Gotham (2014-2019)

 

When I say that this is the best show that I've seen in a long, long time, I absolutely mean it! I was definitely on a Marvel high the first part of the year, so I wanted to venture into other comic book waters. Gotham in a nutshell is a prequel of sorts to the original Batman mythos. In the Batman comics, Gotham City is literally its own character because of the array of characters that are created for the corruption of the city itself. Gotham takes all of the great heroes and villains from the comics and gives them solid, dimensional origin stories that goes beyond the camp and craziness and makes them human and real.

In Defense of Brie Larson and Captain Marvel

I've defended characters before, but never an actual person. And I never thought that I would be defending Brie Larson of all people. However, after I saw Captain Marvel and ended up enjoying the movie, I began to become a little more open minded to Brie Larson. When Captain Marvel began its promotion tour in 2019, for some unknown reason, I really jumped onto the anti-Brie Larson train. Now, I'm rather ashamed of it. I was running with the crowd and only looking at a one sided, biased view of a woman I didn't even know. Sure Brie made some stupid comments, but did she really deserve all the hate she got? She most certainly did not. 

Fairies: The Myths, Legends & Lore

 

Fairies: The Myths, Legends, Lore by Skye Alexander

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had originally picked this book up solely based on the cover. It was so pretty and then when I saw the elegant drawings that accompany the chapters, I had to purchase it. Beyond the exterior Fairies is a mini encyclopedia or really a fantasy guide on the history of all cultural fairy lore. The book is divided into two parts,

Part One - The Fairy Realm which discusses the personalities and characteristics of fairies

Part Two- Fairies from Around the World which takes you from Britain, to Asia, to Africa and even Australia and shares the each cultures own history of fairies.

Most of my growing up I had thought that all fairy legends came from England and the Celts, but I was very surprised to discover that fairies are completely world wide phenomenon's. From the Brothers Grimm to J.R.R Tolkien; from the Jinn in his lamp from Africa and the Middle-East to the Nagini, the snake shape shifter from India, any and all fairy and mythological creature that is in the same category are discussed. I was just amazed by the fount of information the was in this little book and how much it actually covered.

This book was wonderful! Any fantasy and/or fairy lover would enjoy reading Skye Alexander's meticulously researched study of fairyfolk. Fairies can also be useful for any up and coming fantasy writer, seeing there are fairies from other countries I had never even heard of and gives great creative material to use.

Aesthetically, the book is just visually stunning and charming. The lilac colored cover is what initially caught my eye. The pages are filled with traditional drawings taken from old books and paintings. Little bits of information are also inserted into the middle of paragraphs, that range from actual fairy sightings (supposedly) to historical facts that inspired some of the most popular fairytales.

By the way, this is not a kid's book! Sex is brought up quite a few times, so if you're wanting to share this with your little girls, read ahead first to censor some of the adult content that sporadically shows up. Either than that little warning, the book is a great, fun and informative read and really got me interested into Skye Alexander's other fantasy guides for Mermaids and Unicorns as well.

Loki

Let me start off by saying that I have never been a big Loki fan. However, I am a massive Tom Hiddleston fan, hence the reason why I anticipated this show. Like with most of my interests, I've always had a love/hate relationship with Marvel's Loki Laufeyson/Odinson. I understand that people fell in love with the (supposedly) mistreated, lesser worthier, adopted Jotun son of Odin Allfather. Loki was a tragic villain, however...he was also a villain of his own making.* I refused to sympathize with his whining or that his actions of revenge were justified due to a living in his brother's shadow. 

Black Widow

 

When I was first introduced to Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in The Avengers, I was rather wary of a beautiful, female character placed among all these male characters and what her purpose in the story was (I hadn't seen Iron Man 2 prior to seeing the Avengers). Was she just there to be the fan service to the male audience, to be the the token 'strong, empowered woman, the alpha female bitch? Safe to say she wasn't in The Avengers or for the rest of the MCU franchise. Natasha has been the embodiment of unwavering loyalty, absolute compassion, steadfast friendship, while at the same time she has had to redeem herself from her bloody past, her broken heart and her fear of losing everything she has obtained since Clint Barton brought her to S.H.I.E.L.D. Now, finally, Natasha's story can be told.

The Mummy Returns

The O'Connell/Carnahan family return to Egypt, mayhem and mystery as once again the Hamunaptra Mummy, Imhotep, has been raised from the dead. Also our crew must also face down the legendary Scorpion King. Oh, and Ardeth Bay is back too, with more screen time, predictions of doom and an awesome falcon named Horus. Not to serious, not to dark, with the right amount of mystery and romance pretty much sums up The Mummy Returns. 

Goodreads Reviews: Dearest Josephine

Dearest Josephine by Caroline George

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting read. A romance and a mystery all told through letters, texts, e-mails, and an intriguing manuscript. When Josie de Clare tries to move on from a relationship (that never should have happened), she discovers several old letters and a half written novel from mysterious man who centuries before found himself in love with an equally mysterious woman named Josephine.

Elias Roach, the illegitimate son of an English gentleman has never belonged anywhere or to anyone for that matter. When he meets a lovely woman at a ball, he finds himself immediately drawn to her and her liveliness. However, all he receives from her is her name, Josephine Clare. Afterwards, Elias is determined to find this woman who changed his world in one night and by doing so, reveals an unexpected talent for writing.

The story goes back and forth between the 19th century and modern day. Josie's side is told through numerous texts and e-mails and Elias' through his letters to Josephine and his friends. Then of course, there is the half written novel that is written to try and bring the mystery of Josephine together.

While the story wasn't my favorite, due to historical inaccuracies regarding the modernized style of 18th century dialogue, the concept and how is was told in a hybrid epistolary form was fun to read. Josie gets as caught up with Elias and his story, just as much as Elias gets caught up with Josephine and wondering is she was real or an imagined women who was drummed up from a life on loneliness.

I especially enjoyed how personal the story got on Josie's side; just as you really getting into a good part of a letter or a novel, a text message shows up. Any book lover understands that annoyance! The ending was not what I was expecting, but it was a delightful conclusion that still leaves a little wondering and question asking.

Running Wild in Impractical Outfits Tag

Hello! McKayla tagged me for this! Thank you so much!

The Patriot

Oddly enough the Revolutionary War has never been a popular war that has been interpreted into mainstream media culture, as compared to the Civil War or WWII. And yet, it's the most important war that has ever been fought in America's history. Its victory set the foundation of every free Western  civilization since then. As a Virginian (but not a southerner, there's a difference) I live 90 min. away from Colonial Williamsburg, which is one of the primary cities of America's Independence. Inspired by numerous different war heroes, The Patriot takes the confusing aspects of the Revolutionary War and condenses them into the passionate journey of a man who must confront the sins of his past to preserve the freedom of his future. 

Happy Independence Day!

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all,—

By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.

~John Dickinson, 1768