Back from NYC

Well after returning from NYC - the weather was lovely thank God so that I have had ample time to sit in the parks, people watch, read etc. The only downer was that I couldn't find any Korean drama dvds but then again that's why internet is here no?

First of all the books since I have hit jack pot in NYC

Mystic River Amazing read. Loved it from the beginning to the end.
One Day This one is a total gem of a book. I can't believe I have waited so long to read this. The characters are my age group so everything about it felt really familiar.
The Help I understand why this book was so popular since it is a very easy and decent read. What hurts it is to be compared to To Kill A Mockingbird. They are not even in the same galaxy, let alone the same planet (whether it is the quality of the prose or handling the issues). But it is a decent book and a definitely good holiday read.
Currently reading
Kushiel's Dart  I first read about this book in a negative review (the reviewer was mad that the heroine was a maschoist) so obviously I was very interested. What I have found instead of trashy S&M scenes is a slightly above average fantasy novel. It is nowhere as good as Game of Thrones but not really bad enough for me to stop reading.

Sex & The City - Season 4 Eps1-6

I can never get enough of Sex and The City and it is one of the best written shows out there. Even after many years it doesn't get old. To think that this is written by a man (gay or not he is a man) is amazing. Anyway I really like this one because we get to see Carrie insisting on getting back to Aidan. And at the end of last episode we see Aidan slowly getting warm to the idea.

Thirst for Love is going great too. Yukio Mishima is a master, indeed I think this word is just right to describe his prose.

Lincoln Lawyer

Lincoln Lawyer suprised me by how much I liked it. Michael Connoly does not interest me as a writer anymore and I find his stories predictable (this one didn't suprise me in that regard). Matthew McConaeghy was really good and I liked the close up shots on the faces of the actors - who looked like real people, wrinkles and all-.

Otherwise this weekend was all about vegging out in front of TV.

Karei naru Ichizoku - End

This show was so good at the end, sad ending but a good one nonetheless. I'd never guess Teppei would commit suicide. I felt so very sad, all his dreams crushed and he selfishly left his son without a father. I cried and cried and cried. Why do good drama characters die on me recently? At least Dong Chol didn't commit suicide...

Also even though I have suspected the twist, Teppei being the real son of Daisuke, it hit me hard nevertheless. Daisuke wasted his and his sons' lives over a meaningless revenge and furthermore acted in a very bad business sense. Evil Daisuke but the actor came through in the end. His tears looked so sincere.

Also Kimu Taku gave us a 'single tear' and I love it. All in all this show turned out to be one that got under my skin without me realising it. I love it when a drama does that.

Karei Nou Ichizokou - Eps - 6-7, Middlemarch- End, Thirst for Love

Well the secret is out now and poor Teppei has to go through a lot. Apparently he was in a long relationship with his sister, luckily he has already turned her down when she wanted to renew their affair. One of the perks of being a good guy. And how evil is Teppei's read dad? Seriously raping his own daughter and furthermore letting his son in law know about it? His reg.dad is not a bouquet of roses and also perverted but this sort of incest and rape is beyon belief. And despite the fact that I try not to judge, how can Teppei's mother live with herself I wonder. Staying in the same house and eating at the same table with the men who raped her and repeatedly cheated on her. I wonder if it is just the money and comfort. If so then this character is just as bad as the villians. She is not just a victim but causes her children to be victims as well.

Kimu Taku is wonderful as Teppei. There is a scene where he tries not to cry and manages but his eyes are full with tears which do not fall and that scenes is so beautiful that I'd have probably liked him there and then even if I haven't long fallen into his charms.

Middlemarch has ended and I actually cried. This is suprising since the book is not one I liked. The prose and the editing are not very good but I liked the way the characters are drawn and "angel" character is my Achilles heel in fiction. Here Dorothea and Mary were both angels and I was impressed by their strength. All in all I don't think I'll revisit this one soon.

I have started Yukio Mishima's Thirst for Love and my thirst for good prose is finally satiated. The man is a master and I wish I could read Japanese in order to fully appreciate his talent but as reader's know, talent has a way of shining through in every language. I don't like the protagonist of Thirst for Love but everything is told so beautifully that I do enjoy this book A LOT better than Middlemarch.

Karei naru Ichizoku - Eps 1-5

I have started this Japanese drama Karei naru Ichizoku (The Wealthy Family) only because I'm very fond of Takuya Kimura and am suprised this is a rather large production, period drama with many actors in the cast.
I have of course guessed the horrible secret (stayed away from spoilers but I think Teppei's maternal grandfather is actually his father - incest in the family). Manpyo family is not really very happy or morally sound. Daddy Manpyo's mistress lives in the same house and sometimes they even have a threesome. The elder sister is married to an opportunist who doesn't have any scruples, the younger brother is a man resigned to his fate (with an ever present cigarette in his hand, this character can actually work in advertisements to quit smoking), younger sister is in love with someone who is beneath her social standing (well I think the poor thing deserves a good man and a decent family despite not being as rich) and Teppei, our hero, is a decent human being who had to give up his only love due to the Mistress machinations and only found this fact after seven years. He married according to his connections and to benefit his family but he is a loving husband and father nevertheless. I actually do not like the female actor who plays his wife (the same one who was in Boku Dake Madonna or something) but thankfully she is not a prominent character in this rather large cast. Teppei, an engineer who can actually invent stuff wants to advance his grandfather's steel company that is a significant part of Manpyo Conglomarate. Daddy Manpyo cares most about the bank though and is not above hurting and backstabbning people to make the bank survive from a post war financial reconstruction. Well that big secret is pretty easy to guess (well I'm hoping I'm not wrong, the grandpa in oil paintings is an old version Kimu Taku and the family is so degenerate) but I do want Teppei to succeed since he is very loyal and honest. Kimura is excellent in here. Every facial expression spot on and his eyes speak volumes. I also love his voice.

Meanwhile Middlemarch suddenly became interesting halfway - there is blackmail, disgusting secrets, marriage troubles due to selfishness of one party (that Rosamund is so stupid, Lydgate made a mistake by marrying him) and star crossed lovers. I do like Dorothea - I think I'm meant to-. George Elliot is no Jane Austen but the book ceased to be boring now and even though I'll not seek more of her books in near future, I'm happier with this one now.