bewildered a bit

[lunabee34]

1. Well, my results from the health department came back (in an impressive just over 24 hours), and it was negative. I am surprised as I have had a fever at some point each day since Thursday, and I still don't feel great. But whatever! Two tests have said I don't have COVID, so the girls are going back to school, and Josh is going back to work tomorrow. I am staying out this week (tomorrow would be my final day on campus for the week anyway) and going back next week. Whatever I've got, it's still giving me a fever which means I could spread it around, and nobody wants whatever this is.

2.

Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow by James Howe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I adore this series, and this is such a strong ending.

I especially love the meta commentary on writing. I wonder if Howe became a sheep farmer when he retired from writing.



View all my reviews

Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was just okay for me. I like the story well enough, but it is weirdly flat and the close third dialogue relies too heavily on sentence fragments.

But 19th century American mice out to capture British husbands has an undeniable amount of charm. LOL



View all my reviews

The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was much more satisfying than Secrets at Sea. There is very slight overlap with the events of that book, but mostly it is its own thing.

In this book, a mouse who doesn't know who he is finds a quite remarkable answer to that question by book's end.



View all my reviews


3. She-Ra continues to be an utter delight.

I am so besotted with Scorpia. I just want her to be happy. She is so gone for Catra, and the show is 100% explicit about that. She is such a good friend. I really want her to be converted to the good side. And even though Catra is so damaged that she can't be a good friend, she tries sometimes with Scorpia, and I really think when she pushes her away in this latest episode, she's trying to protect her from also being targeted by Hordac.

I also am very endeared by Entrapta befriending Hordac and defending Catra.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Maura (Mara?) is actually a good guy and not the bad guy she's been painted as by Light Hope.

4. Damn is Lovecraft Country good. I just got the previous owner's issue of Entertainment Weekly (I have tried to refuse it so that it will get to where it needs to go, but the post office told me they'd just chuck it in the trash, so now I read it and don't worry about it), and they gave the show a terrible review. I was honestly shocked. I am 100% watching a different show.


I absolutely love that this show is about the reclamation of black voices and power. I love that the ghosts of the black people who were experimented on band together with Letty and Atticus to expel the ghost of the white man who murdered and experimented on them and to expel the white neighbors who break into the house to harm Letty in the present. I love that as his ghost grows more monstrous, their black bodies grow more lovely and whole. I love that Letty is so damn scared the whole episode; I love that she screams and cries and through that fear and those tears she gets shit done. She is not going to be expelled from her home. So fucking powerful.

I love the character note that she was a virgin before she and Atticus sleep together.

I also didn't realize the Easter eggs in the show when I was watching. The names of the ghosts are the names of black people who were actually experimented on by a white man, and the boy who is told by the Ouija Board that he will not enjoy himself on his vacation is Emmett Till. :(

They started filming this before all the protests of this year, but the show is doing such a good job of depicting current issues with policing and race through the lens of the 1950s context. When the cops deliberately throw Letty around the back of the van by swerving around, you can't watch that scene without thinking of Freddie Gray.

I knew Christina was going to be alive! Can't wait to see what happens next.

Comments

[kass]

I'm glad you don't seem to have covid, and I'm sorry you are still feeling lousy!

[gloss]

So glad you're negative, but I hope your body gets the message and heals up soon!

I *love* Scorpia. She's such a sweetheart!

[amejisuto]

I'm so glad you don't have COVID! I'm sorry you're still sick though. Maybe it's just a bug? Who the heck knows, these days. Sending you love and light!

[princessofgeeks]

HUGS

[independence1776]

I'm so glad you're negative! I'm sorry you're still feeling poorly and hope you feel better soon.

[musesfool]

I'm so glad you don't have the 'rona!

[zulu]

Your recs for kids' cartoons have been great! Having binged Dragon Prince we are now making our way through She-Ra. L is in season two and is totally into it, which I love.

[china_shop]

Well, yay for not having covid, at least! I hope the fever departs as quickly and mysteriously as it arrived!! *much hugs*

[umadoshi]

Yay for the negative test result(s)! I hope you start feeling better soon. *hugs*

[timespirt]

Great for the not covid. Blah for the still sick and it sucks category.

"HUGS"

Feel better hon.

[chelseagirl]

Now I feel all blase, seeing that everyone's congratulating you on your negative test results when I honestly kind of thought everyone was having the test before heading back to the classroom or office or whatever. yay for all of us -- and also it's so ridiculous because I could have got it on the train yesterday . . . .

I loved the first and third episodes of Lovecraft Country a lot. Episode 2 a bit less so, because it felt like a major buildup for a fairly cliched story, and also they managed to kill off my favorite character with surprisingly little emotional impact. But I loved the first one, and this last one was totally back on form.

[author_by_night]

Glad your tests both came back negative, but I'm sorry you still don't feel well. Sounds like a bad cold or mild flu. I had one of those a few months ago and it was the worst. I actually briefly thought it might have been COVID-19 because of how long it lasted and how exhausted I was while I was sick, but apparently it was another strange bug that was going around.

I've thought about trying Lovecraft Country, so I didn't read the entire section of this post, but I might give it a go.

[lyr]

I'm glad to hear you don't have covid! I hope you feel better soon.

I am skipping your review of Lovecraft Country because I'm an episode behind and want to avoid spoilers. I did read the book, but I'm not sure how closely the show's going to follow book canon.

[lunabee34]

Thank you.

It's just so weird. I have intermittent fever and feel lousy and that's it. No respiratory or throat or anything else. I have no idea what this could even be.

Last night, my fever was the highest it's been. Today I feel fine, but the pattern has been that I mostly feel fine during the day and then start feeling crummy again in the late afternoon/night.

Whatever. Bodies are weird. LOL

[lunabee34]

You and me both, buddy.

I love Scorpia too. I don't think Catra is ever going to be a good friend much less girlfriend to her. I think she should set her sights on Mermista, excuse me, Sea-Ra.

[lunabee34]

Yeah, I guess the children brought home some stupid crud and it just hit me hard because I've been essentially quarantining since March? IDK

[lunabee34]

*clings*

[lunabee34]

Thank you!

I'm crossing my fingers that today is the day. A week of this shit is well and truly enough. LOL

[lunabee34]

Me too! The long term implications of having it are really scary to me.

[lunabee34]

Yay yay!

I'm so glad you're digging them too.

Once we finish She-Ra we're going to do Korra and then the Netflix original that's set in the same world as Trollhunters. I forget the name of it.

[lunabee34]

Me too! So far it is tenaciously clinging on, and I hates it.

*hugs*

[spikedluv]

I'm glad the test came back negative! It sucks that you've still got a fever and the bleh's. I hope it goes away quickly.

[lunabee34]

Thank you, my friend.

[lunabee34]

Thank you!

Hopefully today will be the day I finally go on the mend.

[lunabee34]

No, we are not having mandatory testing of any kind unless people display symptoms. I was encouraged by how easy it was to get tested both times and by the rapidity of the results in both cases. So if I need to go through it again, at least I know what to do and expect.

I did like the second episode a lot, but I miss George badly. I was hoping he would't actually be dead,but it's clear that he is. :( I know that actor is signed up for more episodes, so I hope we at least get dreams/flashbacks of him.

[amejisuto]

Glad you're taking some time to get over it. Whatever it is.

[lunabee34]

I really like Lovecraft Country. It is very, very violent and very, very upsetting in its depiction of racial violence, so be wary of that.

I guess I just have some other crud the kids brought home. It's so weird though. It's just a fever and feeling crummy from the fever with no other symptoms, no respiratory stuff or throat stuff or anything. Whatever it is, I am ready for it to depart. LOL

[lunabee34]

Thank you, bb.

We just got the book! I'm going to wait to read it until after we finish watching.

[lunabee34]

Me too!

*hugs*

Maybe today will be the day of the upward swing.

[slightweasel]

Yay for being negative! <3333

[lyr]

Oh, you'll love it! I was so excited about the show coming out because I adored the book so hard.

She-Ra

[hermionesviolin]

How far are you? I think you're not quite as far as me yet, but close?

[spikedluv]

*fingers crossed*

OT: I heard this on the radio this morning and thought of you and your poetry thingamabob. *g* Dr. Joshua Bennett's New Poetry Collection "Owed"

[corvidology]

Glad to hear that you don't have COVID!

Is it possible you have something like strep throat? There's been a lot of that sort of level of stuff going around at work causing a lot of COVID testing.

[lunabee34]

I don't think so. My throat doesn't hurt at all and isn't inflamed and I don't have any sinus or respiratory stuff.

It's so freaking weird.

[lunabee34]

Oooh, thank you!

Re: She-Ra

[lunabee34]

We're in season 3, and the last episode we watched was the one where they meet Huntara in the Crimson Wastes and it ends with her leading them to Maura's ship.

[lunabee34]

I'm so glad you give it such a ringing endorsement. I can't wait to read it.

[lunabee34]

Thank you!

[china_shop]

And back now, having watched ep 3 of Lovecraft Country -- thank you for the explanations of the Easter eggs, which I totally didn't get.

I love the character note that she was a virgin before she and Atticus sleep together.

I liked that too, but now I'm desperate for Tic to treat her better and make up for the disconnection of that first time.

Also, I hope the white neighbours' bodies under the house don't start to smell!

I love that Letty has a boarding house now, and the way they filmed the party was so good.

[timespirt]

Hey, if you can, rest.

"HUGS"

[lunabee34]

Hugs

[spikedluv]

You're welcome!

[lunabee34]

That party scene was so beautifully done. Love it.

I want Tic to treat her differently, too. He likes her, but he's still not seeing the real her. He's still too caught up in what he thinks is true about her from their childhood.