227 Books for the year! Go Me!DON'T JUDGE ME FOR READING TRASHY ROMANCE NOVELS!
During this month's social distancing/quarantine situation I have done what any good English teacher would do... read a massive number of books! 16 to be exact. 16 books in two weeks. You may wonder how such a feat is possible because you assume that I am reading the types of books that I would assign in my classroom. You are sadly mistaken; I have been reading the trashiest, corniest romance novels I could get my hands on. Sometimes, a girl just needs to indulge in a little brain rot. After all, ANY reading is good. Don't judge me.
Lucky for me, the rise of e-reading has allowed me to read a great number of "bodice-rippers" without the knowing eyes of those around me. If you can't see the cover as I scroll through the chapters on my phone- you can't silently condemn me for reading such trash. But, I am here to recommend that you pick up a good FLUFF book. Too often we get caught up in reading pieces of great literature and it can suck the fun out of reading. Reading is fun when the subject is a big hunky secret agent who just wants to be loved. Silas Marner just can't compare to Kane Bishop and his contagion of muscle-bound friends and conspirators. (Check out the picture below to see the series that I just finished that features the tattooed Mr. Bishop and company.) Yes, I realize the covers are ridiculous, but the stories were good. I guess my obsession with these fun, far-from-serious books just proves that you can't judge a book by its cover. (You knew that's where I was going with this.) Want to know what all I've been reading? Go over to my GoodReads. Keep in mind I don't always rate the books. STREAMING SERVICES MAKE ME MAD!If you know anything about me, you know that I love a good period-show. Give me a nice pirate drama set on Nassau (Black Sailes) or a story of landed gentry in Cornwall (Poldark), and I will let myself get lost in the ups and downs of a whole different universe. I spent my summer trying to survive the uninhabitable Earth (The 100) and avoiding assassination with Mary, Queen of Scots (Reign). In the new year, I will be reunited with Uhtred, son of Uthred (Last Kingdom) and figure out what is really happening with Number 5 (The Umbrellla Academy). There is, however, one BIG problem—it takes too long for me to be reunited with my favorite imaginary worlds. The problem with services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video is that I can immerse myself completely and run through an entire season in a weekend! Then, what am I to do? I have to wait a whole year to pick up where my favorites left off! That is simply too long to go without exploring Fraser Ridge with Jamie or trekking through the Canadian wilderness with Declan Harp (Frontier). Should I give up completely watching my beloved shows? Should I turn to fan fiction for a fix? If you are anything like me—looking for a new guilty pleasure—check out a few of my favorites listed below (with the number of seasons at this time). You, too, will be frustrated with endless breaks between seasons, but maybe it will give us something to talk about while we wait.
Outlander (4), Black Sails (4), Downton Abbey (6), The White Princess (1), The Spanish Princess (1), Frontier (3), The Last Kingdom (3), The Umbrella Academy (1), The 100 (5), Knightfall (1), American Gods (2), Ballers (5), Carnival Row (1), Poldark (5), Blood and Treasure (1) https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/best-historical-tv-shows-on-netflix/ |
So I discovered TIk TokI will be the first to admit that I am usually late to the newest and most-cutting-edge internet happenings. TikTok has been no exception. I am not a social media person by any stretch of the imagination; I rarely use my instagram or facebook accounts. I just do not spend much time scrolling. Well, I didn't BEFORE. A few weeks ago I downloaded TikTok and now I can't look away. My students have told me that there is a period of addiction when you first start using the app, and they are so right. I can't stop watching! My favorite TikToks usually feature dogs (Who doesn't love dogs?!), but I also love the different song challenges. I get mesmerized by the "Buss It" Challenge videos. It is so fun to watch people go from messy and unkempt to put-together and made-up. I also like the Nobody Will Know TikToks. If you haven't ventured into the wild world of TikToks, you definitely should. Check out my all-time favorite TikTok senstion below:
Maybe this will help you, tooAfter a rough day of being sequestered, I received a link to this song from one of my seniors. It really did help.
What do i do now??So, I think I covered my obsession with historically-based period dramas in my last rant, but I have a new and more pressing subject to discuss tonight. First, let me warn: HUGE SPOILER AHEAD if you care anything about OUTLANDER, make sure you are caught up on Season 5 before you read my ravings. That being said, I am sitting here in tears, y'all. Why? Well, the love of my life just died right in front of my eyes.
Fans of the Outlander books and TV show know him as Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, but I know him as THE ONE CHARACTER I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE DIE! Throughout the Outlander TV series, Murtagh has been the rock-steady companion, the loyal friend, and the ever-present guardian. Though in the book he did not survive past the the Battle of Culloden, our TV Murtagh has survived and built a life in the New World. He has been a rebel whose ideas have helped to spark what we know to be the American Revolution. More importantly, he never batted an eye when Jamie and Claire explained that she was a time-traveler. Now, THAT is a true friend. The running joke throughout the series: Don't go alone; take Murtagh. Anytime there was a bad situation to be dealt with- our boy Murtagh was there. Someone needed protecting or someone needed killing- Murtagh was there. Jamie needs a companion in prison after the most epic battle in Scottish history- Murtagh again. But, what did the gods of the TV writing world think our Murtagh deserved? To be shot by a no-name militiaman right in front of our eyes. As he lays there dying and Jamie yells at him for trying to protect him- our Murtagh says not to worry, dying doesn't hurt. Well, his dying hurt ME! I am grieving my favorite Scot tonight, people! RIP Murtagh! |