#beth jo

It'll happen anyway!

'Cause no matter what I say,

No matter where I go

I can't change the grace

inside me...

You told me not to change,

Despite my lack of faith

You can break the chains that bind me.

I know you think your hope,

has died beneath your bones,

But I can see the light that guides me.

I know we haven't won

You might think I was wrong

But everything I've done

I'm not sorry...

Here it is! The extended review of this week’s highlights!

Book - Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman (@neil-gaiman) and Terry Pratchett

Possibly my new favorite book ever, and that’s not an understatement. I’ve long had a love of surrealist occult thrillers (I guess that’s what I’m calling this weirdly niche genre I like?) like The Rook by Daniel O’Malley or the entirety of the Raven Cycle books by @maggie-stiefvater, and Good Omens ticked all of my favorite literary boxes. Excellent prose, clever analogies, a fucking brilliant story, blatant homoeroticism (loved and cried over it), and snappy dialogue. Honestly, I can’t really put my finger on why I loved it so much, but I’ve read it several times now and I never want to put it down, ever. Definitely gonna go buy the alternate cover version. I probably need to stop gushing for now and move on, huh? The condensed version: this book is fucking fantastic and I want to read it forever. (Spoiler alert, I think every review’s gonna be like this.)

TV/Movie - Good Omens

As soon as I finished reading the book, I binge watched the series and I do not regret it. It’s such a wonderfully faithful adaptation, and the addition of Crowley and Aziraphale’s history was incredible. I literally haven’t shut up about the design elements (my theatre tech nerd self is screaming) and the music and the acting and the everything and I’m gonna go on shrieking in my head while my conscious brain continues trying to form coherent sentences. Anyway, incredible show, and someday I’ll do a proper analysis of all the design elements I love, but for right now, my inane jabbering will have to do.

Podcast - EOS 10 (@eos10podcast)

I haven’t actually listened in awhile, but I just downloaded Stitcher to my phone, so I’m gearing up for a season 4 binge. Brilliant writing, brilliant acting, lovable characters, wonderful soundscape, beautiful editing, canonically queer characters, canonical quuer relationship, corrupt space government, medical drama, mysteries, it’s basically everything you could ever want in a creative medium. Written by @justinmclachlan, it’s one of my favorite sci-fi podcasts to date, and I look forward to laughing, screaming, and, most importantly, sobbing during season 4.

Song - “Blue Eyed Angel” by Beth Jo (@justdesti-el)

Yes, it’s a Destiel song. But is it also a song with a gorgeous message, heavenly vocals, and a lovely chord progression? Yes. This song literally makes me feel all warm ‘n fuzzy. I listen to it as a comfort song. It feels like a hug. And it usually makes me cry, but in a good way. I’m a sucker for simple, clean melodies sung with crisp voices over a basic acoustic guitar background. Fuckin’ love this song, yo.

Beverage - White grape juice

This might seem a bit odd, but I just went to my grandparents’ house for a week, and they always have white grape juice in the fridge. To me, this drink represents growing up and nostalgia all in one (I used to drink in in a sippy cup, now my cousin and I slam it from short, stout glasses, joking that it’s scotch, despite the fact that neither of us have so much touched alcohol outside of communion wine). It’s the perfect refreshment for a hot summer’s day. To me, it’s the better parts of my childhood, and that’s why I love it.