Reading · The IT IS YAY Times

Well, it’s once again been a month since I’ve posted…so much for my new plan. Ah well…let’s get right into the updates then…

Book Updates

Current Reads: The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams; Death Wasn’t Invited: A June’s Journey Mystery by Carlene O’Connor

Recent Reads:

Nawlins by Deric Augustine ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Oks are Not OK by Grace K. Shim ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The History of Jane Doe by Michael Belanger ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Movie Updates

In the Theatre:

Hoppers - an excellent new Pixar movie! saw it twice and highly recommend it!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Project Hail Mary - one of the best movies I’ve seen in recent memory! saw it twice in IMAX and will likely go again. Ryan Gosling is fantastic, the effects are incredible, and the story is beautiful. I never read the book, but I understand it’s a great adaptation. cannot recommend this one enough! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On my TV (via streaming or DVD/Blu-Ray):

The Smashing Machine - I wasn’t sure about this one, but it was really good! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Singers (short film) (Netflix) - I learned about this when it won an Oscar and decided to check it out. It was good! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TV Updates

Series:

The Pitt (HBO Max) - The Mother and I finally started watching this show. It is FANTASTIC! I completely understand all the awards and accolades. Just, wow. We finished Season 1 and started Season 2, which we’re going to try to stretch out for a few weeks rather than binging over the next week. It’s so good!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
How to Get Away With Murder (Hulu) - We started watching this show (never saw it when it was originally on), and we liked it despite how dark and intense it is. But it kept getting more twisty and turny and The Mother bailed before the end of the first season. I have a few episodes left in Season 1, and I may watch them at some point, but I truly can’t see how they made six seasons of this show. I mean Viola is incredible, but it’s a LOT. Am I missing something? ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paradise (Hulu) - I was able to start Season 2 of this fantastic show after resubscribing to Hulu, Disney+ and HBO Max. And it’s still so good! I absolutely love it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wonder Man (Disney+) - I was finally able to watch this fantastic Marvel show that I’d read so much about on social media. And no one told any lies. It’s great! I’m so glad there’s going to be a second season. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Limited Series:

Chernobyl (originally on HBO) - Good friends recommended this one, and it was intense but really good. I learned a lot about what happened and understood why it won so many awards. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Melt Down: Three Mile Island (Netflix) - After watching Chernobyl we decided to dig into this nuclear disaster and watch this documentary. It was also intense but quite good. This and the Chernobyl doc were so maddening about the misinformation and lack of action taken on so many levels. It’s amazing more people weren’t killed. Very sad. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Eras Tour DocuSeries (Disney+) - This was a really good behind-the-scenes look at how Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour came to be and how it ran so efficiently. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BTS: The Return and The Comeback Live (Netflix) - The Comeback Live concert was so fun, even though I had to get up at an unholy hour to watch it. It was great to see the group back together. The Return was a great look into the making of the new BTS album and made me even more excited to see them in concert later this year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Theatre Updates

Come From Away - This was my fourth time seeing this incredible show, the first for The Mother, and while this wasn’t a Broadway touring company, it was still fantastic! If you’ve never seen this show, I highly recommend it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Phantom of the Opera - This was my third time seeing this one, the second for The Mother, and it was excellent! If you have a chance to see this tour, do it. This Phantom is so, so good. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors - This is one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen. We laughed so much! Definitely catch this one when it comes through your town. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Music I’ve Been Listening To

BTS Arirang - This new BTS album is great!
Come From Away and The Phantom of the Opera Soundtracks - Had to listen to prepare for the shows…the music for these shows is so good!

Other Updates and Adventures

Zoo visit on a glorious spring day
Zoo visit for Glowing Wild on a mild spring evening
Lunch with my dad and Frannie when they were in town
Book signing with Linda Keir
Built a few LEGO sets
Watched the Oscars and was extremely happy with the awards Sinners won but still believe it should have been best picture; the two performances were amazing!

So there you have it…now you’re caught up with all the things…I’ll try to be better, but I guarantee nothing. :-) Here are a few images from the last month…