Hi everyone! Time to get into the books I read this month. Or, um, book… Since I only finished two! I’m also going to add some of the other entertainment-y stuff I’ve watched this month.

Remember that crazy J-term class I just finished? Yup, it really did consume my life. I defintely expected to read at least one more but I just wasn’t feeling it this weekend. That being said I was still productive this weekend. I started getting stuff together for my trip to Mexico, caught up on sleep, took down the Christmas tree, and I’m about to start laundry.

Also now I’m watching a vlog on YouTube and they’re building a rock wall in the house. I never knew I wanted that in my future home until now.

Okay, onto the books!

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Ringer by Lauren Oliver

3 out of 5 stars

Ringer is the sequel to Replica and continues to follow Gemma and Lyra. I don’t want to spoil anything in case you haven’t read the previous book but the series is a fictional YA science fiction book. Lyra was raised at the Haven Institute, a secret facility where human replicas are raised. Gemma grew up in a well off household filled with secrets, including ties to Haven. The books are split into a section for Gemma and another for Lyra. You can alternate reading each story by chapter or read the stories separately (with either story first). Personally when you alternate I recommend starting with Gemma on this book as I started with Lyra’s and usually Gemma’s chapters were leading up to Lyra’s so I had to switch about five chapters in.

I read this book during the holidays and so I was able to get through it pretty fast, but overall it’s a fast read. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Replica but it was still pretty good. I did like seeing Lyra try to adjust to the world outside of Haven and see how resourceful Gemma is turning out to be. I did enjoy alternating between the two characters. This is the final book in the series, and I was happy to hear that as the book ended at a great point and the story did feel finished.

Frida Kahlo: Una biografia by Maria Hesse

4 out of 5 stars

This biography is so cute! I am familiar with Frida Kahlo’s life story having studied it in high school, read a lot about her and her art, and even visited her home in Mexico City two years ago. The illustrations were simple with flashes of color and connected beautifully with Kahlo’s art. I really enjoyed this book and I was glad to practice reading Spanish again. It actually came a lot more easily to me than I expected, and I was able to get through it pretty quickly. It isn’t a long book but I do read in Spanish slower than English, however this book was easy to read and I recommend!

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That’s all the books I have so onto the other items! First up, movies!

The Shape of Water

4 out of 5 stars

This movie is nominated for 13 Oscars and I can see why! The film is directed by Guillermo del Toro and the only actor I recognized was Octavia Spencer but the others (Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, and Michael Stuhlbarg) were amazing as well. The movie revolves around a woman who is unable to speak and her interactions with a human-like amphibian sort of creature that is captured and held in a government facility.

I really enjoyed this film actually. This is the only Oscar Best Picture Nomination I’ve seen so far. Every year I watch the Oscars and decide I want to watch all the Best Picture Nominees and every year I fail miserably. I think the most I’ve ever gotten is 3. Anyway, so far this year is 1. Besides The Shape of Water I have seen some films nominated for other awards such as Logan, Beauty and the Beast, Coco, and maybe a few more. This film however was a great story and journey, and I loved the score as well (Alexandre Desplat is the composer) so I was happy to see it was nominated for so many.

 

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I believe that’s everything for the month! Let me know what book(s) you read this month! My goal this year is 25 and Goodreads is saying I’m one ahead of schedule so at least there’s that. Hopefully I can get more read in the coming months. Perhaps on the planes I’ll be on? We shall see!

Thanks for reading!

Pamela

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