"You love secrets. You want to marry secrets and have half-secret, half-human children."

 How has half the year passed by already?  How?!?

 Anyway, continuing on from the first quarter's update, here are the highlights of what I've read, watched and listened to from April to June:

Read

Yes we have books on a chair.  Why bother reading, otherwise?

∘ Star Trek Deep Space Nine: The Lives of Dax, edited by Marco Palmieri - Again. For the millionth time (although I didn't read every life, only my favourites).

∘ Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding - Again, again.

∘ Star Trek The Motion Picture: Inside the Art and Visual Effects, by Jeff Bond & Gene Kozicki - I found this to be a rather fascinating read, and I had no idea of the time pressures and obstacles the production was up against.  Although, I'd've liked a few more pictures.   Actually, I should be more specific as there are loads of cool pictures, it's just that many of them are quite small (in order to fit them in, I should think, otherwise the book would be the size of a car), and I would like to see even more photos of the V'Ger model (because I'd recently found some that I hadn't seen before online somewhere, so I had my expectations up).  All that being said, there are some gorgeous full & two-page spreads of photos and artwork that did not disappoint.

∘ Star Trek: Living Memory, by Christopher L. Bennett - I love the 80s Star Trek movie era, Uhura, and Christopher Bennett's Trek novels, so I'd got my hopes way up for this one.  While it employed the exacting and precise writing style of his previous novels, easily recognisable characterisation, and an excellent use of continuity-weaving as always, Living Memory fell rather flat for me.  I couldn't "hear" Uhura (although the other characters came through easily) and I'd like her to have featured more than she does.  I thought the conflict conversations between Uhura and Shastri, and Kirk and Janith-Lau/Arcturian Warborn were too much like speeches - all civil and reasonable - and so I found them unrealistic and rather dull.  However, I did like the elephants (more please!), "meeting" Uhura's family, the look at Denobula, and the inclusion of Clark Terrell and the Reliant (from ST II), and Joel Randolph (from ST IV).

∘ The Flight of the Pterosaurs, a pop-up book by Keith Moseley - Rather spare on text, but beautifully illustrated.  The pop-ups are rarely of the pterosaurs, strangely - instead they're of plants and insects in the scenes, mostly.  Although, the final pop-up is quite spectacular - two Quetzalcoatlus northropi soaring over a sauropod corpse.

∘ Star Trek: Dwellers in the Crucible, by Margaret Wander Bonanno - I hadn't read this one* in a LONG time, and had almost forgotten how "grown up" this novel seems - mainly, I think, because the Enterprise crew barely feature in it.  The story is based around the kidnapping of a young human woman and her Vulcan would-be friend, and how they bond while in captivity.   Some of it is rather harrowing, and not everyone gets out unscathed (or even alive).

* You'll have to scroll right to the end if you click the link, and even then you're bound to be disappointed...

 

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Watched

∘ The Time Traveller's Wife (Netflix) - I love the book, and this is the first time I've seen the film.  It's not bad, actually.  The meadow where Clare first meets Henry is almost exactly how I pictured it in my mind, as is the apartment that Clare and Charisse shared.  Although, Eric Bana's Henry is bettter looking and more well built than the Henry in my head.

∘ The Wedding Banquet (DVD) - A rewatch of an old favourite.

∘ Crazy Rich Asians (Netflix) - Singapore looks stunning and Michelle Yeoh steals the show (again), but Henry Golding's character is just so unimaginatively and blandly nice - how could anyone fall for him?  Gemma Chan is fantastic, and Mateo from Superstore is in it!

∘ Death Becomes Her (Netflix) - Another rewatch old favourite.

∘ The Windsors (S3) (Netflix) - Not quite as good as the first two series, but Kate becoming hysterical about missing Wimbledon live and having to watch it on the telly instead, then getting shaken out of her hysteria by Wills (in episode one) really made me laugh.  Oh, and the rather gorgeous Tom Durant Pritchard is the new Harry.  Yum!

∘ La Cage aux Folles (DVD) - Yet another rewatch favourite.

∘ Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (DVD) - You know, the one in the 80s with the whales.

∘ Stardust (Netflix - because I couldn't be bothered to reach for the DVD) - Delightful as aways.  Especially Claire Danes and Michelle Pfeiffer.  But especially Charlie Cox as Tristan Thorn!

∘ Pushing Daisies (S1 & 2) (DVD) - "You love secrets.  You want to marry secrets and have half secret, half human children." said Chuck to Ned.  This brightly coloured, modern day fairy tale is as utterly charming as ever.  So much so that I could watch it again!

I couldn't find a good clip, so here's the first 2 minutes:

∘ Men In Black: International (Netflix) - I only watched it for Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, but even they couldn't save this pile of puke.  In fact, Chris Hemsworth's character - H, I think) - was irritating throughout.  I should have learnt my lesson from watching the third MIB snoozefest.

∘ Spider-Man: Far From Home (Netflix) - Tom Holland is as adorable and endearing as ever, and this one also features the always yummy Jake Gyllenhaal(!), but I was entirely unmoved by it.  I think I'm over all these CGIed action-fest films.

∘ The Umbrella Academy (S2) (Netflix) - possibly the favouritest of my rewatches!

∘ Motherland (S3) (BBC iPlayer) - The bit in ep 4 where Anne "malfunctions" really made me laugh!

∘ Crashing (Channel 4/Netflix) - I almost flicked past this, but then I noticed that Jonathan Bailey was in it.  Phwooooaaarrrr!!!

Here's Jonathan Bailey as Sam in Crashing.

Except for the last shot which is him as Lord Bridgerton from Bridgerton. (I didn't even make it through the first episode - Bridgerton's not for me, it seems)

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Listened to

∘ Birdhouse In Your Soul, They Might Be Giants (thanks to my Pushing Daisies rewatch as it features in season 1 episode "Pigeon", as sung by Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) and Aunt Vivien (Ellen Greene), much to Aunt Lily's (Swoosie Kurtz) disgust.

∘ Cruel Intentions, BabyAngel69, and Are 'Friends' Electric? Parralox, as featured at Jon's.

∘ Losing My Mind, Liza Minelli (and the Pet Shop Boys)

∘ Major Tom (Coming Home), Peter Schilling; Sister of Pearl, Baio; Sunny, Boney M; and Right Back Where We Started From, Maxine Nightingale - all from The Umbrella Academy (S2) as featured here.

∘ The One, Kylie

Plus, I'm still listening to Blinding Lights (The Weeknd), Arturo Márquez Danzón Nº 2  (Gustavo Dudamel), Lucky Star (Gravitonas), and Aria on Air (Malcolm McLaren) from last quarter's most listened to in Wonderful Electric.