Hello Again Friends!
It’s now officially June 3rd, and I figured it was about time for my “May Wrap Up”. I love doing these monthly wrap up’s for you guys, so much! I have so many things I fell in love with this month… books, movies, TV shows, podcasts, etc. This is the perfect way to share all of that with you, and maybe introduce you to some stuff you hadn’t heard of yet <3
So I’ll quit rambling on and on, and get right into it! Lets jump right on in!
So…..As always, here are some of my favorite things from the past month.
1.) TV Shows
Firstly I should mention that I watch an unhealthy amount of Netflix/ any type of TV. I’m in major “Game of Thrones” withdrawal, and I’ve been filling the void with a lot of very decent shows.
For some reason it takes quite a bit for a show to actually make me laugh. My sense of humor is a bit strange, and I feel like I’ve been so spoiled with “Curb your Enthusiasm” and “Seinfeld”, that it’s really REALLY hard for another comedy to measure up in my mind.. However that being said, this past month I’ve discovered a new show on Hulu that I’m obsessed with.
“Casual”
10/10
I am absolutely in love with this show. It’s about a divorced woman and her teenage daughter, who live with her brother.. and they get up to all kinds of ridiculous shit. The writing on this show is incredibly funny, and the humor is so dry and real. Some of those scenes with the Mom doing her Internet Dating are just laugh out loud amazing. You guys should really give this one a chance, it’s one of my new favorites for sure. I watched every episode during one weekend (Season 3 is currently airing now). You won’t be sorry!
(IMDB Plot Summary)
(You can go home again — sort of. Bachelor Alex Cole finds himself living with his newly divorced sister in this Hulu original series. This time around, though, he and his sister are adults and they find themselves navigating the waters of the dating pool again — all the while trying to raise Valerie’s teenage daughter, who’s also dipping her toes into the dating pool. Each one seems to have only casual relationships (hence the show’s title): Valerie because she’s newly divorced and trying to have fun; Alex because he’s sort of a stereotypical bachelor who has yet to really grow up; and Laura, because she’s a teenager. But the new living arrangement turns out to be a learning experience for everyone, punctuated, of course, by typical show devices (blind dates, one-night stands, parental visits, etc.) that lead to moments of hilarity, in between which nuggets of truth can be found.)
(photo cred: Google Images)
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“Broad City”
10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG this show. This might be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Maybe even more than “Seinfeld”. I can’t explain how hard I relate to these characters. This show is about two 20-something best friends, living in New York City. I can’t articulate how spot-on culturally this is. I laugh SO hard at this show, that I think my neighbors think I’m crazy. I probably am. I just don’t even know where to begin, or how to stop gushing over this. It’s just so so so so so fucking good. Please do yourself a solid and watch this.
(IMDB Plot Summary)
(The critically acclaimed Web series “Broad City” moves to Comedy Central as a half-hour scripted series. It’s created by and stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer as 20-something best friends who are trying to navigate life in New York, despite that their adventures always seem to lead down unexpected and bizarre paths. They have very little money, but they are survivors who aren’t afraid to throw themselves into sticky situations, no matter how messy the end results may be. Jacobson and Glazer both honed their comedy chops at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. UCB co-founder Amy Poehler is an executive producer on the series and joins Fred Armisen, Rachel Dratch, Janeane Garofalo, Michelle Hurst, Jason Mantzoukas and Amy Sedaris, among others, as guest stars.)
(photo cred: Google Images)
2.) Movies
So you guys probably know that I’m a huge horror movie fan. I’ve seen pretty much every horror movie ever made, and I feel like I have high standards for a horror movie. I love a good campy-horror movie, but I don’t actually ever feel scared by them. To actually SCARE me is rare. This movie did the trick….. Still having nightmares/flashbacks of it.
“The Blackcoats Daughter”
10/10
I am not going to tell you anything about this movie, or attach the plot… because it’s too spoiler-ridden. All I will say is that this is an absolutely BRILLIANT horror movie. It blew me away. It was a bit slow to begin.. but oh my GOD the ending. Watch with caution, it’s quite gory and very disturbing. In a good way? I guess haha. Enjoy!
(photo cred: Google Images)
“Personal Shopper”
9/10
This movie won’t be for everyone, but I fell in love with it. I should say that I also have a huge crush on Kristen Stewart. I think she’s gorgeous, and I feel like shes a very underrated actress. “Twilight” was something I was very into back in the day, but I also feel like those movies didn’t showcase Kristen’s talents that well.
Well she was outstanding in this movie. Such a beautifully shot movie. It’s set in Paris which also stole my heart right off the bat. This movie was very unsettling and creepy. It really gave the viewer a sense of dread while watching, that just grew and grew, in a slow genius way. Loved this. Very interesting take on a classic “ghost story”, with that Paris setting… just magical. And I mean Kristen couldn’t be any more beautiful. I’m in love.
(IMDB Plot Summary)
(A young American in Paris works as a personal shopper for a celebrity. She seems to have the ability to communicate with spirits, like her recently deceased twin brother. Soon, she starts to receive ambiguous messages from an unknown source.)
3.) Podcasts
I’m just going to quickly mention some Podcasts I’ve been loving this month. I’m pretty new to the whole Podcast thing. It’s the perfect thing to listen to on my commute to work, while falling asleep, while in the bath… pretty much anywhere. I am a HUGE podcast fan now.
It all started with “Serial” last year. This month I’ve been really loving
“S Town”
10/10
This podcast is done by the creators of my beloved “Serial” and “This American Life”. It’s another intricate mystery, and it’s so fascinating and gripping. I’m addicted beyond belief. I don’t want to give a Summary, because again.. Spoilers! It’s a very addicting and terrifying mystery. I can’t tell you guys how much I loved this.
It’s not just me! Over 10 MILLION people Downloaded this, within it’s first FOUR DAYS of being released. So yeah, you NEED to check this out.
Okay and finally, lets get into the BOOKS!
I had a pretty good Reading Month this month, and I read 3 Physical Books, 1 E-Book, and 1 Comic! I loved four of these, and hated one.
So first up is….
1.) “Snotgirl”
By, Bryan Lee O’Malley & Leslie Hung
8/10
Okay so the name of this Comic Book is obviously kind of gross, but don’t let that turn you off! “Snotgirl” is created by the infamous New York Times Best Seller Byan Lee O’Malley (who is the genius/man behind “Scott Pilgrim”).
This story is all about a “fashion blogger” who gets involved in some messy murder-ish shit. I loved this so much, maybe because I could really relate to the whole “blogger” lifestyle thing. It hit home in such a satirical way, completely poking fun at the sometimes vapid world of social-media. The dark and ugly side of online culture you could say. Also the ILLUSTRATIONS were out of this world (Leslie Hung killed it).
Loved every page of this, and I will defiantly be checking out Volume 2!
(GoodReads Plot Summary)
(WHO IS LOTTIE PERSON? Is she a gorgeous, fun-loving social media star with a perfect life or a gross, allergy-ridden mess? Enter a world of snot, blood, and tears in this new ongoing series from New York Times Best Seller BRYAN LEE O’MALLEY (Scott Pilgrim) and dazzling newcomer LESLIE HUNG!)
2.) “You Will Know Me”
by Megan Abbott
10/10
“What an excellent novel. Gave me the creeps in the best possible way”- Stephen King
OMG. This book! WOW. This is going to make my “Top 10 of the Year” hands down. Such a brilliant thriller. It’s the chilling story of a teenage gymnast, who has Olympics Dreams. More like her parents have dreams, and as a result she does too. This is the VERY creepy and chilling story of how far a family will go to achieve their “dreams”. I can’t explain how deeply this book disturbed me. Just writing about this is making me feel all weird inside. I want to shake the feeling so badly haha. But in the best way. WHAT a book!
When I was 16, I was into Gymnastics myself. I wasn’t by ANY measure, as good as the girl in this book. I think I placed third in an uneven bars event at the city-wide tournament once in my life..and I thought I was the shit. THIS book is a whole other ballgame.
The vivid descriptions of the stress and pressure these girls are under, is captured so beautifully in this book. The inner psyche of these parents is just laid out for you to dissect, in a not-so-flattering way.
This story is half family drama, half murder mystery… with a dash of Olympic competition. All around 10/10/ Loved it so much.
(Good-Reads Plot Summary)
(Katie and Eric Knox have dedicated their lives to their fifteen-year-old daughter Devon, a gymnastics prodigy and Olympic hopeful. But when a violent death rocks their close-knit gymnastics community just weeks before an all-important competition, everything the Knoxes have worked so hard for feels suddenly at risk. As rumors swirl among the other parents, revealing hidden plots and allegiances, Katie tries frantically to hold her family together while also finding herself drawn, irresistibly, to the crime itself, and the dark corners it threatens to illuminate. From a writer with “exceptional gifts for making nerves jangle and skin crawl,” (Janet Maslin) You Will Know Me is a breathless rollercoaster of a novel about the desperate limits of desire, jealousy, and ambition.)
3.) ” Never Let You Go”
By, Chevy Stevens
7/10
I read this book on my phone, and I’m still loving the format. It’s so easy to just whip out on the go.
I’ve been a huge fan of Chevy Steven’s forever. I love that she’s a local girl, and that most of her stories take place in British Columbia. This story is set on/in the Vancouver Island area.
This is a story about a woman and her daughter, escaping her violent and abusive husband. The story has a time jump, and deals with the past and present.. as she is forced to face him once again when he’s released from jail. This was a very well written, gripping thriller. Somewhat predictable, but overall a good read. Not my absolute favorite, and at points was quite upsetting to read. A “cat-and-mouse” style thriller. I pretty much predicted every twist, but it was in a way a comforting thing too. Sometimes when a book is stressful, being able to predict things, makes it easier to read.
It was pretty good though! Solid 7/10. Big fan of this Red Velvet cake I had with it though….
(Good-Reads Plot Summary)
(Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband was sent to jail and she started over with a new life. Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When her ex-husband is finally released, Lindsey believes she’s cut all ties. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But can he really change? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought)
4.) “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”
By, Iain Reid
10/10
Jake once said, “Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”
Ooooh this was a good find. I found out about this book on “Book Tube”. A girl I love reviewed this, and gave it like 5/5. Last week in Whistler, I saw it on the shelf and I had to have it! I read this entire thing in one sitting.
SO good. It’s very hard to explain how this book made me feel. The entire story builds and builds in layer after layer of mystery. It’s almost like that movie “Inception” (Dream-Within-A-Dream shit). It was like creepy thing-within creepy thing.
This is the story of a young couple, who are on a road-trip to meet the boyfriend’s parents. The protagonist “girlfriend” is thinking about ending things. She goes into great detail about why, etc etc… all the while alluding to a darker/stalker/mystery-caller style creepy sub-plot. The pacing of this, and the layout is FUCKING TERRIFYING. Ugh… you need to read this and see what I mean.
It’s impossible to wrap-up.. just so bizarre and twisted and scary. I haven’t read a book that builds a MYSTERY so well. Not to quote Sarah Mclachlan or anything haha.
(Good-Reads Plot Summary)
(I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It’s always there. Always.
Jake once said, “Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”
And here’s what I’m thinking: I don’t want to be here.
In this deeply suspenseful and irresistibly unnerving debut novel, a man and his girlfriend are on their way to a secluded farm. When the two take an unexpected detour, she is left stranded in a deserted high school, wondering if there is any escape at all. What follows is a twisted unraveling that will haunt you long after the last page is turned.
In this smart, suspenseful, and intense literary thriller, debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of Jose Saramago’s early work, Michel Faber’s cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an edgy, haunting debut. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, this novel pulls you in from the very first page…and never lets you go.)
OKAY. Are you ready for my BAD Review?! This next book is absolutely the WORST book I’ve read in maybe ten years. I HATED this!
Ugh.
5.) “Hopeless”
By, Collen Hoover
1/10
Okay so I’ll give this a one star, because it wasn’t terribly written. Colleen Hoover is clearly a success, and doesn’t need my approval at all. She’s incredibly successful. But this book was just dreadful. I don’t even know why I read this.
I randomly had this on my shelf, and the other day I just happened to pick it up and flip through it. It completely sucked me in, and I read the whole thing in like two days. I should give the book credit for that at least. It was gripping, in a disgusting way.
I had SO many issues with this book, that I RAN OUT of post-it’s to mark the pages I hated. This book deals with some serious fucking issues of rape and sexual abuse, and it not only creepily celebrates them, but the book almost uses it as foreplay. I’m going to throw up on the keyboard even thinking about it. Ugh…….. SO BAD.
The IMMENSE problems of that aside, the “love story” between these two characters is creepy and problematic at best. Just awful.
I hate these kind of books… the whole “young innocent girl meets bad-boy” thing. Just NO. I’m not even going to keep going with this, because I hated it so much, I’m getting angry even typing this.
I know a lot of people loved this book, and I can admit it did have it’s moments. Kind of a nice romance IN PARTS. Like I said before the writing was quite good.. just such a gross plot…. Also sooooo badly handled. I don’t know what else to say. Don’t read this!!
(Good-Reads Plot Summary)
* Although just don’t go there!!!
(Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…
That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.
Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.)
Lastly, here are a few last random photos from last month. I’ll attach a few of my beautiful cousin Jane, and her baby boy Zander. So happy to have a new addition to our growing family. So much love.
Also a few shots from this month’s “Entertainment Weekly”. They photographed the two stars of Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why” (of which I’m a HUGE fan). The photos are incredibly beautiful. Katherine Langford is an angel.
See you guys soon!
Thanks for reading this far
xoxoxoox
Love you so much,
Carly.
