most interesting vol. 6

A few interesting articles I read lately as well as an investigation into free movie and tv show viewing options.

1) Wasps, wasps, wasps:

This Summer in Minnesota, there were no flies or mosquitoes...only wasps. When I was on walks it would be multiple wasps flying around me as if they were flies. I thought it so strange, yet figured I was exaggerating since both myself and my dog had been stung by yellow jackets last Summer and maybe I was just not wanting that to happen again. However...my feelings were validated by this Washington Post article! It states that "the Midwest had a fast start to Spring, with warmer-than-average temperatures in March and April. Those conditions met wasps' nest-building criteria, so they had more time to lay more eggs, according to experts." One exterminator mentioned in the article said his company's call volume increased 30 percent starting this Spring.

2) A climate-resistant small house:

How cute is this small house designed by architect Hafsa Burt!? It is an actual structure built as a private home in Jackson, California. But acts as "a prototype and a thought experiment towards achieving climate-resilient architecture." 

(Image credit: Douglas Friedman)

3) Free show and movie options:

I've been a Netflix subscriber since the beginning. Sadly this past week I cancelled my service. This past year with the addition of podcasts and games and not the same high quality movies in the past, I felt like I was starting and stopping multiple shows before I found something good to watch, or maybe never would and had to give up. And, I've also been reading before bed instead of watching tv. Between both of these things it was time.

I've got some free alternates to use when I do want to watch something...

My library has a large selection on Cloud Library. Unlike Hoopla, there is no daily limit per library, nor is there a limit on how many I can watch in a month. I have not tried Kanopy out as of yet, but this is another free option through my library. 

YouTube, of course, is a great option. I don't find the ads too bothersome so I don't pay to remove them. Same goes for Tubi. There are a few other options I haven't tried, but would like to, including Plex, Crackle, and Pluto TV. 

I love shows from Denmark, Germany, Poland, etc. So, I have investigated paying for international and indie options like MHzChoice, Mubi, Criterion, Acorn TV, or Brit Box.

Do you have any favorite viewing options?

book review: Ply by Hernan Diaz

 

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 3.5/5

Thank you Riverhead Books for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own. 

 

Hernan Diaz’s prose immediately drew me in…”Even at night, the bridge throws a shadow on the river — a black lane where the otherwise shimmering waters seem to deepen. I am invisible gliding down that narrow eclipse. No one can see me from above; no one can spot me from the shore. The whir of the propeller slicing through the current vanishes under the city’s hum that rolls over the river like a mist. The boat and I become nothing. A possibility no one considered.” 

 

The main character is unnamed, yet made deeply layered by the author sharing everything in her early life which has brought her to this point. A dual timeline was cleverly used to reveal this information, while getting the reader right into her current situation as a “pincher” stealing electricity in this future derelict city to trade for not only necessities but to donate to her favorite bands to play impromptu underground shows. 

 

The second part of the book shifts to her stealing electricity, but in aid to an older woman who is trying to succeed in an experiment she believes will change humanity. Because physics is my favorite genre, I was immediately intrigued by this new storyline. I also particularly loved the description of this woman…”Every now and then she falls behind on purpose to be able to study the old woman, whose features, in the yolky light of dawn, are a bit more relaxed. She’s an elegant cyclist whose upright posture and effortless pedaling manage to convey the understated joy her body finds in movement without renouncing a patrician sort of deportment. Hard to tell if her sinewy limbs are the result of ascetic emancipation or athletic discipline.” 

 

While the exceptional writing completely immersed me in the characters and world, I found myself needing to read this book in small chunks. It would have benefited from being much shorter, trimming excessive details while maintaining the integrity of the story. Furthermore, section two felt disjointed; weaving it into the rest of the book using the same dual timeline from the first half would have created a tighter, unputdownable five-star read. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys literary works where the investment pays off in prose that reads almost like poetry.

book review: Trad Wife by Sarah Langan

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5/5

Thank you Atria Books for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own. 

Trad Wife by Sarah Langan is exactly the type of slow-release psychological horror I love. Jenny Caplan is talented, yet makes a bad decision by writing a deeply personal essay that ends up getting her fired and shattering her relationships. In an effort to redeem herself, she agrees to write an exposé on Mia Wright, a well know “trad wife” influencer. 

Jenny's personal struggles with her ruined career and fractured relationships are so compelling they could easily stand alone as an engrossing psychological drama. However, the addition of the trad wife trope and the horror elements take this book in a completely unexpected and terrifying direction. Genuine dread and sharp wit alternate beautifully, building into an absolute nightmare. 

If you aren't familiar with the trad-wife subculture, some of the nuances might fly over your head, but for everyone else, this is a must-read. It is witty, deeply unsettling, and completely engrossing. I will definitely be diving into Sarah Langan’s other novels!