Gilded

Title:  Gilded

Author:  Marissa Meyer

Series:  Gilded #1

Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends

Date Published:  November 2, 2021

Genre:  Young Adult, Retelling, Fantasy

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Once upon a time there was a miller's daughter, and she was cursed/marked by a god. The villagers stay away from her because wherever Serilda goes, misfortune isn't too far behind. BUT a small group of children feel differently, they love Serilda's gift of storytelling. One day Serilda's stories get her into trouble. During one of his fabled hunts, Serilda crosses paths with the Erlking. Serilda spins a tale about her abilities to spin straw into gold. And yes, you guessed it, she is now ensnared by the Erlking and must spin straw into gold. During her time in the cursed castle, Serilda uncovers secrets and meets a devilishly handsome poltergeist. 

-    I am on a Marissa Meyer reading kick right now. I love her books, especially her retellings. I cannot get enough of them. I loved how Meyer mixed Rumpelstiltskin and mythology. The stories were recognizable, but she also created something so unique and amazing. 

-    I loved Serilda's moxie and snark. She made me laugh on more than one occasion. She was also a little dense at times, but that is what makes for a good story. I also loved all the side characters. They were delightful, even the evil ones. 

-    The story gets a bit intense, and I couldn't believe what Meyer did to her characters! What!? Craziness! 

-    I'm sad I have to wait for November to find out the rest of the story! Gilded ends in a maddening cliffhanger. Gah!

-    I kept going back and forth between 4 and 5 stars on this, so I think my true rating is 4.5 stars. 

My Thoughts in GIFs:

Daughter of the Deep

Title:  Daughter of the Deep

Author:  Rick Riordan

Publisher:  Disney-Hyperion

Date Published:  October 26, 2021

Genre:  Middle Grade, Young Adult, Sci-Fi

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Harding-Pencroft is a specialized school for students who are gifted in ocean life, ocean exploration, military training, etc. Ana is a young student at HP, and her life is turned upside down when her school is suddenly attacked and falls into the ocean. The only survivors are her fellow classmates who were on a bus heading for a training. They are now being hunted by the people who attacked the school, and Ana learns that she is the primary target. 

-    I really enjoyed Riordan's take on a classic tale. This book isn't a retelling, but it is highly influenced by a couple of Jules Verne novels. It was really cool. 

-    I loved how diverse this book was! It was diverse in so many ways: race, religion, and disabilities. I feel like Riordan did an amazing job at including these topics in a very natural and realistic way. It wasn't shoved down the reader's throat, but it was mentioned and talked about in a real and respectful way. 

-    It was fun getting to know each character, especially through Ana's eyes. It was like meeting new friends, and it reminded me of my grade school days. 

-    My daughter wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up, and I hope she reads this soon. She is going to love it. 

My Thoughts in a GIF:

The Love Hypothesis

Title:  The Love Hypothesis

Author:  Ali Hazelwood

Publisher:  Berkley Books

Date Published:  September 14, 2021

Genre:  Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Fake dating is plaguing my life right now. I don't know why, but I feel like it is everywhere. 

-    Olive's ex-boyfriend and best friend are attracted to one another, but Olive's friend doesn't want to hurt Olive by dating her ex, so Olive impulsively kisses a random guy in the hallway to make her friend think she has moved on. I don't understand the logic, but whatever. The guy she kissed is a professor who is renown for being an unapproachable jerk. Of course the random professor decides to help her with the ruse, and of course they fall in love. 

-    I didn't hate the romance, in fact I really liked Olive and Adam as a couple, but I didn't like the fake dating trope. 

-    Yes, I crushed on Adam. It helped that from his description, I pictured him as Richard Armitage, so ya. His good looks combined with his undying loyalty, silent longing, and sexy protectiveness made for a very crush worthy guy. 

-    I'm not one for erotic books, and I was unaware of the sex scene. It was a little too steamy for me. I know we are supposed to read outside our comfort zones, but I'm okay not being that intimate with other's relations. 

-    I loved the book setting, and I loved the representation of women in STEM. 

-    I'm glad I finally got around to reading this book, but I think it is over-hyped. *ducks projectiles*

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Cyrano

 

My Thoughts:

-    I love the original play, so when I saw they were doing a musical adaptation, I knew I had to see it. 

-    Sadly, I missed the first 15 min of the movie because I was being held hostage at the car dealership. Why do they always take forever! Grrr!!

-    The story is so beautiful and heart wrenching. I loved it! I also loved all the humor they threw in. There are some very funny moments. 

-    Dinklage's performance was so good! He has such a rich and deep voice. I didn't know he could sing.

-    Visually, it was very appealing. Musically . . .it was okay. I didn't love all the singers, and I didn't love all the songs. Some of the songs. . .were a little cringy. The villain song was really bad and awkward. In a few of the songs, some of the lyrics were silly and crammed into the melody. Some songs were really good though. It was a very weird mix. 

-    Some of the dances seemed out of place and weird. I wanted to giggle when these people were holding loaves of bread in the air and moving around in a circle.

-    I'm glad I saw this in the theater. Yes, I'd like to see it again, especially the beginning. Yes, I've listened to the soundtrack, and my feelings about the songs haven't changed.

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Call Us What We Carry

Title:  Call Us What We Carry

Author:  Amanda Gorman

Publisher:  Viking

Date Published:  December 7, 2021

Genre:  Poetry

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    There were two very distinct things that captivated me from President Biden's inauguration. Amanda Gorman and her poem were mesmerizing. I loved it, and I knew I had to read more from Gorman. Sadly, I had to wait a while for her book. The second thing was Bernie Mittens. It tickles my funny bone just right, and I love it. 

-    The poems touched on a lot of current events: COVID, racism, politics, etc. The poems were so raw and honest. I loved Gorman's take on things, and her words of hope and moving forward. 

-    Gorman's writing is masterful. Her word choice and cadence are . . . beautiful, unique, thought-provoking, indescribable. It is hard for me to put my thoughts and opinions in words. I feel like there isn't a word that truly justifies how good her writing is. 

-    Not all of the poems moved me, but a lot of them did. They touched my heart and soul, and I felt her words. I had physical reactions like goosebumps and butterflies. The book was a real experience for me. 

-    I cannot gush enough about this book. I love Gorman's work, and I love her story. Go read it! 

My Thoughts in a GIF:

P.S. In case you missed Amanda Gorman's poem and Bernie Mittens, here are some videos for you.

Apples Never Fall

Title:  Apples Never Fall

Author:  Liane Moriarty 

Publisher:  Henry Holt and Co.

Date Published:  September 14, 2021

Genre:  Adult Fiction, Mystery

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Stan and Joy Delaney have recently retired from running a prestigious tennis school. They have four adult children with very different and distinct personalities. Each of them could have become famous tennis stars, but they left the sport to pursue other things. One day, Joy disappears, and the only thing she left was a text message that is absolute gibberish. Her family is very concerned, but they are hesitant to call the police. After various clues and evidence start to pile up, Joy's disappearance is considered a murder, and the number one suspect is her husband. 

-    Moriarty is an expert at dangling that carrot in front of the reader. She lets us smell it and get a little taste, and we continue to chase that carrot on a stick with eagerness and anticipation. I love it!

-    I was hooked and obsessed with the story from the very beginning. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the story and eager to return. I was so enthralled with the family and their individual lives. 

-    I love the humor that Moriarty sprinkles in between the suspense. I was giggling out loud during certain parts. The family dynamic and the relationship between Joy and Stan is so relatable, and I love that Moriarty makes it so real and something we can laugh about. 

-    I wish I could talk more about the story without giving anything away. The ending! Oh the ending! It was hilarious, heart warming, and angering all at once. 

-    Spoiler Alert! <Savannah is a total psychopath! She needs to go to prison and be away from society. There are no excuses for the things she is doing.>

Trigger Warning: Heavy Language, Child Neglect, Divorce, Infertility, Sex (nothing explicit), Domestic Violence

Starfish

Title:  Starfish

Author:  Lisa Fipps

Publisher:  Penguin Young Readers

Date Published:  March 9, 2021

Genre:  Contemporary, Middle Grade, Books In Verse

Rating:  ★★★★★

My Thoughts: 

-    Starfish is getting a lot of buzz this year, and it deserves all the praise. It is such an important message about bullying and body image. I think everyone should read this, and it should be in all the schools. 

-    Ellie is bigger than most of the kids in her school, so she is teased and bullied relentlessly. What is even worse, is her mother is also fat shaming her relentlessly. Ellie doesn't care about her weight, she just wants to be loved and accepted for who she is. She has let her weight define her, but she is so much more.

-    I loved Ellie's journey. She was able to overcome her outside influences and negative inner voice. It was such a beautiful journey to self-love.

-    I love books in verse. I know they aren't for everyone, but I think books in verse are so poignant and beautiful. 

-    I think this book could teach a lot of people to be kinder to others and ourselves. 

Dune

My Thoughts:

-    I wasn't planning on seeing Dune. I just wasn't interested, but my friends wanted to go, and they invited me along, so I went.

-    This was my very first IMAX movie. It was impressive. The screen was massive, and the sound quality was amazing. I went to another another movie that evening (yes, two movies in one day), and the screen and sound were not as good. It seemed so small, and I wanted the larger screen. Suey, you spoiled me!

-    The movie only covers the first part of the book. There will be more movies. 

-    Basically, the house of bald and brooding bad guys ruled the spice planet for a long time and became ridiculously rich. The emperor decided to remove the bad guy house from the spice planet and replace them with the good guy house led by a bearded Poe Dameron. Poe's mistress, Jessica, is part of this scary witch group. She has been training her son, Paul, in her witchy/culty ways. Paul is special because of his bloodline and training. Well, he is having vivid dreams about Zendaya and other things on the spice planet. When Poe's people get to the spice planet, they find out the bad guys have left it in bad shape, and bad things happen. There is a lot of political and cultural things going on that are important to the story, but it is a big jumbled mess. 

-    The blue-eyed desert people are really important, but the movie mostly just talks about them. The desert people live on the spice planet, and the big bald bad guys were mean to them, but the new good guys want to work with them in harmony. Zendaya is part of the desert people, but she only gets to be seen for a small part at the end of the movie, and in Paul's dreams. 

-    The ending is a little abrupt, because there are going to be more movies, so the story does not get wrapped up, things are just bad for our heroes. 

-    I didn't like that Jessica kept freaking out during the movie. She is a member of this scary witch group, so she should be able to be more in control of herself. 

-    The movie is LONG, and it feels long. I don't mind long movies, but I mind when they feel long, and I'm wondering when the heck they are going to wrap this up. 

-    Overall, I enjoyed the movie. I thought it was a good adaptation of the book. I felt the same way about the movie that I did the book, so that is good. The movie is a beautiful feast for the eyes. The cinematography was well done. The music is gorgeous. Hans Zimmer really outdoes himself on this one. Yes, I would recommend seeing it in the theater, in IMAX.

My friends and I hosted a read along for Dune a while ago.

I will post links below, so you can check out my previous posts on the book.

Book Review

Discussion Posts

Fan Art