Silverview

tags: mystery, spies, thriller

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From GoodReads

In his last completed novel, John le Carré turns his focus to the world that occupied his writing for the past sixty years—the secret world itself.

Julian Lawndsley has renounced his high-flying job in the city for a simpler life running a bookshop in a small English seaside town. But only a couple of months into his new career, Julian’s evening is disrupted by a visitor. Edward, a Polish émigré living in Silverview, the big house on the edge of town, seems to know a lot about Julian’s family and is rather too interested in the inner workings of his modest new enterprise.

When a letter turns up at the door of a spy chief in London warning him of a dangerous leak, the investigations lead him to this quiet town by the sea . . .

Silverview is the mesmerizing story of an encounter between innocence and experience and between public duty and private morals. In his inimitable voice John le Carré, the greatest chronicler of our age, seeks to answer the question of what we truly owe to the people we love.

Silverview is the last novel by John le Carré published in 2021. I can tell that the book was written many years before he died in December 2020. The book is very short, a novelette, but packed with espionage mystery that has a distinct le Carré voice and style. I hated Agent Running In The Field so I was wary that Silverview might be the same. Thankfully, it is not and I loved it!

Highly recommended for John le Carré fans. 

Warriors Of God

tags: fantasy, historical fiction, Polish, religious wars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From GoodReads

WARRIORS OF GOD, the second volume of the Hussite Trilogy by Andrzej Sapkowski, author of the bestselling Witcher series, depicts the adventures of Reynevan and his friends in the years 1427 to 1428 as war erupts across Europe.

Reynevan begins by hiding away in Bohemia but soon leaves for Silesia, where he carries out dangerous, secret missions entrusted to him by the leaders of the Hussite religion. At the same time he strives to avenge the death of his brother and discover the whereabouts of his beloved. Once again pursued by multiple enemies, Reynevan is constantly getting into and out of trouble.

Sapkowski's deftly written novel delivers gripping action full of numerous twists and mysteries, seasoned with elements of magic and Sapkowski's ever-present - and occasionally bawdy - sense of humour. Fans of the Witcher will appreciate the rich panorama of this slice of the Middle Ages.

There is no shortage of dead bodies in this bloodier second volume of The Hussite Trilogy. The book has more magic, witchcraft, shapeshifting, and dark humor. Most interesting is the almost complete revelation of the true nature of my favorite character, the half-wit looking giant, Samson Honeypot.

Space Trilogy

tags: Christian, fantasy, philosophy, science fiction-ish 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From Goodreads

The Cosmic Trilogy (The Space Trilogy) relates the interplanetary travels of Ransom, C.S. Lewis's ill-informed and terrified victim who leaves Earth much against his will and who, in the first book of the trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, published by the Bodley Head in 1938, encounters the imaginary and delightful world of Macalandra.

In the second book, Perelandra (1943), Ransom is transported to a world of sweet smells and delicious tastes, a new Garden of Eden in which is enacted, with a difference, the story of Temptation.

That Hideous Strength (1945) completes the trilogy and finds Dr Ransom returned from his travels in space and living in an English university town - where the Senior Common Room is given a mysterious depth, a more than earthly dimension which such things, in the author's view, always have in life.

The Trilogy should be required reading for all specially High School students, IMHO, for the message. The books are not really science fiction but more about deep ideas. I like that C. S. Lewis is never preachy and tells a great story that will make the reader think. 

Highly recommended. 

Zombie Movies

My all-time favorite zombie movies

Versus starring Tak Sakaguchi

action, comedy, martial arts, Yakuza

Dead Snow

action, comedy, Nazi zombies

Shaun of the Dead

comedy

28 Days Later

drama

Train to Busan

drama, Korean movie

Kingdom

historical drama series, Korean, Netflix streaming

#Alive

Korean movie, Netflix streaming

The Evil Dead

the 80s 

Aimee Mann and Susanna Hoffs

 

Aimee Mann has a new album Queens of the Summer Hotel. Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles also has a new album Bright Lights and one of the songs, a cover of a Badfinger song Name of the Game, features Aimee Mann. Great cover from two great musicianss. Both albums can be downloaded from Freegal.

I can't believe Aimee Mann is over 60 years old and she still sounds amazing. I read that she suffered a neurological disorder last year that distorted the way she heard music including her own. As a result she can only listen to Steely Dan songs. She said in an interview

Steely Dan's music have an enormous amount of feeling. The characters are sad, and pathetic, and despairing, and drug addicts, mostly involved in these terrible dead-end relationships. What's not to like? I feel like people have a serious damage and then I always relate to that.

Aimee always has a dark sense of humor IMHO. I own all of her solo and 'Til Tuesday albums, Bachelor No. 2 is still my favorite.

Jirisan

Jirisan

16 90+ minute episodes

Saturdays and Sundays starting on October 23, 2021

with Gianna Jun and Ju Ji-Hoon

tags: action, drama, fantasy, folklore, Korean, mystery, supernatural

Jirisan is a Korean action drama series about mountain rangers at Jiri Mountain National Park. Seo Yi-Gang (Gianna Jun) is the best ranger who knows virtually everything about the area at Jiri Mountain National Park including where to climb the mountain. Kang Hyun-Jo (Ju Ji-Hoon) is a rookie ranger who graduated from the military academy and was once an army captain. They become partners in rescuing hikers who get lost around Jiri Mountain National Park.

I've seen the first episode and I loved it already including the OST by Jin of BTS. This is high-octane action drama with superb cinematography, even the CGI, and top-notch cast. Clairvoyant newbie Kang Hyun-Jo isn't given time to change clothes nor brief orientation and dives right into action. 

The Great British Baking Show

The 9th season of Great British Baking Show's first episode started streaming today with new bakers. Something to look forward to on Fridays. The show opened with the judges and hosts wearing tacky Billy Ray Cyrus mullet wigs and singing their baking version of Achy Breaky Heart. Prue is even wearing moustache and cowboy hat. So. Much. Cheese. I like it.

You can have your fun

Make brownies by the ton

You can fill your donuts up with jam

You can ice your bun

And then when you are done

You can load your quiche with cheese and ham

You can do a choux

And then whip up a roux

Then produce a few nice cookies you can chew

You can sit and watch the muffins rise

You can make a cream puff and some pies

But don't bake my tart

My flaky pastry tart

I just don't think you understand

You'll over bake my tart

And that will break my heart

And then you'll never shake my hand...

My favorite baketestants so far are the funny Lizzie and the pretty Crystelle. I don't care if they are not the best bakers in the first episode. Lizzie and Crystelle have bright sunny personality and I hope they don't get eliminated quickly. Not only do Lizzie and Noel have matching pink smiley clothing, they have matching sense of humor and are very entertaining together.

Noel and Lizzie wearing matching clothes with pink smiley design

Jaguar

Jaguar

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

6 episodes

tags: 1960s, action, Nazi survivors, Netflix streaming, revenge, Spanish series, thriller

From IMDB

In the 1960s, Spain became a home to hundreds of survivors of the Mauthausen camp. Isabel, a young Spanish woman, is one of them. She is looking for Skorzeny, Europe's most dangerous man, but she is not alone.

Jaguar is a highly entertaining and binge worthy 6 episodes European Spanish thriller series set in the 1960s about a group of Nazi survivors trying to capture, shame, and punish Nazis sneaking into Spain and other European cities. The lead female actress Blanca Suarez as the title character Jaguar is enough reason for me to watch when the series started streaming yesterday. I first saw Blanca when she was just 18 years old together with Ana de Armas who was 19 in the 2007 Spanish melodrama El Internado. 

Highly recommended. Watch in European Spanish with English subtitles.

My Favorite Korean Dramas 2021

South Korean dramas last year and this year created several family oriented and clean fun with very little romance or none at all. They are currently the favorites of viewers from around the globe, not just South Korea. I made a short list of my favorites so far and 2 are family friendly. All the series were broadcast in 2021.

1.Racket Boys

Netflix streaming

16 episodes, 60 - 65 minutes

My number 1 favorite drama is family and friends oriented, funny, has well developed characters, there are no lingering and annoying villains, the very young and very old people become close friends and are almost equally represented. A heart warming dramedy with plenty of humor and cheese [but in a good way]. The badminton games are surprisingly enjoyable and exciting as though the competitions are real. All the actors are excellent specially the teen boys and girls. I will surely binge watch the series again.

even when the much-awaited wi-fi was finally working at the house, the racket boys and girls prefer to hang out at neighbor grandma's house to enjoy her company and yummy food

2. Move To Heaven

Streaming on Netflix

10 Episodes

Based on the writings of a real person who cleaned up what the deceased left behind, excellent script and character development, great story telling, superb acting, no boring romance. Each story will probably make you cry, make sure there's a box of tissues nearby.

Geu-Ru is a 20 year old young man with Asperger's syndrome. He works in his father’s company, Move To Heaven, sorting out items left by the deceased. One day, Geu-Ru's own father dies and he is left alone but his father left a will assigning an unknown "uncle" Sang-Gu to be Geu-Ru's guardian. Sang-Gu is a bitter and cold man, a former martial artist who fought in underground matches. He went to prison because of a tragic incident during one of his fights. They run Move To Heaven together with the help of a teenage female friend and neighbor of Geu-Ru.

3. Hospital Playlist Season 2

streaming on Netflix

12 episodes, 80 - 90 minutes

I am not a fan of hospital dramas but this one is different. It is also about friendship, a little romantic relationships, and family. The "band" sings at end of each episode. It's an ongoing joke that the lone female doctor always sings out of tune and is hopeless.

"Wise Doctor Life" depicts the stories of doctors, nurses, and patients at a hospital. 5 doctors all entered the same medical university in 1999. They are friends since and now work together in the same hospital.

Closet Disco Queen

I've never heard of this group. The name of the band Closet Disco Queen joined by another band with a cute "cheesy" name The Flying Raclette plus the title of their new album, Omelette du Fromage, made me look, listen, and download from Freegal music. Not bad; I like.