Stories I Ate in February & March

Movies

• Rent Live
• I was excited to see this rendition of the classic musical (although I have never seen the original). I really enjoy most of Fox's live musicals and this one was no exception. The cast was amazing, the quality of the production was incredible, and of course the story line and music had so much integrity. 
• A+

TV Shows

• Queer Eye - season 2
• I had previously watched season 1 over the summer with one of my best friends who was trying to get me into the show. For whatever reason, I didn't continue until recently. And I loved every minute. 
• A+
• Queer Eye - season 3
• Just as good, if not better, than the previous seasons. I loved that they were in KC, it gave a different tone to the show. 
• A+

Books

• Words on Bathroom Walls - Julia Walton
• The story was intriguing. I liked how mental illness was depicted, especially the relationships of people with mental illness and those that they care about. 
• B
• Lucky - Alice Sebold
• From the very first page, I knew that my heart was going to be all over the place while reading this. In all honesty, if it was not for a class, I don't know if I would have continued after the first chapter. Those pages threw me into a bit of a panic attack. It was very vivid. However, I am glad that I continued. It gave me an interesting and valuable perspective on how rape is handled, by the criminal justice system, by the victims, but also by the families and friends of those victims. 
• A+
• On The Come Up - Angie Thomas
• I was so scared that this would not hold up to THUG; however, I was not disappointed. It was incredible and I want a movie version sooooooo bad. 
• A++++++

The Complete Persepolis ~ Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up.

Edgy, searingly observant, and candid, often heartbreaking but threaded throughout with raw humor and hard-earned wisdom--Persepolis is a stunning work from one of the most highly regarded, singularly talented graphic artists at work today.

I do not read many graphic novels, let alone memoirs in the form of a graphic novel; however, I made the exception for The Complete Persepolis. Although the book was originally published in the early 2000s, I had not heard anything about it until last year. Last year, I noticed some of my favorite booktubers mentioning that they had either read it and enjoyed it or had wanted to read it.

I read the entire novel in two days. It really was eye-opening. In school, we never really learned about any war that didn't pertain to the United States in a huge way (i.e. the World Wars or the Revolutionary War or the Civil War or the Vietnam War).  Therefore, I knew very little about the Iranian Revolution, which Marjane lived through. The book starts when she is very young and follows her throughout her early adulthood. It gives a unique look into a family whose views were vastly different from their country's, who were unafraid yet careful in how they rebelled, etc.

The artistic style of the illustrations reminds me a lot of a simple cartoon in a newspaper, but it worked really well for this story. There was no color which allowed for your imagination to take over, but still, have a guide of what was really happening. Although the main theme of the book revolved around the Iranian Revolution, you also witness Marjane deal with personal conflicts that have little to do with the Revolution yet everything to do with the Revolution because it is her life; such as, her relationships, friendships, identity struggles, grief, etc.

Pages: 341                                                                                                                               Rate: 5/5

January Stories I Ate This Month

Movies

•  Night School
• My friend and I wanted to watch something light-hearted and funny one night so we rented Night School because it had both Tiffany Haddish (whom we love) and Kevin Hart (whom I find hilarious). It was exactly what we expected it to be, not some cinematic masterpiece but it had a decent plot and flowing storyline. 
• B 

TV Shows

• Brooklynn Nine-Nine (season 1)
• I had heard a lot of good things about Brooklynn 99 and so I decided to watch it from the beginning. I had previously just seen random episodes when there was nothing else on TV that interested me. I'm so glad I started it because now I have a new obsession!
• A+
• Brooklynn Nine-Nine (season 2)
• A+
• Brooklynn Nine-Nine (season 3)
• A+
• Brooklynn Nine-Nine (season 4)
• A+
• Brooklynn Nine-Nine (season 5)
• Now I am all caught up and am able to watch season 6 as it comes out every week! So pleased with this development. 
• A+
• Thirteen (season 1) 
• Once I finished Brooklynn Nine-Nine, I needed something else to binge. I decided to browse tv shows included with my Amazon Prime Video membership. Thirteen is a BBC thriller show. It has kept me on the edge of my seat, for sure.
• A

 Audiobooks

• Becoming ~ Michelle Obama
• Although Michelle ruined my hopes that she would run for the presidency in 2020 or ever for that matter, I am so happy with this book. I loved that she read the audiobook as well because as I've said before that always adds so much authenticity. Despite the disaster that is our political climate right now, she gave me hope that things will get better if we work hard enough we will get back to the days of Obama. 
• A+

Books

• Escaping from Houdini ~ Kerri Maniscalco (the third in the Stalking Jack The Ripper Series)
• Another incredible installment to this series! I am beyond excited to follow Audrey and Thomas on their next adventure in the final book coming out this year. 
• A+
• The Complete Persepolis ~ Marjane Satrapi
• Graphic novel memoirs are not something that I read often but I'm so glad that I read this one. It gave me some major insight on the Iranian Revolution. 
• A+
• Crazy Rich Asians ~ Kevin Kwan
• I have been thinking about reading this ever since I realized how well the movie did. Now I want to watch the movie because the book was so unique. I loved that it was set in Singapore (a country I know very little about) and that the characters used their native language often. I really loved the family dynamics though, even though I hated some of the characters with a passion.
• B+

Series Review: Stalking Jack The Ripper 1-3 ~ Kerri Maniscalco

Over the past few months, I have been absorbed into this Victorian time period, murder mystery, thriller series. I've been following along as Audrey Rose defied her father in order to pursue her passion, a passion that was meant to be handled by non-religious men, not proper young women like herself. I've watched as she navigated loss, fear, and other intense feelings. I've witnessed her be accepted by her father, sent to a school of all men, fall in love, autopsy many dead, and solve the various gruesome murders. I have been engrossed since page one of Stalking Jack the Ripper and it has continued throughout the entire series thus far.

I am so excited for the final book that will be coming out this year. Maniscalco has done an impeccable job at keeping readers engrossed and on the edge of our seats. There have been various times where I have had to put the books down to do something else, but all I could do was think about the books. Obsession? Yeah, probably.

Book #1 Rate: 5/5
Book #2 Rate: 5/5
Book #3 Rate: 5/5