Posted on by bookreviews628

My Favorites of 2021

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well and doing your best to enjoy the holidays. I wanted to put out one more book review before the end of the year but, unfortunately, I am under the weather. Instead, I thought I would out out my annual list of favorites. It was nice being able to get out a little bit this year. That being said, 2021 was still not a fun year by any means. I did just apply for some PhD programs so I have my fingers crossed that 2022 will finally yield something even better. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my list. I wish you only the best for next year. Call me an optimist but I think we all deserve better for another year.

Books:

  • If We Were Villians by M.L Rio
  • Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
  • Devolution by Max Brooks
  • Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno – Garcia
  • The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
  • The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
  • The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
  • The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
  • Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
  • It Devours! by Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor
  • House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
  • Heir to the Empire and Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn

Movies:

  • The Green Knight (dir. David Lowery)
  • The Suicide Squad (dir. James Gunn)
  • In the Heights ( dir. Jon M. Chu)
  • Venom: Let There Be Carnage (dir. Andy Serkis)
  • Shang – Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (dir. Destin Daniel Cretton)
  • Black Widow (dir. Cate Shortland)
  • Eternals (dir. Chloe Zhao)
  • Spider – Man: No Way Home (dir. Jon Watts)

TV Shows:

  • WandaVision (Disney+)
  • The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+)
  • Loki: Season 1 (Disney+)
  • Marvel’s What If?: Season 1 (Disney+)
  • Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Season 1 (Disney+)
  • Hawkeye (Disney+)
  • The Witcher: Season 2 (Netflix)
  • Midnight Mass (Netflix)
  • Castlevania: Seasons 1 – 4 (Netflix)
  • Squid Game: Season 1 (Netflix)
  • Only Murders in the Building: Season 1 (Hulu)
  • Ghosts (UK Version): Seasons 1 – 3 (HBO Max)
  • Doom Patrol: Season 3 (HBO Max)

Music:

  • Flowers for Vases/Descanos by Hayley Williams (album)
  • Death by Rock and Roll by The Pretty Reckless (album)
  • Chemtrails Over the Country Club by Lana Del Rey (album)
  • Fearless (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift (album)
  • Cry Forever by Amy Shark (album)
  • If I Could Make it Go Quiet by girl in red (album)
  • SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo (album)
  • Scaled and Icy by Twenty One Pilots (album)
  • Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice (album)
  • Distorted Light Beam by Bastille (single)
  • Who Hurt You? by Jensen McRae (EP)
  • Cure for Me by AURORA (single)
  • Happier than Ever by Billie Eilish (album)
  • Solar Power by Lorde (album)
  • Soundtrack to an Existential Crisis by au/ra (album)
  • Screen Violence by CHVRCHES (album)
  • If I can’t have love, I want power by Halsey (album)
  • Mercury – Act 1 by Imagine Dragons (album)
  • Blue Banisters by Lana Del Rey (album)
  • Ruin by The Amazing Devil (album)
  • 30 by Adele (album)
  • Red (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift (album)
  • = by Ed Sheeran (album)
  • Planet Her by Doja Cat (album)
  • Renegade (feat. Taylor Swift) by Big Red Machine (album)

Posted on by bookreviews628

The only way to learn is to live: Reviewing The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Hi everyone! How’s everything going with you? Well, I hope it’s good. As I might have mentioned before, I typically don’t pick books to read based on their popularity. Sometimes, the hype is worth checking out and that is why I picked up The Midnight Library. This book has shown up on just about every “top books of 2021” list and, while I have been burned before by those lists, I was intrigued enough to give this one a chance. So, let’s talk about The Midnight Library.

Nora Seed has lived a miserable existence full of regret and self – pity. One particularly bad day spurs Nora to take drastic measures. She finds herself in the Midnight Library. This library, however, is full of books that show her the other lives she could have lived if she had made different decisions. With the help of the enigmatic librarian, Nora decides to explore the possibilities and see how they have affected her and those she cares about. But she must make a decision before time runs out, answering the question: what is the best way to live?

As someone who worries about the future, this book helped me put a lot into perspective. Nora’s journey is one that most people can relate to, which is why many of you will be able to connect with this book. Haig explores a lot of interesting philosophical questions but doesn’t do so in a way that is depressing or confusing. Haig shows that life is indeed a mixed bag of both good and bad in a way that realistic. Though the novel has a quick pace, it still fits in many valuable and touching moments involving a relatable protagonist. Overall, I was impressed with this book and can confirm that this novel is worth the hype. The Midnight Library is relatable, touching, and profound in its exploration of life’s possibilities.

Posted on by bookreviews628

I’ve got a bad feeling about this…: Reviewing Dark Force Rising (Book Two of the Thrawn Trilogy) by Timothy Zahn

Hi everyone! I hope you all are coping well with the stress of the holidays. Ugh. It’s a lot. I’m trying to get through my TBR list before Christmas because I basically only asked for books. I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted, really. Besides that, I wanted to continue this particular trilogy so let’s talk about Dark Force Rising.

Grand Admiral Thrawn’s campaign against the New Republic continues after acquiring what remains of the Imperial Fleet. Meanwhile, Han Solo and Land Calrissian try to uncover treason within the Republic Council and find themselves caught in a much larger conspiracy. Leia Organa Solo finds herself alone as she must gather more allies for the New Republic’s cause. Luke Skywalker, on the other hand, must contend with a Dark Jedi who wants to bring him to the dark side. It is a race against time before Thrawn launches his most powerful attack.

Upon delving into the world of Star Wars, I have discovered people either love the space politics and detail backstories or they just want lightsaber fights. This book contains mostly the former. Personally, I found the book to be very slow at points with the endless negotiating scenes and the political espionage. I am sure a bigger Star Wars fan might appreciate it a bit more than I. I still enjoyed the book, though. There were a lot of emotional stakes that made the world all the more interesting. I am still going to recommend this series to any Star War fan but, be warned, it is a bit long winded.