The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe (Book Review)

January 25, 2020January 26, 2020 Kat Impossible7 Comments

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Page Count: 384

I know it’s a silly point to start with, but I love the cover of this book! I love the colors, I love the illustration, I even love the extremely long title and the perfect placement of it. Most of all, I love that, now that I have read the book, I can tell you exactly who is who on that cover and it fits them to the t. Having said all that, my gushing shall continue about the contents of The Field Guide to the North American Teenager, because this book was so much fun!

When I was 15 years old, I did an exchange semester in the US. Even to this date, with many a different experience abroad, it is one of the most memorable times of my life. I don’t know why, but for a second I thought this book was about a French-Canadian exchange student (that did happen at my US high school, so it’s not that weird of a concept), but no, Norris’ mum plans to move her son to Texas permanently. In hindsight, that makes so much more sense! Because why else would he absolutely hate the idea of being there, since he would have never if he had chosen to go himself. Nevertheless, most things Norris knew about American high schools, he knew from TV shows (just like myself) and he wasn’t surprised to find a lot of these things actually being true, while then realising that there’s always more to people than what you can see at first glance.

I thought this book was a fresh take on usual high school stories. I especially appreciated how the end wasn’t an end at all, while it still left you at a very satisfactory place. Norris, while being very judgmental to the point that it can get annoying sometimes, is a really funny character. I found myself laughing out loud several times. That’s not to say that there aren’t also deep and personal issues discussed. There’s moving to another country, getting raised by one parent and getting neglected by another, the expectation for children of immigrants to succeed, living with mental health issues, being black in America, selflessness and selfishness and to what degree we need to act upon them. Those weren’t even all topics mentioned, but somehow they were all included in effortless ways that made sense for both the story and character. Really, every character has their own story to tell and layers to uncover. I can always appreciate that!

Lastly, the only reason that this isn’t a 5-star-read is that I found myself incredibly frustrated with the romantic storyline. Norris early on crushes on someone he himself calls a “manic pixie dream girl”, which should already tell you that she is not who he is meant to be with. Yet, he keeps pining after her even though she is downright mean to him sometimes and stringing him along in the most obvious ways, even when there is the kindest and sweetest girl right in front of him! I know it’s part of the drama and obviously was also needed for the big blow-up in the last act of the story, but I wouldn’t have minded if none of that ever happened. It was quite nice to just have a mostly happy story trickling along, with hick ups along the way, but just people who dealt with it rather than had a massive drama.

Fazit: 4/5 stars! A fun and quick read about a very teen experience.

Have you read this book? Do you want to? Let’s talk about it.

A Discovery of Witches: Book vs. TV Show

January 9, 2020January 9, 2020 Kat Impossible6 Comments

Every year, there is one of these book vs. TV show comparison posts among the most popular posts. I am so very glad you are enjoying them, because I so very much enjoy writing them. It’s been a while since I talked about this show, but here we go! I hope I remember everything correctly!

General Plot

It begins with absence and desire.
It begins with blood and fear.
It begins with a discovery of witches.

Diana Bishop, historian and reluctant witch, doesn’t realise that the book she just requested at the library will change her life forever. The volume has been lost in history, but for her it appears and reawakens magic she never knew she had in her. Now being sought out by the entire magical community, she finds herself enthralled with the supposed enemy, vampire genetecist Matthew Clairmont. As they slowly warm up to each other, it turns out their connection is far deeper than anyone could have foreseen.

TV Show

There was a lot of controversy when the show first aired, because how dare anyone release something in Europe months before it is coming out in the US. I, for one, didn’t think it was such a big deal, because what do you think anyone outside the US has to deal with when it comes to books, TV shows and movies 90% of the time? Anyway, my point is that there was a lot of buzz before it even aired and seen as it wasn’t on any of the traditional networks or streaming services, I feel like that was a good thing.

When I started that first episode, I was immediately enthralled with the show. The cinematography is one of the most beautiful ones out there, the pacing is slow but without making it seem like they are dragging things out and the chemistry between the main leads is just on fire. I will admit that the romance felt cheesy or like it was developing too fast and too intensely, but I just as equally have to say that I didn’t mind? There was a magical connection between them and as you go along with the show (or book for that matter), you’ll notice that Diana and Matthew were inevitable. So, yes, you do have the cliché vampire who stalks the pretty girl, but you also have a fascinating magical system behind it to back it all up. Lastly, I also really enjoyed the way they incorporated science into it all!

Another thing I really liked about the show was the fact that you didn’t just get a glimpse of the main couple and their lives, but all the minor and major characters that surrounded them. It made for a better whole picture and while there are still a lot of unanswered questions, you can see why certain characters did the things they did. Especially the daemons get a whole lot more attention on screen than they did in the books, where it mainly revolved around vampires and witches alone.

The show was renewed for season 2 and 3, which likely means they will film the trilogy as it was in the book, since they also stuck to the storyline of the first volume for the first season. This is good news, because it will mean that there will be a proper ending guaranteed.

Book

Contrary to the show, the book is entirely told from Diana’s perspective. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it left the motivation behind certain characters’ actions up to your imagination, while I prefer knowing how things come to be that way. Especially when we are talking bad guys, I like them to be more layered than just plain “I prefer the old way and that’s why you can’t do what you want to do” behaviour.

Still, overall I struggled a little bit with the book. It could stem from me not being used to long and detailed storytelling anymore (it’s a whopping 594 pages filled with different languages and historical accounts as well as architectural observations), but I also found Matthew’s and Diana’s behaviour a little more irritating. In that universe, witches are wild and stubborn, while vampires are territorial predators. It is like that in the show as well, but I feel like they managed to tone it down and made it less aggressive traits of the characters.

The beginning wasn’t adapted to the screen very faithfully, because there definitely wasn’t any vampire yoga class (which I found silly), but the second half of the book felt very accurately represented. There are still some changes that I am intrigued about, because they didn’t seem minor to me, but since the show continues, I am not worried it won’t be addressed. However, there was a certain magical ability, that I don’t want to spoil, featured on the show and I had hoped that I would find it more comprehensive once I read about it, but I still don’t understand it. Seen as they literally described it, I find it frustrating that I wasn’t able to grasp the concept fully. I still have so many questions.

Fazit: 3/5 stars! It took me about a year to finish the book, because some of the descriptions were tiresome and the characters felt a little more irritating to me, but in the end, I was just as intrigued by it all as I was with the show.

Conclusion

In general, I believe the show found a way to bring the book to life in a graceful and comprehensive way. There are a couple of plotholes here and there, but they aren’t limited to the screen adaptation in my eyes. So, I prefer to watch it all unfold beautifully, than to be confused by overly detailed descriptive text.

Have you read or watched A Discovery of Witches? Did you enjoy it? Let’s talk!

My Top 10 Movies of 2019

January 4, 2020 Kat Impossible28 Comments

Here we are! Today is the day that I finally finish all my 2019 rankings. As you should be able to guess from the title of the post, it’s about movies I have watched in 2019. I tried my best to mostly include releases from last year, but let me warn you, it’s not my best list ever. I only watched Parasite in 2020 for example. Also, a lot of movies haven’t been out in my territories yet and yeah … don’t judge me too harshly.

10. Instant Family

I need silly content sometimes and I have an absolute soft spot for adoption/foster home stories, especially the ones with a positive message and happy end. So yeah, this might not be everyone’s cup of tea and maybe you won’t find it funny, but I loved how heartwarming it was.

9. Pokémon: Detective Pikachu

This movie was by no means perfect, but there was something interesting about it. I really enjoyed seeing the pokémon animated in a real life setting and Ryan Reynolds voicing one of them was just the cherry on top. I think I’d like it if there were sequels to this for sure.

8. The Goldfinch

This movie would have been better served as a limited series, giving every character the time and respect to slowly explore their story. This way it was rushed and confusing at times, but something about it still gripped me. Also, the cinematography was beautiful.

7. The King

When I think of Timothée, I think of a boy. I never expected to watch a scene where he plays a king talking to his men on a battlefield, giving a speech that carries through rows and rows of people and believe his performance, but I did. And it was brilliant! (Most of all, shout out to Joel Edgerton, who was involved in so many parts of the making of this movie though and carried big parts of it.)

6. Long Shot

Maybe not the most obvious choice, but I found this movie funny and poignant? I was really sad that it flopped almost everywhere, because I never like Seth Rogen films, but I liked this one a lot. He works so well with Charlize Theron and it’s a sort of romantic comedy without too much romance and really current jokes.

5. Klaus

If you add any new Christmas movie to your yearly watch list, please, let it be this one. I didn’t just like the animation style, but I absolutely, with all my heart, adored the storyline. I swear, by the end of it, I was in tears and had no regrets.

4. Yesterday

I know that we had Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody and whatnot last year, but … I haven’t actually seen them yet. There is just something that always makes me worry about these biopics not being what I want them to be. Yesterday had it far easier in that department, because while they really dug into the legacy of the Beatles, they made it a whole story of their own. I liked how creative that felt and I really, really liked the cast.

3. The Party’s Just Beginning

This movie is best enjoyed with a lot of trigger warnings concerning graphic scenes of a suicide and warnings about depression. I watched it while I was in a bad place and it didn’t exactly help, but this movie was really great nonetheless. I am so proud of Karen Gillan for pouring her heart into this project and having it set in Scotland none the less!

2. Someone, Somewhere

Yes, I put a French movie in this post! It’s a love story without being a love story at all. It’s about how hard it is for single people in this day and age, especially in a big city. It’s about how you have to have your life in order for you to be able to share it with anyone else. It basically spoke to everything my heart and brain thinks daily.

1. Brittany Runs a Marathon

It’s supposed to be funny, but I cried my way through a lot of parts of this movie. Don’t let the trailer fool you, it’s not about how you have to lose weight in order to become a “better person”. That’s not what happened to Brittany at all, she turned into a bitch as soon as she was skinny if you ask me, but just like the last movie, it’s a lot about how you have to find a way to live with yourself. Also, it’s really motivational. I hate running and I wanted to run for days afterwards.

Honorable Mentions

As you’ve seen these past couple of days, I like to give a shoutout to some movies that haven’t made it in the ranking. Here we go:

Shazam!
Avengers: Endgame
Captain Marvel
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Aladdin
Always Be My Maybe
Good Boys
Last Christmas
Someone Great
Love at Second Sight
Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood
Otherhood

Also, because I watched a lot of German content, I also want to specifically mention some movies worth checking out here:

Der Junge muss an die frische Luft/All About Me
Golden Twenties
Cleo
Traumfabrik
Nirgendwo
Trautmann/The Keeper
Rate Your Date
O Beautiful Night

That’s it! What did you think of that list? Any surprises on it? Let’s chat!

My Top 10 Continued TV Shows of 2019

January 3, 2020 Kat Impossible30 Comments

I hope this post title isn’t too confusing, but I wasn’t quite sure what else to call it. Basically, yesterday was all about shows that were released in 2019 and this post is about my favourite shows that continued on with their x-amount of season. Hope you enjoy!

10. 9-1-1 (Season 3)

I don’t want to call this show a guilty pleasure, because that’s not really what it feels like to me. But compared to the other shows on this or yesterday’s list, the storytelling is definitely far less high-brow and more focused on drama, drama, drama and pour some over the top drama on that. But the tsunami episodes were absolutely heart shattering and I will remain a Buddie shipper forever, even if I strongly believe they are just queer baiting the viewers with that one.

9. Marvel’s Runaways (Season 3)

I already touched a little bit upon how much I enjoyed this last season. My favourite out of all the kids on the show is probably Gert, so I am grateful for how the show ended and even if it wasn’t a perfect season (or series as a whole), I am glad for what we got. I will miss all my superhero kiddos (Cloak and Dagger included).

8. Stranger Things (Season 3)

I do not like redemption through death storylines, but saying any more than that would be such a massive spoiler in case you haven’t watched it yet. For some reason this wasn’t my favourite season, but it’s cool to see everyone grow up and the addition of Robin was one of the smartest moves ever. Ice cream squad for the win!

7. Elite (Season 2)

I wasn’t entirely sure where this season would go, since the murder mystery, despite not being entirely solved, was more or less over. They somehow managed to incorporate a decently suspenseful supplicant story though and offered some more exposition on certain characters. I really dig where we left things and hope the wait for the new season won’t be too long.

6. Sorry for Your Loss (Season 2)

I don’t think anyone expected a Facebook Watch series on this list? But, in all honesty, I feel like Sorry for Your Loss is totally being slept on. It’s such an amazing story about grief and how everyone handles it differently and how earth shattering revelations can be about a person you thought you knew and who can’t give answers anymore. Also, if you want to support Kelly Marie Tran after they basically cut her out of Star Wars, this is your chance!

5. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 3)

Thinking back, I never thought I would enjoy this show and now I am always just eagerly awaiting the new season. While I would like to think that Midge is smarter than the poor judgment on material she has shown in the season finale, I believe she still has so much more ahead of her. Also, my heart breaks every time Lenny Bruce gets involved in an episode, so I definitely need them to continue covering several more years in that universe and maybe changing Lenny’s fate? Wouldn’t mind that at all. (And poor Benjamin. He was done dirty too.)

4. You (Season 2)

I LIKED the new season. I had my doubts about repeating the concept from season 1 etc., but it stayed original and it stayed suspenseful and creepy. Still in no way a fan of Joe (especially since he didn’t react a certain way I wanted him to after a revelation), but Penn is killing it in that particular role.

3. The OA (Season 2)

Similar to Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, I will never forgive Netflix for cancelling The OA before its time. The final episode had such a beautifully juicy twist and I will be forever sad we were denied the remainder of the story. I would seriously crowdfund the heck out of this if there was any way I could watch the rest, but alas, the world wasn’t ready for this show. Still, it’s 100% worth watching if you have the time and attention span. This one is not made for casual viewing.

2. Dark (Season 2)

Speaking of beautiful twists! I love Dark for a couple of reasons, but the end of Season 2 was a game changer and I cannot wait to see where they take us. Also, I lowkey appreciate that next season will be the last one, giving it a proper ending and all that jazz.

1. Fleabag (Season 2)

I don’t necessarily think that Fleabag is for everyone, but it sure is something! In my eyes, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a genius and has created a character that is both, easy to judge and hard not to love, but she just up and went with adding the Hot Priest to the mix and things got wild. One day, I am going to buy the Fleabag scriptures and I am going to study the heck out of those scripts.

Honorable Mentions

As per usual, I am nowhere near at capacity with all the great things I have watched, so here are some more shows for your consideration:

Veronica Mars (Season 4)
Charmed (Season 2)
Lost in Space (Season 2)
Friends from College (Season 2)
Legacies (Season 2)
Glow (Season 3)
Derry Girls (Season 2)
The Rain (Season 2)
Plan Coeur (Season 2)
Baby (Season 2)
Good Trouble (Season 2)
The Bold Type (Season 3)
The Man in the High Castle (Season 4)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 3)

So, that’s all on TV shows! Have you watched some of these as well? Would you have ranked them similarly? Let’s chat before tomorrow’s final post on my top 10 movies.

My Top 10 New TV Shows of 2019

January 2, 2020 Kat Impossible16 Comments

On we go with more lists. As most of you know, I am a TV person. I definitely watch more shows than movies per year, so narrowing it down was very hard. That is why I split my TV rankings into two separate posts! This post is about shows that had their first season in 2019 (or were released in my territory for the first time in 2019) and tomorrow I will talk some more about the shows that had continued seasons this past year. More on that later though, here are my 2019 faves:

10. The Umbrella Academy

I know we are all a little tired of the comic book/superhero adaptations, but I celebrate all the things that aren’t traditionally DC or Marvel and still manage to create a compelling world. I completely fell in love with this show and the characters and the found family trope on it. As per usual, it also helps when a character is called Klaus, which was probably part of the reason he was my favourite.

9. The Boys

I don’t get why people complained about this show not being for kids. Nowhere, literally at no place I saw ads on, did they advertise it as anything kid or teen friendly. So, The Boys is a really great adult comic book adaptation, as long as you are okay with violence. Some of the twists at the end were brilliant and I cannot wait for the next season.

8. Dollface

This one flew a little bit under the radar from what I saw, but celebrated female connections in the best and most beautiful of ways. I think we’ve all neglected our friendships for one reason or another at some point in our lives and I adored how this show portrayed that in such a surreal way.

7. The Rook

I talked about this show non stop and I probably will keep thinking about it until I get a definite confirmation of a second season. Based on a book that I did not enjoy at all (read more about that here), this show brought to me one of my now all time favourite new characters – Gestalt. A hive-mind being that shares thoughts and emotions across the bodies of three siblings and who is coincidentally the love interest of the main character.

6. The Society

Teens having to figure out how to live on their own and establish rules that will assure their survival is kind of my jam … for some weird reason? Most of the characters on it were beautifully morally gray and therefore complex and sometimes annoying, but that’s what makes for a great three dimensional persona. I want to say that I didn’t just hype this show for Grizz, but if anyone hurts a hair on his head, I will find them and I will hurt them.

5. The Witcher

Pretty last minute addition to this list, The Witcher was a great fantasy show. Now that Game of Thrones is over, I truly need something epic, but please stop comparing it at that. Except for maybe a lot of gore and nudity, there really is nothing that strikes me as similar between those two. I had a ton of fun watching the show, my only quarrel was the underdeveloped love story, because that just felt way too rushed.

4. Russian Doll

I think we all know those groundhog-day-inspired stories, but never ever did I expect such an original concept to come from that basic idea of repeating the same day over and over. This show was truly a thing of beauty and whenever that particular song comes on (which it does regularly, because it’s on my phone), I feel right back in it. I love that they didn’t just play with a time loop but gave it so many more layers. Now I only have to worry if they will mess it all up by giving it another season (which I usually never say).

3. The Politician

I was full on expecting this to be a trick and turn into a musical show, but despite the fact that there are a couple really nicely integrated songs, it’s just a satire-esque politics show that starts in high school but by no means confines itself to that setting. This show had me feel all the weirdest things, with one of my favourite characters being a dead person and giving me one of TV history’s favourite intros/theme songs. Sufjan Stevens is just really all that for me, I suppose …

2. Four Weddings and a Funeral

I don’t know if you’d expect this to be so high up on my list, but let’s be real. I have been denied good and reasonably cheesy romcom content (here with the added plus of representation in the shape of a POC cast and different religious beliefs featured) for way too long. Usually, I like my romcoms short and in movie-form, but they really did it with this show. By no means should you expect this to be like the movie, but you will laugh and you will cry if you just give it a chance. Which you obviously should, if you haven’t yet!

1. Reprisal

I am so in love with this show, words are failing me. It turns out you can really get me with smart editing and cinematography choices. Last year’s top of the list show was A Discovery of Witches, not just because it was about witches, but because it was stunningly beautiful to watch. Reprisal is very similar in that way. Of course, it’s a show about gangs, revenge with quite a bit of violence (but more tastefully done than in some other things I have watched), but still with a very clear aesthetic that is just so much fun to indulge in. Add to that the great cast, storyline and absolutely incredible world-building (imagine an era that is a mix of all sorts of different eras in one. Sixties style clothing, oldtimer cars, Sons of Anarchy-vibes gangs but with the added comfort of some people using cell phones. My forever favourites were the three River Phoenixes, but I can’t spoil you on what that means. You should really check it out for yourselves!

Honorable Mentions

You know me, I watch too much to confine myself to 10 shows. Here are some that I thought were great, but that just didn’t quite make the cut:

Roswell, New Mexico
The Order
Good Omens
Dead to Me
Sex Education
Carnival Row

That’s all the new shows I loved! Did you watch some of them? Were there surprises or did you expect to find these shows on here? Let’s chat!

My Top 10 Books of 2019

January 1, 2020 Kat Impossible24 Comments

As promised, this is the first post in a series of rankings for my reading and viewing experiences during the year of 2019. I have to admit that I started with the books, because it seemed like the easiest list for me personally. I didn’t have the best of reading years, so there weren’t too many books to pick from. I also want to note that not all the books were released in 2019, that’s just the year I read them in. Enjoy!

**Click on the covers to get re-directed to Goodreads**

10. Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman

I mainly wanted to read this, because the BBC made it into a TV show that was supposed to premiere in 2019. In my typical review fashion, I wanted to make a comparison of the TV show and the book, but then they never released it, which was also partly the reason it took me forever to finish the read. However, Noughts and Crosses is a fascinating alternate history story, where dark-skinned people are the ruling class and “colourless” folks are the underclass, who were once slaves. It mirrors our own world’s racism and doesn’t shy away from showing terrifying consequences of not following the rules. I can definitely understand why these books are read in schools and people got invested in the series.

9. The Dire King (Jackaby #4) by William Ritter

I mainly read the Jackaby series due to massive cover lust, but I am very happy about the fact that it was a great series overall. There were so many supernatural creatures included that don’t always make it into stories and it ended on a hopeful and happy note, while still fulfilling my expectations of where it was supposed to end.

8. Defy Me (Shatter Me #5) by Tahereh Mafi

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the 4th installment of the series and still believe that the new “trilogy” isn’t exactly on the same level as the OG books, but Tahereh got me back with Defy Me. It felt more introspective again and while I still think some actions and decisions were out of character, I enjoyed the slow pace and inner monologues.

7. The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

This book has so much to offer. I am glad I bought it as a hardcover, because it has a beautiful aesthetic. Also, whenever someone names their character August, they already have part of my heart. I don’t make the rules, that’s just the way it is. The book is both soft and sad, but there were a couple parts that I just wish I could have connected more with.

Check out my review here!

6. A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

Tahereh Mafi is one of my absolute favourite authors. To read her most personal book yet was an absolute joy. I could see why it meant so much to her and was surprised by how light and fast of a read it was, despite the sometimes quite serious topic. I think that lighthearted-ness was good in some parts, but it’s also why the ending didn’t impact me as much and I found myself not caring as much.

Check out my review here!

5. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

I think I read the book after watching the Netflix movie and I really enjoyed it nonetheless. In fact, I think mixing the two together makes for the perfect story. It was super relatable and had a great message, it was heartbreaking and heartwarming and even though I was sort of late to the party, I am glad I picked it up.

4. Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich, Justin Paul, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek

I was not super familiar with the musical before picking up the book, but I had a lot of fun reading it. I want to point out again that the book was written AFTER the musical got popular, not the other way around. Still, it offers even more insight into the characters and I, personally, enjoyed that a lot.

Check out my review here!

3. Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro, Cornelia Funke

This, too, is a book adaption of a film and not the other way around. I feel I am coming across them more and more, but I love that the director of the movie was so thoroughly involved in the book as well. It’s a very whimsical and magical story with some parts being 1:1 what was said in the books and other parts being a great addition to make the memories of the film more impactful and give them more background.

Check out my review here!

2. Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer

I was in so many massive reading slumps this year, but Echo North was one of the real highlights for me. It reminded me of why I loved Fantasy novels and fairy tales. It’s not that it’s a flawless story, the love that turned very intense very quickly was (despite the explanation at the end) not 100% my cup of tea, but it still had such a great amalgamation of familiar stories while making it their own.

Check out my review here!

1. The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

This was my favourite story of the year! Hands down, I still think about it so much and I think I cried through about 100 pages straight at some point. It sounds similar to the Wayward children series or Narnia, but when I read it, I soon forgot about it all. I love how you can interpret the ending and I choose to interpret it in a hopeful way.