I know this blog is about books but I have a confession to make, I haven’t really read anything in a long time. Suddenly my life was turned upside down by this new obsession. . I fell down the rabbit hole of Kpop and kdramas. Kpop is Korean pop music and kdramas are Korean TV dramas. I’m in love.

Let’s talk about music for a little bit. People actually have said to me “why do you listen to Korean music if you don’t understand what they’re saying?” My answer to that is because I like it, and music isn’t about understanding to me it’s more about feeling. So with that being said I would like to introduce you to my top 6 idol groups. (Key words: Each group has a leader and every group has a maknae, which means youngest.) I will share with you my favorite video, song or performance by each group and will leave a link to their YouTube Channels in case you want to check out more.

반탄소년단(Bangtan Sonyeondan which means Bulletproof Boy Scouts) they are also known as BTS or Bangtan Boys

BTS is a 7 member male hip hop group formed by Big Hit Entertainment, they debuted in June of 2013. They rap, sing, and dace and are hilarious, seriously in my mind there is absolutely nothing these boy can’t do. They are my number one. BTS’s club fan is called A.R.M.Y which stands for Adorable Representative MC of Youth and they do not officially have a fan club color yet.

Jin (진) real name Kim Seokjin (김석진)

Suga (슈가) real Min Yoongi (민윤기)

J-Hope (제이홉) real name Jung Hoseok (중호석)

Rap Monster (랩문스터) real name Kim Namjoon (김남준)(Leader)

Jimin (지민) full name Park Jimin (박지민)

V (뷔) real name Kim Taehyun (김태현)

Jung Kook (정국) full name Jeon Jungkook (전정국)(maknae)

It was super hard to pick just one by this group because like I said they are my favorite and every time I think I picked a favorite song or video I fall deeper in love with a different one. So that's why I picked two. If you liked them please check out their YouTube Channel here

EXO (엑소)

EXO started off as 12 member male idol group formed by SM Entertainment they debuted in April of 2012. There are two sub-units within the group EXO-K who sings in Korean and EXO-M who sings in Mandarin (Chinese). One of the only groups to sing the same song in two languages at one time. At different times in 2014 both Kris and Luhan have left the group. EXO’s fan club is name EXO-L. The L which is the letter between K&M stands for Love. And the fan club color is Gray.

Xiumin (시우민)real name Kim Min Seok (김민석) EXO-M (he’s actually Korean)

Luhan. (루한) real name Lu Han. EXO-M. No longer in the group
Kris. (크리스) Wu Yifan (우이판) was the leader of EXO-M. No longer in the group)

Suho. (수호) Kim Joon Myun(김준면) Leader of EXO-K and EXO as a whole
Lay (레이) Zhang Yixing (장이싱) EXO-M
Baekhyun (백현) Byun Baek Hyun(변) EXO-K
Chen (첸) Kim Jong Dae (김종대) EXO-M (he’s actually Korean)
Chanyeol (찬열) Park Chan Yeol (박) EXO-K

D.O. (디오)Do Kyung Soo(도경수) EXO-K

Tao (타오) Huang Zitao(황지타오) EXO-M
Kai (카이) Kim Jong In (김종인) EXO-K
Sehun (세훈) Oh Se Hoon. (오) EXO-K (maknae)

If you liked this please check out their YouTube Channel EXO-K & EXO-M

Beast (비스트) or B2ST

Beast is a 6 member male idol group formed by CUBE Entertainment in 2009. Beast fan club is named B2UTY and their fab club color is Dark Gray.

DooJoon (두준) full name Yoon Doojoon (윤두준) (Leader)
Hyunseung(현승) full name Jang Hyun Seung(장현승)
JunHyung (준형) full name Yong Jun hyung (용준형)
Yoseob (요섭) full name Yang Yoseob (양요섭)
GiKwang (기광) full name Lee Gi Kwang (이기광)
DongWoon (동운) full name Son Dong Woon (손동운) (Maknae)

If you liked this please check out their YouTube Channel here

SHINee (샤이니)

A 5 member male idol group formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. SHINee’s fan club is named Shawol meaning SHINee World and the fan club color is Pearl Aqua Green.

Onew (온유) real name Lee Jinki (이진기) (Leader)
Jonghyun (존현) full name Kim Jong Hyun (김존현)
Key (키) real name Kim Ki Bum (김기범)
Minho (민호) full name Choi Min Ho (최민호)
Taemin (태민) full name Lee Tae Min (이태민)(Maknae)

If you liked this please check out their YouTube Channel here

2NE1(투애니원) or 21

A 4 member female idol group formed by YG Entertainment 2009. Their fan club is called Blackjack and their color is Hot Pink

Bom (봄)full name Park Bom (박봄)

Dara (다라) real name Park Sandara(박산다라)

CL real name Lee Chae-rin (이채린) Leader

Minzy real name Gong Minji (공민지) (Maknae)

If you liked this please check out their YouTube Channel here

Big Bang (빅뱅)

Big Bang is a 5 member male idol group formed by YG Entertainment in 2006. Big Bang’s fan club is called V.I.P. and their colors are Black and Yellow

T.O.P (탑) real name Choi Seung-hyun (최승현)
Taeyang (태양) real name Dong Young-bae (동영배)

G-Dragon (지드래곤) real name Kwon Ji Yong (권지용) (Leader)
Daesung (대성) full name Kang Dae-sung (강대성)
Seungri (승리) real name (이승현) (Maknae)

If you liked this please check out their YouTube Channel here

I know that I didn’t mention this group at all but seriously this might be my favorite video right now. This is the best comeback so far in the year 2015. 4Minute Crazy

I also have to mention Topp Dogg. There are 13 members and I recently fell in love with this group. Their song Arario might be my favorite. I love how they mix traditional Korean music and hip hop.

I actually started dramas before I got into the music and I found them to be amazing. Korean television is a lot different from America shows not only in content but the setup as well. Dramas don’t usually run for more than one season, though it doesn’t happen often some shows do get a second season. Usually shows have somewhere between 16-22 episodes on average, there are some shows that have a little more or a little less, there are even shows that have 50 episodes.

Here are some of my favorite shows in no order. All of these dramas have made me laugh, smile, angry, happy and cry. That’s how I know a show is good because I don’t cry so if they can make me it’s a plus for the show. If any of the shows sound good you can watch the episodes with subtitles on Dramafever Viki or YouTube for free. If you want to know what other shows I’ve watched or plan to watch you can visit my account on My Drama List

You Who Came from the Stars (2013)

(My Love From Another Star)

Starring: Kim Soo Hyun & Jeon Ji Hyeon

Do Min Joon is an alien who landed on Earth 400 years ago during the Joseon Dynasty period. He possesses a near perfect appearance and enhanced physical abilities involving his vision, hearing and speed. Later, he discovers that he has three months left on Earth. And that is when he meets Cheon Song Yi, the biggest Hallyu star in Korea.

Healer (2014)

Starring:Ji Chang Wook & Park Min Young

Seo Jung Hoo is so-called "errand boy". For a relevant price he may complete any task, only if it's not connected with murder. Under Healer's mask he had run foul of some organizations that now strive to catch him, however no one knows who he really is. He can count on older woman's help, genius hacker responsible for the technical part of their job. One of his tasks is closely connected to one girl, Chae Yeong Shin, second rate tabloid reporter. She starts to have an interest about Healer when he tries to get close to her, which results in the discovery of their common past.

I Hear Your Voice (2013)

Starring: Lee Jong Suk & Lee Bo Young

Jang Hye Sung, a bold, sassy, thick-faced, comical, and materialistic public defender who becomes a lawyer after overcoming poverty and painful memories from her childhood, comes to realizations about society and justice after meeting Park Soo Ha, a 19-year-old boy who reads other people’s thoughts and Cha Kwan Woo, an innocent lawyer who lives a disciplined life. Jang Hye Sung is actually Soo Ha's first love after she gave a decisive testimony on his father's murder case 10 years ago and Soo Ha promised to protect her from the killer's threats. Meanwhile, Cha Kwan Woo is Jang Hye Sung's fellow lawyer who is a cheerful and idealistic former cop even though his character a bit slow, he is nice and pleasant with a firm idea of his principles and justice. Together they will team up to to find the justice in the courtroom and solve the toughest cases with less than 1% chance of winning.

Bride of the Century (2014)

Starring: Lee Hong Ki & Yang Jin Sung

Taeyang Group is the largest conglomerate in South Korea. The Choi family who runs Taeyang has supposedly been under a curse for a hundred years that the first bride of the eldest son will always die. When the wealthy heiress Jang Yi-kyung disappears right before her wedding to chaebol heir Choi Kang-joo, Na Doo-rim, a lookalike impostor, is brought in to take her place. But unlike the cold and calculating Yi-kyung, Doo-rim is sweet and sunny, and Kang-joo falls genuinely in love with her. As the wedding plans progress, Kang-joo and Yi-kyung's mothers both scheme and plot behind the scenes.

Pinocchio (2014)

Starring: Lee Jong Suk & Park Shin Hye

The idealistic Choi In Ha has her work cut out for her when she becomes a broadcast journalist, especially when she suffers from a condition known as “Pinocchio syndrome,” which makes her break out into hiccups whenever she tells a lie. Her rookie colleagues include Choi Dal Po, whose shabby appearance masks his true eloquence and sharp memory; Seo Bum Jo, a wealthy heir who has had everything handed to him in life; and Cha Hye Seung, whose fangirl knowledge comes in handy in covering the news. The 20-something newbie reporters pursue justice as they try to discover themselves in the process.

The Master's Sun (2013)

Starring: So Ji Sub & Gong Hyo Jin

Joo Joong Won is the stingy and greedy CEO of Kingdom, a conglomerate that includes a major department store and hotel. He meets the gloomy Tae Gong Shil, who started seeing ghosts after an accident. Their lives take a new turn as they work together to deal with the terror and sadness brought about by the spirits, while delving into a kidnapping incident in Joong Won's past. And unknowingly, they fell in love with each other.

(This was the drama that started everything for me. And it is so good.)