What I Read This Month: March

Hi! So I'm back with our third installment of What I Read This Month. I'm tempted to change the name to WIBR as an add-on to the WIBW series, especially since both posts go up on the same day, but I haven't made up my mind yet. I keep slipping and calling it WIBR so that's probably an indication that I need to change the name. Anyway, since I wasn't much good to anyone for most of the month, I had a little more time to read. I think there's a little more variety in this month's list as well so I hope you enjoy. I cut out summaries this month in favor of just sharing my thoughts about the book. I'm still tweaking how I want to do these posts so bear with me for a little while. Let's get to the books!

Cruel Justice: Lorne Simpkins #1 by M.A. Comley

I wasn't sure how I felt about this book immediately after I finished reading it. My immediate reaction to it was 'eh,' but I've noticed I feel like that about a lot of books and just need some time to process how I felt about it. As for this one, I enjoyed the plot. I enjoyed the different perspectives, from the victim, killer, and police sides of the story. Knowing the bits about the victims that hadn't yet been revealed to the main characters helped me as the reader approach things from a more thorough standpoint, to see what details they missed, what details were important, etc. and reading how the investigation was going helped me to see just how close...or far...they were to closing in on the killer with the details I'd picked up from their side of things. I liked that there was conflict on Lorne's team that was resolved honestly and without the person being involved in the murders. I also really liked the backstory of how the killer came to be, why they chose the people they chose, for their crimes. You can see, maybe not understand because we're not killers, but put the pieces together as to why the person snapped and I think stories like that are always better than those with serial killers who have no method to their madness. It was nicely done. I'm getting ready to complain about something related to this subject, but I appreciate the attention to Lorne's marital issues and a reaction that feels realistic. I felt bad that nobody in Lorne's life seemed to understand or have any desire to be there for her but I've noticed this to be the case in many police thrillers.

There were a couple of plotholes in the book that I didn't have cleared up by the end, but the main sore thumb of this book was Lorne's husband's behavior throughout. The guy starts the book having a drunken meltdown and taking swipes at her, then Lorne understands how he became so resentful, then she complains about the various mood swings, then she just wants her husband back, then he finally up and leaves her but by the end of the book, all is well again. How? Plot summaries from future books tell me that the two eventually get divorced, but I didn't understand why the book ended on such an unrealistically happy note when the two had been fighting from damn near the first page. Another plot point I didn't understand was the whole angle with the doc. The 180 he did towards Lorne was so abrupt it almost looked suspicious lol, I was convinced for most of the book following the shift that he was attempting to get close to her because he had something to do with the murders. I was wrong, but I just didn't get it. My next point is minor, but I didn't understand the need for all the fat references and derogatory observations surrounding overweight people. They didn't seem necessary and the book would have been fine without them. Other than these things, I didn't have too many issues with the book. I thought it was a solid thriller and the cliffhanger at the end had me quite intrigued as to how this saga continues.

My rating: 

Marking Time by Marie Force

I didn't read the first book in this series, but this follow-up is after Claire comes out of the coma and begins to rebuild her life. I liked her but I felt like her emotions were a bit too muted, a bit too passive, for everything she had to face in such a short period of time and I wish there'd been more emotional impact. That's probably just me because I'm a hothead, but to me it looked like she lacked depth. I appreciated the array of emotions she experienced, but they didn't seem to have that real oomph and impact I was looking for. Most of Claire's emotions revolved around her heartbreak and eventual acceptance and I liked the different scenarios throughout the book that brought these feelings into the light. I also liked how it became a point for her to regain her independence and find out who she was again; I desperately wanted her to end the book happy without her now-ex husband and she did. I wish there'd been a bit more perspective on how her ex and kids feel about her being around again because to be honest she seemed to be more of a footnote in their lives. I expected for there to be a little more determination and effort as she attempted to reintegrate herself, but there really wasn't. I understood that everyone had since formed new lives, partially to accommodate the reality that she may never awaken, but it also seemed like they didn't much need her anymore. I felt she became a bit of a footnote in her own story, especially in comparison to the development of Kate's story with Reid. I enjoyed the two of them together regardless of the age difference and I wish Claire hadn't been so judgmental about it. This seems to be a recurring topic for me lately; if you read today's WIBW post you'll know what I mean.

I liked the book and am glad almost everyone ended this one happy, but for me I never quite got that emotional kick I was expecting to receive while I was reading. I would still recommend this, though, despite the more critical tone you've probably gotten from the rest of this paragraph. It was a wonderful example of how shitty things sometimes happen to good people and that sometimes, you have to wade through a long tunnel of it in order to get to the sunshine on the other end. There were no villains in this book, nobody that you could blame the bad events on. Well, other than the primary villain but I believe that was covered in the previous book. As for this book, everything that happened, good or bad, was just the natural progression of life and that made certain events painfully realistic. I kept wanting the ex-husband to do something that made him fall from Claire's pedestal, do something irredeemable to help her move on. When he didn't and continued to be the person she was in love with but couldn't have, it killed me because it was so much more realistic. Claire rebuilding her life didn't take the usual book skeleton by being jilted by a douchebag ex-lover, she went through a traumatic situation she wasn't expected to heal from and woke up to a world drastically different from the one she fell asleep in. It hurts but makes the healing process much more intense to read. I liked that and overall, I enjoyed the book.

My rating: 

Missing People

Even though October isn't for another 7 months, to the day, actually, I try to find inspiration and potential post topics for my ATV series Octoberfest throughout the rest of the year. It helps a lot come September--when I usually prep the series--if I already have topics on the list to research and try to build posts around. If you've never been a part of ATV Octoberfest, it's my monthly tribute to the creepy and gory, but keeping in tune with the vintage theme of the blog I make the '70s my cut off date. Anyway, when I saw that this book's timespan was 100 years I immediately thought of Octoberfest and if there was anything I could use as a base for research. I did find a couple of names that could bear more research and could potentially be used for the series, but I was annoyed that there were as many grammatical errors as there were. I don't normally go on about a book with errors, especially if I can still understand the point being conveyed, but there were a few too many for me to overlook it. It would have been beneficial for the author to give the book to a set of fresh eyes before publication to catch the various mistakes. Other than that, I liked the cases discussed in the book. Many of the cases probably weren't mysterious enough to be covered by national news when they happened, so I do like that there seems to be an effort to include stories that weren't as widely circulated as others. I also appreciate that different perspectives and reports related to the cases were discussed rather than it just being a full opinion piece as to what happened to the people involved. My primary complaint with Missing People all comes down to the various errors; they take away from the rest of the book.

My rating: 

Promises of Mercy by Vella Day

This was an inoffensive menage romance and I enjoyed it, even if I found it maybe the slightest bit stale. I liked Amber, but she was a little too flighty for the wrong reasons. Busy schedules equate to her as not being able to find love with them, which makes no sense whatsoever. Being frustrated about the lack of time with both makes sense, but she takes it to a level that doesn't add up, especially considering one of the men's schedules is busy partially because he's attempting to keep her safe. Overall though, I did like her--she'd been through a lot, wanted to finally have some lasting happiness in her life, and having her closest brother murdered in her hospital right under her nose must have been traumatizing. Having frayed nerves and developing a fear of abandonment kind of made sense but sometimes it was a little irritating to keep seeing her think about pulling back simply because the men get busy with work. Cade and Stone were great, if not a bit bland, but I liked that the author made a point to show us the differences between each man. I felt like there wasn't enough attention to the story between the mens' friendship with each other; even though we saw how much they loved Amber and their genuine appreciation for each other as best friends, there wasn't a lot of attention paid to building dialogue between them apart from the case that drew them to Amber. It wasn't very in-depth and I would have been more invested in them had there been a little more detail. I don't have too much to add about the book; it was okay but wasn't the most memorable menage I've read.

My rating: 

Embracing My Submission #1 by Jenna Jacob

I thought this book was a good look into the BDSM lifestyle, both the good and bad. I appreciated that there was attention paid to the 'wrong' type of person looking to gain something from being a Dom, as I feel its an oft-overlooked part of the lifestyle. The 'wrong' Dom boyfriend in these books is always a previous boyfriend, set before the events in the book, who is the oft-mentioned, never seen villain our hero has to contend with when trying to win over his heroine. This book explored that by making the heroine, and by default the reader, attracted to him, only for all of us to be wrong about him. A very realistic mistake was made in the book with the heroine misjudging someone she was drawn to, a common mistake many of us, whether we partake in the lifestyle or not, tend to make with potential partners. Some of those mistakes get past our internal alarms, some of them get through the vetting process of friends and family, and then they reveal their true selves. BDSM-related activities aside, I thought the experience I'm referencing played out rather realistically, if not a bit abrupt but sometimes it's like that. Putting the BDSM activities back into the situation, to try and force someone to submit to them by assaulting them with the attempt of raping them at ANY time but especially when they're still in subspace is a really shitty thing to do. I could rant about that for a minute but the point I'm making is that I liked that common stereotypes and cliches often associated with the BDSM community were addressed in a way that felt natural to the book. It was a good look into a submissive's mind and how one can be broken of their inner brat without exclusively employing violence, something that series like 50 Shades of Grey could stand to learn. lol It was a learning experience, both for our heroine and for those looking to learn more about BDSM and different types of relationships that exist within the lifestyle. I loved that there was a gay D/s relationship in there, front and center, because not only is that another oft-overlooked angle not typically explored in hetero-geared books, but the manner in which it existed was not to employ derogatory or stereotypical cliches. The added bonus of said D/s relationship is how it relates to our heroine, which I don't want to spoil but I think made the book overall, especially the D/s dynamic, more unique. I also really enjoyed that the hero of the book was a man of color. He was an ideal Master for a ton of people, in terms of character traits. The 'supernatural' bit of the book, if you can call it that, was a nice addition to further the point that the hero and heroine should be together. I too have crazy ass dreams, so I liked that her dreams had a focal point in dictating her future. It wasn't employed in the usual way you read about someone's dreams playing a role in their future, with some bigger picture to worry about or some ghost/zombie/spirit to fight, but just a friendly dream nudge in the right direction. This book had a lot in it that I think, if the author's skills were lacking, would not have worked at all. But it did work, and quite well.

As for things I disliked....none immediately come to mind but when I think more about it, I almost disliked Mika. He was almost too perfect. lol I don't actually have a problem with it; it just serves as another reminder that flesh and blood men oftentimes don't can't live up to the men in our minds. LOL I had a con with the book but I think I understood why it was there so it didn't really count anymore--without spoiling too much, Julianna, our heroine, thought she was getting into one type of relationship but it was actually another and she didn't find out until later, validating her fear of not being in control. I understood that this was part of her building trust in Mika, but I'm also a skittish gal so I understood her apprehension. I thought this was a great story, if not dragged out just a touch long, and I'm open to reading more installments in the series.

My rating: 

Crime Lord's Captive by Mia Knight

I wanted to like this book, but I found it infuriated me the further into it I got. The heroine's weakness made sense--at first--because the supposed hero of the book literally stole her life right from under her and she was dragged back into a life she'd finally escaped from. But her resistance crumbles fairly quickly, and then she seems to forget that her 'hero' is a murderous, abusive psychopath. I'm annoyed that this book was made to appear sexy, alluring and slightly dangerous when what it really is is a cautionary tale to not confuse dangerous with abusive. I'm very firmly in the minority though, as the Amazon reviews are glowing and the book is highly rated. People are in love with this series and its characters. I, however, found Crime Lord's Captive hard to root for anyone, found it hard to enjoy and nearly impossible to finish. I didn't see any growth, any progression, any redemption. And there's a series based off of these characters! I couldn't do it. I think maybe its a matter of personal preference so don't take this as a knock on the author--the Las Vegas she fleshed out was so realistic and descriptive I was sure it was based off of someone's actual life lol--and her writing skills are without question. She did an amazing job creating these characters, the world they live in, and establishing a basis to build an entire series from. That's no easy feat. It's hard creating a world in which people are layered and still unredeemable, but she did that. I don't know if that was the intention, but that's what I came away from it with. I thought this was going to be a story about a person being taken captive and changing the crime lord's mind over time so the two fall in love, or about a woman who gets taken captive and eventually gets away from the man who ruined her life. Crime Lord's Captive was neither. Again, this isn't a critique about the author at all. The other reviews are positive and probably loads more helpful than mine. lol  This just wasn't a book for me and if you're not into reading about emotionally abusive situations or are easily triggered by them, this isn't a book for you either. 

My rating: 

Why Men and Women Can't Be Friends by Oliver Markus Malloy

Even though my overall opinion is that this is a sexist, vulgar look into relations between men and women, I can't deny that it had some blunt truths in it. While the vast majority of men I've met do nothing to rid my impressions of men as gassy, lumbering cavemen who think with the wrong head and lack depth or secret r/niceguys with a douchebag complex, I have met a few who aren't quite as surface level as this book implies. Neither sex is quite as simple-minded. We certainly can be, but I wouldn't generalize it that way. It was as amusing as it was irritating to follow along with the author as he shared his thoughts on how he feels women think and what shapes our interactions with men. There were some points of truth, but there were a lot of parts where I could see that his personality shapes a lot of how he perceives both genders but more specifically how he perceives women to think and behave. In theory, I understand some of his points. For example, he says that all men would be rapists if it weren't for the law. And for quite a few men, I believe this to be the case in a way. Many women, survivors and otherwise, have met men who, instinctively, we know would absolutely take without asking if not for their fear of the law and its repercussions. But at the same time, the #metoo movement is a direct contradiction of that mentality. The blunt truth of the matter is that if a man wants to rape a woman, he will. And vice versa. The law doesn't deter all sexual assault and it's pretty stupid, especially in today's society, to say that the law successfully deters rape with a rape-specific movement in the foreground. It's stupid and tone-deaf as fuck to even put such an idea out there right now.

One thing I did appreciate was the tone. I appreciated that his thoughts were unfiltered and blunt, even the thoughts I didn't agree with. I liked that his sentiments weren't wrapped in a flowery tone. He expressed everything in this really dry, blunt style that made the book easier to read. The tone was rather condescending from a woman's point of view and that I could have done without lol, but I appreciate that he was real about it. While I disagreed with a healthy amount of this book, there was a lot that, minus the snark and condescension, I agreed with as well. It's not an awful book, just a judgmental one. I can see a lot of people on both sides of the fence agreeing with the points stated in the book, and I can also see a lot of people on both sides of the fence--but probably more women than men--wanting to tear the author a new one for it. It's one of those books. lol It has a no-bullshit sort of stance, and even though I didn't agree with the majority of thoughts, I can respect them. Some of them. lol

My rating:

Broken Little Melodies

This was one of my favorite reads of the month. I was probably going to read the book anyway because I genuinely enjoyed the preview blurb I read about it on BookBub, but when I saw that the hero's name was Roman, I was all in. If you know me at all you are already aware of my immoral lust slight crush on a certain wrestler, so it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm partial to the name Roman. lol Anyway, it's always appealed to me to read about when broken people can come together and create something new, but it appeals to me more when there's backstory involved. This one has backstory dating all the way back to puberty, and being able to follow along from both perspectives as they grow into their bodies and feelings for each other was a treat. I think it made me more invested in each character, both for their individual stories and the one they needed to create together. The author did an excellent job at creating two characters who fit like a glove. Their personalities seemed to be shaped by their circumstances and while I know exactly how that goes sometimes, I would have liked them to have more individual characteristics apart from those that were either carved from or shaped by their pain. As teens I got a sense of them as people, but as adults they mostly seemed raw and one-note because of said pain. On the one hand it made their feelings all the more intense because if their thoughts weren't about music they were about each other so the reader was able to understand how deep their love for each other went. It dominates and pushes the entire book, in large part because of Roman's love for her and Isabelle's fear of her love for Roman. Both of their music careers take off because of their love, and the beautiful part is that the agony and heartbreak their love created is also what brought them back together, and as cheesy as that sounds it's what makes the story what it is.

The drama that separated the two seems a bit contrived, especially when you hear exactly what went down, but I think the time apart makes the story more impactful than if they'd naturally grown up and apart or if they'd been together the entire time. Minor spoiler alert, one of the minor characters dies and even though nobody's mourning his death, almost immediately after the news is revealed Roman and Isabelle are having sex. I dunno, maybe I've never despised anyone to the point that their death is completely meaningless to me, but the timing was a little off for that. Other than that, loved the plot, loved the characters, really enjoyed reading the backstory.

My rating: 

What am I reading right now? Egyptian Mythology, Victim Zero, Epiphany

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What I've Been Watching: March

Hi! This month's list is going to be blissfully short. I'll be making up for it in the WIBR though, so don't count your blessings just yet. lol If you read my Where I've Been post, you'll understand why this list is abnormally short. If you didn't, I was in bed sick for the majority of March so I didn't have the head to watch a bunch of tv unless it was for background noise or things I wanted to watch again. When I was coherent enough to do anything, I was working on the new design for ATV--which is finished now so go check it out!--and when I wasn't I was in bed, wondering about the emotional and physical trauma I'd endure if I ripped my skin off and tore out my teeth and jaw. I have to admit, I was sorely (no pun intended but its still relevant) tempted but I think the worst of it is over so here I am. Did I just come back to the blog? Lol whatever. Anyway, here's this month's list. 

All Jokes Aside: Black Women in Comedy

When Calls the Heart

Strippers

Age Gap Love 

Slazo

SoothouseTV

One of the main reasons I switched my satellite service from Dish to DirecTV was so I could get the block of Black channels in my lineup. One of those channels used to be called Centric, but has turned into BETHer and is full of content geared at Black women. They've stepped their game up since the shift, and that introduced me to the mini-doc All Jokes Aside, which was originally on VH1. In it, various Black comediennes were able to share bits of their stories. They were able to tell the difficulties of being a Black comedienne, both in comparison to other comics and other Black comics, and the various struggles they face when trying to have their voices heard. Comedy has long been a staple of minority communities, I think partially because it helps us to cope with sometimes disproportionately negative situations. But Black women, like many other WOC, have a tougher road ahead of them on all fronts. This was a short but interesting look into what it's like, the mentality they have to adapt, and the obstacles they have to face both in and out of the comedy scene. I wouldn't mind this becoming a mini-series where different comediennes around the country are featured because I'd love to see more perspectives. 

When Calls the Heart is a show I've been watching for a minute now but 1-didn't want to admit it and 2-hadn't been watching for long enough to talk about. Now that the current season is well underway and I know I won't be going anywhere, I figure I'll put it up now and get it out of the way. lol If you aren't familiar with When Calls the Heart, it's a Hallmark Original drama about life in a small town around the turn of the 19th century. The best way I can describe it is Little House on the Prairie for this generation. It's not quite as impactful as Little House, but it has a lot of the same elements. It's a bit campy and cheesy and that's why I didn't want to admit I watched it lol, but if I'm being honest I enjoy the show. It takes me back to a much simpler time, where love, family, community and the power of good hearts can overpower anything and I can appreciate that. 

Moving on over to the 'Flix, before my nerve had its way with me earlier in the month I watched this mini-series called Strippers, which was about strip joints in different areas of Scotland. Each episode featured a different club and a handful of the women working there, and I wish there'd been more episodes to the series because I found it interesting. Some of the women love their jobs while others hope to transition into something different, some fell into the profession when they were unable to find work in other places and some feel like they're where they're supposed to be. It only has three episodes, but I really enjoyed them. This is another series I wouldn't mind seeing more of, with different countries or sectors being explored so we can see the differences in environments and attitudes.

My other pick for Netflix is Age Gap Love, which is a UK-based series focusing on couples with significant age gaps. I find topics like that kind of interesting because while I was watching it, I realized I was both more and not as open-minded as I'd initially assumed. I know that sounds like a contradiction so I'll explain. I didn't think I had a massive issue with age, I have my limits but overall I'm not tossing up roadblocks over people who date outside of their age ranges. Or, I wasn't, until one of my siblings started dating someone in my age range last year and I realized that I did indeed have a problem with it. As these couples started to go into detail about the looks, judgment and general attitude about their relationship from others, both strangers and loved ones, I started to get angry until it dawned on me that last year, I was one of those people. I'm a live and let live kind of person when it comes to finding love and I'm much more appreciative of non-traditional situations now than I used to be, but what I liked the most about this program was that it forced me to confront the contradiction of my ideals vs the day-to-day reality of how I felt about the situation. In theory, I don't care much about age. Love is love and it can see past one's age. In reality, I care more than I thought and Age Gap Love made me face that. Now that I've been on both sides of the fence, it gives me a more well-rounded perspective than I had and I needed that. It's worth a watch.


Moving on to the 'Tube, my last two entries are in the same genre, so I'm combining them. Last month I mentioned Sorrow TV, and this month I've been watching a lot of Slazo and SoothouseTV. Both of these channels are also Reddit/social-media focused and the various threads they go through are hilarious. Many of the typical threads tend to have overlapping entries but there's something distinctive about each channel when they're reading through them so I'll forgive it. lol Not too much to say here; I like the Reddit YouTube channels and now that they're becoming the 'in' type of content to make I suspect I'll be seeing a lot more of it in the months to come. 

Pick of the Month: Age Gap Love


Extras: Uncensored

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Where I've Been

I haven't had to make one of these in awhile, but when I realized we were already halfway through March I figured I should hop on really quickly and explain why I didn't come back after BHS was over like I said I would. It's quite simple; I've been under the weather. My mini-me had a cold after her birthday back on February 7th and decided to spread the love to her parents, sister and myself, and that reared its head the day before Valentine's. As I've mentioned a few times over the years, my immune system is shit so I went down for awhile before getting better. Two weeks later though, it was back, just as BHS was coming to a close--in retrospect, I'm so glad I pre-planned the series this year. Anyway, when it came back this time it was a chest cold and sinus infection. I fought off the majority of the chest cold, but as the sinus infection started to go away the pressure kicked in. I have stress-induced TMJD, which causes me to clench my teeth, mostly unconsciously, and it can cause my jaw to lock. 

I said that to say that when the sinus pressure kicked in, it triggered my trigeminal nerve, and the pain caused my face to tense up which locked my jaw and caused a trigeminal neuralgia episode. Basically what that means is the trigeminal nerve, the main nerve line in your face that is in charge of all sensations you feel in that area, completely loses its shit. The nerve pain is a series of shooting, stabbing and/or burning pain on one side of the face, which often spreads into the maxillary sinus, down into the jaw and teeth, and up into your temples, triggering migraines. You can't talk, can't chew, have to drink very carefully, can barely breathe through your mouth, the pain can be devastating. I'm already prone to sinus migraines and because I still have the sinus infection, all of this has caused a wonderful snowball effect in my body, all of which amount to more pain. I also have year-round allergies, so spring has always been a lovely time of year for me. Because the sinus infection is still there and now I have hay fever to contend with, I have days when I'm sneezing and blowing my nose all day, and others when my nose is so dry it hurts to breathe through it. Most days though the nerve pain has been more severe, leaving me curled up in the fetal with a rice sock on my face praying for a swift death. In a sentence, life has been positively splendid for me. If you've never had the nerves seize up in your face, please thank the heavens for it. I don't have a word for the amount of pain I've been in and excruciating doesn't quite seem to cover it. I've mostly been in bed for the past 10 days, either waiting for medicine to kick in or refraining from knocking myself out to get away from the pain. I've been to urgent care, had a doctor's appointment, am seeing an ENT on Monday and going back to my regular doctor next Friday. I explained all of that to say I'm not sure when this episode will be over--was kinda expecting it to be over by now--, so I can't say right now when I'll be back. I've barely been able to concentrate most days, so I haven't been catching up on the posts I was supposed to put out.

February's WIBW went up a couple of days late, on one of the better days, but I haven't been able to finish the What I Read This Month just yet. The Spring Cleaning series was supposed to go up this week with it being spring break in my neck of the woods, but that's being pushed to next month. There's a series I was getting ready to start based off of self-care, and that too is being pushed off until I'm feeling better. February's calendar is still up on the site for the same reason. I can't seem to fully shake the cold turned sinus infection and this nerve pain isn't going anywhere yet, so whenever I can get my body back together I'll be back. I just wanted to hop on and explain what was going on before I was in too much pain again. I hope to be back soon; I've already missed two weeks and pain/illness aside, I'm so restless I wish I could just hop into another body until my nerve's done having temper tantrums so I can get shit done. LOL Anyway, I hope all is well on your side of the fence, I hope you're in substantially less pain than I, and I'll see you soon!

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What I Read This Month: February

Hi! I thought I was going to kill my momentum early when I got to the middle of this month and realized I'd only read 1 1/2 books, so when I was done with Black History Spotlight prep and work I made up for lost time. I took a couple of self-care Saturdays this month and spent them reading and watching old black and whites on my DVR. I was also down for the count twice in the month, so I had no choice. Sounds boring as shit, but I don't think I could have been more content. With the reading, not with the illness. lol Why aren't the men lining up outside my window, you may be asking. LOL Probably because the window is boarded up and I've rubbed a skunk's scent on the wood to keep away squatters. As you can see, the month of love makes me more cuddly than usual. 😂 About as cuddly as a thorn in the ass. Anyway, I made up for lost time this month and read a few goodies. You know I suck at plot synopses so I'm going to use excerpts of the authors' descriptions combined with my summaries. Despite the rather short list, I have a lot of thoughts about a few of them so it may end up being no shorter than normal. lol Anyway, let's get to the books!

Alec: A Scottish Outlaw

I enjoyed this book so much that it made me sad once I read the other stories and they ended up pushing this one to the bottom of the list. They didn't push it to the bottom because it was a bad book, they pushed it to the bottom because those stories were much more complex. This one was fairly simple and unoffensive, but I really did enjoy it. Alec, the title character in this book, is just what the title suggests--a Scottish outlaw--but he begins the book masquerading as stuffy, uptight Randolph Tweed. He along with his brothers are spies for the Scottish regiment, and part of Alec's assignment is to find the currency stolen by England when the king had the country raided. That brings him into contact with a group of wealthy merchants, one of whom is the cruel master to the beautiful but ill Diana and her tender-hearted servant Joanie. He buys Joanie from her owner and even though she believes her life will be the same, if not worse, than her previous owners due to Tweed's unfeeling demeanor, Alec proves her to be quite wrong and shows her the truth of her heritage in the process.

I liked the supernatural part of this story; it was a bit different from other stories in the same vein. If Alec so chooses, he can hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of anyone he pleases. It's obviously overwhelming, so he usually tries to block it out. But he hears the pain in Joanie's heart and makes a vow to rescue her, and she does the same for him. I don't have too much to say about the book; it was simple, easy to read and well-written. I enjoyed reading along as Joanie finds her strength in Alec and he finds solace and comfort from the world in her. I think, in an ideal relationship, that's what you should have. Joanie was able to find her voice and strength with renewed purpose, and Alec was able to find somewhere safe where he wasn't constantly bombarded with thoughts, feelings and instincts that weren't his own. I loved how the plot tied into the history and rich heritage of Scotland; the author's descriptive skills really came into play while she was describing the landscape and general atmosphere of the country. The entire tone of the book changed when Alec and Joanie left the dreary, downtrodden England in their wake and headed for Scotland. I also liked reading about how such an important item to the history of the country had roots in this love story and interestingly enough, was completely ignored for a lot of the book. It seemed to have one meaning for the majority of the book, then it started to change into something else and in the end, meant something much deeper. The only thing I can think of to say that I didn't like as much was that, like most intro books to a series, this one seemed to end prematurely. I wanted to see where else the characters went after the main obstacle was removed, how Joanie adjusted to everything she'd learned about herself, and more importantly how daily life was with her with the massive changes she experienced. It cut off immediately after that, and even though I guess you could say the book ended there, for me it leaves a few too many loose ends. Other than that, I enjoyed Alec: A Scottish Outlaw. It was a good way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.

My rating: 

Priest: A Love Story

If you're thinking this is a love story about a man named Priest, then you've sorely overestimated me and underestimated the subject content I'm willing to read. This is undoubtedly a smut book. lol Tyler is a Catholic priest whose days are uneventful and spent holding masses, hearing confessions, and ministering to the people of his congregation. Until Poppy comes along. She comes in seeking answers, trying to find a peace her soul seems to be craving, and Tyler finds himself, for the first time since becoming a priest, feeling conflicted. As a priest, he feels the undeniable call to help soothe her spirit but as a former Dominant who didn't spend his entire life in the church, he also feels the undeniable call to have his way with Poppy's body. As this troubled woman worms her way into Tyler's heart, Tyler recalls his own experience with guilt when he revisits what eventually drew him to the altar, the line in the sand event in his life. Just as something drew him to the altar, something happens to draw him away from it. Is the event a blessing in disguise, or has Tyler's life been destroyed by a mistake? 

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the plot of this book. Growing up in the church myself, I'm more than a little familiar with the shame often synonymous with sexual identity and openness, and I'm more than a little familiar with the appeal of the forbidden fruit so I understood Tyler's predicament. I enjoyed learning who Tyler was, both because of and in spite of his vocation. There was something so dirty about that and because I'm disgusting, I enjoyed it more because of that. I honestly think that was part of the appeal and that understanding made the mistake all the more realistic. Even as we judge those in the church for thinking themselves above us and then judging us when they show they aren't, the truth is that we're all human. Excluding asexuals, we're all fans of the flesh in some capacity. Temptation is a real bitch, and nobody is immune depending on the temptation in question. Now as for the book itself, it was steamy. Fog my glasses up steamy, which I partially attribute to the obvious taboo factor, which is right up some peoples' alleys ✋ and I enjoyed that such a taboo topic seemed to have been tackled fearlessly. There's a reason why priest and nun costumes are always a hit come Halloween, and it's not all about satire or irony. The combination of temptation and taboo often make for a heady, conflicting, passionate mix of things and this book really delved into that from the first conversation right up until the epilogue. It was also nice to read along as the point of conflict reared its head and watching Tyler try to navigate his way through that. There was questioning and soul searching to do while he figured out the next steps he needed to take, and I really appreciate that there was no immediate nicely-wrapped package of HEA. 

My rating: 

Don't Speak: A Jade Harrington Novel

In this political thriller, the reader is confronted with an America that looks startlingly similar to elements of our own current political outlook, from the viewpoints of various people in the Washington D.C. area. Various voices in the conservative talk show community, rising and prominent, turn up dead at multiple points within the last 10 years, but nobody puts the cases together until a prominent talk show host is found with his tongue cut out and the FBI is brought in to investigate. Lead investigator Jade Harrington is a hardnosed agent who keeps the world at two arms' lengths. This case forces her to step her game up to find the killer, who named himself TSK, who may be much closer than Jade anticipates.


While I enjoyed the book, I have to admit I wasn't terribly fond of Jade and at first, it affected how I felt about the book overall. I have no right to dislike her; in truth we're not all that different. She doesn't do vulnerable, doesn't allow people close to her, still has a chip on her shoulder from childhood--which is directly what led to her now having the former two attributes--that she feels she has to run from, and in general, comes off a bit cold. Sounds a little too familiar to me if I'm in self-assessment mode (spoiler alert--I'm always in that mode lol) so objectively speaking, I basically got to experience what someone like me would probably look like if they were in a high-profile position like the FBI. Minus the anxiety, of course. LOL I liked the personalities of the other team members; there was a lot of variety and attention to developing individual characteristics of each person that made it enjoyable to read. It wasn't a carbon copy of the same person 6 times over and I was glad for that. Each person's strength and skill was properly shown in the book and even for the supporting characters, I still saw growth. As for the actual plot itself, I don't have many, if any, complaints. The killer was intelligent, arrogant, starved for attention, and five steps ahead of the investigation into the murders, which is everything he should have been. I loved learning about how intertwined everyone was, although they did not realize it at first. It brought another layer of intrigue to the story. I loved the main characters, even the ones I despised. I enjoyed reading the journey they each went on, being defined by their political leanings while having to deal with regular life issues that don't discriminate against who experiences them. It was also really refreshing to read about a politician who wasn't playing (completely) dirty, who for the most part played by the straight and narrow and honestly believed in what she was saying. Being surrounded by those who weren't afraid to play dirty made her stand out all the more and I liked the way that was done.

One of the main characters seems to be heavily inspired by the living meme that is Alex Jones and I thoroughly enjoyed his character, even though I agreed with 0% of what he said and couldn't stand him. lol To me, he was probably the most fleshed out character in the book and for someone like him, it wouldn't have worked with anything less. Honestly, the parts of the book with him in it are where the author's work shines, because I feel like that's when I see her attention to detail, the work she put into creating this atmosphere and creating characters who properly fit into it. Creating a likable character, in my opinion, is easy. Creating an utterly detestable character, making it believable and still weaving enough emotion into the book to make us want to see what happens to the character is difficult to do, yet she did it. She also accurately created a worldview that isn't so different from today's America, with the various issues being discussed throughout the book and the depth she covered them in, something else I liked. She did her research and it shows. Who the killer ends up being surprised and disappointed me, but the ending of the book was awesome and a little heartbreaking all at the same time. With the last two sentences of the book, the author brought everything full circle and shone a new light on the entire book. It was fabulously done and for once, I'm actually looking forward to reading the next chapter in the series. Usually I can read the free chapter and go on about my life without reading the other installments, but I actually want to know where things go with this next one.

My rating: 

Prisoner (Criminals and Captives)

Wowie was this one twisted. LOL Abigail is a quiet, reserved student who takes an internship teaching a writing course to prison inmates. Their stories are to be published in a short journal, and Abigail relishes the opportunity to teach, right up until she comes into contact with Grayson. Grayson is an inmate with a ton of secrets and a hard-on for the new teacher. They're immediately drawn to each other but for obvious reasons, Abigail does not act on it. Grayson makes her feel exposed in a way that scares her and initially she tries to get reassigned. Her mentor encourages her to stick it out, to help them tell their stories, and she relents. Abigail has her secrets too, secrets that make her wonder if she's any better than the inmates she instructs. The journal's publication has unexpected consequences, and a prison break ensues. Grayson inches his way closer to finding out those secrets bit by bit after he kidnaps her in his attempt to escape. He's not one of the good guys, and as she finally accepts that her life as she knows it is over, Abigail begins to wonder if she's really one of the good ones herself. The story goes much deeper than a prison break, and Abby discovers that Grayson and his gang could have been the good guys, in another lifetime, but the depravity of man reached them first.


If this wasn't the most Munchausen, mentally conflicting, kinda sexy but in a really twisted way books I've ever read in muhlife (my life lol). The HEA in me kept expecting the story to clean itself up, to make itself PC and therefore acceptable for me to root for them, but it never did. And somewhere towards the middle of the book, I kinda stopped wanting it to. It's a book that makes you question yourself once you find yourself sorta rooting for them, then you wonder if you have Munchausen by proxy, then you wonder if you're not just as fucked in the head as you come to realize both Abigail and Grayson are. I think Abigail comes upon the realization around the same time as the reader, because it was around that same time that I began to wonder about my own sanity because I started to feel conflicted. What did that say about me that I kinda wanted them together? I really wanted Grayson to go straight and it threw me off the further I got into the book, waiting for a character change that never came, and eventually I realized that was the entire point. It wasn't going to come. Grayson wasn't one of the good guys, he continued to say it even though there were moments he showed otherwise, and he didn't disappoint. I mean morally, he disappointed; I actively disliked him (a little lol) by the end of the book, but strangely, I didn't hate him as much as I should have.

He did something about halfway through the book that made me want to stop reading entirely because it felt like such a non-hero thing to do--it was disgusting actually,--but again, that was the point. He wasn't a hero. To his credit he never pretended or even tried to be otherwise and we do eventually find out why he was the way he was, but somehow it seemed like there was still the smallest spark of hope for redemption at a later date. Despite that event, believe it or not there was still growth. He became an anti-hero of sorts. The authors did a really good job at keeping the question "What could Grayson have been if not for this event?" hovering over the reader's head for the entire story with the way the character was written, bringing him to the line of unredeemable--crossing it, if you ask me--then bringing him back, but just a little. Abby's main focus was trying to be free again, but at some point throughout the book strangely enough she seems to become more free, even as she remains captive and also becomes legally complicit in the crimes being committed. This is a twisted book about secrets, innocence lost and bonding through pain, even as the one inflicting some of said pain causes both of their deeply buried wounds to come to the surface. It creates this extremely questionable healing process as two wounded, broken individuals come to terms with their brokenness together and create something new that isn't any less broken, but works for them. Like I said, it's twisted. It's sexy, even when it probably shouldn't be, but it also reels you in wanting people to find their justice and maybe a little healing. I applaud the author for creating this very complex, Lord of the Flies-reminiscent world and these characters who aren't as black and white as such a layered plot would normally dictate. They seem to float in this morally gray area, where you can understand how everyone got to be that way, maintain your moral opinion and then find yourself doubting it later in the book. I really enjoy books like that, so hats off for this one.

My rating: 

Hidden in Plain Sight (Serenity's Plain Stories #4)

It's very rare that I'll read a book in the middle or at the end of a series, but the free price tag on the book drew me in. lol Well that, and I'm also partial to the name Serenity. Serenity's the new sheriff of a small town with a strong Amish community, members of whom she'd tangled with in earlier chapters of the series. The book starts some fifteen years prior, with the murder of an abusive ex-husband who can't leave his wife alone. When Serenity's expertise with the local Amish community is consulted for the case, which is being reopened with the discovery of new evidence, she ends up drawn in to an uncomfortable level as details begin to lead to someone very close to her.


I didn't read the other chapters in the series but the author was able to efficiently give us bits and details so incoming readers would still be able to follow along. With the different series and documentaries we see on the Amish community, we know that things aren't as quaint, simple or innocent as we would believe otherwise. I think the author did a great job of capturing that sense of community as well as the sense of secrecy that is present in many communities. I wasn't reading along since Serenity's relationship started with Daniel, but from the bit I did gather from this book, he seems like the safer, less problematic option but I never got the feeling that she couldn't live without him. Maybe its because I'm late to the series but the characters, Serenity and Daniel in particular, kinda fell flat for me throughout the book. Speaking of Daniel, (spoiler alert) the part of the mystery that involved him was dragged out for an unbelievably length of time considering that Toby and John are supposed to be FBI agents. Why wasn't every name that came up during the investigation properly, well, investigated?

It seemed to me that in order to keep the air of mystery about Daniel's role in the murder afloat, the investigative skills had to suffer as a result. I had a hard time believing that two agents couldn't put the name together and figure out that part of the mystery for as long as it was dragged out. The shifts in Daniel's personality may have been red herrings to create confusion about whether or not he was the real murderer, but all it did for me was send up red flags. Those were never explained, never mentioned again, and he came off a bit too intense and moody for me to really root for him. I understood the point of the book and I think the author captured what she was trying to capture, but personally the book wasn't for me. However, I am really interested in some of the side characters. There's another chapter in this series that follows this one, and I'm interested in reading that one. The person I am thinking is the heroine in this next chapter had a great setup in this book, and I saw more personality from her in just one conversation than I'd seen Serenity have the entire book. Again, I probably don't feel as connected to Serenity because this is the 4th installment in the series, so I would gather that by this point Serenity's character has probably already been explored, so the later chapters focus more on the story and the other characters who interact with her.

My rating: 

Alaskan Dawn (Pacific Horizons Book 1)

Mandy's Note: And here is my clean entry for the month. While there is an undercurrent of sexual tension throughout most of the book, there isn't so much as a whisper of a fondle, finger or thrust. I'm proud of myself. LOL

In this book, a woman named Haley has a lot on her plate. She's just reached her fourth month of pregnancy as a surrogate for her twin sister and her husband, she's finally reached lead associate for a huge environmental case in her firm, and she's reached the end of her rope with her needling mother and sister. Overworked, frustrated and in desperate need of some solace, Haley seeks refuge for a week on the Alaskan coast. While there, she meets and quickly falls for Ben, a handsome environmentalist-leaning boat captain who helps her make the best of her week away. But once she has to return to her life in California and Ben resumes his life, the roadblocks in their way stretch the miles between them even further, making a relationship seem more implausible. They agree to remain friends, but the emptiness Haley feels as time passes forces her into some soul searching. Is her job really what she aspires to do in life, at the expense of who she comes to realize is her soulmate, or is she ready for something new?


Like I said, this was my clean entry for the month. I really enjoyed this book. Ben isn't bulky, immaculately dressed and too handsome to look at directly. He's a tall, gorgeous ginge with beautiful eyes, adorable bedhead in the morning and no suits to speak of. lol He was a breath of fresh air. As much as I enjoy my suit-wearing, slightly condescending alpha male businessmen, I also love a quietly self-assured, nomadic leaning man who's knowledgeable, thoughtful, perceptive and considerate. The fact he also has a slight Captain Planet complex with his environmentalism doesn't hurt, either. lol I loved Haley, probably because I could relate to her quite easily and she wasn't a jackass. She was direct and honest without purposely putting on facades and changing who she was, she wasn't prone to theatrics, quite the opposite, and in the end didn't give herself up to love. And (spoiler alert) she didn't want kids! It is so rare, especially these days, to read about a heroine who doesn't want kids and to see that continuity moving forward. You also wouldn't expect to hear that viewpoint in a typical romance since Haley spent the majority of the book pregnant. That's usually the perfect plotpoint to take an initially resistant person and turn them around by the end of the book by bringing forth those deeply buried maternal feelings.

Many times, by the epilogue the hero and heroine have either had a whoops! baby and all of a sudden can't imagine not being parents, they open their minds to the possibility just in time for a positive pregnancy test, or they've actively started planning to have a baby. I don't intend to have kids either so it's nice to see that some authors recognize having a child isn't the end-all be-all for every woman and a heroine can still have her HEA without having a replica of her DNA biting her ankles. lol Its rare to see childfree couples without having a medical issue be the root of the problem and I enjoyed that. The plot was very refreshing, the author's style of writing suited the plot, and she created characters that were easy to love. There wasn't any contrived drama (okay maybe a little lol), in the end nobody had to sacrifice their dreams or goals--another typical romance plot that drives me insane--and no cliffhangers. It was well written, the pace was easy to follow along with, and the author smartly veered away from the typical romance tropes. Her ability to paint a vivid scene of the Alaskan coast entirely through words was amazing, as was her attention to the wildlife Ben loved so much. Those little details do a lot, and she didn't miss a beat. If you're into clean, modern romance and love sealife, give this one a whirl. 

My rating: 

Before I go, I was wondering if I should start including purchase links for each book I read. Not for affiliate purposes or anything like that--can you even be an affiliate for a book you didn't write? I don't think so but who knows lol--but in case you were interested in picking the book up yourself, you could get the links from here. Let me know what you think. 

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What I've Been Watching: February

Hi! I was expecting this to be a short list because I initially wasn't watching too much of anything, but after I was done prepping posts for Black History Spotlight I just wanted to relax. Most of my items this month are from regular tv; I only have one Netflix entry and I technically watched it last month, but it was too late for the deadline I set for these entries to be finished so I rolled it over to February. I'm not sure why I said last month that there'd be more Netflix on here in this list; I'm thinking maybe I'd intended to watch more stuff but never got around to it. I'm trying to clear out my DVR (I have 3% open space left LOL) so who knows if I'll get to it next month either. I'll try. But that's next month. Let's get to this month's list!



Without a Trace

Drain the Sunken Pirate City

Drain Alcatraz

Drain Titanic

Drain World War II

Drain the Bermuda Triangle

Being Evel

Uncensored

The Unguarded Hour

Angel Face

Kitty Foyle

Katt Williams: Great America

NemGotGame

Sorrow TV


First, let's start with regular tv, which takes up the vast majority of this month's list. Let me just start by praising the tv gods for bringing back Without a Trace. Listen. I've been looking for this show since the minute it went off the air and all the streaming programs started popping up everywhere. It wasn't on any of them. Ion, the channel that used to show Without a Trace reruns, suddenly stopped showing it and I never forgave them for that. For five years this show was ghost on reruns, streaming services and even YouTube didn't have it. Couldn't find DVDs or even VHS tapes of the seasons so I eventually gave up. This new channel, Pop, started reairing it so I'm recording the series to DVR just in case they try to snatch my dreams away again. lol I've done so much whining I haven't even talked about the actual show. Without a Trace was a police drama about the fictional Missing Persons department of the FBI, where an investigative team does their best to piece together a missing person's last steps before disappearing....without a trace. You get it. I did a shit job of describing it, as I often do, but it's a great show and I don't know why it wasn't on tv for so long.

A couple of Sundays ago, I got into this big Nat Geo kick because I saw this show called Drain the Sunken Pirate City and was immediately obsessed once I realized it was an anthology type of series. The Drain the Ocean series focuses on different locations or events and exploring what we'd find if we drained the ocean. Using high-tech software and infrared scanning technology, the ocean is digitally drained of its contents in the selected area and I think it is so awesome. lol Drain the Sunken Pirate City is the first one I saw, which told the story of Port Royal, Jamaica, and its infamous past as the 'wickedest city on Earth.' After a series of natural disasters hit the pirate city, it sunk to the bottom of the ocean, where it lies today. The episode removed the water from the ocean around the area in order to find out what sent the city to the ocean floor, explore what the culture was like during this time and exactly how the natural disasters impacted those living in the city. They combined historical maps with today's maps, gathered through underwater dives and technology scans of the area, in order to digitally recreate the city in full and study the impact of each disaster. I thought it was awesome, so when I saw that Drain the Ocean was on for the entire afternoon I was in.

I believe the next one was Drain Alcatraz, which focused partially on the infamous prison break and exploring whether or not it was feasible for the inmates to have reached the mainland with the ocean and land conditions they had to face. The episode went all the way back to when the mountain that later became the site for Alcatraz was just forming, which was intriguing because I don't think I've ever seen a show explore that before. The episode showed how the landscape has changed over the years due to the movement of fault lines and earthquakes in the surrounding area, which in turn caused Alcatraz to take on the form its known for today. The water conditions were also explored during the episode, creating a fuller picture of what the inmates were possibly facing when they made their escape. I'm a geek for all that stuff. With that said, whenever they start speaking ominously and then cut to the digital recession and removal of the water, I think it's the best part of the show. LOL

The next episode was Drain the Titanic and even though at this point I have seen countless documentaries on my favorite sunken ship, I still wanted to watch. I wasn't entirely confident they'd net any new information, but I was wrong. The series challenges the long-held belief we've had about how the ship sank and the effect that being underwater for so long has had on the vessel. I don't think the other shows I've seen on it have ever challenged those theories; those were always footnotes to the rest of the story. The episode raised a new theory as to how the ship really ended up on the ocean floor after striking the iceberg, digitally tested their theory and to my surprise it actually held water. No pun intended. lol

Drain the Bermuda Triangle was an episode I really wanted to see because I've always been interested in the tales centered on the Bermuda Triangle. I wanted to know if the hype was real, if the conspiracies were rooted in truth, if anything I'd grown up reading about the Bermuda Triangle was factual or if it was all a bunch of baloney. Of the different Drain the Ocean episodes I watched, I have to admit that this one was a bit underwhelming. It wasn't as captivating, as full of little-known information as I'd assumed it would be. It explored a couple of mysteries, but I guess it was a bit of a letdown that the reasons why the ships sunk were more natural and less supernatural--or hard to believe--than I thought they'd be.

The episode after that was Drain WWII, which explored different ocean sites during World War II and the various sunken ships on the ocean floor. I didn't expect to find that one as interesting as I did; all kinds of vessels were under there, from ground tanks to ships that were actually sunken by their own sailors. It was really interesting to learn what happened to each vessel being featured, and go more in-depth about what took place on the waters during the war. To remove the water in certain areas and see just how many ships were under there, just how many lives were lost and how intense the fighting was in certain areas, was both fascinating and kinda sad. That was the end of the Drain the Ocean series and After Hitler came on next, which was a great follow-up show and showed me daily life after Hitler's fall and how it affected everyone whose lands were used in the war.

Moving on, somewhere within that weekend I watched Being Evel, which was a biography of sorts on famed stuntman Evel Knievel. Evel was a little ahead of my time, so by the time I was old enough for tv Evel's career was already largely over. I knew the gist of his stunts but little else. This documentary explained how an orphan named Bob became Evel Knievel, and how the dramatics, theatrics and Ric Flair-worthy flaunting ultimately destroyed both Evel and Bob. Through firsthand accounts from Evel's family, friends, colleagues and even a couple of enemies, we got to see the reality of being Evel Knievel, both in front of and behind the cameras. The general consensus seemed to be that while Evel Knievel was a daredevil, a hero, a revolutionary and a source of inspiration for a multitude of racing and bike related sports, he wasn't a good person for a very long time. It was both eye-opening and kind of a cautionary tale for people to never believe their own hype and I enjoyed it.

Uncensored is a new TVOne documentary series based on the lives of different Black celebrities. The first episode was about Hollywood's newest It Girl Tiffany Haddish and the road that eventually led to her star-making role in Girls' Trip last year. I've always loved shows like this and TVOne had a major hit on their hands with Unsung, which was the untold story behind Black musicians and groups. This is kinda Unsung but in a more general sense as it isn't exclusive to musicians. Ironically, of the four promos I've seen for the show, three of them are musicians. LOL The format of the show is more personal and relies more on firsthand stories, whereas Unsung was a combination of third-party narration and firsthand accounts. I missed Tamar Braxton's episode last Sunday but I'll be DVR'ing the series.

Holy shit this is long already so let me roll the next three entries together. I was doing some digital spring cleaning and trying to free up some much-needed space on my DVR, which brings me to some Summer Under the Stars rollovers and our next three entries. The Unguarded Hour is a crime suspense film in which a lawyer's potentially career-making case is a man accused of murdering his wife but is actually innocent. The lawyer's wife knows the man is innocent because she was at the scene of the crime but cannot say anything for fear of tanking her husband's career and incriminating herself in the process. It was a solid movie. Kitty Foyle is about a working girl torn between two men--the man she's always loved, and a stable, secure man she cares about but has never been able to commit to fully. Angel Face is about a murderous young woman who starts an affair with an older man, drives a wedge between him and his girlfriend, then gets him a job at her family home and promises to revive his previous career as a race car driver before attempting to persuade him to murder her stepmother. Her desire to see her stepmother dead eventually does happen, but with unexpected consequences.

There's only one Netflix entry on here, the new Katt Williams standup show Great America. I have to admit I was wondering the same thing I wondered about Dave Chappelle back in December and January, whether or not he still had it. While I didn't laugh as much as I used to at his standup specials, he does in fact still have it. What I found the most interesting was the tone of the commentary, which has changed significantly considering the state of events during the last standup special I watched and this one. During the first show, Bush was on his way out of office and Obama was making his first run for president. This time, Obama has been out of office for over a year and we know who the current president is. lol So much has changed in eight years, which is both a lifetime and not even a decade ago at the same time. It was a good show and it was good to see him back to doing what he does best, which is making people laugh, but both personal troubles between those two shows and today's climate definitely played a part in shifting Katt's humor a little bit. I'd still recommend it.

On to the 'Tube, I featured NemRaps in a WIBW awhile ago, but he started a new gaming channel called NemGotGame. It's funny, I've been a gamer most of my life but when I was younger I didn't understand the appeal of gaming channels. Didn't see the point of watching someone play a game, especially if I wanted to play the same game myself. As I've gotten older and--ironically--more into gaming than I was when I was in my 20s, I enjoy gaming videos a lot more. Figures, I finally come around to the genre when it's starting to die out. LOL That's me, forever late on the uptake. Anyway, what I think I like the most about Nem's gaming videos are his edits. He brings something new to gaming videos, which can sometimes be a bit stale if everyone's playing the same game and editing it the same way. His channel seems fresher, not a carbon copy of other gaming channels, and it's fun watching him play.

And finally, (geez) Sorrow TV is a channel I found a couple of weeks ago that's basically just a rereading of different musings by the Internet community with certain topics. The r/niceguys series is one of my favorites, because Sorrow TV's accent game--while sometimes stereotypically offensive--is a bit more varied than some of the other channels in the Reddit genre. Sometimes Sorrow collabs with another Reddit commentary channel, Soothouse TV, and their most recent collab, where they read the police blotters from wealthy neighborhoods in California, is hilarious.


Pick of the Month: Drain the Ocean series, Being Evel


Extras: Autopsy: Mindy McCready, After Hitler

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