Stuff That's Entertaining Me These Days
TV
Link TV in the US streamed the first season of this Danish political drama which one of my friends in the UK had recced me. To be honest, I really did not expect to love it as much as I do. It doesn't really fit into my interests very well, fictional politics on TV always seem kind of embarrassing/trite/faddish. Also I know next to nothing about Danish politics. But the show, while being about politics, is also very much about its three main characters and it is not annoyingly idealistic nor is it overwhelmingly dark.
And it is very much about women in positions of power which I guess is something I do enjoy.
I love the suspense and tension of the political issue of each episode, and I love the way whatever is going on in the personal lives of the characters mirrors the political ones. The writing is just...it's amazing and satisfying. There's an economy to the story telling that really works, no thread is introduced without purpose, everything comes back. And while there are some one-note characters, Laugessen comes to mind, I feel like the peripheral characters are treated with a lot of respect and empathy. I'm watching season 2 as it airs now (in the US) and it's even better. Every time I've finished watching an episode I want to talk about it but I only know one person who has seen Season 2 and obviously I can't really talk to them yet until I've finished! Anyway, if any of you happen to watch this please let me know! I just really really love it.
I watched The L.A. Complex on a whim and I'm really glad I did. A friend who watched (after I said I enjoyed it, bless her) called it intriguing and I think that's a perfect description. Once I started watching I just wanted to keep watching until all the episodes were gone. I guess the concept is tired, but even so I feel like I'm watching interesting stories I haven't seen before (like Kal and Tariq). I'm excited for its return next week!
I'm rereading Harry Potter right now which is a complete joy! I love these books and sometimes I forget how much. It's been awhile since I've read them and I enjoy discovering them all over again, and I always relate to how at home Harry feels at Hogwarts and how much hates it when he's not there because that's how I felt at college. I'm just about to start Prisoner of Azkaban which has always been my favorite, and I'm looking forward to it! It's also interesting to be rereading with friends I didn't know during the Harry days and get their different perspectives
Other than that, contemporary YA is making me very happy these days, I just finished I Now Pronounce You Someone Else which was a total delight, a truly lovely book. And I'm reading a Tara Altebrando (What Happens Here) book on Sara Zarr's recommendation (they wrote a book together, too, woo!) which is also really good. I guess I mostly prefer contemporary YA though I do like some paranormal and dystopian/post-apocalyptic as well. One day I might remember to read adult fiction again.
Nothing much to report here, I saw The Amazing Spider-man and it was a fun afternoon in the cool theater, but nothing I'll probably ever watch again. I'm super burned out on super heroes to be honest, I can't even muster any interest in The Dark Knight Rises. I tried to watch The Artist but fell asleep :/
I'm always open to recs for movies though, and I also want to know what's entertaining you these days. :)
Link TV in the US streamed the first season of this Danish political drama which one of my friends in the UK had recced me. To be honest, I really did not expect to love it as much as I do. It doesn't really fit into my interests very well, fictional politics on TV always seem kind of embarrassing/trite/faddish. Also I know next to nothing about Danish politics. But the show, while being about politics, is also very much about its three main characters and it is not annoyingly idealistic nor is it overwhelmingly dark.
And it is very much about women in positions of power which I guess is something I do enjoy.
I love the suspense and tension of the political issue of each episode, and I love the way whatever is going on in the personal lives of the characters mirrors the political ones. The writing is just...it's amazing and satisfying. There's an economy to the story telling that really works, no thread is introduced without purpose, everything comes back. And while there are some one-note characters, Laugessen comes to mind, I feel like the peripheral characters are treated with a lot of respect and empathy. I'm watching season 2 as it airs now (in the US) and it's even better. Every time I've finished watching an episode I want to talk about it but I only know one person who has seen Season 2 and obviously I can't really talk to them yet until I've finished! Anyway, if any of you happen to watch this please let me know! I just really really love it.
I watched The L.A. Complex on a whim and I'm really glad I did. A friend who watched (after I said I enjoyed it, bless her) called it intriguing and I think that's a perfect description. Once I started watching I just wanted to keep watching until all the episodes were gone. I guess the concept is tired, but even so I feel like I'm watching interesting stories I haven't seen before (like Kal and Tariq). I'm excited for its return next week!
I'm rereading Harry Potter right now which is a complete joy! I love these books and sometimes I forget how much. It's been awhile since I've read them and I enjoy discovering them all over again, and I always relate to how at home Harry feels at Hogwarts and how much hates it when he's not there because that's how I felt at college. I'm just about to start Prisoner of Azkaban which has always been my favorite, and I'm looking forward to it! It's also interesting to be rereading with friends I didn't know during the Harry days and get their different perspectives
Other than that, contemporary YA is making me very happy these days, I just finished I Now Pronounce You Someone Else which was a total delight, a truly lovely book. And I'm reading a Tara Altebrando (What Happens Here) book on Sara Zarr's recommendation (they wrote a book together, too, woo!) which is also really good. I guess I mostly prefer contemporary YA though I do like some paranormal and dystopian/post-apocalyptic as well. One day I might remember to read adult fiction again.
Nothing much to report here, I saw The Amazing Spider-man and it was a fun afternoon in the cool theater, but nothing I'll probably ever watch again. I'm super burned out on super heroes to be honest, I can't even muster any interest in The Dark Knight Rises. I tried to watch The Artist but fell asleep :/
I'm always open to recs for movies though, and I also want to know what's entertaining you these days. :)