August Wrap-Up

Books I Read

3.5/5

First off, I want to say that this story is HUGELY important for all of the representation it has and the topics it deals with: Asian culture, what it's like to be Asian in the United States, socioeconomic issues, sexual assault and the #MeToo movement, etc. So many important things were talked about in a really great way (and this is an #OwnVoices story!). But the way that message was delivered didn't totally work for me. The book was long, way longer than your usual contemporary, and it could've benefited from some trimming. The real meat of the story didn't start until at least halfway through the book. I enjoyed Dani as a narrator, but I didn't like Claire for the longest time (that said, she does go through some nice character development), so it made her chapters hard to read. And I couldn't stand any of the male characters in this book, even the ones I was supposed to like. It would've been better if the assholes had been assholes and the allies/more supportive male characters were actually nice. Honestly, 90% of the characters in this book were problematic and unlikable, which always makes it hard for me to get into the story. There was also a lot of "telling" in the first person narration rather than showing the characters' emotions. But, all that aside, this book still has an excellent message that deserves to be told and I hope everyone who needs to hear this story finds it! I'm sure a lot of people can identify with the problems the characters face and feel validated by it.

2.5/5

I really wanted to like this, but I just didn't. The concept was much better than the execution. I love the idea of a story being told about all of the people besides the "chosen ones" and the issues they face in a semi-magical society. The problem was, because these characters weren't the chosen ones, their plots were . . . kind of boring. I didn't feel connected to anyone and the romances/romantic attractions felt fake. I was also confused by the setting because the worldbuilding was never explained. It took me a while to figure out how things worked and why the "indie kids" were called indie kids, etc. Speaking of the indie kids, every chapter opened with a paragraph about what they were going through, but I found myself skimming these passage every time because I didn't care. All of it fell a little flat for me and took me a while to get through because I was bored. But on the upside, there's a lot of diversity in the cast of characters, I adored the spunky younger sister, and it deals with some important conversations about mental health.

3.5/5

The curse of hyped books is that I went into this with expectations way too high, and that affected my enjoyment of it a little. 😭 This book isn't a bad book by any means; in fact, it was a really good book! I just didn't care for elements of it because of my personal reading tastes. I loved the artistic vibe (I mean, look at that cover, it's gorgeous) and the vivid descriptions of New York City and the Love, Simon-esque friendship/relationship blooming over social media (though it happens in very different ways). Felix was a great narrator and a wonderfully complex character, even if he makes shitty decisions sometimes (okay, almost all the time). But he felt real to me. I didn't care for most of the other characters except for Felix's dad, who I actually sympathized with a lot because he was trying and didn't always get the patience he was expected to give in return. The conversation about gender identity and intersectionality and privilege was so important, but the execution wasn't from me. I didn't buy that any of these teenagers would talk as formally as they did by hitting the nail directly on the head rather than being more nuanced. I talked about this book with other writers in a virtual book club and one woman did say that she thinks the blunter conversations regarding trans/gender issues had to be more straightforward in order to reach audiences who might not be as deeply steeped into queer/diverse culture as we are, and I could appreciate that argument. For me, though, it felt like I was being talked down to. But I can see why this style is important for readers who might be learning about these queer identities for the first time. So, to sum up, I really loved the messages this book offers and Felix as a very real and raw trans character, but for a book that relies on characters to carry a reader through, I didn't relate to/like any of the other characters enough.

Movies I Watched

5/5

DAMN. This woman is smart. She delivered such a powerful punch the last thirty minutes of her routine, which is so much more than just a stand-up routine. I'd compare this to a TedTalk before I called it a comedy act. That's not to say that she isn't funny (because she's hilarious), but the stand-up quickly turns into a powerful commentary about queer identity, mental health, and the impact of comedy (in good and bad ways). All I can say is, go watch it and find out for yourself what I'm talking about.

1/5

Not for me. Weird acting, weird dialogue, and weird character choices all around. It wasn't scary, though it was gross. I thoroughly enjoyed making fun of it with others though, LOL.

1.5/5

This is a hilariously bad movie. The main character acted way too young for his age and the dialogue was . . . strange. It wasn't outright horrible, but just weird enough to be off-putting. But the main thing that made me rate this so low was holy shit there were so many plot holes! This kid should have been murdered so many times over from the stupid decisions he makes, and yet somehow he survived over and over again. There were way too many times where I had to shout, "Do the neighbors not hear any of this screaming?" or "What happened to the police car that was just outside?" or "Why did he just let him go???" None of it made sense. I easily counted at least a couple dozen cases where something was conveniently ignored or not fixed for the sake of "suspense." Because I couldn't buy the situations in which the characters were put, a lot of the drama and fear was lost on me. But it does get a .5 boost in rating from the few ridiculous laugh-out-loud moments.

Quotes I Wrote

I'm writing a musical! It's a comedy ("Wicked" meets "Something Rotten!") about a woman who promises two witches her firstborn child separately, so when the baby is born, both witches show up expecting to claim their prize. Instead, they're forced into joint custody, which is difficult when one witch is Wicked and the other is GoodTM. It's a little hard to copy/paste the quotes from my scriptwriting program into blogger, but I will share more details sometime soon!

I'm also drafting another YA contemporary! It's a love-triangle romance featuring all queer girls and it's full of summer-y vibes and shenanigans and misunderstandings and all kinds of baked goods. And a semi-dysfunctional, but all-around really supportive family.

***

“Whatever you decide to do,” Aunt Rachel said. “I think it’s excellent that you’re turning your sights toward partners of the same sex. You know what I’ve always said, no self-respecting woman should ever bother attaching herself to a man. No offense,” she added to Mom. “But you hardly count, Parker.”

“Thanks?” Dad said, confused, but good-natured.

“If it were up to me,” Aunt Rachel continued. “The whole world would be gay.”

Aunt Rachel often made broad statements like this though she’d never once introduced us to a girlfriend or even said the words, “I’m a lesbian” to the family. It was something that was never talked about but was mutually understood. Aunt Rachel didn’t like labels, so I guessed this was just par for the course with her.

“You don’t think that would be a little difficult for population growth down the line?” Mom said.

Aunt Rachel propped an elbow on the back of her chair. “Artificial insemination exists.”

“What’s artificial insemination?” Gus asked. He had some icing on his upper lip.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” Dad said, at the same time Mom explained, “It’s when a doctor puts another man’s semen in a woman’s cervix with an instrument in order for her to get pregnant.”

Gus looked like he only understood about a third of the words said, but he shrugged and said, “Cool.”

And just like that, we’d gone from talking about my love life—or lack of one, really—to cervixes. Only in the Jones’ house.

Pictures of the Month

Josh surprised me on a rainy day with sunflowers from his garden!

We had a virtual cooking date and I captured his flair in three screenshots 😂

Jackbox game night!

Went on a "walk" together

Distanced lunch with friends!

We got way too much pizza 😂 (Or just enough?)

A more detailed post is coming soon about what I'm doing this semester, but here's a sneak peek at some of the stuff I'll be working on during my leave of absence from school!

Distanced backyard hangout!

I spent an hour on YouTube watching drawing tutorials and I'm pretty pleased with how my first try turned out!

Cozy spa/"Supernatural" bingewatching day

Why yes, yes I did rearrange my desk for the soul purpose of it being easier for my right-handed self to pick up my cup of coffee while I write. I like the way it's arranged much better now!

I tried to get a cute picture of Scout panting, but she ended up looking like a demon possessed her instead 😂

She loves being tucked into bed💖

You don't like your new hat, Scout?

Scout turned 11 this year!! My spunky old lady 💖

She loved her new toys

And her cake 😂

How was your August?