April Reviews
Well here we go, let’s get started with some of the media I consumed in April (or in the last few months that I have wanted to share). If you want a reminder of how I give out my star rankings, you can read all about it here.
Movies / TV Shows
The Artful Dodger -Season 1 (5/5)
Oh my gosh I loved this one. I was beyond grateful that I discovered it after season 2 was already out. The wait would have been excruciating otherwise.
How messy was my house?
Fortunately (or unfortunately) the season is very short. In that time I still managed to leave a trail of dirty dishes. If the season had been longer the damage to my house house would have been catastrophic.
How was my attention span?
If you weren’t blocking my view of the TV, I doubt I would have even known you were there.
Where and when was I watching?
I binged this over a couple days. Save yourself some agony and don’t start it until you have time to watch all 8 episodes back to back (like I did for season 2). This one is not appropriate for kids which is why it didn’t get watched as fast as I would have liked.
Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair -Season 1 (4/5)
I grew up watching “Malcolm in the Middle” so I was so excited for this mini series that checks in with the characters years after the show ended. I really enjoyed it and it had some real laugh out loud moments (just wait for the ending). I wish it was longer though, four episodes wasn’t enough.
How messy was my house?
I put off cleaning my house so that I could binge all four episodes. It was a short season so the damage wasn’t too bad but I did have to scramble the next morning to catch up on the dishes.
How was my attention span?
I was engaged and made sure to pause the show if we needed snacks. I didn’t want to miss anything.
Where and when was I watching?
We binged the episodes, we were only planning to watch the first two…. We also had to rewind in a few places to watch again as we were laughing too hard the first time and missed some of it.
Books
A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy - Sue Klebold (4/5)
This was one of those books that I have wanted to read for a number of years and it didn’t disappoint. I was in junior high school when the Columbine Shooting happened and I remember the aftermath that it caused. This was a very interesting read. Like many others I was hoping for a simple explanation on how this happened. But as is true with life, things are messy and not all that simple.
How messy was my house?
I fell behind on my housework with this one. Why would I care about dishes when I am deep in the pain of a mother trying to figure out what went wrong?
How was my attention span?
Even when I wasn’t reading this, I was thinking about it. As a mother myself, this one really made me look at my kids and have empathy. I think my children are amazing, I couldn’t imagine loosing one of them in such a tragic way and not being able to grieve openly. Then to be left with so many unanswered questions…..
Where and when was I reading?
This turned into the only book I was reading at the time, my regular night time fiction book got put aside so that I could finish this one.
The Assassin’s Blade - Sarah J. Maas (3/5)
I love the “Court of Thorns and Roses” books so was excited to read this one. I enjoyed it. It was a fun read that kept me going but I had a hard time with the central character. She is supposed to be the best assassin in the area but I just never believed it. Show me why she is considered the best, don’t just repeat over and over that she is and expect me to believe it. That said, this was exactly the book I needed to read during the very busy Easter Season (I couldn’t afford to get sucked into something when life is so busy).
How messy was my house?
While I enjoyed this book, I was able to put it down to attend to my house. It is in no means clean, but the lack of cleaning was not due to my reading of this book.
How was my attention span?
I could carry on a pretty decent conversation without bringing this one up. That said, happy to talk about it if someone asked what I was reading but I didn’t feel the need to tell everyone I talked to about it.
Where and when was I reading?
This one stayed on my nightstand. I looked forward to reading it at night but didn’t feel the need to cart it around the house to steal reading time here and there.
Heated Rivalry - Rachel Reid (5/5)
I finally understand the hype around this one and feel it is well deserved. I loved this book! It was such a pleasure to read Shane and Ilya’s love story.
How messy was my house?
It was a disaster! Dishes didn’t matter, who needs laundry? I modified the menu plan so that I could heat up food and avoid cooking. Why would I care about such trivial things when I had Shane and Ilya.
How was my attention span?
If you wanted to talk about the book, I was a great conversationalist. If you didn’t…. well I found ways to bring it up anyway.
Where and when was I reading?
I carted this book around with me. It was hauled to playdates, from one room of the house to other… Chances are if you saw me during the time I was reading this one, the book was close by.
Game Changer - Rachel Reid (3/5)
I was feeling the grief of finishing “Heated Rivalry” when I found out that I could get the audio book for this one. It was alright. Kip and Scott were not Shane and Ilya though. I mean they are alright but I was a bit annoyed by them. This one felt a lot more formulaic and average. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, I just didn’t have the same level of obsession as I did when reading “Heated Rivalry”.
How messy was my house?
My house was actually cleaner when I was listening to this one. Since it was an audio book I was able to do some light housework while I listened.
How was my attention span?
I could carry on a pretty decent conversation without mentioning what I was reading.
Where and when was I reading?
As this was an audio book, it kept me company while doing the dishes and laundry.
It’s Not You - Ramani Duruasula, PhD (4/5)
This should be mandatory reading for everyone! The more I learn about Narcissistic abuse, the more I realize that it is important to have an understanding of what it is and how to recognize it as you will run into narcissists. As someone who is dealing with the fallout of Narcissistic Abuse, I appreciate the steps for healing while still seeing the narcissist. It is not always possible to leave but it is still possible to see the relationship for what it is and have radical acceptance.
How messy was my house?
My house stayed the same with this one. Unlike many of the four star books I have read, I couldn’t binge this one. Instead I had to take it in small douses over a period of time. This allowed me to keep up with my housework.
How was my attention span?
I talked about this book a lot while I was reading it. Many of the people I know have experienced narcissist abuse so there was a lot of therapy sessions happening.
Where and when was I reading?
As I read it slowly, it stayed as my morning book. It really made me think and I could only handle it in small amounts.
What did you think?
I would love to hear from you, have you seen or read any of the books, Movies or TV shows that I shared this month? Do you have any recommendations that I should read or watch?
