Set in the near-future, Into the Forest is a powerfully imagined novel that focuses on the relationship between two teenage sisters living alone in their Northern California forest home.
Over 30 miles from the nearest town, and several miles away from their nearest neighbor, Nell and Eva struggle to survive as society begins to decay and collapse around them. No single event precedes society's fall. There is talk of a war overseas and upheaval in Congress, but it still comes as a shock when the electricity runs out and gas is nowhere to be found. The sisters consume the resources left in the house, waiting for the power to return. Their arrival into adulthood, however, forces them to reexamine their place in the world and their relationship to the land and each other.
This is not so much a review as a cautionary tale. I don't know what I was expecting when I marked this on my 'to-read' bookshelf but what I got was definitely not it.
Into the Forest is the most depressing book I've read a in a long time. It is about two orphaned sisters living so far from civilization that they lose their faith in humanity and end up retreating into the forest behind their house.
When I read the summary I thought the relationship between the two sisters would kind and dependent on one another and not much more than that. I got more than I bargained for. They both longed for human company so much that they had no choice but to turn to each other to fill not only their social but physical needs...I'll let you fill in the blanks.
The main problem I had with this book was that it was very close to the writing style of the book Stolen. The main character is writing in an empty journal all the things that have happened to the sisters as civilization crumbles. I didn't find this writing engaging mainly because the point of view was so very pessimistic. In flashbacks the monologue would illustrate how joyous the lights were when they were on and her family would dance and read and almost return to normal...but they knew it wouldn't last. Well obviously this was the case because we opened the book to the 'current' time where they are already cut off from others and essentially living off of the land.
Another thing I didn't like about this book was the fact that there was no plot. I get the sisters were just trying to survive but that doesn't mean something couldn't have been happening in the back story.
To be fair, I didn't read this book completely, I skimmed once I got past page 50. So this 'review' is more of my general thoughts rather than anything specific I really liked or disliked about this book.
The bottom line is if I can't finish a book that means something is really lacking in terms of substance. I hate not finishing things I start - even if it pains me to do so - but I just couldn't make this book work. So to summarize: I give this book 1 star; there are enough depressing things in the world today, I don't need to read about fictional things as well.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
Colie expects the worst when she's sent to spend the summer with her eccentric aunt Mira while her mother, queen of the television infomercial, tours Europe. Always an outcast -- first for being fat and then for being "easy" -- Colie has no friends at home and doesn't expect to find any in Colby, North Carolina. But then she lands a job at the Last Chance Cafe and meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel, best friends with a loving yet volatile relationship. Wacky yet wise, Morgan and Isabel help Colie see herself in a new way and realize the potential that has been there all along.
This has been on my t0-be-read shelf for a while now, but I was expecting to read it during summer while sipping an iced beverage by the pool. Instead I ended up reading it in between homework and during a snowstorm. Not everything happens as you expect it to, and that was the main point this book tried to drive home.
I'm not usually into romance books, where the entire plot is about the main character's first love and how complicated their life is, etc. But surprisingly this book had the main character's (Colie) self-esteem as the main obstacle in the story - not just her neediness to be loved. That is why I believe this book got such good reviews among a wide range of readers.
That being said, don't go expecting this book to be super deep or thought-provoking. It's still a quick summer book that happens to have a more intriguing plot than most of the others. Keeping the Moon is different because Colie spends her whole life thinking she is worthless and that she will never be accepted among her peers, let alone loved by anyone who isn't family. I found this very easy to relate to because every girl goes through a middle school period where she feels like an outsider, especially if like Colie, you happen to relocate often.
After the entire book Colie finally discovers that she IS worth something and now has a group of friends (and potential boyfriend) forever...obviously. This book is not written to have crazy plot twists or long action/adventure sequences, it's one girl's story of self-discovery.
Because of this, there were some things that irked me along the way of finishing this book. First the name Colie didn't do it for me, her full name is Nicole and the nickname just felt forced. Shortening your name is supposed to be endearing, not awkward. Secondly this book was ridiculously predictable. Everything from the old photo of 'fat' Isabel to Morgan's non-relationship to Norman having a huge crush on Colie from day 1. It was all classic Sarah Dessen...but I can't harp on that too much. If she can write the same story over and over and still make money, props to her. She's doing something right! The last problem I had with this book was the title. I'm finished and I still don't get it. The sky was keeping the moon and little kids think it will never come back but it does. OK, I wish that was explained in more detail, maybe I would have understood the ending in more depth (or not, who knows?).
But still this book was solid. I liked the fact that it was quick and easy. No big words or fantasy worlds that I had to keep up with. I could read and it was enjoyable. I also really liked Isabel. I was waiting for the cousin-thing to be exposed and for Colie's big AH-HA! moment but it didn't really come. There was one sentence of epiphany and that was all I got. Either way Isabel is still my favorite character.
Overall I give this book 4 stars. It was predictable but an easy escape from real life for a couple days. And in the end that's the real reason I read books.
This has been on my t0-be-read shelf for a while now, but I was expecting to read it during summer while sipping an iced beverage by the pool. Instead I ended up reading it in between homework and during a snowstorm. Not everything happens as you expect it to, and that was the main point this book tried to drive home.
I'm not usually into romance books, where the entire plot is about the main character's first love and how complicated their life is, etc. But surprisingly this book had the main character's (Colie) self-esteem as the main obstacle in the story - not just her neediness to be loved. That is why I believe this book got such good reviews among a wide range of readers.
That being said, don't go expecting this book to be super deep or thought-provoking. It's still a quick summer book that happens to have a more intriguing plot than most of the others. Keeping the Moon is different because Colie spends her whole life thinking she is worthless and that she will never be accepted among her peers, let alone loved by anyone who isn't family. I found this very easy to relate to because every girl goes through a middle school period where she feels like an outsider, especially if like Colie, you happen to relocate often.
After the entire book Colie finally discovers that she IS worth something and now has a group of friends (and potential boyfriend) forever...obviously. This book is not written to have crazy plot twists or long action/adventure sequences, it's one girl's story of self-discovery.
Because of this, there were some things that irked me along the way of finishing this book. First the name Colie didn't do it for me, her full name is Nicole and the nickname just felt forced. Shortening your name is supposed to be endearing, not awkward. Secondly this book was ridiculously predictable. Everything from the old photo of 'fat' Isabel to Morgan's non-relationship to Norman having a huge crush on Colie from day 1. It was all classic Sarah Dessen...but I can't harp on that too much. If she can write the same story over and over and still make money, props to her. She's doing something right! The last problem I had with this book was the title. I'm finished and I still don't get it. The sky was keeping the moon and little kids think it will never come back but it does. OK, I wish that was explained in more detail, maybe I would have understood the ending in more depth (or not, who knows?).
But still this book was solid. I liked the fact that it was quick and easy. No big words or fantasy worlds that I had to keep up with. I could read and it was enjoyable. I also really liked Isabel. I was waiting for the cousin-thing to be exposed and for Colie's big AH-HA! moment but it didn't really come. There was one sentence of epiphany and that was all I got. Either way Isabel is still my favorite character.
Overall I give this book 4 stars. It was predictable but an easy escape from real life for a couple days. And in the end that's the real reason I read books.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Watersong Series by Amanda Hocking
Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.
Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.
Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.
More stories about a girl named Gemma. I should have known better than to think she would be a smart, self-respecting teen girl...but come on! This book sounded so interesting!! The first few lines are about cannibalism, which gets this YA series off to a unique start. But sadly it was all downhill from there.
So here's the plot in a nutshell: Gemma lives in a seaside town and her family is poor. She likes to swim and is awkward (because who isn't these days??) and is just starting to fall in love with neighbor boy Alex, her older sister's best friend. Enter the pretty, new girls who seem to have everything they could ever want. Except...they want Gemma *dramatic music here*
I understand every supernatural story has to have this part about who the new people are and what they're up to but this series takes it a few steps further. These girls are super duper mysterious until about 150 pages in (maybe more?). We don't even find out what they are until almost the end of book 1. What kind of story progression is that? We all know Gemma will succumb to these girls' ploy so lets get the ball rolling here!
So finally Gemma does her thing and the pretty girls want to take her home with them, but she refuses. Because who doesn't want special powers anyway? I'd MUCH rather stay in my small hometown for the rest of my life if it meant that I could love my neighbor for a few more months until he went off to college far far away! (yes, that was dripping with sarcasm)
I think my problem was that Gemma and I would have made very different decisions from day 1 in this situation. I didn't understand her reasoning behind anything--it was always some kind of long explanation for 'but I have a boyfriend now, and I think he loves me!'
So that's pretty much book 1. Books 2 and 3 are more of the same except Gemma tries to kill herself and unintentionally Alex, and her sister also gets a boyfriend. Now they can bond over how men are jerks and blah, blah, blah. Book 4 was a long, drawn out ending to book 1. The middle volumes were essentially character and world building expansions, which really weren't needed in this modern day series. Then finally, after hundreds of pages of ranting and boyfriend drama Gemma gets what she wants.
I'm not going to go into deep detail but it's definitely not the ending that I wanted. Gemma should have just sucked it up and moved on with her life--everything would have ended up for the best.
This series gets 3 stars because I was compelled to finish all the books in a timely manner. I read them all over a period of only a few weeks, in between homework and studying, so I'd say that's not bad at all. I wish this story had ended up differently or the characters had been written stronger but at the end of the day it was still an entertaining story, even if some parts were PAINFULLY slow.
I recommend this series to someone with some time on their hands who really doesn't have anything better to do.
Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.
Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.
More stories about a girl named Gemma. I should have known better than to think she would be a smart, self-respecting teen girl...but come on! This book sounded so interesting!! The first few lines are about cannibalism, which gets this YA series off to a unique start. But sadly it was all downhill from there.
So here's the plot in a nutshell: Gemma lives in a seaside town and her family is poor. She likes to swim and is awkward (because who isn't these days??) and is just starting to fall in love with neighbor boy Alex, her older sister's best friend. Enter the pretty, new girls who seem to have everything they could ever want. Except...they want Gemma *dramatic music here*
I understand every supernatural story has to have this part about who the new people are and what they're up to but this series takes it a few steps further. These girls are super duper mysterious until about 150 pages in (maybe more?). We don't even find out what they are until almost the end of book 1. What kind of story progression is that? We all know Gemma will succumb to these girls' ploy so lets get the ball rolling here!
So finally Gemma does her thing and the pretty girls want to take her home with them, but she refuses. Because who doesn't want special powers anyway? I'd MUCH rather stay in my small hometown for the rest of my life if it meant that I could love my neighbor for a few more months until he went off to college far far away! (yes, that was dripping with sarcasm)
I think my problem was that Gemma and I would have made very different decisions from day 1 in this situation. I didn't understand her reasoning behind anything--it was always some kind of long explanation for 'but I have a boyfriend now, and I think he loves me!'
So that's pretty much book 1. Books 2 and 3 are more of the same except Gemma tries to kill herself and unintentionally Alex, and her sister also gets a boyfriend. Now they can bond over how men are jerks and blah, blah, blah. Book 4 was a long, drawn out ending to book 1. The middle volumes were essentially character and world building expansions, which really weren't needed in this modern day series. Then finally, after hundreds of pages of ranting and boyfriend drama Gemma gets what she wants.
I'm not going to go into deep detail but it's definitely not the ending that I wanted. Gemma should have just sucked it up and moved on with her life--everything would have ended up for the best.
This series gets 3 stars because I was compelled to finish all the books in a timely manner. I read them all over a period of only a few weeks, in between homework and studying, so I'd say that's not bad at all. I wish this story had ended up differently or the characters had been written stronger but at the end of the day it was still an entertaining story, even if some parts were PAINFULLY slow.
I recommend this series to someone with some time on their hands who really doesn't have anything better to do.
Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher
Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back?
The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.
I had such high hopes for this book, it got great reviews online and all of my favorite people said it was really worth reading...in my opinion it wasn't.
This book, like the summary states, is a giant letter to a kidnapper. This is probably the longest letter I have ever read (300 pages!) and like most letters it wasn't very engaging if you're not privy to the plot at all. It was completely awkward reading this VERY personal letter as an outsider, I felt like I should be listening for Gemma to burst into the room and take the book from my hands like a teenage girl defending her private diary.
Gemma gets abducted from an airport and slowly falls in love with 'you'. That was the most annoying part of this book. It's a letter, so obviously she is talking to Ty, who will be the recipient of this letter so using 'you' is totally appropriate...but it also became a huge pain in the butt. I was instantly associated with the kidnapper and it just felt wrong. It was like she spent this entire book trying to convince me I kidnapped her and in some twisted way I was Ty. It just didn't work for me.
I'm not a big fan of books written in the first person to begin with and this took first person to a whole new level. Gemma described everything in excruciating detail, which some people totally love, but I need more plot than set up and this book/letter just didn't deliver. Each page I was hoping to get more into Ty's reasoning for kidnapping Gemma in the first place but it took about 100 pages to even skim the surface. I was bored for 90% of this book and the other 10% was only vaguely interesting--not enough to fully engage me at any time. I was reading this book in between studying for exams and after my allotted break time was up I was actually excited to get back to studying. That's how disconnected I was from the story.
Gemma was a decent main character, I could almost identify with her...sometimes. Because everything was from her and only her own point of view I didn't get much in the way of what happened when she was ACTUALLY kidnapped. It was more like, "...and then you started to touch my hand, it was soft but yet firm. I felt something come over me, it must have been drugs. You carried me away from the table and took me to a back room somewhere...", now imagine that for another 300 pages and that's Stolen in a nutshell.
I'm mostly upset because I haven't heard a single bad review about this book, but I was severely disappointed with the ending. I won't say what happened, but after everything that went down the author just gave up and wrote the classic, cookie-cutter ending.
This book had so much potential but it all went down the drain. Books are written in book form for a reason and now I realize why. This entire letter was a flashback, not a progressing story line. I didn't understand Ty's character at all--it was like he just happened to be there in between Gemma blabbering about the red Australian desert. (up until today I believed there were only a few ways to describe the color red...I was wrong)
Overall this book/letter/flashback get 2 stars. It was an interesting concept, but it failed in execution.
The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.
I had such high hopes for this book, it got great reviews online and all of my favorite people said it was really worth reading...in my opinion it wasn't.
This book, like the summary states, is a giant letter to a kidnapper. This is probably the longest letter I have ever read (300 pages!) and like most letters it wasn't very engaging if you're not privy to the plot at all. It was completely awkward reading this VERY personal letter as an outsider, I felt like I should be listening for Gemma to burst into the room and take the book from my hands like a teenage girl defending her private diary.
Gemma gets abducted from an airport and slowly falls in love with 'you'. That was the most annoying part of this book. It's a letter, so obviously she is talking to Ty, who will be the recipient of this letter so using 'you' is totally appropriate...but it also became a huge pain in the butt. I was instantly associated with the kidnapper and it just felt wrong. It was like she spent this entire book trying to convince me I kidnapped her and in some twisted way I was Ty. It just didn't work for me.
I'm not a big fan of books written in the first person to begin with and this took first person to a whole new level. Gemma described everything in excruciating detail, which some people totally love, but I need more plot than set up and this book/letter just didn't deliver. Each page I was hoping to get more into Ty's reasoning for kidnapping Gemma in the first place but it took about 100 pages to even skim the surface. I was bored for 90% of this book and the other 10% was only vaguely interesting--not enough to fully engage me at any time. I was reading this book in between studying for exams and after my allotted break time was up I was actually excited to get back to studying. That's how disconnected I was from the story.
Gemma was a decent main character, I could almost identify with her...sometimes. Because everything was from her and only her own point of view I didn't get much in the way of what happened when she was ACTUALLY kidnapped. It was more like, "...and then you started to touch my hand, it was soft but yet firm. I felt something come over me, it must have been drugs. You carried me away from the table and took me to a back room somewhere...", now imagine that for another 300 pages and that's Stolen in a nutshell.
I'm mostly upset because I haven't heard a single bad review about this book, but I was severely disappointed with the ending. I won't say what happened, but after everything that went down the author just gave up and wrote the classic, cookie-cutter ending.
This book had so much potential but it all went down the drain. Books are written in book form for a reason and now I realize why. This entire letter was a flashback, not a progressing story line. I didn't understand Ty's character at all--it was like he just happened to be there in between Gemma blabbering about the red Australian desert. (up until today I believed there were only a few ways to describe the color red...I was wrong)
Overall this book/letter/flashback get 2 stars. It was an interesting concept, but it failed in execution.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith
Warning: during the process of this book you will get dirty. You may find yourself covered in paint, or any other number of foreign substances. You will get wet. You may be asked to do things you question. You may grieve for the perfect state that you found the book in. You may begin to see creative destruction everywhere. You may begin to live more recklessly.
I did not know what I was getting into when I first bought this book. Wreck This Journal (WTJ from now on) is a crazy personal experiment that requires you to step very, very far outside your comfort zone and take strange risks. I've gotten weird looks from people when I spent 25 minutes in my local grocery store peeling stickers off fruit and sticking them to pages in my journal (only to realize after that the directions were to take stickers from bought fruit...oops).
To those who have never heard of this book, it's an interactive journal that has a suggestion on each page that should be completed by the owner, a family member, a friend or a stranger...anyone really. You are supposed to bring this everywhere and eventually complete all the pages.
Some are harmless: color this page, add page numbers to the journal, collect stamps from mail you've received. Other pages are more daring: find a way to wear the journal, take the journal for a walk, keep a stain log. Actually quite a few pages require being ripped out to complete the task at hand, for example, tear this page out and play journal golf.
Anyway, before I give away what ALL the pages say, this book has pushed me to my social limits. I am shy by nature and some interactions with people can be downright awkward. I bought this book thinking that it would be fun to do during my off hours but it ended up taking over my life. I purchased the book back in August and only had it for a week before leaving for college so I didn't get many pages done. I had my sister ship it to me almost two weeks ago and now I'm almost done with it.
Not to say that this book won't provide hours of entertainment, it will, I promise! But I happen to have a lot of time on my hands this semester so I turned to WTJ instead of the usual Netflix. I love having a creative outlet so much that I may have to purchase one of the sequels to keep up my insane craftiness.
Here are some of my favorite pages to date:
But overall I give this book 5 stars. It's great for when you need to kill some time or meet some new people or get kicked out of your local grocery store (just kidding! but I was getting a LOT of strange looks)
I did not know what I was getting into when I first bought this book. Wreck This Journal (WTJ from now on) is a crazy personal experiment that requires you to step very, very far outside your comfort zone and take strange risks. I've gotten weird looks from people when I spent 25 minutes in my local grocery store peeling stickers off fruit and sticking them to pages in my journal (only to realize after that the directions were to take stickers from bought fruit...oops).
To those who have never heard of this book, it's an interactive journal that has a suggestion on each page that should be completed by the owner, a family member, a friend or a stranger...anyone really. You are supposed to bring this everywhere and eventually complete all the pages.
Some are harmless: color this page, add page numbers to the journal, collect stamps from mail you've received. Other pages are more daring: find a way to wear the journal, take the journal for a walk, keep a stain log. Actually quite a few pages require being ripped out to complete the task at hand, for example, tear this page out and play journal golf.
Anyway, before I give away what ALL the pages say, this book has pushed me to my social limits. I am shy by nature and some interactions with people can be downright awkward. I bought this book thinking that it would be fun to do during my off hours but it ended up taking over my life. I purchased the book back in August and only had it for a week before leaving for college so I didn't get many pages done. I had my sister ship it to me almost two weeks ago and now I'm almost done with it.
Not to say that this book won't provide hours of entertainment, it will, I promise! But I happen to have a lot of time on my hands this semester so I turned to WTJ instead of the usual Netflix. I love having a creative outlet so much that I may have to purchase one of the sequels to keep up my insane craftiness.
Here are some of my favorite pages to date:
But overall I give this book 5 stars. It's great for when you need to kill some time or meet some new people or get kicked out of your local grocery store (just kidding! but I was getting a LOT of strange looks)
Saturday, February 8, 2014
30 Rock (2006-2013)
Liz Lemon, head writer of the sketch comedy show "TGS with Tracy Jordan", must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star, all while trying to run a successful TV show without losing her mind.
First of all Tina Fey is a genius! Everything she touches turns to gold and this is no exception. The characters are ridiculously hilarious and their chemistry is right on. The first few episodes were hard for me to get into, but after that was no problem.
Liz Lemon (kind of the best tv name ever) is finally living her dream as a head writer for an NBC tv show that stars her friend Jenna. A few episodes into the show the management is replaced and the new head guy, Jack Donaghy, is now in charge of TGS. He believes a co-star is needed to keep the show on the air, enter: Tracy Jordan. The cast fights him at first, but realize he is needed for the success of the show (much to Jenna's dismay) and the series goes off from there.
30 Rock is one of those shows that is really about nothing specific, just life and how it goes on, whether you want it to or not.
The only complaint I have about the show is the middle seasons seem to get lost in the bigger plot picture. Some episodes were not up to par, but that is to be expected with any show that lasts for longer than a few seasons.
I am currently on season seven, but I don't think my review will change. 30 Rock is a solid show and is a quick watch (episodes on Netflix are only 20 minutes). So if you've got some time to kill or want to watch a feel-good comedy, then this is the show for you.
My rating: 4 stars (there are some episodes I WILL be re-watching)
Weeds (2005-2012)
When a suburban mother turns to dealing marijuana in order to maintain her privileged lifestyle after her husband dies, she finds out just how addicted her entire neighborhood already is.
This is my stepping stone to Breaking Bad. Everyone seems to be hooked on these drug shows so I thought I'd try one too. So far, so good!
At first I didn't realize this was a SHOWTIME tv show (even though it says so in the credits...oops) so I didn't understand how they were getting away with having so much sex and cussing in the show. But once you get over that hurtle the show is actually not that bad.
Weeds is a dark comedy about drug dealing. Nancy is a single mom of two boys (three if you count her brother-in-law) and they get into all kinds of shenanigans. It captures an interesting dynamic of how far will you go to keep your lifestyle?
One thing I didn't really like about the show was the fact that they just throw you into the first season. If I hadn't read the quick description I would be completely confused for at least the first few episodes. I'm not even sure the dead father is referenced directly until the second episode. Everyone talks about Nancy's unfortunate 'situation'.
This aside, I absolutely LOVE the theme song about the ticky tacky and how everyone is the same in the suburbs (mostly because it's true...especially in California). Season one has the same theme song throughout the entire season, the next two seasons have various artists covering the same song which I don't like as much. It just doesn't have the same effect when each episode has its own tone and personality -- I feel like I'm watching a completely different show each time.
I don't have much else to complain about, the characters are extremely real and very dynamic. Almost every episode leaves me with my jaw hanging wide open and at a loss for words. In my opinion that is extremely great writing.
I am currently in the middle of season two about to move onto season three. Unless something horrible goes down I don't think my opinion of this show will change so for now, 3 stars. Once I'm done with the series I don't see myself re-watching it, but it is definitely fun while it lasts.
This is my stepping stone to Breaking Bad. Everyone seems to be hooked on these drug shows so I thought I'd try one too. So far, so good!
At first I didn't realize this was a SHOWTIME tv show (even though it says so in the credits...oops) so I didn't understand how they were getting away with having so much sex and cussing in the show. But once you get over that hurtle the show is actually not that bad.
Weeds is a dark comedy about drug dealing. Nancy is a single mom of two boys (three if you count her brother-in-law) and they get into all kinds of shenanigans. It captures an interesting dynamic of how far will you go to keep your lifestyle?
One thing I didn't really like about the show was the fact that they just throw you into the first season. If I hadn't read the quick description I would be completely confused for at least the first few episodes. I'm not even sure the dead father is referenced directly until the second episode. Everyone talks about Nancy's unfortunate 'situation'.
This aside, I absolutely LOVE the theme song about the ticky tacky and how everyone is the same in the suburbs (mostly because it's true...especially in California). Season one has the same theme song throughout the entire season, the next two seasons have various artists covering the same song which I don't like as much. It just doesn't have the same effect when each episode has its own tone and personality -- I feel like I'm watching a completely different show each time.
I don't have much else to complain about, the characters are extremely real and very dynamic. Almost every episode leaves me with my jaw hanging wide open and at a loss for words. In my opinion that is extremely great writing.
I am currently in the middle of season two about to move onto season three. Unless something horrible goes down I don't think my opinion of this show will change so for now, 3 stars. Once I'm done with the series I don't see myself re-watching it, but it is definitely fun while it lasts.
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