30 Day TV Show Challenge (in one day)

 

I found this on Pinterest (I tried to find the original creator, which I believe is the @rhoana_ person, but I couldn't find an account to link to. The only one I found was a private account so I'm not sure if it's the correct one or not. If anyone has a source for this let me know so I can link it up) and I am a geek for filling out this kind of shit. Not doing it over 30 days though. Too easily distracted to remember to do it on the daily. And don't be surprised if this pops up again and my answers change.

1. A show that should have never been canceled

Castle Rock. Gods did I love that show. 

2. A show that you wish more people were watching

I have no idea what people are watching... Though, it would be nice if more people watched more unbiased news. Just a thought...

3. Your favorite new show

Uh... Does Moon Knight count? Fuck did I love that show.

4. Your favorite show ever

Probably Daria.

5. A show you hate

I can't think of a show I hate. There are plenty that I'm not a fan of. Plenty that aren't my cup of tea. But I don't hate them.

6. Favorite episode of your favorite TV show

Since I already said Daria was my favorite show, I guess I'll use that... Damn. There are so many fantastic episodes in that series. I think I'll go with Misery Chick. No reason. Cause like I said, there are so many great episodes, and I pretty much just went with a random one *laughs*

7. Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show

Dye! Dye! My Darling. I don't like Daria and Jane fighting. Especially over a boy.

8. A show everyone should watch

Well, now all my brain can think of is Daria. So. Go watch Daria.

9. Best scene ever

Gods, I don't know. There are so many solid scenes from TV shows. How about when Steven and Marc meet Taweret? That scene was pure gold. 

10. A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving

Ugh. Friends. And I blame Ryan. I will admit it's not a perfect show but it is still enjoyable and fun. Except for Ross. Fuck Ross.

11. A show that disappointed you

Big Bang Theory. I liked the first couple seasons or so, but was immensely disappointed when the guys all got into relationships and there was not a single nerdy girl among them. Yes, Amy and Bernadette are incredibly smart and that is awesome. But none of the women have any of the same interests or hobbies as their boyfriends/husbands. Which just annoys me. And it annoys me that the show is basically "Look, dudes like this nerd shit but chicks still think that shit is stupid." 

12. An episode you've watched more than five times

All the episodes of Daria. And all the episodes of the first two seasons of Supernatural. 

13. Favorite childhood show

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. 

14. Favorite male character

Clint Barton. And I don't just mean from the Disney+ Hawkeye series. Clint in the animated Marvel shows is also sooooo awesome. Love him.

15. Favorite female character

Daria. Duh.

16. Your guilty pleasure show

I always assumed guilty pleasure was something you did in the dark of night where no one will see you. I have none of those. The closest I have is Say Yes to the Dress. Though I haven't watched any of it in years. I used to watch it a lot when I was baby-sitting my friend's kids. Me and the teen daughter would just sit and watch that and critique the dresses together. It was fun.

17. Favorite mini-series

Was Hawkeye a mini-series? How about House on Haunted Hill? One of those if so. If not... I haven't the foggiest idea what to say here.

18. Favorite cross over

Probably one of those cross-overs that Disney did with their teen shows back in the day. 

19. Best TV show cast

Doctor Who. 

20. Favorite friendship

Daria and Jane's friendship ranks pretty high on my list. As does Sherlock and Watson's from the various Sherlock Holmes adaptations I watch. And Shawn and Gus from Psych.

21. Favorite ship

The Ghost from Star Wars: Rebels. Oh! Wait. Y'all mean like... relationship ship. Oh. This is way more difficult. *thinks* Patrick and David from Schitt's Creek. 

22. Most annoying character

Ross Gellar from Friends. Wait, no. He wasn't annoying. He was fucking toxic. 

23. Favorite series finale

Shit. I don't know. I know for sure it wasn't the Friends series finale. Rachel should not be with Ross. Fuck Ross.

24. Best quote

Pretty much anything from Daria. That show was just so quotable. I think there were at least three solid quotes per episode.

25. A show you plan on watching

This is a damn massive list. Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan, Ms. Marvel, Bad Batch, Titans... etc etc. I am way behind on things and I am very slowly trying to catch up.

26. Favorite reality show

I don't really have one. 

27. Best pilot episode

Daria, Schitt's Creek, Psych, and Elementary all had great pilot episodes in my opinion. 

28. First TV show obsession

I am gonna say Full House. Mostly because that is really the only show aside from cartoons that I remember watching as a kid.

29. Current TV show obsession

Hmm... I don't really have one at the moment. Ask me again later.

30. Saddest character death

Just gonna go with Bobby Singer.

That's all for this week. See y'all next Wednesday 👋🏻

After Midnight by Teresa Medeiros

 

Our sister is marrying a vampire...

When the ever practical Caroline Cabot first hears those words from the lips of her fanciful youngest sister, she accuses Portia of having a wild imagination.

But when she discovers their sister Vivienne is actually being courted by Adrian Kane, the mysterious viscount rumored to be a vampire, she decides to accept his invitation to a midnight supper and do some sleuthing of her own.

To both her delight and her dismay, she soon finds herself falling under Kane's bewitching spell. After all, what's a proper young lady to do when her sister's suitor arouses more than just her suspicions?

Book 1 in Teresa Medeiros's LORDS OF MIDNIGHT Series, which includes AFTER MIDNIGHT and THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME

Warnings:

short scene where two men are threatening to assault the main female character

period typical sexism

There won't be much of a summary this time cause I cheated. *points to summary I stole from the back of the book* That's what the book is about. Good? Good. Might continue doing that cause I sort of suck at summaries.

As the summary says, everyone seems to think Adrian is a vampire. And you spend most of the book questioning whether or not he is. I won't be telling you. Go read the book if you want to know. 

Portia, the youngest Cabot sister at 17, fully believes he is a vampire. Portia is a riot and I love her. When she declares Adrian to be a vampire it is met with tales that are things like "Oh, is this like the time you saw mermaids? Or when you believed you were a changeling?" She was childish without it being annoying. I just loved her.

All three Cabot sisters were great in their own ways. And they were written to have a believable sibling relationship. Caring and loving, but still bickering and annoyed with each other at times.

Adrian has a lovely younger brother, Julian. And I think dramatics runs in the family. 

This is one of those romance books that goes hard on the flowery language for sex scenes. There are three sex scenes and it was all petals and staffs and stuff like that. I don't hate that kind of stuff, but it does make me laugh sometimes. 

In the end, Caroline and Adrian get their happy endings. Vivienne gets her happy ending. Though, Julian and Portia have to wait to get theirs. An inside source tells me it happens in the sequel. I'm the inside source, guys. I read the sequel. 

That's all for this week. See you next Wednesday. 👋🏻

20 Questions About Books

 I always liked doing those survey things that you could fill out and post on your MySpace bulletin boards. Don’t see them on Facebook very often, which is fine, I tend to avoid Facebook. I found a few on Pinterest under fun blog posts or something like that. And I think this was one of them. Not overly positive. My memory sucks.

I got this from: Emily the Book Nerd


1. HOW MANY BOOKS IS TOO MANY BOOKS IN A SERIES?

It really depends on the type of series, in my opinion. I think if all the books are all focused on the same plot, five and under is a good number. But if it is just the same characters having different adventures, just keep going until the author runs out of good ideas.


2. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CLIFFHANGERS?

I don’t mind them. Prefer if I already have the next book ready for me, but sometimes I don’t. I don’t get angry, just a little frustrated, and do a lot of dramatic sighing. And excited to get the next book.


3. HARDCOPY OR PAPERBACK?

Paperback just because they are easier to carry around. And I always need a book on hand. I love how hardbacks look on my shelf with their cute little dust jackets. But they get heavy in my purse.


4. FAVOURITE BOOK?

Usually this question leaves me forgetting every book I ever read, but I decided recently that if I am asked this question I’m going to say Witch and Wombat by Carolyn Cushman. It is definitely one of my favorites, so I feel it is a good enough answer.


5. LEAST FAVOURITE BOOK?

The previous person put math textbooks which… yeah… But I also gotta add public school textbooks in general were pretty awful. Though, a West Virginia history textbook my kid had in eighth grade had a picture of the Mothman statue so it gets a pass. Cause, Mothman.


6. LOVE TRIANGLES, YES OR NO?

I am soooo fucking tired of love triangles. Unless you give me something new with the trope, I don’t want to read it. I almost stopped reading a Sabrina Jeffries (who's work I love) book because I thought it was going to be a love triangle. She changed the trope up and I really enjoyed the book. 


7. THE MOST RECENT BOOK YOU JUST COULDN’T FINISH?

Oh gees. Okay… There was a paranormal romance I started recently that I got a few chapters in before I just couldn’t. And there have been quite a few Kindle books that I noped the fuck out pretty quickly. I am at a point in my life where I refuse to waste my time with bad books. And especially since I read so much fan-fiction. If someone can write a fucking fantastic piece of fan-fiction and expect no compensation aside from a few nice comments, then you all can write better books that you expect me to pay for.


8. A BOOK YOU’RE CURRENTLY READING?

Star Wars The New Essential Chronology by Daniel Wallace


9. LAST BOOK YOU RECOMMENDED TO SOMEONE?

I am not going to count any reviews I’ve done that say I recommend the book just cause it feels less personal or something. Instead I’m gonna go with Witch and Wombat. Went on a multi-text conversation with Ryan about how much I love the book and recommend he check it out.


10. OLDEST BOOK YOU’VE READ?

I could say the Bible, but I never finished it. It was badly written, y’all. Soooo… I don’t really know… I’m just going to say Carrie by Stephen King for the moment and know that I’m probably wrong.


11. NEWEST BOOK YOU’VE READ?

Uhhh… Well… I don’t know. I’m slow at everything so I rarely read a book when it first comes out. I am going to assume it was Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.


12. FAVOURITE AUTHOR?

This is a tough one, but I am going to say Lynsay Sands. I have absolutely adored every book of hers I have gotten to read, though I have missed a few of her non-Argeneau series books. Need to remedy that…


13. BUYING BOOKS OR BORROWING BOOKS?

I buy books for the most part. I do occasionally borrow books from friends. I used to go to the local library constantly when I was younger, but… It is not a great library for various reasons.


14. A BOOK YOU DISLIKE THAT EVERYONE SEEMS TO LIKE?

I don’t know. What do other people like?


15. BOOKMARKS OR DOGEARS?

Bookmarks usually, but I have dogeared pages of books.


16. A BOOK YOU CAN ALWAYS REREAD?

Witch and Wombat… Okay, look, it’s a great book.


17. CAN YOU READ WHILE HEARING MUSIC?

Yeah. I have conditioned myself to be able to read under any circumstance.


18. ONE POV OR MULTIPLE POVS?

If it’s well written, it doesn’t matter to me.


19. DO YOU READ A BOOK IN ONE SITTING OR OVER MULTIPLE DAYS?

Depends on a couple different things. If it sucks me in and I got nothing else going on, I can read a book in one sitting. But sometimes I will put off finishing a really good book because I don’t want it to end.


20. ONE BOOK YOU READ BECAUSE OF THE COVER.

I haven’t read it yet, but I pretty much bought The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates the other day because the cover had a picture of a spooky-looking house on it. I read the blurb before I decided to buy it, but I only picked it up because of the cover.

That's all for this week. See y'all next Wednesday!

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

 

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Paranormal fiction with a bunch of straight people. Straight romantic subplot.

Warnings: 

Short scene with non-consensual touching

Mentions of physical abuse

Graphic depictions of violence

Murder

Mentions of human trafficking

Mentions of child abuse

Mentions of child death

Oh my. That is a lot of warnings. Even with those warnings, this isn't really a dark book.

Charley Davidson is a grim reaper. The grim reaper. She is also a private detective. And does consultant work with the police department. She is a very busy woman. She is also badass and hilarious.

In this book, which is the first of a series, Charley is trying to solve the murders of three lawyers. And find this dude she met as a teenager. And deal with people thinking she is crazy because she can see and talk to ghosts. 

There is a wonderful cast of characters in this book. And it is a pretty large cast of characters. But it never really got confusing for me to remember who was who. Which is sometimes a problem for me, but it wasn't this time. I might have forgotten what a character looked like, but I remembered who they were. 

And while the book does touch on some pretty dark things (see warnings), most are just quick mentions and that's it. If each of those warnings had pages of details of what happened, I wouldn't have liked this book as much. 

Which, I really enjoyed this book. It is written in Charley's point of view and that girl has some fantastic inner thoughts. 

 There were two major plots going on at once. Both of which came to a conclusion of sorts in the last couple of chapters. And a subplot that also came to a conclusion at the same time as the major plots. The last few chapters were full of reveals and intense moments. But the ending didn't feel rushed like the writer was trying to tie up all the loose ends at once. I might have pushed one of the big reveals to the next book, just to keep people screaming for more, but that is just me. 

All in all, great book. Fun and easy to read. Well written with fantastic characters. I highly recommend it. And I really need to get the rest of the books in the series... 

Six Streaming Recommendations

 I am still not sure about that title... But I got nothing else right now so I'm gonna go with it for now.

I stream a lot of stuff. I have access to a satellite but I mostly just watch Schitt's Creek repeats on it when our internet goes out. I also have a massive amount of DVDs and blu-rays. But honestly, I stream more than anything because it is more convenient. 

I thought about doing a post for every cool show, movie, and YouTube channel I come across, but I wasn't sure I could stretch me rambling about one thing into a long enough post. So! A list post!

Here's how it's going to work. I will list six things, what platforms you can stream them on, and then I will ramble a bit about them. Hope you enjoy it and maybe find something new to watch.

CJUGames (Linky Link! )

Available on: YouTube

Warnings: He plays a lot of horror games. So, any warnings you think those might have, apply.

CJU (I think his name is Chris, but there are already too many Chrises in my head so it will always be CJU to me) does video game playthroughs. Mostly horror games. His earliest videos don't have commentary, but I much prefer the ones with commentary. He's a funny guy. He has the same sort of sense of humor as me, so it's almost like watching a friend play the game. He does entire playthroughs from beginning to end. And most of the time he reads all the notes and such that you come across in games, which I like. I especially like his videos because I DO NOT like playing horror games for the most part. Too scary. But I love the plots and such for so many of those games. So, I want to see what happens, but my pansy ass will never get far enough in the games to actually know what happens. I enjoy all of his playthroughs, even if the game is shit or something I'm really not interested in. I highly recommend checking out his channel. He is funny, well-spoken, and has a nice voice. And it is fucking hilarious watching him slowly lose his mind during some games. Mother is a good example of this.

Hawkeye

Available on: Disney+

Warnings: Violence. Previous major character death

I thought about starting off with something else from Disney+. There are so many great options on there and I wasn't sure if I wanted to start with something from the MCU. But fuck it. Y'all are gonna have to deal with me gushing about Hawkeye.

Clint Barton became one of my favorite comic book characters around the time that the first Avengers movie came out. Before that, I barely knew he existed. Now the boy is in my top five comic book characters. 

I started reading the Matt Fraction Hawkeye run and was gone for the dumpster fire that is Clinton Francis Barton. And the more I watched the MCU the more I was sad that they weren't utilizing him at all. Much less showing off his character and abilities.

And then the show came out.

Oh. My. Gods.

There was just so much good with the show. Katie Kate and Lucky and the Tracksuit Mafia and the trick arrows. There was humor and heartbreaking moments that were both well done and not overused. 

And Laura Barton! Oh, that woman deserves so much love. She is so awesome and the show lets that awesomeness shine with little screen time.

The show gave me the Hawkeyes I have been wanting for years. And I was very happy during every episode. Even while I was crying at a few spots.

Harley Quinn

Available On: HBOMax

Warnings: A lot of profanity. Mentions of bestiality (Batman fucks bats, yo). So much violence. Temporary character death.

This show is one of the best things I've seen in a while. It has two seasons as of this writing and both are fucking great. Animation is great. Voice acting is spot on. Plot, characters and all of that is fantastic. And the lack of Joker is just the best. I mean, he's there, but not often enough that I got annoyed. I am so tired of seeing Joker in fucking everything...

The show is hilarious and fun. Not "too dark" as people say a lot of DC stuff is. Though, it is very, very, very Not For Children. Unless you want your kid to know that Batman fucks bats...

Only Murders in the Building

Available On: Hulu

Warnings: Murder. It is in the title, guys.

This show is about a murder. A murder in a building. Shocking, I know.

But seriously, this show is about Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) who live in an apartment building where a murder happens one evening. For various reasons, the trio of true crime podcast fans decide to do a podcast about the murder. Hilarity and mystery follow.

I was worried at first that Selena Gomez wouldn't be able to shine next to the legends that are Steve Martin and Martin Short. I enjoyed her immensely in Wizards of Waverly Place years ago and didn't want her to fade into the background of this show. Which she did not. 

The show is a comedy and murder mystery and it blended both together fabulously.

Inside Job

(sorry, no trailer for this one, have a picture of my kiddo with their stuffed Mothman, for reasons. Mothman reasons.)

Available On: Netflix

Warnings: Drug use. Some violence. Some death of minor characters.

I'm not gonna lie, I watched this show for Mothman. I'm a weirdo from West Virginia that is obsessed with cryptids. I saw a trailer and thought it looked fun and planned to watch it at some point. Then I saw that the Mothman was going to be in it and I went from "I'll watch that at some point" to watching the entire series within a week.

The show is an animated workplace comedy. The workplace just happens to be a government agency that keeps all those wild conspiracy theories (which happen to be true) under wraps.

the show is a delight. Well written and quite amusing. Characters are fun and not annoying. 

Downside is that Mothman only shows up for, like, one episode. Need more of him.

Murder, She Wrote

Available On: Peacock

Warnings: Murder. Lots of murder.

I never really watched Murder, She Wrote when I was younger. But, then I started watching Pushing Up Roses talk about the show and I just had to watch it. Got the Peacock app just so I could watch it. Though, I do use the free version. I can deal with ads for Jessica Fletcher outsmarting everyone.

For those that are unaware, this show is about Jessica Fletcher, a murder mystery writer, who just keeps stumbling across murders that she, for some reason, helps solve.

The show is surprisingly wholesome considering at least one murder takes place per episode. Jessica has various nieces and nephews and friends and former students that she visits. And she is a kindly aunt type of person to damn near everyone. 

Some parts of the show aren't super believable, but c'mon, it's a fun little show. Also, I adore the friendship trio of Jessica, Seth, and Amos. Was sad when Amos left. But his replacement is pretty good as well. 

That's all I got this week. Let me know if you liked this format or if I should just ramble about one thing at a time. 

Demon From the Dark by Kresley Cole

Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole

10th (sort of) book of the Immortals After Dark series

Book Warnings

Non-con elements

mentions of child prostitution

mentions of rape

Other Tags

Fated Mates

Language barrier

Straight Paranormal Romance

Carrow is a super awesome witch who is taken by The Order (asshole humans). They force her to trick a Venom (demon vampire hybrid) by holding Carrow's young cousin hostage. Carrow agrees to protect Ruby (the young cousin who The Order made an orphan). But... When Carrow meets Malkom, the venom, she realizes she is his fated mate and shit gets complicated. Because of course, it does.

As always, I really enjoyed this book. There are some problematic elements, I won't lie. So if any of the warnings are an issue for you, skip this one. 

As always with these books, loved the characters. Carrow is awesome. Ruby is a great kid. Loved seeing Lanthe again. Malkom was oddly adorable. Villains were assholes. Lothaire is causing trouble.

Great book.

Though...

Not enough Nix...