Sep 16, 2012

Random Recommendations

I always like to talk to people about things I've seen or read or listened to, so this monthly post of Recommendations is a pleasure to do. Here's what I've been up!

Music
My playlist has been pretty diverse lately, from folk or guitar songs (Lucy Rose and Michael Kiwanuka), to indie rock and dance. Here's a short list of my most played songs in the last few weeks:

Bastille- Bad Blood
Lucy Rose- Middle of the bed
Foo Fighters- My Hero
Jessie Ware- Night light
Grimes- Genesis
Michael Kiwanuka- Tell me a tale
Daughter- Love
The Maccabees- Child
Jeff Buckley- Everybody here wants you
You me at six- No one does it better

Magazine
For movie lovers, I highly recommend Little White Lies- wonderfully packed, with amazing designs and drawings, it has one of the best interviews and articles around. This month's piece about On The Road is amazing, and so is its interview with KStew. If you find in your local store or online, please do check it out.


Books
I am now reading Bob Dylan- Chronicles: Volume one, and it's a pretty interesting read. I love the way he describes and talks about the 60s and his adventures in New York, although I do find it to be a little bit out of focus- he goes from one character, or year, to another and not only is it confusing, but it makes you lose interest at some points. That being said, I am still intrigued, and I will definitely finish it, his writing style is wonderful. 


I'm planning to read 1Q84- Haruki Murakami. [From Amazon: "A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s—1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers."]


Have you read it yet? should I do it?

TV shows
One type of TV shows I love to watch are crime series, you know, like Criminal Minds or CSI. The ones I am currently seeing and recommend, in case you are looking for something similar, are:

Criminal Minds- case by case TV show run by CBS, about the FBI Behavioral Unit- their job is to understand, locate and capture serial killers. I love the cases and some of the characters are adorable (Doctor Reid, Garcia)


Castle- Wildly famous mystery novelist Richard Castle, learns that a real-world copycat killer has started staging murder scenes depicted in his novels.Rick is soon questioned by NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic, "The Spirit"), a very bright, aggressive detective who keeps her investigations under tight rein. Rick and Kate's styles instantly clash, yet sparks begin to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance as Castle steps in to help find the killer.And once that case is solved, he and Beckett build upon their new relationship as they look to solve strange homicides in New York - as much fun as one can have with death & murder [official synopsis]. Again, the characters and the chemistry is what sets this show apart from others, from my point of view. 



What have you been reading/watching/listening to lately? Please do let me know in the comments!

30 comments:

  1. I really like Little White Lies too, and that Bob Dylan book looks like a very interesting read, yes. I don't really buy magazines anymore, I read some online - like LWL! As for music I've been listening to American Psycho's soundtrack and David Bowie a lot... and the forever on loop Dean Martin and Ella.

    I'm reading Stephen King's Lisey's Story... and a couple of days ago I finished watching Shameless US - which was awesome. And now I'm starting Breaking Bad!

    I have a Murakami novel somewhere, sounds like he's good.

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    1. I have a huge To listen list, as well, and David Bowie is on there, I have to give it a try soon!
      Not a big horror fan, but I always wanted to try Stephen King- which should I start with? which one is easier and less horror/very creepy?

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  2. I love Little White Lies! The covers and artwork is always so gorgeous. I watched few episodes of Castle and they were pretty good, though I found the show to be a bit too similiar to Bones.

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    1. I know Castle is similar to Bones, but for me Castle is more interesting because of the chemistry and the cases...plus, how many cool cases can one have involving Bones? it must get tiring after a while :)

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  3. I've been a fan and buyer of Little White Lies for a couple of years now, and am so glad that it has caught on to loads of other people! The design of the actual magazine is always top-notch, even if I disagree with their reviews.

    On the Murakami note, I've been meaning to read his latest book for AGES but haven't got round to it yet, unfortunately. Thanks for (subconsciously) reminding me about it, though!

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    1. Murakami is pretty good, I read Norwegian wood a long time ago and I remember liking it!

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  4. Right now, in anticipation for the upcoming Led Zeppelin reunion concert movie. I've been listening to some Zeppelin. What the Beatles were to the 1960s, Zeppelin was to the 70s. It's not just the rock stuff they did but it's really some of the acoustic stuff they did that really shows their range. They were also unafraid to tackle other ideas such as Eastern music and funk.

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    1. Led Zeppelin is great!

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    2. There's a Led Zeppelin reunion concert movie? I have to check that out! I am becoming a little music freak lately and I want to listen to so many things, and the whole Beatles discography + Led Zeppelin are definitely on the list! Thanks for reminding me!

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  5. I like this Random Recommendations feature! I watched some of the 1st season of Castle, because I'd developed a slight celebrity crush on Nathan Fillion through my love of the Firefly series. I liked it well enough to watch more. And Criminal Minds sounds right up my alley! The only thing that would make it sound better would be if it were a British series. ;-)

    I am intrigued by 1Q84. I read another book by the same author: Kafka on the Shore. I had mixed feelings about it, but I found it fascinating.

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    1. Glad you like the post Stephanie! I love Castle mostly because of the fabulous Nathan Fillion, so I understand the love!
      Murakami is great, I read Norwegian wood and liked it, but 1Q84 sounds pretty fascinating!

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  6. Why have I never heard of Little White Lies before? It looks great from what I've seen on the website.

    I've been listening to a lot of 80s throwback synthpop lately - artists like College, Electric Youth, The Outrunners, and Maethelvin. Can't get enough of it.

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    1. 80s throwback synthpop? did you see Drive recently? :P I love the soundtrack to it and it is mostly what you listen to, right?

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    2. I've seen Drive 3 or 4 times, but not recently. :) Well, there's one song on the soundtrack by College featuring Electric Youth, but I haven't been listening to soundtrack itself. The Outrunners and Maethelvin aren't on it, and Electric Youth just has a few songs out. I've mainly been listening College's EPs/albums, such as Teenage Color, A Real Hero, and Secret Diary.

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    3. I love that song on Drive soundtrack by College ft Electric Youth! nice mix of music, sounds interesting

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  7. i LOVE 1Q84. It was hands down my favorite book of 2011 and absolutely engaging once you get started. Don't fret the page count, it moves quickly and while the concepts are massive, complicated creatures the prose style is minimalist and compulsively readable. Wonderful book....

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    1. Thanks for the push, I loved what you said about it! I can't wait to start it!

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  8. Nice post Diana. I haven't been watching any TV but I have seen some eps of Criminal Minds and Castle, neither had me hooked though. I hope ARROW will keep my interest, the trailer looks really good and it doesn't hurt that the lead actor resembles Christian Bale a bit ;)

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    1. Arrow? hmm...I've heard about it, I must check the trailer again! Thanks!

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  9. I really want to read 1Q84 too, so please let me know what you think once you've read it.I'm currently reading the novel 'Morvern Callar' because i loved the film so much.

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    1. I haven't heard about Morvern Callar, but it sounds intriguing, so I will check it out soon! Thanks!

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  10. I don't watch Criminal Minds regularly, but I looove it when I do! Matthew Gray Gubler <3 I'm also a big fan of Law and Order SVU.
    I still need to sit down and really listen to the Maccabees. I've been listening to a lot of J-Pop lately, but themes from anime shows I've been watching (Nana and K-on) - I need something poppy to negate the stress of uni, haha

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    1. I love Matthew Gray Gubler, too, one of my favorites in Criminal Minds!
      J-Pop? that sounds interesting! it reminds me of SNL and that sketch they do about it! And please do try Maccabees :)

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  11. (reply is not working for me)

    Oh I wouldn't know, Diana, I've only read two of his novels and they were both pretty creepy! But I'd recommend the one I'm reading, Lisey's Story. It's a really nice blend between romance (at times eerie, but still a sweet love story), and thriller. The scary stuff is mainly details and things she finds out about her husband's past.

    I'm not a huge horror reader myself, but his books have so far proved to be very interesting. And the way King writes is truly gripping. Oh, and he really creeps you out when he wants to, and that's never an easy task when it comes to writing. But seriously, Lisey's Story is sweet.

    Give it a try, and let me know if you like it!

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    1. I will, thanks so much for the recommendations! Lisey's story sounds very good!

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  12. I started reading 1Q84, but got tired after the first book. Those first 300 pages took what felt like a lifetime. Just wasn't the novel for me. If you do decide to give it a go let me know how it goes. I'd love to know how it finished someday.

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    1. If I read and if I finish it, I will let you know! I have a problem with big books, too :)

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  13. Castle is about the only TV show that I still watch, although there are a couple new ones coming soon that I will try.

    Have you read the books written by "Richard Castle", or the graphic novel that "adapts" his first Derrick Storm novel? If not, I recommend them. I actually just did a whole, big update on my Castle reviews. If you want to find out more about the books, I have links to my reviews here: http://www.tipsfromchip.blogspot.com/2012/09/castle-tv-show-books-graphic-novels-and.html

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    1. I haven't read them, although they do sound interesting- who actually wrote them? I will read your post soon, thanks for the heads up!

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    2. The actual author is unknown. Some people think it is one of the real authors that have appeared on the program, while others think it is show creator Andrew Marlowe.

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