May Catch-Up

What's going on in my world

I can’t believe that May is almost over. Where has this year gone? The weather in New York went from “Should I wear a jacket today?” to “Oh my god, it’s hot out!” in the space of a week. We went from having little spring straight into summer weather. It’s slightly cooled off today only because it’s supposed to rain. My allergies have been plaguing me on and off for the past week, which hasn’t been pleasant. I’ve been busy working on a project that I’ve been noodling on for the past few months. I have a completed outline, which is unusual for me because I tend to be a pantser rather than a plotter. I thought I might try something different this time.

I find writing fiction to be so much harder than writing non-fiction. I can write non-fiction for days, but writing fiction often leaves me frustrated as I try to convey what’s in my head onto the page. My main problem is getting all the information the reader needs in the first few chapters, while making sure my character’s actions are plausible and she doesn’t come across as too unlikeable. She’s going through some stuff at the beginning of the book.

I’ve been trying to read a lot more and spend less time streaming TV shows and films. I find that if I read for two to three hours at night, I sleep better. I don’t know why that is, maybe because reading stimulates a different part of the brain than looking at a screen.

I finished Deanna Raybourn’s latest Veronica Speedwell novel, A GHASTLY CATASTROPHE. If you love historical mysteries, particularly set during the Victorian era, I can’t recommend this series enough. Veronica is a natural historian specializing in lepidoptery, which makes her a butterfly hunter and world traveler, always up for adventure. If you are a fan of Mis. Scarlett (Formerly Miss Scarlett and the Duke), then you will love this series. It is delicious.

Given the state of the world, I’ve been finding it very difficult to read anything that is too dark or heavy. I’ve been reading a lot of cozy mysteries and romance lately, as well as biographies. I love a good biography or memoir. I finished Sally Field’s memoir last week, and it was fascinating. She doesn’t hold back on her early life, as well as how hard it was for her to get people in the business to take her seriously as an actress when her two biggest credits were the TV series Gidget and The Flying Nun.

Tokyo Ever After/Tokyo Dreaming - Emiko Jean

I picked up this book at the library because I was looking for something different. Tokyo Ever After and its sequel, Tokyo Dreaming, are both YA books. Izumi Tanaka has never felt like she fit into her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been her and her mom against the world. Now a senior in high school, Izzy has questions about the father she never knew. When Izzy finds a clue to her father’s identity, she discovers that he is the Crown Prince of Japan, which makes Izzy a princess! Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of.

But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. She has to deal with conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight. Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. I enjoyed this book because the author doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of the Japanese monarchy, which is very different from the Western monarchies. It’s really about Izzy finding herself, where she fits in. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel to see how Izzy evolves now that she’s spending more time in Japan.

What I’m watching:

The Other Bennet Sister - I think the whole series has dropped on Britbox. I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and I’m genuinely not that fond of Austen continuations. I will, however, say that I was shocked by the portrayal of Mrs. Bennet in this series. Normally, she comes across as silly and pretentious. In The Other Bennet Sister, she comes across as cruel and emotionally manipulative. I’m not going to lie, I found this interpretation of Mrs. Bennet to be hard to take.

Ella Bruccoleri is fantastic as Mary Bennet, who grows from a shy, awkward girl, either ignored by her family or treated poorly, to a more socially confident young woman who realizes her own worth. Her two suitors are basically variations of Edward Ferrars and Henry Crawford. Dónal Finn, who plays Mr. Hayward, has made quite a splash as an actor this year. He also plays Moriarty in Young Sherlock Holmes, a series that started out rather rough for me but got better as it went along. Finn was a standout in that series as Moriarty; you could say he stole the show from under Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock.

Off-Campus: The Amazon Prime series Off-Campus is based on the novels by Elle Kennedy. The series is set at Briar University, which is somewhere in the Northeast, I’m guessing not far from Boston. Each book revolves around a different player on the Briar University hockey team and his love interest. This first season is based on the first book in the series, The Deal. Garrett Graham needs to pass a philosophy class to keep his GPA up and stay on the hockey team. He makes a deal with another student, Hannah Wells. If she helps him pass philosophy, he’ll help her win her crush, Justin. It’s basically the fake dating trope. Someone on Threads mentioned that Off-Campus feels like a CW show from the late nineties/early aughts, and it does have a slightly low-budget feel. Both Garrett and Hannah are going through some stuff they need to work out before they can get together. I appreciated that Hannah didn’t try to fix Garrett. The show has already been renewed for a second season.

Rivals: The second season of Rivals, based on Jilly Cooper’s novel, arrived on Hulu last Friday. I’m still not sold on Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black. I don’t think he’s handsome or charming enough for the role. Most of the time, he comes off as swarmy. David Tennant is clearly having a good time playing Tony Baddingham, the villain, of the series, as it were. This show has so many characters that I had a hard time remembering who did what with whom last season. It’s an enjoyable, frothy good time, though, and brings back memories of my time in London in the 1980s.

I’ve also been watching Tucci in Italy (Stanley Tucci traveling around Italy, eating and wearing tight pants) and Eva Longoria: Searching for France. Given the cost of airfare lately, this might be as close as I get to these two countries for the foreseeable future!

What is everyone reading/watching lately?