margarks

DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS FOR THE BOOKS AND MOVIE.


Why did they even make this movie? It doesn't follow the book at all. I originally watched the movie when it first came out and always meant to read the book because the movie didn't make much sense. Over the last couple of months I read the 4 Southern Reach books. (To be honest, I would have been happy if he had stopped at 3.) I decided to rewatch the movie today now that I've finished the books.

They were interesting in that the language made everything feel like a fever dream. I kind of like that the mystery of Area X will never be solved (at least I don't think so). Even if some of the story gives answers still other parts give other answers.

The movie was so dumb. It tried to give answers immediately which ruins the whole thing really. The opening sequence is a meteor hitting the lighthouse, making the audience assume it is all alien. The books hint at this eventually too, but also hint at time dilation and other things. But, I don't know, I just felt like the movie was removed from the books. What's the point?

I don't mind some changes, but when it is so completely different, why not just name it something else and call it a new movie? There was no Saul, no journals at the light house, no opposite tower. There were so many things that felt important in the book that weren't in the movie at all and then all these additional action sequences that weren't in the book. ugh. I don't know.

Then she destroys the lighthouse and area X and suddenly okay again? WTF. And her 'husband' is alive at the end? These changes are insanely major.

I fully admit I may not be remembering the books correctly because they are not straightforward and I have read many books in between then and now, but eh, I don't knwow. I feel like the movie missed the whole point of the books.

To me the books are about humans vs nature, climate change horror, maybe. None of that was addressed in the movie. They tried to explain it away with 'refraction'. Basically after reading the books, watching the movie again just made me mad.

Also, the reason I didn't enjoy the last book so much, was really just Lowry's POV. It was just so disjointed I couldn't enjoy it. I wanted to know what happened, what his POV was of that first expedition, but I hated his stream of consciousness and his personality that I ended up skimming most of the end of that book. The first part with Old Jim and his story, though, I liked.

Anyway, I'd recommend the books, but I definitely don't recommend the movie.

So, I turned 50 this week. Not sure I feel any different than before. I did go and get my Shingles vaccine because I figured why not get that over with. I spent last week in San Diego going on a few hikes with my doggo and just relaxing and catching up on reading.

I used to never go anywhere without a book when I was younger and I read all the time. Over the last few years I stopped reading and I'm not sure why. Just didn't have the energy for it. So I decided a few months back that I was going to read again.

I 'signed up' for some reading challenges by some youtuber. There are two challenges, one that she gives words/themes and one that she gives book covers to do. I'm treating them more like bingo cards and just marking them off as I read them instead of doing them the months that they were set for in the challenge. If anyone is interested I'm on goodreads and storygraph (where I am marking the challenges off) both as margarks I believe. Possibly my display name on goodreads is margie g, but I think margarks is my actual profile name. If you can't find me, and want to friend me there, let me know.

I'm also just reading books I want to read on top of the challenges. Books I finished in January:

Sign Here by Claudia Lux
2001 A Space Odyssey by Arthur C Clarke
Truth by Robert Reed
Horrostor by Grady Hendrix
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursual K Leguin

Books I've finished so far in February:
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation - translated by Ken Liu
the Golden Gate by Amy Chua

I'm currently reading Authority (the sequel to Annihilation) and Arsenic and Adobo (the first book I know of that I have read from a filipino author).

I'd rec pretty much all the books so far I've read this year. Some I liked more than others, but there haven't been any that I regret reading. I am mixing it up format wise. Some I've read as epubs, some I've listened to audiobooks, and some I've read the actual paper versions. I've got copies of Jane Eyre and an HG Wells book with both the Time Machine and the Invislbe Man waiting in the wings for the rest of this month too. I'm also looking for a copy of Broken Stars, another chinese scifi anthology Ken Liu translated, but it's not at my library so I haven't gotten it yet.

Anyway, if anyone has any books they want to rec, feel free to comment! The youtuber with the challenges read 270 books last year! I am not getting anywhere close to that, but I think I'm still doing pretty good so far. This is the link that talks about the challenges if anyone is interested:

books and lala challenges

Hope everyone is doing well!