Kdrama Review: The Sound of Magic

 Drama: The Sound of Magic

Genre: Fantasy

Staring: Ji Changwook, Choi Sungeun, Hwang Inyoup

Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

This is the first drama I've watched that's an actual musical.  I mean we always get great soundtracks, and songs happen all the time, but the characters don't break out into song and dance. But they do in this one! And it's awesome to see our Changwook singing in such a thing!

It's a story about a dude who claims to be a magician and is living in an abandoned amusement park. Our girl is really struggling in life, having been basically abandoned by her parents and having to now take care of her little sister while still going to high school. She happens upon the magician and he changes how she feels about life with his magic. 

Our boy is also struggling, more with the demands of his parents. He ends up getting to know the magician too, but is much more skeptical. He is worried about the involvement our girl has with the magician and wonders what's really going on.

And what IS really going on indeed? That begins to be the question as the story goes on. Something is up. 

Even though the story has many beautiful magical moments, there is also some disturbing bits too. An interesting juxtaposition. 

Some people I know were bothered by the singing (which I find funny because pretty sure everyone knew it's a musical going in) but I thought it was great fun and everyone was really awesome. There's really not a ton of songs either. And of course Ji Changwook is FANTASTIC as he is in everything he does. So so good!

I ended up enjoying it a lot. It's a really short drama (only six episodes I think) and worth watching!

Here's the trailer. 

And an example of one of the musical numbers. 

Book Review: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

 Book: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Genre: YA science fiction

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

This was last month's book club book. And now it's almost time for this month's! I am so behind!

Anyway, I went into it knowing nothing. And was pleasantly surprised with how fast I was sucked in and invested.

This one takes place on a planet where a couple of groups of people are in conflict with each other. Different customs and styles and goals. The story opens when the boy and his brother from one group get kidnapped by some people from the other group, after they murder his father. Now it's a few years later and he is older and ready to try to escape and take his brother with him before it's too late. Because the brother is being changed by the power of the dude who is the leader of these people.

And the sister of this dude has a special power that makes it so if she touches people, they feel intense pain. To the point where she can kill them. And the brother uses her like crazy for his power, and she is sick of it. And ready to escape.

And the story gets great when the two of them meet. 

"Carve the mark" refers to the tradition these people have of tattooing a line on their arm for all the people they've killed. It's a badge of honor. And our boy is collecting them whether he wants to or not, even though he is from the more peaceful people. 

Oh, did I mention that the boy CAN touch the girl? Because HIS power is that powers don't work on him! Yes. Very interesting indeed!

So they get help and concoct a plan and it's a crazy plan and wow. 

And then the book ends and it's really not over! AH, where's the next book?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Quotes

 

For the prompt today (Favorite Quotes) I did not go on a theme, but instead just copied and pasted my favorite quotes on my Goodreads profile. LOL! I put these up YEARS ago, but most of them still apply to my feelings today. Go figure! Some of them are bookish, some of them not.  

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  “Sometimes you read a book so special that you want to carry it around with you for months after you've finished just to stay near it.”
  ― Markus Zusak

  
  
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  “You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
  Love like you'll never be hurt,
  Sing like there's nobody listening,
  And live like it's heaven on earth.”
  ― William W. Purkey

  
  

  
  
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  “Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”
  ― Groucho Marx, The Essential Groucho: Writings For By And About Groucho Masrx
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  “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.”
  ― Mark Twain

  
  

  
  
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  “Music is what I always turn to when I'm feeling a certain way. It's my reason for everything.”
  ― Josh Groban
  
  
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  “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”
  ― Allen Saunders
  
  
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  “There's no half-singing in the shower, you're either a rock star or an opera diva”
  ― Josh Groban

  
  

  
  

  
  
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  “Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.”
  ― John Green, An Abundance of Katherines
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  “Saying 'I notice you're a nerd' is like saying, 'Hey, I notice that you'd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you'd rather be thoughtful than be vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan. Why is that?' In fact, it seems to me that most contemporary insults are pretty lame. Even 'lame' is kind of lame. Saying 'You're lame' is like saying 'You walk with a limp.' Yeah, whatever, so does 50 Cent, and he's done all right for himself.”
  ― John Green
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  “He was the crazy one who had painted himself black and defeated the world.
  
  She was the book thief without the words.
  
  Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like rain.”
  ― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Book Review: Lemon Drop Falls by Heather Clark

Book: Lemon Drop Falls by Heather Clark

Genre: MG contemporary

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

We (me and a couple friends) were lucky enough to go the launch of this book awhile back. And I actually picked it up and read (most) of it during the readathon. Proud of myself for not waiting years to actually get to it (See last week's Top Teen Tuesday! LOL!)

This is the story of a girl who's mom died when she was about 11 years old. We go back and forth seeing how things were before, and how things are now.

Before, her mom was very organized, having plans A, B and maybe even C, for everything going on. Our girl had friends and everyone was happy (mostly. There was a little friend struggle beginning.)

After, our girl is stressed out trying to make things run as smoothly as her mom did so her dad won't feel the need to move and change everything about their lives. Her friends have seemed to abandoned her and she is very worried about everything. Her dad decides they need to go on a camping trip, though she feels like how can they do that without her mom.

While on the trip, she decides to do something a little bit crazy and during that moment, she realizes so many things about how she can continue to deal with life without her mom.

The lemon drops refer to a tradition they have in their family to encourage talking out your feelings. Deal with the sour and then you'll get to the sweet. 

So, it's the story of the struggle of our girl dealing with her mom's death and the stress and anxiety that it causes with her and their family. It's sad. But also very beautiful. And so perfectly done. I really loved it.  

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was SO EXCITED to Get, but Still Haven’t Read

 

Today' prompt for Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was SO EXCITED to Get, but Still Haven’t Read was a painful one just because it made me realize YET AGAIN how many books I have sitting around unread! Ah I had such intentions! Why haven't they been ready yet?? Here's just a sampling of ten I quickly found that I truly remember being so excited about. Maybe I should get to them soon? Which one do you suggest I read first? (And I don't know how long these books have been waiting but let me just say YEARS... lots and lots of YEARS!)

Book Review: The Iron Flower by Laurie Forest

Book: The Iron Flower by Laurie Forest

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★

This is the second in this series wherein we continue the story from book one The Black Witch. Our girl Elloren is still at school and still hanging out with the "misfits." But now she is determined to save them. Because her people who rule the land currently, have decided to start rounding up certain races and banning them, or killing them, or otherwise persecuting them. 

So, in other words, she is going against everything she's been taught and totally turning on her people. While at the same time her people think she is next in line to be the Black Witch, or ruler of them all. 

She has a made alliances with several of her friends, and found others who are against what's going on, and together they make up the Resistance. Their first task is to save some of the people... the Fae and the Selkies for starters. Meanwhile, her aunt is determined to have her "wandfasted" (engaged with no going back) to a dude who is NOT part of the Resistance. But if she does agree to marry him, than maybe she can get him to turn and be of help because he is high up in a power position. But that's a big maybe.

Oh my word. There's so much. I can't even summarize properly!

Anyway, it's all very crazy and detailed and there are a ton of characters as is expected in a high fantasy of this sort. And so many types of people and the prejudices everyone has against each other is rampant. I don't know how Elloren is going to fix any of it! But it's a great ride trying to hang on with her while she tries. I'm going to have to finish this series with the next book, aren't I? 

Currently: Post Conference Depression

  

We talk a lot about PCD regarding concerts, but I think it can totally apply to conferences too. Coming back down from a high is always rough, no matter what the thing was that caused it, right? LOL!

Anyway, I think it's about time for another monthly CURRENTLY check in post! 

Listening:

Maybe my favorite song of the week? Not your typical kpop I must say:

 

But also this one. TXT is just killing it for me lately:

 

Watching:

Enjoying yet another season of Survivor! And it's almost over again already!

Halfway through a kdrama called Tomorrow about grim reapers who save people from suicide. Lots and lots of tears with this one. 

 Reading:

Finished Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth for book club this next week. I loved it! Review to come soon...

I can't figure out what to start next. I am overwhelmed with possibilities. 

Writing:

I went to an awesome writers conference this past week (thus the bit of PCD) and learned so much amazing stuff! I hope to ride the wave and get going with things! Before the conference, I spent a lot of time this past week going through edits from beta readers for my high school 80s story. But I really really need to finish the space story. I also need to start a tiktok for writerly things. LOL! That cracks me up.

Blogging:

Still here!

YouTubing:

I put every single BTS song into one 8 minute video. Seriously. For reals. Also, I'm going to start a regular series of vlogging type videos. Just me talking. Awesome, right? Ha. That also cracks me up.

   

  

I have plans to do another non-kpopper series. I have a victim in mind. Stay tuned... WAH! So excited!

Health Watch:

I started keeping track of food again. I've had a couple of days of eating better. And lots of days of not. Why is this so hard? I can't even tell you how bad I hate this.

Misc:

* I went to Las Vegas to see BTS at the huge new Allegiant Stadium on their last day in concert there. It was awesome. Here's our vlog and concert footage of that experience.

* In two weeks I'm driving back to LA to see another group in concert. They are called The Boyz and they are awesome. Here they are being unbearably cute, click if you dare.

* I sent daughter Toto off to Korea to spend the summer with her aunt there. She will have a blast I hope and I will be fine without her here. Right?

* I need to plan another Oregon escape. 

* Our fridge broke so we got a new one.

* Our fence fell down, but we didn't get a new one. Yet.