December 2018 Update

It's the final day of the year, and time for an end-of -the-year update! Here's what I've been watching this month, and a little bit about what's going on with me.

Started Watching:

radiotimes.com

My Mother and Other Strangers - season 1 - started and finished

Wow. I almost want to do an entire review post on this show, because I was blown away. It absolutely isn't for everyone, but I couldn't get enough. Only 5 episodes, it watches more like a mini-series than a television show. Centered around the Coyne family in the small parish of Moybeg during WWII, it looks at childhood, growing up, family tensions, fidelity, and all manner of things. How can they handle this all in 5 episodes? Hah, just watch! Not only that, but the pacing actually feels slow (something that I particularly like, but many might find boring). I started watching this when it first aired, but was unable to continue it at the time and only got around to it again now. Okay, stop babbling, Shayna.

variety.com

Frontier - season 2 - started and finished
What a great month for me - this season of Frontier was just as fantastic as the first. Actually, I think it might have been even better. A bunch of dramatic situations reach a climax during this season, so there is quite a bit going on. And if the cliffhanger doesn't get you...well, I have no idea what will.

28 Movies That Leave You Screaming at the Screen

If you are the self-proclaimed super fan of the happy ending, turn away now. Either that, or pay careful attention to this post as things to avoid. Today I'm going to talk about movies where things don't turn out with the ideal fairytale ending. That doesn't exactly mean that the endings are devastating (although in some cases they are), as many times the ending is bittersweet and closes with the main characters doing what is best for them even if it isn't satisfying romantically. So, since the following will essentially give large hints as to the endings of these films, here is your GIGANTIC SPOILER WARNING. Continue at your own risk (haha).

Under the Greenwood Tree (Thomas Hardy)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This book is the final one for my 2018 TBR Challenge! I'm so incredibly happy I've made it through - I didn't think I was going to, and I nearly gave up because I was feeling so discouraged. Here's to perseverance!

biblio.com

What it's about:

The arrival of the newest schoolmistress, Fancy Day, turns the village of Mellstock on its head. First, her lovely organ playing skills cause her to replace the choir as the music for the Sunday church service. Then, her handsome features and sweet demeanor catch the attention of not one, not two, but three Mellstock residents - one of whom is none other than the choir's Dick Dewy. Under the Greenwood Tree, or The Mellstock Quire (A Rural Painting of the Dutch School), is a novel of love, of adjusting to change, and ultimately of social and moral divides.

YA in Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty (Libba Bray)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This book is the eleventh one that I've completed for my 2018 TBR Challenge. One more to go!

libbabray.com

What it's about:

After the mysterious death of her mother, Gemma Doyle is whisked away from her home in India to the one place she has always desired to go - London, England. Immediately enrolled in Spence Academy boarding school, Gemma starts having strange and terrifying visions that she can't control. As Gemma learns more about what is happening to her, she discovers that her world is not exactly as she thought it was - that evil is lurking...and wants to find her desperately.

Lady Susan (Jane Austen)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This book is the tenth one that I've completed for my 2018 TBR Challenge. I was thinking of giving up on this challenge in favour of getting through a few things that I was more interested in, but I'm still hoping I can make it!

barnesandnoble.com

What it's about:

Lady Susan is a widow, a mother, a beauty, a liar, and a shameless flirt. Told entirely through letters, this story centers on Lady Susan's scheming to make a good match for herself and her daughter, while everyone else tries desperately to thwart her efforts. Around every corner lies deceit, persuasion, and endless familial frustration.

YA in Review: Red Queen (Victoria Aveyard)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This book is the ninth one that I've completed for my 2018 TBR Challenge. Only three left!

harpercollins.com

What it's about:

The world is divided into two - those with red blood, the commoners, and the elite members of society who have silver blood and possess unique special abilities. Mare Barrow, a red-blooded girl is about to be sent to war, as is the law for those without skilled jobs when they reach eighteen. But Mare's skill is thievery - trying to feed her family, she steals to provide their basic necessities since her brothers are already at war. Yet one day she tries to steal from a stranger, who offers her a job in the palace instead. The stranger is the crown prince, and immersed in his world, Mare soon discovers that although she bleeds red, that she has more in common with the silvers than she ever could have predicted.