Month: February 2022

February 2022 Wrap-Up

Kat Impossible24 Comments

Despite February having been a lot and me choosing to repress some stuff that is happening in reality (I know, it’s a kind of privilege), it was actually a pretty decent reading month for me. I got to everything I had set my eyes on and even a little more. So, at least in that department, I genuinely can’t complain much right now, even if most of the books wer only mediocre. Here’s what I read:

Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Prosper's Demon by K.J. Parker

As per usual, click on the covers to get re-directed to Goodreads, where you are always welcome to add me as a reading buddy! OR find me on Storygraph, where I’m more active this year. My own reviews you’re able to find by clicking on the titles in the list above if there are posts for them.

As I’ve now said a lot, I’m using Storygraph really regularly now and it’s growing on me. I’m also low-key crushing my reading challenges and it’s making me happy. For a while there, I thought I had aimed too high with 15K words for this year, but it’s looking good. I’m now reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January (about 6% into the story) and even though it had mixed reviews, I’m enjoying it. I’m not even going to attempt to start a new reading experiment in March, I will try to alternate those.

I think it’s fairly understandable to say that I’m on edge right now. The Ukrainian border is closer to where I live than the other side of my own (very tiny) country. Geographically, this is probably one of the closest wars I have had to witness and I feel like I live in a 24/7 news cycle. At the same time, I’m confused and angered by some of the rhetoric used in media and by politicians alike, especially when it comes to refugees in comparison to coverage about previous countries that needed aid. I wish I could share some good resources here, but the ones I trust are all in German so … please, just be aware that there’s a lot of misinformation going around and be careful. Take care of yourselves!

Other than that, there’s things going on in my private life I want to talk about even less, BUT the weather is getting better. Yes, this is what it has come to. I’m talking about the weather … I can really feel it lift my spirits though and I’m hoping to get out more. I miss having places to go to, especially since I’ve been working from home in my one room apartment since mid-November now. So, this is honestly a good sign!

It also sort of started me imagining going on vacation for the first time in forever this year. I refuse to go on a plane or anywhere that is difficult to reach, but maybe a Berlin visit is due! I miss my second (or third or fourth) home. If I go, I want to go by train, because it’s such a nice deceleration to life and without the stress of how much luggage you can take in a carry on for a flight and such. I’m not sure when I’ll go, but I’m making all the plans for 2022.

MOST POPULAR POSTS OF FEBRUARY 2022

When I’m on other platforms and judging by my stats page, blogging has changed a lot over the years. I feel like it’s more of a second platform for many, next to video or image content on socials. Still, I’m dedicating this year to showing how valuable and kind of long term blogging as a medium is by sharing my top performing posts each month. (Hint: they are rarely ever the new ones!)

  1. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Book Review)
    (originally posted in December 2020)
    Do I know why this is the most popular book review I’ve ever written? Heck no. I wish I did, but I’m glad it’s doing so well and finding an audience. Even if I wasn’t 100% convinced by the book …
  2. Something Different: Duskwood (Game)
    (originally posted June 2020)
    This game, I wish more people would play it so that I could talk about it with them. And also, that they’ll finally release the final chapter.
  3. Are Sebastian Stan and I compatible (readers)?
    (originally posted August 2021)
    Look, with Pam & Tommy releasing, I just think a lot of people are rediscovering Sebastian Stan.
  4. Are Chris Evans and I compatible (readers)?
    (originally posted July 2021)
    Interest for Chris always remains in waves.
  5. Are Tom Hiddleston and I compatible (readers)?
    (originally posted June 2021)
    He almost got beat by Pedro Pascal for 5th place. It as SO close. But the reading experiments are just a huge draw to the blog.

MY FAVORITES OF THE MONTH

Speaking of reading experiments, while I love doing them, I love publishing them even more! There’s just something so very satisfying about getting all the necessary reading done, comparing tastes and trying to find common ground with strangers based on nothing other than books. One of my favorite parts is also trying to find the thing that connects all the books, to dive into the psyche of the celebs a little and see what draws them to the material. It’s such a joy! I know I posted the latest installment with Lupita Nyong’o at an inopportune time, but I hope it doesn’t flop.

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOGOSPHERE

I love this community, so please share that love by also checking out the posts of fellow bloggers!

MY OTHER POSTS

VARIOUS TAGS AND POSTS

TV SHOW/MOVIE RELATED

WRITING LIFE

TRAILER POSTS

Hope February was kind to you and that March will treat you well! Let’s chat in the comments!

Are Lupita Nyong’o and I compatible (readers)?

Kat Impossible33 Comments

Disclaimer: I do NOT know Lupita Nyong’o. All the information is taken from various social media posts and interviews and could potentially be outdated.

Here we are once again with a new installment of the reader compatibility feature or celeb book club, as I like to call it! In case you missed the previous ones, don’t hesitate to check out the following posts:
– Are Tom Hiddleston and I compatible (readers)?
– Are Chris Evans and I compatible (readers)?
– Are Sebastian Stan and I compatible (readers)?
– Are Pedro Pascal and I compatible (readers)?

And here comes once again the reminder that this is done with the sole intention of it being fun and not taken too seriously. I’m comparing my taste in books with that of actors and actresses to see if we would be “compatible” on the basis of those reading taste alone. How could you ever take that seriously?

Read More »

Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #7

Kat Impossible7 Comments

I know that a lot is happening today and that this post has in no way priority to the events going on in the world. Just speaking for myself, I’ve definitely been distracted all day, thinking about the current situation in the Ukraine. However, I also know that there are many people who need a break from doomscrolling, finding proper resources and having to distinguish between authentic news information and misleading clickbait. People, who might want to enjoy a little routine and distraction instead. So, this is not me saying ignore what’s happening, but here’s a short post to talk about one of the most common distractions in the world – TV!

FINISHED TV SHOWS/SEASONS

Disenchanment (Part 4)

Eh, what can I say? This is not my favorite animated Netflix show (that title goes to Bojack Horseman, no doubt) but I did enjoy it in the past. At this point, I’m kind of getting a little bored with it. The thing is, it always ends the same? I’m obviously not going to give it away, but it just feels done now and I want it to properly end. Like have an end end and that the show won’t continue. Someone said this show is like two steps forward and one step back and that’s just SO true.

WEEKLY TV SHOWS

Bel-Air (Season 1)

It keeps pushing all the right buttons with me. It’s not laugh out loud funny all the time, but it has a good balance of humor and emotion and a really glossy look. I enjoy the narrative, although I’m still annoyed with Carlton. I thought I would be able to relate to his anxiety issues, but it’s just not happening.

The Afterparty (Season 1)

The animated episode was quite something! I can only imagine how much work must have gone into that one, but I’m not sure I was always feeling the art style. I’m sorry, I’m a snob like that, but we’re getting closer to the reveal and it seems my theory might have been wrong after all?

How I Met Your Father (Season 1)

The week before this one was probably my favorite episode so far, but this week didn’t hit home as much. I enjoyed the friendship scenes with Jesse and Sid, but wasn’t vibing as much with the Sophie and Valentina storyline. I can’t put a finger on the why.

The Cleaning Lady (Season 1)

I KNEW Thony’s husband showing up would mean trouble. I cannot with this whole show just getting trickier and more morally complex each episode. Why does it make me root for the criminals?

Promised Land (Season 1)

A really good episode! I’ve noticed that I don’t care as much about what happened in the past as I do in the now. For example, I loved the sibling bonding session over sangria!

Abbot Elementary (Season 1)

Why is this show so cute and funny and relatable! Also, I’m just living for Gregory crushing on Janine.

Euphoria (Season 2)

LEXI’S PLAY!!! People, did you see that!? She was calling out people left and right, using some really personal information. Not going to lie, if I had been her friend or featured in that play, I probably would have been pissed, but it was a delight to watch. No way in hell was that the budget of an actual high school theater department though. Impossible!

Superman & Lois (Season 2)

I like that Clark figured out that Bizarro was his opposite and that they can now work together. I have no clue what exactly Ally’s plan is, to be honest. But I’m kind of sad that I’m getting frustrated with Jonathan, who was my favorite character last season. Not so much now …

The most emotional part was definitely when Sarah and Lana found out about Kyle’s cheating. Like dude … we were rooting for you to get your act together.

9-1-1: Lone Star (Season 3)

TK doesn’t get a break. This season is putting him through the ringer and there’ve barely been any episodes yet.

MOVIES

As always, don’t forget to add me on Letterboxd if you want to be up to date on all my movie experiences! 

I have not watched any movies this past week.

Take care of yourselves! 

Something Different: Mask of the Rose (Game)

Kat Impossible5 Comments

You know how rare this feature is, because I’ve only done it ONCE before! However, everyone seemed to enjoy my rambly thoughts on Duskwood (which should be releasing its final chapter soon-ish – I cannot wait!), so I figured I’d give this another shot.

*I have not been asked to talk about this game by the developers! I am sharing these views of my own accord.*

Mask of the Rose: a Fallen London romance is a visual novel about romance, mystery and redefining society after a fundamental change. It will release to console platforms as well as PC, Mac and Linux later this year, however, you can try your hand at a free demo via Steam at the moment.

Originally, the project went to kickstarter for funding, which I’ve sadly missed out on. I’ve enjoyed previous backed projects a lot, so I could have easily seen myself support this game, but nonetheless, I somehow came across the demo and gave it a shot.

A marvelous romance with a hint of murder. Lose your heart to a stolen city in this game of amorous intrigue! Seek love, for yourself or your friends. Help a murdered man find justice. And watch out for the bats.

I was unaware of the 2009 Fallen London game and the fanbase it already had, but the little demo I got to play through has me very intrigued about the original game and I can see myself checking it out as well. Basically, London has fallen into a crater in the midst of Earth. No one knows the bounds of the cavern, no one knows a way back up, everyone is trapped – and there’s a lot of bats! It’s such a fascinating world and here you are, collecting love stories from its inhabitants. 

Why Do I Like It So Much?

  • I’m generally a fan of story-based games and don’t mind if there’s a lot of text involved, but Mask of the Rose really combined some amazing visuals with the story and I was head over heels. I’ve learned a while ago that I’m quite superficial and don’t like to check out games that don’t appeal to me on an aesthetic level, but this one intrigued me from the get go.
  • In only 1-2 chapters, you meet so many interesting characters. They definitely got me hooked with the demo, because they managed to have me sitting here wanting more – immediately!
  • As a complete newbie to this world, I obviously had no frame of reference, but I enjoyed the mix activities. On the one hand, you get to play detective (always fun!), but you’re also a matchmaker for yourself and others. It might sound silly, but I adore uncovering other peoples relationships and bringing people together. Also, you don’t have to find a romantic match for yourself, if that’s not something you’re interested in!
  • While I obviously didn’t have any background information on the characters, I quickly realized that Mr Pages is a fan favorite in terms of the Neaths new Masters, so I’m happy for all those people that he’s in the game. Still, I never felt lost or like I was lacking information. Instead, I felt myself getting eased into the story in a natural way.
  • While options are fairly limited at the moment, I enjoyed the customization options for my own character!

Downsides?

  • Since I only got a glimpse at the game for now, I can’t tell if there’s any bugs or storyline issues on the long run. The only downside that I can think of is that we have to wait until October/November 2022 for the actual release.
  • I cannot comment on the price point of the full game. However, Fallen London is a free browser game.

I know this wasn’t a very in depth review, but I just wanted to communicate my excitement for the actual game to release. I’m such a sucker for games like it and I didn’t want to give away too much from the demo, since it’s obviously just a glimpse at what’s to come. If you’re interested in a playthrough, there are several that can be found on YouTube!

Please do let me know if you end up checking out the game as well! What did you think of the post? Let’s chat!

This or That: Comparing English/American & German Book Covers!

Kat Impossible19 Comments

A while ago, I saw a post over at Lais @The Bookish Skies comparing Brazilian and American book covers and I was super intrigued by the idea. Somehow, I forgot about it though, or other things just became more pressing, until I watched Jack Edwards and Steph Bohrer compare UK and US book covers over on booktube. I just knew, I had to do this for German covers (and titles? Cause they often change them?) before I’d forget it again. So, in short, we’re going to compare UK and US book covers with those published on the German market! I don’t know who does it better, but this post might give us an indication.

(This was really inspired by all the people above, please check out their content!)

ROUND #1

       

I don’t remember if the left cover is the British or the US version, but whichever one it is, but I fully intend to finally read the book this year and that’s the version I own (I think).

For once, they did not actually change the title, but I legit couldn’t find a cover image without the silly “BookTok sensation” sticker. When they’re not actual stickers and cannot be removed from the book, I often feel like they might just become my villain origin story.

In general, there’s just something more mysterious, luxurious and enticing about the English language cover. This round clearly goes to the US/UK!

ROUND #2

       

Okay, where do I even start? They stuck to translating the title correctly, but that’s about where I stop liking the German cover.

Where the Crawdads Sing is a very slow paced, atmospheric book. It’s about prejudice and perseverance. It’s about love and life and family. There’s a lot of harsh realities and even a murder mystery, but I feel like the German cover leaned into that last bit way too hard. Somehow, the darker color scheme makes it reminiscent of crime and thriller books rather than the celebration of nature and societal commentary it is. Again, points go to the English language cover.

Read my review of the book here.

ROUND #3

        

There are a couple different variants of the English language cover, but they’re mostly in the realm of what is shown above. Please, do get ready for the translation of the German title though – I still can’t believe they called it that: “Destiny is a lousy traitor”

While I think the German title sort of relates to the story, I just don’t know where they got that particular phrase from. It feels clunky (in German) and I would have never guessed it’s supposed to be TFIOS. The rest of the German cover is also just so random. 1) they ignore the stars in the OG title, but put them on the cover, 2) there’s a random city skyline? and 3) Is that a dandelion floating about?

The English cover isn’t particularly creative, but I feel calmer looking at it. English language covers keep winning.

ROUND #4

        

I chose the blue cover, because it’s the one I own. I know there are different versions out there, but it’s what’s on my shelf, so it’s what I’m going to judge it on.

I kind of like the German one more, but wish the head wasn’t part of it? I’m just confused, is that supposed to be Achilles? Either way, it looks a little more exciting than the blue cover, which is just very plain. So, while I don’t feel compelled to give either one a point, this one reluctantly goes to the German cover.

Read my review of the book here.

ROUND #5

        

They tried to do entirely too much with the German cover! Why do they always want to pack half the plot into the imagery, when a nice understated font can be so much more enticing. I don’t even know if the person in the crystal ball (where is that even coming from) is supposed to be Addie or Luc. I feel like this just leads you astray, because so much of the story actually takes place in the now. This is a disaster … English language cover wins again!

Read my review of the book here!

That’s it for today! The UK/US covers easily won with 4-1 points! If I ever do this again (should I?), I will have to make sure that I do a better job at finding nice German covers. Although … there are several reasons I don’t own many German editions and it’s apparently not just the language …

What did you think of this post? Would you like to see more comparisons? Let’s chat!

Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #6

Kat Impossible12 Comments

With it having been Valentine’s Day, I really leaned into content targeted at women as well as romance stories. So, you’ll definitely find a lot of that this week!

Also, here’s your reminder to please beware of Spoilers in the upcoming TV sections! As I’m talking about the shows as they air, I might mention plot points etc. which you might not want to know about if you haven’t caught up yet. I won’t, however, put anything in bold that’s a huge reveal! I’m also trying to stay vague in general, but the comments are free game!

FINISHED TV SHOWS/SEASONS

Dollface (Season 2)

I hadn’t realized just how much I had missed the show until I had it back for season 2! Truth be told, I binge stuff way too quickly sometimes and with episodes that aren’t that long, I just fly through shows. Somehow, I don’t have the ability to really savor these kind of things and then I’m sad it’s over – BUT the season was great!

Just like last time, they really know how to take away the focus from romantic relationships (without disregarding that they are a part of many people’s lives) and really showed the struggle of going on 30 and still not having found yourself. I feel like I’m the exact target audience in terms of age and where I’m at in life – this show just kind of speaks to me. I sincerely do hope we get so see more!

(also, I like the actor who plays Fender – he was great on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina – but I’m sad the Matthew Gray Gubler situation didn’t pan out …)

WEEKLY TV SHOWS

Bel-Air (Season 1)

I was really undecided on whether this would be for me or not. Like so many of us, I grew up with the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and it has a special place in my heart, surrounded by loads and loads of nostalgia. It’s hard to “reboot” a classic like that, but they turned this into a drama with episodes almost an hour long and totally won me over! The actors are all doing an amazing job with their characters and I’m fully invested after only three episodes. I do wish Carlton was a bit more likable, because for now, I cannot stand him for the life of me, but I’m guessing there’s more backstory to come.

The Afterparty (Season 1)

Okay, wasn’t it HILARIOUS that they called the last episode “High School” instead of “Walt”. That man cannot get a break and ist just utterly forgettable to this group of people. Even the show creators didn’t give him any credit.

How I Met Your Father (Season 1)

WE ARE GETTING ANOTHER SEASON! I’m so utterly relieved that there’s more to come, because this first season is only 10 episodes and as they keep getting better each week, I just know that 10 is not enough.

The Cleaning Lady (Season 1)

How is this show SO intense!? The chemistry between Thony and Arman is just fire and she’s in so deep now. I wonder if the FBI pulled some strings to get her husband into the country? It would seem like something they’d do.

Promised Land (Season 1)

I don’t know whose side I’m supposed to be on with this show and it’s kind of irritating.

Euphoria (Season 2)

I GOT MY FEXI MOMENT! Them holding hands, laughing, crying and then singing “Stand by Me” together was a whole Valentine’s Day gift to me. I just know that things between them will get messed up next week, but I’m just gonna imagine him actually showing up in a tux with roses for her play. Thank you.

9-1-1: Lone Star (Season 3)

Judd not vibing with his son made me kind of sad, but I felt it was out of character for him to not have ANY common ground. Yeah, he is pretty stereotypical in his portrayal, but he can do things other than hunt, fish and eat meat?

MOVIES

As always, don’t forget to add me on Letterboxd if you want to be up to date on all my movie experiences! 

The Sky Is Everywhere

I have not read the book, so I have no way of comparing it, but I enjoyed the movie. It’s definitely rushed in parts and super quirky and corny, but it has a lot of heart and I 100% cried. I love stories that focus on sibling-relationships and grief, so this was basically my jam. I had some issues with the romantic relationships, just because there wasn’t enough time to build and resolve everything properly, but again, I didn’t dislike the movie. Ultimately a lot of it wasn’t grounded in reality and that kind of threw me off. It was overall very solid though.

I Want You Back

I love the cast of this movie so much! Whoever decided that Charlie Day and Jenny Slate should be the romantic leads was a genius! However, and I don’t know why that is, in the end it was only a solid but not overwhelmingly great watch for me. I liked the ending for the two main characters, but I would have wished for other relationships/friendships to have a different outcome. I was really rooting for the Noah/Peter bromance there.

Also, please, more movies with Manny Jacinto. Thank you.

Marry Me

This is where I out myself, because I just love all JLo romance movies. I really can’t remember a single one that I didn’t enjoy and she was so gorgeous in this one. Yes, you can debate on her chemistry with Owen Wilson, but I didn’t need it to be all sparks and fire – it exuded a lot of comfort for me. Also, I really enjoyed the soundtrack. I don’t think I’ll check out the comic book the movie is based on (the art style isn’t my thing), but I can see myself rewatching this.

What did you watch this past week? Did we match on anything? Let’s chat!

The Book Blogger Memory Challenge!

Kat Impossible9 Comments

I was not actually tagged for the Book Blogger Memory Challenge, however, I saw it over at dinipandareads and it just looked like SO much fun! Well, it also looked kind of difficult, but definitely more fun than anything else. The tag was originally created by Laura @ Laura’s Book Reviews. From what I saw, Laura is not active on that blog anymore though.

THE RULES

  • You have to answer the prompts without using the internet or looking at your bookshelves.
  • Your answers have to all come from memory!
  • Make sure to link to the person who originally tagged you (well, I linked to dini’s blog above)
  • Once your done, you can tag five other people if you’d like.

THE PROMPTS

Name a book written by an author called Michael

You know things are starting out well when you are itching to run to your bookshelf, because you’ve been staring at the prompt for a solid fifteen minutes. Guess I got lucky though, because I finally had an epiphany. After thinking I didn’t even know any Michaels anymore, it came to me – Michael Ende! One of my favorite childhood authors, he was responsible for the Never Ending Story as well as an all time classic – Momo.

Momo by Michael Ende

Name a book with a dragon on the cover

I haven’t actually read it, but I was super into the movie back in the day. Eragon! It was just the first thing that came to mind and felt so very fitting.

Name a book about a character called George

Too bad I can’t list TV shows, because I would have immediately said Nancy Drew …

Uhm, I guess George Weasley from the HP series by her who shall not be named? I always did like the twins though. They were fun characters.

Name a book written by an author with the surname Smith

I KNOW SOMETHING FOR THIS! The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle series were both written by L. J. Smith! It’s weird to me to think that I read both and watched both. I definitely always preferred the Secret Circle though and that never even had a real chance on TV.

I was DEVASTATED when they took Nick from me.

Name a book set in Australia

I’m fairly certain that The Light Between Oceans is set in Australia. I don’t remember much about the book and despite loving the cast, I never watched the movie adaptation either. But I do recall it being in Australia. My brain is so weird sometimes.

Name a book with the name of a month in the title

I just read this, so it would have been embarrassing not to remember, but we have a winner in Seven Days in June! I really enjoyed it too, so I’m glad I get to use it for the challenge.

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Name a book with a knife on the cover

The Knife of Never Letting Go? It’s been on my TBR for forever. I still haven’t watched the movie adaptation, because I wanted to read the books first, but I’m not sure either is happening any time soon. Also, didn’t the movie flop completely?

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Name a book with the word “one” in the title

Hmmm … I think there’s actually quite a few of those on my shelves. Without looking, I think the last one I read was One Hundred Years of Solitude for my reading experiment with Pedro Pascal. That man is a great actor, but I did not enjoy the book at all.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Name a book with an eponymous title

I’m honestly not sure I understand what “eponymous” means. Is it “just” books named after the characters and places in them? I’m going to count this as a FAIL just because I don’t feel my brain is up for this right now.

Name a book turned into a movie

Please, every other book is getting adapted these days. I have a whole long post on Book to Screen Adaptations for 2022 and it doesn’t even include everything there is. I’ll just pick the one I’m most excited for, which is Where the Crawdads Sing.

I TAG THEE

Since I wasn’t actually, officially tagged for this, I want to leave it open to YOU! If this sounds like something fun to do on your blog, please don’t hesitate and consider yourself tagged!

What did you think of the tag? Do you want to give it a try? Would you have been able to answer everything? Let’s chat!