Review: So Much Blue

Title So Much Blue
By Percival Everett
Genre Adult Fiction Literary
Format Print
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Kevin Pace is an artist. He's been working on his masterpiece. A 12 x 21 foot canvas covered in shades of blue. No one, not even his wife or children are allowed to see it. As he recalls the past events of his life, two instances stand out. Could these instances be the inspiration for his painting? And why can't he let anyone see it?


First Sentence
I will begin with dimensions.


These Tournament of Books, books make me feel so well read. ;) I'm not really because apparently Percival Everett is a somewhat famous author who has written over 20 other books and some have won awards. I, however, had never heard of him before this book.

It started off rather slow and I read about 25 pages and thought about giving up but when I picked it up again I got sucked right in. The main character, Kevin, recounts two past events in his life, an affair he had with a much younger french girl 10 years ago and a trip he took to a war torn El Salvador with his best friend in 1979 to find his best friends little brother and the events that happened there that altered his life forever. He also recounts what's happening in his life currently with a devastating secret his 16 year old daughter has asked him to keep.

The book jumps in time from these events in the past and the present and it all comes together in such a beautiful way that in the very last paragraph of the book I was staring at the book thinking, "Oh, wow". (In a good way)

While I found the main character, Kevin, infuriating, selfish and annoying at times, I also tried very hard to be patient and open minded about him. And I felt like, in the end, he redeemed his character in my eyes.

I've heard this isn't even close to Everett's best work and I might just have to give him another go. Anytime a book can leave you feeling this reverenced at its close is glorious praise for the author and his work, don't you think?

Should you read it
I think this one is most definitely worth a read.  

Review: Idaho

Title Idaho
By Emily Ruskovich
Genre Adult Literary Fiction
Format Audio
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Follows the life of three ladies and the tragic event that bring them together.


First Sentence
They never drove the truck, except once or twice a year to get firewood.





Another Tournament of Books read! Some of these are far too deep but this one was more relatable and more like a typical story.

I was about half way through this one when my friend who got me interested in this Tournament of Books informed me that you don't get answers to some of the questions. And, boy, am I glad she warned me. I might have been peeeesed off. The story isn't necessarily about what happened as much as it is about the results of it happening. Does that make sense?

It was an interesting read and while it's not the best Tournament book I've read, I liked it.

There's a song that plays an important role in this one and I'm very happy I listened to the audio of this one because I got to hear the song. A song that the author's dad wrote for the book. Fun little fact and I'm glad I got to hear it.

I was amazed at these women's ability to forgive and act so reasonably. There's no way I could have handled things like they did. I think that might have been the message of this one. Moving on and not dwelling.

Oi! I should not be writing reviews right now. I feel a bit loopy and unfocused today. Forgive my ramblings.

Should you read it
   Some of these Tournament books are hard to recommend but this one is worth a read and easy to recommend.

TV Talk Sundays #1

It's been while...like a ridiculously long time...since I talked TV. I don't watch nearly as many shows as I used to but I still watch some stuff and with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon series becoming a thing I decided it was time to talk TV again so I thought I'd devote Sundays to TV Talk.

Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming
(On TV Now)

Jane the Virgin
I've watched this show from the beginning. I love it. It's ridiculous and overly dramatic but get in the right mind set and it's thoroughly enjoyable. This season has been a bit all over the place. I'm getting a bit tired of the on again off again relationship between Jane and Raphael. I'm not sure what I think about recent developments but am willing to watch it all play out.

The Gifted
I'll watch just about anything with mutants. The first season of this one was just OK for me. I was invested enough to watch it all the way through but only found it so so. I'm not sure if it will come back for a second season but if it does I might give it a few more episodes.

The Good Doctor
I freaking LOVE this show. Freddy Highmore has my heart strings tied to him. Every move he makes in this one just gets to me. I've been very invested in this season and really hope they pick it up for more seasons. Have you seen this one? If not, you need to go watch it! It has all the fun of a medical show with a just the right amount of drama.

 The Resident 
Here we have a doctor show that's a bit heavy on the drama. This one just started and I'm liking it but as I mentioned, it is a bit overly dramatic. I think Dr. Bell is a complete dick! After the very first scene, though, I think we're supposed to hate him. Well, job well done! I can't stand him! As much as I want to hate Dr. Hawkins (because I hated him as Logan in Gilmore Girls) I find him likable. Weird. Emily VanCamp as Nicolette is strange after her role in Revenge. I find her a bit too squeaky clean and the plot device of her as Hawkin's conscience a bit tiresome and overused. I don't mention Dr. Feldman because I find him boring. I think he's supposed to be the relatable Dr but he's as dry as burnt toast.
I'll be sticking with this one though. I'm a sucker for medical shows.

 9-1-1
This show is ridiculous. It's fast paced and addictive as hell but I find the emergencies absolutely crazy. It would be OK to have a slightly more believable albeit "boring" emergency to happen. I'm invested in the cast's lives, though and want more.














Netflix Series 
(Currently Watching)

 Stranger Things
I think it's safe to say I love this one. They need a new enemy though. I didn't like that she defeated Demogorgon but at the end it was all, maybe she didn't. I hate that.

The Crown
I'm only a few episodes in to season two so no spoilers please! I really hate that every one else's life get destroyed just so the royal family looks good. And does anyone else struggle to feel sympathy for Elizabeth? She's so prudish and proper. Geeze! Lighten up. Have a heart!













I won't mention all the other Netflix series I'm watching right now because I'm not watching them. Meaning I'm in the middle of them but haven't watched them for some time. I am looking forward to the new season of Jessica Jones though.

Friday Flicks: The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman
Rating ★★

What It's About 
A VERY loosely based account of P.T Barnum with songs every 5 seconds.

I've been so hesitant to see this. I don't mind musicals but I'd only heard one song from it before seeing it and was unimpressed so I was imagining hating all the songs and being bored out of my mind.

And I was bored out of my mind. BUT I liked quite a few of the songs. I actually ended up humming the song that I'd heard before I'd seen it after I saw it. Strange, right? It was This Is Me. I also really liked the song Jenny Lind sang but really hated her. He doesn't like her so she screws him over and refuses to finish the tour? Talk about a woman scorned. Geeze!

My husband read up on P.T Barnum after the movie and said there was very, VERY little truth in the movie which I suspected but still found depressing.

BUT at least Zac Efron was in it. He's kind of annoying but not bad to look at. Not bad at all. And he had a great voice (No I haven't seen The High School Musical Movies). I liked his voice much better than Jackman's.

So besides some eye candy and a few catchy tunes, I found this one rather slow and boring and I felt completely out of place in the theater. I could tell everyone loved it and a lot of them has seen it before and were trying really hard not to sing along and dance. I think my husband liked it more than me which I found shocking. Oh well.

Let's Talk 
Is the catchy music and the eye candy what everyone else loved? Do we even care about plot anymore? I mean, this one had a plot but it was a made up plot about a real person.

Recommendation
I'd wait till it was on Netflix.

Review: The Night Circus

Title The Night Circus
By Erin Morgenstern
Genre Adult Fiction Fantasy
Format Print
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Two magicians, a duel, a magical circus and an epic love.

First Sentence
The circus arrives without warning.








I think I'm the last person in the world to read this book. At least the last person in the bookish world. I tried reading it five years ago but I was on a European cruise at the time and in the throes of twitterpation with my husband (then, boyfriend) and it just wasn't happening. I knew I needed to give it another try and it seemed like now was as good a time as any.

I must say I'm not sure what everyone saw in this one. As you can see by my rating I didn't hate it, I thought it was quite beautiful discovering all the circus's magic but I found it slow. And don't have a problem with slow books. Not everything needs to be fast paced and frantic but I do need a plot in all that slowness and the plot was almost non existent in this one. I felt like we were supposed to be invested in Marco and Celia's relationship but I was far more into Bailey and Poppet's.

So, yeah, I was hoping to love it not just be luke warm about it. I needed more story and less instalove.

Should you read it
You haven't? Um, OK. Sure.