books
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

TOP TEN TUESDAYS | Podcasts

I usually do this on my book blog, SHELF PICKINGS over at Wordpress. But I'm not much into audiobooks (yet) and anything outside the realm of reading, I'd rather put here. Plus, this little nook needs a little traffic. Won't hurt, right?


This week is an audio freebie. I have a couple of audio books in my possession. I was gifted a free copy of A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab on Audible and The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner, narrated by no other than Tom Hiddleston. I also have the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon on audio. My favorites would have to be One Bullet Away, written and narrated by Nathaniel Fick and Generation Kill by Evan Wright. Do I include radio dramas? There was a time when I was obsessed with them.

But that's about it for my audio book experience. Frankly, I don't have the attention span for them. I used to have Classics droning in the background as I worked but ultimately, my attention went elsewhere. What could hold me for more than 15 minutes though, are podcasts.

Here are my favorites:


  • SWORD & SCALE - This is my favorite podcast. Of all time. I found this incredible True Crime podcast by accident after finishing Serial and ended up binge-listening to this and loving it more. It's on episode 70-something now but I re-started listening from episode 1. I'm on 22 now and I still love it as I did when I listened to it the first time. I have clear favorites that have stuck with me and terrified the heck out of me. I even want to start a Sword & Scale book club. Get on it!
  • LORE - Oh man, if you're into creepy stuff, this podcast is for you. I also binge-listened to this from the first episode. From the narration, the topics, and the music... I can get lost into this. And I almost did miss a couple of train stops because I was so engrossed. And it's possibly being developed into a TV show. Wow!
  • CRIMINAL - Another one that I found post-Serial. I'm a bit behind on this because there are some topics that I just don't care about or not really related to anything "criminal" but I still like this overall. 
  • SERIAL - Of course, where it call began. I admit, I wasn't into the second season. I guess I was more into the whole Adnan case in general rather than the podcast itself. I mean, it's still intriguing but with Sword & Scale taking the top spot, I have more than enough material to sort through on my morning commute.
And to toot my own horn here a bit. I was on a podcast. One episode but I'm pretty happy with it. I imagine that if we were to re-do this topic now, I'll have more useful things to say. But I'm still pretty proud of this. Here it is:


So yeah, K-pop concerts... conventions... events, bring it!

I can only do five. My brother listens to more of these things, being the gamer and all. If you have suggestions, lemme have it. I love True Crime. The creepier, the better. 
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TOP TEN TUESDAYS | Binge Watching

Something new, eh? ;-) This is why I keep two blogs. One is solely for book-related topics. If you came by via Broke & Bookish, welcome! I have to tell you, this is not a book blog per se. It's more of an events blog kind of thing. Head on over to Reading Good Books for all the literary goodness. 

This week, however, B&B gave us a freebie. The topic can be anything under the sun! It didn't say it has to be book-related. But I did start out over on RGB with a sort of a bookish topic. Book GIRLfriends. Yeah, we talk about the guys and blame them for our high standards but what about for the guys? What if we turn the tables around? How do we measure up to say... a Hermione Granger? I was doing well with the list but then I realized that I have a similar TTT entry to that already. I'm not very creative so I decided to just scrap that idea.
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday , we’re listing down... A FREEBIE!
Here is where the second blog comes in handy. I figured I haven't been around here much so why not apply a bookish meme here. After all, memes pretty much comprise 80% of my book blog's content. XD I know, I'm lazy.

So what are we talking about today? I noticed that I've been binge watching TV shows and anime for the past year. On and off, I get to these phases and just sit in front of the TV and AppleTV watching whole anime series in one go. I did this with Criminal Minds from Seasons 1 to 6 and to Rurouni Kenshin, subbed not dubbed. Since then, I've marathon'd Fullmetal Alchemist (and Brotherhood immediately after), Persona 4 (and more recently, P4GA), Steins;Gate, Welcome to the NHK, Heaven's Memo Pad, Anohana, Toradora!, Eden of the East, Baccano!, Sound of the Sky, and Eden of the East. But my most recent "obsession" is...

1. American Horror Story. Where. Have. I. BEEN?! The best and craziest acting on the small screen ever! The gems of the show are Lily Rabe, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, and the amazing Jessica Lange. Not to mention they play different roles every season and sometimes, multiple roles in one season. It's risque, scary, new, and just so engaging. I'm finishing season 2 as soon as I get home; moving on to the 3rd one right away!

2. Elfen Lied. Another indirect recommendation from Day[9]. I mean, I already know of this weird and crazy anime but it's waaaay down my list. I bumped it up when Day9 tried to explain the first episode in this video. I'm taking it easy with the anime but with 13 episodes, that's easy-peasy.

3. Daredevil. I heard nothing but good things about this show. With Steven S. DeKnight as season 1 showrunner? Yes, please. I didn't get to write about The Avengers: Age of Ultron red carpet but I did see him there and I was able to tell him that I'm a huge Spartacus fan. I've met him a couple of times but I've never told him how much I loved that gem of a show. 


4. Halt and Catch Fire. I just bought the DVD, pictured above with Frank Herbert's Dune. It stars Lee Pace. It's about computers. Season 2 is premiering on May 31. I've watch about half of the first season months ago. I might do an emergency binge watch so I can catch up.

5. Game of Thrones. I have all the DVD/Blu-Ray that's currently released but I haven't even touched Season 4. Yeah, the show has caught up with what I've read but I'm in no rush to watch or read more. There's just so many things going on, so many stuff to rediscover.

6. A Korean drama. Any suggestions? I know that there's a lot of good ones lately. But the last one that I sat down and watched was Dr. Frost and that had 10 episodes. Most of the shows I've mentioned so far have 16 episodes at the most. I don't think I have the time or patience to plow through a full 24-episode season. But what's good? I love me my Superman Is Back babies but I would love to dip into K-drama again.

7. CSI. LOL I know I just mentioned not wanting to watch a show with 20+ episodes but alas, I make an exception. CSI is finally wrapping up next season with a 2-hour movie. It's the end of an era. It's time to resume my quest of completing all the DVDs.
8. Hannibal. Specifically, season 2. I finished the first season on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook and I have the 2nd season just waiting for me. Such an awesome show! 

9. The Strain. I haven't finished the 1st season yet. I think I have 3-4 episodes to go. Same story with Hannibal. I watched it on my SGT4N.

10. I'll throw one bookish entry... I'm planning to binge read Phedre's Trilogy by Jacqueline Carey. They're Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, and Kushiel's Avatar. I recently bought all three books. I like reading bigger books in print format vs digital. I like feeling how many pages I have left to read. My brother had read this and the trilogy next to it so if he likes it, I might like it too.

So while I was writing this out, I was inspired by other bloggers to do an actual book-related entry. Maybe when I get home later? We'll see.
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September Favorites!

September was a good month.  The Seoul Summer Olympics turned 26, I met a popular author, I finally got my hands on some stuff that I've been wanting for a long time, and yeah, it was generally a good month.

I liked so many things this month. I don't think I have a "dislike" even! Yay, positivity all around. But September was not so nice to my pockets. Well, that's my fault entirely but hey, these purchases happened during this month lol. It was package after package; so much that my brother began to question the amount of parcels I was getting. Some were free, from a survey service, and the rest were paid - on a discount, mind you.

It was rather easy to narrow down my favorites into 10. I mean, just look at my Instagram and you'll have a general idea. I try to mix things up but sometimes, I get into these phases. A friend commented one time that my Instagram page is rather bipolar, that she couldn't pinpoint any ONE interest to describe the whole collection. Hah!  Anyway, let's get started with the list:



1. The Outlander TV series on Starz.
I don't think I ever talked about this.  I'm relatively a new fan of the this whole 1700s Scotland and what came with it but my anticipation was just as great as the older lady fans. It is just so beautiful -- from the setting to the wonderful COSTUME (that got me inspired to crochet bigger projects) and of course, the casting.  Sam Heughan is exactly the Jamie I had in my head while Caitriona Balfe (I will steal your name!) is Claire.  SHE IS CLAIRE.  I never watched a TV show on the exact day/time of airing in quite some time and you will find me in one corner of my room, curled around my iPad as I watch the show on the Starz Plat app.  The #OutlanderWedding is EVERYTHING I could ever hope for. The TV show just went on hiatus and will be back on April 4.  (To those bitching about the 6-month wait, this is NOTHING to a Sherlock fan. And if you're worried that the show will lose its steam, you have no faith. I'm getting off my soapbox now.)

2. Voyager and Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon. 

I'm seriously in love and lust with the book series.  I'm trying not to turn my book blog into a Jamie Fraser quote blog.  There are just so many lovely words uttered by this man (well, from the author but hey).  I'm currently reading the 5th one in the series, The Fiery Cross.  My "least favorite" so far is Dragonfly in Amber which is the 2nd one. It wasn't as good as the first one, Outlander, while the next ones were AH-MAZING.  These two are my favorites so far.  Yes, these books are crazy long and complex but if you loved the first one, you just have to continue. It's so easy to fall for these characters, not just Jamie and Claire. Fergus and Ian share a soft spot in my heart. And wee Germain and young Jamie (when he was still a bairn) and even Jemmy are getting there also.  I just can't get enough of these books. I still have three more to go on the main series; still not sure if I'm touching the Lord John ones though. Eventually. Maybe.  I don't know.  And I have a good number of them signed. And oh yeah, multiple copies of the first book.  Och!

3. The Maze Runner movie.
As I mentioned in my full review, I met James Dashner.  And I kind of agree with what he said that the movie is going to be better than the book.  I enjoyed it so much, I watched it twice in one weekend! In fact, this was the only movie that I've seen in a cinema since Guardians of the Galaxy.

 Speaking of GOTG...



4. Lee Pace.
He plays Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy, Thranduil in The Hobbit films, Calpernia Addams in the beautiful movie Soldier's Girl, the adorable Ned the Piemaker in Pushing Daisies... the list goes on!  This last month has been all about him.  I've been rewatching Pushing Daisies and how come they never make these kinds of show anymore? Sure it deals with death and depression but it's not dark like Criminal Minds (which I love, don't get me wrong) or some other procedural crime show. It's quirky and sweet and everyone on that show is quirky and sweet.

But I digress. Lee Pace is a wonderful talent. I got so excited when the official cast list for The Hobbit was released and saw his name as Thranduil. He's this big tall guy with intimidating eyebrows... just perfect for the Mad King, and Legolas' dad. His body of work is well-rounded (I forgive that one venture into the Twilight 'verse; at least he was HAWT in that) and I can't stop collecting them!   The bulk of my purchases this month had been towards the completion of his filmography. Money well spent.

5. Alpacasso plushies.

I blame my brother for this. Last summer, he was watching Summer Games Done Quick online, everyday, all day. I get home and find him watching that. I watched a couple of them, especially the one for Resident Evil 2.  In that broadcast, someone had an alpaca plushie.  I wanted one.  So I looked it up online and I just couldn't agree on the size for the price.

One day, I found a Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle store that carried this cute things!  OMG, they were not cheap but at least I had them in my hands.  (Honestly, I have no idea if they're originals but what the heck. I just want one!)  Now, this pink "kiddie" alpacasso resides on the edge of my bed "guarding" my stack of Outlander books.

From the absolutely cute to the absolutely gruesome...

6. Hannibal TV series on NBC.
First of all, I don't watch it on NBC as it airs. I'm kind of late to the party. I planned to watch this when it came out but hey, two season went by and only now am I jumping aboard.  Oh man, Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy! Thank Valar for European men! Mads' accent kills me, omg. And he has the whole dapper Viggo Mortensen vibe, both being Danish. The cases are as gory as they come, if not more. At least for primetime TV. I've finished the first season and am currently waiting for my season 2 DVD.

7. signed books and my Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook.
I admit, I've been neglecting my Kindle Fire HD lately. *sadface* I still like it but I'm just so madly in LOVE with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. I even use it to watch my shows and movies; something that I don't even like doing on the iPad. The reading experience is pretty much the same on both platforms but with the added bonus of being able to watch videos on the SGT4N as well as the freedom of the Google Play store, I currently prefer my newest baby. My two complaints are the 8gig built-in memory and the lack of cover art when the file/book is "side loaded" or uploaded to the external SD card. My Kindle Fire HD has 32 gigabytes of built-in memory and all the books have cover art whether they be mobi or pdf.

As for signed books... okay, I've been half-cheating and half- well, making an effort.  I have signed copies of Diana Gabaldon's Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, and Written in My Own Heart's Blood. I also have one of Inside the Maze Runner. Two of them, I actually met the author and had them sign and personalize it for me - Maze Runner and MOBY.  The other two... I bought them signed. And on a discount! XD  As you can see in my alpacasso picture, my Outlander books are hardcover sized. Except my Drums of Autumn copy. The listing said "paperback" instead of "mass market paperback," the smaller form, so I assumed it was the trade paperback size. Turns out, it wasn't. It was the smaller one. But signed. No complaints here.

I got spoiled by it that I got The Fiery Cross signed too. I'm looking to get the next one signed as well but looking at my options, it's too expensive. Maybe I'll just buy a trade paperback with a different cover, other than that solid colored one.  (I swear, this post is not an Outlander love letter LOL.)

For the last three, we go to food.



8. "rummy bears".
Malibu coconut rum + gummy bears = RUMmy bears.  And they are so cute when fully saturated.  I need to make a new batch. It's just my brother and I who eat them so one pack lasts us for a good while. I have a nicely sized mason jar from the 626 Night Market to put my bears into. I have a pack of gummy worms waiting in the wings and half a bottle of Malibu so we'll see how well the worms take to it. ;-)

9. Brookside Dark Chocolate, Pomegranate.
It's pricey but one large bag will last you a while. Plus, I got mine from Target using that Cartwheel app; I got 5% off or something like that. This stuff is so addictive! A co-worker brought a smaller bag to work one day and we demolished that thing in 15 minutes flat.

 10. Kit-kat Green Tea flavor.
The most sought after flavor of all. And I have 2 1/2 bags of it waiting for me.  XD  It is as amazing as a lot of people are saying. An acquired taste for some but it's still soooo good.  Different, but good.

So those are my 10 favorites for the month of September. It was a very month for food and Outlander it seems! I wonder if any of these will carry over to October. ;-)
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I Am A Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook parent!

Boy, what a mouthful.  Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook.  SGT4N.  Clever, if you think about it.  It's a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 with Nook capabilities.  I will post a roughly full-ish review on my book blog soon.  I still have to play with it some more and use it for actual reading purposes.  But so far, as a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, it's fabulous!



There she is, fresh out of the box!  I bought it on the release day.  I didn't even know B&N was coming out with a new nook so when I saw this on my feed, I had to check it out.  Being a self-confessed "tablet addict", I just couldn't resist.  Mind you, I already have a Kindle Fire HD, an iPad 2, a Samsung S3, and the first generation nook (which now is officially my mother's).  And I've been dying to get my hands on a nook Color.  It's a good thing I forwent buying the iPad mini from Target for $199 and settled for this one, on a whim, for $179.

And after a four-tooth extraction, I needed something big to make myself feel better.  ;-)

Here she is dressed in her new owl friend:



I completed this case over the weekend and didn't sleep until I had the face on.  It's not perfect but I had a ton of fun doing it.  I'm getting into my crochet craze phase again, now that autumn is just around the corner.
Like I said, I still have to mess around with it some more and use it for reading.  The nook has been my first e-reader and while I'm currently using my Kindle Fire HD for reading (I'm almost done with The Strain), I'm glad I bought SGT4N.

Sincerely,
The Tablet Addict.
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We all have stuff to do. Like, a life update.


We just need to find time and energy to do it.

안녕하세요, 여러분! 오렌만이다! 잘지내요?

See, I haven't forgotten my Korean.  XD  It was a HUGE help when my mom and I spent 2 16-hour days in Seoul back in April/May.  Yeah, I know, it's been a month since our trip and I still haven't said anything about it.  I'm lazy.  Sue me.

But I do have a ton of stuff to say about the experience.  And a lot of great pictures.  Being able to read and sort of speak Korean was definitely an advantage while playing tourist in Seoul.  It did give me a good deal of anxiety but we survived.  If you ask me today, would I do an extended layover in Seoul again?  Heck yeah, I would!

경복궁
It was awesome going back home to Manila as always but I don't think I can ever live there again.  As much as I love the people, the food, and the malls... it's the heat that I can't stand.  My first night there, I was reduced to TEARS.  It was so hot that I cried in misery.  That might sound over-the-top but I've never had that happen to me before.  And I was raised there.  It's ridiculous.

But going back to my childhood bedroom was quite magical.  Even as a kid, I collected ORIGINAL CDs of my favorite groups, which at that time were Westlife and F4.  I knew I had a VCD of F4's Hong Kong concert somewhere in there.  It is now so hard to find, even online.  I was glad to find it.  I think I squealed out loud when I did.  I also took with me my first Nancy Drew title, Sign of the Twisted Candles, as well as two of my absolute favorites, The Ringmaster's Secret and The Secret of Mirror Bay.  How much do I love Mirror Bay?  I dreamt about it.

The other books that made the trip were the CSI book tie-ins that I didn't know I had.  I don't have them all but I've accumulated quite a bit.  My brother gave me the whole collection of the original 56 Nancy Drew mysteries in mobi format but I still want to collect all of them. ;-)

Ever since my trip, I got a new job.  It is literally walking distance from where I live.  No joke.  I now work at a medical management office.  It's been good so far.  I'm still learning to ropes and there are a LOT of ropes to learn.  I don't have the same freedom to use the computer for pleasure as my previous job, thus the severe lack of posts on both blogs.  *sadface*  Therefore, the backlog is getting quite overwhelming.  Although I haven't been reading a lot since the commute by public transport has been essentially taken out of my day.  I've been missing out on a lot of book blog memes.  *even sadder face*

I've also chopped off about 12 inches of hair while in the Philippines.  Getting a hair cut here will cost you $25 plus but mine was a mere $3, converted.  I just re-colored it Light Intense Auburn yesterday.  It's going to stay that way for as long as I like it.  I found that red hair suits me.

청계천
What else is new?  Hmm...  (I want to put as much stuff here as kind of a backlog list lol. A cheat sheet!)

Ah, for my final hurrah before going back to the workforce, we went to JPL, Jet Propulsion Laboratory here in Pasadena.  I've been to the Kennedy Space Center years ago and JPL is like, just in my backyard and it took me this long to go there.  It was awesome.  I saw Space Shuttle Endeavour not too long ago and all this space goodness just takes me back to my childhood.  I never read a single Sweet Valley High book but I could watch science shows about outer space for days.

Pasadena, we have a problem.

Two weeks ago, I went to my first book signing in a long time.  (Probably my only one this year lol.)  It was for Diana Gabaldon's new book in the Outlander series, Written in my Own Heart's Blood.  If you've been following my book blog, you'd know that I'm a newbie fan of this series.  The new book in the 8th in the series and I've barely made a dent in the second.  I planned to do that during my trip but... the in-flight entertainment was just too good.  But I live and work in the area so why the hell not.  (I actually bought my ticket months before so this wasn't an impulse buy.)



I usually have great luck with these kinds of things.  When I finished reading The Jane Austen Book Club, the author Karen Joy Fowler had a book signing about a week after that.  I go through 6 seasons of Criminal Minds in one go and Joe Mantegna gets his Hollywood star the next month.

But the total opposite happened to me with Sherlock.  But that's for another post.

I recently watched the latest Star Trek movie Into Darkness.  I'm more of a Star Wars fan but I know more Trek characters by name.  I was so-so with the first reboot so I wasn't really into watching the next one.  Until I became a Benedict Cumberbatch fan.  I won't go as far as calling myself a Cumber-bitch, no not yet, but dang... can that man act the shit out of anything.  I know first hand how his VOICE sounds like when it's inches away from you (yes, and I survived).  He wasn't the Khan I had in my head but his performance was breathtaking.  And his hair was perfect.  He just makes everything perfect.  I did sort of live tweet the movie as I was watching it lol.  Chekov is still my always favorite, btw.

And to complete this incoherent mishmash of a life update, I went to Raging Waters in San Dimas last week!  I cannot remember the last time that I went swimming at a pool/place that is not my backyard.  And it was a TON of fun!  I really want to go again before the season ends!


So that is it.  I think I'll do a couple of retro posts when inspiration strikes.  My brother is coming back to the US on the 28th so I canNOT wait for that.

Life has been good lately.  2014 is just coasting by.  It's finally, officially summer.  Bring on the heat!
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Outlander

If you haven't been following my book blog (or Twitter, at least), you might have missed my latest... obsession, if you may.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

Where have I been all this time?  That's the thing with big books... I'm scared of starting them because they're long and they take a lot of time to read.  But when I do decide to read them, I get sucked into that world BIG TIME.

I admit, I usually start big books if they have screen adaptations to go with them.  The Stand, Game of Thrones... I picked up both books because of the adaptations.  I read The Stand because I'm a Gary Sinise fan.  I wanted to read Game of Thrones before watching the series.  And now, Outlander is getting a TV series and already, it's looking so delicious!


DWALIIIN!  XD

Yep, Graham McTavish is one of the first reasons why this pinged my radar.  I absolutely loved his parts in The Hobbit appendices.  When I heard that he was cast in this, I checked it out.  It should've come with a warning.  A Sam Heughan warning.


He be that foine Scottish redhead on the right.  The lass is Caitriona Balfe.  By the way, I should start spelling my name like that, at least in my online self.  ;-)  They play Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall.  And they are lovely.

Have you ever had that perfect moment when the picture in your head matches the actor they chose to play a part?  Like how Alexander Skarsgard is the perfect Eric Northman and how I almost predicted that the "boy from Bridge to Terabithia is the perfect Peeta Mellark"?  Yep, it's the same with this.  So much that I can hear Mr. Heughan's voice in my head when I read Jamie's dialogue.  I can see how Jamie would act, we'll have to see how Sam does it.  I picture Jamie a toughie yet a softie.  I mean, you can feel how much he loves Claire and how earnest and true he is.  He's just... ahhh!  I want one!

(This is a tad too fangirly for my book blog so I'm doing this here.)

Fangirling over Jamie is one thing.  Fangirling over Sam Heughan is another.  I cannot tell you how many times I thought of watching Batman Live at Staples Center.  Yes, he was Batman.  Fudge me.  I know I have a flyer or magazine clipping of that show somewhere.  I'm scouring the web for videos of him, preferably interviews but there's never enough to satisfy lmao.  And I want more Outlander.  MORE.  Ya hear me, Starz?  (I love Starz. They brought me Spartacus.  I hope they do an LA red carpet for this show too.)

One of my The Borgias love is in this too.  Lotte Verbeek plays Geillis Duncan.  She's gorgeous.  Lovely to see her again.

My favorite time of day is my commute because I get to read the book.  It's amazing.  The show has no premiere date yet but I already love it.  It's going to be great.

Now, let me share one of the hottest, sweetest, loveliest pieces of romantic text ever:

"Mo duinne," he said softly.  "But now I should saw mo airgeadach.  My silver one. Your hair is silver-gilt and your skin is white velvet. Calman geal. White dove."

I pressed my hips back against him, inviting, and settled against him with a sigh as his solid hardness filled me. He held me against his chest and moved with me, slowly, deeply. I gasped a little and he slacked his hold.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didna mean to hurt ye. But I do want to be in you, to stay in you, so deep. I want to leave the feel of me deep inside ye with my seed. I want to hold ye so and stay wi'you 'til dawn, and leave you sleeping and go, with the shapes of you warm in my hands." 
Better than any Fifty Shades ever. Dear Starz, include this scene in full. I beg of ye.
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