Tag: Update

May 2022 Wrap-Up

Kat Impossible24 Comments

a header image in blue and green tones with blurry book covers and the writing "May Wrap-Up"

It kind of feels surreal to me that May has already come and gone. I don’t know why, but mentally, I’m probably still stuck in April? Anyway, it was a pretty decent month for me? Nothing too out of the ordinary, but let’s start with the usual – the books I’ve read!

Norwegian Wood Conversations with Friends The Dead Romantics My Mechanical Romance

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 have become 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 far as my reading goals go, I have to say that I’m very pleased with myself. I’m still ahead in terms of books and pages, similarly to last month. I enjoy not really feeling pressured by a looming backlog or anything like that. It has been such a solid year for me so far.

An image showing a reading goal for 2022 of 45 books with a current track record of 53%/24 books completed. Also, a pages goal for 2022 of 15,000 pages, with 45%/6,752 pages already read.

A blurry background of book spines with the writing "In Other News" over it.

I’d love to tell you something exciting about the past month, but there wasn’t that much happening. I did, however, end up meeting up with one of my closest friends from my time in Canada (who is coincidentally from Germany, a neighboring country of mine). It has been FIVE whole years, but I couldn’t be happier for having seen her again after all this time! It still felt the same, as if we had just talked the day before. I really do be missing people and social contacts …

Some of you may also remember that I moved into an apartment by myself by the end of last year. Well, now, like half a year later, I finally have some plates and cutlery with more than two matching pieces. I could, technically, host up to six people. I doubt I’m gonna do it, but I feel like I’m nailing this adulting stuff by just having the option now.

MOST POPULAR POSTS OF MAY 2022

As every month, I’d like to take the time to spotlight which posts drew the biggest crowd to the blog. It was a surprise to me how different the top 5 looked to previous months.

  1. Should YOU Read “The Atlas Six”? (What I learned from my reread!)
    (originally posted March 2022)
    I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy that this post was thriving. First of all, I love this book, but secondly, I like seeing posts I put a lot of time in be succesful.
  2. Along for the Ride Book vs. Movie
    This is a new post where I compare Sarah Dessen’s story and its Netflix’ adaptation. Pleased it found an audience!
  3. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Book Review)
    (originally posted in December 2020)
    It’s not number 1 this time, but it’s still here!
  4. Are Harry Styles and I compatible (readers)?
    This post took forever, so I’m glad it wasn’t a waste of time. I did think, with the album release, it might be even more interesting to people, but I’m pleased with what I got.
  5. Are Pedro Pascal and I compatible (readers)?
    (originally posted December 2021)
    While this was a reading experiment that wasn’t performing particularly well for a long time, it sure is gaining momentum now.

MY FAVORITES OF THE MONTH

WHERE DO I EVEN START!? Most of you probably already noticed that I went down a bit of a rabbit hole in terms of new Star Trek content and I absolutely fell in love with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds! Is my crush on Anson Mount as the very charismatic but also kind of funny Captain Pike involved in this development? Well … yeah, very likely. But I’ve really come to love this whole universe.

Secondly, we got to see Vol. 1 of Season 4 of Stranger Things and I binged it all after work on release day. I literally didn’t think there were enough hours in the day to finish it, but somehow I couldn’t be stopped and earned myself a massive headache – totally worth it though! A season that is much more horror than before, but that had me completely spellbound. Now, if my favorite characters (new additions included) could all survive, I’d be very grateful!

I finally, finally, finally finished my Harry Styles reading experiment. It’s always so satisfying when you get done with one of these and this one in particular took ages. I don’t know why I decided to read almost double the books I usually do, but I did … it was a wild ride.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention The Dead Romantics! That book was on my most anticipated books of 2022 list for the longest time and I’m so happy to report that it didn’t disappoint. There’s nothing better than a book being exactly what you need at a certain moment and The Dead Romantics certainly filled that role.

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOGOSPHERE

Please also visit some fellow bloggers and share the love! Here are some posts I enjoyed in the past month:

MY OTHER POSTS

MOON KNIGHT REVIEWS

TV SHOW/MOVIE RELATED

TRAILER POSTS

I hope you had a great May and that June will be kind to you! Did you do something special last month? Any plans for the summer? 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!