L.J. Writes

Into the Badlands

Really good post-apocalyptic wuxia with big-stakes political/military intrigue and a compelling cast of characters. There are amazingly choreographed action sequences in the best tradition of Chinese action movies. I love how diverse the cast is, too, with many interracial relationships and a canon queer relationship. I'm almost done with this one and am hanging onto the last three episodes mainly out of a reluctance to let the show go. I'll finish when I'm in the mood.

Star Trek: Discovery

I have mixed feelings about this one. I love Michael Burnham and the Season 2 storyline is intriguing, but I'm still disoriented by the tight focus on the main plot and cast, resulting in a lack of the ensemble feel and leisurely pace that I'm used to with Trek.

The going is slow on this one because I'm watching this together with Mark and we both have to find time to sit down together, mainly while folding laundry. We haven't done this in a while, and the living room sofa is a jumble of clean laundry XD

Good Omens

This was all the rage on Tumblr for a few weeks and I still see quite a bit of content. I never could get into the book, and it sat on my shelf for years unread after my then-boyfriend lent it to me. Then we got married and I returned it to him as part of my move-in luggage. Neither Terry Pratchett nor Neil Gaiman ever quite gelled for me and the two of them together weren't a particular improvement, it turns out.

My husband loved the book, though, and wanted to watch the show with me, so we watched Episode 1 together. It's funny, I guess? I'm still meh on it, but it's easier and more passive than reading the book.

Black Lightning

I was stalled on Season 2 for a while before I started again recently. I haven't watched a lot of superhero shows but I like this one, with its intimate portrayal of a family threatened from the outside and dealing with their own internal turmoil and conflicts. And I am so rooting for Anissa/Grace even though I don't think Anissa has a very good track record when it comes to treating women well. (Chenoa did nothing wrong!) I'm sure she'll grow as a character and am looking forward to how it might happen.

Now listening to: I finished the audiobook version of The Queen of Attolia and will be moving on to The King of Attolia once I load the files onto my phone. I enjoy the distinctive fantasy Greek setting and the depth of the characters and drama in this series. Also the narration of the audiobooks by Jeff Woodman really adds to the atmosphere.

Now viewing: Episodes of Star Trek: Discovery with my husband when we sit down to fold the laundry. We're caught up to "Saints of Imperfection" now. Earlier we watched DS9 together this way (rewatch for me) and are both rather nostalgic for that older style of Trek that had a more leisurely narrative and a more ensemble feel, filler episodes and all. Discovery has characters that I care deeply about and raw, emotional storylines, but it's so tightly focused and fast-paced--from narrative to camera shots--that I'm sometimes overwhelmed.

( Mention of kidnap and slavery, ranting about cotton trade and economics. )