Saturday, June 30, 2018


It's about half way through the year and it's been a while since I did a kdrama post, so I figured now was probably a good time to share my favorite drams that have aired so far this year. I'm feeling nice, so we'll go in order from favorite favorites to ahhh they're too different, I can't possibly compare them.

NICE WITCH

Nice Witch is my favorite drama of the year so far, and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it stayed my favorite by the end of the year as well. It's unlike any other drama I've ever seen - it's very reminiscent of Indian soap operas, and possibly Spanish telenovelas - and I unabashedly admit to adoring every second of it. It's one of those rare dramas (possibly the only drama) that kept my attention from the beginning to the end of the season. It's about a super nice twin who's been constantly pushed aside by her crazy mean younger twin. However, when the mean twin gets in trouble and ends up in a coma (I TOLD YOU), she asks her sister to take her place as an air hostess until she gets better. Of course, it wouldn't be much of a soap opera if there wasn't a conspiracy within the airlines, as well as a hot pilot who doesn't date, but finds himself oddly frustrated by a certain air hostess. I highly highly recommend this drama for all the cheese and swoons.

MYSTERY QUEEN 2

If you saw some of my posts on Mystery Queen, then you already know how fond I am of the series. As much as I loved the first season, I was super surprised when the second season actually managed to outdo it: a rare feat. I thought I'd be put off with the additional (read: new) cast members they brought it - I don't readily accept change - and the hole in my heart that came about when I realized that Lee Won-keun wouldn't be in it anymore, but nope, the second season was definitely a win. Obviously you want to watch the first season before starting this one, but this is a series that will nevertheless make you smile giddily if you are a mystery fan.

JUGGLERS

So first of all, you should know that I've had a thing for Daniel Choi since I saw him in School 2013, and I've had a thing for Baek Jin-hee since I encountered her in Pride & Prejudice. Since both of them are the leads in this romantic drama, it's only logical that it made this list. In Jugglers, Jin-hee plays a secretary who is fired by her sucky boss, only to be hired by the company to assist...the one dude who doesn't want a secretary (Choi). The two are adorable, yes, but I also really appreciated how stupid but often lovable tropes were averted. Unlike most romantic couples, these two communicated and trusted each other. I know, it sounds boring, but try it out - their relationship works for both them and the audience.

WOK OF LOVE

Also called Greasy Melo. This drama features Lee Jun-ho (you might recognize him from Just Between Lovers), Jang Hyuk (Fated to Love You, Voice), and Jung Ryeo-won (Witch's Court). It's probably one of the quirkiest dramas I've seen to date, but it's super cute, super feel-good, puts a smile on your face, and mmm the food. Make sure you always have something to eat while you're watching this or you'll feel like a starving man without an oasis in sight. The romance, the bromance, and the plot are all adorable. The character relationships are very unique, and to be honest I feel like I need to emphasize the cuteness of this drama more.

ABOUT TIME

I had a hard time choosing between this and Handsome Guy and Jung Eum, but About Time is too unique and well done to pass on. Lee Sung-kyung is the lead in this drama, and she plays an aspiring musical actress - who can sing, baby! - who also happens to be able to see how many years, months, days, minutes, and seconds a person has left before they die. She unfortunately can also see how long see herself has, and it's only a couple of months. She tries to make the most of each day, but one day, she runs into a man who stops her clock i.e. keeps her that much farther away from death. The drama from there on out is splendid in terms of melodrama, actressing, and romance, and yeah, the leads have great chemistry.


There are two things that are always true about Kasie West books: 1) they're so cute they're guaranteed to make your toes curl up and your mouth tilt up in a grin, and 2) they're perfect whether you're in a reading mood or even if it's way too hot to muster up the energy necessary to pick up a book. I happen to fall into the latter category - even though I'm vacationing in India right now and where I am, it's actually less warm than it is in the US - and so I downloaded the audiobook and listened my heart away. This book features a romance kind of but not completely based around podcasting, and even though I knew where things where headed the entire time I was reading, boy was it a fluffy ride.

The main character Kate is obsessed with the lake, and she knows that when she grows up she wants to work there like her parents. So when her friend Alana convinces her to take a podcasting elective with her, she's not exactly happy. She knows what she wants to do with her life, so why must she go through the fresh hell that is doing something you're not comfortable with? Additionally, Alana has made Kate her wing girl to help her gain Diego's affections - also not fun when Kate might actually be starting to like him. This is your classic romantic tale of sisters before misters - kidding, it's nothing like that. But seriously, the main couple is absolutely adorable, and Kate and Alana's friendship is, well, friendship goals. 

If you're looking for a beach read or just happen to find yourself at the library this summer, make sure you pick up a copy of Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West because it beats even ice cream on a sweltering day.

Thursday, June 28, 2018


So hate is a bit of a strong word. I didn't think I'd hate the book, but I didn't think I'd enjoy it very much either. I knew I loved Sandhya Menon because I admire the fact that she writes books about non-stereotypical Indian kids - I love that she's paving the way for other Indian authors to also write books about their own culture. That she's shown us that books about Indian kids can make it onto the NYT Bestsellers list. However, I wasn't the most in love with When Dimple Met Rishi, and I fully expected to feel the same feelings when reading this book as well. It may have started out that way, but my heart grew fonder of it as I went on reading. 

At the beginning, I encountered the same problems with this book as I did with Dimple. I found the main character, Twinkle Mehra, slightly annoying, and her problems unrelatable (at least to me). I'm sure her passive aggressive, clingy obsession with her best friend ignoring her in favor of the rich, popular kids is realistic - I promise I'm not being sarcastic - but personally, I couldn't identify. Again, that's just me though. Twinkle also had issues with her mother and her economic status. These are completely valid complaints, completely valid reasons to rebel against the world, but I found them a bit repetitive as Dimple dealt with the same issues in her novel. I eventually got over it, but it led to a lot of unfilmed booktube-worthy, mumbled commentary during my commutes while I was listening to the audiobook.

I think one of the big things Menon does in her book is keep her characters flawed and beautiful. The reader can tell pretty early on that Twinkle isn't quite the moral compass, and further into the novel, she kind of goes full on monster. I know Menon's books get a lot of flack for the flaws, especially since her main characters aren't only flawed, but also non-white; even so, the character flaws make the book. It can be a bit unnerving since the YA market is so filled with "perfect" characters, but I hope Menon continues to challenge readers by unflinchingly writing characters who make bad decisions.

The love interest, Sahil, was cute. Perhaps too cute for me, but I'm glad Twinkle liked him. That being said, I didn't really feel the romance between them. I felt like I was being spoon-fed the relationship, and there was a lot of showing rather than telling. I didn't feel the chemistry between the two - it was stated in the book and I took it at its word. The two were awkward and perfect for each other, but how it came out was Twinkle declaring out of nowhere that she suddenly found Sahil attractive for no reason, when nothing really even happened between them. Okay, Twinkle. I thought the dynamic between Sahil and Twinkle improved very much towards the end of the book, but the base of the relationship wasn't there, so I wasn't exactly swooning over the couple, although I was definitely invested.

Even though I started out muttering about how much this book annoyed me, I ended up really loving the story - the ending was a beautiful thing, and I definitely cried at the end of it all. Whereas the only thing I liked about Dimple was the culture, I really enjoyed reading From Twinkle, With Love. And thank you film classes for educating me well enough for me to actually recognize and love some of the female filmmakers Twinkle wrote letters to!

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