The Weekly Write-Up #35

Historical Sensations and Newsletter Continuations

In this newsletter…

• My favorite historical fiction books!

• What are the highest grossing films of ALL TIME?!

• What did Apple announce at WWDC23?

• The final 5 board games in my top 10 list!

Literary Picks

GREAT HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS

In my newsletter, I have mostly written about fiction books, but today is a bit different. I’m going to be talking about historical fiction books (mostly for tweens and teens)!

• Crispin: The Cross of Lead: This book is set in the 14th century and is about a boy who must run away because he was accused of a murder he didn’t commit. Throughout the book, he learns more about whom he really is. I remember it was one of my favorite books that I have ever read. It was definitely a page-turner! It is written at an easier reading level, and I would recommend it to kids ages 9-12. You can purchase this book on Amazon.

• Turn Homeward, Hannalee: Turn Homeward, Hannalee takes place during the Civil War. It is about a girl and her brother who are captured by the Yankees, but must escape to get back to their mother. It was a very captivating book, and I read it quickly! It is probably best for kids 10–12 years old. Check it out here.

• A Company of Fools: A Company of Fools follows a few friends from an abbey who react to the Black Death by bringing joy into people’s lives through the power of laughter. I truly enjoyed reading this book! You can check it out here.

• The Witch of Blackbird Pond: The Witch of Blackbird Pond tells the story of Kit Tyler, a 16-year-old girl who is moving from her home in Barbados to New England. When she gets to New England, she is accused of being a witch because of the way she acts. This book was very intriguing and taught me a lot about the Salem Witch Trials. It is great for ages 10-12. View this book on Amazon.

• Rush Revere: This is actually a series of 5 books, all of which I have read. Rush Revere is about a school teacher who has the ability to take his students back in time where they experience and learn about early American history. It is a fascinating series, and I enjoyed reading these books while at the same time learning about US history! It is great for tweens, teens, and adults! Check them out here.

Two of my other favorite historical fiction books are To Kill a Mockingbird and Uncle Tom’s Cabin, both of which I have already talked about multiple times, which is why I didn’t extensively talk about them here!

There are plenty of books here, so be sure to check them out! Who knows? You may not only find a book that you enjoy, but one that teaches you something about history!

Watchlist Wonders

THE HIGHEST GROSSING MOVIES OF ALL TIME

Today, I’m doing something entirely different from what I normally do! This week, I was wondering what the 10 highest grossing (made the most money) films would be, and I found a very helpful list of the highest grossing films. So, I decided to take a look at the 10 highest grossing movies of all time and talk a little about each of these. If I had to guess, you have probably seen most of these movies (I’ve seen 7 out of 10 of these movies), but if you haven’t seen any of them, I would recommend checking them out since obviously, they are well-liked!

1. Avatar: It comes as no surprise that this is number 1 because when this came out in 2009, it was a HUGE hit! I actually haven’t seen this movie before, though, which is pretty surprising since it is number one. Nonetheless, this movie has made almost $3 billion!

2. Avengers: Endgame: The second highest grossing movie, though, is one that I have seen. Avengers: Endgame came out in 2019 and was a huge hit, since many people had been waiting to see it after Avengers: Infinity War. It is a fantastic movie and, certainly, one of my favorites! Obviously, others agree, since Avengers: Endgame has an overall gross of $2.8 billion dollars!

3. Avatar: The Way of Water: Even though Avatar: The Way of Wateris a new movie, it has already made $2.3 billion dollars and sits at third place! I still have yet to see this movie, but I’m hoping to watch it soon (when I have over 3 hours to do so).

4. Titanic: Titanic came out in 1997, which is significant since it was the first movie ever to break the $2 billion dollar mark. Even though many other movies have done this since, it is very impressive that Titanic is still in the top 5! Titanic has made a total of $2.2 billion. Although Titanic is among the movies on this list that I have not seen, it is another movie that I plan to watch some day.

5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Sitting in 5th place, we have the first (and last) Star Wars movie on this list. Many people were very excited when Disney announced they were creating more Star Wars movies. This movie was the first of that 3 movie installment, and this movie alone made Disney just over $2 billion! While not the best Star Wars movie out there, it is still a pretty decent movie!

6. Avengers: Infinity War: We already discussed Avengers: Endgame, which sits at #2, but this movie is the main reason it is up there. Avengers: Infinity War was the fantastic movie that got everyone excited for Avengers: Endgame. Avengers: Infinity War made just over $2 billion!

7. Spider-Man: No Way Home: This is the first movie on here that is below $2 billion, but nonetheless, it made a ton of money for Marvel! Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of my favorite movies because of how heart-wrenching it is (especially the end)! Other people obviously agree that it is a great movie because it made just over $1.9 billion!

8. Jurassic World: I watched the Jurassic movies pretty recently (and talked about them here). They are great movies, so it isn’t surprising that at least one of them landed on this list. The first Jurassic Worldmovie made about $1.7 billion!

9. The Lion King (Live Action): This was actually the movie I was most surprised to see on here! I didn’t even think about this movie being in the top 10 highest grossing films, yet it made $1.6 billion! Disney already knew people loved The Lion King, so making a live action movie was an obvious decision and made them a ton of money!

10. The Avengers: Finally, to round off the top 10 list, we have another Marvel film! The original Avengers film sits in 10th and made $1.5 billion! I think it is an outstanding film, and one that is deserving of this position!

Those are the 10 highest grossing films of all time (of course, this list is subject to change)! These are some fantastic films, so be sure to watch them if you haven’t already!

Tech Thoughts

WWDC23

Last week, I shared everything I expected to be announced at WWDC23. Some of those things were announced, others weren’t, and there were some things I definitely didn’t talk about that did get announced! Let’s take a look at what did get announced, though!

4 Software Updates

• iOS 17: First up is iOS 17, which I’m guessing is the announcement most people care about. Like I expected, this update was a tune-up update with highly requested features finally coming to the iPhone. The difference, though, was it wasn’t features I expected. In the communication department, Apple added live voicemail, which allows you to see a live transcript of a voicemail before deciding if you want to answer the call. Apple also enhanced the messages app with search filters, audio message transcription (finally), a way to check on your friend or family member, additional ways to use stickers, and more! Finally, NameDrop allows you to swap contact info with someone new by just holding your phone close to theirs. Apple also announced a standby mode for the iPhone which allows you to view photos, music, and widgets while your phone is locked and charging. As I expected, Apple announced the new journaling app (creatively named Journal), which lets you receive journaling suggestions using on-device machine learning. Finally, Apple made improvements to autocorrect, safari, passwords, CarPlay, AirPlay, privacy, and SO much more! Take a look at the full iOS 17 preview here to learn about everything your iPhone will get with this update.

• iPadOS 17: Like I expected, iPadOS 17 brought the customizable Lock Screen to the iPad, although it does look a little different from the iPhone, which I was hoping for. Apple also brought live activities to the iPad. Another update, which came to iOS 17 as well, is interactive widgets. This allows you to check off reminders, play music, and more right from the Home Screen! The iPad will also get everything new in messages and FaceTime that the iPhone will get in iOS 17. Another update is to PDFs and Notes, allowing you to fill out documents faster, interact with PDFs in the notes app, and so much more! With iPadOS 17, the iPad will get two new apps. First, the health app (finally), which allows you to see your health on a bigger screen. Lastly, the iPad will get the new journal app. This update has a lot more to offer, so be sure to check out the full preview!

• WatchOS 10: WatchOS 10 was expected to be a HUGE redesign of the Apple Watch, and that is precisely what we got! First off, Apple redesigned almost every app on the Apple Watch! Next, Apple created Smart Stack, which is a stack of widgets that can be accessed right from your watch face. Speaking of watch faces, Apple added the Palette watch face and the Snoopy watch face with WatchOS 10. In the health department, the watch now has improvement for cycling workouts, hiking, vision health, and mental health. Again, refer to the full preview to learn more!

• MacOS Sonoma: MacOS Sonoma was the update I knew the least about beforehand, so most of the updates came as a surprise to me! The first big update is the ability to add widgets right onto your Home Screen on the Mac. Apple also enhanced apps like Safari (which got a pretty significant update), Messages, and FaceTime. People who game on their Mac will like MacOS Sonoma as it includes more Mac games, a new Game Mode to improve gaming performance, and more! Like the iPad, the Mac got similar updates to PDFs and Notes. Take a look at the full preview to see what else is coming to the Mac.

4 Hardware Announcements

• MacBook Air 15-inch: As expected, the MacBook Air 15-inch was announced at WWDC23, allowing for the great capabilities offered by the M2 chip in the 13.6 inch on a bigger screen! Learn more or order one for yourself here (available June 13th).

• Mac Studio: As I discussed last week, Apple introduced a new Mac Studio with the M2 Max and M2 Ultra, giving it peak performance and huge capabilities! This device will be available on June 13th. Learn more or preorder this device here.

• Mac Pro: Originally, I expected this to be announced, but a few days before the event, I read a rumor saying it likely wouldn’t be. It actually was announced though, and as expected, it brought Apple Silicon to the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is an absolute beast and the specs are off the charts! Check it out here!

• Apple Vision Pro: We have discussed a lot, but there is time for one more thing! As expected, Apple did announce Apple Vision Pro, which is Apple’s new mixed-reality headset! There is so much to discuss with this new headset, and I can’t talk about it all here, which is why I’m going to expand upon this topic in the next newsletter. For now, though, I will say the tech in this device is impressive and unlike anything we have ever seen before, but I don’t know who will pay the $3500 price tag! Read more about it in my next newsletter!

Wow, that was a lot! Apple certainly announced a lot at this event and held up to their promise of a huge event! I’m super excited to test all of this out and download these new software updates when they come out this fall!

Wild Card

MY FAVORITE BOARD GAMES (PART 2)

Last week, I talked about my top 5 favorite board games. Well, today I’m continuing my list of favorite board games by adding 5 more games (6-10) to make it my top 10 favorite board games!

6. The Castles of Burgundy: This is a game I intend to review soon! In The Castles of Burgundy, you are responsible for a kingdom, and you must build a better kingdom than your opponents. You can build certain buildings that will help grow your civilization!

7. 7 Wonders: My family bought 7 Wonders a few years ago, but it recently has become one of my favorite games (I had to put it at 7th though since the game is called 7 Wonders)! In this game, there are many cards that are drafted off which you can use to build your civilization throughout the game, gaining resources, scientific achievements, building your wonder, and more! If everyone knows how to play the game, you can play this game in about 30-45min, which is great if you want a more difficult game, but don’t have much time!

8. Ticket to Ride: Many people know that one of my family’s all-time favs is any Ticket to Ride game! If you look at our collection, you will see that we have over 15 different Ticket to Ride games and expansions! I love this game of having to create a train network that allows your passengers to get to their destination.

9. Dominion: Dominion is the only fully card game on this list. The rest of the games contain cards, but this is the only game without a board. In Dominion, you are responsible for a kingdom, and your goal is to take different cards that can work together to build up your kingdom, help you obtain gold, attack your enemies, and ultimately get victory points to win the game!

10. Clank!: Clank! is a very exciting game because your goal in this game is to get down into the dungeon, grab as much treasure as possible, and get out before well…you get eaten by the dragon who resides in said dungeon! This is a very fun and exciting game!

Honorable Mentions: Parks, Flash Point, Puerto Rico, Stone Age, and Tsuro.

So, there are my top 10 board games (with some honorable mentions). You should definitely check out some of these board games. If you are looking for some “easier” games, I would look at Ticket to Ride, Dominion, Stone Age, and Tsuro since those are simpler. Be sure to check out my previous 5 games if you haven’t already!