Anime to watch

Darker Than Black
Durara
Tiger and Bunny
Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi
Brave 10
Aoi no Exorcist
Hanasakeru Seishounen
Hakuōki ~Shinsengumi Kitan~
Natsume Yuujincho
Fate Zero

List of DORAMA

Bolded = watched, italicized = nearly finished, plain = to watch

You’re Beautiful
Ikemen Desu Ne
My Girlfriend is a Gumiho
First Shop of Coffee Prince
Hana Kimi (2007, 2011)
Hua Yang Shao Nian Shao Nu
Hana Yori Dango  (1, 2, Movie)
Meteor Garden (1,2)
Boys Before Flowers
Shining Inheritance
Personal Preference
City Hunter
The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry
Padam Padam: The Sound of His and Her Heartbeats
Secret Garden
My Lovely Sam Soon
Goong
Heartstrings
Protect the Boss
Autumn’s Concerto
It Started with a Kiss
They Kiss Again
Cinderella’s Sister
Dream High
High Kick (1,2,3)
Playful Kiss
Dal Ja’s Spring
Flower Boy Ramyun
Mary Skipped the Curfew
Heartstrings
Nodame Cantabile
Omotesando
Crows Zero (not really a drama but whatev)
Baby and I (Same)
Yamatonadeshiko Shichihenge

Started a new blog for the funsies

So this blog is personal, obviously, and I have a thing for documenting my awesomeness in the form of the books I read. I have found a better way to delegate my interests. I have a new blog, dedicated entirely to books!

thebeyond-books.blogspot.com

I’ve just finished formatting it and only have one entry up right now, but as I read books I will fill in the links. I promise all will be made clear by the format. The reviews and info are going to be much more complete and professional than my meanderings here, and this blog can be more full time personal shit. Or…not. I don’t know yet. Okay. Just wanted to let everyone know. Who am I even talking to?

 

Book(y wook)s

Russell Brand is incredibly intelligent, let’s just get that out of the way. A lot of people think, by the way that he looks, that he’s nothing but gimmick. However, if you listen to his comedy he has a huge vocabulary and a lot of good points. Anyway, his book is much the same. It wasn’t exactly what I expected – I thought it was going to involve his rise to super-stardom, but that apparently comes in the second book. This was all about his childhood and his drug problems. I was stunned at how frank he was, actually. He seemed like a right sod and for almost no reason. Well, he had reasons, but it’s not like there weren’t people who loved him. There was clearly something wrong in his brain, and thank God he’s found a way to battle it, because now we have a great comedian and actor. Not as funny as I was hoping, but then again intensive drug use is never really funny.

After finishing Booky Wook, I sped through JR Ward’s Lover Mine. And I mean sped through. A 600 or 700 page book in two days. But I go through pretty much all of Ward’s books that way. If I had the money and control of public opinion and if I was famous, I would totally make this series into movies. But obviously I would cut out the super-explicit sex scenes. Whatever. Anyway, I love the Black Dagger Brotherhood SO SO much. These last two were kind of – eh – on my radar, but I still liked them (COUGH Blay and Qhuinn COUGH). I keep hearing about all these potential novellas, but I don’t know what’s going on with them, so I’m just waiting….but that’s beside the point. I think John Matthew is one of my least favorite characters – whaaaat? I can hear you screaming. Yeah, after Tohr left, I understand he felt abandoned. But he had the whole Brotherhood and Beth and all the shellans looking after him. And he stays pissed at Tohr for like the next five books. TOHR’S GREATEST LOVE AND HIS CHILD WERE MURDERED. I think you need to chill the fuck out. And I really liked Xhex. I think she’s probably in my top four. I say four because I haven’t decided yet. I definitely LOVE Beth. Okay, maybe Xhex is numero dos, I don’t know. This was really good, and Lash TOTALLY got what he deserved, although I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of him for some reason. Sorry if that was too spoilery. Like I said, I think what happens to him isn’t permanent. Personal opinions are personal.

Keri Arthur is a pretty cool author, for the most part. Her books move along quickly so you don’t spend too much time bogged down in things. However, they can move a little too fast. For example, I finished Mercy Burns in less than a day. The world she has created is interesting. I would like some more explication or a better view into the world instead of the snippets she works in. There is a lot of history for these characters, but she barely speaks of it. Other than that, I liked her characters and I liked the plot. Again, I would have liked to know them better. I think this is a problem Arthur has been having lately – her books do not have enough explanation.

Candles are beautiful

I swear that’s a clever but silly title. So I recently read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and Damned. Not The Beautiful  and THE Damned like I had though, but what’s one little adjective. Anyway, it was exactly what the title said. The main characters are beautiful in a glittery jazz age-y way. They live a life of opulence and excess and don’t even have jobs. Also, they’re damned in a “We’re depressed about our lives but are doing nothing to change that” way. They complain and bitch about things not being perfect the way they want, and they spend all their time frittering a way money, banking on inheriting Anthony’s grandfather’s money. This would have been more compelling if these characters had been relatable. They were degenerate for no reason. They had a perfectly fine life that they ruined because they didn’t want to work and felt apathy toward their very lives. Wah. It ended as one would have expected. It’s eerie because the book pretty much anticipated later events in Scott’s life.

Then I read Candlemas. Ah ha, now you see what I did there. I liked this book a lot, actually. It was fun and informational withotu being too dense. There were also some really good recipes adn methods of making candles that were interesting. There should be a book like this for all the Sabbats. I would buy every one. I definitely recommend this book. Amber and Azrael also have nicel little flashes of crazy humor that perfectly reflects my own. Trololol.

I have been swamped

For the last two weeks, everything has been absolutely crazy. And the next few weeks will probably be insane as well. ButI’ve been staving off complete and utter despair through a clever method of watching TV. Yes.

I have been moving my way pretty quickly through almost whatever TV series that I have sort of vaguely watched or heard of in the past. For example, I powered my way through two seasons of Warehouse 13. It’s not my favorite, but it affords a good laugh several times. And I really like Claudia. But other than that – definitely not one I’m going to rush out and buy or exert any effort to watch.

AND BONES. Egads, sometimes I hate my friends for the things they get me into. Because of their obsession, I have started watching Bones. And I really really like it. Which is why I hunted down the season 7 premiere just to watch a preggers Brennan. Ugh, I should be working on an abstract. Will be doing that next, but praying it won’t take ten hours.

I’ve been slowing down because of schoolwork – so sue me.

Book REVIEW
Directly after Celtic Magic, I read Kim Harrison’s Once Dead Twice Shy. It was a little different than I was expecting, but it’s an YA novel, so of course the pacing is going to be different from the average novel. I did like Madison, however. Harrison always has extremely well-developed, if not always likeable, characters. Most of her characters were likeable and she set up a great premise for the next novel, with a ton of opportunities for her character’s relationships to develop in interesting ways.

I then read The Japanese Mind by Robert C. Christopher, a rather outdated read, but a good jumping off point none the less. There were some definite everlasting truths in there that can be carried on to today’s situations, although a lot of the circumstances have changed. Obviously, the business world and the technology world have changed a lot since 1983. Yet, many of the precepts of what actually make up the collective “Japanese mind” are unchanged. They may have become less predominant as individualism and western precepts began to take hold, but they are still there and will probably always trump any new Western notions.

The first in Jim Butcher’s fantasy series, The Furies of Calderon is a wonderful beginning. It starts off a little slow, to be sure, but by the fourth or fifth chapter (they’re not that long, so it’s really not taht long) you can’t put it down. I usually focus on characters and pace of plot development, both of which are extremely well handled in this novel. I could have seen more from the main character bu his entrance in the final battle is epic and kind of understandable why he went missing for several chapters. I am really excited for the next novel.

Jacqueline Carey is a wonderful writer. Let’s just say that off the bat. Her first novel in the Santa Olivia series, um, Santa Olivia, is a departure from her previous works, but she handles it wonderfully. It was a little different than I was expecting. I was actually expecting to jump right into the action with Loup, but we start with her mother and travel with her through childhood. She has a rough life and by the time she becomes a vigilante and a boxing champion, you are cheering for her all the way. That was another aspect I didn’t see coming – there’s a rather large focus on boxing.

This one I just finished today: Venetia by Georgette Heyer. I think I’ve expressed before my deep and enduring love for all things Georgette Heyer. I rarely have anything bad to say about her. I might not like the way she takes some of her plot lines, but no one can deny her fantastic writing ability and ability to create characters one love and characters one hates. Venetia is probably in my top five of her Regency Romances. Venetia herself has a wonderful sense of humor that you normally don’t see in these type of novels, and that coupled with her naivete made her a completely loveable character. When Mrs. Scorrier showed up midway through the novel, the reader could really see how well-behaved and kind Venetia was as she restrained herself from saying any of the things Mrs. Scorrier deserved to hear. I’ll leave it at that, other than to say that she is an endearing mix of sweetness and fiery attitude. The male lead, Lord Damerel, was fun, too. He matched her perfectly and Heyer really focused mainly on their development from friends, emphasizing that they were a perfect match for each other in every way, without relying too much onthe romance aspect. It’s a love that grows. Her supporting charactesr, especially Aubrey were extremely well developed as well. I’m actually incredibly depressed that I finished the book.

“Premium” Edition Novels: Not So Premium

I find it incredibly annoying that booksellers have decided to start publishing novels, mostly crime and mystery novels I find, in absolutely ridiculous sizes.

These new “premium tall” editions of books are slightly thinner and much taller than normal mass market paperbacks and I see absolutely nothing premium about them. They are unwieldy and feel odd in my hands. They would take up an irregular amount of space on my bookshelves; whereas normally I might fit four books horizontally, I would only three with a little space left over were I to buy these editions. They are more expensive for no discernable reason. Also, the switch in printing occurred in the middle of a series I am reading, and OCD as I am, all the books in a series must be the same size and almost always the same edition. If they had printed the normal mass market paperbacks at a later date, or had some reassurance at least of this coming to pass, or if both sizes were available in a bookstore, I would be less offended. But I am seeing these irrationally tall paperbacks creeping throughout bookstores and find myself spewing a tirade against idiotic publishing houses in the middle of said bookstores, alone. I see no reason to pay more for an ugly, irritating novel than I would for the perfectly sane version. I can discern no logical reason behind this change.

To wit, I hate the premium editions and would gladly see this trend pass and these novels leave the bookshelves.

Does anyone have an answer for me as to why this size is suddenly being published and whether or not they plan on releasing regular mass market paperback editions of the same novels later?
Here’s a poll: Do you like the tall versions or not?

Villette – well aren’t you a depressing little thing, and Celtic Magic: You are very vehement.

Villette had a lot of great quotes. That was the predominant thought I had while reading it. “Wow, this relates to my life in a way that is both unexpected and not entirely pleasant.” Mostly because Lucy Snowe and I are so fundamentally different. In all the places when she chose silence and just let insults slide, I would have been fired up and protesting and probably making things worse for myself. I suck at keeping my mouth shut when I feel someone (especially myself) is suffering injustice. The ending is ambiguous (I won’t say how, that would just be mean. Don’t you like all these parentheticals?) and I’m not sure I entirely enjoy the ambiguity.
  The male interests were, in the first case, interesting and enjoyable but totally selfish, and in the second case, bizarre , incomprehensible, and not my favorite ever but totally sweet nonetheless. The way M. Paul gave her little gifts, especially after his jealousy showed itself in a less than pleasant way, is just wonderful. It’s a little something every girl wants. So… I liked it a lot more than I was anticipating, but not on my top…a lot.

For Christmas I got Celtic Magic by D.J. Conway from a friend and have finally read it. I liked it okay, but I thought it was going to be more educational and less “Here’s a rite and ceremony and correspondences, etc.” I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had thought I would, and a lot of the reading is more referential than informational, meaning it’s not easily retainable. I don’t have that much else to say about it. It wasn’t what I was anticipating and it wasn’t as good as I wanted. But it’s a good reference, I suppose.

Robert Dudley is an ass and so is Collin Malone

Philippa Gregory’s The Virgin’s Lover was not as stressful for me as some of her other books mostly because I already knew this history. Sometimes I have to learn as I go, but we all know how Elizabeth I reign ended up. And if you don’t….look it up. I had no problems with the book itself. I thought the pacing was well done, and the switches between points of view were well executed and made sense. This only covered the first two years of Elizabeth’s reign, so it wasn’t as event-heavy as some of her other books. There were a lot of emotions. The only thing that pissed me off were some of the characters – but they were supposed to. This isn’t a complaint so much as a rant.
Robert Dudley, as I said in the title, is an ass. He would rather pull England into a war, destroy the treasury, etc etc, all for his ambition. He literally almost ruins Elizabeth’s reign. I can’t fathom the depths of the ambition that can ruin the country it is trying to rule. He should have known better. What a tool. Cecil was awesome, though, in foiling his plans. And Amy’s end was a truly fitting end, and I love what it did to Robert emotionally. He deserved every bit of it. And Elizabeth…I thought she was a lot smarter than she was portrayed. I usually love Elizabeth because I think she was ridiculously strong to maintain her position for her entire life, although I don’t agree with all of her decisions. But in this story…I just wanted to punch her in the ovaries.

I think I’ve mentioned before how much I love Rachel Vincent. I think her plots and pacing are great and she’s truly wonderful at creating characters you both love and hate. In Shift, the fifth in her Shifters series, Vincent deals with two events and their ramifications for the entire book. First of all, Mallone is a bitch-ass punk, but we already knew that. He’s employing some underhanded tactics once again and Faythe is employed in trying to prevent a disaster due to his tactics and finding proof that he did it so they can nail the bastard. Which they do, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. They also have to deal with Marc eventually finding out that Faythe slept with Jace a few books back. I know who she finally chooses, so I’m not all that stressed out about that particular unfolding plotline and I loved Marc’s reaction. I love overprotective, possessive anger in a man, if it’s well-deserved, I don’t know why, probably because I’m not a militant feminist.
Faythe really stepped up to the plate in this book. She’s learning from her past mistakes and morphing into the Alpha she needs to be to lead her Pride, making smart decisions. She’s not just the impulsive smart-ass she used to be. So props to Vincent for appropriate character development. Other notes – Brett made me a sad panda. I think most of Malone’s men should die slow deaths or have their scrotums ruptured (LOL THAT’S HAPPENED). And Blackwell might finally stop being an sexist old codger and listen to reason. The next book should be an absolutely thrilling finale!