Hello frens,

How are you? Have you read my latest blog entry? I hope you have, and if not, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the whirlwind that is the problem of evil, 😈.

As usual, I’m working on a little something, so stay tuned.

in the meantime I've also been reading some stuff and it's one of my ways of stepping out of the living hell this heatwave has turned our lives to. I must confess I don't think zombies were engineered with some evil compound or rabies… it was the heatwave. That’s what makes you feral. But enough drama.

Sometimes, I really wish I made more time for these little updates, but it’s always a choice between reading and writing and I almost always choose the former.

Now, let’s talk about what I’ve been reading and watching lately.

When 30 Days of Night came out, I watched it in the cinema during a late-night session. When I got home, I was genuinely spooked, I thought the vampires were going to jump through my window like in the movie. So yes, I was terrified, but I also loved it. I looked up the comic afterward and loved it even more. The artwork is fantastic, truly chef’s kiss.

They changed a few things in the adaptation, but overall it stayed very faithful to the comic. Fast forward to now, I rewatched the film and reread the comic, and I appreciated it even more. I’m a sucker for a good comic, and if it has vampires, I’ll probably like it. If you haven’t checked it out, you’re in for a good scare.

Wanting something similar, I picked up another comic called Hotell, an anthology of interconnected stories. It’s a bit eerie. I didn’t enjoy it as much, but it was still entertaining. The artwork is cleaner than 30 Days of Night, though less striking.

I also stumbled upon How to Keep House While Drowning. I couldn’t finish it. It felt a bit repetitive, and the writing style reminded me too much of Instagram captions or TikTok scripts. At one point, the suggested solution for piles of dirty clothes was to just buy baskets for every room and throw everything in there until you wash it. That didn’t sit right with me. The overconsumption of it all. 

If the issue is being overwhelmed by too much stuff, maybe decluttering should come first. Still, I appreciated one idea: cleaning is morally neutral. It’s not a virtue, and not doing it isn’t a moral failure either. That’s a helpful reminder to act from care rather than shame.

Out of curiosity (and boredom), I also read some books from the Off Campus series. They were… okay. Surprisingly decent, actually. But they follow a very predictable formula, they are enemies and then lovers. They are forced to interact for some decent enough reason, then there's tension (of course), denial, then falling for each other, followed by a breakup that isn’t really final, and then back together stronger than ever.

They were entertaining, and I laughed here and there. They’re definitely spicy, which I don’t mind but I do think they shouldn’t be marketed in a way that appeals to younger readers. The covers can be misleading.

If they act as a gateway into reading more and eventually better books, then fair enough, I'll always them haha. I think of them like fast fashion, they are quite enjoyable, easy, and everywhere but they are not particularly deep. Oh, and they are also quite forgettable. 

I also reread Breakfast at Tiffany’s for the millionth time. I absolutely love that book. Don’t be fooled by the title, Capote creates this captivating aura around Holly Golightly. She’s both alluring and mysterious. The movie differs quite a bit from the book, and Capote himself wasn’t entirely happy with the adaptation, though he did approve of Audrey Hepburn and she really does capture Holly beautifully.

And because I love Audrey Hepburn, I watched The Children’s Hour for the first time. I was hooked immediately. I needed to know what would happen. It was emotionally intense from start to finish, I was genuinely overwhelmed by the end. The actress who plays one of the students is phenomenal. I found myself yelling “no!” at the screen more than once.

And of course, I rewatched Roman Holiday. That movie always makes me want to get a Vespa, eat gelato, throw it away mid-conversation, and just dance through the night. Maybe break a guitar over someone’s head for dramatic effect. The perfect European summer holiday.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve been reading and watching lately. Once I post my next blog entry, you’ll see what else I’ve been into.

See you later, alligator. 🐊

P.S. Tell me what you’ve been reading or watching, I’m always open to suggestions.

Stay safe 🩷