#kathryn would love amanda so much like PLEASE

[vc55bughead]

sarah christ and agatha harkness would both love and hate eachother istg

[robertsbarbie-archive]

Hey! So for some reason as I sat on my bathroom floor cleaning out the stuff under the sink I got this idea to make small playlists for people instead of a follow thing or in Kahoots with it? and want to fill their new year with maybe some new music or whatever and yeah. So these are all playlists for you guys that reminded me of you or songs I just think you’d like💕 (this is also why I’ve been so annoying the last couple of days asking about what streaming services you use)(also I love stupid jokes so be prepared)

Now please enjoy my suffering:

@sweetertayfiction : Asif, HEY LISTEN HERE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I FEEL LIKE IVE KNOWN YOU FOR YEARS YOU WERE PROBABLY MY FIRST FRIEND ON HERE YOURE AN ANGEL HAVE A GREAT YEAR

@bisexualgorgeous : Hannah, I don’t know where to start, not gonna lie I was so intimidated by you and your talent but since we’ve become friends I’ve come to realize that you’re such an amazing genuine person with a scary amount of talent who I am overjoyed to be friends with. (Also fun fact the first edit that “made it big” for me was one that you reblogged and complimented and that still means the world to me. And thank you for taking a chance on me with daily Taylor edits)

@spendsmychange : Ellie, We’re both each other’s biggest fans. I love you so much. Your personality and talent is top notch. I’d burn at the stake for you and I hope you know how much you mean to me.

@getaway-car : Han, Throwback to when I had a stroke when you followed me cause I had looked up to you for so long and couldn’t believe you followed me. You’ve made me feel so appreciated. You’re so amazing in every way. Also, YOUR EDITS ARE SO FUCKING GOOD AHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE THEM AND YOU NUMBER ONE HAN STAN FOR LIFE

@battledemo : Han, I don’t even know what to say. You mean so much to me. And being able to rant or talk about music with someone who gets it I don’t think I’d be able to give enough thanks. You’re probably my best friend, Han. I love you and would do anything for you 💕

@ciwyw2 : Maggie, HEY REMEMBER WHEN WE MET AND NOTHJNG IN THE WORLD CAN TOP THAT. But for reals you’re unreal, you helped me with my concert anxiety, you’re so funny and nice, out conversations are the best (also I see you reblogging my old crappy edits) rep tour kc will always be my favorite concert cause of you

@taylorsnewdress : Tori, HEY DID YOU KNOW YOURE GORGEOUS AND I ABSOLUTELY ADORE YOU???? CAUSE I JUST WANNA SCREAM IT ALL DAY EVERDAY AT YOU

@diamondseaside : Tina, my New Years resolution is to make you believe I am Taylor Swift also hey did you know that I absolutely adore you in every way?

@ikywts : Raquel, Hello angel. Wow. Idk what to say. I just love you and you make my heart feel safe

@tshifty : Kristin, you are so fucking smart. Sorry, I just felt like I needed to say that. Because you are and the way you handle things is a plus. You’re also talented, funny, and just overall a great person. I’m so glad I’ve come to know you better.

@partayswiftie : Ash, I’m still bitter you walked past me multiple times at kc. (But that doesn’t mean that I don’t love you and that I don’t think you’re one of the most amazing things to ever exist cause I do. ALSO J TOLD YOU YOUD MEET TAYLOR BEECH)

@friendlyneighborhoodpegacorn : Emma, my biggest life regret is not meeting you at KC. I can only attest if to the fact that you don’t exist cause you’re peak humanity with talent beauty and humor and also Play With My Cats is on a whole other level of humanity so that’s all the evidence I need.

@lfthiswasamovie : Em, Have I screamed that I love you at you enough? Cause I do and being your secret Santa was just the best and no matter what I’m hear for you angel.

@fearlessthealbum : Emily, I still need to get you Fearless mercy sorry I forgot bb. Also, how is one person as hysterical as you?

@itsdarkandalltoquiet : Ruby, you are a very non annoying child and ily

@colorsinautumnsobright : Autumn, you’re so kind and intelligent and always trying to light up others lives I love you so much.

@teardropsonmyguitar : AMANDA, I feel like you need your own post tbh you have been so amazing and getting to know you has been a gift. FIRST BURN SLAPS SO THANKS FOR THAT. I’m really not sure what to say, but I love you have a great new year.

@lovemademecrazys : Vicki, The only thing prettier than your edits is you and your soul. You’re so amazing.

@bleachellataylor : April, I have more Bleachella memes happy new year

@millionlittleshiningstars12 : Adrian, you’re so amazing and I’m so glad we’ve grown closer

@imhereonthekitchenfloor : Catherine, PRETZEL QUEEN, I looked for pretzel songs and couldn’t find any I’m sorry (I didn’t try that hard cause I’m tired but I tried) I’m here for you forever I love you you pretzel angel

@1989deluxe : Nikita, I love you more than you love sad beautiful tragic

@nowcanwebabes : Katie, you’re an actual goddess I love you

@bunchsrebecca : Miranda, LISTEN BEECH YOU ARE SO FUNNY CREATIVE AND TALENTED AND IM SO GALD WE MET AND GET TO CONTINUE BEING BERDS TOGETHER ABOUT THINGS LIKE CRAZY EX GIRLFRIEND AND MUSICALS I LOVE YOU BYE

@beginagain : Julia, okay this isn’t a note for Julia this is a note for y’all GO READ JULIAS BOOK ON WATTPAD ITS SO GOOD IM ACTUALLY IN LOVE SHES SO TALENTED AHHHHHHH

@thslove : Kathryn, A Place in This World is a good song you’re just mean

@heartsremainbreakable : Sarah, you have taught me so much I’m so grateful for people like you in the world. I love you enjoy the new year.

@ialmostdos : Sarah, I love getting to see your amazing face everyday through Snapchat and your personality is one of the best.

@swiftie-in-red : Rainey, You’re so nice and we have so many common interests I’m so glad to have met you and can’t wait to talk more about Percy Jackson

@fearlessplatiumedition : Rachel, I 👏 LOVE 👏 YOU 👏 SO MUCH YOURE AMAzing

@eyesoqen : Karli, (yours will come later) you’re such a blessing to this Earth and I’m glad I get to exist at the same time as you

@ours-ssong : Elisabeth, (yours will come later) don’t tell Ruby but your my favorite child. I love you so much and seeing you grow throughout the year in so many things has been amazing. Also y’all did you know she decorates cakes! It’s so cool! She’s really good.

@thatonedollar : Siya, (yours will come later) Talk about heaven on earth, you’re such a caring angel and you have been there for me through some of my worst moments this year I love you so much.

Okay, so happy New Year! Y’all have made this one to remember if I forgot anyone I am so sorry, I lost a few brain cells doing this but just know that I love you to infinity plus one(also for people who got joke ones -its pretty easy to tell- I’m making you an actual one lol) and for anyone who would just like a random playlist these are some of my faves.

Please ignore typos I haven’t slept since Thursday (if that) love y’all.

[inknerd]

October Wrap-Up 2018

So! October’s soon over, autumn is in full bloom and I’ve read some books! It’s been an interesting month - I’ve started and finished my three weeks of practice at school as part of my teacher education programme, and I really feel like I’ve learnt a lot! I did show up in the middle of reading exercises and poetry introductions, so you could say I felt at home, at least!

CIRCE by MADELINE MILLER ★★★★★ | 352 pages | 2 days to read | Published 2018

Like...there’s wasn’t even the slightest doubt that I would LOVE this books - but wow, what an AMAZING book! If you liked The Song of Achilles, you’re probably going to like this one. + Just, everything! Circe as a character, the magic and scenery, the fact that we got even more Achilles/Patroclus inbetween the pages??? I loved everything. I was especially pleased to get to know so much more about Circe in general? Like the thing with Odysseus took a while to even get introduced, and all the background information and everything about all the other gods and nymphs - perfect. - Can’t really find anything to complain about. You should go read it. All I hope for now is that M. Miller decides to write even more about characters in Greek mythology.

WILD EMBERS: POEMS OF REBELLION, FIRE AND BEAUTY by NIKITA GILL ★★★★☆ | 150 pages | 2 days to read | Published 2017

I ordered two of Gill’s poetry collection, and this one was the first one to arrive. Lucky enough, I liked it! So I’m looking forward to reading the next one. + Some of the poems I really liked, but I was more amazed by some of the fantastic one-liners that were in most of the poems. - I felt somewhat...underwhelmed? by the poetry at times.

AVGRUNDENS ÄNGLAR by MAGNUS NORDIN ★★★☆☆ | 284 pages | 1 day to read | Published 2013

This is a book I normally wouldn’t be interested in, but at the school I did my teacher’s practice on they read this for class, so I decided to read it! + I was actually pleasantly surprised, despite knowing already that Nordin is a good author. It was a fast-paced and intruiging read, and it was nice seeing how it all came together in the end. - Some of the dialogues and scenarios felt pretty cliché, and the book also had this typical “school book feeling”, like this is the kind of book they’d force 15-16 year olds to read.

WEIRD THINGS COSTUMERS SAY IN BOOKSHOPS by JEN CAMPBELL ★★★★☆ | 120 pages | 1 day to read | Published 2012

Ah, okay, you know those tumblr posts talking about hilarious (and very frustrating) costumers who just ask the stupidest questions? If you like those you should totally read this! + I mean, what is there to say? This book is hilarious to read even if you’re not a book seller or a reader. - Idk, the first part is the funniest? then the second part while fun didn’t make me laugh as hard.

THE GOLDFINCH by DONNA TARTT ★★★☆☆ | 864 pages | *whistles awkwardly* | Published 2013

Okay, so I had a hard time rating this. It took me a long time to read it, or rather I read like 1/4 in like 3 months and then the rest in like, a week? and by the end of it I was like “...okay”. + Tartt’s writing is amazing, okay. The language, the structure, all the info pumped into the story about art and everything is so interesting to read about. I also quite liked the ending, which is what I’m usually critisizing when it comes to most books? So yeah. - I didn’t really connect with the main character? Or any character really. And at many points in the story I wondered “but what is the point with this???”. It’s a really dense book, in many ways, and I would recommend it at the same time as awkwardly shaking my hand and say meh?

THE WITCH DOESN’T BURN IN THIS ONE by AMANDA LOVELACE ★★★☆☆ | 208 pages | 1 day to read | Published 2018

So according to goodreads I rated The Princess Saves Herself in this One 4 stars, and I can’t remember enough of it to know if I actually liked it more than I did this one, but oh well. I enjoyed reading this, anyhow. + I especially liked the poems dedicated to other media like The Handmaid’s Tale or Hamilton, it was fun catching the references! Also? The red text on all that white? So pretty.  - While I really liked some of the poems, I can’t say I got a favourite, and it just wasn’t completely my style, I guess?

FIERCE FAIRYTALES: POEMS AND STORIES TO STIR YOUR SOUL by NIKITA GILL ★★★★☆ | 176 pages | 1 day to read | Published 2018

Gill’s second poetry collection that also has a fairytale theme!!!???? I knew I was going to like it. + Okay, first of all: The Cover? Amazing, stunning, beautiful. I liked the poems in this collection more than in Wild Embers, for some reason, maybe because anything with fairytales in it makes me like it like 50% more. - I didn’t get a clear favourite and at moments I sort of, didn’t agree with the interpretation of the fairytale? If that makes any sense. 

THE COLLECTED POEMS by SYLVIA PLATH ★★★☆☆ | 349 pages | 21 days to read | Published 1981 (Poems from 1956-1963)

It seems to be a month of poetry, huh? This I’ve been reading for a while, simply because it was so long; practically all of Plath’s poetry, of which I wasn’t familiar with at all before. + Sometimes they really got to me, and I noticed I liked a lot of poems one year only to drift away the other, which was interesting. In the back of this collection there was also an article about Plath’s life and other bonus stuff with notes on some of the poems (how and why they were written etc.). - I somewhat wish I’d bought the poetry collections as they were when published by Plath rather than in one thick book. It made it very slow to read. I also was quite bored with some of the poetry, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I prefer Plath’s writing in prose rather than in poetry.

TASH HEARTS TOLSTOY by KATHRYN ORMSBEE ★★★☆☆ | 367 pages | 1 day to read | Published 2017

Lately I’ve been so excited to read more books with asexual characters in it, and this was high on my list! (Well, it’s not a very long list. Yet) + I always love to read about fandom and all that includes, and I’ve never read a book about people making a youtube series before and I thought Ormsbee was very creative regarding the Anna Karenina retelling. The friendships in this book was also something I enjoyed. - With that said I didn’t think this book was that special? There were several relationships dramas that I wasn’t overly interested in and in the end it left me wanting for something more (but this can once again also be because of me not being super interested in contemporary)

RENEGADES by MARISSA MEYER ★★★★☆ | 552 pages | 2 days to read | Published 2017

I’ve heard so many people reading and liking this book, and it sounds just down my alley! Superheroes and supervillains? Sign me UP. + All the characters and their respective powers and hero-names were all so creative and fun to read about. I like the detail going into their costumes and also the sides’ different aesthetic in general. And, the ending? Awesome. I’m so pumped for the next book in this series! - I did find the world Meyer described interesting, but it also left me with some questions that I hope are answered in the sequel. I’m also surprisingly not very invested in the main romance? Like, it was sweet but I had expected something more of it.

THE PRICE GUIDE TO THE OCCULT by LESLYE WALTON ★★★★☆ | 272 pages | 3 days to read | Published 2018

I really liked The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, so I was so excited to read another magic realism book by Leslye Walton! + The atmosphere of the story and the scenery were PERFECT for autumn and Halloween, so I definitely read this book at the perfect time. The story of the Blackburn family and their powers were so interesting to read and the magic system was so cool and horrifying at the same time! - The main romance (and the side ones) felt like they sort fizzled out by the end, and I also felt like a lot of the action scenes or choices Nor and company made were so cliché in contrast to Walton’s otherwise magical and original writing. And also, the ending? It was good but will there be a sequel??? Because that ending is not satisfying to me if there’s not a sequel, and I think there won’t be, so.

GOOD OMENS by NEIL GAIMAN & TERRY PRATCHETT ★★★★☆ | 412 pages | 14 days to read | Published 1990

Okay, so I actually started reading this about a year ago, but for some reason I forgot about it and started reading something else. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I saw the trailer for the upcoming TV-series adaption of this book and went “NOW I HAVE TO READ IT”. + Like, it’s hilarious. Not much to say there. Just, the characters and their personalities and all the anecdotes about history and the Bible were just so spot on funny. The story in itself is also so such an interesting and fun concept. - I think I’ve had the same small problem with Gaiman’s work before (haven’t read anything else by Pratchett) and that is that while all the characters introduced are skillfully made and bring some relevance to the story I always want to get back to the main characters (or who I, personally, see as main characters) rather than read about a random construction worker or delivery man (but okay, the chapters with the delivery man was super funny).

[bookaholic1012]

Diverse Reading Challenge: June Review

June Challenge: Pick up books by LGBTQIAP+ writers this month! Anything from the acronym is acceptable–but please, if you don’t know whether an author you like is out yet, don’t bother them about it! Suggested authors include V.E. Schwab, Oscar Wilde, Julie Anne Peters, Heidi Heilig, Malinda Lo, Amanda Lovelace, Kathryn Ormsbee, Adam Silvera, April Daniels, Jazz Jennings, Andrea Dworkin, and David Levithan.

Synopsis: When Griffin's first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he's been imagining for himself has gone far off course.

 To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin's downward spiral continues. He's losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he's been keeping are tearing him apart.

 If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.

Rating: 5/5 stars

As with all of Adam Silvera’s books, I cried and laughed and adored every page! Adam Silvera has a unique voice that helps me feel connected to Griffin and his pain. His characters are real people; they have secrets and flaws and make a ton of mistakes. But they always come to terms with whatever is going on in their life and accept themselves.

My opinions of most of the characters changed as I read, which was surprising. That doesn’t usually happen. I did a complete 180 on two characters (I won’t say who to avoid giving away anything). I refused to change my opinion in the beginning, but then more was revealed, and how could still think highly or unfavorably after learning about certain events!?

Every novel by Adam Silvera thus far has a powerful message, and History is no different. My favorite quote would have to be:

“People are complicated puzzles, always trying to piece together a complete picture, but sometimes we get it wrong and sometimes we’re left unfinished. Sometimes that’s for the best. Some pieces can’t be forced into a puzzle, or at least they shouldn’t be, because they won’t make sense.”

While dealing with his grief, Griffin reached out to Jackson because he is the only one who loves Theo the way Griffin did. When he was with Jackson, Griffin was trying to figure out who Theo was in California because it was a big part of his coping method for the majority of the book. Eventually, Griffin realized that even though he wanted to put the puzzle of Theo’s life together, he should stop because it would not make sense and he would go crazy trying to find all the missing pieces.

I am so happy that Griffin was able to come to terms with Theo’s death. He also started taking care of himself more and accepted who he was. I thought Griffin’s mental health was portrayed perfectly and I loved how Jackson immediately adapted to help Griffin (staying on Griffin’s right, doing things in pairs and even numbers, etc.)

History Is All You Left Me was raw, moving, and emotional. I gained so much from reading this story and took away many lessons. It is definitely one my favorite 2018 reads!

July Challenge: As I mentioned above, the colloquial use of “Asian” is problematic because ASIA IS HUGE. So this month we’re covering more of Asia, specifically South Asia and India. South Asia includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. If you’d like to expand to Central Asia and the other former Soviet republics this month, that’s also encouraged! Suggested authors include Aisha Saeed, Sabaa Tahir, Salman Rushdie, Soman Chainani, Lily Singh, Sandhya Menon, Sona Charaipotra, and Samira Ahmed. 

My next review will be on: July DVRC Book (TBA)

ALL DVRC REVIEWS

[annadelveyfoundation]

News Roundup: Welcome to the Anna Delvey Economy

IN NEWS, Anna Delvey had her hearing yesterday. Maureen O’Connor reports for The Cut:

Defense lawywer Todd Spodek said a plea deal of one to three years should suffice for Sorokin. The case had many “mitigating factors,” which he will argue later this month, after lawyers from both sides figure out whether a plea deal is possible. Should they fail, Sorokin’s trial will start “sometime this summer,” according to presiding Judge Diane Kiesel.

Photojournalist, Kathryn Lindsay, comments on her look for Refinary 29:

Followers of Delvey's story will be happy to know she was still sporting her trademark Céline glasses, but her free-flowing mane had been wrangled into two braided pigtails. You'll probably see for yourself sometime soon, since professional photographers were granted permission to take photos over Spodek's objections. This case, according to Judge Kiesel, had become of such public interest that photos were now warranted, just one of many ways Delvey's life has changed since she became infamous.

You hear that photos of Anna are coming!

We’re waiting. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

For now, enjoy this essay on Anna Delvey and Elizabeth Holmes and the hair that they had in common, as published in one of my favorite publications lately the Outline. Apparently grifter hair is split end hair? Or maybe the public is just now realizing that literally NO ONE has sleek straight hair, not even the white women who perpetuate the damaging trend? I find this essay extremely interesting!! <--- see that link to it again. Read. Amanda Mull knows what’s up.

Really love her long layers here and I think I might take this photo to the salon next time I go to get my annual hair cut. (Source: Anna’s Instagram)

I wasn’t expecting to keep this blog up for this long - honest. It started as a joke website shared with my friends on our mutual awe and fascination over namely Anna Delvey and other cult heroes and maybe it could evolve into a place to put my stream of consciousness dribble on cult film reviews or wither away on the internet. (It will still wither away on the internet). It’s been a week, and there’s been SO MUCH out there on the interwebs on just Anna alone and the grifting think pieces she’s inspired and more is being written and produced and inspired on pure grift. And everyone won’t stop scamming! Think of this as your encyclopedia to the scammer age. I don’t condone scamming. I am archiving the weird stories about it.

It’s strange when you find something relatable about scammers and thieves even though their job description is literally trying to take something away from others. Is this news telling us we’re in a scamming economy?

Tom Gara writes an essay for Buzzfeed News about the golden age of grifting and how our culture encourages it. We’re creating jobs out of it! The most obvious sounding scamming job that Gara mentions is “social media influencer,” but I don’t think it’s really that ubiquitous. Being an independent social media influencer doesn’t pay; 96.5 percent of all of those trying to become YouTubers won’t make enough money off of advertising to crack the U.S. poverty line and you’d have to sell merchandise to make money, according to some dope infographics on the Outline. If someone told you to work this job, would you think it’s a scam?

Alternatively, if getting to a million followers is too much work but you like to write a little, you could write fake reviews for Amazon. People do this and it’s becoming harder and harder to detect which reviews are real, reports Nicole Nguyen for Buzzfeed News. Honestly I can’t even tell anymore when ordering from Amazon what’s authentic or what’s a cheap knock off. Scammer economy is where you leave authenticity at the door.

Not a writer but still want to become a scammer? Become a court-appointed legal guardian for senior citizens and run their estates! I’m kidding! Please don’t do this! Watch Last Week Tonight with John Oliver where John Oliver Guards Against Elder Abuse instead! You can read a write up about the episode on Rolling Stone. The fraud Oliver unveiled is insane and unconscionable.

I haven’t even gotten to multilevel marketing schemes. If someone offers you Lularoe or wraps, run away. Like seriously why are we scamming each other? The earth isn’t round, it’s a pyramid.

[thegloober]

10 Shows to Watch This Fall

by Brian Tallerico

September 24, 2018   |  

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For almost two decades now, I’ve used this time of year to pick out the best of the new offerings from the broadcast networks, adhering to the tradition of the standard “Fall Preview” that one would find in magazines like Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide. Part of it was being old-fashioned, but another part was that the broadcasts still adhere to a September/October launch schedule for a great deal of their returning and new programming, making a look at their entire slates easier than a company like FX or AMC, who sprinkle debuts throughout the year. Well, we all know that the broadcast nets don’t mean what they used to—the fact that no regular primetime show on them won an Emmy last week may be the final nail in this particular coffin—and the 2018-19 new shows just aren’t worth writing about at length. Trust me. So we’re mixing it up this year. With so much to watch across all the cable and streaming services, what should you pay attention to? What do you want to pick out from the crowd?

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10. Something on Network TV?

Odds are there will be at least one hit in the crop from CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and The CW. Last year it was “The Good Doctor”; the year before it was “This is Us.” People will probably watch “Magnum P.I.” but not feel good about it. On CBS, “FBI” has the chance to breakout as it’s very much in the model of the “NCIS” procedural that has done so well for the network. The CBS sitcoms (“The Neighborhood,” “Happy Together”) are atrocious, but so are the FOX ones (“The Cool Kids,” “REL”). For a sitcom hit you might like, ABC offers “The Kids Are Alright” and “Single Parents” both ensemble comedies in the ABC Family Sitcom mold—and I don’t mean that as an insult as shows like “The Goldbergs,” “The Middle,” and “Black-ish” have found fresh material within it. Having only seen one episode of each, they’re impossible to judge as a whole but are two of the few shows on the nets I want to watch again. NBC’s “I Feel Bad” is halfway decent, but again, too soon to tell. “Manifest” is not the “LOST” clone you’re hoping for and “New Amsterdam” is smug nonsense. Speaking of smug, “A Million Little Things” really wants to be your new “This is Us” and the cast is strong enough to possibly make it so, but this is a daytime soap masquerading as something more profound. So, to recap, maybe ABC’s “Single Parents” & “The Kids Are Alright” and CBS’s “FBI.” That’s all I got.

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9. Big Mouth (Netflix, 10/5)

Netflix has suddenly become an adult animation powerhouse with hits like “Bojack Horseman” and “Disenchantment,” but my favorite is this Nick Kroll and John Mulaney odyssey into teen hormones. The first season was ridiculously raunchy and hysterical, featuring a fantastic voice cast that includes Kroll, Mulaney, Jenny Slate, Fred Armisen, Jason Mantzoukas, and a show-stealing Maya Rudolph. It’s incredibly for adults only but also truthful about adolescence in ways that most shows aren’t.

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8. Into the Dark (Hulu, 10/5)

Shows like “Black Mirror” and “Sherlock” have stretched the definition of a limited series, actually winning the “TV Movie” Emmys in recent years, but this feels like what could more honestly be called a series of films for television than anything else. Jason Blum produces a series of horror flicks for Hulu, premiering one a month, and each offering is a horror tale inspired by the holiday of the month in which it premieres. So the October premiere, “The Body,” has a Halloween feel; November’s “Flesh & Blood” will be set at Thanksgiving. Could be fascinating. Could be just a bad straight-to-video horror a month under a neat banner. We’ll see.

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7. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix, 10/26)

Kiernan Shipka seems born to play the title role in this adaptation of the hit comic series of the same name, a dark reimagining of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” I may have been more skeptical before “Riverdale,” which shares a creator with this series and remains one of the most consistently interesting shows on network TV. (Yes, I’m serious. It’s much better than you think it is.) There are also rumors that this is going to be honestly dark—not just CW Dark—as the series was reportedly inspired by ‘70s horror, including “The Exorcist” and “Rosemary’s Baby.” Sign us up.

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6. Forever (Amazon Prime, on now)

There aren’t enough people talking about this excellent streaming dramedy, probably because Amazon made it so hard for critics to do so before it airs. I’ll avoid complete spoilers, but the cuffs are off a little bit now that it’s on the air, and I think it would actually draw people to know that this is more “The Good Place” than a standard relationship drama. It’s smart, funny, and insightful about modern marriage. And it contains Maya Rudolph’s career-best work to date. Our Allison Shoemaker has already reviewed this excellent show.

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5. Camping (HBO, 10/14)

We can all forgive Jennifer Garner for that “Peppermint” nonsense if this new HBO comedy ends up being half as good as it could be. Surprisingly low on buzz given it premieres in a couple weeks, this Garner vehicle was created by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner and co-stars David Tennant, Janicza Bravo, Brett Gelman, Juliette Lewis, and Ione Skye. Garner plays a perfectionist who takes her husband, played by Tennant, on a camping trip for his 45th birthday. Chaos ensues. Plus, bears.

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4. Homecoming (Amazon Prime, 11/2)

This thriller from the creator of “Mr. Robot” got a lot of buzz after premiering a few episodes at TIFF this year and it’s easy to see why. Look at that cast—Julia Roberts, Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale, Shea Wigham, Alex Karpovsky, Dermot Mulroney, Hong Chau, Jeremy Allen White, Sydney Poitier, and Sissy Spacek star in a show about “a caseworker at a secret government facility, and a soldier eager to rejoin civilian life.” Amazon took another step this year with its first series Emmy win for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Could this be its second?

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3. The Romanoffs (Amazon Prime, 10/12)

Matthew Weiner’s first show since “Mad Men” sounds like a fascinating experiment, billed as an anthology series that will follow multiple characters who may have a shared ancestry in the Russian royal family. Of course, everyone wanted to work with Weiner, which means another ludicrously stacked TV cast. This one includes Aaron Eckhart, Corey Stoll, Noah Wyle, Christina Hendricks, Isabelle Huppert, Jack Huston, Amanda Peet, John Slattery, Diane Lane, Ron Livingston, Radha Mitchell, Griffin Dunne, and Kathryn Hahn.

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2. The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix, 10/12)

Mike Flanagan has become one of the hottest young horror directors with films like “Hush” and “Gerald’s Game,” and he’s going back to a holy text in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, already adapted twice as feature films called simply “The Haunting” (the first one rules, the second one not so much). With the room to expand on his style and storytelling skill in a series, this could easily be one of the best shows of the Fall.

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1. Maniac (Netflix, on now)

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I’ve already made it clear how strongly I feel about Cary Joji Fukunaga’s daring mind f**k of a TV series, and it’s been fascinating to see how people are responding to it now that it’s available. As I suspected, there are people who think it’s just about the best thing on television, and just as many who think it’s just about the worst. And I love it. The most memorable shows are often the ones that create the most conversation and people are talking about “Maniac.” And I suspect they will be all season long.

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Source: https://bloghyped.com/10-shows-to-watch-this-fall/

[jaime-hi-may]

2017 Book List: Installation Two.

And just like that, another square of books complete! If you’re keeping track, that brings the count to 18 books since January. (Umm......) 

It has been so fun to get recommendations from others and share my opinion with others, that I decided I am going to keep this up. Keep reading for a review of the last nine books in my 2017 readings!

1. The Silver Chair // CS Lewis- This one, my most recent completion, is the 6th book in the Chronicles of Narnia series by the wonderful CS Lewis. I have never read the series, so decided to pick them up in the last year. Let me just say...I am so glad I am experiencing these books for the first time as an adult. They are such wonderful stories, laced with deep themes of God’s love and goodness. The Silver Chair has wonderful concepts throughout of the reality of the grip sin can keep us in and the grace and love that God has for us, even when we fall. I look forward to reading these books with kiddos one day!

2. The Child Catchers // Kathryn Joyce- This piece of investigative journalism looks into the movement of adoption within the evangelical community; primarily looking at adoptive parents in the United States, but also documenting the rise and fall of adoption programs and markets around the world. Now, I’ll admit- this book is a re-read. I read this book not long after it was published in 2013 and had mixed reviews. At that time, after finishing the book, I was frustrated. Angry almost at Joyce for her negativity towards adoption, and her apparent desire to allow children to remain in orphanages around the world in the name of “adoption reform”. Now, four years later, I have experienced SO much more of the world of adoption- here in the US and around the world. With this newly gained knowledge, I decided to give it another go, and...I’m glad I did. While I don’t agree with everything Joyce says, I do stand alongside her stance that: 1. Children belong in families, and 2. We, as Americans, people of western privilege, are not to be “rescuers” of the world’s children as option number one. Now, don’t hear me wrong...I am FOR adoption. 100%. But, I am also for truthful adoptions. And advocating for families as a means of orphan prevention. One day I’ll have to write more on this...but for now, this book is a great place to get another perspective on adoption. (Outside of the evangelical community.)

3. Be You, Do Good. // Jonathan David Golden- This book was an unexpected find....I picked it up online for $1.99 during a book sale! I bought it mainly because it is written by the founder of a fair-trade coffee company (two of my favorite things...ethical consumerism & coffee!), Land of a Thousand Hills. BUT, I got so much more than that! This book was a great reminder to be bold enough to go after the things that make you tick. It encourages you to really look at your life, the things God has already put in front of you, and determine what you have been putting off. These words challenged my heart, and made me really stop and ask myself what I maybe already know I want. Read this book...it won’t disappoint!

4. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up // Marie Kondo- A little book I have seen sitting on shelves of bookstores for years, I finally picked this one up at Barnes and Noble a few months ago. After months of looking around at my material possessions and having an overwhelming feeling of excess, I began looking at various concepts of scaling back, reorganizing, and having less. Now, I am not at a point of the current “minimalism” trend-- FAR from it in all honesty-- but I am consciously looking at the things I own and really deciding if I need them. This book is a “guide-book” of sorts. A little strange, I will say, as I am not going to begin talking to my possessions thanking them for what they have done in an effort to extend their life.....BUT, there were many concepts that were helpful in terms of organization and really examining whether or not something should be discarded. Biggest thing I took away? Looking at an item and asking myself, “Does it bring me joy?” If not, out it goes! What a simple, freeing concept to approach down-sizing with!

5. The Lucky Few // Heather Avis-  Pretty sure I read this one in about 24 hours flat! I have followed the Avis family on Instagram for a few years now and, oh my word....they are great! The Lucky Few chronicles the journey of Josh and Heather Avis and how their family was created. First came Macyn, a little girl with Down Syndrome who they adopted as an infant, followed by Truly and August, both also adopted, and little August rocking an extra chromosome like his big sister, Macyn. The TRUTH that Heather laid down in this book was incredible. And the joy that exudes from her family....so wonderful! Down Syndrome and adoption, two things I hold so close to my heart. Please read this book to get a better understand of how, in all honesty, those who have the privilege of doing life with someone with Down Syndrome or any other disability truly are the Lucky Few.

6. And the Mountains Echoed // Khaled Hosseini- A book written by the author of The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini is an extraordinary story-teller and didn’t disappoint with this one! Written in a structure that allows the story to build both vertically and horizontally, I found myself flipping back often in this book to make connections between character lines, watching as the story blossomed in front of me. There is a piece of my heart that so deeply enjoys reading Afghan, Middle Eastern, narratives. Something within me holds these stories, glimpses into a land so covered by war and destruction in the media, so close as a reminder of those who live there daily. I don’t know that we can do anything more productive for ourselves and the people around us than to read and learn about the lives of those oppressed in our world today. 

7. Still Waiting // Ann Swindell- Now, moment of honesty with you all. I bought this book after seeing it plastered all over Instagram this Spring. It came in the mail and I was so eager and expectant to find words that would just breathe life and encouragement into my heart....yikes! I had a moment after reading it where I realized how easily I flock to that next-new-thing-to-change-your-heart. So much quicker than Jesus. So....with that out of the way....this book was good. I wouldn’t say it was amazing, but there were pieces that were worth reading! My favorite piece of the book? Swindell allows many pages for her imaginative-expansion of the story of the bleeding woman in the Bible. She writes from the woman’s perspective, examining her life from cultural perspectives, religious perspective, and the most basic human perspective. It was wonderful to let the mind expand upon the words that we have been given to bring greater understanding into what she must have experienced. Again, not my favorite book in the world, but it had its moments!

8. A House in the Sky // Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett- Maybe my favorite book out of this batch of reads, I found this book nestled into a bookshelf at Barnes & Noble...and I’m SO glad. This 400 page hunk of paper tells the story of Amanda Lindhout and the 490 days she was held hostage by Islamic insurgents in Somalia. Partially drawing on my current interest in the Muslim world and effects on life that result from extremist acts, I read this book uber quick. It is absolutely unbelievable all that Amanda and Nigel faced during their captivity in the means of survival, and I was blown-away by their resilience. We don’t hear tons about kidnappings and hostage situations in the media these days. Or, if we do, we don’t often see coverage of the entire process, from kidnap to release. For that instance, this book was so fascinating as it told the story of the families at home working to free their loved ones, and the great strategies that are put to work to free hostages. (**I also read Amanda’s friend and co-hostage, Nigel’s, book accounting their kidnapping, but it was on my Kindle so I don’t have a picture and it wasn’t all that great of a book!) I would DEFINITELY recommend this one....but maybe not to moms who have children that travel often.... :)

9. Singing Through the Night // Anneke Companjen- Not the best book in the world, this one was also a $1.99 find during a book sale. This collection of stories tells the lives of Christian women around the world who have faced persecution for their love of Jesus. While the realities of their lives and the persecution they face sits heavy in my heart, the actual writing of the book simply wasn’t my favorite! Yet, I walked away with a greater understanding of the hardships women specifically face around the world in the name of being Christian (something we don’t often think of as westerners) and for that, I’m grateful.

What are you currently reading?? Have a suggestion of what I should read next? Let me know!!! 

[londontheatre]

Foreign Goods Last Forever 2 – Photo by Mariana Feijó

A lot has happened in the world at large since the first time Foreign Goods Last Forever played a packed out Theatre503, so there was plenty of material for the writers and directors to draw from. Certain people who appear obsessed with the Trump Administration and the United Kingdom’s proposed exit from the European Union will, no doubt, will want to express annoyance that this latest batch of short plays doesn’t place its sole concentration on those particular topics. More fool them, to misquote Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Variety is the spice of life, after all.

Dreams of England by Amal Chatterjee sees a schoolgirl (Shuang Teng) ask her father (Brian Law) a barrage of questions about England. The girl and her family live in southeast Asia; the only concrete giveaway clue to the play’s setting is her astonishment that bamboo is not grown in England. It’s a genuine attempt to comprehend the concept of border controls. The analogy of the schoolgirl’s grandfather’s compound is used as an analogy; not just anyone can enter, as they must ask permission.

But the relentless questioning began to get rather weary, particularly as it became clear that the same conversation, with the same questions in the same order, was to take place with the schoolgirl’s mother (Eugenia Low). At least Mother expressed considerable frustration. This is the sort of exercise usually reserved for drama school classrooms, where the same dialogue is repeated with different people so as to gain different perspectives when the same words are said with even slightly varied inflections and tones of voice. For the most part, it worked here, in front of a paying public. That is highly commendable.

I Live in a Vertical Village by Lucy Sheen was a highly descriptive, if pithy, play, emotionally strong whilst managing to be both simultaneously straightforward and complex. On one level, a woman with “horizontal eyes” (Julie Cheung-Inhin), is merely talking about her observations of daily life as she stands, “watching the world through double glazing”. But the descriptions provided are far from the borderline utopian pleasantness in Louis Armstrong’s ‘What A Wonderful World’; this world, the real world, is brutal and unforgiving.

The Stone / No One Disaster Is Total by Amber Hsu includes an intriguing concept of stage directions forming part of the script itself, though there’s one that’s repeated so often (“A shutter clicks. Lights flash. Pause.”) that any atmosphere, photographic or otherwise, it may have generated in the first few iterations had completely disappeared by the end of the play. Windson Liong, Yung Nguyen, Eugenia Low and Velda Hassan display subtle humour in their reactions to unflattering (or otherwise merely implausible) descriptions of miscellaneous characters they must play between them. I couldn’t quite fully comprehend why so much power was ascribed to an inanimate object – the said stone of the play’s title. It’s quite a physical play, and rather absurdist at times as well.

Confessions by Cathy Lam had the audience in stitches. There’s usually one play in compilation evenings of this nature that brings the house down, and this was the one. Charlotte Chiew plays a young Asian lady who likes to date older, rich white men. She gets some stick from her peers for doing so, but in her view, the benefits considerably outweigh the drawbacks. She doesn’t like her own culture, whatever ‘her own culture’ is, preferring Western lifestyles and behaviours. Not much is left to the imagination when she describes herself as a “woman who feasts on Western sausage”, which implies exactly what it suggests it implies. Her white lovers come in for some lampooning too, however, only adding to the hilarity.

The Dressing Loom by Julie Cheung-Inhin stars the writer as the token non-white performer in a pantomime cast. If political correctness was thrown to the wind in the previous play, this one builds on that foundation, leaving even this unassuming south-of- the-river London audience openly gasping.

Foreign Goods Last Forever 2 – Photo by Mariana Feijó

Another actress, played by Kate Llewellyn, secures the part of Christmas Eve in a regional production of the Broadway musical Avenue Q, so she tries to perfect her Chinese accent. Of course, Eve is a Japanese character (and so the joke is really on the white actress). The supporting roles in this play are performed with aplomb by Danny Steele and Chris Keyna. On a more serious note, it would not surprise me if comments expressed regarding a production at the start of 2017 at The Print Room in Notting Hill were verbatim. To summarise, In The Depths of Dead Love was at the centre of a ‘yellowface’ controversy, casting white actors as characters with Asian names in a play set in ancient China. It seems that there are still some very out of date and out of touch viewpoints in the entertainment industry that continue to be upheld by too many people with influence.

Suzie Wong: Fitting in and F*cking Up by Kathryn Golding is heavy with descriptions of childhood. The writer stars in her own monologue, which is extremely up to date, including details of a recent news story about a United Airlines passenger who fell victim to an overbooking problem. You will recall that he was assaulted and beaten before being physically forced off a scheduled flight he had legitimately purchased a ticket for. The other stand-out examples came from the writings of Confucius, dismissed as “lamented but impotent”. A call to arms asserts that East Asians should take their cue from Martin Luther King, Jr and Nelson Mandela: “Our silence is our consent. We’re not gonna take it anymore.” Much food for thought there.

Your Only Right is to Obey by Jingan Young sees Chloe Ewert and Michael Phong Le immediately trade insults and putdowns as though their characters were still in a relationship. I had a little difficulty fully interpreting the background story: as I understand it, an auction was going on. The lot was a person who was to be sold to the highest bidder. Quite what the person was to be expected to do as the property of someone else, and why certain people were to be paid for in this way in the first place, I can only assume is clearer in a longer version of the play. What is clear is that the pair, amongst others, are “selling crumbling perceptions of British culture”, and the play seemed to me a consideration of whether it is right to continue to do what is morally dubious even if there is still a demand for it, whatever ‘it’ may be.

Jamaica Boy by Stephen Hoo sees a gardener (Waylon Ma) in conversation with a friend played by Gilbert Kyem Jnr. The latter character gives us slightly stereotyped Multicultural London English (MLE), (the playwright’s fault, not the performer’s) which draws criticism from the gardener for use of double-negatives and other grammatical constructs that differ from BBC English. Forms of speech are not, however, the salient point. I liked, insofar as I could ‘like’ such a thing, the revelatory example given about how black people need not have stolen anything to be on the receiving end of a theft conviction, simply because it has been assumed by others that they would be the sort of person to commit such a crime. There are parts of London society that remain remarkably behind the times.

Foreign Goods Last Forever 2 – Photo by Mariana Feijó

Trying to Find Chinatown by David Henry Hwang is, I was pleased to later discover, only the title play in a larger collection of works. Benjamin (Matthew Houston) meets Ronnie (Max Percy). The latter is an Asian street musician. The former, despite a Caucasian appearance, claims an Asian heritage, by way of adoption. Ronnie jumps to conclusions and launches into a tirade after Benjamin asked for a location of an address which happens to be in New York City’s Chinatown. But Benjamin wants to go there to see the house his late father grew up in. The play strongly and cleverly asserts that Asians can wrongly judge books by covers as much as Caucasians, and there’s something refreshing about this country hillbilly with a university education putting forward articulate and intelligent viewpoints.

Put simply, I was impressed. This wasn’t a case of establishment bashing and whining about white privilege. It’s difficult to argue against the general premise that people, whatever their background, need to make their voices heard. Martin Niemöller had it right in his ‘First they came…’ poem. Far from navel-gazing, this is theatre as its most thoughtful and outward-looking. Perhaps inevitably, some of the short plays will resonate with different people in the audience more than others. But as a whole, this was a remarkably inspiring evening.

Review by Chris Comaweng

After a sell out show at Theatre503 in 2016, Foreign Goods returns with Visions of England, featuring fully-formed short plays by Chinese and South East Asian playwrights Amal Chatterjee, Kathryn Golding, Stephen Hoo, Amber Hsu, Julie Cheung-Inhin, Cathy Lam, and Jingan Young. The night will include the UK premiere of Trying to Find Chinatown by Tony award-winner David Henry Hwang (Chinglish, M. Butterfly).

Please note, the performance schedule will be the same on both nights.

Tuesday’s performances will be followed by a panel discussion on ‘Englishness’ and visibility of East Asian/Chinese artists in the UK. Speakers include Lucy Sheen, Naomi Sumner, Amanda Rogers and Helena Zhang; hosted by Theatre503 Producer Jessica Campbell.

Founded in January of 2013 by Hong Kong born, award-winning dramatist Jingan Young, POKFULAM RD PRODUCTIONS 薄扶林道 is a non-profit London-based theatre company dedicated to pioneering new writing.

Praise for Foreign Goods (2016) at Theatre503

‘There was something for everyone in this eclectic mix of new plays from female playwrights… great acting… an intriguing event.’ ★★★★ LondonTheatre1

‘Dreams of England’ by Amal Chatterjee Directed by Mingyu Lin Cast Shuang Teng, Eugenia Low, Brian Law

‘Confessions’ by Cathy Lam Directed by Beth Kapila Cast Charlotte Chiew

‘The Stone / No One Disaster is Total‘ by Amber Hsu Directed by Mingyu Lin Cast Windson Liong, Yung Nguyen Eugenia Low, Velda Hassan

‘The Dressing Loom’ by Julie Cheung-Inhin Directed by Alice Kornitzer Cast Julie Cheung-Inhin, Danny Steele Chris Keyna, Kate Llewellyn

‘Your Only Right is to Obey’ by Jingan Young Directed by Max Lindsay Cast Chloe Ewert, Michael Phong Le

‘Suzie Wong: Fitting in and Fucking up’ by Kathryn Golding Directed by Grace Joseph Cast Kathryn Golding

‘Jamaica Boy’ by Stephen Hoo Directed by Mingyu Lin Cast Gilbert Kyem Jnr, Waylon Ma

‘I live in a Vertical Village’ by Lucy Sheen Directed by Alice Kornitzer Cast Julie Cheung-Inhin

‘Trying to Find Chinatown’ (UK Premiere) by David Henry Hwang Directed by Mingyu Lin Cast Max Percy, Matthew Houston

Theatre503 and Pokfulam Rd Productions present Foreign Goods Last Forever 2: Visions Of England Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th April, 7.45pm

http://ift.tt/2oH08Vy LondonTheatre1.com