August Wrap Up (Books and Movies)

Hey guys, welcome to the August Edition of the Monthly Wrap Ups, a series where I wrap up my month in books and movies, within the first week of the next month.

BOOKS

August was a fairly decent reading month, considering all the things that were going on (adjusting to the new job, having family over, and preparing for a big move in September).

I completed 3 books, and have made a good amount of progress with the 4th and 5th, one of which I am finding slightly more tedious to get through, but I’ll come to that later, in another post maybe. Right now, let’s tackle this chronologically.

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

Since this one released on the 31st of July – this was the book that I obviously had to start the month with. Yes, had to. I have done a full spoiler free review of this one here, and I definitely recommend this book to all Potterheads.

Yes, the play-script format was not the best, but I got used to it, and it really did not bother me as much as it seemed to have bothered many others.

As far as the plot is concerned – I found it to be an acceptable and enjoyable continuation of the story, though there were some minor plot holes, annoying plot devices, and character inconsistencies, which were disappointing for a Harry Potter book, but ah well.

Oh and then there was Panju – which, I don’t even want to elaborate on here – as it makes me angry all over again, but you can read about it in my review linked above.

Nonetheless, it was a very nostalgic experience to see the old crew again, in a much beloved setting, and on the whole, I did enjoy the story and the reading experience.

Pssstt…Rumor has it that this one will soon be made into a movie – which is the best bookish news I have heard in a long time! And yes, I am biased, but still. I just know this one will make a fantabulous (yes, fantabulous!) movie.

I am SO eager to see this play out on the big screen, that I can barely wait. Though I hope they retain the same cast of characters (minus Severus Snape of-course, which I know would not be possible. :/)

Update: That rumor was dismissed by Warner Bros, and it broke my heart. But I am hoping against hope that someone does get this to the big screen, and soon. #Optimism

GET THIS BOOK HERE:

Amazon One Link | Amazon India

Blog Post Ideas: 21 Proven Ways to Create Compelling Content and Kiss Writer’s Block Goodbye

This one was quite an odd pick for me. I typically don’t gravitate towards such books, or even blog posts for that matter. The only reason being – I am almost never short of ideas for posts; I am just eternally short of time.

Now, if there was a book/post/podcast on time management – that is something that I would be more likely to pick up.

Nonetheless – a friend recommended it, and I decided to give it a shot, though I was really really skeptical. But as I made progress with it – I realized one thing – this one did not have the most path-breaking ideas – but it had so many of them – that I found it hard to read this – and not write, not blog.

So while I did not use these exact ideas (though they were very good), I felt extremely motivated to tackle my backlog with a vengeance.

Which is why, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to blog, but is either short of ideas or time. Because if you are short of ideas – this one has those in abundance, and if you are short of time – this one will fill you with enough inspiration to get off your butt and start making the time.

GET THIS BOOK HERE:

Amazon One Link | Amazon India

Rescued by Love

This book was not on my radar for this month, but I picked this up, because I was reading a particularly unsettling, but awesome (yeah, go figure!) book, and romance is the best possible happy diversion for me. Actually I usually pick up romances to tide me through difficult books, stressful times etc.

This one was the first one I read by this author, and I quite liked it. It fulfilled my expectations from a romance. There were a couple of character motivations that I could not understand, but honestly, I never really scrutinize character motives in a romance. I mean, unless it directly hampers the main plot, and in this one – it does not. Also, these are smaller/side characters that I am talking about, so it wasn’t a big deal.

The romance was enjoyable, and in a (very) different setting than I am used to reading, which was refreshing. I would certainly check out another book by this author.

GET THIS BOOK HERE:

Amazon One Link | Amazon India

MOVIES

Big Stone Gap

This movie –  the only reason I decided to watch it was because when I logged on to Netflix, this one was right on the home screen, and while I really wanted to watch a movie that night, I was in no mood to browse and select.

Which is how, I ended up seeing this one, and which is why, I had no idea that this was a book to movie adaptation. Nonetheless, I don’t think I would have ever gotten to this book, so just as well that I saw the movie.

At first sight, this one did not seem to be my type. As I got through the first half hour, I was convinced that this was most definitely not my usual type at all. But for some reason, I could not stop watching. At that time, I chalked it down to laziness, but now, in hindsight, I know – it wasn’t that – this movie had a certain irresistible charm.

And honestly, it is difficult to pinpoint what is it exactly about this movie. The plot/story and the acting – while good, is nothing out of the ordinary. But that’s just it, I think – this movie is able to capture the charm in the ordinary and mundane.

It’s about a simple girl, and the small town in which she has lived all her life. It has romance, and it has its genuinely hilarious moments, but I would not call it a romantic comedy. It’s more of a feel-good romance, which is heartfelt and homey – something that puts a warm smile on your face.

So, if you are looking for the screen equivalent of comfort food, I would certainly recommend this one.

Check this out on Amazon HERE.

This is it from my end, guys. Have you read any of these books or watched this movie? Any others that you recently read/watched that you really enjoyed? Do share! I would love to hear from you!