Every year, when the northern hemisphere enters summer, countless articles and blog posts highlight books that are called “beach reads”. These lists are usually a mix of rom-coms, cozy mysteries, and other light reads, with a generous helping of new releases.
But what if someone doesn’t read in those genres? What if they want to take fantasy and science fiction on their vacation? (more…)
Last week, I shared my favorite reads of 2022, and most of them were positive and uplifting books, offering entertainment rather than diving deep into human condition (though it’s not to say that they all lacked depth!), but it wasn’t all I’ve read throughout the year. There were some books that I found interesting and noteworthy that for various reasons didn’t make it to my favorite list, and today, I’d like to put the spotlight on them. (more…)
For several years now, I felt like I was in a reading slump. I didn’t finish books, and I didn’t follow up on any series, even those where I enjoyed the first book enough. I missed my days of compulsive reading and series-binging, but nothing changed… until 2022 came. (more…)
I have a confession to make. I have a soft spot for Korean love dramas. Most times, they feel fresh in their innocence and honesty in contrast of the Western dramas that often rely on the main characters lying to each other to create tension, but of course, as a dedicated fan of everything speculative, I prefer my love dramas with a pinch of fantasy or science fiction, so here are three shows to check if you’re looking for something romantic and speculative at the same time that will last you long past February 14th. (more…)
In recent years, I haven’t been reading as much as I’d love. There are several reasons. First and the most important is that I consider myself addicted to reading, so if I find an enjoyable book, I’m likely to ignore sleep, food, and yes, work too. It’s not optimal to having a productive life, so I avoid reading when I know I will have other things to do. I’m getting better at managing to “tear away” from a book, so I hope soon it’s not going to be a factor anymore. My second reason is that I’m a picky reader. In my youth, I consumed a lot of books, and over the years I refined my tastes in books. It means that it’s harder for me to find books I truly enjoy, and I end up DNF-ing quite a few. (more…)
Nowadays it seems that every other urban fantasy book I pick up has witches in it, and the blurb goes along the lines of “she’s a witch, but she helps humans” or “she’s a witch, and now humans are after her”, or it has some other iteration of “witches vs. them” theme. And that, sadly, is usually the reason I don’t even continue checking out the rest of the blurb, let alone reading the actual book.
It’s because I miss the witches of old. Or rather, to be more precise, I miss how they used to be portrayed in stories. (more…)
By a chance, I’ve learned that World Dracula Day, commemorating the publication date of Bram Stoker classic, falls on May 26, and it sparked some thoughts about vampires in fiction and pop culture. They’ve been around in books since late 19th century (if we take Dracula’s release date as a marker), and had accompanied us for thousands of years in oral storytelling, folklore, and various myths. After such a long time, are they a little bit stale? Are they… dare I say it, boring? Or, perhaps, like certain pieces of clothing, vampire never go out of style?
I wasn’t expecting to be writing this post today, but the new space opera movie from Netflix is worth noting. In the times when everyone’s favorite childhood franchise is producing mediocre trilogies and spin-offs (with one supposedly decent streaming series coming to the rescue), and when we have had long abandoned all hope in seeing more of Firefly, Space Sweepers is like a breath of fresh air: fun, engaging, and with a story that manages to hit all the tropes we love without feeling cliche.
The short preview on Netflix was enough for Inq and I to get curious about Space Sweepers. Science fiction setting, good special effects, and a promise of fun action seemed like a good bet, and we were saving the movie for the weekend, so we could enjoy it without distractions. And sure enough, we did enjoy it a lot.
Recently, Inq and I have re-watched all the seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D as a refresher before diving into the seventh, final season for the first time (we aren’t the “get it as soon as it’s out types, so we took our time). By now, I must have watched some of the seasons four or five times already, and I’m sure it’s not the last of it. Even though it’s not perfect, out of all the superhero shows I’ve watched, this is probably my most favorite (followed closely by Gotham), and there are so many reasons to love it! (more…)
This post is a part of SciFiMonth by Lisa from Dear Geek Place and Imyril from One More, celebrating all things science fiction. Join us on Twitter at #SciFiMonth and check out all the posts!
If you’ve read my introduction post, you know that I wanted to join SciFiMonth for a couple of years now, and despite uncooperative aura, I finally made it onboard this month! My first flight with the wonderful SciFiMonth crew was quite a turbulent due to unforeseen events, but in the end, I landed safely. (more…)