Hi! My post is a bit late again, but I went to a wedding this past weekend and had a wonderful time!
Below are my reviews:
Album: De Todas las Flores by Natalia Lafourcade
3.5/5 stars
I have loved Natalia Lafourcade’s music ever since she released her first album when she was just a teenager. I was only a kid back then, and it’s been really interesting to grow up and get to see her music mature and her career blossom. For some reason, I’ve always thought of Natalia as a sort of older cousin. It also makes me feel really proud as a Mexican immigrant to see her gain recognition in the US over the years. She has won several Grammys, KCRW loves her (my fav radio station), and recently Anthony Fantano from The Needle Drop rated this latest album a “strong 9.”
While I agree that this album is beautiful, I’m only giving it 3.5/5 because it’s just not one of my favorites in her discography. I loved how jazzy several songs are, and that her singing style in this album at times reminded me of Mercedes Sosa.
My two favorite songs in this album were “De todas las flores” and “María la Curandera.” Do this give album a listen!
Book: Murder at the Mayfair Hotel by C.J. Archer
3.5/5 stars
After listening to a nonfiction book last week, I had to go back to an “easy” book this week. This mystery novel was recommended to me on Hoopla. It’s the first book in the Cleopatra Fox Mysteries series. It’s set during the winter holidays in London, 1899. Cleopatra, or Cleo, moves to the Mayfair hotel to live with her wealthy relatives after her grandmother dies. Although Cleo receives an allowance, she wants to make herself useful. She wants to do more with her life than just live a life or leisure or become a wife. She is definitely a feminist!
Cleo becomes close with the staff working at the hotel, and once the murder of a guest occurs and an innocent staff member is arrested, she swiftly begins to investigate the murder to help set him free. I enjoyed her hands-on approach to investigating and how the readers get to unravel the mystery along with her.
While I enjoy strong female protagonists, at times Cleo is a bit too much. She repeatedly mentions that she doesn’t plan to marry, which is fine, but it seems that the novel pokes fun at women like her cousin, Flossy, who is very girly and the complete opposite of Cleo. I think this was really the only off-putting aspect of the novel for me. I hope that in later novels Flossy and her mother, who suffers of “headaches” (depression), are more developed.
I don’t think this novel is a cozy mystery like the ones I normally read, but it was still a pleasant and entertaining read. I do recommend it, and I plan on reading more books in this series!
Movie: The Outfit – Directed by Graham Moore; Written by Graham Moore and Johnathan McClain
3.5/5 stars
The Outfit is a thriller that is completely set in a tailor/cutter’s shop in Chicago. I thought this was one of the most interesting parts of this movie. Because it’s set in a single location, it almost feels like you’re watching a play. I think I would really enjoy watching this story on the stage, maybe even more than watching it as a movie.
You know by now that I’m a fan of mysteries, so I’m sure you can imagine why I was looking forward to watching this movie. I remember watching the trailer in theaters a while back, and although it was pretty vague, I was intrigued because it seemed like it would be a mystery or mobster-type of movie. It was definitely a bit of both!
I loved almost every part of this movie, up until the end. I don’t want to spoil it because I still think this movie is worth a watch, but the ending was way too cheesy. Let me explain what I’m talking about just a bit…
Slight Cryptic Spoilers Ahead?:
I think this movie would have been almost perfect if it had ended before the final confrontation when the cutter rolls up his sleeves and you learn more about his past.
There, I don’t think that really gave anything away, right?
Watch it and you’ll see what I mean!
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