TV Review: Suits "Unfinished Business"

Warning: There are SPOILERS ahead, so be careful what you read.

Mike/Rachel Relationship Status: They're still together!  And they are just an adorable couple.

So I decided to use Suits Sync while I was watching this episode just to try it out.  I've never done this with anything before and I'm still getting a feel for it, really.  At first it was a little distracting, going from watching to reading and possibly missing something crucial, but once I got the hang of merely just glancing and absorbing while keeping an ear open I enjoyed it.  I'll give this a few more tries before I make my final decision, though.

So, the Hessington Oil case continues- but with a new setback.  Ava may be (and in my opinion is) involved with some murders.  It's something I didn't see coming (and neither did Harvey).  Apparently, the people she bribed later shot and killed six people who were against the pipe line.  She claims not to know anything about it and that she wasn't involved, but as we learn at the end of the episode, both Harvey and Mike doubt that.  Which brings me to the fact that I'm soooo glad they're being friendly.  In fact, I feel like Harvey finally really appreciates Mike.  At the end of the episode they have drinks for the FIRST TIME.  New milestone in the show.  At the same time Harvey broke the news to Mike that he's planning a coup (but now I'm getting ahead of myself).

Stephen Huntley (Max Beesley) a.k.a. British Harvey finally makes an entrance today.  He leaves an impression on the viewer (I don't think Harvey should trust him) and an impression on Donna (she has a crush!).  He's Darby's fixer and has come under the guise of helping the two firms meld together.  Equality.  Really, he's there because Darby sent him to help take down Jessica.  At first he and Harvey don't get along (Harvey is especially hostile) but after proving he's on Harvey's side they seem to get along fine.  I really like this character and can't wait to see how he plays out.

Speaking of characters- Katrina is back.  I hated her last season (something that doesn't happen often) and this season is really no different.  At first I felt a little pity for her, she really was strung along and then dumped hard, but that all changes when she posts a humiliating video of Mike (animated; you should really see it to get the full wrathful feeling that comes along with it) in a quest to gain Luis' help/trust.  It succeeds and I am a little grateful because it seems to help Luis.  Luis, however, didn't get very much screen time this episode, which is probably due to the fact that the casts of characters is expanding.

Oh!  And guess who's name came up!  Harold!  I miss him, but after realizing I completely forgot about him and haven't been feeling his absence in the show, I must say I think it was a necessary evil.

Going back to Mike & Rachel.  There were a couple scenes between them that were just adorable.  At one point they're talking and Rachel asks whether she's his girlfriend or not.  She seems a little flustered and worried and a teeny bit upset at the fact that he didn't say "yes" right away.  And then Mike gets down on one knee and asks her, very formally, to be his girlfriend.  Very cute.  Later when she says something that helps Mike come up with a brilliant plan to help Ava he's about to kiss her and then realizes where they are and they just high-five.  Great stuff.  My one complaint?  We really don't see Rachel working very much this season, so far.

One more thing: Donna completely chews out Katrina in way of apology to Mike.  It was awesome.  Go Donna!

(can you tell I'm a big fan of the show?)

Episode Rating: **** 4 Stars ****
Season Rating (so far): **** 4 1/2 Stars ****
Series Rating: ***** 5 Stars *****

Book of the Month: Fan-casting

I hope you guys have enjoyed my book of the month program.  I've certainly enjoyed the book I read this month.  I'll be continuing it next month (and hopefully longer!) with Hidden Wings by Cameo Renae.  Feel free to read the series with me!

Anyways, to wrap up this month's Book (Flight) I thought I'd do something fun: fan cast.

All the characters are taken from the first book and I'm doing a rather limited selection. 


For Allie and Levi the actors seemed rather obvious to me.  Having such clear pictures of them in my head (and who would play them) is actually what led me to the fan casting idea. 

Allie would be played by................................................................................................Anna Kendrick!

and Levi would be played by...........................................................................................Stephen Amell!

for Jess I went back and forth on a couple of people but I finally settled on... Hayden Panettiere

for Jared I picked Ben Barnes and for Owen Alex Pettyfer:

Hailey was the hardest to pick.  I finally settled on..... Lilly Collins!

Who would you cast?  Share in the comments!

Book Review: Ink

The description comes from goodreads:

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.
Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets. Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

 

 

Isn't this cover one of the prettiest things you've ever seen?  I love it and it fits in perfectly with the book!

This book was well paced and perfectly balanced.  Nothing trivial took precedence in the story, the friends weren't annoying and the parental figure- Diane- was what you'd imagine she would be.  Learning new things important to the story came at the right times and elicited the right responses.

Katie was a good protagonist.  Seeing Japan through her eyes- a gaijin- was very real.  She was new to this world and the reader isn't just thrown into a place half-way around the globe (I'm American, so for me it is halfway around the globe) where almost everything is different.  She seems like a very normal person and she takes Tomo's secret and the Kami like a normal person would.  I find it easy to relate to her, personally, because of her attitude and also because she joins her school's Kendo team.  I myself fence and it's something I appreciate when a character does (Kendo, is, at a basic level, just Japanese fencing).

Tomo is a great guy, too.  He's definitely a bit of a ass sometimes, but it's just a façade that he wears- and for a good reason.  I don't know if you could say he was a "bad-boy" but he's certainly not the good-guy prince charming kind of character.  I, personally, love him (book crush alert!).  He's definitely a heartbreaker.  His and Katie's relationship has its ups and downs but it felt natural how it formed and not over blown like you can sometimes get.  It was a big, consuming part of both of their lives, but they also weren't dying when they were away from each other.  They were worried (of the Kami, the Yakuza, and plenty of other things) something would happen when they were apart, but it wasn't over the top.

The other characters, like Jun, Sato, Yuki, and Tanaka were all 5-star characters as well.  Jun seems like the nice guy and even at the end you can't help but like him.  Sato is more of a jerk, but again, in the end he finds a place in your heart (even if it's a small place) and I'm sure that the next book will probably have him in it a bit more.  Yuki and Tanaka are good best-friend characters, something I don't say often.  They live their own lives, aren't nosy, and cover for Katie when she needs them to.  Diane, Katie's aunt, starts out a little hard to like because she's a little strange, but as Katie comes to grow closer to her, so does the reader.

The villain.  Always an important part to any story.  I don't want to give anything away, but this "villain" can be taken as a good guy and the motives are something that could be taken either way as well.  Besides the mysterious someone of which I'm speaking, the Yakuza (Japanese mob) play a major role, and you really can't get much eviler then these guys.

I do recommend reading the eBook (it's free for Kindle, I don't know about nook or other platforms) called Shadow.  It takes you all the way from when Katie's mom died to the beginning of this book, setting the story up nicely and also giving you a look into Tomo's head.

The fact that this book was set in Japan was one of the reasons I picked it up in the first place.  It's foreign and different and unique.  Just reading this book you feel like you're there and I almost wish I was (I could never eat the food there, I'm too picky).  The idea of using the Kami and their mythology is something different then I've ever read or seen before and has me wanting to do research of my own.

In short: I really liked this book.

Rating: 5 stars

Book Review: Delirium

 Description taken from book:

Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

This is one of those books almost everyone seems to pick up at some point.  From what I've heard, a lot of those people love this book and it makes it onto a lot of favorite shelves.  So, needless to say, I had high expectations for this book.  I wasn't disappointed, but it also won't be on my favorite shelf any time soon.

The pace was slow.  It takes place over the course of a little less then a hundred days, so I suppose that's why, but it made it hard to read.  I was slogging along, waiting for something, anything, to happen.  From the way this book ended I think the next one might be a little faster and more dramatic.

The characters were good.  Each one was well defined, I liked the ones I was supposed to, disliked the ones I was supposed to.  It's a clear cut divide between the "good guys" and the "bad guys", which was both nice and rather disappointing.  I felt that I knew Lena really well, like she was a real person who reacted like a real person would.  However, no matter how well the reader knows her, I can't help but feel she was a little drab.  She certainly grows over the course of the book, but her attitude and just general personality reminded me of a wet blanket.

Alex was very crush worthy, but I didn't feel like I knew him as well as any of the other characters, which I'm assuming was on purpose.  His and Lena's love was very heart-warming and natural feeling.  The character that I feel really takes the cake is Hana.  She was a different sort of best friend then I often see in YA books.  Not only was she exciting and rebellious, but she needed Lena as much as Lena needed her and acted like her own person.  Her character never betrays itself and keeps grounded in the reality of the story.

The idea behind this story, a world where love is a disease, was so real it had me believing it.  The fact that this could happen (theoretically) and how people respond to it is perfectly depicted and leaves you wondering.  It makes you feel like this world isn't very far away from ours.

The writing in this book was gorgeous and melodic.  You know that you're reading the work of a genius.  There are great writers, and then there is this.  Lauren Oliver obviously knows her way around a keyboard.  Honestly, I'm envious of her skill, and can see how this book has sold so many copies and almost became a television series.

Rating: 4 stars

TV Review: Perception Season 2 (so far)

For the record, the picture above makes him look insane (which might be the idea...)

I like this show because of the unconventional nature of the crimes.  I like that it's set in Chicago and that all the characters are down-to-earth.  The new characters this season add to the show and the old characters continue to shine.  Unfortunately, I don't feel like any of them have grown so far, but it is still early.

Rating (this season, so far): 3.45 stars
Rating (show overall): 4.15 stars





P.S.
I know this was a short little review, so if you want a specific episode reviewed, just tell me in the comments.  Or if you want a run down on what happened last season, I'll gladly do that post as well.  I don't feel like this show needs that much explaining, though, so I didn't make the post longer.

A New Obsession: Welcome to Night Vale

I've always been a fan of podcasts, but this little gem of a show takes the cake.  It's smart-funny and wildly strange.  If you're a fan of the paranormal/supernatural/science fiction you'll enjoy this show.

It airs bi-weekly and can be found on the apple podcast store.  Commonplace books produces it.

Welcome to Night Vale is set up like a small town radio station.  They cover everything from traffic, to weather, to the new dog park.  It's so much fun.

Right now I'm just catching up on it (there are only 27 episodes) but I am seriously hooked.  You'll find yourself loving this the minute you begin listening.  And, seriously, take a listen. 

Rating: 5 stars

TV Review: Suits "I Want You To Want Me"

SPOILER ALERT

Oh.

This episode was a game changer.  Quite a bit happened.  You should be warned now, there will be spoilers ahead.

Harvey is planning a coup and, no surprise, Donna is OK with it.  Actually, speaking of Donna, I'm a little disappointed with her this season.  She's fighting with Rachel?  Actually, I feel like, no matter how much she trusts and is on Harvey's side, she should also be the one there to ground him and tell him that, yeah, maybe he does need Mike.  Which, she does at the end of the episode, but I feel like she should have done it sooner.

So, yeah, Mike does get back with Harvey, finally.

And in doing so, he broke Louis' heart.

I love Louis because he brings the humor and because his character isn't really that bad once you get to know him.  He really is a good guy.  With the way the last episode ended, leaving him without his associates, you can't help but hurt in your heart.  At the beginning of this episode Jessica lifts his spirits by letting him choose any one associate and mentor them personally.  Knowing about Harvey and Mike's "breakup" he recruits Mike.  Together they win an unwinnable case (yay!) and Mike finds that he actually had a good time with Louis.  He agrees to become his associate when Harvey walks in and takes him back.  Louis has, meanwhile, gone to get a cake to celebrate his and Mike's new partnership.  You feel even worse, now, watching Louis' heart just break because now he's like a kicked puppy.

Harvey wins his case (although the next episode previews show there are storms coming anyway) and nearly comes to blows with Jessica.  She tries to solve their problems, inadvertently signing her own death sentence.  This also opens the opportunity for Harvey to bring Mike back.

One other thing of note, Rachel and Mike's relationship is still, remarkably, intact.  I want them to last forever, have their very own happy ever after, but I'm so afraid it will crumble any second.  Crossing fingers that it won't!

Like any episode in the series, you shouldn't miss this one.  I was laughing, cringing, hiding my face in the cushions (the mud bath scene is equal parts hilarious and awkward) and getting me to care like few other shows really can. 

Episode rating: 4 1/2 stars
Season rating (so far): 4 1/2 stars
Series rating: 5 stars