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Year of Lists

August Books & Films

(cause it's a short list)

Wicked Little Letters (2023) *5 - I love Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley's work dearly. This was just about okay, with a couple of funny moments. The true story on which this is based on is interesting; the movie, unremarkable.

I only read two books in August, but I bundled These Violent Delights with Our Violent Ends so I could rant about them together.

First, Bobby Fischer Goes to War by David Edmonds *3/5 - this was my lengthy non-fiction in print of the year. I usually have the one. Sometimes, it's something life changing, like Fermat's Last Theorem. Other times, it's something quasi fun, well written, but ultimately pretty forgettable, like this one.

And for the main course, These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong *3/5 for the both of them combined (*3.7-4/5 for the first one, *2.7/5 for the second)

In bullet points, from my phone notes: *this is a Romeo & Juliet 1920s Shanghai gang reimagining. (the potential!)

The concept is interesting but so ambitious it becomes the duology's undoing. There is so much going on: a monster, political turmoil, family politics, history.

The political threads, despite their potential, are ambitious, often wishy-washy, and don't track, both on character level and overall.

The Shakespearean bits interwoven through the books are delicious, and many of the changes in plot are satisfying. I loved that Roma and Juliette had a past and we're now joining them years later when they must once again encounter each other.

There is a lot of repetition and recycling of plot; would have benefitted from cuts.

Most importantly, both of these books are majorly lacking in romance. There is no pining, no yearning in a cohesive manner. I wanted my heart to break at these characters' plight. Instead, the reader has to imagine the fullness of their connection based on the morsels of their past we're given.

I wish the plot focused more directly, and exclusively, on the feud, building on a couple of events surrounding that, only accented by the political turmoil. With convincing infatuation, the two struggling with family unrest and power that would grant the opportunity to build a better future for Shanghai, their sacrifice could have changed the course of history. I wanted to see two young people struggling with their sense of identity as heirs of power in Shanghai, the futility of this passed-down feud, and their uncontrollable love for one another.

I also wish queerness was better woven through and more prominent.

Shanghai as a main character wins.

THE POTENTIAL!!

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Year of Lists

July Books

She a long one

I also left this so late, I don't remember much

The Trespasser by Tana French - don't remember anything about this, just that I enjoyed speeding through it. I think Tana French's work has that quality of quiet enjoyment to it. A small break from reality - so a 3*? (that's my goodreads rating anw)

Μαμά by Μαργαρίτα Καραπάνου *4.7/5 - this, I do remember. It's a quick read, much of Karapanou is; none of it is light and this one is darker and more complex than most. It's a melee of the writer's relationship with/memory of her mother. Vignettes, impressions, memories, snippets of a life lived, felt or imagined. Karapanou was a remarkable artist, and boy, could she weave a sentence.

I'm Not Here to Give a Speech by Gabriel García Márquez *4.5/5 - delightful; just a neat little collection of speeches. Isn't it funny how gifted some people are at things they don't really enjoy doing?

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang *5/5 - nothing to see here. Love all around. <3 <3

Tokyo Express by Seichō Matsumoto *3.5/5 - this was yummy. If you find oldish, matter-of-fact writing, noir-type police procedurals with limited but astute action delicious, this is for you.

Girl Goddess Queen by Bea Fitzgerald *4/5 - okay. Hear me out.

*sidenote* This is Lore Olympus in novel form. So much so that I wondered if Bea Fitzgerald wasn't a pen name for Rachel Smythe and vice versa.

--

Was it repetitive, occasionally annoyingly so? Yes. Did I think it could have benefitted from better editing? Yes. Did I obsess over it and think about the characters and the slow-burn romance of it all for at least a week? Yes. Did I buy Bea Fitzgerald's new novel a day into publication and can't wait to read it but I'm travelling a lot and didn't want to carry it cause it's huge? Yes. Did it make me hyperfixate on finding the epic romance of the decade - the century even, the book that makes your knees tremble, to no avail? Yes.

I loved this. I loved this so so much, flaws and all.

*sidenote, again* Madeline Miller rewriting Persephone too - would love to read that version

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo - like a 3*. It's not something that sticks but it's readable and you do care when you're reading it. One thing I can say for certain, I was sure I wanted to read more Leigh Bardugo, and I have, since reading this, spent a lot of time on deciding what that'll be. (Six of Crows, probably this Autumn, early Winter)

Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi *3.7/5 - It's a good narrative from a very talented writer/artist, whose work I've admired from the get-go and will continue to consume either til the end, or til the potentially inevitable decline. The .7 purely on talent.

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong - deets on this with the sequel which I read in August - and it's a lot

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Year of Lists

July Films

Kinds of Kindness (2024) *5 - some really good elements. Unfortunately it deteriorates with each new story. Felt like I was watching it forever.

Burning Sun: Exposing the secret K-pop chat groups (2024) *7 - one more for shit, the world really is this bad. Power sucks balls.

Bottoms (2023) *7.5 - HELL YEAH. more of this, all the time, please. SO MUCH FUN

Longlegs (2024) *6.5 - superb start. Wish it stuck with the slow-burn legal mystery, or developed from it better.

Hail Satan *mwah*

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Year of Lists

June Films

Short but sweet:

Train to Busan (부산행) 2016 *7.5 - was surprised this didn’t come out earlier based on how much it has inspired subsequent work. Hell.Yeah. I love love love that it takes off so quickly and aggressively, infection rates are insane ——— attention: the zombies are not slow. This is a leaning forward, elevated heart rate watch through and through. Events unfolding are a constant surprise, not the gasp, I didn’t expect that kind, because this movie is so good at breadcrumbing for peak emotional destruction.

Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One 2023 *6 - meh, coulda been better. The AI stuff was interesting but I prefer my no way moments to come in stunt only form. The plot felt too farfetched to be believable but only because it wasn’t brewed well enough.

Amadeus (Director’s Cut) 1984 *8 - first watch, at my favourite cinema, the Prince Charles - and if I remember correctly this was screened on film. I don’t have much to say, it’s superb, a feat of storytelling.

Notable series mentions: Jujutsu Kaisen 2020 *9 and Normal People 2020 *8 - omg omg omg for both of these

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Year of Lists

June Books

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors *3/5 - I expected more from this. I loved Cleopatra and Frankenstein. The characterisation is very good and the start is promising, but it just gets boring. I feel like there was so much more that could be done, both with the plot and with the exploration of themes.

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown *4.5/5 - the rating is a bit of a fuck you, like the book is a bit of a fuck you. There are many problems but it's certainly worth the read. Molly could sit alongside any great literary character and hold her own. She's one of those characters that stay with you as if they've lived - and in a way they have. The book is bold, loud, tenacious, and funny.

And it became increasingly clear that all Leroy and I had in common was a childhood full of ice cream, raisin boxes, and a mattress full of holes. But then I had never thought I had much in common with anybody. I had no mother, no father, not roots, no biological similarities called sisters and brothers. And for a future I didn't want a split-level home with a station wagon, pastel refrigerator, and a houseful of blonde children evenly paced through the years. I didn't want to walk into the pages of McCall's magazine and become the model housewife. I didn't even want a husband or any man for that matter. I wanted to go my own way. That's all I think I ever wanted, to go my own way and maybe find some love here and there. Love, but not the now and forever kind with chains around your vagina and a short circuit in your brain. I'd rather be alone.

James by Percival Everett *4/5 - Beautiful writing, nuanced reimagining. Looking forward to reading more Percival Everett.

Brutes by Tate Dizz *2/5 - it starts off strong with language that forces you to slow down, like a sticky, sweaty summer haze. And then it fizzles out, kinda stays at that. The use of the plural is refreshing, dizzying, unnerving. It could have made a cracking short story. It fails as it tries to be more. Length doesn’t add to it, it takes away.

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Normal People - The Book Stuff

what was read and referenced in the TV series

The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

Emma by Jane Austen

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

All My Sons by Arthur Miller

Candide, or Optimism by Voltaire

bonus:

Poems by Frank O'Hara

James Joyce

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Year of Lists

May Films

Movies are back baby

Only three watches but the two would be enough for months.

Bad Moms (2016) *4/10 max - I thought this was going to be fun, funny, bonkers. It is a mess, with maybe 2 kinda funny lines. *single tear

Challengers (2024) *7/10 - electrifying; perfectly captures the sexy, pumping, adrenaline fuelled side of sport. What an opener to the summer. The performances are outrageous, the music even more so. Left the theatre feeling like I could conquer the world.

Love Lies Bleeding (2024) *6/10 - HELL.YES. More of this, please. Sweaty, sexy, funny. New peak Kristen Stewart.

---

Can it get any hotter than these two?!

It was the best timing for Challengers and Love Lies Bleeding to be released together. Watched them a week apart and I don't think I could have had a better time.

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Here are some of my favourite letterboxd reviews:

Everything is sex, except sex, which is tennis (Bryan)

may thy racket chip and shatter (patrick)

i want zendaya to tell me to kill myself (cookie)

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these are the muscles of a killer, bella (jeaba)

Not a dry seat in the house. (Myra)

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Year of Lists

May Books

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell *4.7/5 - the craft is just awesome. I had favourite sections and I had favourite people (shoutout to Sonmi, Sixsmith and Robert Frobisher). The tingling anticipation when I realised the sections would run backwards back to the start - yum. The threads connecting the stories through time; the mix of genres - ugh, so good.

Normal People by Sally Rooney *5/5 - I stayed away from this one during its peak, opting to read Conversations with Friends instead, which I loved. I still carry a lot of it with me, and for subject matter, I would probably pick it over this one; except that this is a perfect book. It does what it sets out to do so, so well.

It is one of the secrets in that change of mental poise which has been fitly named conversion, that to many among us neither heaven nor earth has any revelation till some personality touches theirs with a peculiar influence, subduing them into receptiveness. - George Eliot, Daniel Deronda (opening inscription to the book)

This is about those relationships that change you, connect you to another person in an immovable way, and mark you for life. I love the unapologetic awkwardness, the leaning into the, often, devastating turn of events, that is so true to life.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim *3/5 (ebook) - went into this for a taste of mystery. It's mostly okay, a quick read, was thinking about Eugene for days after. There are ups and downs, some enjoyable, pacy bits but it left me unchanged, and worse, nonplussed.

Day by Michael Cunningham *3.2/5 - I've read some of Cunningham's work - The Hours, Flesh and Blood - both of which were five star reads. I didn't think this was a masterpiece, it read more like a writing challenge, as if Cunningham is still experimenting with Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, churning theme and structure to differing results. The characterisation is a great strength, giving life to an otherwise unremarkable book. What is undeniable is the writing talent. I wouldn't mind reading any of his work, ever. Bonus points for finishing this in a Day. sorrynotsorry

-- pic with summer flowers and Cassandra the centipede

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Year of Lists

April Books

Didn't get through a lot but was reminded how great it is to spend time with a story and the people in it. Shoutout to good big books out there <3

-- is it a better or a worse experience if you feel bereft after you finish a book?

11/22/63 by Stephen King *4.5/5

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin *5/5

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Year of Lists

April Films

JFK (1991) *8/10 - if you love legal dramas, journalistic, historic, conspiracy vibes. Bonus if reading 11/22/63 at the same time.

Annette (2021) *7.5/10 - obsessed. The soundtrack rocks.

The Woman King (2022) *6.5/10

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) *6.5/10

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Year of Lists

March Books

+ the last of Tournament of Books pre-tournament

The Guest by Emma Cline *3/5 - an anxiety trip that leaves you wanting more

American Mermaid by Julia Langbein *4/5 - a tad strange, funny, an enjoyable ride overall

Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1; Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 2: Muad'Dib by Brian Herbert (Adapted by), Kevin J. Anderson (Adapted by), Frank Herbert, Raul Allen (Illustrations), Patricia Martín (Illustrations), Bill Sienkiewicz (Contributor) *4/5 - great for a drop back into the Dune world or a light introduction for those who want it but not the full book experience

Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt *4/5 - hell yeah. A bit of a narrative struggle in the beginning but it pays off. Affecting body horror, and an accurate look at contemporary society and politics, especially in the UK

What You Are Looking for Is not in the Library by Michiko Aoyama and Alison Watts *2/5 - nah. As saccharine and boring as many people have said

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert *4/5 - it's interesting and the plot checks out but it's just not as good as Dune

a bit of a meh month. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend any of these

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Year of Lists

March Films

more awards-related stuff and then FREEDOM (what I chose to do with it is another thing but one thing I cannot be judged for is there are a LOT of movies this month, and that is positive)

must-watches in bold (these are in relation to other movies watched, and the time, not necessarily must-watches of all time)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always (2023) *6ish, I guess? - does this count? It's nostalgia in an hour's worth. it's every bit as bad as you would hope. Great stuff.

American Fiction (2023) *7.5 - hell yeah. Finally, something important done in a pleasant, human, enjoyable way (see how much I sobbed during this awards season: so.many.super.sad movies - or if not sad, just.so.much, overall). Performances are out of this world; it has everything: humour, nuance, a bit of romance, a bit of sadness; it was so damn good to watch.

The Zone of Interest (2023) *6 - how do you rate this? that six is not representative of the movie at all, but here we are. Everything you've heard about this is true: it's masterful, definitely a gut punch, Sandra Hüller is having a great year; the sound(track) is out of this world. It says so much with so little. Yes, it's a movie about the Holocaust, but it's also, really, a movie about how we stand by and allow atrocities to happen. It's a movie about humanity's cruellest side: indifference - right now, and then, and always. There is much to be said here, a lot of conversation was around how Schindler's List worked as a movie, therefore, romanticised, by the movie lens, the Holocaust. I can see how The Zone of Interest tried really hard not to do that, and I can confidently say it's done so much for exposing how useless we can be in the face of tragedy, but with every day that passes, I keep thinking more and more that it hasn't escaped that movie lens. However, it does really well at asking the question of whether we can portray atrocities of this kind, and does it really make a difference when we try?

Dune: Part Two (2024) *7.5 - umm, this is so long I need to rewatch it to even have a formed opinion. In lieu of a rewatch, here are my current thoughts: it wouldn't have been half the movie it is without the soundtrack. Also currently my favourite soundtrack of all time. I could rave and rave about it. The performances were great all round. I really love that Villeneuve doesn't try to constantly capture people like the mega starts they are: see Timmy's double chin, constipated face, present in both movies, and at a close-up at that. Some scenes were visually and emotionally breathtaking but I'm not sure if this was the case because of the anticipation of seeing something loved in a book portrayed on screen. It felt busy and a bit disjointed, especially in comparison to Part 1. I so wish they'd done the romance differently. I was constantly thinking of The Bear and how well that worked there. I wish they'd let Paul and Chani's connection breathe and mature, taken us along for the ride.

Alice, Darling (2022) *6 - this gave How to Have Sex vibes. I love when a movie addresses difficult subjects (in this case, abuse) in a slice-of-life, uber real, awkward way. It dexterously looks at the outward indicators of abuse, the responsibility of friendship - some mild body horror for both symbolic and literal purposes.

The Sixth Sense (1999) *7.5 - they don't make them like this anymore. Boy, do I envy anyone who hasn't watched this and doesn't know anything about it. If you know that person, please, make them known, I want to sit them down and pop this in the cassette player (Netflix or Prime or whatever, but you know). It's only the second time I watched this because I thought there wasn't much reason to, apart from nostalgia. Surely, it's just so worthy because of the set-up. Yeah, yeah, I was wrong. I had to pause a couple of times to allow myself to digest the mastery of what this movie is when YOU DO KNOW.

Scarface (1983) *7 - what can I say? Yup, it's great. Colours are a highlight, as is Michelle Pfeiffer.

A Time to Kill (1996) *6 - disclaimer: I am going through legal dramas, I love 'em. This was fun, much more timely than I expected. Samuel L Jackson has a beautiful, beautiful speech. A man fancies a woman that is not his wife, and she is pretty, and young, and smart, and she ignites a spark in him, and she believes in what he's doing in all the ways his wife doesn't, and yet, said man doesn't cheat on said wife. Woohoo. I'm all for complexity and non-monogamy (when both, or more parties, agree to it) but it is just so beautiful to see a good marriage challenged and withstand the challenge. Bonus points for young Matthew McConaughey and infant Sandy Bullock. It's serious, it's legal fun, a bit naïve; the nineties in a two and a half hour ride.

Rush Hour; Rush Hour 2; Rush Hour 3 (1998) (2001) (2007) *6 *6 *5 - WAR UGH ... SO MUCH FUN. Yeah, they shouldn't be bunched together, yeah, a lot of it reads problematic, yeah, I wish I'd been watching them all my life. Great stuff. Don't look away at all the racist jokes, both ways, and any other way you can imagine. This is a superb example of looking at what we made for fun: there's so much to digest, learn from, appreciate. I LOVE JACKIE CHAN. When I was a kid, it was considered embarrassing to appreciate his work. I had a stupid-ass, DUH, moment of realisation watching this: oh, that 'martial arts movies are sub-par' idea? Yeah, blatant racism. It feels so good to come to this now. Side-note: Zhang Ziyi showing up in 2, what a treat. I'm not one for recycling material but can we have Rush Hour 4 please, please, please?

Blow Out (1981) *6 - another Brian de Palma, another good movie with its merits. Some of it was delicious in a movie buff way, but I was bored nonetheless. If you're into your legal, crime, journalistic slow-burners, go for it.

Decision to Leave (2022) *9 - triple bold. This is my favourite movie. It has been since I saw it in the cinema and cried in the toilets after. It is a masterpiece, Park Chan-Wook might well be my favourite director. There are not enough good things or good enough words I could say. Here's the best I can do rn: noir at its best, romance at its most complex, human nature at its barest, lyricism, depth, story for days, really unapologetic storytelling, no infantilising the audience here, crime at its most beautiful, and potentially the best ending scene cinema has ever seen. Watch this, watch The Handmaiden, watch Stoker, watch Oldboy (when I watch more of his movies, they'll be added to this). They're all in my great movies of all time (fictional) list. Side-note: WE ARE SLEEPING ON KOREAN CINEMA. We're getting there, but we're not even close. Still underrated.

Joy Ride (2023) *6 - does what it says on the tin. Also SO MUCH FUN.

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from Henry Hoke's Open Throat

I want to devour their sound

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I have so much language in my brain

and nowhere to put it

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pinks and reds like sparks of blood and thought

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...and you understand that sin was never meant to be easy, only sweet.

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Year of Lists

February Books

Penance by Eliza Clark * 3/5 - would recommend for anyone who's into true crime: podcasting, documentaries, reporting. It's an interesting study of how we approach tragedies, with all the expected questions of what is truth, who has a right to tell a story, is there a respectful way of writing about tragedy, etc. It feels like a book born out of the question "what would In Cold Blood be if it was written today"? It's more like an exercise or a project than a gripping story. For those willing, there is a lot to unpack.

Beloved by Toni Morrison * 5/5 - Toni Morrison was an exceptional writer. From Zadie Smith's introduction to this edition: "All readers and writers are indebted to her for the space she created". Beloved is one of those books that deserves all the praise and hype it got, if not even more. I can't even begin to explore the nuances of the narrative, language, characterisation. I will just say that it reads urgent, dreamlike, true, affecting. And, from the foreword by Morrison: "To render enslavement as a personal experience, language must get out of the way".

"I husband that moment on the pier, the deceptive river, the instant awareness of possibility, the loud heart kicking, the solitude, the danger. And the girl with the nice hat. Then the focus."

Flèche by Mary Jean Chan * 5/5 - it's often I rate poetry collections a 5*, but it's rare it's so clear a 5*. It's just superb.

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara * 3/5 - Yanagihara's books could all be studied. The craft is always incredible as is the depth of the storytelling. I just wasn't crazy about this one, but, she writes, I read.

Open Throat by Henry Hoke (ToB Read) * 5/5 - a moving, hungry, feverish dream of a book

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Year of Lists

February Films

it's awards season so all of this has been nominated for...stuff

must-watches in bold

The Holdovers (2023) * 7.5 - so, I thought this was a comedy. This is not a comedy. It made me very sad. I sobbed through most of the second half. Great performances, very good script.

Nyad (2023) * 7.2 - *insert little heart* YES, it was so, so good to watch a powerful, motivating, unembellished, stands-on-its-own story. It's definitely inspiring, and the performances are pretty great. I LOVE JODIE FOSTER.

Barbie (2023) * 7 - this is a hard one. I feel my (finally) watching of this movie has been so affected by the buzz and discourse and memes and light scandals. It'll take me much longer to digest and settle on an opinion.

La Sociedad de la Nieve (Society of the Snow) (2023) * 7.2 - this is a lot. It's devastating and it's moving and it scratches that real life, schadenfreude itch; it's not quite pleasure, but it's certainly fascinating to watch something so cinematic and know it's basically all true.

Maestro (2023) * 6 - Highlight: Carey Mulligan; also the reason the rating's not lower.

Past Lives (2023) * 7 - it destroyed me, I was crying on the train, I was crying in the street. It's heartbreaking, but also, accurate and raw and real; the performances are good, and what it manages to capture is usually unattainable.

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from The Window by Mary Jean Chan (Flèche)

............................................ You will refuse

your mother's rage, her spit, her tongue

heavy like the heaviest of stones. Her

anger is like the sun, which is like love,

which is the easiest thing, even on the

hardest of days.......................................