So, I’m not sure how these posts are going to go for the next few months, while we’re stuck in pandemicville. I mean, I’m still going to read, or at least I plan on it, for my own sanity. But I have no book clubs to keep me accountable, and all the movie theaters are closed.

I did make myself a list of movies that I’d like to re-watch while I’m at home. They’re all movies that I’ve seen before, the cinema version of comfort food.

But in the meantime, here’s a little roundup of what I watched/read in March. Going to the theater feels like it was SO LONG AGO.

I only managed to see three movies before the pandemic shut everything down. They were all very different movies, and it feels a little weird to try and pick a favorite.

First was The Photograph. In this movie, our main character, Mae, is uncovering the secrets of her mother’s life after her unexpected death. Though her mother was somewhat emotionally distant, she left behind a whole world through her photographs and letters.
I did really enjoy it. It’s not a movie that I’d go out of my way to see again, probably, but it was enjoyable. There was some good character growth, and I enjoyed seeing how the mother’s story impacted the choices she made and how the daughter turned out.

Next, the remake of Emma. Now, I’m an unabashed Jane Austen fan, and Emma (the novel) is just a hair under Pride & Prejudice for my favorite. While I have to say that I still prefer the BBC version with Ramola Garai and Johnny Lee Miller, this adaptation is both gorgeous and fun. It manages to sneak in a lot given the time allotted, and the cinematography is amazing. Had the pandemic not happened, I certainly would’ve gone back to see this one in the theater at least a couple more times. As it is, I keep checking back for a blu-ray release date. Rumor is sometime in May, so maybe it’ll be a birthday present for myself.

Last, the movie Bloodshot, with Vin Diesel. You only need to know two things going into it:
1. Vin Diesel
2. Based on a comic book

It was a fun movie, and while it’s not going to overtake some of my favorite marvel films any time soon, it was definitely worth a watch. It’s nice to see another comic branch (valiant, in this case) get a movie made. Hopefully it’ll do well enough digitally that it’ll warrant a sequel – because I’d watch one, and I know Matt would.

As far as books go, I read six of them, broken down as two non-fiction and four fiction.

My favorite, and hearty recommendation is Untamed by Glennon Doyle.

This book, like her others, is a memoir, this time highlighting the breakdown of her first marriage and falling in love with former soccer player Abby Wambach. It poses the questions who are you, why are you, and is this who you want to be? It’s a super quick read, and I heartily recommend it. The book made me super happy that I pre-ordered a signed copy.

On the other hand, my disappointment for the month was The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts. I’m not going into too much detail here, because I think it’d make good blog fodder for http://fictionaldiscipline.com – but the trilogy started out very promising, and ended with more of a whimper than a bang. It wasn’t bad or anything, but it wasn’t exactly satisfying, either. As a writer, I felt like Roberts got too protective of her characters and didn’t want them hurt. It makes for a lackluster book when the stakes don’t feel very high.

So as I mentioned in the beginning, I’m not sure where we’ll go from here. I think getting out before June might be optimistic, so maybe movies will have to take a back burner for a little while. Or maybe I’ll ramble on about the things that I’ve re-watched, or are new to me. Or hey, I guess we can always talk about tv.

On that note, if you haven’t watched Love Is Blind on Netflix, go do so. It’s highly bingeworthy.