And Now For Some TV
I confess that while I've been nursing my newborn, (before I got my Kindle) I haven't been able to read that much. It's not so easy to hold a book while cradling a baby in your arms. I had to make do with playing Plants vs. Zombies on my iphone or watching films and lavish BBC TV productions on my ipad courtesy of the AV player app. It's great! Definitely worth every cent of its $2.99 price. I just slip on my earphones in the middle of the night and watch a piece of a film while baby lies in my arms.
I loved Downton Abbey, a beautiful BBC production written by Julian Fellowes who also wrote the movie Gosford Park and the novel Snobs. The series stars Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern and is set just before the first world war. Lord Robert Crawley and his family live a life of leisure in their beautiful home, Downton Abbey. Downstairs, a fleet of servants attend to their every whim. Since Crawley only has three daughters and no son, his distant cousin Mathew, a country solicitor, becomes heir to the estate thereby usurping Crawley's eldest daughter, Mary. Apart from this, there are various interesting subplots involving the other family members and the servants. Downton Abbey is filmed entirely at the stunningly beautiful Highclere Castle, home to the Earls of Carnarvon. I can't wait for the second season of this wonderful series!
Yesterday, I started watching The Killing, a Danish TV series in 20 parts. The Danish title is Forbrydelsen which means 'the crime.' I first heard about this show when my husband's family in the Netherlands raved about it two years ago. I was dying to watch it then but it wasn't available with English subtitles. Finally after a long wait, it was shown in the BBC with the subs. Nanna Birk Larsen, a 19-year-old girl, is found brutally raped and murdered. Detective Inspector Sarah Lund of the Copenhagen Police department heads the investigation. It soon becomes clear that they are chasing an intelligent and dangerous murderer. Each episode follows the investigation day by day, with a one-hour episode covering 24 hours of the investigation. After one episode I'm hooked. Forget CSI or those really flashy American shows which I can never get into. The Killing is so grittingly realistic.
Can you recommend other good TV movies? How about the new Upstairs Downstairs? Is it any good?
One-armed reading is one of the reasons I adore my Kindle. I don't have a baby, but I do appreciate riding the bus (I can read while standing and still hold onto the rail!), drinking coffee (no need to set the book down to turn a page) and while eating. Interestingly, there's a U.S. version of The Killing premiering soon, and I didn't realize it was based on a Danish series. The original doesn't seem to be available in the U.S., but I'll keep my eyes peeled. I have Downtown Abbey waiting for me on the DVR. I have really been enjoying Law & Order UK too.
ReplyDeleteI remember waking up for those middle-of-the-night feedings and watching Rosanne or whatever was on TVLand and then waking up three hours later to see the same darn show! Really made me feel lonely when I had to nurse to repeats :)
ReplyDeleteThe Kindle didn't exist when my kids were born so I had to rough it.
Hope you are doing well with the babe!