Hello ladies & gentlemen,
The month has come to an end and it’s time to do a quick wrap-up of what has been done.
Reading Breakdown.
Novels read: 2 (↑1).
Comic books read: 11 (↑5).
Manga volumes read: 10 (↑4).
BOOK REVIEWS.
The Minders by John Marrs.
Network Effect by Martha Wells.
COMIC BOOK REVIEWS.
Digital Mini Reviews | Sweet Tooth.
Colonel Weird: Cosmagog by Jeff Lemire.
Dark Nights: Death Metal by Scott Snyder.
Wonder Woman: Earth One (Vol. 3) by Grant Morrison.
Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 5): The Joker War by Peter J. Tomasi.
Batman: Bruce Wayne: Murderer? by Chuck Dixon.
Invincible (Compendium One) by Robert Kirkman.
MOVIE REVIEWS.
TV SERIES REVIEWS.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).
VIDEO GAME REVIEWS.
TOP BOOK.
One of the most memorable moments in Naruto unfolds in this volume and it is indeed fantastic and emotional. It contains a much-anticipated battle between Sasuke and his big brother Itachi, and one can only shed a tear as it all comes to an end. The reveals are also mind-boggling. You also see Sasuke’s outrage and shock throughout the reveal; completely in accord with his impulsive self.
LEAST FAVOURITE BOOK.
This volume brings to an end the story arc around Moro. Who knows, maybe the anime will finally be revived to give fans this story arc? Then again, I wasn’t too thrilled by how this volume progressed. There’s a lot of deus ex machina, a lot of second chances, a lot of odd plot twists that felt undeserved. The story also gets a bit odd, stretching out the tension unnecessarily. At least it introduces a new level of Saiyan powers for Goku. You can only wonder how much stronger anyone can get in Dragon Ball Super after that…
The epilogue chapter introduces the next story arc with a new character driven by revenge and the rebirth (apparently) of another villain. Will it be any good? Only time can tell.
TOP MOVIE.
Out of the 21 movies I watched in April, Intouchables (2011) was my favourite. This was actually a rewatch. It’s been years since I first saw and adored it, and guess what? It stood the test of time.
It’s a heartbreaking portrayal of physical disability hidden in a blissful and full-of-life story of happiness and joy as two individuals from two socially polar opposite spheres of life cross paths and share a genuine friendship free of pity and judgment.
CURRENTLY READING.
I’ve been reading John Gwynne latest Norse-inspired novel and it has been fascinating so far! 🙂
PERSONAL LIFE.
I’m back! I still remember how much my reading had to suffer during February and March because of everything I had going on at work and university. From teaching to a huge change in my work environment, I was constantly drained and couldn’t find any time to read and blog as much as I wanted to. And then April came. I knew things would calm down, that I would find more time to pick back up the pieces and reacquaint myself to a routine I much preferred and envisioned for myself. While I could probably squeeze in more reading/blogging, I think I’ve taken the proper steps towards getting where I want to get.
University-wise, I didn’t have any classes to give this month but I did know that towards the end (26th of April), I’d have all 60 students’ essays to correct, which is essentially what will keep me busy during the first week of May. How much did I enjoy giving classes to students in the end? I think it was a very insightful experience for me. I had fun being on the other end of the interaction. It allowed me to share my passion for my field of study, to integrate my own experience from work into my examples/anecdotes, and to exchange with students who appreciated my lectures. I won’t lie that giving classes online isn’t the best format to fully experience teaching but it had its perks.
Work-wise, I’ve gotten used to the busy days that comes with the development and implantation of the body-cam project. We launched the project on the 26th of April and so far there hasn’t been any issues, beyond traditional logistical and political concerns. You can read about the launch here. I’ve been having quite a lot of fun and can’t wait to see how this will all be received by citizens as I make sure that we document all the hiccups along the way. I honestly can’t tell you if the whole province will ever see a full-scale deployment but I do think it’ll all come down to how much more money the government is ready to invest in police organizations.
To sum it all up, I think April was a good month. It allowed me to get my shit together. To prepare the table for the next month. Now I just need to not let myself get carried away too much if I don’t want to relive a month similar to February or March. So, let’s keep our heads up and look forward!
Thank you all for checking out my monthly wrap-up and don’t forget to check out any posts that might interest you or that you might have missed out on!
Stay tuned for my Monthly Anticipation post coming out soon. 😉
So what’s going on with y’all? What have you discovered this month? What are your thoughts on the books/TV series/movies I’ve checked out?
Yours truly,
Roars and Echoes 
I loved Intouchables and can’t rule out, I’m going to rewatch as well at some point. Good to hear that things are coming together for you, hope May will be another good month.😊
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It’s such a fantastic movie! I don’t think I’ll dare ever watch the Hollywood remake (The Upside) though. It feels like it butchered the original more than anything hahah Have a great month of May too!
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Glad you feel like you’ve got your balance back.
I know I haven’t emailed you about the bodycam project, but with all the crap going down here in the US about the police and the media’s reaction and stirring up of it all, I’m really hesitant to even talk about it. I’ll have to mull things over some more before sending you anything. Thanks for being so patient!
I can’t believe that DBZ is still going on, even if as another iteration. At some point it all loses any tension
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Don’t worry about it. I’m always happy to hear your thoughts on anything, no matter what your stance is on the subject. If you don’t ever feel like writing that up, you don’t have to either! 😉
I’m surprised too hahah Dragon Ball Super was still pretty good with its first arcs. It’s just this last one that wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. Hopefully, it gets better with upcoming chapters…
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I have to rewatch Intouchables. I loved that movie so very much. Just bumped it up to number one in my queue. Thanks for the inspiration to re-experience that masterpiece. And I love the soundtrack! Glad you’ve got things under control again, I hope that continues. And glad to hear the teaching and work has been going well. I’ve been getting a bit behind in my blog reading and creating posts for my own. I have a scratched up cornea that’s slowly healing and that’s messed up my vision just a bit, enough that I’m not enjoying reading/writing as much. Thank goodness for audiobooks, though, so I can still get some amazing storytelling enjoyment! 🙂 Here’s to a great May!
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Really glad to push you to rewatch it too! It really deserves all the love in the world for how it conveys its messages and themes. As for its score, no surprise there hahah We already touched upon that in your quarterly wrap-up I think but man, who can say no to Ludovico Einaudi! Moving, emotional, perfect for this movie!
Oh man, what happened?!?! Did you decide to dive into a field of roses and get some thorns in your cornea?! I hope you’re doing better now, Todd. Stay safe, my man. We need your eyes to stay in perfect health so you can keep on sharing your stunning photography skills with the world!
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Absolutely, Einaudi is a master of emotion. Lately I’ve been watching videos of him in concert and love how you can see the emotion as he plays. I wish I could say my eye issues were from something exciting, but it actually happened in my sleep. Super dry eyes. My eye lid stuck to my eyeball and when I opened my eye quickly (shocked awake by a noise out back) it kinda ripped up the surface of the eye just a bit, made everything blurry, like looking through a thick layer of vaseline. But it’s gotten much better now. I might start trying to wear my contacts again soon…
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Oh man, that doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. I’m not sure how I would have reacted if that had happened to me. I think, under the shock, I’d have probably rubbed my eye a lot, thinking it would miraculously fix everything. Gosh. I hope it gets better fast and that you can get back to doing the things you love, my friend!
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Sounds like teaching was a success, and you’ve earned some time off! I’m planning to read The Shadow of the Gods this month too. 😁
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I hope we both have a blast with Gwynne’s latest novel! Happy reading, Tammy! 😀
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You’ve read lots of comics and manga. I’ll refer to your wrapUps and reviews whenever I need to read manga
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Yep, it’s a lot easier to plug in a lot of those into my reading routine and it sort of reflects my love for them too hahah Always glad to share recommendations and whatnot for fellow readers! 🙂
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I’m actually new to the genre/format but recently I want to try something new.
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Definitely glad to hear that! There are so many fantastic and beautiful stories that will definitely blow your mind out there. I hope you pick up some good ones that you have access to! 😀
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Very happy to see that April was nicer to you!! Hoping May will be a great month as well 😁😁
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I hope May will be kind and awesome for you and Dawie! Stay safe, Milou! 🙂
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So glad April was a good month Lashaan, looking forward to your Monthly Anticipation post for May!
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Hope May will be kind and friendly with you, Nicki! So glad to hear from you again! 😀
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Glad you had more time for blogging and reading this month, Lashaan! I remember seeing Intouchables at the cinema and I really loved it! I’m also very impressed by how many movies you watch in a month! I’m note sure I even saw one? 😂 But it is definitely something I want to do more of!
Hope you have a great May!
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Thanks, Juliette! I hope the same for you too. I can confidently say that Intouchables will probably a movie I’ll rewatch here and then throughout my life. I can’t see myself getting tired of its wholesome plot! And yep, I too impress myself with how many movies I check out on a monthly basis. I love them too much to not check them out hahaha However, I can also say that I don’t watch much of any long-season TV series like many others do hahah
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Body cameras is a great idea I think Lashaan! And I will read Shadow of the Gods next month as the publisher has reached out to me! And Les Intouchables is one mof my favorite movies ever! Omar Sy and François Cluzet are amazing!
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I’m glad to hear your stance on the matter, Sophie. That’s indeed awesome! Hope you enjoy Shadow of the Gods. I absolutely agree about those two! 😀
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Intouchables was a delightful movie and I remember it with great fondness, a perfect mix of serious issues and light humor that still managed to drive home some important themes. And now I want to rewatch it! Your fault, of course… 😉
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Hahahaha I’ll gladly take all the blame for that then! It merits a rewatch whenever possible. And, knowing how much you adore the score in movies, I’m convinced you’ll be mesmerized by Ludovico Einaudi’s music in the movie too! 😀
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Of course I have the movie’s main theme on my music library! How could I let it escape my greedy hands? 😉
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I’m glad you had a good month! I’ve not heard of Intouchables, I will look out for it!
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Ohhhh, I highly recommend it. I don’t know anyone who could have had a bad time with that French classic! 😀
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Intouchables is such a good movie! Have you seen Lupin? It’s a French series on Netflix with Omar Sy – interesting!
Heh, that’s very far in the future for my DB read, right now I only got as far as Namek, and I don’t think that adult Goku will hold the same charm for me as Kid Goku 😉 We’ll see. I definitely want to read the series at least till the end of DBZ.
Is Naruto a good manga? Would you recommend it?
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I watched Lupin with my girlfriend when it came out hahah it was indeed interesting and fun, not mind-boggling though. 😛
Ah yes, adult Goku will be like a kid stuck in an adult’s body who happens to be obsessed by the idea of getting stronger and better than anyone else hahah Dragon Ball Super does expand the universe a lot (sort of like how the multiverse concept expanded Marvel/DC) but this latest story arc was just meh for me. I’ll still stick around since I’ve been a fan all my life hahaha
I’d say it is and that if the premise intrigues you, then it’s totally worth checking out. A lot of its charm comes from lore, action-packed story arcs, and original characters with unique abilities and motivations. I can’t speak for the later volume but it’s definitely top-tier shonen (there’s a reason why it exploded in popularity over the years hahah).
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That’s great that things are easing up a bit. Hope it continues in May, after you get grading all those essays out the way. That’s a whole lotta essays though.
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Yep. A hellllla lot hahahah I do look forward to when that will be done and out of the way though! Have an awesome month of May, Zezee! 😀
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YAY to a good month! Mine was busy! Glad to know that you had a great experience teaching! And the bodycams sounds like a good idea 🙂 Happy reading, my friend!
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It’s nice to hear from you, Jee! Stay safe and happy reading to you too, my friend! 😀 Hope the kids haven’t been taking too much of your personal free time away! 😀
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Oh yes, they do, or something will be amiss! Haha 🙂 Hope you’re well, my friend!
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Defund the Police! No. Wait. That’s not a good idea.
I have to admit, though, that you’d think that body cams are already out in Canada.
Moving on… I’m glad to hear that you were able to find your groove again!
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Hahahahaha I’m definitely not one of those who preach the #DefundthePolice movement. 😉 All I can say is that there’s definitely room for some interesting institutional partnerships that could help to better intervene in certain specific cases (e.g. mental health interventions). Well, the body cams aren’t completely out everywhere, only some cities have implanted them. In our case, it remains a pilot project. We’ll see if post-pilot project if the government wants to push for that technology for all police organizations.
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Haha I absolutely love that flower gif near the end of your post! 😛
I’m glad you had such a good and productive April. Hopefully May will prove to be just as good, if not better! 🙂
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I’m quite glad I fell on it too hahahah Hope you have a fantastic month of May filled with awesome drawings, cooking activities, and Attack on Titan! 😀
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Thank you! That does sound like a very amazing month! 😀
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