Fall television roundup

I watch more television now than I ever did, which is both annoying and fun. It's annoying only because I feel like I could be doing something better with my time. But it's also fun because there are so many good shows out there to pick from. I've learned that it's possible for a tv show to be as well written and full of depth as a book. (I know, that's not a difficult thing to learn...) So now with fall tv premieres happening, I suppose I'll blog about the various shows I intend to watch, and ones I've already been watching, in no particular order.

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Network channel shows

Gotham (begins at 9/8c tonight on FOX)
I am so excited for this show. There's been too much hype, though. I'm so afraid it won't live up to my expectations. This is less about Batman than it is about a certain young James Gordon, which is honestly why I'm so excited.

The Big Bang Theory (9/8c tonight on CBS)
Sadly, this is on at the same time as Gotham, but I'll just have to watch it on-demand at a later time. But the antics and interactions of this gang never fail to amuse me.

New Girl (began last week; 9/8c Tuesdays on FOX)
Honestly, this is not the kind of show I normally watch. I started watching because of Zooey Deschanel and became hooked. She's so hilariously awkward, and her guy roommates are no better. Unfortunately, so much of the show revolves around sex, and basically how they aren't getting any...which seems to be getting worse, so I'm not sure if I will continue to watch it. :/

Bones (NEW NIGHT, begins this week; 8/7c Thursdays on FOX)
Good heavens, I love this show. FBI forensic drama with an emphasis on the drama. My sister and I have been watching this show from the start and I'm so invested in Booth and Brennan (and everyone else in the lab, for that matter) that when the tenth season begins, you can bet I'll be watching.

The Flash (begins October 7th; 8/7c Tuesdays on CW)
I know I should catch up on Arrow (that's what Netflix is for!) before I start this, but I love The Flash. This should be fun to watch.

Red Band Society (began September 17th; 9/8c Wednesdays on FOX)
This show about a group of teens with terminal illnesses living in a hospital had me hooked within the first few minutes. Again, not normally my kind of show, but my hubby and I ended up watching it and we both enjoyed in immensely. Let's hope it can keep up the magic.

Supernatural (begins October 7th; Tuesdays 9/8c on CW)
I shouldn't even include this in this list because I'm only in season three on Netflix, but...I'm slightly obsessed with it. I'm way too invested in the Winchesters and their hellish fate. My youngest sister directed me to it (I know, I know, I should have been watching this a long time ago already) and it's so easy to see why it's about to begin its tenth season.



There are other shows that I want to watch, like Sleepy Hollow, Once Upon a Time (I missed season three and need to catch up), Arrow, Grimm (which I've watched a bit on Netflix), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (I'm ashamed that I haven't watched this yet), and at some point even Castle. I'm so far behind on that one, though. And someone please explain to me why we can't have Downton Abbey at the same time as the UK??????? Sigh.

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Cable shows

Doctor Who (began August 23rd; Saturdays 9/8c on BBC AMERICA)
Okay, I don't even need to include this because it's fairly obvious that I watch this already. It's my favourite show, hands down. And Peter Capaldi as the Doctor has completely blown me away. The only reason I haven't written any episode reviews is because my youngest sister hasn't gotten to watch the season yet and I refuse to spoil it for her!

Okay, I guess there's just not much on cable I'm interested in watching. We watch Top Gear religiously, but I don't know when the new season of that is going to air yet. I missed season two of Orphan Black, which I need to catch up on. I don't watch Game of Thrones and I've not yet seen any of The Walking Dead, which I will rectify at some point.

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I'm not a fan of any of the Netflix-only shows, and I don't have Hulu Plus, so I can't pull anything from those sources. I'm certain there will be a few more PBS series that I want to watch, because Masterpiece Theatre is always good.

There's honestly too much crap on tv these days, but I'm hoping that a few new choices turn out to be decent enough. At any rate, if they actually have a plot and at least a few deep characters, I will be happy. Meanwhile, I'll continue on with Supernatural on Netflix.

Do you have a show you're looking forward to this fall? Any you're certain you would hate on my list?

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident

Mmkay, so I read this entire book yesterday.
It was just one of those days.

In Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, we see the same cast of characters returning, though not for all the same reasons. This time it isn't Artemis attacking the fairies. Well, not attacking, exactly, but at any rate it isn't his fault. Captain Holly Short, with a score to settle, thinks the thirteen year old criminal mastermind is behind the goblin uprising (clearly someone is doing weapons trading), and Commander Root believes her. They kidnap Artemis and his bodyguard, Butler, and bring them belowground, where it is quickly discovered that the kid had nothing to do with the goblins. But he could probably help.

The result is that Root and Holly end up assisting Artemis to rescue his father, who is apparently alive (though not quite well) and being held captive in Murmansk, Russia. Fairies hate the cold, and they don't handle radiation well at all. So this is a big thing.

Naturally, both problems become entangled when the goblins stage a revolution in Haven, the fairy capital city, and attempt to assassinate Root and Holly in northern Russia. Yeah. It isn't pretty. And by the end of the story, everything is resolved (as usual). But this time Artemis and the fairies part on good terms After all, they did help save Artemis Fowl the First. It seems that perhaps Artemis isn't destined to be an enemy to the magic folk for all time....

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Again, short and slightly convoluted summary. Colfer's writing wasn't really any better in this book, either. And I think the editors for the edition I read were not doing their job. SO MANY SPELLING MISTAKES AND MISSING LETTERS. Erm. Yeah. It was really incredibly annoying. But it's cool to see the relationship between Artemis and Holly going somewhere. I don't mean romantically; I think they could genuinely have a friendship in the near future. They've seen the best and worst of each other already.

Artemis Fowl

My youngest sister (she's almost 13) has been bugging me to read the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer for oh, at least two years now. I think. Being free of college at last (which was almost two years ago...), I have the freedom to read for leisure. But I kept forgetting about dear little Artemis. Sure, I read the first book about four or five years ago while I was working at the library. But that's as far as I got. So I have now taken it upon myself to read the entire series before winter is over. Not a huge problem, since the books aren't that long.

I reread the first book, to reacquaint myself with the characters. Artemis is likeable in a sad way; you feel sorry for him at the beginning -- a missing father (presumed dead) and a very sick mother because of that. Artemis' bodyguard, Butler, doesn't have too much of a personality in this book, but he's quite impressive. The fairies we meet in the first book are rather hilarious. I love Captain Holly Short for her spunk and willingness to disobey orders when they are dumb. Which, let's face it, many of the orders coming from Commander Julius Root are dumb. Root is absolutely hilarious, and I'm sure Colfer meant him to be. Always about to blow his top, it's a wonder that he's in charge at LEP at all! And there's Foaly, the paranoid centaur who controls all the techie stuff. Oh, and we can't forget Mulch Diggums, kleptomaniac extraordinaire. I'm not kidding. He's quite the convict.

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As far as the story goes, it's a decent one. Fairies have hidden underground from humans, which they call Mud Men, for many centuries now. They go aboveground for few things, one being to renew their magic. This is how Holly gets captured by Artemis, who has an uncanny knowledge of the fairies. Commander Root stages an attack on Fowl Manor, they discover that Artemis has a copy of the Book, the fairies' holy writ, as it were, and things don't go so hot after that.

That's a simple summary.

The problem I had with this book is that Eoin Colfer is good with weaving a plot but he's kind of a terrible writer. So much of his grammar was bad. Plus, he doesn't use POV and omniscient narrator very well. There were more than a few pages where I couldn't figure out who was saying and/or thinking what.

I gave the book 3 stars because though it's badly written, it's amusing and a clever story.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children [minor spoilers]

Combining eerie vintage photographs from various sources to create a not-quite-horror story about children who are different, peculiar shall we say, is an intriguing premise. Personally, I have always loved imagining the stories behind old photographs, so this book was a must-read for me.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is Ransom Riggs' first novel, though according to the author blurb in the back of the book, he has been a writer for some time. As a first novel, it's somewhat obvious that he hasn't quite found his writing style "niche" but that doesn't stop this book from being fascinating, wondrous, and downright entertaining.

Jacob Portman has known about the peculiar children for most of his life. His grandfather, Abe Portman, has a collection of photographs that he would show his grandson and regale him with tales of the things they could do, the home/orphanage they lived in during the War, and their mysterious headmistress, Miss Peregrine. Jacob, as any sensible, no-nonsense child growing up in modern day Florida would do, doubts his grandfather's stories as he gets older.

When Jacob is sixteen, leading an ordinary life, things suddenly are turned upside down when his grandfather is attacked and killed by a strange and unnerving creature. Jacob thinks he is going crazy because no one else could see the creature. And Abe Portman's last words about finding the bird in the loop on September 3rd, 1940 don't make any sense. Eventually, Jacob and his father find their way to Cairnholm Island in Wales, where Jacob discovers the old mansion that had been the home his grandfather talked about. It is in ruins, having been hit by a bomb early in the War. Jacob is discourage, but he soon finds out that the children are still alive and well...living in a time loop.

I don't think I should tell you anymore, because, honestly, I've never really understood book reviews that basically regurgitate the entire story and critique each and every bit of it. I don't want to spoil a great plot with lots of mystery, even though this isn't technically a mystery book. :)

I give this book 4 stars, because Riggs has crafted an intriguing story with the timeless themes of love, loss, and trust amidst a truly fantastic tale of horrific creatures, peculiar talents, and time travel. He also uses the vintage photographs well, creating characters that fit well with each one.