hey Gramps, I know what you mean by Insoon's mother being "self-assured on the surface". That is why I decided to edit my comment above because I realized that just like Insoon, the mother lacks self-confidence. But thanks for correcting me and for your great insight on the subject. This is fun=)

soothing and interesting at the same time. thanks for sharing! ;D

I absolutely loved My Name is Asher Lev! I read it in 9th grade for summer reading. I usually end up disliking the summer reading books but asher lev was different. chaim potok is amazing. but jonathan safran foer (the author of everythign is illuminated) --for me-- ehh not so much.

sometimes i wish i can categorize my reading tastes and go, "why yes, i'm rather fond of 17th and 18th century british literature" but i haven't found a favorite genre/period yet. i read everything. i love Jane Austen tho. my favorite book of hers has got to be Emma. probably because that was the only book i read BEFORE watching the movie. sad, but true. i liked P&P the movie better than the novel. i liked sense& sensibility... scratch that, i did not like sense&sensibility at all.

i will admit i still like children's books: roald dahl rocks the hizzouse. right now, i'm rereading The Golden Compass by Philip pullman. i'm soo excited that the movie's coming out! hopefully, they don't screw this up like they did with 'narnia.' natalie kidman as the lady with the evil golden monkey? she's exactly who i envisioned the character to be.

"i also love modern japanese fiction! (did a special study in college.) my fave author of all time is Haruki Murakmami. (dickens ranks just below.)"

I love Murakami's Norwegian Wood.

I want to get back into the reading habit too. I still keep buying books and have a stack that's a foot high on my bedside table (Murakami's The Wind-up Bird Chronicle is in there^^) but by the time I'm done surfing the Net, watching kdramas and editing subs, it's 2 a.m. and my brain's barely functioning. I want to read more because I think my writing's deteriorating. I'm forgetting basic grammar stuff, lol.

Because I grew up reading Dickens, Austen and the rest you mentioned, I opted to do more American Lit in college. Just to widen my horizons, sort of. My favorite genre is Jewish-American and among my favorite JA authors (I have so many), Chaim Potok ranks right at the top. I loved "My Name Is Asher Lev" (has anyone else read this, btw?) so much I went out and grabbed every Potok book I could find. Right now I'm reading (revisiting actually) Timothy Mo's "Sour Sweet." I'm a Mo collector.^^

Dramabeans, please carry on writing! Korean dramas do tend to go slow in the 1st few episodes - I call it warming up. I love the 2 main actors: Kim Min Joon ( since Damo) and Kim Hyun Jun (since Glass Shoes). They have 2 ability to make their characters alive, and feel for them.

I read the spoilers in soompi for Epi 3 and 4 but am not able to watch since I'm from Malaysia.
Keep up the good work. BTW, I never miss your blog.

For those of you who are Austen fans you should check out the new ITV (UK) versions of the Austen classics - my favourite and definite recommendation is Northanger Abbey with JJ Feild as Henry. You should also glance at Mansfield Park which stars, of all people, Billie Piper as Fanny (this just didn't sit right with me somehow). I loved Pride and Prejudice (my favourite novel of all time!!!!) - both the BBC version and the Joe Wright movie with Matthew and Keira in the leads!!

As for books - what about Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels - very funny!! With these, you're putting yourself in danger of snorting in laughter on a quiet train while people around try to work out whether you have totally lost your mind or you're having some sort of a fit as you try to calm your giggles down.

And for those of you who like thrillers you can't go past Robert Ludlum - if you liked the Jason Bourne movies with Matt Damon, try reading the actual books...

merriwether - I LOVED the Baby-sitter's Club books as well - I had the board game and everything...If you like Mort, try reading the two others in the series - REAPER MAN and SOUL MUSIC and then try the The Rincewind Trilogy - SOURCERY, ERIC and INTERESTING TIMES

"Huh. Well now, this is unexpected: I did not like Episode 2."

Phew. I thought I was the only one. I liked Episode 1 a lot (heck, even starting tearing before five minutes had passed) so it was queer and unsettling that Episode 2 evoked no emotions in me. I felt oddly detached the whole time. Only the mother-daughter reunion in the closing minutes stirred me a little and I cried with relief for Insoon (and relief for myself that finally I could feel something in this episode).

I agree with you about the overacting too. The only one whose "act-y" acting I didn't mind was little Eun-seok and that's because he's so dang cute.

I was so hopeful after Episode 1. Please let Episode 3 be way better than Episode 2.