Tag: feature

This or That: Comparing English/American & German Book Covers! #2

Kat Impossible14 Comments

Not too long ago, I compared book covers from different countries and you all seemed to really enjoy that. Therefore, I’m bringing this feature back and hope you all enjoy another round of pitching UK/US covers against German ones.

Obviously these are all my own, very subjective opinions! BUT I’d love nothing more than to hear your thoughts in the comments below, because the discussions were a lot of fun last time around. Also, as a little heads up, I don’t actually know which covers are from the US or the UK – I just either pick the one I own or see the most.

ROUND #1

a face made of stars with their eyes closed only the title of the book written in white all caps below it - "Sleeping Giants"       The cover is white with one robotic eye with a light blue iris. The black font takes up most of the space saying "Giants - Sie sind erwacht"

The Themis Files are one of my all time favorite Science Fiction series and I’m the proud owner of the hardcover copies, which I will gladly display on my shelf. The stars are actually all made to look shiny and silver and it’s such a treat to look at.

The German cover however … WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? First of all, “Giants – They have awoken” (which is the translated title of “Giants – Sie sind erwacht” sound so incredibly menacing and that message is just underlined with the cover. It completely loses the whimsy and curious feeling of wanting to explore space and discover who might else be out there. All the German cover gives me is evil robot vibes.

Right out of the gate, I have to hand this to the UK/US cover! So much more beautiful!

Read my review of Sleeping Giants here.

ROUND #2

A girl, who's face we cannot see, is riding a bike on a beach. The cover text says "Along for the Ride" in dark blue and "Sarah Dessen" in a lighter blue font     You can see the bare feet of a girl who is sitting on a washing machine and the back of a boy in jeans and a dark blue shirt. The title says "Because of you" in the curve of the washing machine door in red font and "Sarah Dessen" in orange font

In terms of the themes shown on the covers, both versions of Along for the Ride are valid. If you’ve read the book, you know that it ties into the story either way, but I have to admit that this isn’t an entirely fair fight. The cover on the left is a recently updated version, due to the release of the Netflix adaptation a couple months ago. While the original version from the 2010s still shows a girl on a bike, it has the same “outdated” look as the cover on the right.

I’m not super mad about the “German” cover, especially considering from when it is, but I’m definitely confused about the title change. Why choose something English, but not the original title? Sure, I know that they worry about people understanding it and “Because of you” is easier, but it still feels like an incredibly odd choice and not as fitting.

As I said, it wasn’t fair to begin with, but this one goes to the UK/US one again, just because it looks fresher.

Read my review of the Along for the Ride and the comparison to the movie here.

ROUND #3

a cubic looking red bird is mirrored by a blue one. The title of the book is "This Is How You Lose the Time War"       The background is a dark blue, on the right upper corner are blue leaves with geometrically placed light blue dots. On the lower left corner is a branch of deep red berries. The title of the book is "Verlorene der Zeit"

This Is How You Lose the Time War is a unique book and I can see the struggle of having to encapsulate that in a cover. I enjoy the simple background and the fractured birds from the English language cover, but I also understand the thought process behind the German one.

They once again chose to change the title, which would mean “Lost ones in time” if you translated it. Personally, I prefer the wittiness and the promise that comes with the original English title more. The one the German publisher chose makes me think about stranded people, rather than a complex story about how love can topple the best of plans.

This is very much a personal preference, but I’m once again here for the English language cover.

Read my review of the book here.

ROUND #4

a blue and green landscape of a small mountain town with figures skating on a frozen lake to play hockey. The title says "Beartown" in large white font that partially gets hidden by the tree line       a blue and green landscape of a small town. The title of the book is "Kleine Stadt der großen Träume", which means "Small town of big dreams"

Sometimes changes can be much more subtle, but still impact a lot. At first glance, these two covers are obviously very similar, but again … curious choices from the German publisher.

For those of you who don’t know, Beartown is a book about a Swedish High School hockey team that is about to make it big and help out the entire town with their success. The original cover has the hints of boys playing hockey right there, but because the German publisher amped up the saturation and made the green color more prevalent, it now looks like a small town with a field of grass rather than a frozen lake.

This is one of the few occasions where I’m actually fine with the translated title though. “Small town of big dreams” makes a lot of sense in this context. I’m going to say this is a tie, despite me actually leaning more towards the original cover.

Read my review of Beartown here.

ROUND #5

the background looks like a light wooden floor, with crushed pink flowers strewn on it. The title "It ends with us" by "Colleen Hoover" is written in a slightly darker pink than the flowers are colored over the entirety of the cover      

It Ends With Us is the only Colleen Hoover book I’ve read, but since it’s having its renaissance on TikTok/BookTok, I thought I could feature it as well. To begin with, the German title translates to “Just one last time”, which fits the novel still, but conveys a very different message to the original title in my mind.

Again, these covers aren’t super different from one another and yet … the UK/US one just looks better. There’s something about the German one that makes it seem cheap, maybe it’s the white background, maybe it’s the changed font for the author’s name? I don’t know, but my vote goes to the English cover again.

Read my review of the book here!

That’s it, you’ve made it! The UK/US covers are the obvious winners! I don’t even need to tally the exact points. I really tried to put more effort into finding good German covers this time around, but somehow they keep disappointing me. Maybe I’ll have more luck next time?

What did you think of the revival of this feature? Would you like to see more comparisons in the future? Let’s chat!

Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #19

Kat Impossible7 Comments

I will be honest with you, I’ve spent a lot of time on YouTube, but not so much watching actual shows and movies, so the post will be fairly short this week. Enjoy!

FINISHED TV SHOWS/SEASONS

Halo (Season 1)

Not going to lie, this show was SUCH a surprise to me! I guess I was craving more sci-fi content, but the game “Halo”, which this show is partly based on (which in turn was based on books, from what I’ve learned), has exactly zero appeal to me, so I’m not entirely clear on why I finally watched it. Maybe the fact that Pablo Schreiber has a lead role? He’s a big draw for me ever since he played Mad Sweeney.

Anyway, I’m so glad I knew absolutely nothing going in! Legit the best decision ever, because I had so much fun, while most gaming fans hated it or at least were deeply unhappy with certain elements that I ultimately had zero problem with. I definitely think it could have expanded on the world- and relationship-building some more. It’s fairly slow-told, so there was room for more depth, but I’m happy with this first season.

WEEKLY TV SHOWS

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Season 1)

The fact that there’s only 10 episode in the first season feels like some sort of crime. I mean … it just keeps getting better as we get to know these characters on a deeper level. You can’t put all of that in one season and then make me wait forever, it at least needs double.

I’m still obsessed, as you can see!

My crew!

MOVIES

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

Star Trek (2009)

This was a rewatch, I think that should be pointed out first. In fact, I’ve seen this movie so many times, I lost count a while ago. Star Trek (2009) was my proper introduction to the Star Trek universe and part of why I never was interested in any of the prior material. I just wanted *those* actors and no one else. Now my stance has visibly changed and I’m not as attached to them as I was, although I still see Chris Pine as my personal James T. Kirk favorite. Either way, I’m looking forward to them finally doing another movie. Maybe I’ll rewatch the others as well …

Did you watch any of the things I mentioned or do you plan to? I’ve now decided to continue watching Star Trek: Discovery, just because the weekly wait for Strange New Worlds is the worst. Let’s talk about that!

Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #18

Kat Impossible5 Comments

You won’t believe it, but I’ve watched stuff again! I know, big shocker! Well, before I draw this out any longer, let’s get started.

FINISHED TV SHOWS/SEASONS

Conversations with Friends (limited series)

I’ve been feverishly waiting for this show to release. After the massive success of Normal People and the complicated feelings I have towards it, I knew that this was going to be either hit or miss with me. While I think the show has some serious pacing issues, it managed to capture the Sally Rooney vibes perfectly again. Check out my full thoughts on the book and the show here.

Star Trek: Discovery (Season 1-2)

I fell into a bit of a Star Trek hole after checking out Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and not getting some of the backstory, so I just binged two seasons of Discovery. Honestly, I really liked it. I understand the people who would have preferred a more episodic approach instead of these complicated seasonal arcs, but I still loved the characters. Sure, Michael basically being the chose one got a tinsy bit repetitive after a while, but she is a beautiful and complex character and I understand and support the focus being on her. Meanwhile, I don’t understand the criticism of this “not being Star Trek”, because if I got the chance to adapt something anew, I’d also like to put my own spin on things. I don’t feel like it betrayed anything crucial, although I’ve never been a serious Trekkie.

I can’t say that I will continue with the remaining seasons, at least not for now. I think I’d prefer to stick to the crew of the Enterprise for the time being.

WEEKLY TV SHOWS

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Season 1)

This show is my everything right now. Seriously the highlight of my week, I just love having my Captain Pike around. (And the rest of the crew as well .. obviously.)

Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise smirking into the camera and saying "Hit it" before the starship jumps into warp.

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

The season finale was really solid, although I thought that the season as a whole focused a bit too much on Owen as a character. I just don’t think he’s actually that interesting, even though the incident from his childhood was masterfully done. Really got me emotional.

9-1-1 (Season 5)

I don’t really know what Lucy added as a character other than to have Buck’s character development be ruined a little bit? This season had some ups and downs, but I still love it and am looking forward to more.

MOVIES

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

Senior Year

I know that Rebel Wilson’s humor isn’t for everyone, but I enjoyed the movie. I get the common comparison to Never Been Kissed, although the creepy element is taken out in that everyone is very much aware that she is an adult woman and not a teenager. Generally, I wouldn’t say that there is too big of a focus on romance though. It was actually just cute and wholesome for the most part, despite some cringey jokes.

Did you watch any of the things I mentioned or do you plan to? Let’s talk about that!

Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #17

Kat Impossible9 Comments

I didn’t forget about the post again! I was just really busy, so it took me a while to get the recap done, but here we are. Let’s dive right in.

FINISHED TV SHOWS/SEASONS

Outer Range (Season 1)

This was one of the strangest shows I have watched in quite some time. It’s almost like Dark meets Yellowstone, because time-travelling cowboys is truly what I would describe this as! For the most part, I found myself very confused with what was going on, because I struggle to see the big picture, but I did guess some developments and twists throughout the show, so there’s that.

The storytelling is quite slow and sometimes I found myself getting a bit bored, unfortunately. I’m not sure it’s a must-see, but it has an excellent cast with amazing performances considering the strange material. I think I’m curious enough to tune in for another season, but wouldn’t be super miffed if it didn’t get more episodes.

The Wilds (Season 2)

I’ve waited so long for this new season and it was a bit of a case of “the wait between seasons made me loose a little bit of interest”, but by the time the final episode rolled around, I was fully invested again!

The thing is, we had the girls and they were amazing and intriguing and now they had to split the time with the boys, who were more or less their counterparts in many ways, and do the whole getting to know spiel again. I ended up totally loving most of the boys, even some of the douchier guys, but the show always ends when it gets most interesting. I NEED another season. Desperately.

As a side note, I love how Charles Alexander weaves into most interviews that Alex Fitzalan is his best friend. It makes me so soft for them.

WEEKLY TV SHOWS

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

Didn’t I just say that Nancy and Matteo would be cool? I totally did. But Judd in danger again is not what I like to see.

9-1-1 (Season 5)

Well … is Taylor breaking her promise worse than Buck cheating on her? That’s what we have to deal with next week.

Legacies (Season 4)

How can you call a super powerful god … Ken?

MOVIES

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

Along for the Ride

I’m going to keep this short, because it was a really lovely movie. I had a great time watching it, although I don’t think it’s something that will stick with you for the longest time. If you want to hear my full thoughts, you should check out my book to movie comparison here.

The Lost City

I’m so glad I finally got to watch this movie!!! Interviews with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum have been absolutely hilarious and I’ve been craving the cinematic return of romcoms and The Lost City fully delivered. The comedic timing was excellent and I actually felt the chemistry nicely. Why can’t we have more movies like this? I genuinely want to know, because they are fun and a crowd-pleaser. We do need the good stuff too and not just Hallmark-esque films.

Did you watch any of the things I mentioned or do you plan to? Let’s talk about that!

Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #16

Kat Impossible11 Comments

I know, I know … I skipped last week, but I’m back now. Sometimes I just need a little longer to watch things and I’m still contemplating moving this feature to Friday. Just saying.

FINISHED TV SHOWS/SEASONS

Our Flag Means Death (Season 1)

I am SO in love with this show and I don’t even know how to express those feelings. I’ve always liked Taika Waititi and the projects he undertakes, but this one was extra fun. I don’t know if it’s because I have a soft spot for pirate stories or because the romantic chemistry between Taika and Rhys was off the charts, but I so hope that there’s more.

They took real life pirates, but made this story completely their own. After so many of my friends tweeted about wanting another season, I gave in and watched it and have to fully agree! We need more of these kind of shows on our screens, where not everything is dark and gritty. Where things can be different and vulnerable, but still fun. MORE PLEASE!

WEEKLY TV SHOWS

Outer Range (Season 1)

I really don’t get what’s happening. I don’t even know who’s side I’m supposed to be on?

Superman & Lois (Season 2)

This show is so fantastic and the bizarro episodes in general were amazing, but I don’t understand why there’s another break. This is why network television is so freaking annoying.

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

What a huge episode on fathers and I was here for it. Owen’s character is really getting some depth to him, which is great, but I also like to see other characters shine.

9-1-1 (Season 5)

I CALLED THE THING WITH JONAH. I know it was fairly predictable, but I’m still proud of myself.

Good Trouble (Season 4)

Davia and Dennis – they really need to get a move on. I hope Luca sticks around, but this was already the spring finale. I hate the wait.

Legacies (Season 4)

Alright, I took a break from the show, but I’m all caught up now. I’m so over the whole Landon/Hope stuff, I just don’t care. I’m here for the gods and especially Ben and Jed. Zane Phillips is a sight for sore eyes.

MOVIES

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

Crush

Crush was a really sweet and fun sapphic movie. The chemistry between the leads was great, the adults supportive and the friends amazing – everyone deserves friends like that! However, sometimes the movie was just too loud and over the top. It robbed the story of some of its authenticity. Still, cute and definitely alright for a nice movie night.

Uncharted

I have zero investment in this franchise and just watched this on a whim. The beginning totally reminded me of some frames that could have been taken from a video game, so that’s nice? Other than that, it was alright for a treasure hunting movie? I liked the chemistry and banter between most characters, although the women were done dirty for the most part. I’m outing myself here, but I mostly watched for Rudy since I love him on Outer Banks and he’s genuinely not a good reason to watch the film.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

This is going to be short and spoiler-free. I might do a whole spoiler-filled review in a week? Unsure – sound off in the comments if you would be interested in something like that!

I left the movie with a deep sadness inside of me. Phase 4 of the MCU is just the era of pain and I’m not sure I’m 100% here for it. Having said that, they promised more horror and delivered. I fell for every. single. jump scare. It gave me a lot of food for thought. We shall see where it leads, but I hope everyone gets to enjoy this with as little prior knowledge as possible.

Did you watch any of the things I mentioned or do you plan to? Let’s talk about that!