End Of The Year Thoughts (2018)...

So, it’s New Year’s Eve. At midnight tonight, 2018 will be officially over. And with a New Year literally on the horizon, new possibilities are coming right along with it. But before 2018 is over, I want to take a look back at the blogging year I’ve had. Last time I did this type of post, I didn’t have many topics to discuss other than the changes I made to how I blogged and what I blogged about. As such, I don’t have much to say about that, because I spent 2018 continuing on with some of those changes by blogging about whatever I wanted including books, movies, music, food, and art.

So, how did those resolutions go?

Uh…okay. Here’s the thing: 2018 has been a rollercoaster of high and low points, and even the best plan has the capacity to change. Inevitably they do. And you know what? I’m totally fine with what I got done this year. I finished reading some of the series I wanted to get to such as: the first 3 novels of Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Complex series, Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie, as well as the last book of The Winternight Trilogy, The Winter of the Witch. There are many books I still want to read, but I fully acknowledge that it won’t happen in 2018. I’m not sad about it either, because I have time and books don’t expire or spoil like fruit. So, I’m good. I also read some poetry books. I started a new sketchbook but didn’t finish any. However, the one I’m currently using is spiral bound and I really love the paper. I also updated the look of the blog and made it more cohesive by changing out old post graphics to fit with the new header. The old birdcage rating system has not come back, and I don’t see it returning in the near future.

The Library…

Besides my resolutions, I also wanted to try more books by authors I wasn’t familiar with and tackle some backlist titles I wanted to read. So inevitably I used my local library more this year because of that. The library is truly great. Because when I do go out and buy physical copies of books to have on my shelf—like Spinning Silver and Why We Sleep—going to the library first takes away some of the guesswork behind choosing what to get. By then, I’ve already read them and know I love them.

Oh, and one last thing…

I’ve thought about it over time, and I realized resolutions are just personal goals. If they get done: then YAY, pat on the back. And if they don’t, well, there’s always another year to try again. And I tried this year: so another pat on the back.

Goodbye 2018, you won’t be missed....

 

The Best Movies and TV Shows I Watched in 2018...

Today, I’m going to go over some of the best movies and TV shows I watched in 2018. With good characters, story, and music, there were numerous releases this year which offered fantastic viewing experiences. From new series on Netflix to long awaited movie adaptations and sequels, 2018 had a good selection to choose from…

Aggretsuko: For an animated show about an irritated, metal-loving Red Panda, I loved it! I also wrote a longer post about it HERE…

Hilda: Hilda is another animated series on Netflix, adapted from a graphic novel series by Luke Pearson. From the overall message to the animation style and dialogue, there’s a lot to love about Hilda. I also wrote a full post about it HERE….

Black Panther: I watched Black Panther. The action sequences were spot on. The set design was gorgeous. The story and characters were awesome. Don’t even get me started on the music. Suffice it to say, I loved it and I don’t think I can say anything about it that hasn’t already been said.

A Wrinkle in Time (2018): If you’ve read the book then you’ll most likely enjoy the 2018 adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. Ava DuVernay did a good job with capturing the overall feel of the book including wonder, danger, and adventure with a flare of the science from the original source material. While also updating it with a modern setting and some current issues such as the ones faced by Storm Reed’s Meg Murray. All-in-all, A Wrinkle in Time is probably one of my absolute favorite movies to come out this year.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle: I was late to the party. As such, I watched the new Jumanji movie in 2018 and loved it. I think it’s due to the fact that it felt like a proper sequel to the original Jumanji, and not an attempt at rebooting the story. Plus, it was just a lot of fun to watch, because this version of Jumanji was set up like an actual video game. They did a good job with those aspects and the jokes got some laughs out of me.

Incredibles 2: Incredibles 2, the sequel I waited 14 years for. I loved everything about it, and I’m glad the style of the characters wasn’t changed. I won’t say much about it, but if you haven’t watched the Incredibles movies, I highly recommend that you do.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: The adaptation I didn’t know I needed. I have yet to read the book, but that didn’t stop me from watching To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before when it came out on Netflix. I loved the movie. And, can we get a round of applause for Lana Condor for her performance as Lara Jean Covey? I mean, she was excellent in the role!

Ready Player One: Ready Player One was another book-to-movie adaptation I was waiting for, and it didn’t disappoint. While there were some changes to the story, overall, the movie was good. I also wrote a full blog post about the movie HERE.

So, that’s it for today. Have you watched any of these movies or TV shows? If so, what did you think about them? Or, what were some of the best movies/TV shows you watched this year?

 

The Best Books I’ve Read in 2018...

Today, I’m delving into a list of books I enjoyed this year. The nonfiction and fiction included on my list aren’t determined by the year they came out but by when I read them. And because of the sheer volume of them—plus the fact that there are existing reviews for the majority of them or there will be in the near future—I won’t be talking about each one individually but will instead link to the corresponding posts....

2018 wasn’t without its occasionally reading slumps, but I still had a relatively good year. From fiction to nonfiction, to magazines and comics and poetry, I read a lot of different books. And while there were some reads that weren’t my cup of tea, most of the books I picked up were ones I ended up enjoying. To start out, I’m going to list the best fiction I read this year....

Fiction...

• Mem by Bethany C. Morrow

• The Masked City and The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman

• The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory 

• Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

• The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden (My review for this one will be posted closer to the release date. And if you're a fan of the Winternight Trilogy, then get excited, because The Winter of the Witch is a fantastic conclusion to the series...)
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

• Envy of Angels Matt Wallace

• The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

• Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova

• Heroine Complex, Heroine Worship, and Heroine's Journey by Sarah Kuhn

• Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott

• Seafire by Natalie C. Parker

• Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi

• The Lost Carousel of Provence by Juliet Blackwell

• Hitting the Books by Jenn Mckinlay

• Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

• Ancillary Sword & Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

• The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross (There's no review for this one right now. My thoughts about it will be up on the blog closer to the release date. All I'll say right now is: The Beast's Heart was a solid beauty and the beast retelling....)

Nonfiction...

Of course, on top of the fiction favorites from this year, I also read some nonfiction worth noting here as well...

• Putting the Science in Fiction edited by Dan Koboldt

• Farming and the Food Supply;Undercover Operations; & American Art Deco

• Art Deco  by Victoria Charles and Carl H. Klaus

• How To Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price 

• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker

And, those were the books I read and enjoyed in 2018. Up next, I’m going to be talking about movies and TV shows I watched this year for part three of the “best of” posts. What were some of the best books you read in 2018?

Hiatus Notice...

December is almost over, so that means it’s time for our extended break from blogging. There are posts already scheduled and ready to go live on the blog. We’ll still be around to answer comments and on social media like twitter and Instagram. That being said, we’ll mostly be offline and won’t be participating in any weekly memes. We’ll see everyone in the New Year!

Merry Christmas: Happy Holidays from Our Thoughts Precisely....

Merry Christmas! Happy holidays from Our Thoughts Precisely.  We hope everyone has a lovely day!

Music Monday (68): Pentatonix, Mariah Carey, Charlotte Church, and Whitney Houston

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Christmas is tomorrow. The year is almost over. And with this last Music Monday, I'm done with weekly memes until 2019. So, my first pick is Pentatonix’s cover of Sweater Weather. I still like the original version of the song by The Neighborhood, but I have to admit Pentatonix's cover of it is very catchy and I like what they did to adjust it their style...

And because today is Christmas Eve, my second pick is Joy to the World by Mariah Carey. Even though Carey has a second holiday music album, the first one, Merry Christmas, will always be my favorite. And this version of Joy to the World is awesome….

Adri: My pick for this Music Monday is Dream a Dream by Charlotte Church featuring Billy Gilman. I first enjoyed this song from the iTunes Holiday Sampler. Eventually, I forgot about it, only finding it again after looking through my music library.

Andrea: I've been so busy lately, but I've still made time to listen to great Christmas music. One of the songs on my current playlist is One Wish (For Christmas) by Whitney Houston....

What are you listening to this week?

The Best Music I’ve Listened To in 2018...

It’s that time of year again. 2018 flew by and before I knew it, it was time to sit down and write some posts about the best books, movies, TV shows, and music that I liked. To make this manageable, I’m breaking it down into a section for books, a section for movies/TV shows, and a section for music respectively. Honestly, it gives me an excuse to use the year-specific post graphic a few more times before changing it to the new one. 

As the title of this post suggests, I’m going start with a list some of the music I enjoyed listening to in 2018. 2018 was a good year for music. A lot of long awaited albums finally came out such as Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe, Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B, and Twenty One Pilots follow-up to Blurryface, Trench. But I also found myself seeking out albums that came out in 2017 as well as others that were released as far back as 2015. So, here is a list of my  favorite albums, songs, and EPs… 

Note: I’m not limiting the albums/songs/EP s by the year they were released, and instead their inclusion is determined by if I happened to come across them in 2018….

• Primal Heart by Kimbra: Primal Heart is probably the album that most surprised me. Over the years, I’ve listened to Kimbra off and on and had a list of favorite songs by her. So, I was ecstatic to learn that she had new music coming out in 2018. And after listening to the songs released prior to the rest of the album, the hype was real. Honestly, Primal Heart is such a gem. It’s one of the few albums where I can say that I love every song from it. 

• Christmas is Here! By Pentatonix: Its holiday music by Pentatonix right on time for December. From classic holiday songs, to tracks featuring Kelly Clarkson and Maren Morris, and covers of music from The Nightmare Before Christmas, there’s a lot to love about this album….

• Caution by Mariah Carey: SHE’S BACK. Honestly, I’ve been waiting for Mariah Carey to release another album. I didn’t hear much about Caution until a few days after it was released. I like it. 

• Trench by Twenty One Pilots: While Blurryface will always have a special place in my heart—after all, it’s the album that got me into Twenty One Pilot’s music—there’s no denying how excellent Trench is. The release of the singles of Jumpsuit and Nico and the Niners already had me feeling immensely excited for what else Trench had to offer. And the wait was worth it, because from the lyrics to the sound, I love everything about the album. 

• Back to the Woods by Angel Haze: While Back to the Woods was released in September of 2015, it turned out to be one of the best albums I listened to in 2018. I wrote a post explaining some of the reasons behind why I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it HERE. 

• The Kids are Alright by Chloe x Halle: The Kids are Alright is one album I forgot was coming out this year until I saw it mentioned somewhere. It showcased Chloe and Halle’s vocal capabilities with gems like Hi Lo, Warrior, Babybird, and the titular The Kids Are Alright. As such, it’s one of my favorite studio debuts to come out of 2018. 

• Bittersweet Volume 1 by OSHUN: OSHUN always has such a distinctive sound to their music and Bittersweet Volume 1 is no exception. 

• Every Open Eye and Love is Dead by CHVRCHES: Prior to 2018, I didn’t listen to much music by CHVRCHES. But, then their recent album, Love is Dead, got my attention. And through recommendation, I listened to Every Open Eye. And, I have to admit that I’ve come to really enjoy their style of music. 

So, those are just some of the albums/EPs that I personally enjoyed. Next, I want to quickly list some of the other music I’ve been listening to this year such as work by content creators—like youtubers—as well as other noteworthy singles… 

• Chapter 28 (EP) by Daina 

• Turbo by Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle) 

• God is a Woman by Ariana Grande 

• Django Jane by Janelle Monáe 

• Close by Rae Sremmurd, Swae Lee, Slim Jxmmi featuring Travis Scott 

• All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar and SZA 

• Pills; Masseduction; Sugarboy; and Los Ageless by St. Vincent 

And that’s it for today. Up next, I'm going to talk about the books I read and enjoyed in 2018. What’s some of the music you’ve been listening to this year?

The Joy of Christmas Book Tag (2018)

Today, I wanted to participate in one last book tag before the year is over. Instead of finding one I haven’t done before, I decided to do The Joy of Christmas Book Tag again to see how much my answers have changed after 3 years. Before I get started, I have to go over some of the technical details.

This tag was created by Sam’s Nonsense (Novel and Nonsense). The original video can be found HERE. And the updated video is HERE. 

Anticipation: The Christmas excitement is real, what book release(s) are you most anticipating?

• Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan 

• The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

• The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory 

• The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie 

• Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 

Christmas Songs & Carols: What book or author can you not help but sing it's praises?

I have two answers for this one. Mem by Bethany C. Morrow: it was a short book but an incredibly good one. And Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker: if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about sleep and dreams, then this would be the book to start with.

Gingerbread Houses: What book or series has wonderful world building?

Oh, this one is easy: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and the entire Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden. The world building in these books are among my all-time favorites. They’re immersive and atmospheric tales with layers of detail that make the settings vivid with scenery with a bit of political intrigue and magic. I’ve already done a review for Spinning Silver HERE and also talked about it on another post HERE. And as for the final book in the Winternight Trilogy, The Winter of the Witch, I’ll share my thoughts about it closer to the release date.

A Christmas Carol: Favorite classic or one that you want to read
One of my favorite classic novels is Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott, and the one I want to read is Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Christmas Sweets: What book would you love to receive for Christmas

Any volume of The Case Study of Vanitas by Jun Mochizuki.

Candles in the Window: What book gives you that warm fuzzy feelings

The first story from Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi: Death and Night. It’s by far my favorite of the three stories from the collection. And while it’s technically the backstory of some of the prominent characters from the series, it was excellent and there were some cute moments.

Christmas Trees & Decorations: What are some of your favorite book covers?

The book covers from the Heroine Complex series by Sarah Kuhn as well as the ones for the Tales from the Chocolate Heart series by Stephanie Burgis. And, of course, the book covers for the Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie, because John Harris did the illustrations.

Christmas Joy: What are some of your favorite things about Christmas And/Or some of your favorite Christmas memories?

My favorite thing about Christmas is probably everything—music, an excuse to bake, spending time with family, etc.—and the fact that it’s in December means that the weather is cooler.

So, that’s about it for today. Don’t forget to check out Sam’s Nonsense over on youtube, and I tag anyone who wants to participate.

Music Monday (67): Two Steps From Hell, Stevie Wonder, & Andra Day

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: My pick this week is Christmas Medley by Two Steps From Hell. I’ve been a fan of them for a number of years and their music is best described as epic. And while their Christmas Medley is perfectly festive, it's clearly influenced by their style.  It's epic, which is one of the reasons I enjoy listening to this song around this time of year...

Andrea:  My playlist this week is filled with Christmas Music by several of my favorite artists. One of the songs I’m listening to is Some Day At Christmas by Stevie Wonder & Andra Day.

What's some of your favorite holiday music?

Review: The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman

Title: The Masked City
Series: The Invisible Library #2
Author: Genevieve Cogman
Source/Format: Borrowed from the Library; Paperback
More Details: Historical; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Ace Books; September 6, 2016

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Working in an alternate version of Victorian London, Librarian-spy Irene has settled into a routine, collecting important fiction for the mysterious Library and blending in nicely with the local culture. But when her apprentice, Kai—a dragon of royal descent—is kidnapped by the Fae, her carefully crafted undercover operation begins to crumble.
Kai’s abduction could incite a conflict between the forces of chaos and order that would devastate all worlds and all dimensions. To keep humanity from getting caught in the crossfire, Irene will have to team up with a local Fae leader to travel deep into a version of Venice filled with dark magic, strange coincidences, and a perpetual celebration of Carnival—and save her friend before he becomes the first casualty of a catastrophic war.
But navigating the tumultuous landscape of Fae politics will take more than Irene’s book-smarts and fast-talking—to ward off Armageddon, she might have to sacrifice everything she holds dear....

Since I recently read and loved The Mortal Word, book #5 of the Invisible Library series, I’d decided to make it a goal to read the other three books I’d missed. So the obvious place to start was The Masked City.

I loved this book. It combined elements of historical fiction with those of fantasy with an added touch of futuristic technology in certain aspects of the setting. The Masked City was also fast paced and packed with enough danger, action, and mystery to make the story an exciting follow-up to The Invisible Library (book #1). All of my favorite characters—Irene, Vale, Kai, and Silver—were present as new and familiar worlds were further explored. Although, this time around, Irene’s usual duties as a Librarian were mostly put on hold in favor of rescuing her apprentice.

There were some parts of the mystery that got solved relatively early on, but it wasn’t bad considering the answers brought more questions rather than a firm resolution. The Masked City also delved into more of the politics between dragons and the Fae with the focus on the latter since the story mainly took place in a world heavily influenced by chaos. These details are somewhat beneficial to know when trying to understad the Fae of Cogman’s series. It not only provided context for their nature it showed it as well through Irene’s interactions with Silver and others—something that was especially highlighted given the setting being in an extremely high chaos zone, which was a stark contrast to the other worlds Irene had been to. To say the least, it was interesting how stories/personal narratives came into play. There were also some new enemies, as well others who were very familiar, working behind the scenes toward their own goals.

So, overall, the story was good, and I plan to read The Burning Page sometime soon. I’ve already read the synopsis for it, and I’m interested in seeing how the Alberich situation gets resolved....

Music Monday (66): Pentatonix, Snow Miser/Heat Miser

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: My pick this week is Where Are You, Christmas? by Pentatonix. 

Also, has anyone watched The Year Without a Santa Claus? It came out in 1974, and there’s two songs from it that I’ve always loved: the Snow Miser and Heat Miser songs. If you haven’t listened to them, search for it on youtube or just watch the movie. I don’t know why but they're catchy....

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (144) & Book Beginnings: The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE 

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Working in an alternate version of Victorian London, Librarian-spy Irene has settled into a routine, collecting important fiction for the mysterious Library and blending in nicely with the local culture. But when her apprentice, Kai—a dragon of royal descent—is kidnapped by the Fae, her carefully crafted undercover operation begins to crumble.
Kai’s abduction could incite a conflict between the forces of chaos and order that would devastate all worlds and all dimensions. To keep humanity from getting caught in the crossfire, Irene will have to team up with a local Fae leader to travel deep into a version of Venice filled with dark magic, strange coincidences, and a perpetual celebration of Carnival—and save her friend before he becomes the first casualty of a catastrophic war.
But navigating the tumultuous landscape of Fae politics will take more than Irene’s book-smarts and fast-talking—to ward off Armageddon, she might have to sacrifice everything she holds dear....

Beginning: "Introduction.... By now you will have passed basic training, and will either be working in the field with a more experienced Librarian or be preparing to do so." 

56: "Vale nodded. "Given subsequent events...In any case, I returned here to find Strongrock had come by. He was met at the door by a street urchin, who directed him to an address in the East End. Fortunately, one of the newspaper vendors was close enough to hear the details. I followed." He looked down at his hands. "I was too late."

Comments: I recently read and enjoyed The Mortal Word. So, I made it a goal to go back and read the books I'd yet to get to from the Invisible Library series. I started with The Masked City. I loved this book.  What are you reading this week?

Memorable....

It’s been a while since I wrote a discussion post, but a couple of recent things got me thinking about what forms of media—i.e. books and music, etc.—I find memorable and the reasons behind what makes them stand out. This is completely subjective of course, because I can only speak about my personal preferences. As such, there will be a number of references to music and books I’ve enjoyed, particularly the former since one album in particular inspired this post.

Do you know those books, the ones that are so deeply atmospheric that you can’t help but get caught up in the journey from start to finish? That’s how I feel about Back to the Woods by Angel Haze. Originally, I wasn’t going to write anything about Back to the Woods, because the album has been out since 2015. However, it’s so underrated, and that’s a shame. It’s one album that I would compare to a complex book. And just like Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, Back to the Woods  was wonderfully atmospheric with a fairy tale like vibe. Rather than having a setting, history, and tale rife with detailed scenery, in this case, the compositions of the album was gorgeously layered and undeniably thematic from the opening tracks, D-Day and Impossible, to the brooding and dreamy closing, titular song, The Woods.

So, in thinking about all the ways Back to the Woods reminded me of Spinning Silver, my thoughts began to shift toward what made them so memorable to me in the first place: the emotion or feeling they elicited while being read or listened to. Specifically speaking, there’s nothing inherently similar about Spinning Silver and Back to the Woods. There are no lyrics that specifically speak to anything from the book. And there’s no text from the book that implies a connection to the album. They’re their own separate entities. However, I find it’s all based in the language I use to talk about them that led me to compare them in the first place. Often with words and phrases like layered, complex, thematic, and deeply atmospheric. What I’m saying is, when I listen to Back to the Woods it makes me think of a fairy tale. And when I read Spinning Silver, the story elicits much of the same reaction. In that way, they’re similar. And besides the fact that they’re both great in their own right, as I stated before, my reaction to them is part of what makes them memorable.

Of course, being memorable can come about in different ways (also entirely dependent on what a person likes/dislikes) and fairy-tale-like isn’t the only criterion that applies—poignant and difficult reads that’ll make you think; fantasy, science fiction, or contemporary; or even books that are light and enjoyable escapism can also leave long-lasting impressions. It could even be specific things like settings, characters, overall story, or subject (for nonfiction). So, books like Mem, The Tea Master and the Detective, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, Why We Sleep, and the Heroine Complex series were all memorable to me for different or sometimes similar reasons respectively.

What do you think? What makes different forms of media—whether books, music, movies, TV shows, etc.—memorable for you?

Music Monday (65): Lindsey Stirling

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: It’s officially December, which means I have a legitimate excuse to talk about holiday music for the next couple of weeks. So my pick for today is Silent Night by Lindsey Stirling. I’ve listened to many versions of this song and Stirling’s is one of my favorites....

What are you listening to this week?