Dinara Tengri

Spring is officially here. Or so I have been told. It's hard to tell with all the snow and the chapped lips. Nevertheless, next week is Easter, which means school is out for a whole week! And boy do I need a break. I just need some time away from the clinic, from my classes, and - shockingly - from my X-Files reviews.  As you may know, the series finale aired last Wednesday (Thursday here in Sweden), and it was all very emotional for us Philes (a lot of angsty posts on Instagram and tearful thank yous on Twitter).  I've jotted down my initial thoughts about the finale, but the review will have to wait. I've been having so much fun writing these rants for the past ten weeks, but now I feel like I need some time off to clear my head, and to get over the fact that the show is most likely over for good (I need a moment). I still have three episodes left to review, which I am looking forward to greatly.   Thank you guys for joining me on this spooky journey, and ...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl . This week's topic is books on our spring TBR. And this is where we get to our twist: I don't have any books on my spring TBR.  I no longer want my ambitions to put any added pressure on my already busy schedule. I'm currently re-reading The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow and I'm reading it at my own my pace. And honestly, I don't know what book I'm going to pick up next. I do know that I want to start reading books that I already own, as opposed to doing review requests or going to the library (although, you should totally support your local libraries!). But just for the fun of it (and because I do like making lists) here are ten books on my bookshelf that I'm most excited about this season: 1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath I got a sneak peak at the first few chapters. It promises to be an interesting read. 2. Leviathan Wakes by James A. Corey ...

Remember when I said that this season has been very consistent and sure of itself? Well, about that... "RM9SBG93ZXJZ"  is the seventh episode of season eleven of   The X-Files . The title translates to "Followers" in Base64 code. It was written by Kristen Cloke and Shannon Hamblin, and directed by Glen Morgan. A tribute to the British Netflix show   Black Mirror , "Followers" shows us what may happen when technology runs amok.  In the tease, a robotic voice tells the real-life story of the Microsoft chatbot that was launched on Twitter in March 2016, and how in just under twenty-four hours, the bot began mimicking toxic and offensive tweets from some of Twitter's more "outspoken" users before the creators deleted the account.  This story becomes the basis of the episode: AI learns from us, so we must be careful about what we teach it. It's something that Mulder and Scully will have to figure out by themselves when, after refus...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme by That Artsy Reader Girl . First, I want to say that I'm way behind on my X-Files reviews, I've been studying for the big exam this past week, and everything else had to take a back seat (I hate it when that happens!). Also, there are now only two episodes left, and I don't really know how to feel right now #sonotready Now, this week's topic is books that had great impact on us. I feel that this should be an article onto itself, rather than a top ten list. But here's a sample of what books have nurtured my mind and my imagination, so to speak. 1. The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks: Life and Death under Soviet Rule                                     This was the first graphic novel I had read. Italian artist Igort translated his interviews with people who have survived the Holodomor in Ukraine and the atrocities of the Chechen War in...

It's that time of the month again: time to make a list of all the books that I read and /or bought this past month. February was a bitch to me. It gave me the flu so for the most part of the month all I did was stream Frasier (so it wasn't all bad). I did get some reading done, though. And since February is also the month of the annual book sale , I bought a bunch of books, too. Not too many, just enough to keep me from going on any more shopping sprees the next few months. Books read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel So I finally read this critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel, and I loved it. All the hype was justified. This book is a masterpiece. The X-Files Origins: Devil's Advocate b y Jonathan Marberry The Mulder half of this prequel duology was a fantastic YA mystery that really got The X-Files vibe right. The Scully half? Not so much. It's been a while since I read a book that left me with a bad aftertaste. The Girl with Seven Names: M...

"Kitten" is the sixth episode of the eleventh season of The X-Files . It was written by Gabe Rotter, directed by Carol Banker and stars Haley Joel Osment and Cory Rempel as young Walter Skinner.  At the FBI Headquarters, Deputy Director Alvin Kersh is questioning Mulder and Scully about the whereabouts of Assistant Director Walter Skinner. It seems that Skinner has gone AWOL and the Bureau wants him back. In no ambiguous terms, Kersh lets the agents know that Skinner is in trouble, and then tells them that the reason Skinner never advanced up the FBI career ladder was his loyalty to the two of them. Scully and Mulder's search for their renegade boss leads them to the small town of Mud Lick where someone is killing locals. All the evidence points to Skinner being the murderer, but the agents immediately suspect that there is something else at play. The agents also find out that most of the residents of Mud Lick have been losing their teeth for no apparent r...