January Wrap-Up: Books, K-Dramas, and Films
It is now the current year of our Lord 2026, and 11 months remain.
The first month of this year stretched me in new ways. Amidst struggles with rumination, I’ve been trying out new things. One of these new things is volunteering at a small art gallery. This volunteering experience has been huge for me. The past six years of my life have been spent virtually in doctors’ offices and at home recovering from a TBI. It was wonderful to get out and talk to people, even if it was difficult. It made me feel like I could be more involved in the “outside world,” even if only a little bit for now. I've also been reflecting on God’s faithfulness in getting me so far in my recovery journey. A year ago, I couldn't have ever thought I would be up to volunteering in a busy environment, but with God, all things are possible!
This month has also been unique because I’ve read a lot more nonfiction than usual, and both of my essays are either based on a nonfiction book or another essay. At the beginning of this month, I definitely wasn’t planning on writing so far outside my comfort zone. But I feel like through stretching our styles and habits, we learn a lot. The cool thing about having a blog is that I have a concrete record of progress, skills, life, and opinions, so I can look back and see just how far I’ve come. Sometimes I wish more parts of my life were as easy to look back on as looking at my blog is, but unfortunately, growth is often seen all of a sudden—when you’re so different from your past self, it’s unmistakable.
This month was also great for five-star reads and high-rated books in general, with the caveat of my blog’s first DNF. Next month, I plan on reading a lot more fiction, and I plan to steer clear of nonfiction for at least the month of February. I plan to read a book series based on Japanese mythology, which is super new to me, considering I mostly stick to Greek and Celtic.
I want to sincerely thank all of my readers once again for coming back to read my blog, for reading my posts and essays, and for simply being here. Just the time you take out of your day to read what I write blows my mind! I feel so grateful to all of you and to God. Love you all ❤.
As always, I’ll be ranking my film and book recommendations from least recommended to most. And before we get into the list, I just want to say again: thank you to all of my readers and supporters. Your kindness means so very much.
Monthly Wrap-Up
Table of Contents
K-Drama Review: Money Flower — DNF
Money Flower begins by introducing
Kang Pil-joo (
Jang Hyuk), a brilliant lawyer working for a powerful conglomerate family. Pil-joo serves as a caretaker and behind-the-scenes strategist for a spoiled, immature young heir who is competing with his more capable cousin for the chairmanship. The grandfather, who is the current chairman, favours the cousin, which complicates Pil-joo’s work, especially since his true goal is not loyalty but revenge. Pil-joo aims to bring the conglomerate down from the inside once the young heir he manages rises to power.
The drama follows his calculated rise through the company, highlighting every manipulation, sacrifice, and morally gray decision he makes along the way. At times, his choices become deeply unsettling, such as when he deceives his first love, a woman whose father is a well-respected political figure, and pushes her into marrying the unfaithful young master he serves.
Money Flower could be an excellent fit for viewers who specifically want slow-burning revenge dramas with heavy emotional atmospheres and morally tangled characters. It has all the elements that fans of that genre might appreciate. For me, however, the drama was often boring and frustrating. The pacing, character dynamics, and uneven execution made it difficult to stay engaged. I forced myself to watch through Episode 8, but I don’t see myself returning to it in the future.
I can’t give Money Flower an official rating since I didn’t finish it. Still, based on what I watched, I wouldn’t recommend it unless someone specifically enjoys slow-paced, revenge-heavy dramas with a dark and oppressive tone.
Read my full review of Money Flower
Somatic Exercises For Nervous System Regulation By LearnWell Books and Rose Kilian- 4 stars
Have you ever wished you could spend less on your medical bills, or perhaps you simply want to start taking your health more seriously? In the book Somatic Exercises for Nervous System Regulation, both hopes and desires are addressed by the author Rose Kilian under the publication LearnWell Books, making the claim that the concepts the book contains give you the tools you need—specifically, “35 Beginner–Intermediate Techniques to Reduce Anxiety & Tone Your Vagus Nerve.” She claims that this can be accomplished in under “10 Minutes a Day,” giving you a pathway toward a healthier you and the ability to put recovery and health into your own hands.
In order to properly rate this book, I figured that I should put it into practice. Each day, for a little over a month now, I have been doing a select number of exercises from the book to test whether it truly works or not. I have found some positive improvements. Namely, the breathing exercises and after-trauma exercises have helped me regulate stress better, and I’ve experienced longer stretches of improved emotional regulation.
Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who would benefit from practices that force them to slow down throughout the day, as well as anyone who struggles with chronic symptoms, both mental and physical. This book is great in that it touches on a wide variety of practices, but, as discussed, doesn’t really go in-depth into any of them. I found this book to be really strong in terms of the variety of exercises it offers, and I feel it would be a good guide for people looking to move in a healthier direction. Overall, I would rate this book four stars for its approachability and variety.
Read my full review ofnSomatic Exercises For Nervous System Regulation
Frankenstein 2025 - 4 stars
Frankenstein begins with the introduction of the youth,
Victor Frankenstein. Raised by a harsh father who expects perfection and confronting the reality of his late mother's death during his younger sibling's childbirth, Victor begins to cultivate a bitterness and overall cynicism towards God and his father. Driven by this new distress and grief, he vows to conquer death itself. This desire leads Victor to pursue medicine, a profession that his father, who is a doctor, encouraged him to learn. His quest to conquer death ultimately results in the creation of his monster, who goes on namelessly throughout the film.
The film was both touching and gruesome. It explores the monsters we create and the monsters we become. We often fail to recognize our true selves or at least the parts of us that "lie in wait beneath the surface" because we neglect to acknowledge the people we have become or the people we have been, much like Victor.
Overall, I would not generally recommend this movie to a broad audience because it is extremely gory and violent, but based on its message and emotional impact, I would rate it four out of five stars for its strong themes and immense value. I recommend this movie to those who want a more faithful adaptation of the source material than previous adaptations and can stomach its violent content.★★★★
Read my full review of Frankenstein 2025
Fake Dating A Human 101 by Jennifer Kropf
— 4.5 stars
Riddle me this: If you fake-date a human as a Fae assassin, what happens? If you go on a fake vacation to Florida as a diversion from your friends while dealing with dangerous family ties, will you return? If you’re Shayne Lyro, you have a solid answer to both riddles: you have no idea, just like how you have no idea why Lily Baker has decided to make weapons at a technology company meant to kill Fae.
Lily thinks Shayne has lost his mind for good this time. He hasn’t been picking up his phone, and the last time she checked, he was supposed to be in Florida. This means only one thing: he must be in the Evercorners. At least, that’s the deduction Shayne’s best friend, Dranian, comes up with. The only natural course of action, then, is to go into the fearsome Evercorners, where even the Fae dread to tread, and try to get Shayne out of trouble with his family.
The last book of The High Court of the Coffee Bean unfolds in a place where the most impossible things are not the magical Fae or the lands they come from, but rather the choices and decisions each character will be forced to make as the final chapter of this series closes.
I’d rate this book four and a half stars. Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn’t Evil is still my favourite book in the series, but this one comes close in terms of emotional payoff and narrative weight. I would recommend this book and the entire series, The High Court of the Coffee Bean, to anyone who likes romantic comedies that have a healing element to them and is also interested in the urban fantasy genre that has an "autumn" feeling in it.
Read my full review of Fake Dating A Human 101
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy— 5 stars
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“Kind,” said the boy.
This line sums up
Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. Full of endearing ink sketches and watercolour paintings, this book touches the parts of ourselves that long to slow down and reflect on what is truly important in life, as well as teaching the reader how to be gentle with themselves and others.
I don’t think there is a single thing I would change about this book. It is straightforward and lovely, not a book with complex characters, but one that shows "human" interactions as they ought to be: full of kindness, empathy, and encouragement. Overall, this book, in my eyes is five stars.
Read my full review of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Gentle and Lowly, by Dane Ortlund
— 5 stars
Have you ever felt that, as a Christian, you weren’t enough? Have you ever felt that, even as a “Christian,” you were still broken? In Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund, the author shows the reader a picture of God and His overwhelming heart for us, reminding us that we do not need to be perfect or unbroken to accept His love or to be accepted by it.
The book gently walks the reader through themes that show us that no, our suffering does not create any barriers for God drawing near to us. And no, our sins, even our ugliest ones, are not a factor that keeps Him from coming close. As a result, this book becomes a deep comfort and encouragement for sinners and sufferers alike.
Overall, the book makes a bold yet comforting claim: God loved us then, He loves us now, and we are held securely in His heart forevermore. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to know more about the heart of God and Christ. For me, it's a five-star book.
Read my full review of Gentle and Lowly
That's all folks! If you’re planning to read or watch anything from my January wrap-up list, feel free to comment below!❤❤❤
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