For the romantics among us who like to read reviews before we shop….
The Book Bachelor: Mr. Darcy
Mr. Darcy: The original literary dreamboat. You first met him at age 10 when your mother subjected you to the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. You were pretty bored, but the dresses were pretty, and you’d had a crush on Keira Knightley since Pirates of the Caribbean.But this isn’t about her. This is about Mr. Darcy. You don’t remember much about him from this adaptation, but he must have been pretty good, if there are this many dreamy edits of him on Google Images. Either way, he didn’t leave much impression on you until you were forced to read Pride and Prejudice for a lit class.
“Okay,” you thought, “I guess I can see the appeal.” But how much appeal can a 19th century Englishman truly hold for an enlightened, 21st-century bachelorx? How much of a heartthrob can he really be? Let’s see how he holds up after 200+ years.
Dependability:
One of the most dependable men in Regency England. Sure, he can be kind of a jerk, but at least he’s consistent about it. ★★★★★
Affection:
He gets there. Eventually. You’ll have to deal with him thinking he’s better than you for a while, though. ★★★☆☆
Cuddlability:
He’s too much of a gentleman to instigate, but in my heart of hearts, I know he’d be down for hugs in the name of love. ★★★★☆
Charisma:
Trick question. His lack of charisma is kind of the point. ★★★☆☆
Funness of dates:
Depends on your definition of “fun.” Stimulating intellectual conversation, anyone? ★★★☆☆
Listening/communication skills:
He starts out rough, but his ability to accept and adapt to criticism is one of his best qualities. ★★★★☆
Intelligence:
Mr. Darcy is an intellectual, for better or for worse. Some might call him pretentious. ★★★★★
Coolness:
Some might say that his being English makes him cool. Others would argue this makes him the opposite. Either way, he’s kind of a square. ★★★☆☆
Overall:
You could do worse, especially in Regency England. ★★★★☆
—Kana Coonce, Bachelor Editor
Photo: Blingee shareable image by PrincessofDarkness.
In today’s day and age, many people claim to be progressive, yet sex is still something of a taboo. Sex is never to be discussed even in supposed “safe spaces.” And while this may seem normal, this lack of open discussion and conversation with young women and girls about sex has some devastating consequences.
If you enjoyed the Netflix show Maid, you will surely enjoy the book it was based off of. Maid is a memoir by Stephanie Land. She tells her story about how a fling in college ruined her life. She became pregnant with the child of a man who abused her: physically, emotionally, and financially. This resulted in Land making a run for it with her then three-year-old daughter.
Six of Crows is the story of six teenagers: Kaz Brekker the demon, Inej Ghafa the wraith, Jesper Fahey the gun slinger, Nina Zenick the heart render, Matthias Helvar the Fjerdian, and Wylan Van Eck the demolitions expert in the fictional city of Ketterdam. These six teenagers live in a life of crime, and each have their own reasons for it, their traumas ranging from death, slavery, war, prison, abuse, the list goes on. In this book, they have been hired to find a dangerous drug that has been killing the Grisha, individuals with powers, and destroy it. The only problem is it’s in the land of Fjerda, the country that kills Grisha. This book is full of action, mystery, sadness, and dramatics and well worth the read.
The musical artist Peter Sagar from Montreal, Canada, began releasing music by the name HOMESHAKE since his first studio album in 2014. Sagar was a guitarist for Mac Demarco before he eventually made the decision to venture into his own solo-musical project as HOMESHAKE, where he is the singer-songwriter. He is known for creating much of his music in his bedroom studio, as featured in the photo (at right). His albums are created on his guitar, keyboards, and synthesizers, producing overall electronic, synthpop, and lo-fi music.
In his fourth studio album, Helium (2019), the lyrics of his tracks “Like Mariah” and “Just Like My” feature some of his inspirations: Mariah Carey and the love for his “oma” (grandma). Sagar has stated that he dislikes making “fast-paced” tracks and enjoys producing his soft, ambient music such as his work in Helium. However, in a twinkly song titled, “Nothing Could Be Better” from this album, he veers away from his modest, slower music to a motivational track with lyrics about taking a break from being alone and joining his partner to socialize. Sagar has stated that he dislikes making “fast-paced” tracks and enjoys producing soft, ambient music such as his work in Helium. As many of his songs are about peaceful solitude, this is one of my favorite tracks because Sagar shows off that he can expand on making music with a variety of sounds, motivations, and messages for listeners that also enjoy branching out of solitude.
Code Geass is a good show despite its flaws. The show started in 2006, and unlike many other anime series, it is not based on a manga or anything. It is a show about secrets, mystique, revolution, action, politics, and the bonds between friends and family. Lelouch (lay-loosh) is the main character, and it’s debatable whether he’s a hero or villain. He gains the power to force absolute obedience from whoever looks into his eye and uses it to take control of a rebellion against the fictional Britannian Empire, which has colonized and now oppresses the country formerly known as Japan, where Lelouch lives in hiding from his father, the Emperor of Britannia. To me, this show is most remembered for 2.5 things: the constant forward momentum of the story, the non-sequiturs and weird choices, and the half-point is the egregious fan-service.
The FX original television-series The Bear features a young chef, Carmen, after he leaves his fast-paced culinary career at a Michelin-starred restaurant. When a tragic family event draws Carmen back to his family restaurant, The Original Beef of Chicagoland (“The Beef,” for short), he soon realizes the unorganized working environment and the rocky state the restaurant is in. “The Beef” contains a family-like system in which each person in the kitchen relies on one another on a working and personal level. Carmen feels like an outsider once he returns home because everyone at The Beef feels jaded that he chose not to use his professional culinary skills for their business instead of the fine-dining restaurant. The complicated family dynamics that are intertwined within this show demonstrate why Carmen left Chicago, and these relationships are the foundation of this series.
Based on the book by Dr. Seuss, The Lorax is a musical movie that is perfect for family movie nights. The story follows a boy named Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) who lives in a world where there is no more nature and everything around him is artificial. They even have to buy fresh air in bottles because of how polluted the world has become! When Ted finds out his crush Audrey (Swift’s character), dreams of seeing a real tree, he decides he is going to get her one. He sneaks out of town to go visit a mysterious man named The Onceler, who is said to be the only person who knows what happens to the trees. The man tells Ted about the mythic creature called the Lorax who is the protector of the forest and tells him the story of where all the trees went.
The Giver is a story about a dystopian society based on the novel of the same title by author Lois Lowry. Within this society, the citizens have no memory of the past and are controlled in every aspect of their lives. They are told who they will marry, assigned children who have been genetically perfected, forced to take daily injections for their health, and assigned what job they will have for the rest of their lives. There is no music, no art, no literature, no emotion, not even color! Their world is completely black and white.
Trying to plan a night out? Just been too busy to find something fun to do to relax after a long week? Here are some fun events that are sure not to disappoint!
It’s said that one’s rom-com is another’s psychological horror. Vanilla Ice’s debut on the silver screen is one such movie. Our “hero” wins over an uptight honor student with the power of freestyle rapping and being “hip with the kids” (whatever that means). As evident from that plot description, this film audaciously lacks self-awareness. Whatever possible offense to take from Cool as Ice’s haphazard attempts to impress teens are lost with how absurd it gets, witness protection subplot and all. Available on Amazon Prime.
A chance encounter with an omnipresent benefactor gives a struggling chef the power to cook her feelings into whatever she makes. This movie features flat acting, flatter characters, and attempts at humor that read more as unintentional cringe comedy than human interaction. Don’t let the fancy Jewel Kilcher-flavored music standard for the late nineties fool you—this movie is as cookie-cutter as it comes. Available free on PLEX. 
If you’re in the mood for a ’90s rom-com starring Drew Barrymore, do yourself a favor and watch The Wedding Singer. But if you wouldn’t mind an unintentionally hilarious hate-watch, Never Been Kissed is here to fulfill your every snarky wish. Barrymore plays Josie Geller, who was so unpopular in high school that she was known to her classmates as Josie Grossie. So when adult Josie the journalist is assigned an undercover story that requires her to pose as a high-school student, she jumps at the chance for a do-over. With the help of her brother Rob (David Arquette), who formerly ran with the popular jocks in his teens, Josie manages to overcome her innate awkwardness and get a taste of life in the in-crowd. She also develops a schoolgirl crush on her teacher Mr. Coulson (Michael Vartan). And, putting the “gross” in Josie Grossie, Coulson returns her feelings, even though HE THINKS SHE’S A STUDENT. The #MeToo ick factor is too intense to get lost in the romance, but it’s great for indulging in a group cringe with your friends. Available on Starz.