Ranking all the Morgan Matson Books!

February 8, 2022February 8, 2022 Kat Impossible18 Comments

Morgan Matson is one of my favorite contemporary YA authors and I’ve read all her books. Sadly, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m slowly growing out of that age range, especially in the contemporary genre, but since she always used to be an auto-buy author for me, I thought it would be fitting to rank all the Matson novels. I want to make it very clear that this is a subjective list and only my opinion – if you feel differently, that’s cool! In addition to that, I didn’t dislike any of the books, which means even if something was in last place, it wasn’t bad. And lastly, I am a huge proponent of there one day being a Morgan Matson cinematic universe, since I’m really crossing my fingers for someone to finally adapt her novels.

(Also, shout out to My Bookish Universe, who did a ranking as well. At the time of reading their post, I thought we’d match exactly, but I apparently reconsidered since. Check it out here!)

Now, let’s get started on the ranking!

6. Take Me Home Tonight

Take Me Home Tonight is the latest installment in Morgan Matson’s bibliography. Technically, it has all the right ingredients – a strong focus on friendship, a cute dog, sweet love interests – and yet, it just didn’t hit as home as previous books of hers did. Maybe it was the ridiculous Teri-subplot or how everything ended up being just a little bit too convenient, either way, that landed it the lowest ranked spot.

Still, this is the book for you if you enjoy the likes of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist!

Check out my review here!

Goodreads | Storygraph

5. Second Chance Summer

This book made me bawl my eyes out. In fact, I don’t think I know a single person that didn’t feel some kind of big emotion reading Second Chance Summer. I definitely preferred the family-storyline over the romance one, but most of all, I had read many other Matson books by the time I picked up this one and I could just sense that it was one of her earlier works. I feel like there were tiny flaws in her writing and that she had grown quite a lot since the release.

Check out my review here!

Goodreads | Storygraph

4. Save the Date

I surprised myself with where Save the Date ended up in the ranking. Having the focus be on the family was a smart decision, but I just love how all of Morgan Matson’s stories have familiar elements (the dogs you’d love to adopt, the romance subplots but centering family and friendships for the most part, etc.) and yet makes each book unique. The comic strips were a lovely addition and even in the plot’s predictability, I found humor and drama.

Check out my review here!

Goodreads | Storygraph

3. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour

This road trip romance almost has it all! I remember it feeling super relatable, charming and heart-warming at the time, but somehow I was missing a clarifying conversation or something of the likes either with Amy’s mother or Charlie. Still, I have such fond memories and just want to go on a road trip thinking about it …

Goodreads | Storygraph

2. The Unexpected Everything

Okay, I just love when writers write about writers! At first, I was a bit put off by the size of this book, because it’s quite long for a contemporary novel, but the longer I think about it, the more I cherish this book. Not only does it have one of my most favorite Matson love interests and even more dogs (yes, this is a recurring plus point for me), but it was her first (to my knowledge) foray into Fantasy and I WAS HERE FOR IT! Even if it was just dribbles here, I’d totally read a Matson Fantasy!

Check out my review here!

Goodreads | Storygraph

1. Since You’ve Been Gone

Since You’ve Been Gone – I love this book with all my heart! Sometimes people really underestimate how tangled up we are in friendships and how friendship-break-ups can be some of the worst experiences. This was the first Morgan Matson novel I read and I immediately fell in love with it. There was no turning back for me after that! (Also, I don’t know a single person who doesn’t get the song stuck in their head because of the title … she truly is the queen of picking catchy titles!)

Goodreads | Storygraph

Are you a fan of Morgan Matson’s writing? Would you agree on my ranking? Let’s chat!

My Top 10 New TV Shows of 2021

January 4, 2022January 4, 2022 Kat Impossible23 Comments

My endless lists and rankings are coming to a close for 2021 with the topic I usually leave for the final day – new TV shows! Other than with the books and movies, the show actually has to be released in 2021 for the first time to qualify. I didn’t struggle with my picks as much as I thought I would though? Usually, I have a hard time narrowing it down to 20, but here we are … let’s check out my picks!

My Top 10 Books of 2021

January 3, 2022January 6, 2022 Kat Impossible24 Comments

If you’ve visited my blog these past days, you will have noticed me having started my year in review posts, chronicling my top movies and shows to an extent. Today is all about my top reads of 2021. Once again, I need to clarify that I only read these books in 2021, not all of them were published that year!

I managed to read 50 books in total last year, which was a mix of comics, poetry collections, fiction and non-fiction. Thanks to my reading experiments, I often stepped out of my comfort zone and glad I got the chance to do so. However, I want this list/ranking to focus on fiction. I will, however, include some poetry books, etc. in my honorable mentions at the end of the post!

My Top 10 Movies of 2021

January 1, 2022January 1, 2022 Kat Impossible14 Comments

Every year, I present to you a series of rankings for movies, TV shows and books that I watched or read in the past calendar year. Today is the first one in said series talking about the best of the best (in my humble opinion) of 2021 in terms of films. I love to celebrate the things I enjoyed, so I hope you’ll either find something on here that you’ve liked as well or something you want to watch in the future.

To clarify, not all movies on my list were released in 2021, that is just the time frame in which I first watched them! I’ve only seen a really low amount of films in actual movie theaters (4 in total), so streaming services or video on demand will be heavily featured.

Lastly, before we get started on this ranking, if you enjoy my ramblings, please don’t hesitate to follow me on Letterboxd! It’s a platform where you can track the movies you’re watching, rate and review them or create watchlists. I’m not the most avid movie watcher, but I adore the platform and record all my activity!

TMP – TV Edition: Holiday

December 30, 2021December 31, 2021 Kat Impossible6 Comments

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for the Thursday Movie Picks feature. This series is hosted by Wandering through the Shelves and offers you a weekly prompt to post some movie recommendations/talking points according to the theme. Usually, you are supposed to post about 3-5 examples, which I find a very manageable amount.

I’ve enjoyed doing this feature on a weekly basis for the past year, but I don’t know if it (or I) will continue in 2022. So far, I’ve not seen a new schedule with topics for the upcoming year. We’ll see? I just know I don’t have the creative energy to come up with themes of my own and I understand this is a lot of work and yeah … Let’s just say I’d get it running its course, because I know it has been around for a very long time.

As it so happens, for this final theme of 2021, we once again change it up for the month and talk about TV shows instead of movies. Today’s topic is holiday! I’m going to liberally interpret the theme as festive holidays as well as going on vacation (or as I sometimes say, go on holiday, if you get my meaning).

Dash & Lily

I’ve read the books in the series and was really looking forward to all of them getting adapted. However, Netflix decided to not move forward with the property anymore, but at least the ending wasn’t super open. It felt pretty fitting and I’m sure that there’s many people who feel content enough with what the show provided. I loved it for sure!

Hjem til Jul/Home for Christmas

This was the first year without a new season of Hjem til Jul and I missed it. I would have loved to see a little bit of what happened after she got the guy, you know? But I’ll just headcanon that stuff and deal with it. Definitely one of my most favorite Norwegian shows!

The White Lotus

This show is messy and not exactly happy go lucky, but so well acted. I liked the subversion of expectations in many cases and am intrigued to find out what they’ll do with the next season, since it doesn’t seem like something you can continue easily. Maybe it will be more anthology like …

What are some holiday shows you can think of! Don’t cheat and just say holiday themed single episodes either, I want the whole show to be about it! Let’s talk!

Ranking all the 2021 MCU/Marvel Content!

December 29, 2021December 29, 2021 Kat Impossible22 Comments

So, before I get started, I need to clarify a few things. There’s a lot of Marvel content out there these days, but what I will be talking about in this particular post are the movies and TV shows that are considered canon part of the MCU. This excludes property such as Marvel’s Hit-Monkey and M.O.D.O.K., which is no judgment on their quality, it just falls outside of the MCU and therefore what I want this list to be. All of the titles must have been released in 2021 to qualify for the ranking. But now comes the really important part:

This list is entirely subjective! It’s my opinion alone and if you feel differently, that is perfectly alright too!

(Also, there’s potential spoilers for everything, so beware if you haven’t watched the properties.)

Thursday Movie Picks: Holiday Party

December 23, 2021 Kat Impossible14 Comments

It’s Thursday and I’m back with a new Thursday Movie Picks feature post. This series is hosted by Wandering through the Shelves and offers you a weekly prompt to post some movie recommendations/talking points according to the theme. Usually, you are supposed to post about 3-5 examples, which I find a very manageable amount.

This week, as we’re nearing Christmas at an unstoppable pace, it’s all about Holiday Parties! Of course, a holiday party doesn’t necessarily have to be about Christmas though, because there’s many more celebrations out there. Let’s see what I can come up with!

Holidate

This movie is literally about two people forming an arrangement to be each other’s +1 to various holiday parties, because they’re tired of the pressure of bringing people or dating during the holidays in general. It’s not the best movie out there, but it’s enjoyable enough.

Happiest Season

This might be my favorite queer Christmas movie (and I’m saying that, not having watched Single All the Way yet). Kristen Stewart didn’t feel as misplaced or awkward here and I really liked the movie. The parents are throwing a rather huge Christmas party, so I figured it would fit the theme.

Last Christmas

I don’t want to spoil this movie for anyone, but I have fond memories of it, because I got to go to a special advanced screening with Emilia Clarke and the director, got a branded advent calendar and a green Santa hat. I had a great time. In the movie, they’re also doing a huge event for charity, which isn’t exactly the same as a party, but I’ll just use it as such anyway.

What are some holiday party movies you could think of? I know there’s one literally called “Office Christmas Party”, but I haven’t watched it nor do I intend to, so I didn’t want to include it. Let’s chat!

Thursday Movie Picks: New to the City

December 16, 2021 Kat Impossible9 Comments

This week’s theme is “New to the City“, which I kind of like? Often, although not always, it’s reminiscent of the “fish out of water” trope, which can be just a lot of fun, when done right. A lot of the time, I think this theme kind of holds the promise of someone wanting to fulfill their dreams and only thinking that’s possible in a larger city. I already have a couple movies coming to mind, so, without further ado, let’s get started!

Burlesque

I don’t know where exactly Ali lived before, but she sure wasn’t as prepared for Los Angeles as she would have liked to be. The movie definitely has some flaws, but I’ve watched it so many times and always enjoyed it. As far as movies with singers as leads go, this really isn’t half bad!

Coyote Ugly

When I first watched Burlesque, it actually reminded me a lot of Coyote Ugly, so it’s only right I put that movie on the list for this week as well. I do kind of wonder about what kinds of movies I watched as a kid and what I liked? Questionable taste? Maybe! I haven’t seen Coyote Ugly in a while, but from what I remember, I think it brought home some good points.

Cheaper by the Dozen

I’ve watched this so many times as a kid! I think as an only child, I sometimes glorified these big families, but I also always cried when they didn’t pay attention to Mark. Well, either way, they moved from a rural area, where they had more like a farm, to Chicago or something.

What are some movies that involve a move to the city? What did you think of my picks? Let’s talk about that!

Thursday Movie Picks: Rags to Riches

December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 Kat Impossible12 Comments

Today’s theme is all about movies that feature the Rags to Riches trope! I wouldn’t say I’m actively seeking out films with that particular story progression, but I don’t mind it either. There’s already a couple ideas swirling around in my head, so let’s get started with the list.

Catch Me If You Can

I love this movie and have seen it so many times, I have lost count. You could argue that DiCaprio’s character isn’t exactly rich by the end of it, but he still amassed quite some wealth with his cons. I was trying to think of something a little more unconventional.

A Knight’s Tale

Poor squire rises up to be a real knight? Not sure how much actual money is involved in knighthood, but I’m sure he got some riches by the end of it. I also just enjoy the movie because of its various anachronisms.

Sweet Home Alabama

Reese Witherspoon’s character becoming a successful designer and her high school sweetheart becoming successful with his own business, when they both thought they couldn’t afford anything fancy back in the day – I like it! I also like that the money was just helpful (which it is), but not the thing they needed the most.

Maid in Manhattan

With the upcoming release of the comic book adaptation of Marry Me with Jennifer Lopez as the lead, I was just reminded that I really quite enjoy her romance movies. So, this ended up on the list.

Of course, movies like Aladdin, Cinderella (both those titles in all their different iterations) and Annie would have worked just as well. What are some of your picks and what did you think of mine?

TMP – Oscar Winner Edition: Best Foreign Language Movie

December 2, 2021 Kat Impossible10 Comments

This week is once again part of the Oscar Winner Edition, which will continue to be a reoccurring theme during each month. This month is all about Best Foreign Language Movies. I certainly know one movie that comes to mind, but I’m sure I’ll once again have to consult some lists to see which movies won in the past years. Let’s get this started!

Parasite (South Korea)

This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned Parasite and it probably won’t be the last. I mean, Parasite made history, so why would I not mention it first thing in this post!?

Amour (Austria)

I could not resist including movies that represent my own country, despite this movie being shot in French! I know the director, Michael Haneke, and his work well, I’ve even met him a couple of times. I have to say, I’m not his biggest fan? However, I very much respect the career he has made for himself and you can’t deny there’s a certain genius in him. After all, he won with Amour, but he was nominated another time as well.

The Counterfeiters (Austria)

Austria’s movie industry was once described as the feel bad capital of the world, so … the movies are mostly on the depressing side. We still won though?

Amélie (France)

Amélie did not actually win, but it was nominated. I feel like it was more of a commercial success despite its quirkiness and I also feel like commercial appeal doesn’t always work with the Academy? Could be only my interpretation …