The 60s

My favorite song of the 1960s - Repent Walpurgis by Procol Harum.

The Influencer

tags: influencers, Korean, Netflix, reality show 

I was curious so I watched and was utterly surprised when Jang Keun-suk came out as one of the influencer "contestants". What???!!! Well, he's one of my original idols so I watched the first 4 episodes. I'll tune in next Tuesday and if he is there I'll continue watching. If he gets eliminated, then bye bye tv show. Jang Keun Suk is the only reason to watch this reality show. 

The first Korean drama with Sukki I watched was Beethoven Virus in 2008 or 2009. 15 years ago when he was just 21 years old. He's now 37, has gained a few pounds, but still cute. He stopped making dramas for a long long time and he is no longer as popular in Korea.

I even bought his music album, Just Crazy. All the songs are in Japanese. He had tons of Japanese fans but I'm not sure if he still is in demand in Japan.

 

Hillbilly Elegy

tags: JD Vance, memoir

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From Goodreads

From a former marine and Yale Law School graduate now serving as a U.S. Senator from Ohio and the Republican Vice Presidential candidate for the 2024 election, an incisive account of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town that offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class.

Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for more than forty years, has been reported with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.

The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.’s grandparents were “dirt poor and in love,” and moved north from Kentucky’s Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually one of their grandchildren would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of success in achieving generational upward mobility.

But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that J.D.'s grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and, most of all, his mother struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, never fully escaping the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. With piercing honesty, Vance shows how he himself still carries around the demons of his chaotic family history.

A deeply moving memoir, with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.

I had no idea this memoir was written by JD Vance. I borrowed it from our library as soon as he was chosen by President Trump. I finished the book in one day. I did not have a rough childhood to identify with his but the narrative is so riveting and heartbreaking for a child to experience so much trauma and to end up a winner in life. He wrote the book not to have a pity party but to tell his readers that nothing is impossible if someone thinks positively and perseveres, and has the good luck of having loving and supportive family - grandparents. an older sister, aunt and uncle.

His childhood was unbelievably chaotic with his mother being an alcoholic and addicted to drugs and men. His mother married 3 times and had many boyfriends after he was born that he had a hard time having a male father figure to look up to because of the revolving door of men. His grandparents therefore became his guide to life, specially his grandmother whom he calls Mamaw. She was a larger than life character, as if she came out of a fiction writer's book. She was fierce, argumentative and prone to physical fights, but was loving and loyal to his family specially his 2 older grandchildren.

JD's father was his mom's second husband. They divorced and the father gave him up for adoption to the third husband. JD as a small child changed his name from James Donald Bowman to James David Hamel, the surname of his stepfather and his mom's third husband but unfortunately also divorced and left his mother, never to be seen again. To avoid having to explain why he has the surname of the man who is not his biological father but is not present in his life, he changed his surname to the one constant surname, his grandfather and mother's surname, Vance. Poor kid. He officilaly changed his surname to Vance in 2013 to honor his grandparents.

He didn't get good grades in Elementary nor in High School but he was determined to go to college. He was encouraged by his sister or aunt, if I remember correctly, to sign up for the marines where he spent 4 years. He enrolled at Ohio State University for his undergraduate degree. He worked hard to get the degree faster because as a 24 year old freshman, he felt he was much much older than his classmates. He worked 2 jobs while in school and even spent sometime in the hospital for overworking himself. He graduated Summa Cum Laude then applied to Yale. He didn't have any help from anyone but was accepted. At Yale, he was encouraged by his freshman professor, Amy Chua, to write this memoir. [Amy Chua is the famous or maybe infamous author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.]

He never mentioned politics nor his political leanings although he briefly mentioned that his Mamaw was a Democrat and only voted Republican just once in her life, for Ronald Reagan.

Highly Recommended. Keep an open mind and don't insert politics because there is none in this memoir although he cited Clinton and Obama, positively.

***********************************************************************************

I have heard of Senator Vance when he was endorsed by President Trump. JD Vance didn't like candidate Trump in 2016 and he voted for another candidate. Yes, he was a NeverTrumper and said negative things about President Trump because he didn't know him and he was probably convinced by the lying main stream media about President Trump. He obviously changed his mind after 2 years of President Trump in office when he saw the economy growing, fairer trading with other nations, increased employment and wealth for minority citizens (not illegal invaders) specially Blacks and Hispanics, tough in dealing with foreign nations sucking on USA teats, negotiateddiplomatic relations between Arab countries and Israel, and NO WARS throughout his 4 years in office. When President Trump chose him to be his vice presidential candidate, conservatives who didn't know much about Vance were divided. We either like or don't like Vance. After reading the book, I am on the LIKE list. He is a genuine person who loves his country.

The Genome

tags: mystery, parody-ish, Russian, sci-fi, 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Genome" is a new science fiction thriller by the author of the bestselling Night Watch series.

Five months after the horrific accident that left him near death and worried that he’d never fly again, master-pilot Alex Romanov lands a new job: captaining the sleek passenger vessel Mirror. Alex is a spesh—a human who has been genetically modified to perform particular tasks. As a captain and pilot, Alex has a genetic imperative to care for passengers and crew—no matter what the cost.

His first mission aboard Mirror is to ferry two representatives of the alien race Zzygou on a tour of human worlds. His task will not be an easy one, for aboard the craft are several speshes who have reason to hate the Others. Dark pasts, deadly secrets, and a stolen gel-crystal worth more than Alex’s entire ship combine to challenge him at every turn. And as the tension escalates, it becomes apparent that greater forces are at work to bring the captain’s world crashing down.

According to Goodreads readers, the author included a coded message that the novel is supposed to be a parody of space operas. My copy of the book doesn't have it. Maybe the author removed it, I'm not sure.

The odd characters, the good story, and the humor made me think it is sort of a parody. The murder mystery is very interesting. I enjoyed the book very much. Highly recommended.

The book is written by the author of Night Watch Series.

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Impeached

Arrested

Convicted

Shot

Still standing

President Trump 2024

Pray for and God bless the GOAT, President Trump, the savior of our great country. 

Fight Fight Fight the true enemies of our Republic - the demonrats, globalists, fascists, socialists, commies, demonrat controlled media, ignorant robots voting for demonrats, pedo Hollywood denizens- all advocating for assassinating President Trump.

Violence always comes from the demonrats and the left

Fact check: Democrats are the ones calling for violence or physical confrontations❗️❗️ pic.twitter.com/RVetbNlbWY

— ͏͏͏𝐉𝐚𝐲 2.0 (@JayMaga47) September 3, 2022

Kindle First Reads For August 2024

Amazon Prime is giving 2 free books for August Kindle First Reads. I rarely download First Reads anymore becaue I always get disappointed at the quality of writing and the stories. I dared to download 2 books hoping for the best.

tags: friendship, motherhood, mystery

⭐⭐⭐⭐

From Goodreads

In a funny and suspenseful debut, Christine Gunderson explores the myth of the perfect mother, the bonds of female friendship, and the haunting impact of secrets.

What you see isn’t always what you get.

Take Ainsley. The gorgeous mother of two lives a picture-perfect life with her husband, Ben—aspiring politician and heir to a candy fortune—in suburban Washington, DC. But in reality, Ainsley has no idea what she’s doing and is terrified someone will figure out who she really is and where she came from.

Nikki’s fighting to keep afloat as a stay-at-home mother of four, subsisting on chicken nuggets and very little sleep. She’s a mess on the outside, and inside yearns for the validation—and the paycheck—of the television news career she left behind.

When a dangerous figure from Ainsley’s past becomes a coach at her kids’ school, she fears the worst and confides in Nikki, spilling every detail of her former life.

Together, they devise a plan to expose the coach and safeguard their kids. But can they protect their own lives—and their new friendship—in the process?

Two women who are unlikely to be friends team up to protect young girls from a pervy predator in his mid 50s. Both are stay at home moms, one is super rich, Ainsley, and the other is Nikki, a sort of a scatter brain because she has 4 small children, 5 year old twin girls, a 2 year old boy who pretends to be a tiny Luke Skywalker, and a 2 month old baby boy, so I understand her a little bit. Nikki provides the humor and there are lots of funny passages mainly from her. Sometimes it's much too much but I prefer it rather than excessive cussing and mindless sex in a novel. 

The book is a 3 star novel IMHO but I gave it a bonus star for Ainsley choosing Persuasion as her favorite Jane Austen novel. 👍📙

tags: DNF, fantasy, gumiho, Korean folktale, mystery, romance

From Goodreads

An enemy on her tails, an innocent at her side, and a dangerous power within her that could destroy them all.

Jayci Lee melds Korean folklore with modern Americana in this fiery new series.

In a race to stop an ancient evil from destroying the worlds as they know them, Sunny comes to a startling, heartbreaking if she chooses love—everything will burn.

Sunny Cho aspires to be the dullest, least interesting person in any given room, which can be challenging for a nine-tailed fox spirit. So she drifts from city to city—staying clear of any and all attachment—and keeps her fox buried deep inside her. It is better this way. She would rather live as half of herself than risk losing control of her terrible powers.

Ethan Lee, a friend she left behind eight years ago, is a brilliant and distractingly hot PI. When he tracks her down and asks her to help him find his brother’s murderer, Sunny knows her uneventful life is about to be turned upside down.

Traversing the mortal realm and the world of gods, Sunny and Ethan discover their quest is much more dire than mere vengeance, and their friendship might be…more.

An ancient evil is stirring, and Sunny is faced with an impossible save the worlds from annihilation or claim the love fated by the heavens.

I am a Korean drama addict - action, dramedy, fantasy, historical fiction, slasher, thriller. When I read the synopsis, I was already choosing the Korean actors to play in my mind while reading, the male and female leads (Park Bo-gum and Kim Yu-jung).

Unfortunately, the novel is written in the first person present tense (FPPrT). I went ahead and downloaded, thinking I might be able to tolerate it.

I'm sorry but I couldn't continue reading. I can't explain why I am allergic to FPPrT format. I read 6% before giving up. In other words - DNF (Did Not Finish).

Back to watching Korean dramas. 

Celebrate Independence Day

Savannah GA Waterfront

 Happy Independence Day! 

Final Witness

tags: mystery-crime

⭐⭐⭐

From Goodreads

One summer night, two men break into an isolated manor house and kill Lady Anne Robinson. Her son, Thomas, convinces the police that his father’s beautiful personal assistant sent the killers, but Thomas is known for his overactive imagination, and he has reasons to lie.

Thomas’s father, Sir Peter Robinson, the British minister of defense, refuses to believe his son. Instead, he marries his assistant, Greta Grahame, and will be giving evidence for the defense at her trial. He will be the final witness.

Author Simon Tolkien successfully combines legal suspense and psychological tension in this sharply etched portrait of four people whose lives are changed by a murder. Alternating between the trial in London’s Central Criminal Court and private moments among the characters, Tolkien expertly describes the art of the trial, the clash between Britain’s social classes, and, most notably, the complexity of family relations. Who is telling the truth—the new wife or the bereaved son? What will Sir Peter tell the court? With tantalizing ambiguity, Tolkien keeps readers guessing about the true motivations of these characters until the final witness.

We moved to a new house and I found a hard copy of this book while putting back books in shelves. No one in my house claimed ownership of the book. I certainly did not buy it because I hardly buy hard covers anymore. I have gotten used to reading Kindle books although I have both hard and ebook copies of my favorites.

I like the book. It is not the best but a quick read and satisfying murder mystery and courtroom drama. 

Eric

tags: drama, Netflix series

⭐⭐

Vincent is a puppeteer in 1980s New York whose nine-year-old son, Edgar, has gone missing. Vincent's increasingly volatile behavior alienates him from his friends and family.

After issues with substance abuse, Vincent becomes convinced that he can reunite with Edgar with the help of his seven-foot-tall puppet, Eric.

Oh boy. What a disaster this series is. Almost all the characters are unlikeable except maybe for the homeless young Black man who is befriended by the missing child.. 

It is a mishmash of dysfunctional family, racial issues, corrupt police, gay people hiding their sexuality, pedophilia, the usual rich snobby parents, and annoying puppets. 

Benedict is maybe a good actor but he can only do so much with a stupid story and script. His character is an alcoholic, does drugs, constantly quarrels with his wife, and sometimes ignores his child. 

I wasted 6 hours on this series. Not recommended. 

Night Watch Series

tags: magicians, sorcerers, Russian book series, shape shifters, thriller, urban fantasy, vampires

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

from Amazon  

Ignite your imagination with this immersive fantasy read!

"Like Tolkien getting mugged in a Moscow back alley by John Le Carre." —Bleeding Cool

The explosive first installment in Sergei Lukyanenko's visionary and internationally bestselling Night Watch series—an inventive blend of atmospheric urban fantasy and riveting spy thriller set in contemporary Moscow.

The Night Watch series tells the story of the Others, an ancient race of magicians, shape-shifters, vampires, and other supernatural beings that live among us, and swear allegiance to either the powers of Darkness or the forces of Light.

For the past 1000 years, the two sides have been locked in an uneasy truce, keeping their powers in balance as each side secretly plots to take the advantage for themselves. The forces of the Light tasked with keeping the Dark Others in check are the Night Watch.

Night Watch features Anton Gorodetsky, a mid-level Light magician, who during his first field assignment, stumbles upon a cursed young woman—an Other of tremendous potential power who has yet to choose between Light and Darkness. As the two sides prepare for battle, Anton discovers that their destinies are closely intertwined, and the slightest wrong move could cause the destruction of Moscow, or even the world.

The first story of the novel, Destiny, was made into a successful Russian film, Night Watch, which, although keeping the characters and many of the events of the original novel, alters some significant elements of the story.

6 books in the series, available on Kindle

Night Watch

Day Watch

Twilight Watch (also known as Dusk Watch)

Last Watch (also known as Final Watch)

New Watch

Sixth Watch

****************************************************************************

I saw the movies first before reading the books. I love the movies but I love the books more.

Read the synopses of the books here