Introducing my new series – the one where I recall everything I read and watched over the course of the last month. If you’re feeling nosy, this one’s for you!
Hi there! Today’s post is kicking of a NEW series here on Dream in Lace where I recap everything I read and watched in a month.
In some ways this is honestly for me, because I think it will be kind of fun to look back on these posts at the end of the year. In other ways, I’m sharing this simply because I’m nosy and so enjoy reading similar style posts from anyone and everyone else. What can I say? It just fascinates me to know what is on your “Recently Watched” list on Netflix and what books you’ve been reading on your Kindle.
So this year, you can look forward to me recounting everything I’ve read and watched in these chatty recap-style posts. Super casual!
Given that it’s the dead of winter, I spent quite a bit of time indoors in January. That said, I’m a bit disappointed in myself that I didn’t manage to read more than one book. (I did read a lot of blogs, though, but foolishly didn’t write those down and can’t recall specifics off the top of my head. Drrr.)
Viewing wise, I dove into the new season of True Detective as well as some throwback films. Initially I went into the month thinking I’d be getting into The Bachelor…but in the end I lasted about 20 minutes into the new season’s premiere and that was that. Shucks! Enjoy looking through everything I read/watched below and be sure to let me know what you got up to in January 2019 as well!
WHAT I READ IN JANUARY 2019
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
The Synopsis:
Set far into the future, society has conquered hunger, disease, war and even death. Everyone lives in harmony with no crime or poverty. Of course, there has to be a catch somewhere in this utopia and the catch is a body of scythes are the masters of death. As somewhat of a checks and balances system to keep the population in check, scythes have the power (and duty) to kill people.
Teenaged Citra and Rowan are both chosen as apprentices to a scythe – a role that neither wants. In their apprenticeship they learn to master the “art” of taking life …all while knowing that failure means the loss of their own.
I told myself I was going to read AT LEAST one book a month in 2019 and so far…I’ve read one book. But at least it’s one I’ve been wanting to read for an incredibly long time! With an intriguing premise and a Printz award for excellence in young adult fiction, Scythe has been on my radar for a while now. In fact, I think I’ve had the ebook on hold at my library for the better part of five months. Seriously.
Given that Brave New World is far and above my favorite book of all time, I feel like I was predisposed to love Scythe. I love a good, thought-provoking tale about hypothetical societies born from advancements in technology. That said, I honestly didn’t expect this to blow my mind as much as it did. If you’re looking for a well thought out, fast-paced read…I highly suggest you pick this up. Without giving anything away, I’ll just say this was everything I hoped it would be and more!
VegNews Magazine
Late last year I received a subscription to VegNews from my mom and step-dad as a birthday gift and I was thrilled to receive my first issue this month. The magazine is geared to those living a vegan / plant-based lifestyle and includes recipes, inspiring stories, wellness tips, news on plant-based living, etc. Since basically no one in my everyday life is a vegan but me, it can sometimes feel a bit lonely…so having encouraging reading material like this is a big help!
In addition to the print magazine, I also discovered this month that VegNews routinely updates their website with content AND they have a free monthly e-newsletter. So if you’re vegan, definitely check it out! (Or even if you’re not vegan, there’s lots of interesting information.)
Everything I Watched in January 2019
Netflix + Hulu Fyre Festival Documentaries
If you’re not familiar with the whole mess, the Fyre Festival was promoted by the likes of Kendall Jenner and Hailey Baldwin to be the “ultimate” musical festival. Thousands of people dropped thousands (upwards of $50k) on a luxury musical festival in the Bahamas only to be met with hurricane disaster-relief tents for lodging and cheese sandwiches for food. Oh, did I mention there wasn’t really any music either?
It was such a disaster that not just one but TWO documentaries were made about the festival…and I highly suggest checking them out.
Working in marketing and events, it was fascinating on a professional level to watch it all play out. On a human level? It was even more fascinating! The both documentaries show how fans were influenced to buy into a luxury musical festival without any concrete information and the hoops the planners went through to keep the ball rolling…even when they were WAY in over their heads.
(Worth noting that while the Netflix documentary is great…I did prefer the Hulu one. I mean, it uses Siri as a narration device so c’mon.)
Never Been Kissed (1999)
One Sunday afternoon, I was browsing through HBO looking for a feel good movie to watch while editing photos and I landed on rewatching this gem for probably the twentieth time. You know a comedy is brilliant when it withstands the test of time and this rom-com starring Drew Barrymore absolutely has.
Never Been Kissed follows a Chicago Tribune reporter who goes undercover at a local high school. While undercover, she relives the horrors of her geeky past all while finally coming into her own and getting her first “real” kiss.
True Detective Season 3 (2019)
Finally the long-awaited third season of True Detective hit HBO this month and I was of course immediately there on premiere night. Obviously there’s not too much I can really say about the new series without giving away spoilers – but the case follows two missing kids and the lead detective is played by Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali.
If, like me, you loved the first season of True Detective but thought the second season fell a little (okay a lot) flat…I think you’ll be happy to see the direction this season takes. It has a different cast and storyline than season one, but very much revisits that same haunting atmosphere that everyone fell in love with. It also revisits the idea of storytelling through both present-day scenes and flashbacks.
A Star is Born (2018)
The digital version of A Star is Born hit iTunes and Amazon on January 15…and I was there buying it about two minutes after midnight.
If you haven’t yet seen A Star is Born, I strongly urge you to do so. It’s pretty rare when a film lives up to the hype it receives – let alone exceeds it – but Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga absolutely pulled it off. It’s a rather dark tale, but one that hits you in the gut and lingers in your thoughts for days to come. Add to that a phenomenal soundtrack, slam-dunk performances, beautiful cinematography and great writing…and you can pretty much guarantee I’ll be loving this film for years to come.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Season 8)
At long last, I got to tackling the first eight episodes of RHOBH season 8 in January. After the bunny scene and all the season 7 reunion nonsense, I did actually think I was done with the show altogether. Then…I had second thoughts late in the month when wanting something mindlessly entertaining that I could watch while editing/doing other things.
Sure, I still think the show is bonkers and Dorit is the most insufferable person on the planet, but so far I find season 8 pretty fun to watch. The way these ladies fight about the smallest thing for weeks on and end will never cease to crack me up, apparently. Also, I really like the newest housewife Teddi. She’s level-headed and brings a different kind of energy to the group that the show really needed.
Gaslight (1944)
One snowy Saturday afternoon, I got it in my head that I really wanted to watch a classic film alongside my bowl of hot vegetable soup. It sounds kind of weird, but I actually got it in my mind that I wanted to see Gaslight when reading The Woman in the Window last year. That book makes a lot of references to film noir and while reading I made a running list of the films mentioned that I hadn’t yet seen in my phone.
Gaslight is your classic woman is slowly manipulated by her husband into thinking she’s going insane tale. *wink*
It features a YOUNG Angela Lansbury in a supporting role and was nominated for seven Academy Awards. The haunting tone and classic black-and-white film made this the perfect watch for a cold winter’s afternoon. I’m also pleased as punch that iTunes had this available for rent! (Their classic film library is a bit so so…if you know what I mean.)
Flower (2018)
Flower is an Indie comedy (of sorts) that you can find on Hulu. It stars Zoey Deutch (Vampire Academy, Set It Up) and tells the story of a sassy 17-tear-old girl named Erica who lives with her single mom and her mom’s boyfriend, Bob, in LA’s San Fernando Valley. Erica, her teen sidekicks and Bob’s mentally unstable son, Luke, team up to learn a teacher’s dark secret. From there, things get interesting.
Overall, Flower was a fun off-beat comedy. It is of the same breed as Perks of Being a Wallflower and is a decent coming-of-age story that has a pretty fun script. If I was to give them film a grade, I think I’d award it a B. Fun!
What Did You Watch and Read in January?
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XOXO
Kelly
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