It’s Time For Another Wrap Up!

I can’t believe it’s NOVEMBER already, but I say this every month.. so really maybe the problem is ME. Time seems to be moving SO fast, and I guess that’s what happens when you are super busy with work and stuff! October is hands down the best month of the year for me, and I loved every single day of it. I have so much fun stuff to wrap up for you guys <3

So as always lets get right into it…

TV SHOWS

I watched SO many new Fall TV shows this month, and I loved so many of them. I chose my top 3 to tell you guys about.

1.) “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

10/10

Larry David is a FUCKING GENIUS, just in case you didn’t already know that

I have been obsessed with Larry David, even since the Seinfeld days. If you guys didn’t know, Larry David is basically the creator of Seinfeld, with the help of Jerry Seinfeld of course. In my opinion, he is probably one of the funniest people on earth. I discovered his HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” a few years ago, and it was love at first sight.

In this show, Larry David plays a fictionalized version/ exaggerated version of himself. Honestly.. I don’t think it’s that exaggerated.. I’m pretty sure this neurotic, train-wreck, absolute legend of a character.. is quite close to the “real” Larry David. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is the funniest show I have ever seen. I have never laughed so loudly, or related so profoundly with a character on TV. Every single situation he gets into, is SO real and hilarious. They call him the “Social Assassin” in the show, and it’s a very appropriate title. Basically Larry says & does everything that you would NEVER do. You know all those fucked up thoughts you have sometimes about situations and people?! Larry doesn’t give a shit, and he will confront anyone and everything.. regardless of the situation or consequences. He’s my idol.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” has been off the air for almost SEVEN years, and when I heard it was making it’s Seventh Season comeback this year.. I actually screamed.

For his big return season, Larry really brought out the star power. He has the legend Bryan Cranston playing his therapist… Elizabeth Banks playing a possible love interest… and “Portlandia’s” Carrie Brownstein playing his receptionist.  This season is bigger and better.. and WAY more awkward than ever before! Larry is the absolute WORST behaved I’ve ever seen him, and it’s fucking perfect.

10/10

2.) “Stranger Things”

10/10

This is an obvious choice. I think EVERYONE reading this & EVERYONE they know is currently watching “Stranger Things”. It’s so popular, and so beloved.. that I OBVIOUSLY watched and loved this during October. I don’t want to say much, because of spoilers… but lets just say Season 2 is like Season 1 on steroids.. in the BEST way. So SO good. Go watch it NOW, if you haven’t already! Like.. what are you even DOING with your life?!

3.) “Smilf”

9/10

I came across the premiere episode of this show, completely randomly.. around 2 am. It was SUCH a sleeper! I absolutely loved it! It reminds me so much of mix between “Girls” & “Master of None” kind of. It’s smart, dirty, funny, and just very realistic. I really enjoyed the first episode, and I hope the rest of the season is as good as this episode. The title kind of sucks.. I mean “SMILF” means “Single Mom I’d Like To….”, which is a bit ugh… but it kind of makes sense once you watch the show. It’s sort of an ironic title. Really loved this.. highly recommend!

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MOVIES

1.) “Mother!”

?????/10

This movie was a complete and total mind fuck. I have NO idea how to review this, or what to even say. It was SO bizarre, disturbing, horrifying, gross, and also brilliant. I spent the final 30 minutes with my hands over my eyes, almost sick to my stomach… but overall I think it was a really artistic and beautiful film. REALLY fucked up though, and definately don’t watch this on a date or with your parents or anything like that. If you watch this.. you need to go into it with an open mind, and probably with nobody else around haha. Loved it though. I think Darren Aronofsky is a genius.

2.) “Blade Runner 2049”

10/10

A week or so ago, it was my boyfriend Ryan’s birthday… and I knew how badly he wanted to see the new “Blade Runner” movie. I surprised him with tickets to go see it, in the special D-Box seats! I’ve never sat in one of these mysterious D-Box seats before, and I had NO idea what to expect. It was SO fucking cool you guys. The D-Box seats are inside the regular theater, and they take up two rows. Basically they are seats that are… way more comfortable, with WAY more leg & arm room… AND the seats MOVE!!!! It’s like a ride at Disneyland! Every time one of the ships was moving in the movie, the chair would lift up and tilt up and down! Every time there was a gun-shot or an explosion in the film, the chair would shake! It was SO much fun! They are quite a bit more expensive for a movie ticket though, almost double the price. I think it’s totally worth it for a movie that you are really wanting to fully immerse yourself in, and experience on the big screen. Something like “Star Wars” would be great because you can expect a lot of ships flying around, and explosions.. which means the chair would be going wild the whole time.

The movie was so incredible, and the special effects and cinematography was absolutely mind-blowing. This movie really makes you think about the very near future of A.I, and of just how twisted and dark Artificial Intelligence will possibly get. Ryan Gosling was great in this movie, and Harrison Ford was such a delight to see as well. Every scene of this film was beautiful, and the message and ideas behind it really gave me a lot to think about. Highly recommend this to anyone who likes Sci-Fi films, and obviously to anyone who was a fan of the original Blade Runner. I don’t think you necessarily have to have seen the first film to understand this one.. but I would recommend watching the original movie first. It was really fun to see all the little nods and hints to the first film, and you will enjoy Harrison Ford’s part much more as well, if you know more about him and his backstory.

3.) “Ingrid Goes West”

10/10

The first time I saw the trailer for this movie, I knew immediately I HAD to see it. The plot is basically about a girl named Ingrid (played by the insanely hilarious & talented Aubrey Plaza) who becomes obsessed with a girl she discovers on Instagram. Ingrid does some light stalking of this beautiful Instagram girl, and vows to do everything she can to befriend her in real life. I found this concept SO hilarious, because I think we can all relate to the feeling of become a bit “obsessed” with someone we follow online. That sounded really fucking creepy of me, but you guys know what I mean. I follow tons of photographers who take so many beautiful photos, and I love seeing their daily posts/kind of following along with their virtual life. I would NEVER go out of my way to actually try and stalk down and be-friend one of these people in real life… which is why this movie is SO fucking funny.

Ingrid basically makes fun of everything that’s toxic about Social Media these days, and the lengths she goes to, to make this girl her friend… are SO twisted and funny. This movie made me laugh the entire time… but just a warning… it’s not ALL that funny. This movie actually gets PRETTY dark in parts, which I wasn’t expecting (but I did enjoy it).

Just loved this one so much.

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BOOKS

October was a REALLY great Reading Month for me! I think this was mainly because we did a lot of traveling during October, with our L.A Trip & then to Vancouver Island. We had a lot of time to kill on planes, and ferry rides… which helped me take a good chunk off my reading list. However, out of the few I read.. I only liked two of them 🙁

A TON of amazing new books were released this month, like Rupi Kaur’s new poetry book “The Sun and Her Flowers”… AND the long awaited new book from John Green “Turtles All The Way Down”.

So without further rambling.. here we go

1.) “The Sun and Her Flowers”

By, Rupi Kaur

Poetry

10/10!!!

“i have survived far too much to go quietly
let a meteor take me
call the thunder for backup
my death will be grand
the land will crack
the sun will eat itself

– the day I leave” 
― Rupi Kaur, The Sun and Her Flowers

“we have been dying
since we got here
and forgot to enjoy the view

– live fully” 
― Rupi Kaur, The Sun and Her Flowers

I woke up early the morning of October 3rd, and I basically ran the five blocks to my local Chapters. You guys probably know this already, but I absolutely LOVED Rupi Kaur’s first book of poetry “Milk and Honey”, that came out back in 2014. Her first book was a huge success, and I’m positive that her second book will be a huge smash as well.

Let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I liked “The Sun and her Flowers” even MORE than “Milk and Honey”. It was perfect. Not only are the poems stunning, but her illustrations within the book are beautiful too.

This book of poetry is separated into five chapters (Wilting, Falling, Rooting, Rising, and Blooming). It explores love, grief, femininity, family.. and many other ideas as well. This book had quite a few poems that explored the struggle her family had with immigrating and starting a new life. Some of those were heartbreaking to read, especially the poem titled “Advice I Would Have Given My Mother on Her Wedding Day”.

Every poem in this book was beautiful, and so perfectly delivered. Amazing, Amazing.

I will attach the Good Reads Plot Summary as well as some of my favorite poems from the book. 

“when it came to listening
my mother taught me silence
if you are drowning their voice with yours
how will you hear them she asked
when it came to speaking
she said do it with commitment
every word you say
is your own responsibility
when it came to being
she said be tender and tough at once
you need to be vulnerable to live fully
but rough enough to survive it all
when it came to choosing
she asked me to be thankful
for the choices i had that
she never had the privilege of making
– lessons from mumma” 
― Rupi Kaur, The Sun and Her Flowers

(Good-Reads Plot)

(From Rupi Kaur, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of milk and honey, comes her long-awaited second collection of poetry. A vibrant and transcendent journey about growth and healing. Ancestry and honoring one’s roots. Expatriation and rising up to find a home within yourself.)

2.) “I Let You Go”

By, Claire Mackintosh

6.5/10

I read this book a few years ago, but I had either completely forgotten it or I never finished it. Regardless, I decided to bring it with me to L.A, to read on the plane. I kind of wish I hadn’t chose this one to bring… because while it was overall a good book, with a pretty wild twist… but the entire first half was SO boring I could hardly get through it. If i’m not enjoying a book, I will always finish it anyway. I can’t bring myself to just stop, and toss it aside haha.

This book is about a woman, who is walking home with her young son… and they are across the street from their house.. and she lets his hand go for a second. He is hit and killed by a car… and then the car drives off. This is the first chapter, and on the back of the book, it’s not a spoiler don’t worry 🙂 The book is basically about this woman, and how she tries to deal with her grief and move on…… and also about two Detectives trying to solve the hit and run.

I will say the twist in this book was SHOCKING. I loved it. But honestly I found it so boring, and I hated picking it up to read. It just took like 200 pages for anything to happen at all.

Beautifully written, and like I said.. overall it was a good book. I might just not have been in the right mood, for a slow build kind of thriller. So many reviews were comparing it to “Girl on the Train” & “Gone Girl”.. but this book wasn’t ANYTHING like those two. Except for a huge twist at the halfway mark.. that is literally the only comparison to Gone Girl I can think of.

(Good-Reads Plot)

(The next blockbuster thriller for those who loved The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl…. a novel with “an astonishing intensity that drags you in and never – ever – lets you go.” (Daily Mail, UK)

On a rainy afternoon, a mother’s life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street …

I Let You Go follows Jenna Gray as she moves to a ramshackle cottage on the remote Welsh coast, trying to escape the memory of the car accident that plays again and again in her mind and desperate to heal from the loss of her child and the rest of her painful past.

At the same time, the novel tracks the pair of Bristol police investigators trying to get to the bottom of this hit-and-run. As they chase down one hopeless lead after another, they find themselves as drawn to each other as they are to the frustrating, twist-filled case before them.)

3.) “Give Me The Child”

By, Mel McGrath

5/10

I’m not sure how I felt about this book. One one hand I enjoyed it, and on the other I kind of hated it too. It was a very well written thriller, with a VERY interesting concept… but I had some problems with a bunch of things in this book.

This is the story of a woman, who is a child psychologist (specializing in children psychopaths/which I think is SO interesting). One night in the middle of the night, she and her Husband and child are all asleep at home.. and there is a knock on the door! It’s the police, and they have a little girl with them. Surprise.. turns out her Husband had a child with another woman (who is now dead), and they have to take the daughter in. Then all kinds of creepy and weird stuff starts happening. Lets just say, the child in this story was terrifying. Overall, it was very well written, and the idea was amazing.. but that’s about it.

So like I mentioned above, I had a lot of issues with this book. Firstly, the character development wasn’t great. I hated all the characters in this book, especially the main character. The Husband was horribly developed, and I literally felt like we knew nothing about him at all, and I honestly didn’t care about anything he said or did. Secondly, this book makes several borderline racist comments… and the way it deals with mental illness was horrifying. Not to mention the gaslight-ing and emotional abuse going on… I just really really didn’t like this one, and of course that’s just my opinion. I’m sure a lot of people will really enjoy this, but for me personally.. it made me pretty angry.

I did like the scenes with the child psychopath’s, that was fascinating. Everything else.. nope.

(Good-Reads Plot Summary)

(An unexpected visitor.

Dr Cat Lupo aches for another child, despite the psychosis which marked her first pregnancy. So when Ruby Winter, a small girl in need of help, arrives in the middle of the night, it seems like fate.

A devastating secret.

But as the events behind Ruby’s arrival emerge – her mother’s death, her connection to Cat – Cat questions whether her decision to help Ruby has put her own daughter at risk.

Do we get the children we deserve?

Cat’s research tells her there’s no such thing as evil. Her history tells her she’s paranoid. But her instincts tell her different. And as the police fight to control a sudden spate of riots raging across the capital, Cat faces a race against time of her own…)

4.) “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition”

By: J.K Rowling

Illustrated By: Jim Kay

10/10

I don’t think this book needs ANY discussion. You guys know how amazing Harry Potter is, and how much I love it. These Illustrated versions are breathtakingly beautiful. The third book “The Prisoner of Askaban” just came out, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Jim Kay is a brilliant artist, and every single page in this book has so much detail. The illustrations are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. So amazing, wow. These are perfect for Kids, if you are looking to get your children into Harry Potter. There is a beautiful full-page illustration, every few pages.

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Thanks so much for reading you guys <3 I will add some more random photos from my October Adventures. I will show you guys some fun photos from Halloween.. I went as Red Riding Hood with a Wolf Scratch on my face. I loved my costume, and it all came together so well. Other than Halloween, I have a few photos of just random snapshots from my life.

See you guys very soon with some exciting November content!

xo,

Carly

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A few photos of the insane rain here in Vancouver last week

All Photography @Carly Ingram Photography 2017

Photos Of TV Shows & Movies @Google Images 2017