Reading Challenge: 2020 Goodreads Challenge

The Weekly Recap (154)

Posted September 21, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

Last week was for learning the BTS fan chant, watching a whole bunch of BTS videos on Youtube, taking a night drive along the coast with my friend and talking about the shows we’re watching and the new BTS songs that we’re listening to and loving. We were so wrapped up in our talking that we missed the earthquake. Oh well.

Now, let’s get into all of the things that I did last week…

What I’m Currently Watching

Record of Youth
Do You Like Brahms?
BTS: Burn the Stage (The Series)

What I Watched

My Shy Boss | DNF
Master’s Sun | 3.75 out of 5
BTS: Love Yourself Concert in New York | 5 out of 5

Record of Youth, Episodes 3-4: Another solid week of new episodes of this show. I’m really enjoying the chemistry between Park Bo Gum and Park So Dam. They look cute together, they’re a lot of fun to watch and I’m really liking the confidence that Sa Hye Jun is developing. I just know that his best friend is going to start liking Joeng Ha. Ehh, I’m not looking forward to that development but I am dying to see Grandpa modeling.

Do You Like Brahms?, Episodes 5-6: The drama is really picking up on this one and I’m here for it. I’m really enjoying the romance between Joon Young and Song a. I didn’t think I’d be into this show because I’m not a listener of classical music and the only music that I really listen to on the piano is Church music. But I can’t wait for this week’s episodes, I’m itching to find out how Joon Young is going to react to Song a’s confession. He better get it!!

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (154)Never Have I Ever
by Lauren Blakely
Series: Always Satisfied #3
Published by Self-Published, Lauren Blakely on July 30, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 378
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 Goodreads Challenge

Falling for the enemy has never been so deliciously complicated in this standalone romance where a sexy single dad meets his unexpected match! Get ready for all the feels!

Never have I ever been so infuriated by a man I wanted to kiss.They say opposites attract, but I beg to differ. Combust is more like it. Because every single time I talk to Zach Nolan, I see red.

The too-good-looking, too-smart, too-effortlessly charming single dad who works down the hall from me has turned getting under my skin into a sport. Call it the battle of wits between the wedding planner and the divorce attorney.

Trouble is, when we're forced into closer quarters planning an engagement party for our best friends, I start to see his other sides.

And I fear I'm falling for the enemy.

I'm not out to make friends. My goals are simple -- fight till the end for my clients, and my family.

The last thing I need is a vibrant, outgoing, snarky, and surprisingly big-hearted wedding planner to spend my precious free time with...except, watching Piper bond with my daughter just might break down the cinder block walls I've built around my heart these last few years.

Second chances don't come around for guys like me...or do they?

We had another book besties zoom call last week and it was decided that we would read another book together and this was the book that was chosen. It’s a re-read for me but I’m excited to read it again. I absolutely LOVED it when I read it earlier this year so I’m looking forward to jumping back in.

What I Read

Shine by Jessica Jung | 4 out of 5

I finished this book this morning. It took me a while to get it read but I got it done and I’m glad that I finished it. Now I just need to write my review for it.

Eye Candy Friday

Jung Joon Hyung
Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok Joo

What I Reviewed


The Man from Nowhere | 4.25 out of 5
Big | DNF
Tempted | DNF
Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth | DNF
Goblin | 4.75 out of 5
Fight for My Way | 4.5 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (153)
Eye Candy Friday: Jung Joon Hyung

What’s On My Radar for Next Week

Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao
Forgotten
Encounter

Discovering BTS has really put a damper on everything else in my life. I am loving them too much to focus on anything else. I don’t see myself becoming a k pop fan because if I get as obsessed as I am for BTS for another group, I wouldn’t have any time for anything else and I really don’t want that to happen. I mention all of that because these were on my radar from last week’s recap post and they’re back on my radar for this week. I’m going to get to these this week, for realsies.

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

0 Comments
Tags: , , , ,

The Weekly Recap (153)

Posted September 14, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

I’ve gone down the rabbit hole that is all things BTS. I’ve got to be the oldest fan that they have (not true, I see old lady BTS Army TikTok) but dude, they’re a lot of fun. I blame Tae-hyung for wrecking my For You Page on TikTok. It’s all things BTS and Korean Dramas. I’m not that mad about it though because I’ve been enjoying watching all of their content. They’re fun to watch perform and now I’m even more annoying to Brenna because I used to just speak Korean phrases to her but now I sing to her in Korean too. LOL. The other day she was on my Etsy ordering some stickers for her hydro and she said that she’d buy me some so I chose my stickers and had to laugh out loud at our Etsy cart.

These are the stickers she got:

And these are the stickers I got:

She just shook her head and was like, “Mom, why are you like this?” Haha.

Now, let’s get into all of the things that I did last week…

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (153)Shine
by Jessica Jung
Published by Simon Pulse on September 29, 2020
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 Goodreads Challenge, 2020 New to Me Challenge

Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl by way of Jenny Han in this knock-out debut about a Korean American teen who is thrust into the competitive, technicolor world of K-pop, from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of one of the most influential K-pop girl groups of all time, Girls Generation.
What would you give for a chance to live your dreams?

For seventeen-year-old Korean American Rachel Kim, the answer is almost everything. Six years ago, she was recruited by DB Entertainment—one of Seoul’s largest K-pop labels, known for churning out some of the world’s most popular stars. The rules are simple: Train 24/7. Be perfect. Don’t date. Easy right?

Not so much. As the dark scandals of an industry bent on controlling and commodifying beautiful girls begin to bubble up, Rachel wonders if she’s strong enough to be a winner, or if she’ll end up crushed… Especially when she begins to develop feelings for K-pop star and DB golden boy Jason Lee. It’s not just that he’s charming, sexy, and ridiculously talented. He’s also the first person who really understands how badly she wants her star to rise.

Get ready as Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of Korea’s most famous girl group, Girls Generation, takes us inside the luxe, hyper-color world of K-pop, where the stakes are high, but for one girl, the cost of success—and love—might be even higher. It’s time for the world to see: this is what it takes to SHINE.

I’m picking this book back up. I started it a couple of months ago but wasn’t in the mood to read so I kept putting it down after every other sentence. I’m hoping that my reading slump is behind me now so that I’ll actually finish this one so umm..wish me luck? 🙂

What I Read

The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie | DNF
Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) by Ilona Andrews | 4.25 out of 5

I tried reading The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie to discuss with my book besties on our zoom call yesterday but I was just not that interested in reading a historical book right now so I quit that book after 6 straight days of only reading a paragraph each time I opened the book. I jumped into Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) by Ilona Andrews instead and yeah, that was just what I needed to keep my reading slump at bay. However, it was the only book that I read last week.

What I’m Currently Watching

Record of Youth
Do You Like Brahms
My Shy Boss

What I Watched

One Spring Night | 3.75 out of 5
Prison Playbook | 4 out of 5
Burn the Stage: The Movie | 4.5 out of 5
BTS: Global Takeover | 4.25 out of 5

Record of Youth | Episodes 1 & 2: This show started off really strong as I’m already obsessed with the two main characters, already shipping them and waiting on pins and needles for today’s episode. I have to wait until my lunch hour to watch it but I’m actually struggling to decide if I should wait until tomorrow to watch both of this week’s episodes together or not. Who am I kidding, I’m not waiting to see Park Bo Gum in a new episode. Haha, silly me.

Do You Like Brahms? | Episodes 1-4: So I discovered BTS last month after realizing that one of the guys in the band was in Hwarang, one of the dramas that I started watching. I like the character enough that I looked him up in BTS and before I knew what was what, he became my bias in the group (with Suga a very close second bias and I don’t care if that breaks the rules, I love them both!) and I have listened and practiced singing all of the BTS songs that I like and there are a lot of songs that I’ve had to practice. Singing in English is easy but singing in Korean? That’s hard as hell but I’m happy to report that I can sing the shit out of my favorite BTS song, Just One Day. LOL. Anyway, all of that to say that I started this show because the main male lead is a friend of V’s from BTS….that’s why I started this show. I gotta support my biases friends and I’m glad that I did because the pacing of this show is a lot slower than Record of Youth but it’s just as good. It’s more focused on the characters and I’m really, really enjoying this one so far. I’m happy that I have a new episode to watch and I’ll watch that today too. Yippy skippy.

Eye Candy Friday

An Min Hyuk
Strong Woman, Do Bong Soon

What I Reviewed

Midnight Runners | 5 out of 5
Romance is a Bonus Book | DNF
Kill Me, Heal Me | DNF
Playful Kiss | DNF
Descendants of the Sun | 3.25 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (152)
Eye Candy Friday: An Min Hyuk

What I Got

Teach Me (There’s Something about Marysville #1) by Olivia Dade
40 Love (There’s Something about Marysville #2) by Olivia Dade
Swettest in the Gale (There’s Something about Marysville #3) by Olivia Dade
Never Have I Ever (Always Satisfied #3) by Lauren Blakely

What I Got for Review

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

What’s On My Radar for This Week

Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao
Encounter
Time to Hunt

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

2 Comments
Tags: , , , , ,

The Weekly Recap (152)

Posted September 7, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

Utah is here in California and the house is noisy again. It’s been really quiet with everyone out of the house but Bren’s back from Colorado and the kids were home for the long weekend and are getting ready to head back to Utah but it’s been nice seeing everyone again. RJ and Kaleo came to town with the Utah crew (they’re from Colorado) and it was super funny to catch up with RJ. He is so full of life and so happy, you can’t help but be happy right along with him. I was able to get some reading done, along with some dramas and movies watched so I have stuff to report.

Let’s get into all of the things that I did last week…shall we?

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (152)The Perfect Rake
by Anne Gracie
Series: The Merridew Sisters #1
Published by Penguin, Berkley on July 5, 2005
Genres: Historical, Romance
Point of View:Third Person
Pages: 361
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 Goodreads Challenge

She ran from a brute...

Fleeing violent tyranny, Prudence Merridew escapes with her beautiful younger sisters to London. One of them must marry—and fast. To act as her sisters' chaperone, Prudence invents a secret engagement to a reclusive duke...But when the duke arrives unexpectedly in London, she needs his help to avert disaster.

...into the arms of a rake

Aristocratic Gideon, handsome, rakish and with a strong frivolous streak, casually hijacks Prudence's game, awarding himself a stolen kiss or three along the way. Used to managing sisters and elderly men, Prudence is completely out of her depth with a charming, devious and utterly irresistible rake. And her plot goes terribly—if deliciously—awry...

In preparation for another friend’s zoom call this coming weekend, I need to get this book read. I started it yesterday and I haven’t gotten very far into it but I’ve heard really good things about it so I’m going to power through.

What I Read

Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant #1) by Ilona Andrews | 4 out of 5
Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5

I’m finally reading again and that makes me happy. I finished two books and I caught up on the serial that Ilona Andrews is writing on their blog. The Aurelia Ryder story, which I think is going to be Blood Heir that will release in January. DEERRRREEEEKKKKKK!!! That’s all I’m going to say about that one. Well, that, and I LOVE IT!

What I’m Currently Watching

Prison Playbook

Starring: Park Hae Soo, Jung Kyung Ho, Lee Kyu Hyung, Ktystal Jung, Jung Hae In, Kim Kyung Nam
Year Released: 2017
Genres: Drama

With only days before his major league baseball debut, pitcher Kim Je-hyeok unexpectedly lands himself behind bars. He must learn to navigate his new world with its own rules if he wants to survive.

I’ve been very curious about this show ever since I found out that my boy Jung Hae In is in it. I love that guy so when I found out about this one, I looked it up and it sounds like a good one so I started it. So far, so good. I’m enjoying what I’m watching so far and I’m hopeful that it’ll keep my interest throughout the rest of the episodes as well. Fingers crossed, anyway.

What I Watched

Train | 4.25 out of 5
One Spring Night | 3.5 out of 5
Mulan | 4 out of 5
The Table | 2 out of 5

Eye Candy Friday

Noh Ji Wook
Suspicious Partner

What I Reviewed

The Suspect (2013) | 4.5 out of 5
She Was Pretty (2015) | 4.25 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (151)
The Monthly Recap: August 2020
Eye Candy Friday: Noh Ji Wook

What I Got

Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) by Ilona Andrews
Yours to Keep (Man of the Year #2) by Lauren Layne

What’s On My Radar for Next Week

Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) by Ilona Andrews
Forgotten
My Shy Boss

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

4 Comments
Tags: , , , , , ,

The Weekly Recap (151)

Posted August 31, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

It’s been a quiet week for me. Work kicked my ass because I was covering an additional 4 offices for my work best friend who was out on vacation all week. I’m so glad that she’s back to work today because gah…my region alone is a lot of work but her region was extremely busy this past week so she can have her region back. 🙂 I did manage to get out and hang with my friends for a little bit before our bestie, Mulu, went back to Utah. And then I hung out with my friend B Nice and we took a trip to Fountain Valley to try the brown sugar milk tea from The Alley, that I saw in my Korean drama, The King: Eternal Monarch. It was super tasty even though I hate boba. I can’t wait to try something new next week with B Nice. Our weekly night drives are always full of adventures.

Now, let’s get into all of the things that I did last week…

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (151)Iron and Magic
by Ilona Andrews
Series: The Iron Covenant #1
Published by NYLA on June 18, 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Point of View:Third Person
Pages: 394
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 A-Z Challenge, 2020 Goodreads Challenge

No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work.

Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.

Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she's trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.

Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?
As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”

Hugh and Elara may do both.

So far, this one is pretty good so I’m hoping Hugh and Elara keep the party going. I’m pretty anxious to see the link between the beginning of this new series and the Kate Daniels series. I haven’t gotten to that part yet, it’s still early days but I’m definitely interested in where this book is going.

What I Read

Magic Binds (Kate Daniels #9) by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5

I read a book, yall!

I heard that Julie is going to get a book and that Derek is in it so I’ve got some catching up to do because I WANT THAT BOOK! So I dug back into the Kate Daniels series so that I can wrap that one up and be ready for Julie and Derek. Kate Daniels is such a bomb ass character and even though she scared me from time to time in this book, I still completely adored her and already jumped into the next book in the series, or actually, I started Hugh’s book because that’s what I was told to do.

What I’m Currently Watching

Train

Starring: Yoon Si Yoon, Kyung Soo Jin, Shin So Yul
Year Released: 2020
Genres: Sci-Fi, Drama

A hard-hitting detective who fearlessly dives into his work, Seo Do Won (Yoon Shi Yoon) is relentless when it comes to bringing criminals to justice. Willing to take on any case, no matter how hard, Do Won has made a name for himself as a man who gets the job done. But when the woman he loves becomes the latest victim of a serial killer, his world completely changes. Literally.

Mysteriously able to move between parallel universes, Do Won now lives in both worlds as a man who must pay for the sins of his father in one, and as a man forced to live a precarious life because of those sins in the other. As if the duality of his life wasn’t hard enough to deal with, he soon learns that his deceased love may be gone in one world, but she’s very much alive in the other. Vowing to track down her killer in one universe, while simultaneously trying to protect her in the other, Do Won is quick to acknowledge this is not something he can do alone.

Seeking the help of his colleagues in both universes, Do Won asks Han Seo Kyung (Kyung Soo Jin), an honest, yet reserved prosecutor with a big heart in one world, and a cold and emotionless detective in the other, to help him out. Together with Lee Jung Min (Shin So Yul), a tenacious member of the scientific investigation unit, they’ll do whatever it takes to track down the killer in one world and protect his love in the other. But will their efforts in either universe really be enough?

A suspenseful thriller with a sci-fi twist, “Train” is a 2020 mystery romance drama directed by Ryu Seung Jin.

This show came across my radar while browsing the selection on Viki. It looked interesting so I started it and I’m two episodes in and already I’m hooked. There’s so much going on and I’m so ready for the story to come together.

What I Watched

Thirty, but Seventeen | 4.25 out of 5
The Hospital Playlist | 4 out of 5
A Company Man | 4 out of 5

Eye Candy Friday

Ko Dong Man
Fight for My Way

What I Reviewed

The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil | 2 out of 5
Love Alarm | 3.75 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (150)
The Monthly Plan: September 2020
Eye Candy Friday: Ko Dong Man

What’s On My Radar for This Week

Prison Playbook
One Spring Night
The Table
Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

2 Comments
Tags: , , , , ,

The Weekly Recap (147)

Posted July 20, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 6 Comments

The Weekly Recap is a weekly feature on the blog where I recap my week in books, in movies, and in TV Shows. If you’re ever curious about what I’ve been up to, these are the posts for you.

It’s been a pretty quiet week for me since Brenna’s been in Colorado for the summer and I don’t have anyone annoying me at every turn. It’s been nice. LOL. I also had some time to catch up with my siblings on Friday with my sister from Vegas in town. We received some bad news about my cousin’s husband, who died from covid-19 this week so that was a bummer. It’s amazing to me that people are pissed about having to wear masks in public here in California. SMH.

Anyway, I didn’t do much but watch Korean Dramas this week but it was still a good week.

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (147)Shine
by Jessica Jung
Published by Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse on September 29, 2020
Genres: Young Adult
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 Goodreads Challenge, 2020 New to Me Challenge

Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl by way of Jenny Han in this knock-out debut about a Korean American teen who is thrust into the competitive, technicolor world of K-pop, from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of one of the most influential K-pop girl groups of all time, Girls Generation.
What would you give for a chance to live your dreams?

For seventeen-year-old Korean American Rachel Kim, the answer is almost everything. Six years ago, she was recruited by DB Entertainment—one of Seoul’s largest K-pop labels, known for churning out some of the world’s most popular stars. The rules are simple: Train 24/7. Be perfect. Don’t date. Easy right?

Not so much. As the dark scandals of an industry bent on controlling and commodifying beautiful girls begin to bubble up, Rachel wonders if she’s strong enough to be a winner, or if she’ll end up crushed… Especially when she begins to develop feelings for K-pop star and DB golden boy Jason Lee. It’s not just that he’s charming, sexy, and ridiculously talented. He’s also the first person who really understands how badly she wants her star to rise.

Get ready as Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of Korea’s most famous girl group, Girls Generation, takes us inside the luxe, hyper-color world of K-pop, where the stakes are high, but for one girl, the cost of success—and love—might be even higher. It’s time for the world to see: this is what it takes to SHINE.

I didn’t get any reading done this week. A couple of pages at most but I’m liking what I’m reading so far in Shine by Jessica Jung. Those K Pop stars are no joke and their schedules and training are intense. I’m really interested in seeing where this story takes us. I just need to make time to read.

What I Got

Shine by Jessica Jung
Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao

What I’m Currently Watching

It’s Okay to Not be Okay (2020)
Suits (2018)

This week’s episodes of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay were emotionally packed and I ugly cried through both of them. I am really, really loving this show and both Seo Ye Ji and Kim Soo Hyun did such an amazing job engaging my emotions with their acting skills that I am so here for the both of them. I cannot wait to see where the rest of the season takes us but if the first part of the season is any indication, it’s going to be a crazy ride that I am fully on board with.

I started the Korean version of Suits last night and I am super duper excited about it. I adored the American version of this show and the Korean version stars my #3 boo thang, Park Hyun Sik. I completely adored him in Strong Woman, Do Bong Soon and Juror 8 so when I saw that he was on the Korean version of Suits, I knew that I had to find the show and watch it wherever I could. I’m so glad that it’s on Netflix. I’m on episode 5 and so far, I’m really enjoying it. It’s very familiar to the American version but with its own Korean charm and I love me some Park Hyun Sik so I’m all in.

What I Watched

It’s Okay to Not be Okay (2020)
Cheese in the Trap (2016) | 2.5 out of 5
My First First Love (2019) | 4.25 out of 5
My First First Love 2 (2019) | 4.5 out of 5

This week was a good week in K Dramas for me….with the exception of Cheese in the Trap. That show started off so well for me and then it went downhill and kept right on going downhill until it ended and I was like WTF? Wasn’t a big fan of that of that one.

I did really enjoy My First First Love and My First First Love 2. I need to watch more shows and movies with Ji Soo in it. He’s such a delight.

Eye Candy Friday

Park Saeroyi
Itaewon Class (2020)

What I Reviewed

Movie Review: Train to Busan | 4 out of 5
Korean Drama Review: Itaewon Class | 5 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (146)
5 Things I Did During Quarantine
Eye Candy Friday: Park Saeroyi

What Made Me Laugh

6 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,