I Love Romcoms and I am a Feminist by Corrina Antrobus

 I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and White Lion Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super fun read and pretty much exactly what I wanted from a book with this title. This is a light exploration of 100 romcoms through the lens of 'feminist lessons learned'. I loved the mix of famous romcoms and lesser-known films. It meant I have a few new movies to check out, which is always great. The amount written about each film was about perfect. It's a good book to casually flick through, and it's the kind of thing I love to read on Christmas day inbetween all the bustle. If you're a fan of romcoms, this is definitely worth a read!

A Guide to Movie Based Video Games, 1982–2000 by Christopher Carton

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Pen & Sword in exchange for an honest review.

As a video game researcher, I am always on the hunt for books about games. I love to learn and I was very excited when I saw this book available. The title tells you exactly what you are in store for-a guide to movie-based games created in the pre-2000s era.

I will admit, this book wasn't as entertaining as I'd hoped. I think not being alive when these games came out (for the most part) limited any kind of nostalgic enjoyment I could get out of it. I found some sections interesting (such as the Disney and comedy movie ones) but there wasn't a lot of commentary about the games themselves, which meant that if I didn't care about the intellectual property then there wasn't a whole lot to keep my interest.

Having said that, I think this book is very informative and seems pretty thorough. I imagine anyone who has nostalgia for these games would get a lot more out of it than me, and I am very excited for the next instalment which will cover the games I played myself. I recommend it for anyone who is curious what games exist from this time period, or for someone looking for a trip down memory lane

Overall Rating:

.5

The Binge Watcher's Guide to Supernatural by Jessica Mason

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Riverdale Avenue Books in exchange for an honest review.

The timing of this book was fortuitous. I have just started bingewatching Supernatural for the first time ever with my friend, and it seemed like the perfect time to read this book alongside it. Unfortunately, this was not the fun experience I was hoping for.

This book is written by a megafan which would be a good thing if it wasn't so cringey to read. It's very rare that I'll use that word but this book is just full of bad vibes. The author constantly drools over and sexualises the main actors in a very 'Tumblr' way. The blurb states 'Think of this as John Winchester's journal, guiding you through trivia and tribulations to enrich watching this incredible show'. I don't think John Winchester would describe his sons in this way, despite the tendency for the show to include some incestuous vibes.

Bafflingly, she praises the amazing acting skills at several points whilst berating the campier episodes of the show. I may be in the minority here but I feel like Supernatural is the kind of show to be enjoyed for its campiness. The acting is very bad, especially during earlier seasons. That is part of the fun and the charm, and it makes the watching experience for me.

I am willing to accept this part is down to personal taste. If you love the show unironically and think it is a fantastic piece of drama, maybe you will enjoy this book more. Having said that, there are still many flaws to be found here. Despite being a watcher's guide, there are spoilers throughout for later episodes. These are marked but if you avoid them, you miss out on a lot of content. You honestly don't gain much insight or clever commentary for any episode. You might as well read someone's blog on Tumblr for the depth and extra trivia you acquire. Certainly the blog might be less uncomfortably thirsty.

Overall, this book just wasn't for me. I wanted so much more and it barely scratches the surface. I have enjoyed other books in this series so it won't put me off reading those, it's just a shame this one was such a miss.

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Extra Salty by Frederick Blichert

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher ECW Press in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a treat to read! It is essentially a collection of essays about the film Jennifer's Body, exploring the various themes and its cultural impact both when it was released and now. The mistreatment of the film at its time of release might not be an entirely new story to everyone, but this still covers a lot of detail and factors which I wasn't aware of personally and that I enjoyed reading about. The various essays about  characters and themes are expertly written and are immensely enjoyable for any fans of the film. There is a strong focus on feminism throughout and what Jennifer's Body says about being a teenage girl. Overall, this is a brilliant book for both fans of the film and fans of movie analysis, and it is well worth checking out. I shall be trying to get the others in the series.

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Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an absolute delight from start to finish. It is very short but I quite enjoyed being able to read it in one setting. Essentially this book is exactly what it says on the tin: a delightful comedy book told in the style of a guidebook parodying all manner of British murder mysteries. I mainly noticed references to Midsomer Murders and Agatha Christie, but it covers a lot of mystery tropes so there's bound to be something here for everyone. The illustrations are brilliant and the humour is very reminiscent of Lemony Snicket, which suits the style and genre perfectly. I would be delighted to get this as a gift as a mystery fan and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it.

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The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland by Angela Youngman

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Pen & Sword in exchange for an honest review.

The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland is a nonfiction book focusing on various interpretations and properties surrounding Alice in Wonderland. The first few chapters focus on contextualising the life of Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson and Alice Liddell, with some discussion of the darker elements. I found the very first chapter decent enough but I skimmed most of the second as I am not hugely interested in Carroll's life outside of his work as an author. However, these chapters may be of interest for history buffs and I did enjoy the discussions of Carroll potentially being Jack the Ripper, farfetched as the theory might be.

The rest of the book has each chapter focus on a theme (eg. drugs, sex, horror etc) and then talk about various adaptations or experiences that are Alice-themed based around that chapter topic. I enjoyed this section of the book the most and I felt like it covered a wide range of different adaptations/experiences. The chosen topics all made sense and fit the 'dark' theme well, on top of just being interesting topics in of themselves.

I think this book fell slightly flat for me for two main reasons. Firstly, I didn't realise it would be focused so much on the discussion of properties outside of the book itself. I know Alice in Wonderland is short but I would have liked a bit more of a focus on how elements from the book fit with the chapter topics, with the discussion centered on the book itself rather than everything created from it. Secondly, while this book does cover an impressive range of adaptations/experiences (no easy feat) the result is a little shallow in parts. Some things get a good chunk of thought/page space dedicated to them but some are almost name-checked without adding much.

Having said that, I still think this is a well-researched and very engaging nonfiction book. I did genuinely enjoy reading it and I felt like it does cover everything you would expect a book like this to. The writing is extremely accessible without sacrificing any academic merit. If you love the world of Alice in Wonderland, then this book does have a lot to offer you.

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The Binge Watcher's Guide to Black Mirror by Marc W. Polite

 I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Riverdale Avenue Books in exchange for an honest review.

So the first thing I would like to say about this book is that it is a guide and not any kind of deep analysis. I was initially disappointed by this but I realised it was my own expectations causing that disappointment and so I think it's important that as a reader going in, you are not expecting any kind of detailed essay format. The second thing I would like to say is I really enjoyed it.

This is a fun, short guide to every episode of Black Mirror, with the bulk of the content being episode summaries and there being some additional commentary at the end in the form of four short chapters/sections. It is clearly written by a fan and it was nice to relive the episodes in this way. It definitely made me want to rewatch the show and experience it anew.

There is brief discussion of the themes/purpose of each episode but I found this very limited. I think I noticed it most for USS Callister and Striking Vipers where there is barely a mention of any feminist/sexual/queer themes despite those being huge parts of those episodes. Perhaps the author thought these were too obvious to mention but it felt odd to read about a lack of STDs in videogame encounters in Striking Vipers being appealing while the incredibly complex relationship in that episode is brushed over. As I said, deep analysis is not promised or expected here but there is an attempt on commentary and this sometimes falls flat.

Having said that, the main joy of this book is the enthusiasm of the author. It is clear which episodes the author likes the most and it's always nice to read about a TV show from the point of view of someone who does genuinely love it. I read this book almost entirely in one sitting and it was a wonderful experience, so if you are a fan of the show then I strongly recommend checking this out.

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How Love Actually Ruined Christmas by Gary Raymond

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Parthian Books in exchange for an honest review.

I have no strong attachment to Love Actually. I saw it for the first time two years ago and found it pretty ridiculous but one of the better Christmas movies (honestly there are few Christmas movies I actually like, which in itself is a kind of crime). The second I saw this book though, I was excited. I love sarcastic takedowns of romcoms and honestly, one of the things I love about the genre is how insane the plots can get and how unrealistic they are. I was not disappointed with this book!

This review will be short because honestly, the cover tells you everything you want to know. I was worried this book would be bitter, an adult man cheerlessly tearing apart a movie aimed at women with no awareness of his lack of a place in doing that. Thankfully this book was extremely funny and one of the reasons the author dislikes the movie is the misogyny contained in the film so there was no trace of 'girl hate'. The best way to describe this book is imagine you're watching the movie along with a funny friend who hates it. It is framed as a scene-by-scene recap with comments inserted about the film/plot/production. No deeper analysis is offered particularly (except for a brief intro dissecting the cultural impact of the film) but it isn't needed. This is clearly a book written for entertainment rather than academic merit.

Overall, if you want a fun nonfiction Christmas book to entertain you while the TV shows Love Actually for the fourth time this year, then you can't go wrong with this. I loved the light, humorous style and I think the author did a fantastic job of getting the balance right between hatred and entertainment.

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Cursed Objects by J. W. Ocker

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Tantor Audio in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful treat for the spooky season! Cursed Objects is a nonfiction book all about various cursed objects/relics from around the world. It presents a whole host of various objects with their legends and mostly leans on the skeptical side, giving it a really fun and enjoyable tone. I really liked the format of this book. It is split up into fairly small chunks (each segment of the audio book is around 5-10 minutes) which makes for very easy listening. I loved that I could dip in and out of it, and that listening to the end of each section wasn't a huge commitment.

The audiobook itself is pretty short but it is absolutely packed full of information. It covers a large range and variety of cursed objects, and I found every story interesting in some way. I will say, while I did enjoy the audiobook enormously I would probably recommend buying this as a physical book rather than an audio one. It was a great  audiobook but you are told that the physical book has illustrations which I am sad I missed out on, and I think the information would have been slightly easier to digest had I read it with my eyes rather than my ears. But if you want something to listen or experience more casually, then the audiobook is definitely the way to go.

Overall, I strongly recommend this audiobook/book. It's a fun collection of spooky information told well, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

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The Curious History of the Riddle by Marcel Danesi

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press in exchange for an honest review.

What a fantastic walkthrough of riddling history! I have been a lifelong fan of riddles. The Riddler from Batman is one of my favourite fictional characters of all time, and when I was a child I had a book about dragons which had a whole section dedicated to riddles. I couldn't have been more excited when I saw this book available to request, although I was a little skeptical it had anything to offer a devout riddle fan. I couldn't have been more wrong!

This book is split up into sections, loosely arranged in chronological order and walking the reader through the oldest riddles all the way to modern day more jokey ones. I found all of the sections well-written and very informative. There are riddles within each section and then a set of riddles to solve yourself after each section, with the answers at the back. In general, these were fun but they did vary in difficulty greatly. I appreciate it's hard to control for that sort of thing but the riddles from the first two chapters were near impossible, whilst later ones verged on too easy. Sometimes the hints were too direct as well which is why I can't give this book a full 5 stars. However, the informative sections were great. I particularly enjoyed the literary riddles chapter, and the section dedicated to the Riddler (which was a fantastic surprise).

Overall, this book was insightful and easy to read. I loved learning more about riddles and their place in history, and I had fun trying to solve the riddles throughout. This book would make a fantastic present and it's the perfect kind of read to dip in and out of. I highly recommend it to all fans of riddles.

Overall Rating:

.5

The Geeky Bartender by Cassandra Reeder

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Quarto Publishing Group – Race Point Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

What an amazing treat for boozy nerds! I had high hopes for this book based off the gorgeous cover and amazingly it managed to match every single one. This is a beautiful collection of really interesting cocktails based off various nerdy and geeky properties. All the big names are here and there's bound to be one fandom for every type of geek. The majority of drinks are attempts to make real-life versions of drinks found in the series (for example, Butterbeer from Harry Potter or Soulstorm Brew from Oddworld). Some are generic geeky drinks (red health potion) and others are inspired by geeky worlds (Sonic Screwdriver).

The presentation of this book really impressed me. It's clear from the foreword that the author wants to make the cocktails as easy and as cheap to make as possible, and this shines throughout. No brands are used and while there are certainly fancy drinks here, there are also plenty of affordable ones. Every cocktail photo is stunning and no detail is too small to not include when it comes to presenting them in an appealing and fandom-relevant way. My little nerd heart was so happy to just view the pretty drinks and I really appreciated the care and love the author shows for each property she mentions.

The book also starts with some great general advice. Unlike some cocktail books, this is written in a very straightforward manner and once again, the tips for improving the appearance of the cocktails were incredibly simple but effective. Instead of assuming you're willing to spend hours prettying up your drinks, the book gives you several effective but easy methods to make them beautiful in almost no amount of time. These methods are then referenced in later recipes as suggestions but can easily be ignored if you want to keep things even simplier.

Overall, this book is by far the best cocktail book I have ever read in terms of including ingredients which are easy to acquire and also making drinks which are simply exciting to look at. This would make a wonderful present for the nerdy drinker in your life and I look forward to making a few of these at my next geeky party. I am very impressed!

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