The Blogger Recognition Award!

HUGE thanks to The Power of the Printed Word for nominating me! A regularly-updated and active literature blog is kind of rare (I know I’m not one of them 😦 ), so give the blog a look!

The rules:

– Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
– Write a post to show your award.
– Give a brief story of how your blog started.
– Give two pieces of advice for new bloggers.
– Select other bloggers you want to give this award to.
– Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them & provide the link to the post you created.

How I started my blog:
I started my blog during the holidays, where I have plenty of time to read! Back then, I thought: it would be nice if I can share my view of a book to everyone. The thought emerged since very little of my peers actually enjoy reading novels, and I don’t want my memory of the books I have read to fade off (I am kind of forgetful). Besides, I want to let the good books known by more people! 😀

Eventually, that view got to other entertainment that I also enjoy, movies and games. Sharing my thoughts on the practice of reading itself is also fun for me (and it makes the blog less monotonous), so I decided to include those too!

Advice to new bloggers:

• Write when you want to – Don’t force yourself to write a blog post when you are not in the mood to write. I know the pressure of wanting to keep the blog updated, but when you write without being in the mind for it, the writing might lack emotion or, say, your usual passion. Of course, there are some people who can craft a compelling, enjoyable piece of writing without being in the mood for it, too! XD
• Don’t forget yourself while writing – Sometimes, you might want to share something that people like your followers will enjoy. That’s a good thing, but don’t let this kindhearted thought deviate you from doing what you enjoy, the reason you started the blog in the first place. Make sure you are also writing about what you like! Don’t solely write things that your audience enjoys, but you are not interested in. Unless you started the blog for the sole purpose of generating followers or to promote your product, of course.

That’s it coming from me! I hope all of you enjoyed reading and I really wish that my points of advice can be helpful 🙂 . I know it’s been a while since I posted literary content, but I promise I’ll get back to it! I’m currently doing my internship and dealing with my thesis at the same time, so I have a hard getting in the mood to settle down, relax, and read a good book (I plan to finish To Kill a Mockingbird soon).

Thank you for being here with me! I’ll update the blog more often soon 😀

 

My Nominations:

Susan Loves Books

Book Princess Reviews

Not So Modern Girl

Dusk Angel Reads

 

Again, thanks for nominating me for this award!

(Movie) “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” Review

“I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!”
-Yondu Udonta, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

The second installment to the Guardians of the Galaxy series and the MCU is perhaps one of the most engaging movies I have ever watched.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 takes place some time after the first movie, where Groot is now a baby capable of moving around and shouting. Starlord, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Baby Groot, and Drax are on a mission to slay a giant space monster as requested by a race called the Sovereign, in exchange for Nebula, who was captured beforehand by the Sovereign. Afterwards, Rocket Raccoon steals a battery from the Sovereign, and the race decides to capture our defenders of the galaxy through Yondu’s assistance. In the meantime, Starlord / Peter Quill meets his father, Ego, and the team splits up temporarily, with Starlord, Drax, and Gamora visiting Starlord’s father’s planet of his own creation, unbeknownst of the predicaments in the near future.

At first, the plot might seem a bit disjointed with things happening here and there as well as the alternating point of views, but soon, they all come together to create a colorful spectacle of explosions and relationship developments. I believe that having two major events happening at the same time which enables further character development of most characters and then have them meet one another for further development is a great idea 😀 .

Subjectively, I am not a fan of Baby Groot, but I don’t hate him! I like him, but not that much, for some reason…please don’t bash me!

Speaking of character development, I have to admit that the progression of the characters is way better here than the first Guardians of the Galaxy; things are taken more seriously, and the sudden shift of attitudes (which can be found in a few occasions during the first movie, although it’s nothing too bothersome) is less here, even though Nebula’s change of character is still too quick in my opinion, especially after all the buildup she has in this second entry. As for the other characters, I really get to see they bloom in personality and develop, making them less of an archetypal inclusion, and more of a complex, unique individual. Still, a number of background information is still missing, but I assume it will be addressed in future titles.

 

An unlikely development? Trust me, great humors aside, these two’s interaction plays a huge role in supporting the acclaimed character development (I have been saying a lot of that, haven’t I?)

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has two things that the first movie lacks, and those are character attachment as well as twists. With interactions that encourage the bonds among the characters, even though a few of them lack background information, they can really grow on you as the movie progresses. If that was the aim of the first movie from the start, then I believe the issue faced by the first movie is not really a problem! XD . As for the twists, it can be somewhat predictable if you observe close enough, but it still provides enough shock-value while answering a lot of questions introduced in the first movie. After having the questions answered, just like most MCU titles, we are given a wonderful action-oriented showdown between the forces of good and evil with a few comedic showcases (you have to see the Pac-Man!), but this time, the sad moments actually felt sad for me. The buildup to the characters are resolved with an effective, lasting impact in the end, which I will not say too much since this review is intended to be largely spoiler-free.

All in all, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 addresses the issues faced by the first movie splendidly, and it avoids the category of being ‘another generic superhero movie’ in a satisfying fashion.

Rating from me: 4.5/5