august round-up

it would make sense that my first dreamwidth post was a stolen format from my friends lmao. i simply don't have shit to say, but i DO like keeping track of the things i consume every month, so hopefully i'll be able to keep this up!

books 📚

1. WRANGLESTONE BY DARREN CHARLTON ★★¾

￫ i i really wanted to like this more than i did, but it ended up being really disappointing. it's a queer zombie apocalypse novel with a twist, but i REALLY didn't like the twist, plus every single character felt so boring and flat that i didn't care for a single one. also the relationship between the mc and his boyfriend felt so rushed and also just....annoying? like, there was this interaction they had that was something like:
"peter."
"what?"
"nothing. just wanted to say your name."
which if they'd done it once would have been cute. but no joke it happened about five times. write something else to fill the word count dude! yeah i didn't like it at all. but the cover is really nice, so. there's one plus! oh it had other positives i just forgot because i made myself mad again. i thought the development of the locations and landscape in the book were really well done and wonderfully written....just a shame that this book wasn't simply describing places, i guess, because the rest sucked.

2. LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR BY MIZUKI TSUJIMURA (TRANS. PHILLIP GABRIEL) ★★★★★

￫ this book follows seven students who are avoiding going to school for their own personal reasons, who are magically able to travel through their mirrors to a beautiful castle where they are able to meet the other students and have a place to pass the time in the day, with a twist: the wolf queen, a mysterious young girl in the castle, tells them they can find a key hidden the castle that will grant the finder one wish; after wishing, all of their memories of the castle will vanish. god...i loved this book. it's really simple and not much happens, really, it's just these seven students getting to know each other and facing their own fears about education and bullies and whatever other personal reasons they have for avoiding school, but it really got me. it's so beautiful and well crafted. i still don't really know how to pitch it to people, but it's a new fave of mine i think. it's also the only one i'm going to describe the plot of, so. don't get used to that!

3. SIX CRIMSON CRANES BY ELIZABETH LIM ★★★★

￫ i had a hit with a YA fantasy book let's goooooo! i was pleasantly surprised i enjoyed this so much seeing as i very much picked it up because of its cover, lmao. but it was honestly great! interesting mc who develops so well over the course of the book, a slowly-blossoming romance that i don't hate for once but also has a cool twist to it (the mc is cursed and so the love interest doesn't know that she's actually the bratty princess he was to be married to before shit went down), a gripping plot and some really interesting villain writing....honestly it was a fun old ride. we WILL be reading the sequel

4. THE MIDNIGHT LIE BY MARIE RUTKOSKI (REREAD) ★★★★

￫ i only read this last year but i did not remember a single part of it other than it was about lesbians, so i gave it a reread seeing as the sequel is out soon! and honestly i enjoyed it WAY more the second time around. i remember being really confused about the worldbuilding when i first read it, but this time i grasped it quickly and it was sooooo good. SO well done and also the lesbians? love those. and the TWIST AT THE END? BROOO....the sequel is out september 9th so i can't wait to break my book buying ban on that day. these reviews are getting lazy but i don't care <3

5. THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE BY ERIC LAROCCA unrated

￫ i still don't know what to feel about this book, so i'm just going to put my goodreads review here: " i straight up have no idea what to rate this, so i'm not going to. i genuinely don't know if i liked this or hated it, but i do know that i'll be thinking about certain aspects of this book for a good while. this is the only horror book i've read so far that has actually made me feel sick to my stomach, so i guess it gets props for that? i don't know, man. i will say that if you read the description and it sounds like something you might like, give it a try - but please check up on the trigger warnings."

6. A DOWRY OF BLOOD BY S.T. GIBSON ★★★★

￫ this is a retelling of dracula from the pov of one of his brides and it's soooo good...very dark and sexy and an exploration into toxic relationships, and how you know someone is bad for you but because of their manipulation and gaslighting you still can't help loving them. REALLY really good, and pretty short! i think a lot of my friends will like this, but once again do check the trigger warnings, there's a lot of gore and really delves into toxic relationships.

7. STRANGE THE DREAMER BY LAINI TAYLOR currently reading

￫ this is a book that's been on my shelves for years because i started it once during a reading slump and couldn't get past the first 20 pages. i'm really glad i gave it a second shot though because i'm very much enjoying it! there's two main characters (one of which is the titular strange) but honestly i prefer the other pov....it's about gods and lost cities and stories and dreams and moths and war and trauma. and it has a romance that drives the story but i honestly really like it. i'm so intrigued to see what happens seeing as it has a second book....i literally have sixty pages left (my six key is broken i think. girl help) i just am taking my sweet time with it LOL

films 📽️

i watched....11 films in august. i don't know HOW but i did. every single one was a slasher film in preparation for my dissertation, and honestly? can i be honest? a lot of them were bad. so i'll just pick my favourite ones to talk about!

SCREAM 2 DIR. WES CRAVEN ★★★½

￫ i fucking love the first scream, and the sequels...get progressively worse. but this one was pretty good! i have less to say about them compared to the books because well. i watched ELEVEN FILMS and this was right at the beginning of the month so i don't really remember it LMAOOOO i just know it's better than the other scream sequels imo. sidney prescott you are a lesbian do you know? do you know that? actually this film has a horrid scene where her bf sings to her in the cafeteria. if a man did that to me i would kill him

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE DIR. JACK SHOLDER ★★★

￫ this film....isn't good. and also kinda homophobic. but it's also gay cinema. like seriously it's very much a plotline about queer identity and being afraid of people knowing that side of you (and also thinking that side of you is horrific and disgusting...which COULD be about accepting yourself for who you are but in this film's case is pretty much just homophobia lolz) and i think it going a "freddy possesses someone and makes them confront the sides of their psyche they're afraid of" route was interesting. PLUS it has a final boy! which is cool.....but the film is. pretty bad! however the actor playing the main character is a gay man and a lot of gay people have reclaimed this as a queer film and there's a whole documentary about the production of this film and its queer elements that i still need to watch, so. idk! it's not great but it's stuck with me because of its relationship with queer identity, i think. it's really interesting to me. also i reclaim this film <3

GINGER SNAPS DIR. JOHN FAWCETT ★★★★

￫ ginger snaps more like ginger SLAPS!!! this film is so good. it's like a snapshot of the early 2000s and emo/goth teens back then i'm like obsessed with the vibes. a werewolf film that's a metaphor about getting your period and the fears of coming into womanhood and puberty but it's about GIRLS....so true bestie. katharine isabelle is hot as hell in this film also. the ost is also really good idk i think the overall vibes and weird nostalgia it gives me despite the fact i was A Year Old when it was released is part of why i like it so much. also werewolves :)

shows 📺

ok the ratings stop here because i am so bad at rating things that aren't books or films. i am mentally ill :)

WONDER EGG PRIORITY psychological horror/slice of life/sci-fi

￫ gets a bit shit in the last couple episodes but it's SO solid. a great study on puberty, girlhood, bullying, suicide, trauma, trans+lesbian identity briefly....it's really heavy honestly, but it's surprisingly so much fun to watch. despite its kinda shitty ending (even though i honestly like the last episode a lot) i would really recommend it, i think it's a great watch. all four girls it follows are so fucking good too. ai ohto my beloved <3

KIMETSU NO YAIBA: DEMON SLAYER, S1 adventure/dark fantasy/martial arts

￫ i started this show in...2019? and then didn't watch til august because i was told the spider arc was next and i was scared <3 but honestly it wasn't that bad. anyway this show is fucking great i'm so excited for more. i don't have anything to say i can't lie guys my brain is absolutely fried! but my fave characters are: tanjiro, nezuko, inosuke, and shinobu. i have the film to watch next and i'm pretty pumped i can't lie.

RIVERDALE, S5A/B whatever the fuck riverdale got going on currently watching

￫ this show is so fucking good i'm sorry. IT'S CAMP! i caught up on season 5a just in time for sammy and i to watch 5b as it's airing and it's fucking insane i can't even describe what's going on to you. and i don't have to. you just have to know that it's the best show ever. and 5b is starting off surprisingly solid? the flashback episode about hiram was....honestly amazing. and the night gallery was fucking solid too? AND JOSIE'S BACK NEXT WEEK? everyone who isn't watched riverdale is a coward i think.

kpop 🎤

i think it's good to know that when coming to write this summary i failed to type the dreamwidth link twice because i'd just watched a lee know fancam and it overwhelmed me so much. anyway this should be a general music section going forward but august was the month of my kpop renaissance so it's literally all i listened to LMAO....i listened to a lot of new releases but i'll outline my faves

STRAY KIDS NOEASY

￫ ok well as i said. i just watched a single lee know fancam and i'm having to lie down on a fainting couch or something. i also watched All The Seungmin Ones before that so that helps ease the pain of prolonged exposure to lino. anyway this album is FUN....i do love me some delicious soup (stray kids noise music). the title is a lot of fun i am loving felix's atrocious mullet extensions he looks like legolas. i need to listen to the album a couple more times because i don't really remember my faves but i do know i had a grand time listening to it...only skz could name a song CHEESE and LIST TYPES OF CHEESE and it be an absolute banger. a true knee slapper. idek what to say i've already pointed out how perfect seungmin and lino are. actually you know who else is kind of owning this era other than the usual suspects? JEONGIN. love that kid he seems to be having the time of his life performing thunderous...truly the maknae on top.

highlights: domino, the view, cheese

TOMORROW X TOGETHER THE CHAOS CHAPTER: FIGHT OR ESCAPE

￫ i'm counting TCC:F under this as well because i only really checked it out this month but OHHHHHH MY GOD. i could talk for HOURS about how perfect txt are to me and these last two comebacks are only cementing that....we'll do the vibes first. small town kids who hate their town and will do anything to get out, especially together? with bike rides and angst and found family? THEY'RE EVERYTHING TO MEEEEE....i thought nothing would be able to top cysm? for me (and honestly. it might still be number one that mv and that song are genuine perfection) but 0x1=LOVESONG is like. THEEEEE song it's the moment it's the era it's the vibe it's amazing it's beautiful it's never going to die it's immortal it's showstopping *insert lady gaga gif here*....fuck i adore it so much. AND THE EMOCORE REMIX ONLY IMPROVING IT???? and THENNNN there's LOSER=LOVER which is ALSO incredible....i'm going to break into hybe and get the explicit version for spotify asap but no seriously it's amazing. the mv is also up there. that epic moment where you thelma and louise it with your pals? we've all been there. anyone else agree beomgyu is the moment btw? his hair right now suits him SO much plus his styling.....i'm kind of obsessed with him since tiktok keeps shoving txt tiktoks in my face and he's just the weirdest guy going. studying him in a lab as we speak. also very much loving soobin i LOOOOVE his vocal tone so bad...i always have but this cb has really cemented that for me bc in loserlover he suits it SOOOOO BAD. perfect introvert <3 ok i'm stopping myself here because if i started talking about the bsides (NO RULES????) i would start spinning so fast i would rocket up into the sun and die violently.

highlights: the titles, no rules, magic, dear sputnik

THE BOYZ THRILL-ING

￫ i'm not as big of a deobi as i used to be but i am thrilled (lol) that tbz decided to put a pause on being sexy and release a fun little summer song with some really good bsides. it's just fun! and i love to have fun personally :) i wish they'd stop slutting up juyeon so much and let him return home (he is my husband he is not at war. although i guess being sexy on stage could be a war) but i mean he looks excellent so what else is there to say. jichang is also PERFECTTTT he really is the perfect kpop idol isn't he. god i love that guy so bad. yeah i have less to say this time around just bc i wasn't fully #DEOBI this comeback and neither was my tl really but that's okay. they're still my boyz :) thrill thrilling ride thrill thrilling ride

highlights: merry bad ending, nightmares, dancing till we drop

ENHYPEN UM....EVERYTHING LMAO

￫ yeah this was the month i finally gave in and decided to see what those vampire kids were up to. did you guys know they're up to vampirism? and it FUUUUUUCKS? god i kind of avoided them bc i hate survival shows but now that's over i'm so glad i looked into them. their music videos are EVERYTHING. the given-taken japanese ver might be one of my fave ones going i love it so bad. and the songs....bro....i have to listen to their titles + 10 months + not for sale at least once a day or i'll wither away i'm addicted. plus the members are all so sweet and funny i've had a blast watching a couple eps of en-o'clock with sunny :) i usually don't like watching reality shows for kpop groups which is hilarious bc that just leaves me here for the music only (the ideal sitch tbh) but enha are all so weird and kind it's fun. jungwon<3 is everything to me. that's my kpop son guys. same with perfect sunghoon he's such a freak he has NOTHING going on upstairs and that's the ideal state of mind. and heeseung..... :/ i don't want to talk about it i have a type when it comes to kpop boys and that's okay but it doesn't make it any less humiliating when my friends go "you'll like this guy" and then i do. but yeah enha are fun. the only kpop boy group that have given me a room raining blood and someone dancing in it so they get props for that

highlights: fever, 10 months, drunk-dazed

GOLDEN CHILD GAME CHANGER: THE SECOND ALBUM

￫ i give a speech about golcha near every day at this point so i'll be brief this time but they are ITTTT. their music videos are genuinely short sci-fi films at this point and it's insane. THEY STRAIGHT UP KILLED DAEYEOL IN RA PAM PAM? WHAT THE HELL? didn't know we were allowed to do that boys! plus the music video's dystopia being a commentary on how the rich take from the poor and leave them to fend for themselves while doing nothing up in their perfect lives...very bold of woollim to do that when they're going into NFTs but i digress. anyway the album is FUN the title track is GREAT i am OBSESSED with BAE SEUNGMIN. he's genuinely the best. ever since golcha started doing mature concepts and they gave him a good haircut he's been absolutely unhinged he's ready to fuck at any given moment. and good for him!!!! this era they really let him go off as well the red hair looks amazing on him and he's just looked like he's having the time of his life. plus the line distribution for the title track this time around seemed much fairer than usual? like it's still the y and joochan show but....less so lmao. all these words just to say i think we should give bae seungmin a country

highlights: fanfare, game (tag & jibeom), ra pam pam

SF9 ONCE AGAIN: EVERYTHING

￫ i just realised how much i've written about kpop groups and now i'm overwhelmed so the last two will be brief but i THIIINK it was august where toni hit us all with sf9 fever? and it's the fucking best. tear drop is the horniest song i've possibly ever heard and i've listened to taemin. yoo taeyang and his gyrating birthing hips really just does that to a song. but yeah their music is so fucking good....i still need to check out their bsides properly but even if i don't i am very content listening to their titles because they're all: so fucking good. zuho your nose is perfect rowoon you are so tall hwiyoung you're my friend and i will throw pencils at you in class. CHANI YOU ARE PERFECT YOU'RE EVERYTHING YOU'RE THE MOMENT YOU'RE THE SUN YOU'RE THE MOON WE ALL ADORE YOU SO BAD. after bae seungmin i think chani should get dibs on getting a country next.

highlights: tear drop, now or never<333, enough

SUNMI 1/6

￫ sunmi finally getting to release something other than a single album we love to see it....she's singlehandedly keeping the retro vibes in kpop alive and i can't thank her enough. even if the rap in the title track makes me cringe LMAO. the mv was soooo good too we love zombie mvs *looks at golcha*. yeah i don't have much to say really it's just a good time and i love women :)

highlights: borderline, you can't sit with us

september seems to be a PACKED month for kpop comebacks so i'm excited to see what's going to release....and hopefully i'll listen to music other than kpop this month LOLLLL i'm having fun though :)