The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

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Image is a book cover for The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling. It shows a yellow moon and in front of the moon is a man and a woman sitting on a broom looking at each other. On the bottom of the cover, it shows a gazebo and several lamps.

To get into the mood for fall, I had a few books on my TBR that I specifically picked out for September and October. I have had The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling on my TBR since last year. I originally planned on reading this book last year, but with getting married and going on our mini-moon, I ran out of time. The Ex Hex was right up my alley; it’s the perfect book to read leading up to Halloween.

Vivienne Jones is heartbroken. As such, she drinks vodka in a bubble bath, contemplating her former relationship with Rhys Penhallow. As a joke, Vivienne’s cousin Gwyn helps Vivienne cast a curse on Rhys. They both laugh it off as they clearly didn’t intend for a curse to actually be placed. Nine years later, Rhys returns to Graves Glen, Georgia, and finds that he’s fallen under a bit of bad luck. Vivienne slowly comes to terms with the fact that Rhys is still as charming as ever, but also that her curse actually worked.

Vivienne and Rhys had great chemistry together. I liked Vivienne as a character; she’s intelligent, and I love that she teaches courses at the local college in town. Rhys is written as a bad boy type, but there is a lot more to his character, including how he doesn’t agree with his father and the way he does things.

Besides the characters, I liked the way the curse was described. I think it would have been way too easy to let the curse fall to the wayside to support the main romance. There was a lot of thought into what type of curse it was, how to break it, and why Vivienne was able to cast it in the first place. It also ended up revealing some backstory about Graves Glen, which I really enjoyed.

I’m a little shocked that The Ex Hex has an average rating of 3.55 stars on Goodreads. That feels too low. The Ex Hex was such a fun read, and I’m already looking forward to re-reading this again. I rated The Ex Hex five stars on Goodreads.

Bucket Hats & Booze – Bachelorette Party

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My best friend is getting married in November! She’s one of my closest friends. I have called her in moments of crisis throughout my life, and she has always made herself available at any time. I consider her the glue of our friend group as she’s always the one to organize group events for us all to get together. I was tasked to help plan her bachelorette party along with her maid of honor. I’m not an event planner by any means, but the whole weekend really came together.

Image is a photo of seven women. Six are wearing black bucket hats with the font "I Do Crew" on them. One of the women is wearing a white bucket hat indicating that she's the bride. It's a beautiful day and we are all smiling for the camera.

We stayed in an Airbnb in Saint Paul, Minnesota’s capital city. The Airbnb was neat because it actually used to be an old church. There was room for all seven of us to stay. We were supposed to have a group of eight, but one of our friends had COVID. This weekend was jam-packed with a group walk, a fancy dinner, and a comedy show on Saturday night. As per a Bachelorette party, there were plenty of drinks consumed. I felt I had to take a day or two to fully recover.

Image is a photo of seven women outside of a restaurant. We are all smiling at the camera.

As I reflect on the weekend, I am truly fortunate to have my best friend in my life. She is caring and honest, and has always had my back. I’m so happy to celebrate her wedding in a month or two. I love her to pieces, and I know she will be in my life forever.

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

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CW: HIV diagnosis, suicide (I won’t go into this by any means, but this is more content warnings for the book itself)

Would you want to know the date you die? That’s the premise behind The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. The thought of having the option to find out the date you die is terrifying to me. I think it would cause me way too much anxiety, and I would constantly stress over whether I was doing enough in my life before my date approaches. This anxiety is seen throughout the characters in The Immortalists. While I liked the book, I’m not sure if I would ever read it again.

Four siblings: Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon find out that there’s a woman nearby who can predict the date of their deaths. They’re fascinated and decide to visit her. Once the siblings hear their dates, they find that it does sway their lives. Varya and Daniel stay in New York to continue their studies, with Varya specifically studying longevity. Klara and Simon flee to San Francisco to follow their dreams, no matter what. The siblings all share the fear of whether the woman was right all along.

I thought The Immortalists had an interesting premise. I will say that what I was expecting going into this book was not what the book turned out to be. As a fair warning, this is an emotionally heavy book. I found myself crying throughout portions of the book. I wasn’t anticipating this, so I did put up content warnings for those who feel they need an idea as to what The Immortalists dives into.

Out of all the siblings, I found myself drawn to Klara. I admired Klara because she went against her family traditions and was ambitious in trying to be a successful performer. She received a lot of criticism from Daniel and Varya. Klara is in a lot of emotional pain, and I just wanted to reach out to her and give her a hug. Out of all the siblings, I found myself the most annoyed with Daniel and Varya. They seemed to constantly judge others, yet they couldn’t reflect and find the hypocrisy in their lives.

I don’t have any regrets about reading The Immortalists, as I think there were some interesting discussions throughout the book. I think my expectations as to what I wanted from the book versus how The Immortalists was written is why I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to. I rated The Immortalists three stars on Goodreads.

Controllers & Coffee: DC Villains and Puzzle Games

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I’m notorious for starting video games and then starting another game and not finishing the first one I originally set out to finish. I bought three new video games, even though I have a short pile of games I still need to play. I wanted to share what I have been playing and what’s next on my gaming backlog.

Consoles

One of the new games I bought was LEGO DC Super-Villains on my Nintendo Switch. I love playing this game during the week. I try to play one level or so right before I go to bed. I have always been a fan of LEGO games, as I don’t have to focus all my effort on playing the game. I tend to save some of my more intensive games for weekends.

The other two games I bought were Vampyr and Resident Evil 2. Vampyr is about a doctor who was turned into a vampire and now has to balance saving and taking lives. Resident Evil 2 was remastered. I missed out on playing through the Resident Evil franchise, so I’m happy to see the games revitalized.

I also purchased The Quarry a month ago. It’s good so far, but I felt it was more fitting to play during October since it’s a horror survival game.

PC

Hidden Through Time released three DLC that I have been playing through. The three DLCs are Road to Rome, Aztec Rituals, and Pirate Treasures. My favorite so far is Pirate Treasures. Hidden Through Time is one of my all-time favorite hidden puzzle games. I adore the music, and I like the hint system. The hints don’t give it away, so it’s more rewarding if I find the object I’m looking for. Rogueside, the makers of Hidden Through Time, have a few other games up on Steam that I might check out.

Two other games on my list would be fitting to play in the fall. The first is Pumpkin Jack, where you play as Jack, the mythical pumpkin lord. The other game is Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York. This is a visual novel game based on the Vampire: The Masquerade role-playing game. I have a good selection of games to pick from and play through in the next month or two.

Board Games

The only new game I played recently was Doomlings, which I wrote a review about a few weeks ago. I recently cleaned out and organized my own board game collection. I had a few games collecting dust, and I figured if I wasn’t going to play them, I’d at least donate them to someone who might. I have now opened a free shelf that’s been sitting empty since I did some reorganizing.

Roleplaying

I’m still playing through Curse of Strahd every other Thursday. Our characters recently leveled up, so Levenia (half-elf Blood Hunter) is level #7. Our group is slowly getting stronger and progressing through the city of Barovia. We still have a few side quests to complete before we even think about going after Strahd directly.

Miscellaneous

For a Critical Role update, I’m on episode 91 of Campaign #1. My goal is to finish Vox Machina / Campaign #1 by the end of the year, so I can start listening to Mighty Nein / Campaign #2. I have twenty-two episodes left, and with each episode averaging four hours, I still have quite a bit of content to get through.

In other gaming news, Overwatch 2 has a release date of October 4th. If I were to play, I think I would play on my husband’s Xbox since I pay for Xbox Live already, and I don’t have a PS5 yet.

I’m going to start writing these posts towards the end of the month since I tend to change my gaming interests throughout the month. I’m looking forward to getting back into gaming and playing more horror leading into fall.

Andor – Discussion & Thoughts

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by

Rogue One is easily in my top three favorite Star Wars movies. When it was announced that Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna) was getting his own series, I was ecstatic! Cassian was a character I wanted to learn more about, as it’s clear that his character was pulled into this war at a young age. I wanted to talk about the series, especially since the first episode is airing next month.

Andor was co-written by Tony Gilroy, who wrote the screenplays for The Bourne Franchise. I think this was an excellent choice, as Cassian is a spy. In Rogue One, he helps Jyn infiltrate Scarif to steal the Death Star plans. Cassian’s character is about being unseen and fitting in to achieve a goal. I’m curious as to whether this series will feel like a Star Wars series or if this will feel like a spy series set in the Star Wars universe. I’m hoping it’s the latter as I think it will be more fitting for Cassian.

Diego Luna is set to star as Cassian, along with Forest Whitaker returning as Saw Gerrera. The cast of Andor also includes Fiona Shaw, Stellan Skarsgård, and Genevieve O’Reilly, who’s returning as Mon Mothma. I’m a big fan of Fiona Shaw as I think she’s talented in any project she’s a part of.

Before writing this post, I watched the trailer. The trailer does an excellent job of revealing portions of the series without the plot. I have an idea as to the aesthetic the show is going for, but no idea as to what will happen. I feel some trailers reveal too much at times, and Andor is an example of how to create a trailer without spoiling major plot details.

I’m so excited for this series to air! I wouldn’t be surprised if I stayed up late watching the first episode because I’m not going to let the internet spoil this for me.

Winery Wedding

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I’m at the age where a lot of my friends are getting married. Two weeks ago, one of our friends in our friend group got married at a winery. The wedding itself was stunning! They had a lot of green plants mixed with white flowers on the tables. There was a huge group of us dancing all night. My friends and I took a lot of pictures throughout the night. I love attending weddings, and this wedding was no different.

Image is a photo of four women smiling at the camera. One of us is wearing a red dress, one is wearing a pink dress and the other two women are wearing emerald green dresses.
Image is a photo of me and a friend. I'm smiling wearing a bright pink dress and wearing yellow sandals. My friend is wearing a green dress.

Favorite Geek Spots Throughout the US

Posted in Gaming, Reading/Books by

Every time I travel, I like to check out local comic book stores, game stores, or other local geek spots. I like supporting local businesses, and it gives me some familiarity in case I visit again in the future. I wanted to save this post until after I came back from Austin, so I could have my most up-to-date list. These are all of my favorite geek spots throughout the US.

Austin Book & Comics – Austin, Texas

Austin Books & Comics is one of the best comic book stores I have ever visited. This is a big statement to make since I have been to a lot of different shops. Austin Books & Comics was well organized. There were signs over each section that helped make the store easier to navigate. There was also a big manga section, which was impressive. I ended up purchasing two different manga that I’m looking forward to reading.

I have a few friends who want to visit Austin, and if I were to come with them, I would make it a point to visit Austin Books & Comics.

Comicopia – Boston, Massachusetts

Image is a photo of the outside of Comicopia, a comic book store in Boston. It's tucked into a white pillared building. There's a black half moon awning. To the left is a sign in black with gold font and it says Comicopia

Comicopia is a comic book shop right near Fenway Park. It’s located in a beautiful New England-style building. Additionally, they had a local comics section from illustrators and writers from the area. I love it when local stores feature local artists. I also purchased my Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Phil Coulson shirt from this shop that I still wear all the time. This was such a neat store.

Gods & Monsters – Orlando, Florida

Image is the inside of Gods & Monsters. It's dark inside with a magenta light. The photo is centered on a 3D sculpture of a Beholder from Dungeons & Dragons.

Gods & Monsters is a comic book store located near Universal Studios in Orlando. Besides being a comic book store, there’s a bar located in the back called Vault 5421. The above Beholder picture was taken at Vault 5421. I could see Gods & Monsters being a fun place to visit after playing a DnD session with friends. I will say that Vault 5421 isn’t very big, so I could see this place getting crowded. When my brother and I visited, we visited a bit earlier, so we had plenty of room to have a drink before it became busy.

Nerdheim – Savannah, Georgia

Nerdheim is a comic book and game store located in the historical shopping district in Savannah, Georgia. Nerdheim has one of my favorite logos that I have seen from a comic book store. Nerdheim, similar to Austin Books & Comics, is a big retail store. There were several large shelves filled with graphic novels. There was also a pretty significant DnD miniature display along with a section of t-shirts towards the back of the store. Both my husband and I loved visiting Savannah, so we may be back in the future.

Owlbear Cafe – Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Image is a photo of a board game cafe, but inside the store. There's a white paneled ceiling and on the windows are outlines of various animals in a circle. This includes both a bear and an owl.

OwlBear Cafe is a board game cafe located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, which is east of Charleston. I found this place on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. It’s located in this cute shopping area. We stopped here for breakfast before we began our day. I had a breakfast sandwich while my husband had a waffle. In the back is their board game selection. I found Arkham Horror sitting on the shelf, which is one of my all-time favorite board games. I normally don’t buy hoodies from stores, but I couldn’t resist buying a hoodie with the logo on it.

The more I travel, the more likely I am to write a part #2 to this post. If you’re looking for local recommendations, I recommend using Atlas Obscura or typing into Google Maps “comic book store” or “game store,” which is how I found these shops.

Should Thor: Love And Thunder Issue Content Warnings?

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by

CW: Cancer, cancer storylines, and chemotherapy.

Image is a promotional movie poster for the movie, Thor Love and Thunder. It shows Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson. She has her armor and in her right hand she's holding a sword.

I went to see Thor: Love and Thunder with a friend of mine a month ago. While Thor is the main character, I was there to see Valkyrie and Jane Foster’s return to the Marvel franchise. After the movie was released, I was browsing the internet, and read an interesting article. The article was referring to Thor: Love and Thunder and whether it should have included content warnings for viewers. If you couldn’t tell from the content warning I posted earlier, the content warning viewers were asking for was regarding cancer, cancer diagnosis, and chemotherapy.

In Thor: Love and Thunder, it’s revealed that Jane was diagnosed with cancer, and her outcome was grim. She seeks out Mjölnir (Thor’s old Hammer) to see if this type of magic could help cure her. When Jane connects with Mjölnir, she’s given powers related to Thor; however, it comes at a cost. While Jane is Thor, her body is suppressed to fight cancer. Some viewers would have liked a heads-up that this was a storyline happening in this movie.

I have never been diagnosed with cancer, so this isn’t a lived experience I’m able to speak to. Although I have had a loved one pass away from cancer, I can at least relate to that aspect of this conversation. I personally didn’t have a problem watching this film. I’m sensing that there might be someone reading this who would think “people should stop being so sensitive”. I don’t see content warnings as being too sensitive. It’s simply saying that “this media contains x,y,z. If that’s something you want to avoid, don’t watch this film, TV show, etc.” The way that anyone handles trauma is so varied. I can see why others would have appreciated the heads-up, as Jane’s backstory includes her cancer diagnosis.

I will say that Jane’s cancer is a storyline in the comics, so it can be argued that this is comic-book accurate. Some fans aren’t thrilled with the idea of bringing Jane back, giving her a cancer diagnosis, having her get powers, and ultimately dying in the end. I’m not sure how I feel about it as I go back and forth.

Anyway, I thought this was an interesting article and conversation to write about. I would be curious as to your thoughts. Should Thor: Love and Thunder have included a content warning?

Dallas Day Trip

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When I was planning the itinerary for Austin, I knew I wanted to stop in Dallas. Dallas is known as the home to the Dallas Cowboys, BBQ, and, unfortunately, the city where John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. When I told my mom I was visiting Dallas, she told me where she was when she found out JFK was assassinated. She was in elementary school when she was sent home and found my grandma crying in front of the TV. I would honestly recommend visiting Dallas solely for the history and the museums located there.

Image is a photo I took from the Dealey Plaza museum. It's an old photo of JFK, Jackie, and several others in a black, convertible motorcade. There is a motorcade behind JFK along with police on a motorcycle.

The first place we stopped was the Dealey Plaza museum. The Dealey Plaza is the building where Lee Harvey Oswald shot the president. It’s been named a historical building and turned into a museum. I felt this museum did a great job balancing JFK’s life and all that he accomplished while also covering the assassination. It wasn’t a museum solely dedicated to the assassination, which I thought was respectful. There were diagrams showing the motorcade. One thing I pointed out to my husband was the fact that there were white X’s on the road, which showed the points at which JFK was shot. I wasn’t expecting that to be there, and it made it more alarming to me. The museum itself was well worth the trip, and I would probably go back to Dallas and visit the museum again if I were with someone who had never been.

Image is a photo from the Holocaust Museum. It's a section of the museum where it says "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" below are different squares that list a right. Some of the blocks are more pushed out than others. Examples include "Right to Free Movement" and "All People Are Born Free And Equal" Another one is "Right To Education"

After the Dealey Plaza museum, we went to the Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum. While this museum focuses on the Holocaust, it also focuses on the definition of human rights along with other genocides in history. It talked about the idea of upstanders and bystanders. Upstanders are individuals in history who do the right thing even if it’s illegal or banned. People who smuggled Jewish people out of Europe technically were doing something illegal, but it was the right thing to do. Bystanders are those who stood by and watched things happen. I liked how this museum didn’t just focus on the Holocaust, but also explained how this happened and what traits dictators show that lead them to violence.

Along with the museums, my husband and I walked around downtown Dallas. We stopped at Pegasus City Brewing, which oddly reminded us of the video game BioShock since the font felt old-fashioned. After having a few cocktails and dinner, we meandered back to our hotel before driving home the next day.

It’s funny; I spent less time in Dallas, but this post was longer than my Austin post. I think that’s because of the museums, from which I learned a lot. There was more downtime in Austin versus Dallas, as there was a list of activities I wanted to do for the day. This road trip was such a blast. My next trip will be to Door County, Wisconsin, in September. Otherwise, I’m thinking an international trip will be my focus sometime next year.

Fall To-Do List

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Last fall, I felt like I didn’t get to enjoy the season. Wedding planning took all my time, and our weekends were busy with other weddings and obligations. I’m so looking forward to enjoying fall and what the season has to offer. I wanted to share my bucket list of events, activities, or things to look forward to this season.

Fall-Themed Candle Melts

For my birthday, one of my best friends gifted me an “Open Road Candles Sample Set” with fall-themed scents. OpenRoadCandles sells candle melts to use in a Candle Warmer. There are ten different scents, including Apple Butter, Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, and Autumn Leaves, to name a few. I’m thrilled to use them and have our entire apartment smelling like an apple orchard. My husband will either be happy or annoyed; we shall see.

Trip to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival

Image is a photo of me sitting on a bench. I'm wearing my Union Jack rainboots and a purple scarf. Above my head is a sign and it says "Boss Wench" in a Renaissance style font.

I love the Renaissance Festival! I usually go at least once every year except last year. This year, I have set aside two September weekends to devote to a Renaissance Festival trip. Each weekend has a different theme, so I wanted to have two weekends free to pick which weekend I wanted to go to. There are a few food options I always look forward to, such as the soup in a bread bowl or the apple cider float with cinnamon ice cream.

Wearing my Spooky Clothes

Last year, I bought a Nightmare Before Christmas jersey sweater at Disneyland along with a witchy graphic t-shirt that I didn’t get to wear. I have a black Bats cardigan that’s one of my favorite cardigans to wear. I look forward to pulling out my Halloween-themed clothes to wear throughout the season.

Visit an Apple Orchard

Another fall activity that I didn’t get to do last year. Apple Orchards are often crowded, but well worth the visit. I usually like to try some apple-themed treat, or if the orchard serves hard apple cider, that’s another fall-themed drink I enjoy. I like being outside in the cooler weather and seeing families bringing their kids to the orchard.

It will be so nice to truly enjoy fall this year. Let me know what your plans are for the season in the comments down below.