TV Madness: How To Get Away With Murder

 

I'm always on the hunt for new TV shows to watch. I honestly like watching TV shows more than I do movies. Why, you ask? Well, it's the same thing with book series: I get to spend way more time with the characters and the story. There's much more space for the characters to grow and reveal all their quirks. 

I remember last year when the promo for How To Get Away With Murder came out and the first thing that drew my eye was Viola Davis. Let's face it, she's awesome! And there was a scene in the trailer with her presenting what her subject was about and I absolutely loved that scene. So I knew this show was on my "to-watch" list. For some reason though, it has stayed on that list up until about a month ago, when I went on a road trip. I went to my grandmother's for a week and when I turned on the TV, the pilot was on. I have to say, I was hooked from the last scene of that pilot, when they reveal who the dead body was. Holy crap, I did not see that one coming! 

What I love most about the show are the numerous twists and turns that I don't see coming most of the time. It's like a roller coaster. I don't understand who killed whom and I'm staying away from spoilers (IT'S SO HARD, GUYS!!). The funny part is that Mom already saw the show and she's gloating, because she knows what happens next and she's always saying things like "Oh, you wait and see next week's episode". And that's it. She then goes to do some other stuff! So unfair!

Anyway, back to the show. I love the writing and the flash-forward scenes are done amazingly well. And Viola Davis is just...there's a scene in one of the episodes where she's in the courtroom and she's interrogating the witness in such an aggressive way that I got goosebumps when I saw it. She should've won the Golden Globes nomination, because she is doing a perfect job. 

The nerd in me can't help but do a happy dance that one of the actors from Harry Potter is in this show - Alfred Enoch. It took me a while to recognize him, but when I did I squee-ed like the big nerd that I am. I was so impressed by his accent. And with each scene I wonder if Wes knows more than he's letting on. 

So I'm obsessed with this show. And I'm so, so, so happy that it got picked up for another season. I hope it gets to have many more seasons after that, because the show is just great.

Book Review: The Silver Swan by Elena Deblanco

Author: Elena Delbanco
Series: N/A
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: May 19th 2015
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A debut novel about a daughter grappling with the legacy of her famous and imposing cellist father, the secrets he has hidden from her, and the fate of his great Stradivarius cello.

Alexander Feldmann is a revered and sought-after performer whose prodigious talent, striking good looks and worldly charm prove irresistible to all who hear and encounter him. After years of searching, he acquires a glorious cello, the Silver Swan, a rare Stradivarius masterpiece long lost to the world of music.

Mariana is Alexander’s only child and the maestro has large ambitions for her. By the age of nineteen she emerges as a star cellist in her own right, and is seen as the inheritor of her father's genius. There are whispers that her career might well outpace his. Mariana believes the Silver Swan will one day be hers, until a stunning secret from her father’s past entwines her fate and that of the Silver Swan in ways she could never have imagined.

*Disclaimer: I received this e-galley from Netgalley and Other Press in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing that appealed to me about the book was that it had nothing to do with what I normally read. I haven't read many books about musicians so far. And when I read an excerpt of this book something about the tone of the story and the narrative appealed to me.

There's a cinematic feel to this book. The way the scenes are put together, with the past and present mingling gave me the feeling of not only reading, but also watching a movie. I thought the way the author wrote the flashback scenes was very well done. I did, however, get confused at some point. This was because, although I felt that they explained a lot about Mariana and Claude's personalities, some of the flashbacks were introduced with no warning whatsoever. So it took a while to realize I was reading a memory.

Man, I felt for Mariana the entire time I read the book. She was ignored by her mother, treated like a soon-to-be clone by her father while she was growing up, then as a maid while he was old, her ex was a creep, and her love interest is...well, he's not that good either. Oh, and let's not forget the big hits her father delivered after he died, with his will and the "after I die" letter. I kept wondering how is it that she was sane, poor woman.

The novel is told from both Mariana and Claude's POVs. There were some aspects of the story that make more sense when told this way. It also helped me tolerate Claude more than I would've had there been only one POV. Claude wasn't the easiest character to like, but getting his side of the story made me understand why he was acting a certain way.

I liked this novel. I would've wanted a bit more time spent in the present time and less in the flashbacks, which were at times distracting. It was a quick read and if you're in the mood for something new, this might be the read for you.

Final Rating: 3.5 cups

Because the story was different from what I normally read, I'll give it 2 Jolly Rogers.

Mini-update and hiatus

Hey guys! So I know I've been missing a lot. I'm spending my time trying to write my thesis so I can finish it by July. I am so ready to be done with this school stuff, TBH.

I posted this on Twitter earlier, but I thought I'd share this on my blog too. I won't have internet for a while. I don't know how much time before I'll be able to post again. Hopefully, the guys from the internet will move fast and in a couple of weeks I'll be back, but I can't be sure. Anyway, just wanted to let you know. I might be able to check my email, but I'm not really sure about that.

I hope you have a great Friday, a better weekend and happy reading, fellow book lovers! See you in a while *smooches*

Obsessed with covers #19: The Immortal Heights, Ink and Bone & The Isle of the Lost

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

 This is such a gorgeous cover! It has dragons on it! And they spit out (or breath, however you want to see it!) lightning. Aside from that, the colors used are fantastic. I do hope that in real life the colors are a little bit stronger. I totally need this series on my shelf, because all books have gorgeous covers.










The Immortal Heights - Sherry Thomas

 This is so pretty! First of all, the font used for the title is so, so awesome. It makes me think of those really old books you see in museums. And then there's a glimpse of old books sitting on a shelf, which is so great. And Goodreads says this is a book about books, so that is even more awesome. However, what I like most are the two lions in the back, that kind of make the entire upper part of the cover look like a giant coat of arms. Or like a coat of arms is hidden behind the ink stain. Also, the quote at the end of the cover is great, because knowledge really is power :)

Ink and Bone - Rachel Caine

This is such a cute cover! I love the font used for the title. And I love how simple the cover is. I'd like to see it in real life, but I really hope that the thorns or the title is embossed.












The Isle of the Lost - Melissa De La Cruz

Follow Friday #20

Welcome to Follow Friday hosted this week by Parajunkee and Alison!
The main idea behind FF is just to go see a bunch of new blogs you may never have seen before, and follow the ones you like (and they’ll follow you back!) It’s a total win/win, so take a peek around!


This week’s question is:

Here is €/£/$100,000. Buy something. Anything at all! What would be the first thing you choose, and why?

I'd buy a house. Or make the deposit for one. OR I could invest the money (which for truth's sake, I'll never be able to, because when it comes to economics, I'm in way, waaaay over my head, but this is a hypothetical situation, right? :P ) and after a while I'd be able to build my dream house, which includes a huge library *dreamy sigh*

What would you do it someone gave you €/£/$100,000 ?

Book Review: Never Sleep by Cady Vance

Author: Cady Vance
Series: -
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: February 23rd 2015
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

127 days without sleep.

Thora Green had a life once upon a time. But that ended the day her parents enrolled her in sleep clinic prison. At the facility, her chronic months-long insomnia is observed by scads of doctors, but she is never actually treated for her dire disease. In a feat of desperation, Thora escapes and heads straight for New York City. Buried deep in the city’s underbelly, there is rumored to be a secret haven called the Insomniacs’ Café: a place where people like Thora can find relief.

As Thora joins forces with Aiden and Florence, two fellow insomniacs, their midnight quest will take them from the dusty bookshelves of The Strand, to the smokey underground clubs in the Lower East Side, to countless taxi and subway rides. Clues leading to their final destination are waiting for them at every turn. But so are Sleepers—a powerful core of sworn-enemies to all Insomniacs— who wish to see Thora and her friends destroyed at any cost.

I won this book in a giveaway on BookLikes.

Oh wow. WOW! I don't even know where to start talking about this book. I so did not see that one coming! Okay... *deep breath* So here's the thing. I was so surprised by this book. The idea of this book was so new to me. I've never read about insomniacs before.

I liked the twists and turns, some of which I did not see coming at all. The pacing was fantastic. The author gives us tiny scenes from the past, to see how it is that Thora and her brother got to be patients at the Clinic. Those scenes were placed so well in the story, making the tension from the present time seem a little bit bigger, since I wanted to get back to Thora and her friends. And I loved the little quotes at the beginning of the chapters, which kind of set the tone for that chapter and gave an additional explanation as to what and why things were happening.

I loved Thora. She was very sarcastic at times and very funny. She was brave, very brave in some situations where most people would have given up on everything. It was amazing to see how she would gather up whatever energy she had left and keep going, keep trying to find a way to get people to safety. She also knew how to be vulnerable and when to be scared, but also how to not let her fear overwhelm her. I was sad for her, because I kept wondering what the hell were her parents thinking about when they sent her to the Clinic. Why they were acting the way they did when they visited her and her brother. I did get to find the answer to that question at the end of the book, though it was so, so not what I thought it was.

I can't say much without giving the plot away, but the last few chapters were very fast paced. There were a lot of things that happened that were huge and that explained in a way what was happening to the insomniacs and why. The only thing I'm hoping is that a sequel is coming out and that it's coming out soon, because I absolutely adored this world and I'm not ready for it to be over.