TMST Favourite Summer Thing

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

What is your favorite thing about summer?

My favourite thing about summer...would have to be the long days. What I love more than anything, is being able to go for walks in the evening, and the long summer days are the perfect time to do that. It's not too cold or too dark, and I can catch the sunset while out for a stroll.

There are so many reasons that I love this season, including the pace of things, and the chance to be outside all of the time. I'm Canadian - I try to avoid being out too much in the winter because of how cold it is! So summer is my beautiful opportunity to soak in as many rays as I can. I love summer activities, and the Olympics, and summery foods and ice cream. I feel like it's a time where I truly come alive. I get motivated to read and write (and blog!) and take part in all of the wonderful hobbies I have that I can barely keep up with it all - and I love that. The long days help me feel like I can accomplish so many more of those things too.

So, although I would say that the long days are my favourite part, it's really so much more than that.

What's your favourite thing about summer?

TMST: TBR Pile

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

Have you found a way to cut back significantly on your TBR pile?

I have! Although I really, desperately need to go through my Goodreads list, I have mentally cut back on so many books that used to be part of my TBR pile. For me, I stopped adding books in that other people wanted me to read. Recommendations are one thing, but so many people constantly tell me I "have to read this" so I eventually would cave to the pressure of it and, since it sounded interesting, would add it in. Now I just add in what I legitimately want to read. Sure, some of them are because of recommendations from other people whose tastes I trust, but a lot are ones I discover on my own.

Working a library is both a gift and a curse for a TBR pile because I get to see everything. At the same time though, it means that people always ask you if you've read this or that and it can be a lot of pressure to feel like you need to cater to that. Although I do still feel that sense of pressure sometimes, I've been able to squash a lot of it.

July 2023 Update (2)

In an effort to work through a backlog of old posts and remember the things I have actually watched and read, this post was completed roughly a year ago and is being posted now.

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In the past several months, I've been focusing on some of my other hobbies, such as painting and working with polymer clay, so my T.V. show viewings definitely haven't been super high! I wanted to update you all regardless, and since it's been months there has actually been a decent buildup of content.

I have been doing a few re-watches as well, but I haven't included them here this time.

So, here are a few things that I've watched:

elle.com

Emily in Paris - S2
Complete fluff? Maybe. But I find this show addictive regardless. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as season 1, but I'm still really looking forward to seeing what season 3 brings us. What a cliffhanger!!

cosmopolitan.com

The Witcher - S2
Love this show. So much. I tried to not blast through it, and actually spread it out...I failed. I started playing the Witcher 3 video game as well and have been completely obsessed. I've heard mixed things about the books, so I am happy to leave it at these two formats for now, but I'm very excited for the next season.

rottentomatoes.com

Arcane - S1
Okay, so I walked into this one with very, very little knowledge about the source material, League of Legends. I really loved this one, but the tone shift a few episodes in caught me so completely off-guard that I had to step away from this one for a little bit (If you've seen it, you know what I mean).  Once I came back to it though, I did really enjoy it. There were a few parts that were a bit confusing with the flow of it, but I did find it really enjoyable and will most likely watch another season if it comes out.

pbs.org

All Creatures Great and Small - S2
All Creatures is the sweet series that has been exactly what I've needed. It has just enough going on to keep you engaged, but at the same time, you know that things are going to be okay in the long run. I don't have to feel stressed watching it, and I get to learn a few interesting things too. Lovely scenery, nice characters that you grow attached to, and all-in-all just a lovely watch. Similar vein to The Durrells, but with less quirkiness, if anyone loved that series as much as I did.

netflix.com

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - S1, S2
This is a show that one of my closest friends recommended to me...a few years ago. I finally got around to trying it out. It was a nice diversion, and I was enjoying it, but it ended up getting too far-fetched and silly for me that I haven't really wanted to continue into the third season.

latimes.com

Bridgerton - S2
Another perfect example of a pure fluff show. I was obsessed with this season, and adored it. I'm reading the first book in the series right now (The Duke & I) as I needed just something mindless on a recent vacation, and this was perfect for the plane. I'll most likely finish it, although I don't know if I'll continue on with reading the series...but definitely will start watching the next season. It's one of those shows where I say..."Is it good?" "No" "Do I love it?" "Yes!"

netflix.com

Castlevania - S1, S2 (started)
Hello gore-fest! Wow. Okay, so I walked into yet another show with no background. Look where that gets you, Shayna! I was interested in the characters instantly, but found the level of gore and violence to be a bit much. I decided to stick with it, slowly, and it has toned down a bit, so I am glad I did. One of those shows where I don't watch it often, nor do I know how much of it I will end up watching, but it's been an interesting experience, and different from my typical viewing habits.

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Have you watched any of these shows? Do your television habits fluctuate throughout the year, or stay pretty steady?

July 2023 Update

I know, it's been a while.

Far too long, actually.

In some ways my life looks very much like it did before, but in so many other ways it has changed so drastically that I hardly recognize it. Things are really good, but they are busy, and I am trying to adjust to it all and to find out how to slot things in again. I promised to come back to blogging, and I truly want to...but where to start? I feel like I've said that a hundred times.

I'm not really reading a lot right now, nor am I watching a lot of movies or television - so what do I write about?

I think the only way to move forward is to casually mention some of the books/movies/tv shows that I have consumed over the past months, but then to focus a little more on Library Life posts. Eventually it will all come naturally again. I just have to be patient.

So, I'm here. I'm here, and happy and working towards being healthier, and I miss you my dear blogging community!

Just bear with me a little.

TMST: Movies or TV Series

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

7/26/2022 Do you prefer movies or TV series?

Traditionally, I prefer movies if I had to pick between the two overall, however there is definitely a bit to talk about here! (Forgive me, this post is a bit scattered this time!)

Movies, for me, are that lovely escape for a few hours, with everything self-contained. TV shows  can go on for a long time, you don't know if or when you are going to get a conclusion on things (and don't even get me started on when they don't pick the show up for the next season!). I really like that shows are broken up into smaller chunks of time and you can hold onto them longer than movies, but I really prefer the defined beginning and ending of movies, and how fully formed everything has to be to work together. I know that shows can be especially great if you're just looking for something quick to unwind or to watch with dinner. There are less issues with continuity often in movies than in television series (except in the case of films that have had large chunks cut out in edits).

And yet, I would like to cheat a little and say that I think the absolute perfect medium is mini-series. I don't personally consider these to be TV series, although I believe that some people do classify them that way, but I think of them closer to movies honestly.

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What about you? Are there reasons you prefer one form over the other? Do you find that you prefer one over the other because of your schedule/watching habits?

TMST: Bookish No-No's

TW: This post briefly discusses assault/violence in point 2. 

Whoops, I'm a little late getting this post out, but it was one I was definitely interested in doing, so I figured better late than never!

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

6/21/2022 What are book no-nos that make you figuratively want to toss a book across the room?

1) When everyone (or the two leads, in the case of a romance) has a quirky name. Nicknames, sure, that's fine (ex. The Divergent series - Tris and Four don't bother me only because they are nicknames, but they drove me insane before I read the books and learned that). Or, if for some reason it is part of the plot, I am okay with it, but otherwise? Please stop.

2) Characters experiencing sexual assault/violence that is described within the book. I know that these types of situations are real, and I don't think we should cover up their existence to make people comfortable, but I find it far too upsetting to read these situations described in full detail, and often cannot handle books that do this. If it is mentioned for a moment without description really, I can manage...but my imagination is far too vivid to handle much more than that.

3) Short, choppy dialogue that is formatted oddly. You know those books that don't use quotation marks, and poorly define their characters' speech? And then they also try to mimic conversation, but it ends up being extremely choppy? Yep, this is one of my largest pet peeves. 

4) Very short chapters of no purpose. A short chapter can be an extremely useful and effective writing tool. It can be used to briefly peek into the mind and eyes of a character who is otherwise "off-screen" in the book. But here's the thing: it has to be for a purpose. Some writers just do this for dramatic effect, and it often feels just like a space filler to me. Or, if you write a short chapter that is only about a page without any revelation...this just feels like something you refused to let your editor get rid of.

Spencer (2021)

I watched Spencer a few months back, and am just getting around to cleaning up my review now - whoops!

imdb.com

I'm going to start this off by saying right away that I have conflicting feelings regarding this movie. When I was asked if it "was good" I found that I couldn't answer it properly. However, did I like it? I would have to say no. It absolutely had some strong merits though, so I want to go over both sides. This is mildly spoiler-y, but considering it's based on the life of a real person...it's more just spoiling aspects of the filmmaking style.

Things I didn't enjoy:

The dinner soup scene. Honestly, I get that this was supposed to be artsy and a depiction of her feelings rather than accurate, but I disliked watching it, and don't think it added anything to the movie. It felt out of place and absurdist to me.

Rather than feel compassion or understanding for Diana, in general I just found that she seemed, well, unreasonable and overwhelming. That isn't to say that I felt this way through the whole movie (as there were "unreasonable" moments that made 100% sense as a viewer), but there were a lot of things where I just found her to be incredibly unlikeable because of her actions.

The self-destruction. And I don't mean specifically the emotional frustration or anything, but the self-inflicted injuries and such that happened. I couldn't tell because of how it was shot if these things were supposed to be taken as "real" or as artsy moments like the dinner scene.

What I liked:

Kristen Stewart did a great job. I think she got the look and essence right of Diana and absolutely think she deserves praise for it. Several of her mannerisms felt really right, and I was so impressed and surprised. I've liked Stewart in the past for several roles, so I knew she was a solid actress, but usually I find biopics (especially involving figures like Princess Diana) are more like caricatures than strong acting.

The costumes were fantastic, and they brought the whole thing to life perfectly. Every person was dressed in just the right way, from their more simplistic attire (like Diana's pink top and jeans) to their dinner finery.

I like that we didn't get a regurgitation of the exact same story. We got a snippet of a few days, and this allowed the story to focus on different aspects than we usually get on Diana's life. Because this shows a really emotionally tormenting portion of her life, we get to see both the good and the bad. Many depictions of Diana show her as entirely lovely and just insecure, but this allowed the audience to see a more multidimensional person.

I appreciated that the movie starts by saying that it is a "fable". It's always been a pet peeve of mine that biopics act as though they are completely factually accurate, when we don't know what most closed-door conversations were - we can only imagine.

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Have you seen Spencer? How did you feel about the more artistic take on this period in Diana's life? Do you tend to watch biopics, or avoid them?