Monday 31 August 2015

My August 2015 Choices - Specials, K-Dramas, Books, and more!

Like I have mentioned before, I've been in Corfu for the most time of this month, so there is not much I have fallen for, but there is still a few things that I can talk about. Anyway, here goes nothing - my choices for this August.

We All Cry Differently (2014)
While I was away, I never had the time to watch even one episode from the dramas I was watching. But while browsing through YouTube, I discovered on the KBS World TV channel, they have every single drama special since 2011. And so, I have watched three on that list so far: We All Cry Differently, I'll Die Soon and When I Was the Prettiest. The last two weren't very good, especially the last one (and that one had Lee Jong Suk in it!). I won't be doing reviews on them because it's only one hours worth of content, and not enough for me to review on. Anyway, the first special was such a good watch and I'll leave the whole video below, so you can watch if you want!

Off Hiatus

I'm finally back from my holiday! Yay! I do loving going to Corfu, but going for a whole three weeks was too much. But now I'm just glad I'm back. As you may have noticed, I haven't been as inactive as I said I would. I have posted a few reviews of books I've read while I was there, and I plan to still post them in the future (although, they will be rare as it does usually take me a while to read one book). I did have to repost The Maze Runner review because it was being shitty when I tried to edit it earlier, so I redid the whole post.

2nd Book Review: The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: Oct. 6, 2009
Pages: 384
Setting: The Maze, Dystopian Universe
Price: £7.99
ISBN: 0385737947
Readers Rating: 4.02/5
My Rating: 3/5
Goodreads Link

Synopsis: If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human. When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone. Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade. Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive. Everything is going to change. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying. Remember. Survive. Run.

Monday 24 August 2015

4th Book Review: All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publisher: Knopf
Publication Date: Jan. 6, 2015
Pages: 388
Setting: Indiana, United States
Price: £7.99
ISBN: 0385755880
Readers Rating: 4.21/5
My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.


Tuesday 18 August 2015

3rd Book Review: The Art of Being Normal

The Art of Being Normal
Author: Lisa Williamson
Publisher: David Flickling Books
Publication Date: Jan. 1, 2015
Pages: 368
Setting: Eden Park, England
Price: £9.99
ISBN: 1910200328
Readers Rating: 4.37/5
My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Two boys. Two secrets. David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…

Wednesday 12 August 2015

1st Book Review: Attachments

Attachments
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Publication Date: Apr. 14, 2011
Pages: 323
Setting: Nebraska, 1999 (United States)
Price: £7.99
ISBN: 0525951989
Readers Rating: 3.97/5
My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives. Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now - reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers - not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke. When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained - and captivated - by their stories. By the time Lincoln realises he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

Sunday 9 August 2015

3 Week Hiatus

I'm just making a small post on here to say that I won't be able do anything or post for the rest of this month because I'm on a 3-week holiday to Corfu. I have downloaded the dramas School 2013 and Reply 1997 to watch while I'm there, so I will probably make one or two posts on here while I'm away, just for their reviews. This also means that new articles won't be updated until September, and any major news while I'm away will have to be found somewhere else.

On-Hold Drama: The Time We Were Not in Love

The Time We Were Not in Love
Episodes: 16
Country: South Korea
Airs: Jun. 27, 2015 - Aug. 16, 2015
On-Hold Date: Jul. 11, 2015
Network: SBS
Duration: 1 hr. 10 mins.
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Viewers Rating: 7.4/10
My Rating: 7.0/10

Synopsis: Choi Won is "the perfect guy" - good-looking, tall and fit with an amicable personality. Although he is very popular with women, he can't have a proper relationship because of his friend, Oh Ha Na. A romantic comedy about a man and a woman who have been best friends for 20 years (7000 days). They turn 34 and make a pact to be married before 35, and race each other to the altar while "helping" weed out potential suitors. They find that they're constantly dissatisfied with each other's boyfriends and girlfriends, because they've been in love all this time.

Friday 7 August 2015

A Significant Life

"One way to get out of a nightmare is to wake up. But if I can't wake up... the nightmare continues." - Jang Hyuk Rin, Yong Pal

"After seeing the results, things that seem unrelated come together to form one, and unimportant moments all feel like destiny." - Park Yeon Seon, White Christmas

"When we were in school, you studied really well, so I had a hard time, because I had to go to the same college as you. Even though it was annoying and difficult, I followed you. But for over half my life, I followed you. I didn't realize that me following you around wasn't a habit, but love. For not going anywhere and sticking to my side like gum, I'm grateful." - Park Ji Eun, Producer

Tuesday 4 August 2015

17th Completed Drama: White Christmas

White Christmas
Synonyms: Monster
Episodes: 8
Country: South Korea
Aired: Jan. 30, 2011 - Mar. 20, 2011
Network: KBS2
Duration: 1 hr. 5 mins.
Genres: Mystery, Psychological, Thriller
Viewers Rating: 8.7/10
My Rating: 9.5/10
MyDramaList Link

Synopsis: Susin High School, nicknamed "Prison High," is an elite school attended by the top 1% of students in the country. Their stellar marks are the result of constant pressure and a strict punishment system, to the point where students avoid from any activities outside of studying. It is in this atmosphere that seven students and a teacher remain at school for the winter break, joined by Kim Yo Han, a psychiatrist who was forced to take shelter with them after he was involved in a car accident nearby. At a time when everyone else is celebrating Christmas Eve, the students realize that the anonymous letters they each received were not the result of a harmless prank; there was a murderer in their midst. A question lies unspoken: are monsters created, or are humans born monsters?

Monday 3 August 2015

News Articles #18: August 3, 2015 - New Songs for "High Society" and "Scholar Who Walks the Night" + Nam Joo Hyuk Joins "Cheese in the Trap" Cast

Park Hyung Sik Lends His Voice to OST of "High Society"
On July 27, the High Society production team released a surprise OST Part 4 album single. The song featured in this single, You Are My Love was revealed to be composed and written by Kim Changwan. 

Sunday 2 August 2015

16th Completed Drama: Mask

Mask
Synonyms: Doppelganger
Episodes: 20
Country: South Korea
Aired: May 27, 2015 - Jul. 30, 2015
Network: SBS
Duration: 60 mins.
Genres: Drama, Melodrama, Psychological, Romance
Viewers Rating: 8.2/10
My Rating: 10/10

Synopsis: Byun Ji Sook has always had a hard life with her father constantly going into debt and being chased by loan sharks. She desperately wants to know what life is like if she was born into a better family and didn't have to worry about money all the time. When a series of circumstances brings Ji Sook to Seo Eun Ha, a woman from a wealthy family who strongly resembles Ji Sook, she grabs hold of the chance for a better life and assumes Eun Ha's identity and begins to live her elite life. She meets Choi Min Woo, a chaebol heir who is mistrusting of the people around him. But when he realizes that Ji Sook is not like the other women he has met, he is drawn to her. How long can Ji Sook keep up the charade and hide her true identity?

Best K-Drama Moments: July Week #4 - Oh My Ghost, I Remember You, High Society + Mask

Oh My Ghost
Jealousy is an evil thing, honey.

Sun Woo prides himself on being a fair boss. He's the type of guy who works his employees hard because he believes in them and gives them room to fail as he knows that success doesn't usually come after one try.

Saturday 1 August 2015

My Most Anticipated Upcoming August 2015 K-Dramas

Mrs. Cop
Airs: August 3, 2015
Every Monday + Tuesday on SBS

Choi Yeong Jin is a female detective squad chief. She also raises her daugther Ha Eun. At work, she deals with brutal crimes with her senior detective Park Jong Ho and squad members Min Do Yeong, Han Jin Woo, Jo Jae Deok and Lee Seo Won.