Hi, lovelies. Here’s my month in books, movies, and television.
Books
In Nothing But the Rain by Naomi Salman, a small town is isolated from the rest of the world after it’s discovered that coming into contact with water begins to erase a person’s memories. By keeping a journal and tracking her actions, Laverne struggles to hold onto herself and survive in a world in which overexposure to water can wash away a person’s ability to even function and feed themselves.
This is a melancholy read, focusing on solitude in the wake of a quiet apocalypse, questioning whether it’s better to sit back and accept the fate or struggle forward into a new future (and what that might cost).
Melanie Gillman’s Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales is a lovely collection of graphic stories, in which mermaids, princesses, knights, barmaids, and old women take center stage. These tales come from a place of kindness and compassion, showing alternative means of ways to get to a happily every after.
In addition, the stories are presented with pastel infused artwork that brings an extra layer of beauty and softness to the tales. I really enjoyed this collection.
Books Finished This Month:
1. Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales by Melanie Gillman
2. Nothing But the Rain by Naomi Salman
Total Books for the Year: 18
Still in Progress at the End of the Month: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Wandering Games by Melissa Kagen, and Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games by Tracy Fullerton
Movies
I watched Evil Dead Rise twice, and I enjoyed it both times. Bringing the Evil Dead franchise out of the woods and into the city, the story centers on artsy family. After finding out she’s pregnant while on a rock tour, Beth (played by Lily Sullivan) travels to her sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) and her three kids for support. When an earthquake reveals a hidden vault, which the son explores, finding a strange book and audio recordings. Unaware of the consequences, the son plays the records, awakening demonic forces that possess Ellie and unleash a series of violent events.
For me, this movie seemed right in line with the Evil Dead franchise. The violence is wickedly malicious and gory — and the buckets of blood flow profusely. There’s less dark humor than the Bruce Campbell iterations, but I’m okay with that, because it didn’t fit with in with the tone of Evil Dead Rise and I enjoyed the movie for what it was.
New-to-Me Movies Watched Last Month:
1. Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Television
Other than watching the first two seasons when they first aired, my exposure to Supernatural has been primarily through fandom on Tumblr, ranging from snippets of actual events from the show to jokes and memes about the various relationships of the main characters. At the time, this was entertainment enough.
I never thought I’d sit down and watch the full series — especially since, between Tumblr and the clips that popped up in my YouTube feed, a number of major story events from later seasons had been spoiled for me.
And yet, rather than turning me off, these spoilers sparked my interest. As April Wolfe, screenwriter and former host of the Switchblade Sisters podcast, used to say, “It’s not what happens, but how it happens that matters.” And I was growing increasingly curious as to how Sam and Dean Winchester got to where they were going in the show.
So, I figured I’d start with rewatching the first two seasons and see how it goes from there — and I found myself loosing many nights of sleep as I binged through all 327 episodes in a just a month.
For those who haven’t seen Supernatural, the story is roughly about two brothers — Sam and Dean Winchester — who hunt ghosts, demons, and other monsters that go bump in the night, while also searching for their missing father. As they face various monsters in each episode, they slowly start to uncover the truth about the demon who killed their mother when they were children and its plans for them. At its heart, this show is about the familial love between these two brothers and what their willing to do and sacrifice in order to protect each other.
I’m currently working on a loose assemblage of thoughts about the series, which I’ll share later.
That’s it for me! What are you reading? Watching? Loving right now?