We all know how busy and stressed out we can get with classes, and work, as part of student life. Sometimes we just want things to slow down for a bit, and enjoy ourselves in front of a great TV show or a book.
The new year started a few months ago and we have already been blessed with loads of new TV series, books, and even movies!
Let me help you through the (potentially annoying) process of choosing what to watch/read by giving you a few recommendations that will hopefully please you.
TV SERIES
Don’t you love it when a TV show is so entertaining that it can make you feel every type of emotion, regardless of its nature, in every episode?
You can learn so much from them, and it is also a great conversation topic.
Here is my top two TV series that you should absolutely watch (and they’re both available on streaming platforms) :
Altered Carbon
This one was recommended to me by one of my closest friends and I fell in love with it from the get-go.
The first season of this series aired in February of 2018 on Netflix. It is an
adaptation of a novel also named Altered Carbon, written by Richard K. Morgan and published in 2002.
The scene takes place in the future, and the technology is way more developed than we could ever imagine. People have, what they call, a stack integrated into their bodies, which allows everything that they do and/or think to be recorded and stored. Bodies are just bodies – mentioned as “sleeves” throughout the show – meaning that they can be easily replaced. As an example, after your death, if your stack has not been touched, you can come back to life in another body. Rich people can afford whichever body they want.
As the show goes on, we follow Takeshi Kovacs, a known soldier, coming back to life after being killed centuries ago. He was brought back to life by a tremendously rich person, Mr. Bancroft, who has a strenuous mission for him.
Without spoiling it to you, the show can get very dark and violent but the best part is that it also explores so many original concepts – the human body, the mind (the subconscious, dreams,..), our identity.
Each character has a purpose, and I cannot promise that you will not fall in love with one of them.
Season two of this TV show just aired on Netflix so it is not too late to catch up!
If you like Science Fiction, this is the show for you.
Lucifer
If you’re down to laugh and enjoy yourself, this could be the show for you.
It has been out since 2015 and thanks to Twitter fans (#SaveLucifer) the series is still going on, and season five will come out during the Summer of this year – which gives you plenty of time to catch up if you have not watched it yet!
The storyline talks about Lucifer Morningstar, also known as the Devil, who decided to come to earth to live a new, regular life away from the boredom that had become Hell. Owner of a nightclub, he lives his best life as no one believes he is literally the Devil.
Throughout his adventures, he starts helping the Los Angeles Police Department solving crimes – especially thanks to his ability to make people confess to their deepest desires.
Chloe Decker, an LAPD detective, becomes then his partner and their relationship evolves throughout the whole series, full of intriguing drama.
If you love characters full of sassiness and loads of character development, you will have a blast.
The show has been nominated for several well-known awards: the Dragon Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, and the Teen Choice Awards.
BOOKS
If you are someone who also enjoys reading, I got you too! It is a great hobby to help you improve your concentration, vocabulary, social perception, and even practice a foreign language. I highly recommend you read the following books in English if you would like to improve your English skills.
The Shadow of the Wind
This magnificent fiction book was written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and first published in 2001 – but it is timeless.
Daniel Sempere is a ten-year-old Spanish boy that loves to read. One day, he goes to a secret place known as The Cemetery of Forgotten Books and chooses a book – The Shadow of the Wind – that is going to change his life forever.
He finds himself on a mission to find everything he can about Julian Carax, the author of the book, that has disappeared along with all the books that he had ever published. We follow his adventures filled with danger and excitement through his adolescence.
The story jungles between both of these two characters and we get to know how their lives are actually similar in several aspects…
A couple of quotes from this book:
– “Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.”
– “I could tell you it’s the heart, but what is really killing him is loneliness. Memories are worse than bullets.”
Do not let the length of the book throw you off! Give it a go if you wanna know more about the life of Daniel.
Followers
Written by Megan Angelo and published in January of this year, this is her debut novel that will make you question your online presence.
It talks about Orla Cadeen, an unsatisfied blog writer that lives in New York in 2015.
Orla and her roommate, Floss, both dream of finding true love and being known for their talents – writing and singing respectively. They strive for fame together and use the internet to become A-listers.
In parallel, we learn about Marlow, a young woman that lives in 2051, and her day to day life – how everyone is recorded every single day with barely any privacy.
Technology’s evolution has a huge impact on people’s relationships, including the one with themselves.
The story is beautifully written to make you understand the role of social media in each character’s life – where their virtual life is way easier to achieve than real life.
This novel will show you that no matter how big technology is in our lives, we all crave for real connections with other human beings at the end of the day.
Hopefully, I did not spoil you and my tips were of help! Now go, and enjoy some time off by watching/reading one of my recommendations.
Do not hesitate to leave more recommendations on the comment section!
~~TIPS~~
Do not be scared to watch TV shows, movies or read a new book in English. This will definitely help you extend your vocabulary and knowledge of the language.
If you would like to practice your English even more, some students are organizing “Lunch in English” from Monday through Friday at 12.5pm in room 118 – it is the perfect opportunity to socialize in English.
