, I got sucked back into the Grey’s universe and fell behind on nearly all currently airing shows in favour of binging it. I’ve watched the first five seasons of this show so many times since I first started watching in middle school, and every time I do, I find more and more plots that irritate me. George and Izzie getting together is even worse than I remembered. Izzie having sex with Denny’s ghost? Erica Hahn’s entire presence? Boo, BOOOOOO. In season five, two new characters are introduced - Owen Hunt and Arizona Robbins. Both are characters that I loved (at first) and then grew to absolutely despise in later seasons. (I loved Hunt so much when he was just a great doctor and sweet guy struggling with PTSD, but now I could write an entire dissertation on why he is garbage). But the character development of Meredith Grey and Alex Karev through these first six seasons is so well done and incredibly important to me, and they are the only reason that I am still watching this show thirteen seasons later.

I also spent an intense weekend binge watching 13 Reasons Why this month. The novel, by Jay Asher, was really important to me in high school - I read it a dozen times and did my entire grade 9 English final project on it. I do feel that the adaptation elevated the material, but there were changes made that felt unnecessary and gratuitous and as an adult, I am more aware of how the entire story could be harmful to those struggling with suicide ideation. This piece, by Ijeoma Oluo, does a great job of exploring this. 

- the books -

I fell into a bit of a reading slump this month. I’m still eight books ahead of schedule on my reading challenge (TAKE THAT, GOODREADS) but I only finished three in April. The first was Marlena by Julie Buntin. I preordered this novel back in 2016 and had been anticipating its release for months, so I was extremely excited to dive in. It did not disappoint! But, after I was done, I had trouble sinking into another novel. I started and promptly gave up on four different books before finally settling on Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Reid’s novels are all contemporary romances, and nice, easy reads that you can mainline in an afternoon. I appreciate the existence of these kinds of novels but I have come to the conclusion that I do not like her writing, and this one was particularly bad. Her dialogue is unrealistic and her characters are not at all well-rounded. The main character, Hannah Martin, is obsessed with cinnamon buns and wearing her hair in a high bun, and Reid apparently thought these facts were enough to form a personality because she mentioned them approximately 347 times throughout the book. 0/10 do not recommend.

The last book I read this month was Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia. This novel is a murder mystery, told from three perspectives in two timelines - one, before the murder and one after. It started out fairly strong, but I lost interest about halfway through and found myself skim reading the last 100 pages because, while I didn’t care about any of the characters, I wanted to know who the murderer was. It wasn’t a great conclusion - there were three different “twists” in the wrap-up and final one was just a little tooooo convenient.

- the podcasts -

Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts!

My job is extremely dull, so I’ve been keeping myself entertained for eight hours a day with a ton of podcasts. This month, I got into The Hilarious World of Depression, Heavyweight, Someone Knows Something, Nancy and 2 Dope Queens. If you’re looking for true crime, try Someone Knows Something. If you like frank, compassionate conversations about mental health, listen to The Hilarious World of Depression. If you like This American Life-esque human stories, Heavyweight is for you. If you’re looking for a podcast about the LGBTQ+ experience from two queer, people of colour, try Nancy. (Actually, you know what, literally everyone should listen to Nancy - it’s wonderful). If you like to laugh, listen to 2 Dope Queens. (I’ve been muffling laughter at my desk every day listening to Phoebe Robinson, Jessica Williams and their stand-up comic guests. Start with ‘#25 A Jon Hamm Sandwich’, it made me cry-laugh).

If you have any recommendations for me, hit me up here or on Twitter! I’m always looking for new podcasts!

- miscellaneous -

In April, I saw City & Colour live in concert for the fourth time. The shows are always amazing, but this one was truly special - two hours of just Dallas Green with a guitar surrounded by twinkly lights (aka. what I imagine heaven to be).

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra launched a Harry Potter Film Concert series July 2016 with the Philosopher’s Stone, and this month, they returned with Chamber of Secrets. In this series, the orchestra performs the soundtrack (composed by John Williams) while the film plays on a large screen above the stage. It was an incredibly cool experience. My friend and I went dressed in our house colours (Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, respectively) and the audience was filled with cosplayers and people decked head-to-toe in Hogwarts merch. At the start of the show, the conductor encouraged us to clap and cheer for our favourite moments and characters, to laugh and boo and interact with the material. I’ve already bought tickets for Prisoner of Azkaban, which will run this July.

My parents hold season tickets at a local theatre, so every month they see a different play from the season roster. This month, my dad had a conflict, so I went with my mom to see The Out Vigil, a play written by Julie McIsaac and set in present-day Newfoundland. The cast is made up of only five people - three actors and two musicians - but they have an enormous presence. Act One is rather slow, but Act Two is incredibly compelling and the play features such rich relationships and an interesting magical realism element. Support local theatre!

This month, I also went to see Beauty & the Beast. It is my favourite Disney movie off all time, but the live action version lacked so much of the charm of the animated film. 

I haven’t been listening to much music lately. Music gives my brain too much time to wander, so I’ve been distracting it with podcasts and audiobooks. But, two songs did get stuck in my head this month. Harry Styles’ first solo single, ‘Sign of the Times’, was released on April 7th. It’s all glam rock and falsetto and drama. It’s long, running nearly six minutes, and slow, but I love it because I love him and I cannot wait until his full album is released (May 12th! Pre-order it!). Lorde’s new single ‘Green Light’ is the other song that has been playing in my head on a loop. It is an extremely good song to listen to while stuck in traffic on a sunny day with your windows and sunroof open.

[thenovelescapes]

march 2017

It’s spring time in Vancouver, aka. monsoon season. It’s raining constantly, and Daylight Savings has cloaked my 6am commute to work in total darkness, but the dreary rainy-ness makes it all the more satisfying to sit on the couch for hours on end and read or marathon insane amounts of TV. I hope you’ve all had a cozy, comfortable March.

- the television -

To start off the month, I finished off Fleabag! The final episode of the season is so good and addresses many of the big questions I had while watching. It’s a short season (only six episodes!) so you have no reason not to catch up on this wonderfully odd show.

In March, my parents and I continued our Mad Men viewing with seasons three and four. My interest in the plot and the majority of the characters has dwindled considerably through these two seasons, and I find that I’m a lot less invested in what happens, particularly with the company itself. But, I’m forging through, if only because my parents love it. We also plowed through the recently released third season of Grace and Frankie in two days. My dad officially loves the concept of “binging” but hasn’t quite accepted the long waits between seasons. Immediately after we finished the Grace and Frankie season finale, he asked: “When’s the next season?” and was unimpressed when I said it would be nearly a full year. That’s high praise, coming from him.

You Me Her is a half-hour dramedy about a married couple who meet, and fall in love, with a PhD candidate slash escort (Priscilla Faia), the three of them entering into suburban thrupledom. It is funny and sweet and romantic and complicated, and 75% of it is filmed on my alma mater’s campus. Season one illustrates the beginning their romance, while season two focuses on the realities of their situation as they go public with their relationship. There are certain elements of the show that bother me, mainly the husband’s jealousy and seemingly constantly roaming eye, but Izzy (Faia) is absolutely wonderful and it’s a really cool portrayal of polyamory and how fluid sexuality can be. Check it out!

Finally, this month I started re-watching Grey’s Anatomy because apparently I hate myself. I cannot believe that I have been watching this show for over a decade - it premiered when I was in middle school and I have been watching and re-watching it ever since. I have a love-hate relationship with Grey’s. The first three seasons remain some of my favourite television of all time, but as the plots veered into truly insane territory and more and more characters were killed off in increasingly ridiculous and implausible ways, I lost interest. And then regained interest. And then lost interest again. But I have never been able to abandon it completely. At this point, I think the show might outlive us all.

I finished season two last night, and sobbed like a baby through the final three episodes, as I do everytime I watch it. I’m not sure how far I’ll get in the series this time around, but it has been fun to revisit a simpler time, when the core five (Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, and Cristina) were all alive and in the same place. 

- the books -

I am on a reading roll. According to Goodreads, I am currently eight books ahead of schedule on the road to reading (at least) 50 books in 2017. Here’s what I read in March:

Every Last Word, Before I Fall, and The Whole Thing Together are all YA novels. The first two were fine, if dull, but the third, by Ann Brashares, was not enjoyable. There were an unwieldy number of characters, a great deal of the dialogue seemed stilted, and the central romance made me profoundly uncomfortable. 0/10 do not recommend.

In Where Am I Now? Mara Wilson tells stories about her experience as a kid on movie sets, as well as what it was like to grow up while “accidentally famous”. So Sad Today is a strange book full of intensely personal essays and sensitive admissions from Melissa Broder. She speaks frankly about her drug and alcohol addiction, her mental health, and her sex life, and although I cringed once every three words, it was a worthwhile read. ODWABDANOTWM by Scaachi Koul was my favourite of the bunch. It’s smart and funny and full of love for her family, friends, and partner. Koul is Canadian, so there are some true Canada-specific gems (Related: I wonder if I can still access my Nexopia account) and I cried all the way through the last essay and Acknowledgements. You should absolutely read this book, but also follow Scaachi on Twitter - she’s hilarious.

The Mothers, All Grown Up, and The Best Kind of People are all adult fiction and all wonderful. The Mothers deftly spans nearly a decade and explores friendship, familial bonds, and abortion with a unique and compelling narrative frame. All Grown Up is a short novel with a protagonist who, at 39, is still figuring out how to be an adult in the world. Andrea is a mess, but she’s entertaining and trying her best. I finished The Best Kind of People a few days ago and have been able to think of nothing else since. The last line nearly made me shout out loud.

- the podcasts -

Podcasts continue to be great company on my long commutes and through my long work days. In March, I discovered Making Oprah, Still Processing, Death, Sex & Money and S Town. Making Oprah is a fascinating deep-dive on Oprah Winfrey’s empire. Still Processing is a podcast on pop culture, race and current events hosted by the lovely Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham. Anna Sale hosts Death, Sex & Money and she is a superb interviewer, allowing each and every guest to open up about topics that can be uncomfortable or painful to talk about. Finally, S Town, from This American Life and Serial, was released all at once (seven episodes) on March 28th. I listened to the whole season in one afternoon. It has the elements of Serial that made the first season so memorable, but it also has a great deal more heart and focus on the people rather than what happened.

- the movies -

Every single movie I watched this month made me cry. This isn’t a surprise, exactly. I’m a crier. I cry watching television, most movies, even commercials. But I can’t say I expected to cry watching a movie that features Rebel Wilson and the woman from the 50 Shades franchise.

The Edge of Seventeen stars Hailee Steinfeld as a teenager who’s best friend begins dating the older brother she hates. It accurately captures the experience of being a teen and dealing with fraying friendships, annoying siblings, parents, dating, and mental health. Moonlight is every bit as good as you’ve heard. Don’t Think Twice focuses on an improv group (including Gillian Jacobs, Keegan Michael Key and Mike Birbiglia) as they struggle to “make it” as comics. How to Be Single is… not great. Too many love interests, too much Rebel Wilson, not enough of the main character’s sister. What If was a re-watch for me, and it remains a delightful romantic comedy. It stars Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, and Adam Driver. You should watch it.

I hope you all had a lovely start to Spring, and as always, happy reading, watching & listening! 

[thenovelescapes]

february 2017

February is my favourite month. My birthday's in February. In February, daylight begins to stretch longer, reminding us that there will be an eventual end to winter. There is always a ton of discount chocolate available after Valentine's Day. So many reasons to celebrate!

- the television -

I continued my re-watch of The Good Wife this month with seasons six and seven. Really, the only good thing to have come from the last two seasons of the series is Lucca Quinn. I am very happy that she is a major part of the spin-off, The Good Fight. The constant firm reshuffling in season six is exhausting, and I definitely did not find Alicia's States Attorney campaign nearly as interesting as the writers wanted me to, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan's face and presence was a truly wonderful distraction from how bored I was by the plot.

And now, because I've been thinking very hard about this - my definitely ranking of seasons of The Good Wife:

1. Season 5  2. Season 2  3. Season 1  4. Season 3 5. Season 6 6. Season 7 7. Season 4 

After finishing Broadchurch with my parents, I was tasked - yet again - with finding a show we could watch together that they won't hate. As frustrating as this can be, I take pride in the fact that I've expanded their taste in television beyond Big Bang Theory reruns and 48 Hours (my dad) & House of Bryan (my mom). This month, I selected Mad Men. I'd heard all the rave reviews, scrolled past the live tweet sessions during it's final season, vaguely registered the Peggy Olsen meme, and watched everyone celebrate when Jon Hamm finally won an Emmy in 2015. But I'd never seen an episode until this month. Hey... hey guys. The show is good. (I am definitely the first person to make this observation). We're currently halfway through season 3, because we have terrible timing - the show was pulled from Netflix on March 1st - but my parents like it so much that my dad wants to buy the whole series on DVD. THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED FOR HIM.

Before this month, I had tried to watch the pilot of Crashing three separate times. Each time, I ended up aborting seven to ten minutes in. But I am incredibly glad that I gave it another shot and powered through the first episode. The series is so damn funny (and at times uncomfortable). I ended up watching all six episodes in a single night, staying up way too late and keeping a hand clapped over my mouth so my laughter didn't wake the whole household up. Watch the (unfortunately, solitary) season on Netflix!

I decided, after finishing Crashing, that I needed more Pheobe Waller-Bridge in my life and immediately began Fleabag. It has an extremely different style and sensibility than Crashing but is so interesting and different. I haven't quite finished the first season yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

- the movies -

My general feeling about the movies I watched this month is: "Meh."

The Heat was funny - Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are great - but I was comparing it to Spy in my head the entire time, and for me, nothing is going to win out over Spy. Mother's Day was very blah and it featured Julia Roberts in a truly terrible wig, but it was fine? La La Land was sweet, the music was good, and Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone are wonderful together, but it was mostly forgettable.  

- the books -

Last month, I fell into a bit of a reading slump post-vacation, but came into February raring to go and read eight books.

Here are some (approximately) tweet-length reviews of my favourites of the bunch:

The Wangs Vs. the World by Jade Chang -- A delightfully dysfunctional family struggling with bankruptcy, disenfranchisement, and communication issues. Funny, smart, emotional.

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen -- Dessen's latest novel deals with grief, love, marriage, & dating in such a compassionate way; remains one of my favourite contemporary YA authors.

Dead Girls Society by Michelle Krys -- This book needs a sequel. The cast of characters - a diverse group of teen girls - are determined, brave & duplicitous. The twists are legitimately twisty and the ending is equal parts hopeful and anxiety-inducing. Seriously, sequel.

Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman -- I finished this novel two weeks ago & I cannot stop thinking about it. Set in the '90s, Girls on Fire, focuses on passionate, violent, intense female friendship and is absolutely unputdownable.

The other books I read this month were: Where We Belong by Emily Giffen, To This Day: For the Bullied and Beautiful by Shane L. Koyczan, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, and The Assistants by Camille Perri.

- podcasts -

In February, I started a new job! It's a grown-up, adult job in an office, and I am very excited about it, but it also means waking up at 5:30am and commuting nearly three hours a day. Podcasts have become my best friends.

I've written about Ask Me Another before, but I hadn't listened to it in months and months. Now, it is my favourite thing to listen to on the morning drive to work. It is always funny and high energy and the trivia games force my brain to wake up in the morning. In the afternoons, I've been alternating between Embedded (from NPR), Criminal, and Missing & Murdered: Who Killed Alberta Williams (CBC). There's something kind of perfect about listening to people talk about crime and murder while stuck in rush hour traffic. These trivia and crime podcasts have been occasionally interspersed with Bad With Money With Gaby Dunn and Missing Richard Simmons. Bad With Money is funny and honest and provides good information about loans, debt, investments, and so much more. Missing Richard Simmons is utterly fascinating. Dan Taberski, a filmmaker who was a regular in Richard Simmons' fitness class, searches for the fitness guru. From the website: "On February 15, 2014, fitness guru Richard Simmons disappeared. He stopped teaching his regular exercise class at Slimmons, cut off his closest friends, and removed himself from the public eye after decades as one of the most accessible celebrities in the world." Only three episodes have aired so far, but I'm already invested.

- other -

Dear Evan Hansen is a new Broadway musical centered on the title character, Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety disorder who becomes tangled in a family tragedy following the death of another teen. The cast album was released on February 3rd and I have been listening to it constantly ever since.

I hope you all enjoyed the shortest month of the year, and as always, happy reading, watching and listening!

[thenovelescapes]

january 2017

Happy New Year! I rang 2017 in on a beach in Hawaii surrounded by my whole family and although it was lovely, it was just as anti-climactic as last year. (When I was by myself, sitting on the couch, watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). I've spent NYE with friends, with family, and by myself. There's no sure-fire formula to having a good year, so no matter how you celebrated, I wish you all a 2017 filled with heath, happiness and hope.

- the television -

The first pop culture item I consumed in 2017 was Sports Night. I hadn't revisited the series since I first watched it a few years ago but it is just as delightful and charming as I remembered. (And the laugh track is just as disconcerting). I had downloaded the full series to my iPad to keep me company on my solo plane rides and it ended up being an excellent distraction from my raging fever and chills. (0 / 10 would NOT recommend). I watched seasons one and two this month.

Next, I revisited another favourite that I'd been meaning to rewatch for ages - The Good Wife. It was monumentally harder to watch some scenes, knowing what's lurking in season 5. Eli Gold erasing the voicemail nearly broke me. ("MY PLAN IS I LOVE YOU"). I became re-obsessed and blasted through five seasons in only a couple of weeks, plus/or minus the days I needed a break to recover from that death.

One Day at a Time is a new show that premiered on Netflix on (DATE). It stars Justina Machado as a Cuban-American veteran living with her son, daughter, and mother. (Information about how it's a reboot). This show has so much heart. Justina Machado has a smile that could light up an entire damn room, Elena's storyline made me cry approximately 178 times, and each episode deals so deftly with huge topics - veteran benefits, immigration & deportation, coming out, sexism, divorce and more. Watch it! The Series of Unfortunate Events also premiered on Netflix this month. Now, I hated the ASoUE film. Hated it. So, I had low expectations going into the series but I ended up loving it! (MORE)

This month in the never-ending saga of "Finding Television Shows My Parents Don't Hate": Broadchurch. I'd never seen an episode, but knew enough about it to determine that it'd be up their alley. Death and a mystery for my dad. A+ cinematography and beautiful seaside landscapes for my mom. Together, we managed to watch the first two seasons.

Finally, Sherlock. My feelings about season 4 are… complicated. The first episode was awful. It felt like it lasted four hours long, and not in a good way. Episodes 2 and 3 were much more interesting but I don’t know if I enjoyed them? I think I’d be just fine if season four was the last.

- the books -

The first book I read in 2017 was A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I bought the novel months and months ago but had been putting off reading it for various reasons. It was too long, it was too sad, etc. It was long, and sad was a massive understatement but it was also incredibly written and beautiful. I had to put it down multiple times because I was distraught and my nerves felt live wires, and it was probably not the best choice for a vacation read, but I could never put it down for long and powered through all 720 pages in four days. Next, I picked up How to Be a Person in the World: Ask Polly’s Guide Through the Paradoxes of Modern Life by Heather Havrikesky because it’s new year resolution time and I need all the help I can get. Havrilesky is funny and informative and handles every question with compassion and wisdom.

The Sun is Also a Star is Nicola Yoon’s sophomore novel and it was every bit as charming and sweet as her debut. In it, Natasha, an African-American girl who is about to be deported back to Jamaica with her family, and Daniel, a Korean-American boy struggling against his parent’s expectations, collide over and over again during a whirlwind afternoon. Her first novel, Everything Everything is about to be a movie and the trailer looks delightful.   

- the movies -

I watched four movies in January. They were all terrible. The Big Short involves a lot of middle aged white men yelling about money. Autumn Dreams is an awful Hallmark Channel rom com with no life and actors with no chemistry. I confess I only half payed attention to Man Up but what I did see was over-the-top and featured Lake Bell doing an extremely bad British accent. The Meddler was marginally better than the others and Rose Byrne is always great but every time I look at Susan Sarandon now, I re-live her Twitter fight with Debra Messing and her utterly tone-deaf political comments.

- miscellaneous -

Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts! First, In the Dark. The first season of this podcast reveals how law enforcement mishandled one of the most notorious child abductions in the country - the abduction of Jacob Wetterling. It’s so interesting and the reporting is so detailed, I was enthralled and disturbed through every episode. Terrible, Thanks for Asking is a podcast about grief and love and life from Nora McInerny Purmort, who lost a baby to a miscarriage and her father and husband to cancer - all within six weeks of each other. I cry at least once an episode. Season 1 is complete and up on iTunes and other podcast platforms for your binge-listening pleasure.

I hope you all had a great start to the new year and as always, happy reading / watching / listening!

[thenovelescapes]

december 2016

Note: I was playing catch up on the last few months of 2016, but with this (December 2016), I've reached the current year! Hooray! These monthly wrap-ups are mostly for my own posterity, but I hope you enjoy / take some of the recommendations!

- the television -

Guess what? How I Met Your Mother does not get better in the later seasons. In fact, it gets worse. The decision for the final season to take place over the course of 72 hours will always be unfathomable to me, and I had completely forgotten about the bizarrely racist episode in the middle of season 9, but I finished it. Woo.

As a palate cleanser after HIMYM, I inhaled four short half hour dramedies in record time. The first season of Insecure, seasons one and two of Lovesick (nee. Scrotal Recall), all eight episodes of Easy, and seasons two, three and four of Please Like Me.

Insecure and Easy were both good, but Lovesick and Please Like Me were my favourites of the bunch. Lovesick is a romantic comedy in television format and I watched both seasons in one evening, physically unable to stop myself from clicking 'Next Episode'. I'd watched the first season of Please Like Me months and months ago, but wasn't invested enough to keep going. This time though, I was hooked. Season 4 in particular is some of the best television I've ever seen. Heartbreaking and funny and full of heart. I'm devastated that Josh Thomas has decided that season four was its last, but I respect the creative decision and they are DEFINITELY going out on a high note. Catch up on Netflix!

In December, I also caught up on the latest season (seven) of Shameless, re-watched the first, and sadly only, season of Enlisted, and re-watched the first season of Pitch. (Please, please renew this show, Fox. I needed beefy, bearded Mark-Paul Gosselaar in my life).

- the books -

Fresh off the hype of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, comes Lauren Graham's memoir Talking As Fast As I Can. I didn't enjoy it as much as her novel and found the writing to be more conversational than I am used to, but the anecdotes about her Gilmore Girls and Parenthood years were nice. I think listening to the audiobook might have been the way to go with this one.

This month, I also read a series of largely forgettable YA novels - The Way Back to You by Michelle Andreani and Mindi Scott, Hate List by Jennifer Brown, and I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios - before finally finding two novels that I loved. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is an incredibly endearing and steamy romantic comedy set in the office of a publishing company. It has boatloads of sexual tension, tons of humour and a whole lot of heart. Vicious by V.E. Schwab is out of my general wheelhouse - I'm not a big fantasy reader - but I've now read a few books by Schwab and I really enjoy her style of writing and Vicious was no exception.

- the movies -

In December, I waded through Netflix's movie library and watched Tangled, Other People, The Longest Ride, and How to Train Your Dragon. Other People in particular is heartbreaking and wonderful.

- the music -

Thanks to NPR's Stephen Thompson, I discovered Maren Morris this month. Morris' debut album, Hero, was nominated for the Country Music Awards 'Album of the Year' and her single My Church won the Grammy for 'Best Country Solo Performance'. Morris herself won the CMA for 'New Artist of the Year'. Listen to my favourite song here.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and end of the year. As always, happy reading, watching and listening!

[thenovelescapes]

november 2016

Note: I am currently playing catch up on the last few months of 2016 before I dive into my pop culture consumption of 2017 so please bear with me as November and December go up on the blog. They are (as all these wrap-ups are) mostly for my own posterity, but I hope you enjoy / take some of the recommendations!

- the television -

Wisteria Lane is just at batshit as I remembered. This month, I watched season two, three, and four of Desperate Housewives - right up to the time jump. I didn't continue watching past the season 4 finale, not wanting to relive Edie's death by electrocution, the plane crash, or Gabrielle's motherhood but it was fun to revisit the early seasons. I also began and abandoned The Grinder in November. Rob Lowe is great, but this kind of comedy was not for me for some reason.

To fill the sitcom void in my life, I (against my better judgment) started to re-watch How I Met Your Mother. I'm still mad about the series finale, but my re-watch actually cured some of that anger. This show does not hold up over the years. It began in 2005, which doesn't seem that long ago, but it feels so dated. The early seasons are awful. Sexist, slut-shamey, fatphobic, transphobic and racist. All the things I found charming the first time around (Ted and Robin's relationship, the group's banter, Barney's entire personality) are now borderline repulsive. The only thing that remains wonderful is Marshall & Lily's marriage. That said, I couldn't look away - it was like a car accident - and ended up watching the first seven seasons.

I've previously mentioned my struggle with Call the Midwife, and how I haven't been able to watch more than one episode in a sitting (which is UNHEARD OF for me), so this month I finished season four and decided to officially give up on it.

On November 25th, the Gilmore Girls revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, finally finally aired. I was so looking forward to it. I had the house to myself, I ordered pizza, and I sat in the dark for six hours and watched the whole thing. I enjoyed every moment (yes, even the bizarre 10 minute musical sequence) while I was watching it, but after-the-fact, when I actually thought about it, I realized that I maybe hated it? I loved being back in Stars Hollow and re-visiting these characters that I adore, but the theory of it was so much stronger than the execution. And the more I think about that ending, and those last four words, the more I hate it. The original series has it's problems, but I grew up watching it so it's ingrained in my being and I love every bit. The revival has the benefit of nostalgia but it doesn't have my blind love. On future re-watches, I am 100% sure that I won't be bothering with AYITL.

- the books -

This month, I read Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids (edited) by Megan Daum, Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick, and Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.

They were all good, but Kendrick's memoir and Ng's debut novel were by far my favourites. Read them both!

- the movies -

I went to the movies by myself for the first time in November. I know people do this all the time, but it was a revelation for me. I wanted to see a movie, so I just went to see it. By myself. I bought a bucket of popcorn and some raisin Glosettes and watched Arrival. It was so good, and accomplished the feat of actually making me like Jeremy Renner for two hours. Amy Adams is wonderful.

I also saw Moana in theaters this month. (This time, with a friend). I've been listening to the soundtrack on a permanent loop ever since. Auli'i Cravalho, who voices Moana, is only sixteen and has an absolutely incredible voice and The Rock is delightful as Maui. (Side note: When Lin Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music for the film, starts singing in (WHAT SONG), I immediately teared up).

Lastly, I watched The Diary of a Teenage Girl on Netflix, which is a profoundly uncomfortable but triumphant film that explores teenage sexuality.

I hope you all had a wonderful November, and as always, happy reading, watching & listening!

[thenovelescapes]

october 2016

Note: I am currently playing catch up on the last few months of 2016 before I dive into my pop culture consumption of 2017 so please bear with me as October, November and December go up on the blog. They are (as all these wrap-ups are) mostly for my own posterity, but I hope you enjoy / take some of the recommendations!

- the television -

The concept of BoJack Horseman was initially completely dumbfounding to me. An animated comedy for adults? I know this isn't a new concept by any means but I had been largely ignorant about shows like Archer or anything that airs on (DURING?) AdultSwim, and had no idea that this was a thing. But man, is it ever wonderful. BoJack is incredibly smart and funny. The whole series is great, but the season 3 episode, "Fish Out of Water", is exceptional.

After BoJack, I buried myself in a Community re-watch. I watched the entire series over a couple of weeks. I was completely sucked back in to the wacky, sometimes batshit universe of the show and fell in love yet again with the study group and their shenanigans.

This month, I also started and gave up on four different shows - three new ones (This Is Us, Frequency, Timeless) and one oldie (Roswell). I watched four episodes each from the newbies, but abandoned them all.

This Is Us should have been right up my alley - it features a big family, a (pretty cool) twist in the pilot, and Milo Ventimiglia. I'm also a crier. But, instead, I found it insufferable. It churns through big idea after big idea without actually developing any of the characters. Kate doesn't seem to have a personality beyond her obsession with weight loss and her boyfriend is Awful. Kevin's whole "I WANT TO BE A ~REAL ACTOR" thing could not be less interesting. I badly wanted to like this show and if there was a way to only watch the Randall or Jack/Rebecca parts, I would be all in. Frequency was an interesting enough concept, but I still do not understand how the premise could sustain a few episodes, let alone a whole season of television and beyond. Timeless was created by Eric Kripke (Supernatural) and stars Abigail Spencer (Suits, Rectify) and Matt Lanter (90210). The episodes I watched were fun but ultimately not engaging enough to be incorporated into my weekly TV schedule.

Roswell, a late '90s/early '00s teen drama about aliens, is certainly interesting and I hope to revisit it later but this month, for various reasons, I just couldn't get into it. I watched the first seventeen episodes before (virtually) shelving it.

Towards the end of the month, I was having a rough time, mental-health-wise and decided to re-watch the most batshit / terrible show I could think of. Hello, Wisteria Lane, my old friend. That's right, Desperate Housewives. This is show is full of suburbia and murder and conspiracies and it is absolutely ridiculous, but it was also the perfect distraction from the clusterfuck happening in my brain. Finally, in October, I got on the Making A Murderer train. (Nearly a year after everyone else. I'm so timely). It was incredibly disturbing and infuriating to see all the ways the case was bumbled, but also really interesting.  

- the books -

After such a prolific September, I fell into a reading slump in October, only managing to finish Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam. The novel focuses on the friendship between the two main characters, Sarah and Lauren, and how the connections we forge in childhood can decay and fade away as we adapt to adulthood and our priorities shift. Alam explores whether it is their "abiding connection - or just force of habit - that keeps them together?" It was very good. You should read it.

- the movies -

This month, I watched a documentary, a TV movie, and two blockbuster films. First, the Amanda Knox Netflix documentary which satisfied the true-crime obsessed corner of my brain. Next, Looking: The Movie, the conclusion to the wonderful HBO series that was cancelled in 2015. As upset as I was that the show was over, the movie provided some closure and a look at the characters lives a few years from the last episode. It had the same charm and sensibility as the series and was thoroughly enjoyable.

In October, I also finally got around to watching both parts of the final chapter in The Hunger Games trilogy - Mockingjay Part 1 and Mockingjay Part 2. Mockingjay was by far my least favourite novel in the book trilogy so I have to commend the films for making it so much more interesting. Team Katniss, always.

I hope you all had a wonderful October, happy reading / watching / listening!

[thenovelescapes]

september 2016

For the first time in eighteen years, I didn’t start a new school year this September. So, instead of trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life, I went on a month long trip with my parents to Ontario and Portugal where I read, ate, swam, and avoided real life. 

- the television - 

I blasted through the second, and last, season of Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 while in a hotel room in Toronto. It’s a funny and charming show that should have run longer than two seasons. 

Before leaving for my trip, I loaded my iPad with seasons two through seven of Parks and Recreation and watched all of them while I was away. It was my first time re-watching the series and it is just as delightful the second time through. This show is so full of heart and warmth, the characters are kind and passionate, and I aspire to have a fraction of Leslie Knope’s optimism. Once I was home and had access to my Netflix account, I re-watched all of Life UnExpected, another series that deserved more than two seasons. I will forever be distraught that we didn’t get a chance to watch Cate and Baze fall back in love, but the series finale came equipped with an epilogue that provided plenty of closure for fans. 

September is the season of season premieres and pilots, and I watched them all. Of the debuts I watched, my favourites were: 

- Speechless - The Good Place - Atlanta - Pitch - This is Us 

Speechless is a comedy about a family - Maya and Jimmy, and their kids Ray, Dylan and J.J - one of whom has a condition that leaves him with unique mobility and communication difficulties. The Good Place comes from the mind of Michael Schur, the same man who created Parks and Recreation, and stars Kristen Bell which basically guaranteed that I would watch the series whether I loved it or not. Luckily, it’s the former. Atlanta is a new FX comedy created by and starring Donald Glover about two cousins navigating the Atlanta music scene. Pitch was by far my favourite pilot of the year, and the episodes I’ve seen since have only solidified my love of the show. Pitch follows Ginny Baker, the first female player in the MLB, and her teammates as they make their way through the baseball season. I can’t remember the last time I fell this quickly for a series and I will be absolutely heartbroken if it isn’t renewed for another season. I’m not quite as sold on This is Us. The show is sappy and sentimental, which is usually right up my alley, but I found it to be rather insufferable. I would gladly watch the Sterling K. Brown storyline every week, and the Mandy Moore/Milo Ventimiglia plot had its moments but I found every other aspect of the show to be extremely irritating. 

- the books - 

I read a lot on my trip. 10 books in total. Friendship by Emily Gould, Modern Lovers by Emma Straub, One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins, Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford, Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer, The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth, If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman. I also listened to the audiobook of The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. 

Modern Lovers and Everything, Everything were by far my favourites of the bunch. 

- the movies - 

There is something so satisfying about watching movies on planes. Even the worst films can seem bearable - even enjoyable - when cruising at 40,000 ft. I took seven flights throughout the month, and over the course of those plane rides, I watched five films - The Intervention, If I Stay, The Best of Me, Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 

If I Stay featured Jamie Blackley as Adam, who was unequivocally my favourite aspect the film. He is super talented, and a total babe. The story itself was sad, but it lacked the emotional punch of the novel and I struggled to connect with Chloë Moretz as Mia. 

The Intervention falls into the category of Jason-Ritter-Reunites-With-College-Friends that I love. (Side bar: Everyone should go watch About Alex right now). The film is sweet, sad and hopeful, and Clea Duvall is an absolute rockstar. 

The Best of Me = when bad movies happen to good people. James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan are wonderful but the plot is insanely dumb. 

Pop Star was a lot of fun, and re-watching Harry Potter is always a great way to pass the time. 

As always, happy reading, watching and listening! 

[thenovelescapes]

august 2016

- the television - 

I took the month of July off from watching Gossip Girl, mostly because the later seasons of the show are insufferable. But, because I’m a completist, I powered through seasons 4, 5, and 6 in August. The focus on Dan and Blair in the latter half of season 4 and season 5 was honestly delightful (and the only healthy, genuinely loving romantic relationship on the show), but the last three episodes of the season are a goddamn disaster. What did they do to Serena’s character? What kind of ending was that for Dan and Blair? BLAIR WALDORF DESERVED BETTER. 

My outrage may be four years late, but it is mighty. 

While Friends was only supposed to be my bed-time wind-down show, I got caught up in the jokes, characters and Monica&Chandler’s love story and watched seasons 3 through 10 this month. While certain episodes are a lot more problematic than I remember, it is still (mostly) boatloads of fun. My next “Netflix-Bedtime-Story” show was the first season of Don’t Trust the B- In Apartment 23, a bizarre but charming comedy starring Krysten Ritter, Dreama Walker, and James Van Der Beek (as himself). Finally, although I really do enjoy Call the Midwife, it’s taking me forever to get through the series. The show is female-driven and delightful but it is also unbingeable. That said, I managed to watch season two in August. 

- the books - 

After graduation, I splurged and bought myself a big, extravagant present: a mini-iPad. I resisted the e-reader movement for a long time, but I can’t deny their convenience. Thanks to that little device, I’ve been getting way more reading done in unlikely places - . This month: This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab, Sex Object by Jessica Valenti, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, Mystic Summer by Hannah McKinnon, and Re Jane by Patricia Park. 

This Savage Song is gritty and creepy and has an super original premise. I don’t read much fantasy, but I thoroughly enjoyed the world that Schwab created with this novel. The sequel, Our Dark Duet, is due out in July 2017. 

Sex Object was a supremely uncomfortable, but completely necessary and important read if you’re a woman who spends any time at all on the internet. 

I was first introduced to Jenny Han’s writing with her Summer trilogy (The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer), which I read in high school and loved. However, I haven’t found my ventures into her writing since particularly enjoyable and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was no exception. The protagonist, Lara Jean, is sweet but I found the majority of the dialogue throughout the novel, as well as the 1st person narration, to be stilted and awkward. I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel (PS: I Still Love You) anytime soon.

I picked up Mystic Summer off a recommendation from someone on Instagram and was thoroughly disappointed. The characters are infuriating, the dialogue is forced and ending was totally unsatisfying. It was an quick and easy read, but it’s also just... not good. 

Finally, I read Re Jane, which was amazing. The main character is a Korean-American woman in her twenties who becomes a nanny for a wealthy Brooklyn family before a family tragedy takes her to Korea. It’s a wonderful read. 

- the movies - 

Before my sister went back to school, we sat our parents down for a double-viewing of 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street. I’d already seen both, but they’re just as funny the second time around. My third movie rewatch of the month was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on the place ride to Toronto. It’s been a long time since I watched the HP films, so it was great to revisit the magic of the first film. 

As always, happy reading, watching + listening! 

[thenovelescapes]

july 2016

Summer is slowly slipping away from us. The weather is warm, the days are long, and I’ve been spending the majority of my time sitting on the deck drinking ice water and ignoring inevitable return of autumn. Join me in my ignorance, won’t you? 

And now for my July pop culture roster: 

- the television - 

My sister does not have the same unconditional love of teen dramas that I do, so our marathons of The OC fizzled spectacularly last month after completing season 2. Despite that, I was determined to pick a series that she would love and we could watch together, so I introduced her to The West Wing and it was a hit! We blasted through three seasons in three weeks and she has fallen as in love with Josh, Donna, Toby and CJ as I hoped she would. 

I continued my (recent) streak of recommending television shows to my parents that they actually enjoy with the first two seasons of Suits this month. My hatred of the recent seasons has been well-documented, but re-watching the early episodes reminded me of how good it once was. The relationship between Harvey and Mike has always been my favourite aspect of the show, but the early bonding and banter between the two characters was something special. On my sister’s recommendation, our family also watched the three seasons of Sherlock that are currently available. I’ve been avoiding the series for years, blacklisting the tag on Tumblr and scrolling frantically past pictures and news stories about Benedict Cumberbatch. I was convinced that it would not be my thing, but I fell in love with it very quickly. I’m a sucker for well-developed friendships and Sherlock/John absolutely deliver on that front. 

This month, I also continued my marathons of Charmed and Full House. Although I do enjoy watching the Halliwell sisters battle demonic forces, I hit a roadblock with the Cole-storyline. I’m not a fan of his character so Phoebe’s determination to protect him no matter what was infuriating rather than romantic. Nevertheless, I slogged through season 2 and 3. On the other hand, Full House was a breeze to get lost in. The formulaic nature of every episode made it the perfect show to watch before bed. Each storyline is neatly wrapped up and moralized within the allotted thirty minutes and the love between the family of nine is the beating heart of the series. I watched seasons two through eight before turning to the first two seasons of Friends as my bedtime story. 

- the books - 

There are still five months left in 2016 and I’ve already read four more books than I did all last year. As much as I loved getting my BA in English, it meant that for those five years, I was 1000x less likely to read (for fun) in my spare time. But since graduating in May, I’ve started to tackle my TBR list, revisited childhood favourites and rekindled my love of reading. It’s been incredibly nice to let myself enjoy and get lost in characters, plot, and stories that I don’t have to analyze or write papers about. 

In July, I read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, When We Collided by Emery Lord, Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler, Shrill by Lindy West and Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories (edited) by Stephanie Perkins. 

Station Eleven is every bit as good as you’ve heard. The writing is gorgeous, the timelines are tied together expertly with fully formed, interesting characters, and the imagery is unbelievably vivid. I finished the novel and immediately wanted to re-read it. When We Collided is the latest from Emery Lord and although I wasn’t in love with everything about the text, Jonah and his family stole my heart and the depiction of mental health in the novel was done with enormous care and respect. Sweetbitter - Stephanie Danler’s debut novel - is an in depth exploration of life in a popular NYC restaurant. The female characters are incredibly compelling and the novel’s pace is practically whirlwind. Since Lindy West’s guest-spot on This American Life last month, I’ve been desperate to read her new memoir, Shrill and I was not disappointed. The book is hard to read and anger-inducing in places while also insightful, inspiring. To round out my July-reads, I cracked open Summer Days & Summer Nights, an anthology of short YA stories about love edited and curated by Stephanie Perkins. Each story offers something different - fantasy, contemporary, sci-fi etc. etc. The tales are warm and hopeful and optimistic. 

- the movies - 

In my quest to revisit my favourite childhood pop culture items, I re-watched The Challenge - a straight to video Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen film. It’s not the best, or the most popular of the MK&A films, but I felt like watching the twins battle bizarre gameshow challenges - including the laughably easy “snake pit walk”. (Plus, the movie stars Theo Rossi in his pre-Sons of Anarchy days). 

On a particularly hot day last week, my sister and I sought refuge from the heat in the air conditioned bliss of a movie theatre to see Ghostbusters. I’m generally not one for big blockbuster films, but this was a lot of fun! Kate McKinnon, Chris Hemsworth & Leslie Jones make the movie, and it was overall a great way to spend an afternoon. 

- miscellaneous - 

I’ve been feeling largely unproductive and unfocused this summer, so I’ve spent a lot of time looking for tips and tricks to buckle down and get work done. The number one thing I’ve found that works is listening to ambient or instrumental music. My playlist is now 458 songs long, but my favourite artists on it are ODESZA, Ludovico Einaudi and Explosions In the Sky! Film and television scores are also great for background music with no lyrics - especially all the Harry Potter films, 1994′s Little Women, How to Train Your Dragon and Lost. I put the playlist on shuffle, turn the volume up, and ignore the rest of the world. 10/10 would recommend. 

I hope you all had a great July, and as always, happy reading, watching & listening! 

[thenovelescapes]

june 2016

I had surgery at the beginning of June. Before this procedure, I’d never broken a bone, never had to stay in the hospital, never even had stitches - so, when faced with bedrest, pain and exhaustion, I turned to all the television, books and movies I could get my hands on to distract myself. I’m not sure it worked, but it was definitely a good way to spend my month.

- The Television -  

The immediate aftermath of my surgery - aka. the weeks that I wasn’t allowed to move other than to get food - was spent watching a great deal of teen drama programs. I watched the first three seasons of Gossip Girl and continued my marathoning of The OC (season 1 and 2) with my sister. 

This month, my family finally got a Netflix account. We’re about 238574 years behind the ball, but because we (again, finally) acquired an account, my family and I were able to watch all of Grace & Frankie over the span of a week. My dad has an awful (and extremely picky) taste in television that mostly consists of Big Bang Theory reruns, Dateline and tennis tournaments but Grace & Frankie was a home run. It was nothing short of a miracle. I continued to take advantage of the Netflix account and made my way through the first seasons of Charmed and Full House. Both take place in San Francisco, a decade apart, and both involve a family with three sisters. Who knows? In another life, DJ, Stephanie and Michelle could have been the Charmed Ones. 

- The Books - 

Now that I’ve moved back home, I’m five minutes away from my childhood library and I have been taking full advantage of it. I borrowed both Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson and Dolphins At Daybreak by Mary Pope Osborne from the library. The former is a fairly predictable YA novel that was pleasant, if a bit dull and the latter was a welcome return to the Magic Treehouse series, one of my favourites from when I was young. (Another Nostalgia Project text!). Next, I tackled the latest Morgan Matson novel, The Unexpected Everything. Where ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ was dull, ‘The Unexpected Everything’ was heartwarming and had well-rounded, wonderful characters. I followed that with Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, which is profoundly disturbing but thoroughly enjoyable. 

Finally, I finished The Circle by Dave Eggers after nearly six months of reading it in fits and spurts. I really wanted to like this book - the premise sounded incredibly interesting - but, I ended up really hating it. (And I don’t use that word lightly). I found it to be incredibly pretentious, self-important, and very “Old Man Yells At Cloud” regarding Internet culture and social media, not to mention how infuriatingly naive the protagonist is. Nearly 3/4 of the novel is spent introducing us to the Circle, and is so dense with numbers, stats, and the monotonous tasks that Mae is responsible for. I’m glad I pushed through to the end, where I was (semi) rewarded with a plot twist that I genuinely did not see coming and a dark final chapter, but even that wasn’t enough to redeem it. 

- The Movies - 

Being temporarily bed-bound with access to Netflix and the Internet has its perks. Over the course of two weeks, I watched Zootopia, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Anastasia, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper, Finding Dory, Spy, and The Martian. While the majority of those were re-watches, it was great to revisit some old favourites and experience some new ones (especially ‘The Martian’!). 

- Miscellaneous - 

Since moving back home & having my surgery, I’ve discovered that I listen to 95% less podcasts. Living at home means no commuting or walking around campus and the surgery means no exercising, which means I have to consciously make time to listen to podcasts. But this month, I made time to catch up on ‘This American Life’, and the episode from June 19th - Tell Me I’m Fat - blew me away. In the episode, Lindy West and Roxane Gay speak about social media, body image, weight and health. It’s a wonderful instalment of a fantastic podcast. 

I hope you all had a good month, and as always, happy reading, watching & listening! 

[thenovelescapes]

june playlist

Some notes:

After the Tony Awards, I went on a Broadway music spree, and burned through The Color Puple, Waitress, Legally Blonde: The Musical, and Hamilton (for the trillionth time). Cynthia Erivo, Jessie Mueller and the casts of their respective musicals blew me away during their Tonys performances, and Hamilton’s performance of Yorktown renewed my love of the cast album. 

Someone on my Twitter timeline tweeted out the music video of ‘Us Against the World’. It hit a nostalgia sweet spot and has been stuck in my head ever since. 

Kaleo is an Icelandic rock band, and their album A/B is awesome, but ‘Way Down We Go’ has been playing on my favourite local radio station, and it’s definitely my favourite track. 

Sophia Bush’s snapchat prompted me to finally download Betty Who’s album and it is wonderfully pop-y and fabulous. ‘Just Like Me’ is the first track, and it is so upbeat and fun! 

[thenovelescapes]

may 2016

Happy May! 

I graduated university this month, and because I resist any and all change, I spent all my free time revisiting pop culture that I know and love - my pop culture comfort food. What are your pop culture comfort foods? 

- The Television - 

For the last three years, my younger sister and I have watched a show together in the summer. We’ve done Supernatural, Suits, and half of One Tree Hill last summer. This year, we’re tackling The OC. I’ve watched the show all the way through at least six times, but my sister doesn’t know anything about it beyond the “Mmm whatcha say” meme. (We live very different lives). We’re nine episodes in to the first season and even though she masks it under sarcasm and derision, I know she already loves it. (Seth & Ryan’s friendship is her favourite aspect of the show, because she’s still a reasonable person with emotions). 

This month, I also continued my rewatchpalooza with season two of The West Wing, the first half of Zoey 101′s first season and the Gossip Girl pilot. TWW season two is a wonderful season of television. All the kinks of the first have been worked out and the MS storyline unfurls so powerfully. “Seventeen People” in particular is a masterful episode - the dynamic between President Bartlet and Toby is fascinating. As for Zoey 101, the news of Jamie Lynn Spears’ TLC documentary inspired me to take another look at the series that gave me unrealistic expectations about dorm rooms, campus food and boys with big, curly hair. 

I’m having surgery in a little under a week and the opportunity to sit around and watch television for six weeks has inspired an intense desire to watch teen dramas. Thus, the Gossip Girl pilot. When I first watched the show, I only made it as far as the third season before I gave up, but the first season holds a special place in my heart. Other series up for consideration: 90210, Everwood, Felicity, Roswell, Dawson’s Creek, etc. No matter which one I pick, I look forward to weeks of watching teenagers fight, f--k and drink their way through their high school and college years. 

- The Books - 

I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing better for the soul than the ocean, sunshine, piña coladas and a pile of books. Earlier this month, I spent ten days in Hawaii with my family doing nothing but eating, swimming, drinking and reading. Over the course of the vacation, I read The Magicians by Lev Grossman, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, The Vacationers by Emma Straub and The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord. It was so nice to sit for hours and get lost in books that I chose for myself rather than novels on a syllabus. Not all of them were fantastic (I have some complicated feelings about The Magicians), but I finally pulled myself out of my reading slump, so I count them all as wins. 

When I got home, I was in the mood for some more YA so I blasted through Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson in a day. I’m not usually one for road trip novels, but this had all the classic YA staples that I was looking for - dysfunctional family dynamics, a random wardrobe overhaul, and a whirlwind romance. Finally this month, I began my Nostalgia Project in full force with The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. It’s been almost fifteen years since I first read the novel, and I had forgotten the majority of the liberties that the 2001 film made with the plot but Mia Thermopolis is just as weird and wonderful as she’s always been. 

- The Movies - 

I’m not a movie person. I am somehow capable of watching 8+ hours of television in one sitting but put on a two-hour movie and I lose patience twenty minutes in. But I still love seeing films in movie theatres, and it’s still my favourite thing to do on plane rides, so this month I watched Spotlight, Captain America: Civil War, and The Jungle Book. I watched Spotlight on the plane to Hawaii. It is such a quiet, understated movie that’s all about the work and the story they’re working on, rather than the people. It made me want to work harder. It made me want to write more. Civil War was the first film I’ve seen in theatres in nearly a year and it did not disappoint. I’ve written an article about it (& Captain America) over at Schema - check it out if you’re interested! I also saw Jungle Book, which is an absolutely visually stunning film. The CG technology is incredible (especially in 3D), and the development of Mowgli and his relationships to Baloo & Bagheera is done so beautifully. Disney has been killing it lately with the live-action remakes of their classic films. I already have a countdown to Beauty and the Beast. 

- Miscellaneous - 

Off a Twitter recommendation from Ashley C. Ford, I finally tuned in to the ReplyAll podcast - a show about the Internet, hosted by PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman. Their most recent episodes (“On the Inside” parts I, II & III) about a convicted murderer who maintains his innocence, are absolutely fascinating (and everything I wanted season 2 of Serial to be). The fourth and final instalment comes out on June 8th so you still have time to catch up before then! 

I hope you all had a good month and, as always, happy reading, writing, and watching! 

[thenovelescapes]

april 2016

This month marked a whole bunch of endings for me. The end of finals, the end of my university career, and the end of my three month ER binge. Seriously, I watched fifteen seasons of ER in three months. I am a professional television marathoner. 

- the television - 

Finishing ER was bittersweet. Although none of the original cast members were still series regulars, a good deal of them came back for appearances in the final season or the series finale. Over the course of the fifteen seasons, I had become incredibly attached to (nearly) every character and the rhythm of the episodes, the shouted medical jargon, and the drama had become oddly soothing to me as I worked my way through the last month of my degree. 

After completing the series, I had trouble settling into another one. I tried to dive into Beverly Hills, 90210 (and made it 17 episodes into the first season). I watched the first season of Call the Midwife. I attempted to rewatch Privileged, but ended up rage quitting in the middle of episode 7. I just couldn’t bury myself in any of them the way I buried myself in ER. I found the characters on 90210 insufferable, Call the Midwife is wonderful but the episodes are long and rather dreary so I am never capable of watching more than one in a sitting, and the relationship drama between Megan and the many men in her life (particularly Charlie) in Privileged was so awful I had to stop in the literal middle of an episode.  

Instead, I rewatched season one and two of Playing House as well as season one of The West Wing. Playing House is a sweet comedy with two wonderful female leads that depicts a beautiful friendship and it was exactly what I needed as a pick-me-up amidst the endless term paper writing, and The West Wing is essentially my pop culture comfort food. Sorkin’s dialogue is so rhythmic and musical, and every character is trying so hard to do good that it makes you want to be a better, smarter person. 

Beginning my West Wing rewatch prompted me to finally watch the only Sorkin series I had yet to watch, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The show gets a lot of flack and is widely critically maligned, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. My enjoyment was due, in large part, to the cast. Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet and Sarah Paulson are all so inherently charming and talented that despite the unrealistic and unfunny “sketches” that were apart of the fictional show, I had a lot of emotions about the characters and their relationships. Finally, this month, I watched the entirety of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s second season. I wasn’t as in love with it as I was with season one, but I did appreciate that it tackled Kimmy’s PTSD much more than the first season did. 

- the books - 

In April, I was finally able to crack open a book that wasn’t assigned to me. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy has been sitting on myself for nearly six months so I was very excited to finally sit down and read it! It was just as wonderful as everyone said it would be. Willowdean is brash, stubborn, insecure and so brave. I also finally acquired an e-copy of Kindred Spirits, Rainbow Rowell’s novella that was released in late February of this day. It’s a very quick, very sweet read that emphasizes the importance of fandom in the lives of teenagers and adults alike. If you like Rainbow Rowell’s writing as much as I do, it’s a must-read. 

- miscellaneous - 

Finally this month, I started listening to two different podcasts, both of which are recap and discussion podcasts regarding two different television shows that ended 10+ years ago. The first is The West Wing Weekly which is hosted by Joshua Malina (a former star of the show) and Hrishikesh Hirway. Every week, Malina & Hirway walk us through an episode of The West Wing and have occasional special guests such as Janel Maloney & Richard Schiff. It’s a great way to re-experience the series! Similarly, I began listening to Again With This, which is hosted by two Previously.TV editors (Tara Ariano and Sarah D. Bunting). Every week, Ariano and Bunting recap and discuss an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Although I couldn’t stomach watching further episodes of the television series, I’ve continued to listen to the podcast episodes because the hosts are so sarcastic and funny and insightful. Yay podcasts! 

As always, happy reading, watching & listening! 

[thenovelescapes]

april playlist

Some notes:

Grey’s Anatomy has introduced me to a lot of incredible music over its twelve seasons and “Home” by Sebastian Kole is no exception. So far, Kole has released three singles and even though a full album has not been announced, I’m looking forward to it (whenever it comes)

I put off listening to Troye Sivan’s album for a long time because of my pre-conceived notions of YouTubers-turned-anything, but this album is wonderful. There are so many powerful lyrics, catchy tunes, and LGBTQ+ anthems. “LOST BOY” is my favourite track amidst ten very good songs. 

Towards the end of the month, Beyoncé dropped her latest album (Lemonade) and it is truly a work of art. 

This month, I was lucky enough to see James Bay perform at one of the greatest Vancouver music venues, and the opening band blew me away. Joseph is a Portland-based band made up of three sisters with incredible voices. Their sophomore album, I’m Alone, No You’re Not, will be out on August 26th.