Inklings // March 2026

 Hello, friends!

I know it's not March. And I know I've not been around a lot. But deadlines do get me going and really quickly I wanted to participate in Heidi's monthly link-up, Inklings!

How it works:

1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back to Heidi's blog in your post.

2. Make sure to come back and leave a link to your entry in the box on that month's post: Heidi's post for January 2026.

This month's prompt is:

A scene in a heavy rainstorm in book or film

Heidi already has the prompt up for April 2026, too, but the musical nerd in me couldn't let this one go by without a ballad.

"In the rain, the pavement shines like silver."

My choice for this month is a scene from Les Misérables (2012) which features the song "On My Own" as performed by Samantha Barks.

No spoilers because if you've seen this movie you know what's happening, and if you haven't, you don't. This scene is also the perfect place to pause the movie to take a break. While things are still hopeful. This or "One Day More," where an intermission would happen if it wasn't a movie.

And that's what I love about the interpretation of this scene! It's hard to portray weather on the stage, so let's make this film special by making it rain. It's peak. It's gorgeous.

What are some of your favorite rain scenes? What are some of your favorite musical ballads? Have you ever sung a musical ballad in the rain?

Thanks for reading!

Chloe the MovieCritic

Top Ten Tuesday // Book Titles as My Own Biographies

Hi, friends!

Happy April and Easter and Springtime! I've followed along with Top Ten Tuesday (TTT) prompts hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl for years, but today is finally the day that I decided to submit my own answers! The idea is that every Tuesday Jana publishes a prompt and then people can link-up by adding their own post of 10 books that fill that prompt. I love lists of 10 and books, so let's go!

Today's prompt:

Book Titles that Describe Me and My Life

If I have reviewed any of these books, the links will be in the title. Now, to explain more about Chloe the MovieCritic, consider the following titles and the reasons behind them:

Between Jobs - by W.R. Gingell: 

I have two jobs right now, so I'm often bouncing back and forth between them. When I'm reading or doing other hobbies I'm really just Between Jobs...not as much as Zero, Athelas, and JinYeong, though.

The Book Jumper - by Mechthild Gläser: 

For the last few year I really have jumped around with books a lot because I'm always reading multiple (at the moment...I think it's 10?) books at the same time.

Fablehaven - by Brandon Mull: 

I love telling stories and am always dreaming up fairytales, so even though I don't live at Fablehaven, it is a fable haven inside my brain.

Fangirl - by Rainbow Rowell: 

This blog is my space to fangirl endlessly! Current things I'm a fan girl include Abbott Elementary and Shakespeare (always, but I've been reading the plays themselves).

Geek Girl - by Holly Smale: 

I watched the show first, and it felt like a biography in so many ways. I love to geek out about anything and everything. 

The Great Unravel - by Kent Davis: 

Navigating post-college life I'm learning to reevaluate my goals and how I see the world, especially understanding fears and pushing through limitations. It has felt like an unraveling for sure! 

The Patchwork Girl of Oz - by L. Frank Baum: 

These prompts are introspective, because now I think I'm going to start calling myself a "Patchwork Girl." In other words, a lot of different things make up who I am. Maybe not tied together in the tidiest way, but all of it is me.

Shouldn't You Be in School? - by Lemony Snicket: 

Growing up homeschooled I got this question a lot, and my favorite thing about this title is that it is part of a series called All the Wrong Questions. Then I reread it right after I graduated from college and could again say, "No!" which was a great experience, even though no one asked me that question...the one time I wanted it...

Smile - by Raina Telgemeier: 

I've talked in the past about how much I smile. Absolutely hate any pictures of me smiling or not, but my natural state is a wild smile.

The Q - by Beth Brower: 

I have a lot of questions all the time, not because I'm that curious about the world and how things work, but because I'm curious about how people tick, and therefore my way to encounter others is to ask many "qs" so I myself am The Q.

Check out That Artsy Reader Girl's post to see all the other entries for today! Have any of you read any of these books? Can you see ways they describe you? Anyone else feel like a "Patchwork Girl"? Thanks for reading, friends!

Chloe the MovieCritic