Happy new year, and welcome to my blog! I went back to work on Wednesday this week, but I still had enough time to finish a book, watch a movie, and listen to a new album. I’m sure as work gets busy, I might not be able to do all three, but I’m grateful that I was able to start this challenge off with checking off all three parts of my goal!
Below are my reviews:
Album: Midnights by Taylor Swift
3/5 stars
I decided to listen to this album after I gifted the vinyl to one of my cousins for Christmas. I’m not a Swiftie, but I’ve followed Taylor Swift’s career and have liked at least one or two songs from each album throughout the years. The last time I actually listened critically to one of her albums was when she came out with Reputation. I guess it’s fitting, because Midnights really feels like a follow-up to Reputation.
I didn’t like Reputation; it felt like it was trying too hard to be edgy. Midnights is gritty, but more believable than Reputation. It has a clear theme, which I really like. What keeps you up at night? For Taylor Swift: Self loathing. Fantasizing about revenge. Wondering what might have been. Falling in love. Falling apart.
What I liked: My top songs are “Lavender Haze,” “Anti‐Hero,” “Karma,” and “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” (from the 3am Edition). “Lavender Haze” is a strong, romantic start, “Anti-Hero” is just hilarious and very relatable (and for some reason reminded me of ABBA), and “Karma” is pure gleeful revenge. “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” resonated with me on a personal level. The lyrics that hurt me most, “And I damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil. At nineteen. … I regret you all the time.” Sigh.
What I didn’t like: Maybe I’m just stuck in the past still thinking of Taylor Swift with her squeaky-clean image, but I cringe whenever I hear her curse in this album.
Lana Del Rey’s voice blended in very nicely with Swift’s voice in “Snow on the Beach,” but it wasn’t a very interesting song and I wish Del Rey had been more prominently featured.
“Vigilante Shit” is too cringe for me. It sounds like Swift is trying to be Billie Eilish, and it doesn’t work.
Final Thoughts: All in all, it’s an okay album with a few memorable songs. Sorry Swifties! I promise I gave it a chance and listened to it multiple times throughout the week!
Book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
3.5/5 stars
I never read all the Harry Potter books growing up. I think maybe I read the first three, but I’m not sure why I never read all of them. I was more into A Series of Unfortunate Events and Twilight 😅. Of course, like most of us, I did watch all the Harry Potter movies! I remember I even went to the midnight release for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with my cousins. That one has always been my favorite in the franchise, and to be honest, I have never been a huge fan of the movies that came after. They just felt too angsty for me, and I didn’t feel the same sense of wonder that I felt from the first three movies.
Anyway, I’m finally getting around to reading the complete series now as an adult. I know J.K. Rowling is a controversial figure now, but I just need to read these books at least one in my life. I’m trying to separate the art from the artist, but my thoughts on the series as a whole might be tainted by all the YouTube videos I’ve watched that take a critical stance on J.K. Rowling’s ideologies and the questionable things in her books. If you’re interested, I recommend watching this video essay by YouTube creator Shaun.
What I liked and didn’t like: I’m giving this book 3.5/5 because it’s between “meh – okay” and “great.” I would recommend it to others, but I probably wouldn’t read it again. I definitely liked it more than the movie adaptation, which I always thought was boring. What makes me like, but at the same time dislike this book is how Harry has to face some heavy “real life” things while at the same time deal with petty teenage issues, like his crush with Cho, exams, and not being made a prefect. Harry is still a regular teenager, but he also has some pretty traumatic things going on in his life. I feel bad for thinking this, but Harry is just so unlikable in this book. He has some major anger issues and he is impulsive. I know he’s going through a lot, but my oh my is he such a teenager.
I’m sorry if my review is super vague, but I’m trying to keep it spoiler free, just in case!
The ending of this novel was tragic and frustrating. It was difficult to learn that Dumbledore is not as perfect and all-knowing as he had seemed all along. I guess part of growing up is learning that the people you admire most don’t always make the wisest decisions. There are also so many misunderstandings, and if they had been cleared up tragedy could have been avoided. I genuinely teared up at the end when Harry remembers the gift Sirius had given him. It was all very Shakespearean, I suppose.
Final Thoughts: Overall, it was pretty good, pretty tragic, and I’m glad I read it!
P.S. I didn’t read the entire book in one week. I only mean that I finished it this week, but I actually started reading it around November. Also…I mainly “read” books by listening to them as audiobooks on Hoopla. Just FYI 🙂
Movie: The Menu – Directed by Mark Mylod; Written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy
4/5 stars
Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes are amazing in this movie. Sorry for the side note, but I think Fiennes looks a lot like a very nice man I know, so it’s a bit weird for me to see him play villains.
I really don’t want to spoil this movie because I think it’s great. It’s a thriller with some horror elements, so I know it might not be for everyone, but if you can stomach a few unnerving things, I recommend you watch it! If you plan to watch it, avoid watching any trailers because they reveal a bit too much!
Sarah Hawkinson from Possessed by Horror on YouTube observed that this movie is a lot like Parasite directed by Bong Joon-ho. I totally agree. It has some dark-humor and great commentary about wealth and class.
The Menu is predictable in some ways, but not overly so. Obviously as a thriller/horror movie, you have a constant feeling that something bad is going to happen, and it’s interesting to see how everything plays out.
That’s really all I want to say about this movie. It’s streaming on HBO Max right now. Go watch it if you can!
One Per Week 
Leave a comment