Oops….super late post for last week. I really don’t have any excuses. I had finished my book on Sunday and was ready to write this blog post, but then I don’t know what happened. Maybe I can blame it on the free mobile game I just started playing. It’s called Pokémon Café ReMix, and it’s absolutely adorable.
I mean, look at it!
Anywaysss…below are my reviews:
Album: Djesse Vol. 2 by Jacob Collier
4/5 stars
This week I got my album recommendation from one of my cousins on my dad’s side of the family. I had watched some of Jacob Collier’s music videos before on YouTube, but I didn’t know he had several albums out! He is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He’s got a very unique voice, and he’s just so talented. He has won and been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards.
I can’t say for sure if Djesse Vol. 2 has a theme, but it’s just so…different? It’s very experimental and has songs in many different genres. It has some jazzy songs, R&B, and folk songs. Maybe it’s more of an anthology, considering the album has “Vol. 2” in the title. This album even has a cover of “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles. I don’t know if I’ve talked about my obsession with The Beatles yet in this blog, but basically, when I was a teenager, what I listened to was The Beatles maybe 70% of the time. I consumed everything Beatles that I could get my hands on, and throughout the years I have been critical of covers of Beatles songs. I’m not sure if I love love Jacob Collier’s cover of a song by my favorite Beatle, but I certainly admire his bravery for covering it in such a unique way.
A possible downside to this album is that it’s on the longer side, so it is a bit of a commitment to listen to it the whole way through. Cousin, I did listen to it at least 5 times throughout the week, I promise! I think some songs might also be a bit too experimental? “Moon River,” for instance, is sometimes enjoyable to listen to, but other times it just feels so chaotic. I know I know, this song won a Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, but like I said, sometimes it feels too chaotic to listen to.
My top songs from this album are: “Sky Above,” “Feel (feat. Lianne La Havas),” and “Nebaluyo (feat. Oumou Sangaré).”
Now that I’ve given you my thoughts on this album you can skip this paragraph or read on to hear my thoughts on something interesting that I have noticed in my life. – I grew up living states away from my extended family. My immediate family and I would see our extended family once or twice a year growing up during winter and/or summer breaks. Every time I see my cousins, who I really don’t catch up with much throughout the time when we aren’t together, I’m shocked to hear that we basically have the same tastes in music, movies, games, etc. It’s really crazy to hear how similar we are even when we don’t see or talk to each other much of the time. As soon as I put Djesse Vol. 2 on I immediately thought, “YES! I’m going to love this.” I wasn’t wrong, it is pretty incredible. So yeah, the ties to my extended family are strong, in spite of the distance.
Book: Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
4/5 stars
Before Your Memory Fades by Japanese author, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, is book three of his Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. These novels could be read as stand-alone novels, but they do have the same or similar settings and reoccurring characters. The original novel takes place in a café in Tokyo where people can travel back in time if they sit in a particular seat in the café and follow a particular set of rules. You can travel to the past, but you will not be able to change anything about the present, you can only meet people who have been to the café before, and you can only remain in the past for a short while (before the coffee gets cold). In the first two books, we also learn that it is possible to travel to the future as well, but it is a bit more complicated.
Before Your Memory Fades takes place in another café in Hakodate where customers can also travel back in time or to the future. I feel like this novel uses more time travel to the future than the previous two. Like the other two novels, this book has some heartbreaking, but heartwarming stories.
I wouldn’t say there is a strong overall plot to these novels. They’re more like short stories all set in the same location with reoccurring characters. There’s a vague that connects all stories. In any case, I don’t mind this at all. I don’t see the lack of a clear, structured plot as a flaw.
Although I love this novel and series, I can’t give this particular book 5/5 stars because I’m not sure if it’s saying much of anything new that wasn’t already said in the first two novels. At the same time, I would still read more books set in these cafés. Actually, if someone wants to give us a movie or TV show of these stories, I would absolutely watch it. The novels are already written in such an episodic way that I feel like they would translate wonderfully as a TV show.
Give these novels a read, please! I love stories that involve time travel and paradoxes, so I knew I would be a fan of these books. What is really amazing about these books is their examples of human connection, empathy, and reconciliation or healing. If these books make you cry…sorry not sorry!
Movie: Walk. Ride. Rodeo – Directed by Connor Allyn; Written by Sean Dwyer and Greg Cope White
3.5/5 stars
Walk. Ride. Rodeo was recommended to me by one of my students, who is a barrel racer herself, and I feel bad for not giving it a higher rating, especially because it’s based on a true story. This movie is a biopic about Amberley Snyder, a rodeo barrel racer who becomes paraplegic after being in a car accident. The story is certainly inspiring, but the writing and acting can feel somewhat cheesy at times, which is why I can’t give it a higher rating.
My student did say that she is not necessarily a fan of the movie, but that she is a fan of Amberley and her story. I like to ask my student’s ice breaker questions before class begins, and after I asked them “If you could have dinner with a famous person, dead or alive, who would you choose?,” this student said that she would choose Amberley Snyder because she is an inspiration to her. I thought that was really incredible, and so I decided to watch the movie.
Something that was a pleasant surprise to me was that Corbin Bleu from High School Musical is in this movie. As someone who grew up watching a lot of Disney Channel, it’s nice to see these actors pop up in movies every now and then.
I recommend Walk. Ride. Rode if you want to be inspired or if you’re looking for a good cry. I’ve never been to a rodeo before, and now after watching this movie I’m curious to go to one and maybe see Amberley Snyder, or maybe even my student, compete in person.
One Per Week 
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