Category: Bookish Things

Book Vs. Movie: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2019) (SPOILERS!)

Posted September 22, 2021 in Bookish Things // 0 Comments

The film adaptation of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is perfectly fine. I know this was a well-loved film – the community blew up with enthusiasm after its release – so please don’t take any of this comparison review as bashing the film. I genuinely believe it was perfectly fine as it was. But you know us readers. We love to compare things to the books, and often, adaptations just don’t hold up. On it’s own, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is adorable. It’s a sweet teen chick flick and in that way, I loved it. Lana Condor […]

Seven Debuts that Were Absolutely Awesome

Posted September 8, 2021 in Bookish Things // 0 Comments

Debut novels can be tricky. There’s a lot of pressure, because half the time we reviewers go into these books thinking, “It’s a debut. It’s not going to be that amazing, because it’s a debut.” This stereotype pops up because the frequency of the truth of it – sloppy writing and subplots that go nowhere are common offenders. But that’s not always the case. Many debuts are passable, containing only forgivable annoyances. Every once in a while, I stumble across one with a je ne sais quoi that hooks me. This could happen for any number of reasons, and these “awesome debuts” […]

Book Vs. Movie: Where’d You Go, Bernadette (2019) (SPOILERS!)

Posted August 18, 2021 in Bookish Things // 0 Comments

I read Where’d You Go, Bernadette for the first time not too long before the movie came out. I fully intended to watch it and do one of these reviews at the time, but one thing led to another and I just… never saw the movie. After rereading the book in June, it seemed like time to watch the film. Unfortunately, Where’d You Go, Benadette the movie is a bit of a mess. To the credit of the creators, Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a tricky story to bring to screen. Approximately half the book occurs in letters between Soo Lin and Audrey, […]

Are Adults Ruining YA? (Spoiler: Kinda Sorta Yes ducks and hides)

Posted August 11, 2021 in Bookish Things // 2 Comments

Newsflash: YA books aren’t written for an adult audience. I know, shocking. Especially because an adult is writing this.. I love reading YA because I feel it’s such a period of hope and possibility for protagonists. I’m also a big fan of not having a bunch of graphic sex scenes, which can be rampant in adult fantasy. Since fantasy is my favorite genre (give me all the dragons and magic) I choose to put up with the love triangles and cheesy crushes over seduction and sweaty bodies. Thanks, no thanks. This means that I have to be really careful when it […]

What a Lot of Modern Fantasy Could Learn From Tess of the Road

Posted August 2, 2021 in Bookish Things // 0 Comments

In the last couple of decades, fantasy books have evolved. A genre that used to focus heavily on adventure, good vs. evil, and romance is now more nuanced. I love it so much when authors write fantasy stories filled with myth and magic but still take time to address real, relevant concerns and experiences. Not just flash and action – real human stories. More fantasy novels do that lately, with particular emphasis on sexism and racism. I think both of those are fantastic, I really do. But I also love the more granular approaches to some of the quieter concerns […]