Book reviews and (other) things to look forward to!

Hello there!

I hope you had a lovely week filled with hope, love and (am I supposed to say faith now?) lots of great books.

I have been thinking of what to talk about in this post and I came up with so many ideas that I ended up with nothing. So what I am going to do is this: I will make a list of all the things that I am looking forward to—since it’s always good to highlight the things that bring you joy—and hope that it will inspire you in some way.

But first there's something else I need to do. I usually add my reviews at the very end of my posts, but I think most people barely notice them, so I decided to change things up a bit.

This week’s book reviews:

The Unholy Cause (Supernatural #5) by Joe Schreiber

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This was probably the best Supernatural novel I've read so far. Schreiber got the characters exactly right (which is a huge relief after some of the other books) and there was a lot of action, but not too much. It was great. 4.5 stars!

Winter in New York en andere verhalen by Chantal van Gastel

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ After reading a lot of van Gastel’s books, Bestemd voor mij really disappointed me, so it took me a while to pick up a new one. Since this book was only 191 pages long (and filled with short stories) I decided to give it a go. It did not disappoint! Especially Winter in New York was a lot of fun to read. I’m a fan again! Zomer in New York by Chantal van Gastel ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ After reading about 20 (out of 62) pages I realised I already read this one before. I remember I enjoyed it the first time, but after just having read Winter in New York I somehow liked it even better. The Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Unlike the other Star Wars novelizations I’ve read, this book doesn’t give any new details that we haven’t already seen in the movie. The writing was great though; it really got me into the story and the characters were portrayed just right. All with all it was a quick and enjoyable read and even though I didn’t like it as much as the other novelizations, I still highly recommend it to all SW fans. Happy beeps here, buddy!

So now I am going to listen to Poe Dameron (The Last Jedi) and focus on the positive things in life by showing you the list I made of things I am excited about right now.

I. The first thing on my list is the fact that it is Eurovision week!!

I don’t know when exactly I started to watch the ESC, but I do remember the exact moment that I became a huge fan. In 2009 Alexander Rybak won the contest with his song Fairytale (click on “Fairytale” to watch the performance, it’s very much worth your time). It was well-deserved, not only because he’s a musical genius and his song was magical, but also because simply being there made him so incredibly happy. I don’t think there is anyone who loves the ESC more than Alex (except for me of course! 😉) and his enthusiasm made me fall in love with the show as well. Ever since that moment I dreamed of going to the ESC myself (to watch, not perform, although I wouldn’t mind that either. You probably would though).

When Duncan Laurence came through to the top of the leaderboard with his song Arcade last year, the Netherlands (finally!) won. Since it was the winning country, the Netherlands had to host the next contest, meaning I could finally go this year. I was so happy—finally my dream was going to come true!

Or not.

Sadly, the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was cancelled because of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

BUT, that won’t stop me from being excited! Eurovision week is still here (one way or the other). It will be different, but I am sure it will still be a lot of fun anyway.

And hey, there is always next year. Or 2022. Or 2030.

II. Another thing that I am looking forward to is this Friday’s Medici Quiz!

I don’t know if there are any Merlin fans out there reading this post, but a few weeks back actor Bradley James (along with some fellow actors from the show) hosted an online Merlin quiz to raise money for Redemption Paws.

I can tell you that it was a lot of fun, so I was very excited when Bradley announced that there is going to be another quiz this Friday. This time it is not going to be about Merlin, but my all-time favourite TV series, Medici!

Together with Daniel Sharman (and some special guests), Bradley will again host the quiz, but this time money will be raised for Redemption Paws and NHS Charities Together. If you want to join in on the fun, click here. You won’t regret it!

III. Last but not least there’s the (mini) GISH Hunt!

If you’ve ever watched Supernatural (season 4-15) you surely know about actor Misha Collins (Castiel on the show). What you might not know is that he’s the founder of GISHWHES (the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen), an annual week-long competitive media scavenger hunt, where teams earn points for submitting photos and videos of themselves completing prompts from a list they receive at the beginning of the week. If you wonder what kind of things you need to do: think CRAZY. Then add some insanity and a whole lot of fun.

"GISH is a global scavenger hunt that will spark your creativity, inspire you, and help you make a difference… just by playing a game in your own home.” This year on May 30, there’s going to be a mini play-at-home hunt. All you have to do is “complete creative, wild, & kind challenges at home using common household materials” and upload images and videos of your accomplishments on their website. It’s also important to note that joining helps support COVID relief efforts.

I’ve been wanting to compete in a GISH hunt for many years, but for some reason I never did, so this month, for the first time ever, I finally will!

If you want to join in on the fun as well, click here.

This were three of the things that I am looking forward to. I could add a lot more to the list, but instead I will leave that up to you! So tell me: What are the things that you are excited about at the moment? What are you looking forward to or made you happy last week? Or maybe there's something that's making you happy right now? Feel free to let me know in the comment section, and don't forget to subscribe and hit the like button (the heart right below)!! Stay safe, and have a wonderful week!

Annabel