TTT - Books I'd Give to Readers Who've Never Read YA

It's time to link up with the Broke and the Bookish again!

This week's topic is about the books we'd recommend or give to people who'd never read anything from a particular genre before. This list, I should add, isn't my "OMG THESE YA BOOKS ARE AMAZING YOU HAVE TO READ THEM" list. Because if people haven't read anything from a particular genre, the chances are they'll be a little reluctant to try it. So instead, this is my list of gateway books. Like a gateway drug only not. 

1. Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein

One of those books that's technically young adult when you consider the age of the protagonist, but which REALLY doesn't read like YA. It's a gut-wrenching historical fiction, while also being the story of an adorable friendship. An excellent starting point for those who love historical fiction.

2 and 3. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green, The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

I know a few people who would deny wholeheartedly that they enjoy young adult books, but they'll happily go out and watch The Hunger Games or The Fault in Our Stars or Divergent at the movies. And once they've seen the movie and are interested in the story, you can say "Oh, have you read the book?". BOOM.

4. Sabriel - Garth Nix

This series feels a lot more like fantasy than it does young adult. It's a brilliantly developed world filled with characters who are moving into adulthood. So for those who love paranormal/high fantasy books, this is an excellent transition into the world of young adult fantasy books. 

5. Pointe - Brandy Colbert

Much like Code Name Verity, this is a YA book that I'd be hesitant to hand to anyone younger than sixteen. It's the story of a teenaged ballet dancer with a big fat secret in her past. The secret emerges slowly over the course of the book, and I had knots in my stomach trying to finish it. 

6. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

This book seems to polarise people quite a lot. Personally, I adored it. Considering it's a book about a young girl, the choice of narrator is REALLY interesting. And my mum - who's all "Pff, YA" most of the time (HI MUM) - loved it too. 

7. Saving Francesca - Melina Marchetta

This book is feels-tastic, and yes, it's kind of the epitome of teenage girl problems. BUT. It's also an excellent insight into how the actions of adults and the events that are happening at home can impact on the lives of children and teenagers and affect them in unexpected ways. 

8. Dodger - Terry Pratchett

A delightful retelling featuring classic characters that we know and love. Filled with historically accurate awesomeness and an excellent gateway book for lovers of historical fiction AND classic novels. 

9. A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness

Technically more of a middle grade book, this is such a powerful story that it can be enjoyed (in as much as one can enjoy such a cry-tastic book) by practically all ages. Plus, it's really short, so it's pretty easy to convince people who are reluctant to give it a try! 

10. Tomorrow, When the War Began - John Marsden

Full of action and adventure and wartime sabotage and I don't even know what else. Yes, the characters are teenagers. But when it comes to books set during a war, the age of the protagonists is kind of irrelevant. 

What books would you give to people reluctant to read YA? 

K xx

YA books that will change your world view

Last weekend, the lovely Cait from Notebook Sisters made a list of 30 YA books that changed her world view, which was, in turn, based on a list on the same topic done by Epic Reads. Cait asked in her post what her readers would add to the list, and rather than writing the world's longest comment, I figured I'd write a blog post about it. And then stuff happened and here we are nearly a week later WHOOPS.

ANYWAY. I've read 12 of Cait's 30 books, and a mere 6 of Epic Reads' 30 books, which is pretty pathetic considering how much I love YA. And I didn't want to give you a list that was filled with books that only half deserved to be on there in my opinion, so I'm topping my list out at 20 books. Because of reasons.

Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
A book that will teach you about friendship and sacrifice. Also a book that will tear your heart out and jump on the pieces.

Tomorrow, When the War Began - John Marsden
Those of us who live in the city are pretty much screwed if there's a war. The country kids? They'll be okay.

Pushing the Limits - Katie McGarry
Seeing things in black and white isn't always a good thing.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
Bravery can come from the least expected places. And friendship can overcome pretty much anything.

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
Love can find you when you least expect it. And sometimes? Your hero is actually an asshat.

The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
Be grateful that no one can hear your thoughts.

Saving Francesca - Melina Marchetta
The people you thought were your friends can be just as toxic as internet trolls. And the people you thought you'd never EVER be friends with? Can be just the people you need in your life.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
Just because someone doesn't act the way you expect, doesn't mean they're not just as human as you.

Speak - Lauren Halse Armstrong
Sometimes, the things that are the hardest to say? Are the things that need to be said the most.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor
Your exterior can change. It's what's inside that counts. Also, family doesn't end with blood.

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Friendships can be made in the most unlikely of places.

Love and Leftovers - Sarah Tregay
The book that made me realise that maybe poetry isn't as bad as I thought it was.

Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
Don't judge people based on surface appearances.

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
Your words can have consequences you wouldn't even anticipate.

Cinder - Marissa Meyer
What others see as a weakness can actually be your strength.

Divergent - Veronica Roth
Pigeonholing people is bad.

Rose Under Fire - Elizabeth Wein
There were non-Jewish people in concentration camps, and their stories are important too.

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
Sometimes, biting the hand that feeds you gets you an equally shitty hand.

My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick
Your parents are human too, did you know?

Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver
It's never too late to change.

What YA books have changed your world view?

K xx

TTT - Female Characters Who Won't Take Any Crap

It's time to link up with the Broke and the Bookish again!

Today's topic was just "top ten characters who _______". I tossed up between a bunch of different topics, and ended up with half a dozen half made lists. Whoops?? In the end, I went with "characters who kick butt and take names". Somehow, though, it turned out to be a list of awesome female characters who, when people are douchebags, don't take any crap and instead give this judgey "I hate you" face:

So let's get on with the list, shall we?

1. Veronica Mars, The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas

Okay, so this is kind of cheating because Veronica Mars was an on-screen character years before she was a character on the page. But she fits the bill perfectly. Especially when you have such brilliant evidence of what her face would look like when she's 100% done with people and their crap.

2. Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Yes, Maggie Smith is phenomenal in the movies. But Book!McGonagall is so much more awesome. She's so done with Umbridge's crap that she tells Peeves how to unscrew the chandeliers. She sassily offers Harry a gingernut instead of yelling at him when Umbridge complains about him. She has precisely zero time for nonsense, but still has the best interests of her students at heart.

3. Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Katniss just wants to live her life, hang out in the woods, keep her family safe and her community well fed. Instead, she gets thrown into the violence of a spectacle designed to keep the population repressed and into a public arena that forces her into a love triangle she has very little interest in. So what does she do? Inadvertently starts a revolution.

4. Alexia Tarabotti, The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

Alexia doesn't fit the social expectations of a Victorian lady. She eats as much as she wants, goes for long walks, is far browner and has a much larger nose than society considers polite, and she can turn vampires and werewolves human with a single touch. And she won't take any nonsense from anyone. Kidnapped? Finds a way to get out. Husband thinks she's cheating? Does everything she can to make him believe her. Has an incredibly precocious child who likes to throw herself off the side of airships? Eyerolls and takes charge. Fabulous.

5. Elena Michaels, The Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong

Elena's the only female werewolf in the world. She has to deal with an awful lot of asshattery from the rest of the world's werewolves as well as other supernaturals and, indeed, plenty of humans. Instead of taking it, she eyerolls and starts breaking bones. 

6. Granny Weatherwax, The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Oh my God, I adore Granny Weatherwax. I want to be her when I grow up. She's full of tricks and is incredibly shrewd and observant. But she always strives to do what's right, even if it means personal sacrifice. Just don't give her any crap or you'll regret it.

7. Kate Daniels, The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

Kate Daniels is pretty much the definition of a BAMF. She's sassy, she has an enormous sword that she uses to take down vampires and demons and all manner of craziness. And she has no time for nonsense. Why put up with nonsense when you can chop its head off? 

8. Celaena Sardothien, The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

She's been imprisoned, enslaved, and forced into killing people in exchange for maybe some day getting her freedom. When ordered to do things, Celaena does everything she can to not follow those orders, because she's completely and utterly done with the crap she's dealing with. 

9. Molly Metcalfe, The Secret Histories series by Simon R. Green

Molly is an insanely powerful witch, and she's not afraid to show it when people infuriate her. But she's also not afraid to help her boyfriend out when he or his family have done something to put the entire planet in jeopardy. And she laughs as she does it. 

10. Linh Cinder, The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is kind of an interesting case, in that she starts out doing everything she can to fly under the radar and obey orders. But as the series progresses, she becomes more and more done with her situation, and more and more determined to put an end to it. 

Which characters would you add to this list?

K xx

Movie Monday - Catching Fire

So last week I fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinally saw Catching Fire. I had every intention of seeing it at the movies when it came out last year, but I was in New Zealand when it was released and by the time I got home, I'd kind of forgotten about it. So I just ended up waiting until it came out on DVD instead. So now, like six months after the fact, let's talk about Catching Fire, shall we?

Reasons why Catching Fire is awesome:
1. Jennifer Lawrence.
2. The speeches in District Eleven.
3. Josh Hutcherson.
4. The dress reveal. Amazing.

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5. Woody Harrelson. So much sass.
6. Peeta volunteering for Haymitch. FEELS.
7. Elizabeth Banks. Effie showed so much character development from the first movie.
8. Katniss' face when the little girl says she wants to volunteer some day just like Katniss.
9. Sam Claflin as Finnick.
10. The elevator scene. HILARIOUS.

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11. Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. Perfection.
12. Snow's glass getting blood in it when he drinks. A great little detail for fans of the books.
13. Jena Malone as Joanna. Total badass.
14. Katniss' Seneca Crane dummy.
15. Willow Shields as Prim. Her character gets so much depth here.
16. The tributes holding hands en masse.

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Plus, the following quotes:
- "We wanted our love to be eternal. You know, Katniss and I were luckier than most. I wouldn't have any regrets at all, if it weren't... if..." "If it weren't... for what? What?" "If it weren't for the baby."
- "It must be a fragile system if it can be brought down by just a few berries."
- "My stylist is such an idiot. District 7, lumber. Trees. Ugh. I'd love to put an axe on her face."
- "So it's you and a syringe against the Capitol? See, this is why no one lets you make the plans."
- "Katniss." "Hello, Finnick." "Do you want a sugar cube? I mean it's supposed to be for the horses, but, I mean who cares about them right? They got years to eat sugar, whereas you and I, well if we see something sweet we better grab it." "No thanks, but I would love to borrow that outfit someday."
- "A wedding dress? Really?" "Snow made me wear it." "Make him pay for it."
- "What about you?" "Nobody needs me." "I do. I need you."
- "Nobody ever wins the games. Period. There are survivors. There's no winners."
- "See Katniss, the way the whole "friend" thing works is that you have to tell each other the deep stuff." "The deep stuff?" "Yeah." "Like what?" "Like... what's your favourite colour?" "Oh, now you've stepped over the line."
- "Any last advice?" "Stay alive."
- "We have seen a lot of tears here tonight. But I see no tears in Johanna's eyes. Johanna, you are angry. Tell me why." "Yeah, well, yes! I am angry. You know, I'm getting totally screwed over here. The deal was that if I won the Hunger Games, I get to live the rest of my life in peace. But now, you wanna kill me again. But you know what? Fuck that! I'll fuck everybody who had anything to do with it!" "All right, then. One woman's opinion."

What did you think?

K xx

Better alone

Do you ever come across these amazing female characters, and you absolutely love them? And they have a love interest, and you think they and the love interest are really cute together and you spend forever squeeing over them? And then they get together, and you squee like a lunatic. But as the relationship goes on, you realise something: deep down, you liked the character better when she was alone.

This has been happening to me a lot recently, and it's kind of an interesting phenomenon, because it's not one that I've ever run into with male characters, as far as I can recall (well, maybe with Dawson Leery, but that's because he's an awful human being who *deserves* to be alone...).

Anyway, I want to talk about some of the characters that I kind of think are better off alone. Because reasons.

Buffy Summers
It's not secret that rewatching Buffy for Snark Squad completely changed the way I felt about certain characters. Rewatching Angel for Snark Squad has made everything worse, because in season 5, we spend an awful lot of time watching Spike and Angel fight over which one of them gets Buffy. AND SHE'S NOT EVEN THERE. Her relationships with both of them were pretty fucked up, and her relationship with Riley was basically a season and a half of rebound. Even Buffy agrees at the end of season 7 that she's better off alone.

Katniss Everdeen
Much was made of the love triangle in The Hunger Games, but every time I read the books, I'm struck by how reluctant Katniss is to be involved with either Peeta or Gale. At the end of Mockingjay, she basically tells us that it took Peeta the better part of a decade to convince her that having kids was a good idea. Being a part of the Games forced her into faking a relationship with Peeta, which in turn led to Gale being all jealous and "I LOVED YOU FIRST"-y. Katniss is a hesitant participant from start to finish, and it almost seems like she ends up with Peeta just so that there's someone there in the night when she wakes up screaming.

Veronica Mars
Don't get me wrong, I adore Veronica and Logan. Piz can go jump in a lake for all I care. But I read the new Veronica Mars novel yesterday, and I thought it was really interesting that Rob Thomas chose to really limit the communication between Veronica and Logan throughout the course of the story. Yes, it's partly because he's deployed in God knows where. But when they DO communicate? The conversation is stilted and a little awkward. You can't undo nine years of separation in two weeks, so of COURSE it would be awkward between them. All of that aside, I found myself liking Book!Veronica more than I liked Couple-y!Veronica...

Natasha Romanoff
I love the IDEA of Clintasha so much it's not even funny. I squeed like a lunatic when I saw her arrow necklace. But do I want the MCU to be filled with a weepy Natasha by an injured Clint's bedside? Do I want them being all public-displays-of-affection-y before heading off on missions? Do I want a Clintasha wedding officiated by Tony Stark (who got a licence on the internet) in the ruins of whatever threat to the world they've just defeated? NOPE (except maybe that last one because it sounds kind of awesome...). I want her to stay her sassy BAMF-tastic, arse-kicking self. (Although if they want to include some anvils about #secretsexytimes, that would be fine)

Dana Scully
Much like with Clintasha, The X-Files dropped some pretty big anvils about #secretsexytimes between Mulder and Scully over the years. That said, when we did eventually get a canon relationship in the second X-Files movie, it was TERRIBLE. Much better to have Scully on her own with frequently dropped anvils than in a relationship that didn't live up to expectations.

Rory Gilmore
Rory, Rory, Rory. So incredibly smart. Such terrible taste in men... Dean turned out to be a complete douchenozzle with a side of extra-marital affair. And Logan Huntzberger was just awful from start to finish. Jess is clearly the best fit for her, but - much like Logan Echolls - he needs time away from her to deal with his problems and grow up. Thank God the show ended with her on her own, going off to take over the journalistic world.

Cristina Yang
Oof. Poor Cristina's had a rough road. Admittedly, I haven't watched the last season and a half of Grey's Anatomy - I kind of gave up a little after the plane crash, because Lexi was one of my favourites. But Cristina keeps getting paired with these characters who don't understand her or who want completely different things to her and can't see that she won't change her mind about them. And then when she's all "Um, no. You knew that before this even started...", they get all butthurt about it, and she's left to pick up the pieces of her life. Again... BLURGH.

Ellie Linton
I adored the Tomorrow, When the War Began books as a teenager. But Ellie, the gutsy incredible narrator of the series, is SO MUCH BETTER not in a relationship. She goes back to Lee time and time again, even though she hates the things that he does and the way it effects him. She has this awesome sibling relationship with Homer, and then the end of The Ellie Chronicles has a friend being all "You know Homer's in love with you, right?". Um. WHAT?!

Winifred Burkle
Oh my God. SO MUCH of Fred's character was destroyed by the writers making her the plaything at the centre of a love triangle between Gunn and Wesley. She deserved so much better than to wind up in a crappy relationship with either one of them. I don't think I'll ever be over how she was treated in seasons 4 and 5...

This doesn't mean that ALL strong female characters are better off alone - just look at Zoe Alleyne Washburne, or Rose Tyler. Pepper Potts or Willow Rosenberg (minus the Kennedy thing, because NOPE). Olivia Dunham, Elizabeth Bennet, Alexia Tarabotti, Elena Michaels, Piper Halliwell, Kate Daniels, Hermione Granger, Sydney Bristow. The list goes on and on.

Furthermore, this doesn't mean that the characters I've discussed above should be alone forever. It definitely doesn't mean that. What it DOES mean is that the writers aren't doing the characters justice. They pair them with unsuitable characters, turn their whole storyline into a relationship story, or have them fall apart where they previously would have stood up and fought. And it's infuriating...

Who would you add to this list? Are there any that you'd remove??

K xx

TTT - "Gateway" Books

It's time to link up with the Broke and the Bookish again!

Today's topic is about the books or authors that got us into a new genre or out of a reading slump or that got us reading as kids. I struggled a little with this one, because my version of a reading slump is only reading two books a week rather than four, and I pretty much read anything and everything I could get my hands on as a kid. Still, I've managed to come up with ten books, so let's talk about them, shall we?

1. Dime Store Magic - Kelley Armstrong

I picked this up on a whim at the library a million years ago, and it led to Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld books not only becoming one of my favourite series, but to a long running love for urban fantasy as a genre.

2. Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder

I got the complete box set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books for my sixth birthday, and spent the next three-ish years being completely and utterly obsessed with a) these books and b) the concept of pioneer life as a whole. I wore a bonnet and everything.

3. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

This was one of two books that I took with me on a three week school trip to France. Yes, you read that correctly. Three weeks. Two books (the other was Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca). I had them both read before we even landed in Paris. I think I read Pride and Prejudice about five times in those three weeks, and it well and truly got me back into reading classics.

4. Mossflower - Brian Jacques

This is one of those books that I can still remember reading for the first time. I was in the back of the car, driving to Wales (as one does), and we stopped for petrol. My mum insisted that I get out of the car and go to the loo, and I can remember being really cranky because OMG I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A REALLY EXCITING CHAPTER. This, and the other Redwall books, are what got me into reading fantasy, as well as longer books. 

5. Down Under - Bill Bryson

My dad got a copy of this for Christmas the year it came out. I'd always seen it sitting there on the shelf and wondered if I should read it someday. I picked it up one day when I'd run out of library books, and I've been kind of in love with funny travel books ever since.

6. Guards, Guards - Terry Pratchett

One of two Discworld books that my little brother got for his birthday when he was about 13. He was all "OMG, YOU SHOULD READ THIS, IT'S SO GOOD", and I was like "....................really? That looks dumb." Oh, Past Kirsti. You so silly. 

7. Temple - Matthew Reilly

I think I picked this one up because it seemed like it would be an archaeological thing. It only sort of was, but I went through a massive adventure/action reading jaunt after I stumbled across this one.

8. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

The book that got me back into reading YA, for which I will be eternally grateful. It also got me into reading dystopian books. I'm not sure if I'm grateful for that one or not........

9. Scurvy - Stephen Bown

In my third year at university, I did a subject about medical history. I guess the subject was my gateway more than anything, but this book got me into reading non-academic books about medical history and solving the mysteries of particular diseases. From this, I went to a book about the plague, then malaria, then childbed fever, then smallpox, then cholera... Really cheerful stuff! 

10. Seven Up - Janet Evanovich

I found this at a university book sale for 50p when I was doing study abroad. I'd had several people rave about the Stephanie Plum books in the previous weeks, so I figured for 50p, I'd take the risk. I read it cover to cover in about 3 hours, and promptly went on to plough my way through the previous books in the series as quickly as I could get my hands on them. 

What are your gateway books?

K xx

TTT - Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry

It's time to link up with the Broke and the Bookish again!

Today's topic: Top ten books that will make you cry.

I'm not much of a crier when it comes to books. Movies? Yup. TV shows? In a heartbeat, despite the long running joke over on Snark Squad that I'm the leader of Team Heartless Cow. Hell, I watched that Superbowl Budweiser ad with the puppies this morning and cried like a lunatic. But books? It's a pretty short list. Ten, to be precise. How very convenient!

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I see this book featuring on a lot of lists. I think I'm quite lucky in that I finished reading this on public transport, and I didn't have any tissues with me so I knew I had to keep it together so that I didn't have to explain to some helpful old lady that I was crying over fictional characters. I expect I'll ugly cry much harder when I reread it sometimes before early June.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
This was the first book that ever made me cry. I made it through Godric's Hollow unscathed. Through Snape and Lupin and Tonks and Dobby. But Fred Weasley? That tipped me over the edge and I ugly cried for the rest of the book.

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Oh man, the crying that happened during this book.

4. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Way to tear my heart out and rip it into little pieces, Wein. Same goes for the sort-of sequel, Rose Under Fire. A different kind of ugly crying, but it was still there.

5. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
There are no words. How could a book this short cause so many emotions??

6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Even just reading the blurb, I knew this one wasn't going to end well for my tear ducts.

7. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
I met someone recently who hadn't read the books and was insanely excited about the Mockingjay movies. Meanwhile, those of us who've read the book are secretly hoping that certain things get dramatically changed.

8. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
I HATED this book as a child, but having reread it as an adult, I suspect that's because it made me feel all the feels but I was too young to process them. (The same theory applies to Child!Kirsti's hatred of Charlotte's Web and The Velveteen Rabbit)

9. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
I wouldn't have thought this would make me teary, given that we know right from the start that there's only one possible ending to this book. AND YET.

10. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
For the most part, this made me cry with laughter. But there were moments of seriousness when I got a little teary for entirely different reasons.

What books have made you cry?

K xx

TTT - Top Ten Worlds I Wouldn't Want to Live In

It's time to link up with the Broke and the Bookish again!

Today's topic: Top ten worlds you would never want to live in, or characters you'd never want to trade places with.

Oh man, with so many dystopian YAs floating around as well as reading so much urban fantasy, it was kind of a struggle to keep this list to only ten!

1. The Hunger Games series, Suzanne Collins
Merciful Zeus, I would not want to live in Panem. Between having to deal with the government representatives, scraping out an existence, and having to watch 23 kids die on national television every year (and possibly being one of them), it's a giant barrel of NOPE.

2. Any world created by Simon R. Green
Don't get me wrong, I love Simon R. Green's writing. But the worlds he creates are freaking terrifying at times. There are evil sorcerers and demons waiting in the forest and people who can basically smile and it rips your skin off. So yeah. Even if I had Hawk and Fisher AND Eddie Drood on my side, no thank you very much.

3. The Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham
I love this book a lot. But there is no way in hell I would want to live in a world where everyone except a handful of people is blind and being killed off by giant meat-eating plants.

4. The Gone series, Michael Grant
Trapped in a giant bubble with only people under 15 with limited food supplies and kids with a tendency to get murdery? Uh, pass.

5. The Chaos Walking series, Patrick Ness
I love the world that Patrick Ness has created, but having to hang out in a world where everyone can hear everything that guys are thinking ALL THE TIME? Definitely not a place I want to be hanging out.

6. The Kate Daniels series, Ilona Andrews
The world that's been created in this series is absolutely fabulous. But I just know that I would end up as collateral damage from some kind of vampire/shifter/necromancer showdown. So yeah, no.

7. The Cahill Witch Chronicles, Jessica Spotswood
A world where women have to hide what they are and decide at seventeen whether to get married - and who they're going to marry! - or to become a nun? Nope nopeity nope nope.

8. Anything featuring zombies
Zombies are one of my personal squicks, so any book that involves zombies is a world that I automatically don't want to live in. Because I'm a wuss and they creep me out like whoa.

9. The Uglies series, Scott Westerfeld
A world where you're basically forced into having masses of plastic surgery at the age of 16 so that the government can control you? NO THANKS. Especially when after the surgery, all the characters become indescribably annoying in their shallowness.

10. The Fifth Wave series, Rick Yancey
I would be 10000% terrified ALL THE TIME. That is all.

So. What world would you not want to live in?

K xx

Movie Monday: The "what I'm looking forward to in 2014" edition

Um. How is it the end of another year already?! I could have sworn that it was only about September last time I checked... Anyway, given that it's the end of the year, let's talk about the stuff I'm excited about seeing next year, shall we? I'll warn you now, it can pretty much be summed up as "Marvel movies and adaptations of YA books", because OBVIOUSLY.

The Fault in Our Stars
The poster that was released during the Project for Awesome gave me All the Feels, so I can't even begin to imagine how much of a trainwreck I'll be when the movie actually comes out...

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
You guys, I am SO EXCITED FOR THIS MOVIE OMFG. The trailer is so completely and utterly BAMF-tastic, and I've been fangirl flailing since it first came out.

The Monuments Men
Okay, so this looks a little bit like Ocean's Eleven set in World War II, but whatevs. It still looks pretty fun, and with a nice dose of history added in for good measure!

Divergent
Look, I'm still not convinced by the casting of Four. Theo James is literally the complete opposite of what I had in my head when it came to Four. But I'm still pretty excited about seeing this story come to life on the big screen.

X-Men: Days of Future Past
I'm a little unsure about this, because some of the shots in the trailer make it look like X-Men Go To The Disco. But whatever, it's Marvel so I'm still excited about the next installment of the story.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
I saw the trailer for this when I went to see American Hustle the other day, and it looks pretty incredible. And there's no doubt in my mind that Idris Elba will do the role justice. This is also my personal reminder that I really do need to read Long Walk to Freedom one of these days...

The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Okay, so the trailer looks a little over the top, and some of the special effects are a little meh-tastic. But I really enjoyed the first one, and it's Marvel, so...yeah.

The Lego Movie
Oh my God. Words cannot describe how excited I am about this film. It's going to be completely ridiculous and utterly insane, and I am looking forward to it with every fibre of my being.

Mockingjay Part 1
I have yet to see Catching Fire, because I'm a bad fangirl (plus, it came out when I was in New Zealand and by the time I got home everyone else had already seen it). But I've heard nothing but good things about it. So I have high hopes for Mockingjay, especially seeing as according to IMDB, Danny Strong (Jonathan from Buffy) is writing the script.

Guardians of the Galaxy
I know almost nothing about the characters involved in this installment of the MCU, but I have no doubt in my mind that it will be fabulous.

What movies are you looking forward to seeing in 2014?

K xx

Updated to add: OH MY GOD, HOW DID I FORGET ABOUT THE VERONICA MARS MOVIE?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I CANNOT WAIT. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Unusual Character Names

Time to link up with the Broke and the Bookish again!

Today's topic was to do with character names - either our favourites or the most unusual ones we've come across. I've gone with unusual ones, because my full name is pretty damned unusual so it's nice finding those who would also suffer from "Sorry, what? Could you spell that for me?"syndrome if they were real. Oh, and I'm discounting the entire Harry Potter series, because I could make a top ten list just from that!

Rincewind from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Goodness, Pratchett comes up with some fabulous character names. But given that Rincewind is one of the characters that started off the Discworld series, it seems fitting to go with him.

Katniss Everdeen from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series. Oh, Katniss. You poor baby. No one should have to live with a name that rhymes with "piss"...

Cather and Wren from Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. As much as their mother was an awful character who I couldn't stand, I kind of loved the idea of her being all "Twins? Oh well, split the name I'd picked in two!"

The Montgomery Overbores from Alysia Gray Painter's Wilfair series. Oh, goodness, I love these characters and their fabulous names. Even if it DID take me approximately half of the first book to work out that Gomery was short for Montgomery. Well done, Kirsti. Well done...

Karou from Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. Her name is unusual AND full of meaning. Awesome.

Temeraire from Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. Okay, so he's a dragon which means that weird names are kind of par for the course. But he's a major character, and it's not even a name that can be shortened effectively!

Sophronia Temmennick from Gail Carriger's Finishing School series. Gail Carriger loves her bonkers character names, and this one is pretty damned spectacular.

Cricket Bell from Stephanie Perkins' Lola and the Boy Next Door. Cricket has a pretty stupid name, especially when you come from the part of the world where it's a sport rather than an insect, but he's completely adorable so I forgive him for it.

Jericho Jones from Libba Bray's The Diviners. It's a pretty great name, you have to admit.

Margo Roth Spiegelman from John Green's Paper Towns. Look, Margo's kind of an insane character, but her name is pretty fabulous and I love it that she's consistently referred to by her full name.

So. What are your favourite unusual character names?

K xx

Ten on Tuesday: Top Ten Sequels

Okay, so it's Wednesday in Australia, but I was busy last night and didn't get a chance to write a post.

Said busy-ness MAY have involved making chocolate chip cookie pie...

It's still Tuesday in the US though, so it totally counts, right?! RIGHT. Time to link up with The Broke and the Bookish!

Redwoodian - Alysia Gray Painter
OH MY GOD, THIS BOOK. I enjoyed Wilfair, but Redwoodian was what had me squeeing all over the place like a deranged fangirl. Fabulous from start to finish.

Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
Yeah yeah, I'm totally cheating here. But they just keep on getting better and better. There's a reason why (with the exception of the epilogue) Deathly Hallows is my favourite.

Where She Went - Gayle Forman
I enjoyed this a lot more than If I Stay, which I felt spent far too much time detailing who Mia was before her accident. Plus, I went into it knowing that there was a sequel, which made Mia's decision pretty clear. This, on the other hand? Focusing on the aftermath and how serious accidents affect the people AROUND the victims? So much ugly crying.

Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Yes, I'm cheating again and going with an entire series. But for me, the first book - Colour of Magic - is actually one of my least favourite of the series. I didn't fall in love with it until Guards, Guards, which I think from memory is book 8.

Lirael - Garth Nix
I love Sabriel, but this sequel is so amazing. Lirael has no idea what she's doing, and has to muddle through as she goes along with only a sort-of dog for assistance.

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
I loved The Hunger Games, but this book? OMG. I read it in a couple of hours and then spent the weekend raging around the house because my copy of Mockingjay hadn't arrived yet.

The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien
Much as with the films, The Fellowship of the Ring features a lot of set up for the books ahead, and The Two Towers is where stuff starts getting REALLY good.

The Lollipop Shoes - Joanne Harris
Published as The Girl With No Shadow in the US, I loved the sequel to Chocolat SO MUCH MORE than the original book. It's completely and utterly fabulous, and I really wish they hadn't done the weird date change in the film version of Chocolat so that they could make this into a movie as well.

Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder
I got the complete box set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books for my sixth birthday, and while I remember enjoying Little House in the Big Woods, it was this that made me obsessed with pioneer stuff to the point where I spent the next couple of years wearing a bonnet everywhere I went during summer (thank you, Black Creek Pioneer Village for selling bonnets).

The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness
It wasn't an easy read a lot of the time, but this book was phenomenal. The relationship between the two main characters is handled so brilliantly, and while they often make infuriating mistakes, it's a nice reflection of the fact that everyone makes mistakes, even if they're fictional.

What are your top ten sequels?

K xx

Movie Monday: The "What I'm excited about in 2013" edition

It's the very last day of 2012, and that can only mean one thing: it's time for me to Kermit flail with fangirly excitement about movies that are coming out in 2013!!

(Note: yes, a good chunk of these have already been released in the US. Australia is behind the times, yo.)

The Life of Pi

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I haven't read the book, and with any luck I'll get the chance to do so before I see the movie. Based on the trailer, this is going to be fairly extraordinary.

The Silver Linings Playbook

I haven't really liked Bradley Cooper in anything since Alias. I'm hoping this is the movie that's going to change that. It looks pretty awesome. Plus, it stars Jennifer Lawrence, who I not-so-secretly want to be my best friend. 

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

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I mean, come on. This movie looks freaking amazing, in a completely terrible sort of a way. You can't tell me you don't want to see Jeremy Renner playing the medieval baby of Jason Bourne and Dean Winchester. 

Cloud Atlas

This one is either going to be a total mindfuck or a truly astonishing piece of cinema. Again, I've not read the book, and am hoping I get the chance to before it hits theatres. Tom Hiddleston recommended it on Twitter though, so it must be pretty good! 

Iron Man 3

Excuse me while I watch the trailer for the hundredth time and send fangirly emails to Kim. I honestly don't think there's any way it can suck. I mean, it's Robert Downey Jr playing Tony Stark playing Robert Downey Jr playing Tony Stark. It's like Inception, only less confusing and with more superheroes.

The Great Gatsby

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I'm actually a little hesitant about this one, mostly because I'm not really enjoying the use of modern music over the trailers that have been released. BUT it worked for Moulin Rouge, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see...  At least I have the advantage of not having read the book a hundred thousand times, so I won't be upset if certain details are left out!

The Wolverine

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I don't particularly care what it's about, I'm just psyched to have another X-Men movie coming out. And Hugh Jackman is always brilliant as Wolverine. 

Much Ado About Nothing

Whedon does Shakespeare in secret on the cheap with all his favourite actors? YES PLEASE OMG THIS NEEDS TO COME OUT LIKE RIGHT NOW. I mean, if nothing else, I want to see it because Wesley and Fred will finally get their happy ending! Also? Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Sean Maher, Tom Lenk, Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker?? It's a Who's Who of the Whedon-verse.

Thor: The Dark World

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As if anyone is surprised to see this on here. I loves me a Marvel movie, and considering this one costars Tom Hiddleston, adding it to the list of things I'm excited about was a no-brainer. ESPECIALLY when The Ninth Doctor is the villain of the movie! 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I can't wait to see how they handle the giant clockface that is the arena in this one! I just wish we didn't have to wait so freaking long for it to come out, you know?? 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

HOLY CRAP, YOU GUYS. After the ending of An Unexpected Journey, how can you NOT be excited about this movie?!?!?! I just...I mean...Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Smaug? Having conversation with Martin Freeman?? It's going to be made of win. Plus, DWARFMITAGE.

Basically, it's another year of sequels and comic book movies! I can't wait. What are you excited about seeing in 2013?

K xx

Best of 2012: Movies edition

Aaaaah, Boxing Day. It tends to mean several things in Australia:
1. The Boxing Day test.
2. The start of the Sydney to Hobart.
3. Sales.
4. Eating leftover turkey.
5. The opening of pretty much every decent movie ever for the entire year.

Given the last of these, it seemed only appropriate that I continue my Best of 2012 series with my favourite movies from this year.

Now, the majority of these were released this year, while a couple are movies that I saw for the first time in 2012. I'm gonna go ahead and shove them into the one post because it's my blog and I do what I want I'm lazy.

Les Misérables

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I saw this on Sunday, and holy hell you guys. Eventually I'm going to do a Movie Monday post about Les Misérables. Probably after I see it at the movies for the second or third time. For now, my thoughts can be summed up as "OMFG I HAVE A LOT OF FEELS AND EXCUSE ME WHILE I CRY ALL THE UGLY CRIES AND DOWNLOAD THE SOUNDTRACK". Yes. It turns me into the epitome of a Tumblr fangirl. It was THAT good. If Anne Hathaway doesn't get an Oscar for it, I will probably die of surprise. And Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe were both incredible. If you need more of a recommendation, the entire cinema broke into applause when the credits rolled. That never happens in Australia. NEVER.

Argo

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I saw this well after it came out, after hearing numerous positive reviews from various friends and family members. You guys, it is so freaking good. For a story where you already know the ending (well. You do if you have any knowledge of history, anyway!), it still managed to be full of tension and "OMG ARE THEY GOING TO MAKE IT????" moments. It was also a welcome change from the norm in that it wasn't filled with big Hollywood names. Instead, it was full of people where you spend half the movie going "What the hell do I know that guy from??" and then you look it up when you get home, and it's a cult movie like Ten Inch Hero or Empire Records. Brilliantly done.

The Avengers

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There are no words for how much I love this movie. I think it might actually be up on a pedastal with Love Actually and Pirates of the Caribbean as my all-time favourite movie. I got it on DVD for Christmas, and I'm honestly surprised that I've made it to 6pm on Boxing Day without breaking it out of the plastic. I may well end up watching it tonight after the Doctor Who Christmas special. I mean, how can you not love a movie that's written and directed by Joss Whedon, and which stars so many actors who are genuinely nice and incredible people?! (Including but not limited to my future husband, Tom Hiddleston...) I literally bounced up and down in my chair at the cinema while I was waiting for it to start.

The Decoy Bride

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Yes, it's insanely cheesy. And yes, it was such a flop at the movies in the UK that they released it straight to DVD in most of the world. But I suspect, much like Firefly, it's one of those things that slipped under the radar and will come into its own now that it's available on DVD. How can you not love David Tennant in anything, especially in this where he makes lots of sneaky Doctor Who references?! If you haven't seen it yet, do so immediately. It's available for streaming on Netflix, America. Merry Christmas.

The Hunger Games

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I love the crap out of this series, and I'm crazy excited about Catching Fire coming out next year. Jennifer Lawrence was phenomenal, and Josh Hutcherson is quite possibly the most adorable thing ever. I thought they did a fantastic job of sticking to the book, but also ADDING to the story by showing what's going on behind the scenes. It saved a lot of boring explanation scenes. I wasn't a huge fan of the amount of intentionally shaky camera work, but it seems to increasingly be the way for action scenes. Thankfully, the makes-you-want-to-hurl side effect is dramatically reduced on the small screen!

The Help

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I missed this one at the movies when I was in the US last year, so when I got home, this was pretty high up my Quickflix queue (you know, behind Dawson's Creek and The X-Files...). I've since read the book, and I know that a lot of people weren't particularly happy about some of the changes that were made. But I loved it. The casting was fabulous - anyone who says they don't love Emma Stone is lying, and Octavia Spencer earned the HELL out of that Oscar. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to rectify that.

Pitch Perfect

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Back in October, I got an email from Deidre that basically read "OMG, PITCH PERFECT. Please come see it with me?????". Sadly, it didn't come out in Australia until the start of December, by which time we had a LOT of expectations around it. I, for one, was afraid of Anna Kendrick's hairline terrifying me through the entire movie, as happened in Up in the Air. Thankfully, this wasn't the case. It was pretty bad, but in a good way. If that makes any kind of sense. With the news that they're in talks to develop a second film, we can but hope that the first person to be cast in it is Rebel Wilson, and that they manage to dig up some attractive men who can sing to join the cast. Eddie Redmayne and Aaron Tveit wouldn't go astray, now that they're done with Les Misérables!

Skyfall

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I was a little apprehensive going into this, because I HATED Quantum of Solace. I got to the end of that without knowing the name of the villain OR the interchangeable Bond girl, and now have absolutely no memory of anything relating to it. But Skyfall? Is a completely different beast. I loved that they included so much Bond backstory - it helped to humanise a character who's so often almost superhuman. I also loved that they brought back some of the more traditional Bond elements, which I won't specify - spoilers, sweetie! Judi Dench was fantastic as M, Javier Bardem was brilliantly creepy, and I think it'll be really interesting to see where the Bond series goes in the future.

So, that's my favourites from 2012. (I have yet to see The Hobbit, because it only came out today in Australia, but we can probably just assume that that'll be automatically added to the list of favourites!)

What have your favourite movies been this year?

K xx

Matryoshka suitcases

When I got home from class today (how was class, you ask? We got the itinerary for Washington, and when we were asked what the state bird of Virginia is, someone (not me) yelled out "MOCKINGJAY!!!!"), I had to get my suitcase down to pack for my flight for Canberra tomorrow.

And getting my suitcase down required braving The Cupboard of Suitcases and Travel Related Crap. In our house, this cupboard is in my bedroom, and it's about eight feet off the ground, which is more than a little inconvenient.

Also, we have a TON of suitcases. So they're all stacked inside each other.

Like this, only less awesome. Also, source.

Which means that in order to get to the specific suitcase I wanted, I had to remove the following from the cupboard:

• My backpack from undergrad
• My 60L pack, which leads to a face full of straps
• A suitcase filled with a smaller suitcase filled with a bunch of travel sized junk (including a travel iron)
• A suitcase filled with the suitcase I wanted, which was in turn filled with a smaller suitcase again. 

So as you can imagine, it was something of a long process. And THEN I had to do the whole thing in reverse, and do overhead shoulder presses with them while standing on a step ladder. To be honest, I'm impressed I didn't drop it all on my head/fall off the ladder! 

Sorry. This post sucks, but it's 10.47pm, I have a bellyful of pizza, and this is the best I could come up with. Also, I still haven't packed or written that blurb about my academic history like I was supposed to. WHOOPS.

K xx

Maybe if it starts raining sleeping bags, you might get lucky

So, season 5 of The X-Files. It had some fantastic quotes (that's yet another Scully-ism in the title), some great episodes, and a bunch of stuff that I remembered and was starting to think I'd made up. It's always nice to know that you didn't hallucinate X-Files episodes...

In case you don't remember from last time, season 4 ended with Scully telling a committee that Mulder had killed himself. And now, on with my thoughts!

• FLASHBACK. Mulder is having a little cry. Aww. And now he's sitting in Scully's bedroom in the dark. And she's understandably confused to come home and find him there. He has a new and exciting conspiracy theory. Wow, Scully is an EXCELLENT fake crier. Cigarette Smoking Man thinks Mulder is dead and is having a little teary. WTF, room full of alien corpses. WTF, room full of pregnant women under strobe lights. Wheeeee, season 1 flashbacks! Oh no, fainting Scully.
• Oh dear. Scully is on a ventilator, dying of her brain cancer, and Mulder is wigging out. Aaaand how she's awake and he's kissing her cheek and holding her hand #secretsexytimes And HE JUST KISSED HER HAND IN FRONT OF HER MOTHER #PRACTICALLYENGAGED Haha, Scully's brother does NOT like Mulder. Wait. Samantha is not only alive, but is Cigarette Smoking Man's daughter? So confused... Awww. Mulder is crying by Scully's bed in the middle of the night. Now he's being all dramatic at a hearing. Hahaha, right at the big gasp-worthy reveal, the DVD started skipping, and it was like the DVD was surprised too. Awesome. ZOMG. Cigarette Smoking Man got shot and is apparently dead. And Scully is miraculously in remission. HURRAH!

Another spectacular Mulder cry face. Also, source.

• Uh, WTF. Mulder is naked on the floor yelling "They're heeeeeeeeeeeere", and the Lone Gunmen are getting arrested. In 1989. This, as it turns out, is the 100th episode. And it's pretty lame. Except that Detective Munch is in it, which is kind of amazing.
• Hmmm, creepy camouflaged beasties on the forest floor. Or is it Peeta Mellark??? Apparently Mulder is twelve - he just said "Who cut the cheese?" and "PARTAAY!". Now they're lost in the woods. Scully just cuddled up to Mulder to keep warm, and he went "I don't want to wrestle" #secretsexytimes Ahahaha, and now she's singing 'Jeremiah was a Bullfrog'. AMAZING.

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• Um. This episode is like a cross between Pleasantville and that episode of Supernatural, 'Monster Movie'. With added Jerry Springer and mad scientists. And Mulder and Scully slow dancing at a Cher concert. WTF. (#secretsexytimes)
• Now there's a Christmas episode in which Scully is getting mysterious phone calls from her dead sister. Scully's mopey because she's infertile and her sister-in-law is pregnant. Also, there's a kid who looks exactly like Scully's dead sister, so she's assuming it's Dead Sister's kid. Mmm, nothing says Christmas like an autopsy! OOH. It's NOT Dead Sister's kid. It's SCULLY'S KID. 
• Ahahahaha, Mulder is trying to impersonate Mr. Potato Head for Scully's insta-kid. Eeeeuw. There's gross green lumpy crap coming out of the kid's neck. And now there are creepy alien babies floating in test tubes of green goo. Double eeeeuw. Awwww. Scully's insta-kid was actually an alien beastie, and died... :(

This is his Mr. Potato Head face. You're welcome. Also, source.

• Oh God, not Modell again. That dude creeps me out. Ew. Someone painted himself blue and then DRANK PAINT UNTIL HE DIED?? Gross. 
• Aaaaaah, mini-Ash from Supernatural!!! Okay, creepy men standing in orchards? NEVER ends well. Mulder to Scully: "Is this demonstration of boyish agility turning you on at all?" #secretsexytimes. Uh. Killer trees. KILLER. TREES. I have no explanation for this...
• Holy hell. There's a creepy small child with a creepy as fuck doll that's encouraging people to claw out their eyes or cut their own throats or hit themselves in the head with a hammer over and over. This is like every nightmare of ever rolled into one... *shudder* Haha, Scully just went on a spiel about witches. Mulder's response? "Scully? Marry me." #secretsexytimes 

Terrifying doll of creepiness. Also, source.

• Uh. There's some kind of AI creation living in the internet. And crazy people were going to give up their boring earth bodies to live in the internet forever. Suuuuuuuure... Oh, now the AI is trying to kill Mulder. Aaaaaaand now Mulder's hallucinating that he's got no arms, and Scully can do martial arts. LOL, WHUT.
• YESSSSSS, THE TEEN VAMPIRE EPISODE!!!!!!! This is one of the ones I thought I'd invented. OMG. Luke Wilson is in it. As the local sheriff! Ahaha, SUPER Snarky Scully. And High Mulder.  AAAAAAAAH, Luke Wilson is a vampire!!! THIS EPISODE IS AMAAAAAAZING.

Lol, Luke Wilson. Also, source.

• UGH, not Krycek again... Aaaaand now Mulder's the skeptic. IIIIIInteresting. Black ooze again, blah blah, flamey abduction victims blah blah, Scully might become one of them, dun dun duuuuuuun.
• Awwww. Mulder thought Scully was dead, and how he's all happy because she's not. Her first reaction on seeing him standing next to her bed? "What time is it?" Seriously, #secretsexytimes. Ew, people with no eyes. They look like the Bringers from Buffy... Aaaand Cigarette Smoking Man isn't dead. DUH.
• Uuuugh, another flashback episode???? 1990 this time. But wait! The Yellow Eyed Demon from Supernatural is in it!! Seriously, did Kim Manners do ALL the casting for Supernatural based on people he'd worked with on The X-Files?! Eeeeeeeuw, there's a body fluid sucking alien spider coming out of a guy's mouth. Excuse me while I vomit... Um. 1990 Mulder is wearing A WEDDING RING. WHAT IS THIS INSANITY?!?!?!?!?!?

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• There's a blind girl killing people. OR IS SHE? Uh. Apparently the actual killer murdered Blind Girl's mum while she was pregnant with Blind Girl, and now Blind Girl sees through the killer's eyes. WHUT. Oh. And the killer is Blind Girl's dad. OF COURSE.
• Uh, some paralysed girl could miraculously walk only to fall to her knees with her eyes burnt out. GROSS. And it turns out that she's one of quadruplets, all of whom have 12 fingers and get their eyes burnt out. Jeez, what a suckfest. Uh. Now there's a priest whose true face is four animal heads, and a ginger social worker who may or may not be the Devil. I am SO confused right now... 

Yes, that's smoke coming from her eye sockets. Ew. Also, source.

• Eeeeuw, a dissolving dead guy, a failed sting, and Mulder acting seriously weird. I have absolutely no idea what is happening in this episode. NONE. 
• Okay, a giant invisible bug. WHUT. Um. Now it's a bug in disguise as a person? Sounds like the episode of Buffy that Lor and I recapped today... </self promotion>
• Ugh, Krycek is bringing Cigarette Smoking Man back into the fold. Now there's a small chess playing child who may or may not be psychic. And Mimi Rogers. Awww, Scully just found out that Mimi Rogers is Mulder's ex, and she's all jealous. Oh, look. The X-Files are being closed down AGAIN. Aaaaaaaaand now Cigarette Smoking Man is setting fire to Mulder's office. Specifically, the filing cabinets. Mini Kirsti cried like a baby in this scene. Like, ran into the next room bawling and scared my mum into thinking that I'd broken a limb kind of crying. Adult Kirsti just sniggered because Scully took the "Oh no, our office burned down" opportunity to squeeze Mulder's biceps. #consolationsexytimes

Bicep gropage. Also, source.

As much as I loved the ridiculous vampire episode and was relieved to find out that I didn't hallucinate Cigarette Smoking Man setting fire to Mulder's office, I have to admit, it's getting progressively crappier. I'm not entirely sure I can survive another four seasons of this... 

Random question of the day: with shows like The X-Files and Supernatural, do you prefer the scary episodes or the funny episodes?

K xx

Movie Monday: The Hunger Games

On Saturday afternoon, I FIIIIIIIIIINALLY got to see The Hunger Games [insert Kermit flail of excitement]. I was insanely excited about it, and was thrilled that Must Be Thrifty and her boyfriend, Cheap Geek, came along for the ride despite the fact that neither of them had read the book, and had very little idea what to expect.

Anyway, the fact that I finally got to see The Hunger Games means that Movie Monday is going to be a little bit different this week. Because I have a LOT of thoughts and I need to put them somewhere!

In case you haven't seen it yet, I'm going to put the rest after a jump break, because it's going to get spoiler-y up in here. But if you've already seen it, read on, and let me know what YOU thought about it! :) (If you haven't seen it, go and do so, then come back and tell me what you thought. I WANT TO KNOW!!)

Movie Mondays: Boxing Day edition

What with Christmas shenanigans going on pretty much non-stop between Thursday night and last night, I didn't get a chance to sit down and watch any movies this week. Which is a shame, because I had grand plans to celebrate the 10th (ARGH I FEEL OLD NOW) anniversary of the release of The Lord of the Rings. Okay, technically it's just the tenth anniversary of the release of The Fellowship of the Ring, but that's totally not the point. Needless to say, if I didn't have the time to watch one movie, I didn't have the time to watch NINE hours of hobbity, elfy, dwarfy, wizardy, gobliny, Gollumy roaming-about-the-country-side-ness.

That said, have you guys SEEN the trailer for The Hobbit?????????

*flails with excitement*

Ahem. Boxing Day in Australia marks the start of the summer blockbuster season. So needless to say, there's quite a bit coming out soon that I can't wait to see. And in researching what's coming out soon that I can't wait to see, I got a little carried away. So just for a change, I present you with a list.

What I'm stupidly excited about seeing in 2012:

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- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. It doesn't come out here until 5th January, and I'm indescribably cranky about having to wait that long.
- The Adventures of Tintin. I was a MAJOR Tintin fan when I was in late primary school. I think mostly because he got to roam around the world doing cool stuff whereas I had to sit through hours and hours of maths and PE and Latin. SNORE. The screenplay for the movie comes courtesy of Stephen Moffat (head writer for Doctor Who) and Edgar Wright (writer and director of Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs the World). It's directed by Stephen Spielberg, produced by Peter Jackson, and stars (the voices of) Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. WIN.

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- The Muppets. This comes out in Australia on 12th JANUARY. I honestly don't think I can stand to wait that long.
- One for the Money. Yeah, I know it looks pretty ordinary. And it stars Katherine Heigl, who the universe went from loving to loathing basically overnight. But I'm a big fan of the Stephanie Plum books, and I'm curious to see how it turned out.

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- The Woman in Black. Okay, there's no way in hell I'm going to see this one at the movies. I'm going to be watching it on DVD with all the lights on and hiding behind a pillow for most of it. Even the poster for it makes me want to hide behind a pillow and never sleep again. But I'm really curious to see how Daniel Radcliffe does post-Harry Potter.
- The Hunger Games. I read all three of the books in quick succession back in October. And OHMIGOD I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THE MOVIE!!

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- The Avengers. Joss Whedon + Robert Downey Jr + a shit ton of superheroes. How could it not be awesome?
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It looks awesome. And has an incredible cast.
- Men in Black 3. I don't really care if it's the most appalling shit. I loved the first two, so I'll be seeing the third one!

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- The Pirates! Band of Misfits. The joy of having a six year old niece is that you can go to the movies to see kiddy stuff without looking like a creepy weirdo. And this looks AWESOME. Also? Hugh Grant as the voice of the Pirate Captain. Hilarity.
- The Amazing Spiderman. It can't possibly be worse than Spiderman 3, can it?
- American Reunion. Much like MIB 3, I can't not see this.
- Dark Shadows. Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter. You can pretty much tell from that what it's going to be.

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- The Dark Knight Rises. Can't wait to see where Christopher Nolan takes this one!
- Skyfall. I wasn't a huge fan of Quantum of Solace. It seemed to have even less plot than most Bond movies. Plus, I realised as the credits rolled, that I didn't know the names of half the characters. So I'm interested to see if Skyfall is an improvement on that.
- The Hobbit. Obviously, after posting the trailer above. I seriously can't wait for this to come out. I know what I'm doing next Boxing Day, that's for sure!!

What are you guys looking forward to seeing at the movies in 2012?

K xx