#AmReading + #AmWatching - October 3rd 2019 #Reviews (Includes Challenge Updates)

Keep reading. It's one of the most marvellous adventures anyone can have
~Lloyd Alexander

It's time to take a look at what I've been reading and watching during this past week.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Don't forget: I read and watch things across multiple genres, as well as for different age ranges, so you should always check before reading or viewing, to make certain something is suitable for the intended audience, especially when children are involved.

OK...

Here's what I read this week:

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a captivating and delightful story, with a fascinating plot, and wonderful characters. It's an excellent adventure for children old enough to appreciate it, and those young at heart.

Empowered by Katrina Cope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I devoured this book in one sitting, and the only disappointing thing was that it ended, so my time with the characters was over again for now. I'm loving seeing this series develop, and the characters in it grow as it does. It's also fascinating learning more about the world the author has created, and its various legends. In short: I'm still loving this series, and would highly recommend it, especially if you're a fan of fantasy and mythology.
*NOTE: I was given a free advanced copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This fact has in no way influenced either my opinion of the book, or the contents of this review.

As for what I've been watching:

I watched a couple of random "Star Trek: Voyager" episodes. I also watched a documentary... I don't know what it was called, but it was about the mystery surrounding the death /disappearance of Anastasia Romanov, which was on one of the history channels the other day. It was really interesting.

Plus, I had a DVD day on Sunday - as I mentioned in Tuesday's post - and watched three DVDs. One was "G-Force" which is a movie I've seen a couple of times before. The other two were new to me movies though - and quite new movies in general, since they've only just come out on DVD here, and were actually only released earlier this year - so it turns out I have a couple of movie reviews for you again this week.

Aladdin (2019 movie):
I wasn't expecting to be a big fan of this movie, because I love Robin Williams as the geni, and was positive Will Smith wouldn't do it for me. Yes, he's a good actor, and I didn't doubt he'd do well in general, but to me Robin Williams is the geni, and I struggled to imagine Will Smith doing the geni scenes in a way that would satisfy someone like me who grew up with Robin Williams as the familiar voice of the geni. Still, I wanted to see this movie, and knew I'd want a copy for my DVD collection anyhow, so I got a copy, and watched it. I was pleasantly surprised. I still prefer Robin Williams as the geni, but Will Smith was really great, and did do the role justice, so that I found I really enjoyed the movie. It's every bit as good as the animated one I've seen loads of times. So, I recommend this movie to anyone who loved the animated one, and is prepared to give Will Smith a chance as the geni. Also, I give this movie a well deserved five out of five stars.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019 movie):
I've been dying to see this one. I've still got several of the older Pokémon movies to watch, but I love Pikachu, so absolutely had to see this one. I was so eager to see it I even pre-ordered the DVD a couple of months ago, which is something I haven't done since the Harry Potter movies were being released on DVD. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. It's a bit more slow-paced than the earlier Pokémon movies (which are the ones I've seen) especially at the beginning. But it's an excellent Pokémon themed mystery, it's entertaining, and the ending is just lovely. If you're a Pokémon fan, I highly recommend this movie. I also give this movie five out of five stars.

***~~~***

Since we're three quarters of the way through the year - yes, already - I thought I'd take a moment to update you on how I'm doing with my reading and watching challenges for 2019 again. So, this is how things stand at the moment:

I've so far read 82 books towards my goal of 104 books.I've completed 23 letters for the title version of the A-Z challenge, and all 26 for the author version of the A-Z challenge. Here's what I read for the A-Z author challenge
I've so far watched 44 DVDs towards my goal of 52 DVDs.
So, I'm doing well with my challenges. If you had reading or watching goals for the year, how are you doing with yours?