Tag: Guerilla Toss

Posted in Monthly Wrap-Ups

March 2022 Wrap-Up 🪺

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Thursday, bibliophiles!

🫠🛟🫥🫘🩻🫧🪸🪹🪷🫶🪬🫣

Might as well make use of some of these new emojis…interesting bunch we’ve got here

And sorry for the lack of a book review this week, I just didn’t have the energy for it once the afternoon/evening came (first day after spring break, am I right or am I right).

GENERAL THOUGHTS:

The beginning of March was a bit of a slog, what with all my classes trying to cram a bunch of stuff in before spring break. I finally have that big research paper out of the way though, and we did loads of fun projects in creative writing!

My reading month was good, I’d say; very few books that I didn’t like (no 1-stars and only one 2-star!), my first 5-star read of the year, and indulging in a Smoke Thieves trilogy re-read. I finally got into Heartstopper after all these years of having it on hold at the library too! Worth the wait.

This month was also the month that I finally, finally started sharing my WIP with people! I’ve sent it to some family and friends, and…not gonna lie here, my hands were shaking whenever I put it out there, but I’m proud of myself for getting over the initial hurdle after clamming up about my writing for so many years. Baby steps.

Other than that, I went to see the new Batman (AMAZING!), re-watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show, continued with Raised by Wolves and started Severance, and went to the museum and played guitar there. They have a guitar exhibit at the Denver Museum right now, so I put on a one-man show for my dad and the security guard. The very short setlist consisted of “Trimm Trabb” and “Savior Complex.”

And yesterday, I hit 500 followers!! I’m going to make a longer post later, but for now, thank you all so much for your love and support. 💗

READING AND BLOGGING:

I read 20 books this month! I thought I’d read less for some reason…it feels like I haven’t had as much time to read this month, but I suppose I did read some short books.

2 – 2.75 stars:

Jade Fire Gold

3 – 3.75 stars:

The Golden Apples of the Sun

4 – 4.75 stars:

Our Stories, Our Voices

5 stars:

The Wide Starlight

FAVORITE BOOK OF THE MONTH: The Wide Starlight – 5 stars

SOME POSTS I’M PROUD OF:

POSTS FROM OTHER WONDERFUL PEOPLE THAT I ENJOYED:

SONGS/ALBUMS THAT I ENJOYED:

ONE MONTH UNTIL WE GET THIS ALBUM AND LESS THAN A WEEK UNTIL I GET TO SEE THEM LIVE AAAAAAAA
what a wonderfully weird little song
I would once again like to thank whoever put this on the art class playlist
I CANNOT stress enough how phenomenal this album is
ARCADE FIRE IS BACK I REPEAT ARCADE FIRE IS BACK
AND SOCCER MOMMY TOO!! so much wonderful new music coming our way this year…

DID I FOLLOW THROUGH ON MY MARCH GOALS?

  • Read at least 20 books: 20!
  • Spend some time with Ringo (of course): yep! He’s a troublemaker, but he’s a sweet little puppy. Impossible not to love.

GOALS FOR APRIL:

  • Read at least 20 books
  • Try not to spontaneously combust at the Spiritualized concert if/when they play “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space”

Today’s song:

That’s it for this month in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

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Posted in Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: March 21-27, 2022

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you well.

This week was my spring break, and even though I didn’t go anywhere, it was so nice to just have a week of rest. The cold I got last week still hasn’t *quite* let up, but most of it’s gone.

Since I didn’t go to the library last week, I went through some books on the Kindle library for most of this week. Most of them ended up being in the 3-star range, but I ended up having an (unexpected) first 5-star read of the year—The Wide Starlight! I got some new books from the library yesterday, and they’re looking promising…

I haven’t written a whole lot over break, but it’s mostly because I’ve started sharing my sci-fi WIP with my family and some of my friends! I’m still shaking internally—I’ve finally put my baby that I’ve been working on since 2019 out into the world…

Other than that, I’ve just been drawing, decorating my new sketchbook, babysitting Ringo, listening to all the new music that came out this week, going to the museum with my dad, re-watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and starting on Severance. (I’m only on episode one, but I’m already hooked…)

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

Jade Fire Gold – June C.L. Tan (⭐️⭐️.5)

The Wide Starlight – Nicole Lesperance (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating – Adiba Jaigirdar (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (From a Certain Point of View, #2) – Elizabeth Schaefer et. al. (anthology) (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

POSTS AND SUCH:

SONGS:

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK:

The Island of Excess Love (Love in the Time of Global Warming, #2) – Francesca Lia Block

Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America – Amy Reed et. al. (anthology)

Flamefall (The Aurelian Cycle, #2) – Rosaria Munda

Most Likely – Sarah Watson

Today’s song:

That’s it for this week in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Book Tags

The Book Adaptation Tag 🎞

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Saturday, bibliophiles!

Most of the time, I don’t end up leaving posts in my drafts, but for some reason, I never got around to finishing this one…after I started it in December. Oops.

But I’m in the mood to do a book tag, so I figured I’d go ahead and trawl through the (many) book tags I have in my blog sticky note. I found this one over at Riddhi’s blog, Whispering Stories, and I was also tagged by Book It With Becca (thank you!). Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find who originally created the tag. If anybody knows, please let me know so I can credit them! I have lots of opinions about book adaptations, whether they be TV shows, movies, or otherwise, so this sounds like a lot of fun!

Let’s begin, shall we?

📚THE BOOK ADAPTATION TAG🎥

  1. What is the last book adaptation movie you saw?

Not counting my re-watch of Fantastic Mr. Fox on New Year’s Eve, I think it might’ve been Dune! I loved both the book and the movie, and the cinematography and special effects were stunning. I went to see it with my brother and his friends for his birthday, and we all just stared at each other silently SCREAMING every single time the sandworm came on screen

2. What book movie are you most excited about?

This one isn’t a movie, but they announced last year that Warcross was going to be adapted for a TV series! Plus, it’s going to be on FX, the same streaming service that has Legion, Fargo, and What We Do in the Shadows!!

3. Which upcoming book movie will you definitely not see?

I’ve never been a fan of Sarah J. Maas, and I heard they’re making a TV show out of A Court of Thorns and Roses, so…nah. My mom and I agreed that we might hate-watch it together, though…

4. Which book movie would you never watch again?

I wouldn’t say that I would never watch Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (the 1994 one) again, but it certainly was…not great. Very weird. And not in a good way. Just…uncomfortable. At least Frankenstein’s monster was good in this one.

5. Is there a movie you saw that made you want to read the book if you had not yet?

Watching I’m Thinking of Ending Things on Netflix made me want to read the book, and I’m glad to say that both were incredible!

6. Conversely, is there a movie that made you never want to read the book?

I watched The Man Who Fell to Earth thinking it would be old sci-fi vibes and David Bowie, and…well, David Bowie was great, but the movie was 2.5-ish hours of pure discomfort. I’m not sure what kind of creative liberties that Nicolas Roeg took with the book, but either way, I don’t think I’ll be picking the book up.

7. Name an adaptation that has almost nothing to do with the book it is supposedly based on.

The movie version of How to Train Your Dragon is very different from the books—but in this case, the movies were better. It’s been a while since I’ve seen any of them, but the most notable difference that I remember is Toothless—in the books, he was a lot smaller and could talk. I like movie Toothless a lot better, though; he reminds me of my cats.

8. Have you ever left the theatre during a movie adaptation because it was so bad?

I don’t think I’ve ever left the theatre during any movie, so that’s a no.

9. Do you prefer to watch the movie first, or read the book first?

Most of the time, I prefer to read the book first, but I’m human and make mistakes, so that barely ends up happening. Most of the time, I don’t even know that I’m watching an adaptation when I go into it (ex. I’m Thinking of Ending Things)

10. How do you feel about movie adaptations that age characters up? (ex. Characters that are in middle school, but in the movies, they’re all 18+)

The only example I can remember is the (highly forgettable) Percy Jackson movies, but it does rub me the wrong way when they age characters in a middle-grade adaptation up. Like Riddhi said—if they could find a bunch of fantastic child actors for Stranger Things, then what’s stopping everybody else?

11. Do you get angry when actors don’t look like you thought the characters would?

Most of the time I don’t—for me, it’s near impossible for actors to look super close to the image I had of the character in the book. But I’ll admit that I’m still seething over the fact that the Darkling in Shadow and Bone looked nothing how I imagined him. Not nearly as goth as he should’ve been.

12. Is there a movie you liked better than its book?

Even though I liked the original book, Wes Anderson’s adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox is leagues better! He gives the story a new meaning, and all of the characters have so much more personality than they did in the book.

13. Name a book you would love to see as a movie.

I have a handful—I’d love to see adaptations of The Wide Starlight, The Young Elites, Illuminae, and Heart of Iron, to name a few.

I TAG:

Today’s song:

I’ve only listened to this album all the way through once, but it’s pretty solid!!

That’s it for this book tag! Have a wonderful rest of. your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: March 7-13, 2022

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you well.

This week’s been a little tiring. I had another couple of quizzes and tests, and I’ve been proofreading my big research paper and I had to crank out a short story in the span of about a week. At least the short story was a lot of fun—went just past 10 pages on google docs, somehow.

Reading-wise, it’s been a slower week; most of the time I’d normally be reading, I was either writing said short story or drawing, so I didn’t get through my whole library haul. I did like everything that I read, though—all 3-4 star reads for me! I’ll have some good material to review next week. Most of my writing time has been taken up by the short story, but I’ve been able to go back and edit some of my WIP in the later part of the week.

Other than that, I’ve been spending time with Ringo, trying to drive in the snow (oof), listening to Guerilla Toss, Cocteau Twins, and Super Furry Animals, and watching the new Batman! Without question, one of the best Batman movies I’ve ever seen—unexpected but perfectly-cast characters, fantastic acting, and some of the most beautiful character development I’ve seen out of Batman himself. Go see it if you haven’t!

And now I’m almost at 500 followers! I can’t believe it, thank you all so much! 💗

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

Heartstopper, vol. 1 – Alice Oseman (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Love in the Time of Global Warming – Francesca Lia Block (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Daughter of the Burning City – Amanda Foody (⭐️⭐️⭐️.25)

POSTS AND SUCH:

SONGS:

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK

I’ve given into the feminine urge to re-read the entire Smoke Thieves trilogy so that’s the plan here

Passing – Nella Larsen

The Smoke Thieves (The Smoke Thieves, #1) – Sally Green

The Demon World (The Smoke Thieves, #2) – Sally Green

The Burning Kingdoms (The Smoke Thieves, #3) – Sally Green

Today’s song:

almost finished listening to this album all the way through and I LOVE it!

That’s it for this week in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (3/8/22) – A Psalm of Storms and Silence (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, #2)

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Tuesday, bibliophiles, and happy International Women’s Day!

My, two sequel reviews in a row…hmm

I got hooked on the Song of Wraiths and Ruin duology last year after buying book 1 with some of my Christmas money—the cinematic writing style and fast pace made me want so much more in this universe! I wasn’t able to get my hands on a copy from the library until recently, but I’m so glad I did—a breakneck-paced ending to a spectacular fantasy series!

Now, tread lightly! This review may contain spoilers for book 1, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, so if you intend on reading it and haven’t yet, proceed with caution.

For my review of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, click here!

Enjoy this week’s review!

A Psalm of Storms and Silence (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, #2) – Roseanne A. Brown

After Karina’s resurrection of her sister plunges Sonande into chaos, she and Malik must work to pick up the pieces—all while mending the cracks in their relationships.

Disowned by the royal family, Karina sets out to mend the barrier between the mortal and godly after her resurrection ritual. What she finds may mean the difference between complete harmony and absolute anarchy—and an end to Sonande as she knows it. Malik lives in the chaos that Karina’s actions have sown, and his mission is to restore the kingdom to what it once was. But his path is all too similar to Karina’s, and when he discovers that Karina may be the catalyst to prevent total destruction, he must reckon with his feelings for the person he once tried to kill—and now loves.

TW/CW (from Roseanne A. Brown): issues of self-harm, fantasy violence, emotional and physical abuse, anxiety and panic attacks, grooming, and suicidal ideation

I don’t think I’ve been this invested in a fantasy series since Smoke Thieves! It’s a shame that A Psalm of Storms and Silence is the last we’ll see of this universe (for now?), but it was a beautiful end to the series.

It’s not easy to make a fantasy world, but it’s even harder to make a world where you can convincingly narrate it from the perspective of a storyteller narrating the events that unfold before you. Just like Wraiths, Brown’s writing has a uniquely cinematic writing style that makes the world she’s created all the more engaging and compelling. It’s twisty, it’s intricate, it’s multifaceted, and best of all, it’s just plain fun. This was a book that I looked forward to reading every time I had to put it down, and for giving me that much joy, I owe so much to Roseanne A. Brown.

For me, Storms was even better than book 1, although they’re close! What set book 2 apart was how it expanded on the world that was already set forth without info-dumping. We’re introduced to new parts of the story and mythos through the eyes of Karina and Malik, and it made Brown’s already wondrous world feel all the more believable and fascinating to explore.

The new side characters also shone in Storms! There were all sorts of amazing characters introduced throughout the story, and I loved them just as much as Karina, Malik, and the others. All of the god/goddess characters were so creepy and imaginative (think…uh, centipede…centaur?), and I loved having Caracal and Ife tag along on Karina’s journey (both of them are absolute icons). Even though none of the characters I mentioned took the center stage, they felt just as fleshed out as some of the more prominent characters. Also, bonus points for the casual mlm/nonbinary rep!

As a whole, Storms also succeeded in making a sequel that raised the stakes high enough to sustain the rest of the plot but also bring it down so that (most) everything was wrapped up by the time the book ended. It’s a long book, sure, but it hit the perfect balance of creating tension without having to rush everything all in the last few pages. That being said, I did feel the ending was abrupt and a bit rushed, but by the end, everything had concluded in a satisfying way. It was more the timing of the ending than the content of the ending that was the problem.

All in all, a beautiful conclusion to one of my favorite fantasy series in the past few years. 4.25 stars!

A Psalm of Storms and Silence is the final book in the A Song of Wraiths and Ruin duology, preceded by A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. Roseanne A. Brown is also the author of the forthcoming Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Vampire Hunting, slated for release in September of this year.

Today’s song:

That’s it for this week’s Book Review Tuesday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: February 28 – March 6, 2022

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you well.

This week’s been another sort-of-slog, what with even more quizzes to study for and homework to get out of the way. I’ve been whittling away at an eight-and-a-half page research paper for AP Lit, and I finished the rough draft, so at least I have that out of the way. We’ve also been training little Ringo, and the fact that I’ve already given him the nickname “menace to society” should say everything about how it’s going. He’s a good boy, though.

here’s another Ringo picture as a treat

I’ve had a string of great books this week, so I’ve got plenty of choices for my review next week! Incidentally, several of them were sequels, so it was nice to have closure for a handful of duologues that I’ve been enjoying. I’ve been going through my library books and some of the books I got from my English teacher’s decluttering, so that’s been lots of fun. I got some more books at the library yesterday; one of them was the first volume of Heartstopper, which I’ve had on hold for almost two years (yep, that’s how long the wait was), so it better be good…

Other than that, I’ve been drawing a little, enjoying the handful of warm days we had this week (of course, we just got dumped with snow again), playing guitar, and catching up on Raised by Wolves (hhHHHEHSAHASHD WHAT).

Also I’m almost to 500 followers?? HOW DID THAT HAPPEN

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

Devil in the Device (Goddess in the Machine, #2) – Lora Beth Johnson (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The Man Suit – Zachary Schomburg (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)

A Psalm of Storms and Silence (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, #2) – Roseanne A. Brown (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25)

What We Don’t Talk About – Charlot Kristensen (⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The Golden Apples of the Sun (anthology) – Ray Bradbury (⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

POSTS AND SUCH:

LITERALLY JUST THINK TANK SONGS:

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK:

Heartstopper: Volume 1 (Heartstopper, #1) – Alice Oseman

Passing – Nella Larsen

Daughter of the Burning City – Amanda Foody

Love in the Time of Global Warming – Francesca Lia Block

Today’s song:

That’s it for this week in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: January 10-16, 2021

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you well.

This week was my first week back to school, and it hasn’t been all that bad in that respect. Homework is still light at the moment, so I’m enjoying my last vestiges of time where I come home without anything I need to do.

Reading-wise, it’s been a mixed bag. I’ve been going through a combination of my preorders, my library haul, and my comics from last Friday. I had a lot of time to read this week, but my ratings have been all across the board, so…yep. It’s all over the place.

I’ve been getting back into editing my WIP, and I managed to knock out a few of the most important scenes last night! I’m nearly done with the initial run-through, but I need to go through it again (probably several times) for consistency issues and things I want to add in or subtract, so we’ll see how it goes from here.

Other than that, I’ve just been playing Minecraft, drawing when I can, listening to a whole bunch of new singles (Spoon! Mitski! Guerilla Toss! SPIRITUALIZED!!) and playing guitar. I also went to see Danny Elfman perform with the Colorado Symphony on Friday night!! Absolutely magical. I count myself pretty lucky to have seen Danny Elfman live twice in one year.

Snapchat all your friends at schools with warm weather. | Nightmare before christmas, Christmas animated gif, Jack skellington gif

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

The Kindred – Alechia Dow (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The Kindred by Alechia Dow

I’m Not Missing – Carrie Fountain (⭐️⭐️.5)

I'm Not Missing by Carrie Fountain

The Fallen (The Outside, #2) – Ada Hoffmann (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The Fallen: Hoffmann, Ada: 9780857668684: Amazon.com: Books

Fireborne (The Aurelian Cycle, #1) – Rosaria Munda (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Fireborne (The Aurelian Cycle, #1) by Rosaria Munda

Lightless – C.A. Higgins (DNF – ⭐️)

Lightless (Lightless, #1) by C.A. Higgins

POSTS AND SUCH:

SONGS:

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK:

Anthem – Noah Hawley

Anthem: Hawley, Noah: 9781538711514: Amazon.com: Books

Railhead – Philip Reeve (thanks for the rec, Sabrina!)

Amazon.com: Railhead: 9781630790486: Reeve, Philip: Books

Batman: Nightwalker – Marie Lu (adapted by Stuart Moore, illustrated by Chris Wildgoose)

Amazon.com: Batman: Nightwalker (The Graphic Novel): 9781401280048: Moore, Stuart, Lu, Marie, Wildgoose, Chris: Books

The Cost of Knowing – Brittney Morris

Amazon.com: The Cost of Knowing: 9781534445451: Morris, Brittney: Books

Not Your Sidekick – C.B. Lee

Amazon.com: Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad): 9781945053030: Lee, C.B.: Books

Today’s song:

That’s it for this week in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in ARC Reviews, Books

eARC Review: The Girl Who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Fly

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Wednesday, bibliophiles!

This novel is certainly one of the better eARCs I’ve gotten in my (short, granted) time using Edelweiss. I’m so excited for it’s release–it stands out so much in the grand scheme of YA, mostly in that it’s unafraid to not take itself seriously. Delightfully bizarre and oddly poignant, The Girl Who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Fly is one of the most unique novels I’ve read in a long time.

Enjoy this review!

The Girl Who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Fly ...

The Girl Who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Fly–Sybil Lamb

Eggs is a homeless girl with a unique talent; she has mastered the art of flight. Every day, she can be seen leaping from the rooftops in the ramshackle city that she calls home, never once touching solid ground. In her flights across the town, she befriends Grack, a hot dog vendor who sells every kind of hot dog imaginable, and Splendid Wren, a hippie who is willing to give Eggs a place in her home. Grack and Wren join forces to try and protect Eggs, but all of their efforts may be in vain after she gets on the wrong side of Robin, a notorious troublemaker. Will Eggs be able to find her way out of this sticky situation?

The Girl Who was Convinced Beyond all Reason that She could ...
Art by Sybil Lamb

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Arsenal Pulp Press for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Though rather short, The Girl Who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Fly was a treat to read. Whimsical, humorous, and unique, this novel is one to look out for, a delightful romp across city rooftops.

Eggs was such a precocious character, and I loved tagging along on her adventures across the city. Grack and Wren were likewise humorous, and paired well with Eggs’ chaotic, misfit nature. Their friendship and willingness to take Eggs under their wing(s) (no pun intended…wait, would that be considered a pun? Beats me…) made for a lovely story to read.

Lamb’s writing was as unique as the characters–it had an almost matter-of-fact tone to it, while still being wonderfully whimsical and witty. I’m not sure if Sybil Lamb is British or not, but either way, the writing is packed with classic, British humor, sure to please fans of Monty Python–or to get them started on such media. Needless to say, this book got a laugh out of me several times.

There wasn’t too much “action,” per se, until the last 80% of the novel, and honestly, that perfectly fit with the story. It wasn’t meant to be a serious adventure–it’s more of a cheerful romp, than anything, a very feel-good sort of story. The ending, without spoiling anything, was bittersweet, but beautifully poignant.

The synopsis on Goodreads says that it’s suitable for ages 14+, but I’d say that it would be suitable for some younger ages (though not too young) as well; aside from the aforementioned action scene, I can only remember one mild swear, and not much else that would scar someone younger than 14. The Girl Who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Fly could be enjoyed by preteens, young adults, and adults, in my opinion.

All in all, a delightfully odd novel that stands out in the YA genre. 4 stars!

MRW my wife goes for the prostate and I don't even flinch - GIF on ...

Expected release date: November 10, 2020

Today’s song:

That’s it for this eARC review! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!