It's called Pen-Fifteen, right?

Courtesy of Twitter

I had seen stuff about Pen15 online and while browsing through Hulu a while back. A friend had recommended it, as well. I finally got around to watching it. At first, I was like "what am I even watching?" My friend told me it would grow on me....and she was absolutely right! Pen15 is about two girls who are best friends and dealing with the ups and downs of middle school back in 2000. They are played by thirty-something actresses Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine, both who are really good at looking and acting young and awkward. (I saw them in another movie recently and they have proven their versatility.) The show took me back to a time I never want to re-live, and even brought out the feelings of anxiety I get even thinking about that time. The secondary characters were so genuine in their roles that the series almost felt like a documentary. I'm sad to have finished the ten short episodes so quickly. Thankfully, it has been renewed for another season, with 14 episodes this time! I just found out that it was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series. (However, Fleabag won which makes me think I should be checking that one out soon.)

Since my husband and son were teasing me about the title, I had been wondering where it originated from and thankfully Quartzy answered it for me: "The show's title is derived from the decade-specific prank in which a kid would convince someone to join the “Pen15 Club” (pronounced pen-fifteen); the only rule for joining is that one must allow the word “PEN15” (read: penis) to be written somewhere on the body. Kids were so clever."

This show reminds me of Welcome to the Dollhouse, a movie I was obsessed with in the late 90's. It also made me think of what Romy and Michele might have been like before they got to high school. Check out the trailer and then see my list of things I really liked from this show. Hopefully that will be enough to convince you to watch it too. (Fair warning, this is NOT a show for kids!)



Things I enjoyed about Pen15:
1. Maya's Ojichan's (grandpa) facial expression. I couldn't stop laughing!
2. The fact that Maya and her dad were faxing letters to each other when e-mail already existed.
3. The dial-up modem noise. Takes me back...
4. The Sylvanian dolls.
5. Sam. I wish someone like him had been around when I was in middle school.
6. The music. Such a fun mix of late 90's and early 2000's songs.
7. Anna's singing voice. I almost want her to sing "Nobody Knows" from that one scene in Spaceballs.
8. Brendan's cousin Richard.
9. Pu. You'll know when you see her.
10. Saving the best for last....the friendship between Maya and Anna. It reminds me somewhat of my friendship with my BFF, who was my sanity saver in middle school, even though we lived about 30 minutes apart. (We weren't as physically affectionate, but a lot of other aspects remind me of our friendship.)

If you have seen this show, tell me what you love most about it. If you haven't yet seen it, let me know when you've finally watched so we can discuss!

Book Review: The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; “G-d’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered, buoyed by his mother’s devout faith, his father’s practical wisdom, and his two other misfit friends.

Sam believed it was G-d who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was G-d’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls.

Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design—especially not the tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown, and the life he’d always known. Running from the pain, eyes closed, served little purpose. Now, as he looks back on his life, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him halfway around the world. This time, his eyes are wide open—bringing into clear view what changed him, defined him, and made him so afraid, until he can finally see what truly matters. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

It's been a while since I reviewed a book at my personal blog, but this time it is warranted. I need to start by saying that the cover and the synopsis of this novel were not what attracted me. In fact, if I didn't hear so many recommendations for it, I might never have picked it up based on just the surface factors. I decided to check out the audio version, since my print and Kindle queues are full for a while. I'm so glad I did, as it was a real treat to hear Robert Dugoni narrate his own story.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is excellent throughout. I was engaged in the story the entire time. Dugoni has great use of character development and interactions, which kept the story flowing and held my interest. His voice went along well with his writing and almost made me feel like it was his own personal story. I didn't know where anything would go, but I liked where it ended up. There were some parts that may have felt cliched or predictable, but there was a journey to get to those plot points and I was satisfied once I had arrived. The premise is interesting and made me think of Wonder (reviewed here) in some ways. It's about accepting differences in others and in yourself. I even talked with my youngest child about the story and she said she would not be mean to someone if they looked different. (She even compared it to Wonder.) There's a lot of faith exploration and questioning, which is something I think about a lot, such as why bad things happen to good people and what Hashem's path is for everyone, as well as how things happen for a reason, even when they're not always the best of circumstances.

All great stories have their flaws, as well. In this novel, I found it strange how Dugoni wrote six and seven year-olds to sound like they were in middle school, and included a level of violence to go along with it. I can't imagine a young child being as violent as David Bateman was. Maybe an 11 to 13 year-old, but not much younger than that. Also, I felt that Sam focused way too much on his eye color and used it as a crutch, even when he had started covering up his eye color so it couldn't really be used that way. Clearly he had people who loved and cared about him and his eye color didn't matter to them. I can imagine it would be a frustrating circumstance, but of all the things that could make someone different, it seemed like small potatoes to me. In the grand scheme of things, neither of these issues were a deterrent to my enjoyment. While some parts of the story were harder to listen to than others, it still kept me wanting to know what would happen.

Overall, I loved this novel and have been recommending it to people, even when I was only halfway through. I had faith that Dugoni would keep the momentum going to the very end, and he definitely did that.

Movie casting suggestions:
Sam (30's and 40's): Lee Pace
Mickie (30's and 40's): Lake Bell
Ernie (30's and 40's): Chadwick Boseman
Madeline (30's and 40's): Marguerite Moreau
Sam (teens/college): Charlie Heaton
Mickie (teens/college): Bex Taylor-Klaus
Ernie (teens/college): Niles Fitch
Donna: Chanelle Peloso

More by Robert Dugoni:


Disclosure of Material Connection:
Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

A love letter to rom coms

Courtesy of Elle

Last week, after receiving some recommendations, I decided to check out Four Weddings and a Funeral on Hulu. I was hesitant at first, as it had been forever since I saw the movie and I wouldn't say it was one of my favorites. However, I had learned that Mindy Kaling created this series and decided to give it a try. After the first episode, I was immediately hooked and couldn't get enough. I watched the rest of the series within a week and am now going through withdrawal. If you haven't seen it yet, I am going to give a list of reasons why you need to drop everything and watch it right now (so I can re-watch it vicariously through you). 

Reasons you need to watch Four Weddings and a Funeral:
1. It's really funny. I laughed out loud many times. So loud my kids could hear me from their rooms, with their doors closed.
2. Nikesh Patel as Kash. Need I say more? (You'll know once you've seen him. Trust me.)
3. Some of the characters may start out as unlikable, but then they grow on you and manage to surprise you. And the ones that are likable become even more likable by the end of the season.
4. The nod to rom coms. Like the scene in Love, Actually with the posters. ("To me, you are perfect.")
5. The costume party in episode one. I want to have a party like that.
6. Appearances from 90's rom com actors like Andie MacDowell and Dermot Mulroney (who aged nicely, I must say).
7. Relevancy to current events, even though this takes place mostly in London.
8. There's a story arc involving gay characters. (Not that it's uncommon in this day and age, but still...)
9. Did I mention it takes place in London? Gorgeous scenery and I love British accents.
10. The couples are so wonderful. I couldn't wait for certain characters to kiss and when they did, it was so rewarding.
11. It managed to make me cry more than once. The funeral episode wrecked me and the finale got me all verklempt.
12. Nathalie Emmanuel's hair. I love her curls, especially when she lets them do their own thing.
13. Creative filmography. There are some scenes (especially in the final episode) that are fun to watch because of how they are set up.
14. The theme song. It's short, but catchy and perfect for this show. (The whole song is linked here, but the theme song part starts at 38 seconds and goes on for about 15-20 seconds after that.) All the music on the show is great and fits with the mood.
15. There are only 10 episodes, so it's easy to binge-watch and if you don't have Hulu and get a free one-month trial, you'll have plenty of time to fit them all in before the month is over.

A second season has not yet been confirmed, but I am hoping that it will be. I can't let these characters go! This is one of the best TV shows I've seen in a while and I can't stop thinking about it and recommending it. Give it a go. You won't be sorry!

Books That I'll [Probably] Never Read Tag

I saw this tag over at Book Coffee Happy, which is one of my favorite book blogs. I decided to give it a whirl. I'm not actually tagging anyone, but feel free to play along at your own blog, if you would like.

A really hyped book that you’re not interested in reading:
The Silent Patient. And Book Coffee Happy confirmed why!

A series you won’t start/won’t be finishing:
Twilight, Hunger Games, 50 Shades, Game of Thrones... (must I go on?)

A classic you’re not interested in:
Anything by Jane Austen. (I'll just watch modernized movie versions, such as Clueless or Bride and Prejudice.) One was assigned for book club and I could barely even make it through the first page!

A book on your shelf you’ll probably never actually read:
The Book Thief. It's been on my shelf forever and I'll probably just see the movie one of these days.

There are other books that are still on my shelf that I've just never gotten around to reading. Sometimes I add an older book into my five-book pile, but still haven't managed to touch these:

*The Goldfinch
*Shanghai Girls
*All the Light We Cannot See (I'm pretty sure this one is just buried somewhere in my basement collection)

What books will you (probably) never read?

#YouWillBeFound: My thoughts on Dear Evan Hansen

Courtesy of Wikipedia

After over two years of listening to the original Broadway cast recording of Dear Evan Hansen, I finally got to see it on stage during its DC leg of the national tour. My husband and son got to see it, as well. My husband had listened to the soundtrack every so often, but my son was obsessed and even more excited than I was to see this performance.

When we walked into the theater, we kept hearing pings for the text messages that were flashing on the stage. The set was a mixture of simple furniture and digital media. It reminded me of the set for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, but even more modernized. Throughout the show, there were images showing some of the dialogue or what was written in various letters.

I knew the music pretty well, but I didn't know the context or setting for them, so it was neat to see how they fit into the story. It was also hard not to sing along. I have a new appreciation for "Words Fail," which seems slow on the soundtrack, but packs a punch during the show. I love how "Sincerely, Me" and "Good for You" were played out on stage. The only song I became emotional from was "You Will Be Found." They were showing the impact it had on random teenagers. Everyone had a really strong singing voice, which enhanced what I normally heard through my car stereo. 

The cast was small, but the actors were excellent. They worked well together in an ensemble. We saw Stephen Christopher Anthony as Evan. He was fantastic in the role and really made it his own. I had no idea what Evan's talking mannerism was like, but he did it really well. Starting later this month, he'll be playing Evan full-time on the national tour. Jessica Phillips played his mom, Heidi. She had a very powerful voice and great stage presence. I really liked Jared Goldsmith as Jared Kleinman. He was really funny. I know the role is meant to be funny anyway, but he just added a certain essence to it. Those were the three who really stood out to me, but everyone else gave great performances, whether it was through their singing, acting, or both. 

I went into the show expecting to cry the entire time. Spoiler alert: I barely cried. I got teary-eyed during the end of act one, but that was about it. I enjoyed the show and everything it stood for and I liked seeing how the story played out around the songs I knew so well. I went in knowing very little aside from the songs, in an attempt to not spoil the plot for myself. I just don't know if I personally connected with it the way I was hoping to. Maybe if I had been a teenager in this day and age? Or if it had been presented by Pixar? In any case, my son loved it and was totally moved by everything. I do appreciate the message that they were trying to put across, whether it's a way to prevent teen suicide or just a confidence and morale booster. It is important to know that everyone matters and deserves to be "seen." I'm glad I finally had a chance to see it and would definitely recommend it to others who haven't seen it yet. 

Just for fun...My son's Purim costume in 2018