Category + watch read & listen

{Watch, Read, & Listen} WandaVision, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, & Rad Child Podcast

Jan 18, 2021

watch read listen movie book recommendations

♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥


Watch


WandaVision on Disney+ (2021)

Written by Jac Schaeffer
Starring Elizabeth Olson, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn

Marvel Studios' captivating new series "WandaVision," which premieres in early 2021 on Disney+. Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, "WandaVision" marks the first series from Marvel Studios streaming exclusively on Disney+. The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.


Read


Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Publication date: January 19, 2021

Acclaimed author of Ash, Malinda Lo, returns with her most personal and ambitious novel yet, a gripping story of love and duty set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the Red Scare. 

“Do you hear me? Everyone knows you're a good Chinese girl. This is just a mistake." 

For Lily Hu, "good Chinese girl" feels like a mask she's only recently discovered she's been wearing. Or worse, like a trap—one that finally sprung the night she walked through the door into the Telegraph Club with Kathleen Miller. She's known Kath since they were first in math together in junior high. Now they're the last two senior girls in advanced math, and Lily can't deny that what she feels with Kath is about much more than calculus. 

For most people, the Telegraph Club is only another dingy lesbian nightclub just beyond the border of Chinatown, but for Lily and Kath it might as well be another planet. 

Balancing her family's need to present an ideal American facade with her unmistakeable desire for Kath would never be easy, but with deportation suddenly looming over her her Chinese-born father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily's awakening to her true self seems doomed to be short-lived.

Listen


Rad Child Podcast






Friendly reminder that Black lives still and will always matter -- Continue signing petitions (updated often), donating (if/when you can), protesting safely (more protest tips here and here), emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA, register to vote/vote-by-mail, and educating yourself and family members. More ways to help support Black people and the BLM movement can be found on BLM's official Linktree, blacklivesmatter.carrd.co, and blmsites.carrd.co. More resources can be found on the sidebar as well. ➔ 

Philippines has been devastated by multiple typhoons within the span of two months, destroying thousands of homes, displacing thousands of Filipinos, and leaving many without running water or electricity. Please consider donating to relief and recovery efforts if/when you're able to. Little can go a long way - no amount is too small, so don't let that discourage from donating. Please show up for fellow communities in the Global South. Info and safe places to donate to PH victims + families can be found on RescuePH carrd, RescuePH int'l carrd, BangonPH carrd, Youth Rise PH Linktree, PH Red Cross, Kaya Natin! Movement, book drives, and watch these YouTube ads at no cost to you. Also worth adding: continue to help PH #JunkTerrorLaw with junkterrorlaw.carrd.co and parasapinas.carrd.co.

Resources + educational tools on what's going on around the world right now and ways to help: worldissues.carrd.co | issuesintheworld.carrd.co | getinformed.carrd.co | currentinfo.carrd.co | dotherightthing.carrd.co | allcards.carrd.co

{Watch, Read, & Listen} Jingle Jangle, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, & Closure

Dec 14, 2020

movie book music recommendations


♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥


jingle jangle on netflix
Watch: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey on Netflix (2020)


In the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle's (Forest Whitaker) fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it's up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (Madalen Mills) - and a long-forgotten invention - to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.

Starring: Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Madalen Mills, Anika Noni Rose

Written/directed by David E. Talbert




If you're looking for a wholesome and magical Christmas movie to watch with your loved ones, look no further than Jingle Jangle. It's whimsical and perfect to get you in the holiday or winter spirit.

when the tiger came down the mountain by nghi vo
Read: When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo


The cleric Chih finds themself and their companions at the mercy of a band of fierce tigers who ache with hunger. To stay alive until the mammoths can save them, Chih must unwind the intricate, layered story of the tiger and her scholar lover—a woman of courage, intelligence, and beauty—and discover how truth can survive becoming history. 

Nghi Vo returns to the empire of Ahn and The Singing Hills Cycle in this mesmerizing, lush standalone follow-up to The Empress of Salt and Fortune.



Listen: closure -- Taylor Swift





Friendly reminder that Black lives still and will always matter -- Continue signing petitions (updated often), donating (if/when you can), protesting safely (more protest tips here and here), emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA, register to vote/vote-by-mail, and educating yourself and family members. More ways to help support Black people and the BLM movement can be found on BLM's official Linktree, blacklivesmatter.carrd.co, and blmsites.carrd.co. More resources can be found on the sidebar as well. ➔ 

Philippines has been devastated by multiple typhoons within the span of two months, destroying thousands of homes, displacing thousands of Filipinos, and leaving many without running water or electricity. Please consider donating to relief and recovery efforts if/when you're able to. Little can go a long way - no amount is too small, so don't let that discourage from donating. Please show up for fellow communities in the Global South. Info and safe places to donate to PH victims + families can be found on RescuePH carrd, RescuePH int'l carrd, BangonPH carrd, Youth Rise PH Linktree, PH Red Cross, Kaya Natin! Movement, book drives, and watch these YouTube ads at no cost to you. Also worth adding: continue to help PH #JunkTerrorLaw with junkterrorlaw.carrd.co and parasapinas.carrd.co

Resources + educational tools on what's going on around the world right now and ways to help: 

{Watch, Read, & Listen} Billie and Emma, God Storm, & Commander in Chief

Oct 26, 2020

 



♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥


Watch: Billie and Emma (2018) 🌈


Set in the mid-90's, the film tells the story of Billie, a troublemaker from the big city, who finds herself exiled to San Isidro to live with her spinster aunt who is also the town's religion teacher. Determined to change her ways and get through the last year of high school without incident, Billie hides herself from the world until she meets Emma, the ambitious, star student who coaxes Billie out of her shell. They soon fall in love but things get complicated when Emma finds out that she's pregnant. Together, they explore the fleeting nature of love and life on this journey of growth, laughter and music. 

Directed/written by Samantha Lee
Starring Gabby Padilla, Zar Donato, Beauty Gonzalez

Rep: Filipino lesbian main characters
 


May I implore you a few minutes of your time to brush up on what's going on in the Philippines and ways to help Filipinos, whether it be by donating, signing petitions, calling Philippine lawmakers to veto the Anti-Terror Law, or by simply amplifying Filipino voices: junkterrorbill.carrd.co and parasapinas.carrd.co

Read: God Storm by Coco Ma


Everything has a price. 

In the kingdom of Axaria, a darkness has fallen. After defeating the evil mother who summoned an immortal demon to kill her, newly coronated Queen Asterin Faelenhart should have every reason to celebrate. Her kingdom is safe, forbidden magic eradicated, and her friends are alive. Except Asterin’s triumph has come at a devastating cost - forced to choose between a lifelong friend and true love, she’s lost both. But the shadows in Axaria have begun to stir once again, and no one is more starved for vengeance than Asterin.... 

Yet it soon becomes clear that the shadows plaguing her kingdom are just the beginning. Another realm coexists with the mortal world - the beautiful, nightmarish Immortal Realm ruled by the wicked God of Shadow, King Eoin. When their paths entwine, Asterin realizes that Eoin possesses exactly what - and who - she seeks most. And the fates of all those that she holds dear - Orion, her missing Guardian; Luna, the friend she could not save; Harry, the demon who saved them all; and Quinlan, her beloved broken prince - ultimately rest in the god’s hands. 

But in a world of magic, not everyone is always as they seem. When shocking discoveries threaten everything and everyone Asterin has sworn her life to protect, she won’t be the only person forced to make a choice...a choice that will change the mortal world forever. 

And maybe even destroy it.

Publication date: October 20, 2020

God Storm is the sequel to Shadow Frost, out now! If you haven't read the first book yet, Shadow Frost is on sale on e-retailers for a limited time.

Listen: Commander in Chief -- Demi Lovato





It's election season in the U.S. and there's much work to do to secure our democracy and rights for all Americans. Election day is next week on November 3rd, so if you haven't voted yet, please peruse vote.org, voteathome.org, voternetwork.us, ballotready.org, ballotpedia.org to help you with your ballots and to vote safely. Know Your Voting Rights with this resource by ACLU in case you run into problems at the polling place. For the Election Protection Hotline: call 1-(866) OUR-VOTE. If you want to get out the vote in key states, text/phonebank voters with NILC Justice Immigrant Fund, ACLU People Power, Indivisible Guide, and Swing Left.

Friendly reminder that Black lives still matter and that Black Lives Matter protests are still going on around the world -- Continue signing petitions (updated often), donating (if/when you can), protesting safely (more protest tips here and here), emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA, register to vote/vote-by-mail, and educating yourself and family members. 

More ways to help support Black people and the BLM movement can be found on BLM's official Linktree, blacklivesmatter.carrd.co, and blmsites.carrd.co. More resources can be found on the sidebar as well. ➔

{Watch, Read, & Listen} Kiss the Ground, The Pōrangi Boy, & I'm Not Mad

Oct 19, 2020



♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥ 


Watch: Kiss the Ground documentary on Netflix (2020)


A revolutionary group of activists, scientists, farmers, and politicians band together in a global movement of "Regenerative Agriculture" that could balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world.



Resources to utilize to help fight climate change - including orgs to volunteer/donate to, call scripts to your Senators + Reps, sign petitions, and more:


Call your members of Congress to pass H.Res.109 with this call script by indivisible.org or 5calls.org, urge your Senators to support HR 9 with this call script by 5calls.org, urge your members of Congress to act on the climate change crisis with this script by 5calls.org, and ask your Senators to pass HR 1146 to protect Alaska's wildlife refuge with this call script also by 5calls.org.

Read: The Pōrangi Boy by Shilo Kino


Twelve-year-old Niko lives in Pohe Bay, a small, rural town with a sacred hot spring and a taniwha named Taukere. The government wants to build a prison over the home of the taniwha, and Niko's grandfather is busy protesting. People call him porangi, crazy, but when he dies, it's up to Niko to convince his community that the taniwha is real and stop the prison from being built. With help from his friend Wai, Niko must unite his whanau, honour his grandfather and stand up to his childhood bully.


This book is available on New Zealand retailers such as Huia and The Women's Bookshop.

Listen: I'm Not Mad -- Halsey 🌈




Friendly reminder that Black lives still matter and that Black Lives Matter protests are still going on around the world -- Continue signing petitions (updated often), donating (if/when you can), protesting safely (more protest tips here and here), emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA, register to vote/vote-by-mail, and educating yourself and family members.

More ways to help support Black people and the BLM movement can be found on BLM's official Linktree, blacklivesmatter.carrd.co, and blmsites.carrd.co. More resources can be found on the sidebar as well. ➔

{Watch, Read, & Listen} Yellow Rose, Black Sun, & I'm Over You

Oct 12, 2020



♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥

Watch: Yellow Rose (2020)


Rose, an undocumented Filipino girl, dreams of one day leaving her small Texas town to pursue her country music dreams. Her world is shattered when her mom suddenly gets picked up by immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rose, facing this new reality, is forced to flee the scene, leaving behind the only life she knows, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she searches for a new home in the honky tonk world of Austin, Texas.

Directed/written by Diane Paragas; story by Andy Bienen 

Starring Eva Noblezada, Lea Salonga, Gustavo Gomez, Princess Punzalan



See showtimes on the official yellowrosefilm.com website.

Side note: happy Filipino American Heritage month to my fellow Fil-Am's! Let's help out our people in the homeland: junkterrorbill.carrd.co and parasapinas.carrd.co

Read: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse


From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic. 

A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun 

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world. 

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain. 

Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade.


Publication date: October 13, 2020


Check this space tomorrow to find out why Black Sun is one of the best books I've ever read.


Listen: I'm Over You -- Matt Marcii x Andrea Ekeli




Friendly reminder that Black lives still matter and that Black Lives Matter protests are still going on around the world -- Continue signing petitions (updated often), donating (if/when you can), protesting safely (more protest tips here and here), emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA, register to vote/vote-by-mail, and educating yourself and family members. 

More ways to help support Black people and the BLM movement can be found on BLM's official Linktree, blacklivesmatter.carrd.co, and blmsites.carrd.co. More resources can be found on the sidebar as well. ➔

{Watch, Read, & Listen} Mulan: Rise of a Warrior, Cemetery Boys, & QueerWOC podcast

Sep 14, 2020



♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥


mulan rise of a warrior 2009Watch: Mulan - Rise of a Warrior (2009)


The epic story of the Chinese girl-warrior, Mulan, who fights to defend her father.

Directors: Jingle Ma, Wei Dong
Writers: Jingle Ma, Ting Zhang
Starring: Wei Zhao, Kun Chen, Jaycee Chan




If you want a nuanced and more accurate adaption of Mulan, written/directed by Chinese filmmakers, this is one of them. English subtitles available. Save yourself $30 extra from the Disney+ adaption and watch this one instead.

cemetery boys by aiden thomas #transrep latinx repRead: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas 🌈


Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.



Publication date: September 1, 2020

Rep: Latinx trans MC, Latinx trans author, Latinx cast, mlm relationship



Listen: QueerWOC podcast 🌈






Friendly reminder that Black lives still matter and that Black Lives Matter protests are still going on around the world -- Continue signing petitions (updated often), donating (if/when you can), protesting safely (more protest tips here and here), emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA, register to vote/vote-by-mail, and educating yourself and family members.

Also, consider donating to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund and/or donating directly to Jacob Blake's family fund to help him recover from the paralyzing wounds Kenosha cops caused him. Sign this petition to charge the officer who tried to kill him. (Reminder: Don't donate to change.org)

More ways to help support Black people and the BLM movement can be found on BLM's official Linktree, blacklivesmatter.carrd.co, and blmsites.carrd.co. More resources can be found on the sidebar as well. ➔

Support the Trans community and creators and their work. Donate to the homeless Black women trans fund, buy books by trans and nonbinary authors, more trans + enby authors to support, help a queer children's bookstore get off the ground, donate directly to trans individuals funds, volunteer/donate to Human Rights Campaign, and check out this thread with other ways to support trans and enby creators here and here. Don't forget that you can also help in other ways by volunteering or joining their programs for LGBTQ+ rights orgs like (but not limited to): LGBTQ Freedom Fund, Trans Youth Equality Foundation, Trans Women of Color Collective, National Center for transgender Equality, Trans Lifeline, and a list of more orgs here and here. 🌈
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