I rarely read books that are more than 500 pages with the exception of these 900+page books. I highly recommend them.
Middlemarch - George Eliot
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Ana Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Complete Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
I'm still contemplating if I should start reading these 1000+page tomes. I have started and abandoned several times Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. I'll read them when I'm in the right mood.
War And Peace - Leo Tolstoy
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
Clarissa, or The History of A Young Lady - Samuel Richardson
tags: anime, country, electonica, pop, music video, Netflix
from Netflix official site
In this anime visual album, a mysterious driver heads deep into a postapocalyptic hellscape toward a ferocious showdown with two monstrous opponents.
Although I've been listening to country music the past 3 years, I've never heard of Sturgill Simpson until this animation appeared on my Netflix streaming suggestion list in September of this year. Instant like because of the music genre bending and I love his Waylon Jennings voice, anime, electtronica, and bloody revenge stories. I've been watching and sometimes just listening and the video will probably stay on my Netflix list for forever. I turn the subtitles on to read the lyrics while playing.
Track list
1. Ronin
2. Remember to Breathe
3. Sing Along
4. A Good Look
5. Make Art Not Friends
6. Best Clockmaker on Mars
7. All Said and Done
8. Last Man Standing
9. Mercury in Retrograde
10. Fastest Horse in Town
My favorites are 5 and 9. Great tune and lyrics.
Mercury in Retrograde
I got a haircut in Norway When all the weight started pulling me down Smelling like a waterlogged wet dog Ain't no way to travel But as soon as I chopped it all off It just grew back, thick and brown I keep tugging on the thread Hoping it all might come unraveled I keep trying to throw it all away But it comes right back around They come backstage and on my bus Pretending to be my friend Shaking hands behind grandstands All wearing the same old grin Oh, but none of them bother knocking Oh, they all just come on in Asking me what all my songs mean Wonderin' if they're all about them Mercury must be in retrograde again But at least it's not just hangin' around pretendin' to be my friend Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention Living the dream makes a man wanna scream Light a match and burn it all down Head back home to the mountain Far away from the pull Of all the journalists and sycophants wielding their brands And all the traveling trophies and award show stands And all the haters wishing they was in my band Sorry boys, the bus is plumb full Mercury must be in retrograde again But at least it's not just hangin' around pretendin' to be my friend Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention And there's nothing for me outside this hotel room But another letdown, lonely day Tour is almost over, and I'll be home soon And it's all been done two or three times anyway Mercury must be in retrograde again But at least it's not just hangin' around pretendin' to be my friend Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention
tags: amnesia, clairvoyance, short story, thriller
ratings: 3 to 5 stars
from Amazon.com
A Killer Serial
If our memories make us who we are, who is a man without any? Nameless has only a gun, missions from a shadowy agency, and one dead aim: dispense justice when the law fails. As he moves from town to town, driven by splintered visions of the past and future, he's headed toward the ultimate confrontation in this propulsive series of short thrillers by bestselling author Dean Koontz.
The new 6-short story series is available to borrow from Amazon Kindle Prime. Each book is a very short, an hour or maybe less than an hour, read. Nameless is nameless, has amnesia, can see the future (clairvoyant) but has glimpses of the past crimes by the people he is pursuing. He is provided various names by the agency, is given large amount of cash and a different car for each mission which is to hunt down and punish horrific evil people. You want him to succeed each and every time.
tags: assassins, blood and gore, live action graphic novel, thriller
from IMDB
A retiring assassin suddenly finds himself on the receiving end of a hit, contracted by none other than his own employer seeking to cash in on the pensions of aging employees.
This movie has been on my queue for almost a year already but I found the time to watch it only yesterday because I have a million on my list on Netflix and Amazon.
I like the movie a lot. It is one of the bloodiest but having seen many gangster Japanese and Korean movies, I'm neither shocked nor horrified. The "battle" scene in the hallway is very similar to the 2014 Korean movie For The Emperor.
This movie is based on web comics or graphic novel, hence the vivid colors and odd characters. I like the vicious reed-thin female assassin clad in tight leather clothing (remember Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman?) and the always cool and collected elderly secretary of the company boss. Many viewers compare it to John Wick series but I disagree. This movie is more fun and satirical, and really really over the top. Suspension of disbelief is a must when watching. Comparing it to real life is just dumb and you will end up disliking it if you do.
Recommended for fans of action flicks with lots of spilled blood.
One of Agatha Christie’s personal favorites, Endless Night is a critically acclaimed classic crime thriller from the beloved queen of mystery.
When penniless Michael Rogers discovers the beautiful house at Gypsy’s Acre and then meets the heiress Ellie, it seems that all his dreams have come true at once. But he ignores an old woman’s warning of an ancient curse, and evil begins to stir in paradise. As Michael soon learns: Gypsy’s Acre is the place where fatal “accidents” happen.
I'm very disappointed with the books I read this year so I started reading old classics. Two Agatha Christie novels that I've never read before, Endless Night and And Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians) are both very good. I also watched the movie adaptations of both novels. It's difficult to review Endless Night without revealing the plot but I assure you it's a great read and while the ending is not jaw-dropping it is satisfying and the novel is worth reading. BTW, the title is from William Blake's poem Auguries of Innocence Every night and every morn Some to misery are born,
Every morn and every night Some are born to sweet delight. Some are born to sweet delight, Some are born to endless night
Highly recommended for Agatha Christie fans. Movie adaptation streaming on Amazon and Kanopy stars Hayley Mills.
I'm back after a 3-year absence from this blog. As of today, I have finished reading 66 books for this year, all fiction but 1. Half of them are not good at all. It's disheartening to read and rate UGLY my favorite authors' books specifically John le Carré's Agent Running in the Field and Lee Child's Blue Moon (Jack Reacher). IMHO, John le Carré wrote this novelette Agent Running in the Field to rant against President Trump and the US. I knew he always hated the USA but I didn't mind it in his old books. I remember one or two books with short sentences against the Bushes and the Republican Party. He is still my favorite spy novel author regardless. This new book, however, is filled with f-bombs, vitriol, and obscenities against President Trump and Putin. It's as though I was reading leftist rags and Twitter feed and not a spy novel. It also lacks his trademark wry humor. I finished until the end which is anticlimactic. Sad. I hope at his ripe old age of 87, he lets go of his hatred of the USA and writes new excellent spy novels.
Enter the new world of espionage, where the skills forged by generations of spies during the darkest days of the Cold War are put to even more terrifying use. Penetrate the secret world of ruthless arms dealers and drug smugglers who have risen to unthinkable power and wealth. The sinister master of them all is an untouchable Englishman named Roper, the charming, unstoppable ruler of a corrupt world all his own.
Slipping into this maze of peril is a former British soldier, Jonathan Pine, who knows Roper well enough to hate him more than he hates any other man on earth. Now personal vengeance is only part of the reason Pine is willing to help the men at Whitehall bring Roper down.
This is one of Le Carré's books that failed to get my attention in the early 1990s until a week ago when I watched on Amazon streaming the pilot episode of the TV series adaptation (it stars Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine and Hugh Laurie as the worst man in the world, Roper.)
I love this book and is now one of my top favorites by this author, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Honourable Schoolboy being the first and second favorites. IMHO, Le Carré is the best spy fiction writer ever. He can introduce a million characters in the first 2 chapters and I'm able to distinguish them from one another and remember them whenever they appear throughout the novel. That's how good they are written by Le Carré. They all have very distinct voices and personalities. And I get to laugh often at Le Carré's ironic/sarcastic humor.
Jonathan, as most of Le Carré's main protagonists and unlike the movie James Bond character, is flawed like any normal human. Jonathan is a former soldier for the British army, a former cook, and currently a night manager in luxury hotels. His actions as a MI6 spy are surprising (both for the reader and his handlers) and dangerous but he does it for his own redemption, for avenging Sophie's death, and for saving the girl he loves from the clutches of Roper.
Descendants Of The Sun
16 Episodes
February 24 - April 16, 2016, every Wednesday and Thursday night
Tags: action, drama, medical, military, romance
Asianwiki Synopsis Episodes 1 and 2, broadcast February 24 and 25, 2016
Shi-Jin (Song Joong-Ki) is the captain of military special forces. He catches a motorcycle thief with Sergeant Major Dae-Young (Jin Goo). The thief is injured during his capture and is sent to the hospital. Dae-Young realises his cellphone is stolen by the thief and goes to the hospital to retrieve it. In the emergency room, Shi-Jin meets Dr. Mo-Yeon (Song Hye-Kyo) for the first time. He falls in love with her immediately. Mo-Yeon mistakenly assumes Shi-Jin is part of the thief's criminal gang. He proves to her that he is a soldier with the help of an army doctor Myeong-Joo (Kim Ji-Won). Shi-Jin and Mo-Yeon begin to date, but due to their jobs their dates don't go well. Shi-Jin takes an order to lead his soldiers on a peacekeeping mission to the country of Uruk. Meanwhile, Mo-Yeon becomes upset that she fails to become a professor due to a colleague's privileged background. When Shi-Jin and Mo-Yeon meet again, they talk about their views on life and realise how different they are. Shi-Jin, as a soldier, kills to protect lives and Mo-Yeon, as a doctor, tries to save all lives. They say their goodbyes. Eight months later, Mo-Yeon rebuffs the sexual advances of hospital chairman and as retribution is assigned to lead a medical team in Uruk. There, Shi-Jin and Mo-Yeon meet again.
Two episodes in and I'm already hooked. Besides having two of the most beautiful actors in Korean movies and TV dramas, it also has lots of action and martial arts fight scenes. I've watched the first 2 episodes twice already while waiting for the next 2 episodes. Song Joong-Ki is one of my current favorite Korean actors. He stars in the Korean fantasy sci-fi drama movie, A Werewolf Boy, DVD available from Netflix.
Come Back, Mister
16 Episodes
February 24 - April 16, 2016, every Wednesday and Thursday night
tags: comedy, drama, fantasy, revenge, romance
Synopsis
2 men die suddenly. One is an ordinary looking family man with a wife and child. He works hard almost to death but an unfortunate accident does him in. The other man is an unmarried chef and a toughie. He gets into a car accident but is actually murdered. Both take the train bound for heaven but the salary man feels he is not ready to die yet just like the character in Heaven Can Wait, and jumps off of the train along with the toughie. They are both given a chance to stay temporarily on earth to attend to unfinished business. The married man is given the body of his opposite - a tall, buff, and handsome young man played by Rain/Bi/Jung Ji-Hoon (Ninja Assassin). The chef/tough guy is given the body of a beautiful woman.
Rain is a very famous Korean idol and actor but I never was into him. I've seen him in several movies though and find him a good actor but I don't consider him cute or handsome. He's okay in this Kdrama but I'm watching because of the 3 female leads.
espionage, mystery, thriller