30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 12: a book I love and hate at the same time – I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS by Iain Reid
This is a mystery/thriller about a woman who’s on a road trip with her boyfriend to visit his family who lives in a rural area. It’s written in first-person perspective with our female character as the unreliable narrator. There’s a snowstorm that gets worse and worse as the day goes on. The couple arrives at the boyfriend’s parents’ house, eats dinner together, and leaves the house late that same night because our female character grows uncomfortable with the whole thing. It’s all fine and good until the couple gets back on the road to return home. I can’t say anymore because it would be a spoiler. The reason why I love and hate this book at the same time all boiled down to the ending. The writing is so good and so successful in building up the anticipation and the creepy, tense atmosphere. I was confused and scared as I followed the woman on this journey, in the middle of a snow storm. I began to question her sanity, but in like a good and interesting way. But the freaking ending feels so mediocre and so cliche to me. It’s such a trope to end things like that, and maybe the author could make it work in the novel’s favor, somehow? As it is, I hate that the novel’s potential is wasted in the last COUPLE OF PAGES. Now, don’t let my personal opinion dissuade you from reading this. It’s still a solid read, especially if you haven’t read a lot of thriller/mystery before. A lot of peeps I know loved the ending, so I think I might be in the minority on this.
Netflix has made a movie adaptation of this book and it’s set to be released on September 4th for US folks, so maybe give it a shot. I know I will watch it, even if I might pull my hair out at the end. :3
A DRAMA A DAY CHALLENGE @purplesheesh
DAY 10: slice of life – LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
This family drama is the first K-drama I watched that has such a beautiful portrayal of a gay couple. The family dynamics are wonderful and full of love. I enjoyed watching all the different plot lines. There’s our same-sex couple and their struggles with coming out and how that affect their relationships with their families, there’s an uncle who meets the match of his life in his strong-headed but messy boss, there are the younger siblings and their journeys to find their own SO, and the matriarch of the family who juggles her career as a chef with running the family’s inn and dealing with all the interpersonal dramas that pop up. I think in one of the recaps/reviews I read, the author pointed out that each episode opened with a shot of a clear morning sky, marking a new day, as a way to suggest that life continues to move forward and there’s clear sky ahead after a storm. I just think that’s a beautiful way to look at this drama – even though there are difficult times, you can overcome that with your loved ones by your side.
So pleased to see it mentioned here. The parents are the same parents from Father is Strange but my love for Life is Beautiful is several notches higher for all the reasons you mentioned. I remember watching two or three episodes every week and it was my weekly healing/soothing dose. The coming out of the gay son and the responses from individual family members especially the Mom are so heart wrenching. And how I love the two uncles – one is a lazy bum while the other is a career man whose late age romance is another highlight of the drama.
My weekly meeting with this family over several months make them stay in my heart for a long, long time. It epitomises what family love is about.
Yay! I love every family member! Except Kyung-soo’s mom who’s deadset on getting him to leave Tae-sub and return to his “normal” life. urg. But the conversation between Kyung-soo’s mom and Tea-sub’s mom is one of the best moments in the drama for me! So good!
A DRAMA A DAY challenge @purplesheesh
DAY 9: school – NOBODY KNOWS
I know I cheated. But honestly, I haven’t watched a single school-centric drama in a very long time. While I do look at the ones I did watch fondly with nostalgia, I don’t love any of them. NOBODY KNOWS kind of involves a school setting and the adorable ducklings who are students, so it works! I absolutely loved this drama to pieces. It has all the components of good storytelling, all done with a strong and layered female character as the lead! Kim Seo-hyung’s performance is amazing and flawless. I love her budding romance with Ryu Deok-hwan.
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 11: a book I hated – DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch
I don’t think I hated this book so much as I disliked it, with a tad more intensity than others, because of its mediocrity and problematic portrayal (stereotypical) descriptions of its only prominent female character. The book is about this professor who was on his way home one night and was violently kidnapped. When he woke up, his life as he knew it disappeared – his house, his wife and kid, all gone. The premise sounded to interesting to me and picked it up thinking it would be a mind-bending sci-fi, but what I got was a mediocre story with some physics ~sprinkled~ in and a heavy dosage of female-character-as-a-disposable-prop treatment. The concept of the book was interesting, but I find the execution lacking. Also, the writing is very very basic. It read like a boring and predictable action movie script. To borrow Kang-tae’s phrase, this book is like an empty can but without any hope of redemption. (Wow, maybe I do hate this book.)
My list of top 10 dramas in the comment, because I still don\’t know how to make longer posts here. oops. :3 Click to see how ~compatible~ our drama tastes are!!
10% – Forest of Secrets
10% – Life
10% – Hyena
10% – Life on Mars
10% – It’s Ok to Not Be Ok
10% – Nobody Knows
10% – Just Between Lovers
10% – The Crowned Clown
10% – Life is Beautiful
10% – The Fiery Priest
Honorable Mentions: Chief Kim, The King 2 Hearts, Queen In-hyun’s Man, Trap, and My Girlfriend is a Gumiho.
The popular dramas lots of folks loved like My Ahjussi, Miseang, SKY Castle, Signal aren’t on this list because I haven’t watched them yet. :X I’m interested, but I don’t think I’m in the right mindset to watch any of them yet.
To make longer posts, type it out onto somewhere different (Microsoft Word, Note, etc.), highlight it, Use your mouse to right click “Copy”, go to your Fan Wall, right click “Paste”, then post
Only 20% but, that’s probably because I haven’t seen the rest including your honorable mentions! I’m sure it would be higher if I had 🙂
Regarding posting longer comments, you can type it in a separate location and copy/paste it into DB. Just make sure you right click and then select paste because if you use the keyboard shortcut it doesn’t work.
Woot woot! Pls do give some of these dramas a watch~~ 🙂
Thank you for the tip! I have been using the keyboard shortcut by habits. Wow gotta try this soon!
To make longer posts, type up your post somewhere else (google docs, word, notes, even random DB comment boxes), copy, and paste into the post box (if on computer you need to right click and paste, ctrl + v does not work)!
40%. In fact Forest of Secrets, Life and JBL are also on y top ten.
IONTBO can make it to my top 10 because of the terrible mum plothole, but I very much liked the show.
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 10: a book that reminds you of home – ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong
(non-spoilers reasons why this book is the bomb in the comments!)
This book shattered me. Made me believe in just being. Absolutely lovely. It was heavy for me and very important to read when you have the emotional strength and mental space.
absolutely! i’m taking a break after reaching the halfway-ish mark because it’s requiring the emotional strengths i currently lack. But the writing is beautiful, and everything about it is worth a read.
I meant to write this comment but was pulled away by work LOLS. So here it is:
I took this to mean that a book that made me feel the most at home, which is kind of different than reminding me of home (or is it, idk i’m just emotional thinking about this). The novel is a fictional account but based on some real-life experiences of the author, a homosexual Vietnamese immigrant. It talks about the experiences of war and the traumas that left behind, and what it’s like to navigate life as immigrants. I’m halfway through the book now and have to take a break because it just punched me in the guts and made me feel so much. Highly recommend it!
That poster alone should be the reason to watch this if you haven’t!
The chemistry between the leads is electric. *swooning* Kim Hye-soo’s portrayal of our flawed and complex female lead is AMAZING and give me all the CHILLS. Joon Ji-hoon is also wonderful in his character as her rival-and-lover. I love their partnership so much!
This year, k-dramaland has blessed us with so many interesting and strong female characters!
I AM SO FREAKING HAPPY. The heart of the drama is our trio’s journey to find happiness and to learn how to process their traumas, and the finale stays true to that. I care so much for our characters, and this drama is very much character-driven, that I don’t even care about the Mother’s plot-hole (or other more minor plot problems). I do wish the mother plot points were handled better, but as it is, I’m so glad it was taken care of so quickly in ep 15 and left us with so much more time to deal with the aftermath.
The things I love about IOTNBO are all centered around the characters’ development and arcs. They are all so fun and satisfying to watch, and I’m so happy that some attention was spent on the supporting cast as well. We got to see how some of the patients were after they were discharged, we got the budding relationship between CEO Lee and Joo-ri, and maybe something between Seung-jae and Jae-su. It’s all so wholesome and beautiful!
Obviously, the therapy and other treatments were not accurately represented here. It took me multiple sessions with my therapist to even build a rapport and a certain level of comfort before we could touch on the root of my issues. So the timeline and methods here are wildly compressed and magically effective. But I’m sure a creative license had to be taken to fit the story and its atmosphere. At the heart of it though, I love that the drama really emphasizes that help is out there and you should reach out for it when you need it. To ask for help has always been the most difficult step for me to do, personally.
JO SEUNG-WOO – He’s amazing in everything and this is no different. He handles his character so well – who I think is written with such nuance. Still thinking about his dramatic entrances to this day.
LEE KYU-HYUNG – I first saw him in Forest of Secrets and loved his acting so much. He does not disappoint here either. He made me cry multiple times throughout the series, but most of those crying moments were out of joy!
YUM HYE-RAN – I love her! She has a great rapport with JSW and their partnership makes me so happy~
JUNG MOON-SUNG – gives me CHILLS whenever he’s on-screen. Damn. And then I remembered how goofy he was in Handsome Guy and Jung-Eum…Wow.
Hah you didn’t mention Lee Dong Wook! If there was a weak point in Life it was his character. He was uselessly ambitious and sought after things he couldn’t handle. I really liked Won Jin Ah in life too and the potential of her romance with President Gu was probably one of the best ones I’ve seen in dramaland, nothing flashy but endearing. I was surprised noone mentioned Life uptil now for med drama and I’m glad you did. Though we can say it was a lot more about hospital politics and that is the only reason why I watched it because I avoid med dramas. I also avoid thrillers and crime procedurals but Life is the only reason why I want to check out Forest of Secrets. This writer made President Gu such a deliciously grey character who even the audience took as much time believing as the doctors that I think I’ll find interesting characters in FOS too, maybe with eyes half closed.
You noticed!!! I deliberately left out LDW’s character because I agreed – he’s the weak link in the whole cast, and I wanted to include enticing reasons to watch it. teehee.
I have mixed feelings about Won Jin-ah in Life. Maybe I kept thinking of how much I liked her in Just Between Lovers that I couldn’t stop comparing. Although yes, her budding romance with Pres. Gu was soooooo sweet!!!
I usually don’t watch a lot of hospital/medical drama, even if the focus is on politics and not medical procedures. But I watched this anyway because of JSW and because of the writer. So glad I picked it up. It was such a fun watch!
Frankly, I waited forever for someone to mention Life for this particular challenge, but yeah I know it’s not as popular as other medical dramas. So, thank you for promoting this. 😁
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 9: a book I didn’t expect to like – MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION by Ottessa Moshfegh
(non-spoiler reasonings in the comments!)
I didn’t think I would like this book and tbh immediately after I finished it, I thought I hated it. But I kept thinking about it for weeks and weeks. I think my initial dislike of the book had to do with my dislike for the protagonist, who isn’t set up for readers to like in the first place. As I mulled on it some more, I’m realizing how freaking amazing it is that it managed to bother me SO MUCH (lols) and that’s part of the reason why I loved it now. Idk if this reasoning makes any sense, so proceed with caution.
The book is a character-driven story about a young woman who plans to take a lot of medications so she can sleep through the year in order to wake up with a fresh perspective on life. She hopes that that would help her process and overcome her traumas.
Since finishing this, I’ve started reading other books by Moshfegh and enjoying them even more. So I’d recommend giving them a try. Maybe try her short stories collection first – Homesick for Another World, to get a taste of her writing style. Although most of the novels are pretty short.
WOW. WOW. WOW.
What a wholesome episode~
Kang-tae wearing a suit and being so assertive got me all swooning!!
All the callbacks in this episode are so good! Kang-tae is more proactive in processing and overcoming his traumatic experiences. Sang-tae is such a badass older brother – smacking the mom in the head and saving his siblings! When Kang-tae promises his mom that “from now on” he’ll take good care of Sang-tae, I think it really shows that he no longer sees that as a burden, but something he does out of familial love. I teared up at Sang-tae’s response – that Kang-tae wasn’t born to be his caretaker. It warms my heart and I’m sure it means so much to Kang-tae to hear that from Sang-tae.
Moon-young also has changed so much, and her character arc is so beautiful and fun to watch. The whole plan to get her to come over to Joo-ri’s and eat is SO SWEET. And of course, Jea-su and Moon-young commiserating over Kang-tae’s frustrating habits cracked me up! I just really love that everyone is banding together to help each other. My cold dead heart was revived during this hour.
That line cracked me up!!! I also love how vocal Sang-tae is about wanting to become an illustrator and to publish his own books. He’s changed so much too and it’s so good to see that!
I’m sure most of us look back on this series now and realize how problematic it is. I remembered how popular these books were when they were first published. My friends told me to read it because it was SO GOOD and I spent my precious BN gift card on a new copy of Twilight. To this day, I still regretted it. Tbh, I did get swept up in the hype but by the time I got the second book, all I felt for this series could be summed up in one phrase – WTF.
Honorable Mentions (because this is my favorite genre!)
LIFE ON MARS – Jung Kyung-ho and park Sung-woong have one of the best partnerships I’ve ever seen.
THE FIERY PRIEST – What not to like about Kim Nam-gil’s hot-tempered priest and his rag tag team seeking vengeance and justice?!
TRAP – Lee Seo-jin blew my mind. Get ready for a freaking wild ride, y’all.
VAMPIRE PROSECUTOR – Yeon Jung-hoon’s brooding and badass vampire prosecutor gets me every time. Also, great team dynamics!
EDITED TO ADD:
NOBODY KNOWS – holy smokes this show is beautiful and amazing! The casting is absolutely perfect. The writing is all around amazing – I love that the villain is a complex/layered character, I love our female lead being all badass and determined, I love our male lead’s earnestness and puppy-crush, and the little ducklings! AH.
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 7: a book that makes me laugh – anything by Terry Pratchett (GOOD OMENS was the first one I read, which he co-authored with Neil Gaiman) !!!!!
I don’t read a lot of books that are mostly funny and tend to read the ones that make me scream and/or cry. so. But Terry Pratchett’s novels are freaking hilarious and absurd and imaginative and wild! You can’t help but laugh out loud while reading them~ I love them!!!
TCC, One Fine Week. I honestly don’t know which old drama this is from, but I do know there was a family kdrama where sisters got switched, one grew up chaebol, the other poor.
It even got a cdrama remake.
AH! Another trailer! My excitement is off the charts right now. This weekend is IOTNBO finale and next weekend is FoS 2. What a time to be in K-dramaland~
I’m slowly starting to feel that Netflix won’t be showing this. I have not seen any promo from them. While Record of Youth has and it’ll premiere much later. Nonetheless, that does not lessen the excitement I feel!!
My Netflix (US) puts up a little notification under season 1 that says “new episodes coming august 15” without any separate promotions/alerts. they might gear up on that next week, which I think happened with a few other kdramas in the past for me.
So I checked out mine, this trailer is actually there!! Maybe because this one is S2 so nothing on the notification or something. Glad that worry is gone now and I can watch the drama an hour after it aired. Thanks~
In my zone, Season 2 comes on October, when it finishes airing in SK. I’ll have to go not legal, I’m afraid, because nothing will make me miss the recaps!
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 6: a book that makes me sad – THE PURSUIT OF WILLIAM ABBEY by Claire North
(non-spoiler reasons to read this in the comments!)
This novel centers around a white doctor who witnessed a mob of white people setting a black boy on fire (!!!!) in Africa and was subsequently cursed by the boy’s mother because he stood by and let it all happen. The curse makes the boy’s shadow/soul to follow the doctor around everywhere, across oceans and deserts. And if it reaches the doctor, someone he loves will die. But if it is close enough to him, it gives him the ability to know the absolute truths/thoughts of the people around him.
It’s heartwrenching from the start to end, and it’s so beautifully written. It explores the fucked up things that white people did in the name of their own capitalist and racist interests in the late 19th-early 20th centuries in African and elsewhere. It touches on the effects of war, specifically WW1 if I remember correctly. The novel starts off as a supernatural mystery but evolves into a spy thriller, a war story, and a romance all at once and the ending punches me in the guts. I hope you guys would give it a shot and weep with me~
Also, there are a lot of difficult scenes in here – descriptions of cruel and fucked up things done to others (i.e when the black boy was set on fire, I think there were also a few scenes describing tortures/violence but nothing TOO graphic, if anything, it makes me so sad and angry at the injustice but just beware going in).
OMG without giving out spoilers, definitely a specific section of this book that describes a procedure being done to others during WW1 that is VERY cruel. I couldn’t get through this in one sitting – I had to break it up and like… cry a bit.
strawberry
August 12, 2020 at 11:00 AM
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 12: a book I love and hate at the same time – I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS by Iain Reid
This is a mystery/thriller about a woman who’s on a road trip with her boyfriend to visit his family who lives in a rural area. It’s written in first-person perspective with our female character as the unreliable narrator. There’s a snowstorm that gets worse and worse as the day goes on. The couple arrives at the boyfriend’s parents’ house, eats dinner together, and leaves the house late that same night because our female character grows uncomfortable with the whole thing. It’s all fine and good until the couple gets back on the road to return home. I can’t say anymore because it would be a spoiler. The reason why I love and hate this book at the same time all boiled down to the ending. The writing is so good and so successful in building up the anticipation and the creepy, tense atmosphere. I was confused and scared as I followed the woman on this journey, in the middle of a snow storm. I began to question her sanity, but in like a good and interesting way. But the freaking ending feels so mediocre and so cliche to me. It’s such a trope to end things like that, and maybe the author could make it work in the novel’s favor, somehow? As it is, I hate that the novel’s potential is wasted in the last COUPLE OF PAGES. Now, don’t let my personal opinion dissuade you from reading this. It’s still a solid read, especially if you haven’t read a lot of thriller/mystery before. A lot of peeps I know loved the ending, so I think I might be in the minority on this.
strawberry
August 12, 2020 at 11:02 AM
Netflix has made a movie adaptation of this book and it’s set to be released on September 4th for US folks, so maybe give it a shot. I know I will watch it, even if I might pull my hair out at the end. :3
strawberry
August 12, 2020 at 10:45 AM
A DRAMA A DAY CHALLENGE @purplesheesh
DAY 10: slice of life – LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
This family drama is the first K-drama I watched that has such a beautiful portrayal of a gay couple. The family dynamics are wonderful and full of love. I enjoyed watching all the different plot lines. There’s our same-sex couple and their struggles with coming out and how that affect their relationships with their families, there’s an uncle who meets the match of his life in his strong-headed but messy boss, there are the younger siblings and their journeys to find their own SO, and the matriarch of the family who juggles her career as a chef with running the family’s inn and dealing with all the interpersonal dramas that pop up. I think in one of the recaps/reviews I read, the author pointed out that each episode opened with a shot of a clear morning sky, marking a new day, as a way to suggest that life continues to move forward and there’s clear sky ahead after a storm. I just think that’s a beautiful way to look at this drama – even though there are difficult times, you can overcome that with your loved ones by your side.
PYC
August 13, 2020 at 6:36 AM
This is my number one family drama of all times!
So pleased to see it mentioned here. The parents are the same parents from Father is Strange but my love for Life is Beautiful is several notches higher for all the reasons you mentioned. I remember watching two or three episodes every week and it was my weekly healing/soothing dose. The coming out of the gay son and the responses from individual family members especially the Mom are so heart wrenching. And how I love the two uncles – one is a lazy bum while the other is a career man whose late age romance is another highlight of the drama.
My weekly meeting with this family over several months make them stay in my heart for a long, long time. It epitomises what family love is about.
Strongly recommended!
PYC
August 13, 2020 at 6:46 AM
And having Jeju Island as the drama location is another plus.
strawberry
August 13, 2020 at 7:05 AM
Also yes! The scenery is so beautiful! Their family’s inn is also so beautiful!
strawberry
August 13, 2020 at 7:04 AM
Yay! I love every family member! Except Kyung-soo’s mom who’s deadset on getting him to leave Tae-sub and return to his “normal” life. urg. But the conversation between Kyung-soo’s mom and Tea-sub’s mom is one of the best moments in the drama for me! So good!
strawberry
August 11, 2020 at 5:18 PM
A DRAMA A DAY challenge @purplesheesh
DAY 9: school – NOBODY KNOWS
I know I cheated. But honestly, I haven’t watched a single school-centric drama in a very long time. While I do look at the ones I did watch fondly with nostalgia, I don’t love any of them. NOBODY KNOWS kind of involves a school setting and the adorable ducklings who are students, so it works! I absolutely loved this drama to pieces. It has all the components of good storytelling, all done with a strong and layered female character as the lead! Kim Seo-hyung’s performance is amazing and flawless. I love her budding romance with Ryu Deok-hwan.
meowingme
August 12, 2020 at 3:55 AM
In my head, that ship sails!
sirena
September 24, 2020 at 10:57 AM
This was such a great drama.
strawberry
August 11, 2020 at 4:55 PM
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 11: a book I hated – DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch
I don’t think I hated this book so much as I disliked it, with a tad more intensity than others, because of its mediocrity and problematic portrayal (stereotypical) descriptions of its only prominent female character. The book is about this professor who was on his way home one night and was violently kidnapped. When he woke up, his life as he knew it disappeared – his house, his wife and kid, all gone. The premise sounded to interesting to me and picked it up thinking it would be a mind-bending sci-fi, but what I got was a mediocre story with some physics ~sprinkled~ in and a heavy dosage of female-character-as-a-disposable-prop treatment. The concept of the book was interesting, but I find the execution lacking. Also, the writing is very very basic. It read like a boring and predictable action movie script. To borrow Kang-tae’s phrase, this book is like an empty can but without any hope of redemption. (Wow, maybe I do hate this book.)
strawberry
August 11, 2020 at 4:55 PM
ALSO Thanks to all the Beanies who gave me the valuable tip so I could make long posts!!! :3
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 7:30 PM
My list of top 10 dramas in the comment, because I still don\’t know how to make longer posts here. oops. :3 Click to see how ~compatible~ our drama tastes are!!
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 7:35 PM
10% – Forest of Secrets
10% – Life
10% – Hyena
10% – Life on Mars
10% – It’s Ok to Not Be Ok
10% – Nobody Knows
10% – Just Between Lovers
10% – The Crowned Clown
10% – Life is Beautiful
10% – The Fiery Priest
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 7:39 PM
Honorable Mentions: Chief Kim, The King 2 Hearts, Queen In-hyun’s Man, Trap, and My Girlfriend is a Gumiho.
The popular dramas lots of folks loved like My Ahjussi, Miseang, SKY Castle, Signal aren’t on this list because I haven’t watched them yet. :X I’m interested, but I don’t think I’m in the right mindset to watch any of them yet.
Bebe | Nessa❣️
August 10, 2020 at 7:46 PM
To make longer posts, type it out onto somewhere different (Microsoft Word, Note, etc.), highlight it, Use your mouse to right click “Copy”, go to your Fan Wall, right click “Paste”, then post
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 7:48 PM
Yay! Thanks for the tip!!! :3
Junie Bug
August 10, 2020 at 7:46 PM
Only 20% but, that’s probably because I haven’t seen the rest including your honorable mentions! I’m sure it would be higher if I had 🙂
Regarding posting longer comments, you can type it in a separate location and copy/paste it into DB. Just make sure you right click and then select paste because if you use the keyboard shortcut it doesn’t work.
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 7:47 PM
Woot woot! Pls do give some of these dramas a watch~~ 🙂
Thank you for the tip! I have been using the keyboard shortcut by habits. Wow gotta try this soon!
Junie Bug
August 10, 2020 at 7:49 PM
Haha same and of course! I was in the same position because I use keyboard shortcuts for virtually everything lol
mindy
August 10, 2020 at 7:47 PM
30%~
To make longer posts, type up your post somewhere else (google docs, word, notes, even random DB comment boxes), copy, and paste into the post box (if on computer you need to right click and paste, ctrl + v does not work)!
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 7:48 PM
Woot!!! Thank you for the tip!!! 🙂
WishfulToki
August 10, 2020 at 8:07 PM
30% Yay for FIERY PRIEST!
Eazal
August 11, 2020 at 6:54 AM
40%. In fact Forest of Secrets, Life and JBL are also on y top ten.
IONTBO can make it to my top 10 because of the terrible mum plothole, but I very much liked the show.
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 8:39 AM
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 10: a book that reminds you of home – ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong
(non-spoilers reasons why this book is the bomb in the comments!)
lovin
August 10, 2020 at 11:07 AM
This book shattered me. Made me believe in just being. Absolutely lovely. It was heavy for me and very important to read when you have the emotional strength and mental space.
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 12:25 PM
absolutely! i’m taking a break after reaching the halfway-ish mark because it’s requiring the emotional strengths i currently lack. But the writing is beautiful, and everything about it is worth a read.
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 12:24 PM
I meant to write this comment but was pulled away by work LOLS. So here it is:
I took this to mean that a book that made me feel the most at home, which is kind of different than reminding me of home (or is it, idk i’m just emotional thinking about this). The novel is a fictional account but based on some real-life experiences of the author, a homosexual Vietnamese immigrant. It talks about the experiences of war and the traumas that left behind, and what it’s like to navigate life as immigrants. I’m halfway through the book now and have to take a break because it just punched me in the guts and made me feel so much. Highly recommend it!
pickleddragon
August 10, 2020 at 9:48 PM
This has been on my to-read list for a while now! Your post reminded me that I should pick it up!
strawberry
August 11, 2020 at 1:00 AM
Yay!!!!
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 8:27 AM
A DRAMA A DAY challenge @purplesheesh
DAY 8: office/legal – HYENA
(non-spoiler reasons why you should watch this in the comments!)
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 8:34 AM
That poster alone should be the reason to watch this if you haven’t!
The chemistry between the leads is electric. *swooning* Kim Hye-soo’s portrayal of our flawed and complex female lead is AMAZING and give me all the CHILLS. Joon Ji-hoon is also wonderful in his character as her rival-and-lover. I love their partnership so much!
This year, k-dramaland has blessed us with so many interesting and strong female characters!
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 4:35 PM
I’m so ready for this! :3 One of my favorite duos is back~
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 1:02 PM
IOTNBO finale – VERY SPOILERY THOUGHTS in the comments! Proceed with caution if you haven\’t watched it yet!!! 🙂
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 1:06 PM
I AM SO FREAKING HAPPY. The heart of the drama is our trio’s journey to find happiness and to learn how to process their traumas, and the finale stays true to that. I care so much for our characters, and this drama is very much character-driven, that I don’t even care about the Mother’s plot-hole (or other more minor plot problems). I do wish the mother plot points were handled better, but as it is, I’m so glad it was taken care of so quickly in ep 15 and left us with so much more time to deal with the aftermath.
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 1:15 PM
The things I love about IOTNBO are all centered around the characters’ development and arcs. They are all so fun and satisfying to watch, and I’m so happy that some attention was spent on the supporting cast as well. We got to see how some of the patients were after they were discharged, we got the budding relationship between CEO Lee and Joo-ri, and maybe something between Seung-jae and Jae-su. It’s all so wholesome and beautiful!
Obviously, the therapy and other treatments were not accurately represented here. It took me multiple sessions with my therapist to even build a rapport and a certain level of comfort before we could touch on the root of my issues. So the timeline and methods here are wildly compressed and magically effective. But I’m sure a creative license had to be taken to fit the story and its atmosphere. At the heart of it though, I love that the drama really emphasizes that help is out there and you should reach out for it when you need it. To ask for help has always been the most difficult step for me to do, personally.
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 10:48 AM
A DRAMA A DAY challenge @purplesheesh
DAY 7: medical/hospital – LIFE
(non-spoiler reasons why you should watch it in the comments!)
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 10:54 AM
JO SEUNG-WOO – He’s amazing in everything and this is no different. He handles his character so well – who I think is written with such nuance. Still thinking about his dramatic entrances to this day.
LEE KYU-HYUNG – I first saw him in Forest of Secrets and loved his acting so much. He does not disappoint here either. He made me cry multiple times throughout the series, but most of those crying moments were out of joy!
YUM HYE-RAN – I love her! She has a great rapport with JSW and their partnership makes me so happy~
JUNG MOON-SUNG – gives me CHILLS whenever he’s on-screen. Damn. And then I remembered how goofy he was in Handsome Guy and Jung-Eum…Wow.
wapz
August 9, 2020 at 1:20 PM
Hah you didn’t mention Lee Dong Wook! If there was a weak point in Life it was his character. He was uselessly ambitious and sought after things he couldn’t handle. I really liked Won Jin Ah in life too and the potential of her romance with President Gu was probably one of the best ones I’ve seen in dramaland, nothing flashy but endearing. I was surprised noone mentioned Life uptil now for med drama and I’m glad you did. Though we can say it was a lot more about hospital politics and that is the only reason why I watched it because I avoid med dramas. I also avoid thrillers and crime procedurals but Life is the only reason why I want to check out Forest of Secrets. This writer made President Gu such a deliciously grey character who even the audience took as much time believing as the doctors that I think I’ll find interesting characters in FOS too, maybe with eyes half closed.
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 1:46 PM
You noticed!!! I deliberately left out LDW’s character because I agreed – he’s the weak link in the whole cast, and I wanted to include enticing reasons to watch it. teehee.
I have mixed feelings about Won Jin-ah in Life. Maybe I kept thinking of how much I liked her in Just Between Lovers that I couldn’t stop comparing. Although yes, her budding romance with Pres. Gu was soooooo sweet!!!
I usually don’t watch a lot of hospital/medical drama, even if the focus is on politics and not medical procedures. But I watched this anyway because of JSW and because of the writer. So glad I picked it up. It was such a fun watch!
kiara
August 9, 2020 at 1:31 PM
RAWR…
gadis
August 9, 2020 at 4:52 PM
Frankly, I waited forever for someone to mention Life for this particular challenge, but yeah I know it’s not as popular as other medical dramas. So, thank you for promoting this. 😁
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 5:26 PM
ofc!~ i’m always glad to promote Life!
Kudo Ran
August 10, 2020 at 11:07 AM
yay , loved that one, loved President Gu <3
Kudo Ran
August 10, 2020 at 11:08 AM
(we all know this drama has more depth than my petty comment above, just excuse a long tiring day ^^’)
strawberry
August 10, 2020 at 12:33 PM
oh no worries!!!! I hope you get some rest soon~
Kudo Ran
August 10, 2020 at 9:31 PM
thank you 🙂
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 10:38 AM
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 9: a book I didn’t expect to like – MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION by Ottessa Moshfegh
(non-spoiler reasonings in the comments!)
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 10:46 AM
I didn’t think I would like this book and tbh immediately after I finished it, I thought I hated it. But I kept thinking about it for weeks and weeks. I think my initial dislike of the book had to do with my dislike for the protagonist, who isn’t set up for readers to like in the first place. As I mulled on it some more, I’m realizing how freaking amazing it is that it managed to bother me SO MUCH (lols) and that’s part of the reason why I loved it now. Idk if this reasoning makes any sense, so proceed with caution.
The book is a character-driven story about a young woman who plans to take a lot of medications so she can sleep through the year in order to wake up with a fresh perspective on life. She hopes that that would help her process and overcome her traumas.
Since finishing this, I’ve started reading other books by Moshfegh and enjoying them even more. So I’d recommend giving them a try. Maybe try her short stories collection first – Homesick for Another World, to get a taste of her writing style. Although most of the novels are pretty short.
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
August 9, 2020 at 11:00 AM
Oh, how interesting! Its on the list!
horangi
August 9, 2020 at 1:53 PM
I had this on my radar. Thanks for the positive review!
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 7:31 AM
IOTNBO: the biggest villain is truly that damn deer 🦌 ⚡️
Playstore, Okay Or Not Okay
August 9, 2020 at 8:48 AM
No animal has ever been hated this much in a drama.
strawberry
August 8, 2020 at 11:37 AM
IOTNBO ep 15: AHHHHHH! Beanies, I swooned~
(SPOILERS thoughts in the comments below!!!!)
strawberry
August 8, 2020 at 11:49 AM
WOW. WOW. WOW.
What a wholesome episode~
Kang-tae wearing a suit and being so assertive got me all swooning!!
All the callbacks in this episode are so good! Kang-tae is more proactive in processing and overcoming his traumatic experiences. Sang-tae is such a badass older brother – smacking the mom in the head and saving his siblings! When Kang-tae promises his mom that “from now on” he’ll take good care of Sang-tae, I think it really shows that he no longer sees that as a burden, but something he does out of familial love. I teared up at Sang-tae’s response – that Kang-tae wasn’t born to be his caretaker. It warms my heart and I’m sure it means so much to Kang-tae to hear that from Sang-tae.
Moon-young also has changed so much, and her character arc is so beautiful and fun to watch. The whole plan to get her to come over to Joo-ri’s and eat is SO SWEET. And of course, Jea-su and Moon-young commiserating over Kang-tae’s frustrating habits cracked me up! I just really love that everyone is banding together to help each other. My cold dead heart was revived during this hour.
parkchuna ❤️🍉
August 9, 2020 at 12:41 AM
Hyung to GT: You can take care of yourself now, I’m busy. 🤣🤣😆
strawberry
August 9, 2020 at 4:22 AM
That line cracked me up!!! I also love how vocal Sang-tae is about wanting to become an illustrator and to publish his own books. He’s changed so much too and it’s so good to see that!
strawberry
August 8, 2020 at 10:39 AM
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 8: most overrated book – THE TWILIGHT SERIES
(non-spoiler reasonings in the comments!)
strawberry
August 8, 2020 at 10:42 AM
I’m sure most of us look back on this series now and realize how problematic it is. I remembered how popular these books were when they were first published. My friends told me to read it because it was SO GOOD and I spent my precious BN gift card on a new copy of Twilight. To this day, I still regretted it. Tbh, I did get swept up in the hype but by the time I got the second book, all I felt for this series could be summed up in one phrase – WTF.
stpauligurl
August 8, 2020 at 5:45 PM
Loved the first book, but couldn’t finish the second one. At that point I was done with them all.
strawberry
August 8, 2020 at 10:26 AM
A DRAMA A DAY challenge @purplesheesh
DAY 6: mystery/thriller/crime – FOREST OF SECRETS (aka STRANGER)
strawberry
August 8, 2020 at 10:35 AM
Honorable Mentions (because this is my favorite genre!)
LIFE ON MARS – Jung Kyung-ho and park Sung-woong have one of the best partnerships I’ve ever seen.
THE FIERY PRIEST – What not to like about Kim Nam-gil’s hot-tempered priest and his rag tag team seeking vengeance and justice?!
TRAP – Lee Seo-jin blew my mind. Get ready for a freaking wild ride, y’all.
VAMPIRE PROSECUTOR – Yeon Jung-hoon’s brooding and badass vampire prosecutor gets me every time. Also, great team dynamics!
strawberry
August 8, 2020 at 11:58 AM
EDITED TO ADD:
NOBODY KNOWS – holy smokes this show is beautiful and amazing! The casting is absolutely perfect. The writing is all around amazing – I love that the villain is a complex/layered character, I love our female lead being all badass and determined, I love our male lead’s earnestness and puppy-crush, and the little ducklings! AH.
strawberry
August 7, 2020 at 9:33 AM
A DRAMA A DAY challenge @purplesheesh
DAY 5: time travel – Queen In-hyun’s Man
Pls watch it if you haven’t! IT IS SO GOOD!~
letseatcookies
August 7, 2020 at 9:30 PM
OH MAN, I loved that show.
strawberry
August 7, 2020 at 9:29 AM
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 7: a book that makes me laugh – anything by Terry Pratchett (GOOD OMENS was the first one I read, which he co-authored with Neil Gaiman) !!!!!
strawberry
August 7, 2020 at 9:31 AM
I don’t read a lot of books that are mostly funny and tend to read the ones that make me scream and/or cry. so. But Terry Pratchett’s novels are freaking hilarious and absurd and imaginative and wild! You can’t help but laugh out loud while reading them~ I love them!!!
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
August 7, 2020 at 10:00 AM
Good Omens is great!
strawberry
August 7, 2020 at 10:53 AM
SO GOOD! I gotta re-read it and then watch the mini series~
sirena
August 7, 2020 at 10:32 AM
I haven’t watched the book but I did watch the mini series that came out; it was very enjoyable.
strawberry
August 7, 2020 at 10:53 AM
I really meant to watch the series when it aired but other things kept popping up that distract me… 😛
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 6:52 AM
Woot woot! I have leveled up~ :3
Beanies, which character(s)/drama(s) does this level referenced to?
Esther
August 6, 2020 at 8:26 AM
Comment was deleted
Esther
August 6, 2020 at 8:27 AM
Congratulations !!!🎉
Bride of the century?
That’s the first drama that came to my mind.😅
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 8:31 AM
ohhhhh I have heard of it but haven’t watched it.
Eazal
August 6, 2020 at 9:24 AM
Congrats!
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 9:30 AM
teehee thank you~
Zora
August 6, 2020 at 9:30 AM
Congratulations! 🍾
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 9:49 AM
thank you!~
Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
August 6, 2020 at 12:43 PM
Could me Mask.
I think there have been a bunch, I just haven’t seen them all.
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 1:30 PM
oh yea I’m sure there are so many with this trope. I tend to stay away from it because it seems to be tied in with makjangs/melos/weekenders.
Rumi~
August 6, 2020 at 7:12 PM
TCC, One Fine Week. I honestly don’t know which old drama this is from, but I do know there was a family kdrama where sisters got switched, one grew up chaebol, the other poor.
It even got a cdrama remake.
korfan
August 6, 2020 at 8:05 PM
Congratulations!
mugyuljoie is preciousss
August 6, 2020 at 11:11 PM
Yay!
Edgar Pordwed
August 7, 2020 at 8:32 AM
The King: Eternal Monarch
strawberry
August 7, 2020 at 9:23 AM
OH! I didn’t join in on the live watching but might circle back to it later. I’m curious.
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 6:48 AM
AH! Another trailer! My excitement is off the charts right now. This weekend is IOTNBO finale and next weekend is FoS 2. What a time to be in K-dramaland~
neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~
August 6, 2020 at 7:07 AM
I’m slowly starting to feel that Netflix won’t be showing this. I have not seen any promo from them. While Record of Youth has and it’ll premiere much later. Nonetheless, that does not lessen the excitement I feel!!
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 7:23 AM
My Netflix (US) puts up a little notification under season 1 that says “new episodes coming august 15” without any separate promotions/alerts. they might gear up on that next week, which I think happened with a few other kdramas in the past for me.
neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~
August 6, 2020 at 7:32 AM
Ooooohh
So I checked out mine, this trailer is actually there!! Maybe because this one is S2 so nothing on the notification or something. Glad that worry is gone now and I can watch the drama an hour after it aired. Thanks~
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 7:47 AM
yea ofc!!!
Eazal
August 6, 2020 at 9:27 AM
In my zone, Season 2 comes on October, when it finishes airing in SK. I’ll have to go not legal, I’m afraid, because nothing will make me miss the recaps!
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 9:30 AM
ahh that’s a bit disappointing 🙁 but yes, there are other non-Netflix ways to watch!
neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~
August 6, 2020 at 10:13 AM
Oh no, but a perfect time for a rewatch too 😉
Eazal
August 6, 2020 at 10:28 AM
yesssssss
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 3:59 AM
30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
DAY 6: a book that makes me sad – THE PURSUIT OF WILLIAM ABBEY by Claire North
(non-spoiler reasons to read this in the comments!)
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 4:13 AM
This novel centers around a white doctor who witnessed a mob of white people setting a black boy on fire (!!!!) in Africa and was subsequently cursed by the boy’s mother because he stood by and let it all happen. The curse makes the boy’s shadow/soul to follow the doctor around everywhere, across oceans and deserts. And if it reaches the doctor, someone he loves will die. But if it is close enough to him, it gives him the ability to know the absolute truths/thoughts of the people around him.
It’s heartwrenching from the start to end, and it’s so beautifully written. It explores the fucked up things that white people did in the name of their own capitalist and racist interests in the late 19th-early 20th centuries in African and elsewhere. It touches on the effects of war, specifically WW1 if I remember correctly. The novel starts off as a supernatural mystery but evolves into a spy thriller, a war story, and a romance all at once and the ending punches me in the guts. I hope you guys would give it a shot and weep with me~
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 4:19 AM
Also, there are a lot of difficult scenes in here – descriptions of cruel and fucked up things done to others (i.e when the black boy was set on fire, I think there were also a few scenes describing tortures/violence but nothing TOO graphic, if anything, it makes me so sad and angry at the injustice but just beware going in).
strawberry
August 6, 2020 at 4:20 AM
OMG without giving out spoilers, definitely a specific section of this book that describes a procedure being done to others during WW1 that is VERY cruel. I couldn’t get through this in one sitting – I had to break it up and like… cry a bit.