New Blog!

Hello faithful reader(s?).

My fellow tart, Jen, and myself have started a new blog. It is The Pop Tarts (http://jenandkelpoptarts.blogspot.com/). It is a broader blog about all things pop culture. And full of snark. And usually some swearing. And has a catchier slogan. And at the moment, thoughts about The Bachelorette (named the Trashelorette by us). If you read this blog and enjoy it, you will love The Pop Tarts. If you read this blog and hate it, you will still love The Pop Tarts. If you are following us here, please switch that follow to The Pop Tarts. More consistent blogging is to come. On deck are: More Trashelorette reacps, thoughts on So You Think You Can Dance, thoughts on a new genre of books that I am compiling in my head, etc. Pretty much, we will blog about anything interesting. And we will do so in a snarky manner.

In conclusion, ignore this blog from now on and follow us to The Pop Tarts (http://jenandkelpoptarts.blogspot.com/). [Eventually we will archive this blog into The Pop Tarts...we just haven't gotten there yet.]

New Format

My co-book tart and myself are considering changing this blog from a book focused blog into a pop culture centered blog. we have a couple reasons as to why. First of all, we are both highly obsessed with pop culture. Secondly, we both definitely watch more tv than read books. Mostly because it takes less time and watching tv allows for multitasking! Also, you've probably noticed that I have been blogging about not books lately. And Jenny hasn't been blogging much as all.

So, in honor of a change to pop culture, I am going to blog about why I hate this season of American Idol!

I was going to watch Idol this season. I stop watching a few weeks into voting last season because all my favorite people were gone. And the best singer of the season was gone. There seemed no point. I was going to watch this season, but I just couldn't do it. I legit recorded the first few episodes, but I just couldn't get over how boring most of the singers were. And how pointless the judges were. However, I always read recaps of the episodes and watched Idoloonies on tvline.com (Michael Slezak and Jason Averett are amazing!). So I kept up on the season.

I watched the most recent episode because Jenny said I should and my friend Sarah was over and we both enjoy watching reality crap. So I watched the top 4. And the only thing I can say is that of the four singers left, I only really liked Haley. She was the only singer that was at all interesting and exciting. And she was also the only singer who got any negative feedback. I don't understand the judges at all. They love everyone. They have loved everyone all season. Except Haley, who has the best voice and makes the only interesting choices. They have given her negative comments all season, including last week when her vocal was amazing and they didn't like her song choice. The judges are so inconsistent! And if they tell everyone that they are amazing, it starts to mean nothing! Nothing! So frustrating. But now I have to watch Idol this week because I have become invested in Haley! Damn!

Hunger Games Comprehensive Casting Review

I have been putting off commenting on the cast of The Hunger Games because new announcements are being made pretty much every day. But now Haymitch has been cast and it seems an appropriate time to review the entire cast so far.

First, we all know by now that Gale is being played by Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson is Peeta, and the lead role of Katniss went to Jennifer Lawrence. I have still never seen Hemsworth or Lawrence in anything so I am not commenting on that casting, but I watched Cirque du Freak, which Hutcherson is in and I cannot wait to see what he does with Peeta. He has a very sweet look, but can also play dark really well.

Second, we have the other primary characters:
Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane
Amandla Stenberg as Rue
Paula Malcomson as Mrs. Everdeen
Willow Shields as Primrose Everdeen
Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket

Seneca Crane is the Head Gamemaker and really didn't make too much of an impact on me in the book as I had to look up who he was. Likewise, Bentley didn't stick out to me. Rue is a 12 year old tribute for the games and reminds Katniss of her own sister. Rue is a very important character and Stenberg is pretty much a complete unknown. I assume she will be excellent. Mrs. Everdeen is Katniss' mother and seems like a hard role to play due to the fact that in the book, she is both likable and unlikable at the same time. Malcomson has been in a lot of tv dramas, most recently Sons of Anarchy and Caprica, though I haven't seen her in much. Based on her CV, I think she will do well in the part. Primrose is Katniss' sister and though she isn't in the books much, she is a very important character. Shields is pretty much unknown, but has the right look.

Haymitch is the mentor of Katniss and Peeta for the games, being a previous winner. He is also drunk all of the time. And he's a bit of a dick most of the time. He does not seem to really like Katniss, but the feeling is mostly reciprocal. In my opinion, Haymitch is one of the most important and interesting characters in the book. And I am so excited about Woody Harrelson playing him. He has been in both comedy and drama, which I think is kind of the balance that Haymitch needs to strike. He might seem like an odd choice if you've only seen him in Cheers or Will & Grace, but I'd say his characters in Zombieland and No Country for Old Men show the range and balance between tough and silly. Though I never imagined him in the part, I think he will be excellent!

Caesar Flickerman is a reporter in the Capital who does the interviews for the Hunger Games. I definitely did not see Stanley Tucci in that role, but I am super excited about it. He is easy going and likable as far as people in the Capital go. I always saw Flickerman as super charming yet quirky; a bit humorous but with the ability to make both sides of any warring groups like him. I think Tucci will be able to play that really well.

Effie Trinket is the wrangler for Katniss and Peeta. She is a bit of an odd character. She and Katniss do not really get along, but they seem to have some respect for each other. I always saw Effie as outwardly bubbly and light, but with something brewing under the surface. I always feel like she is the slightest bit insane, but also well intentioned and possibly knows more than she lets on. I think Elizabeth Banks will be perfect for the role and is actually who I sort of pictured when I was reading. She has been in mostly silly comedies like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Zack and Miri Make a Porno, but I think her character in Slither shows what potential she has for the craziness of the Hunger Games. I really think that she is the most perfectly cast character in the movie so far.

Other tributes: Jeremy Marinas (Justin Starr in The LXD), Dakota Hood, Imanol Vepez-Frias, Annie Thurman, Samuel Tan, Mackenzie Lintz, Sam Ly, Leigha Hancock, Ashton Moio, Kara Petersen, Jacqueline Emerson, Chris Mark, Ethan Jamieson, Tara Macken (Luisa in Sons of Anarchy), Ian Nelson, Kalia Prescott, Jack Quaid, Leven Rambin (Riley in The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Lily in All My Children, Sloan in Grey's Anatomy), Dayo Okeniyi.

As you can see, except for a couple people, everyone is an unknown or a newcomer. And most of the tributes also have some stunt background, which is awesome! The tributes mostly run around and fight with each other so it is important that the actors can look good fighting. The most castings that get announced, the most excited I get about the movie. I think they are being smart going with mostly unknowns for the kids parts and going with some well seasoned actors in the adult roles. I look forward to seeing who gets cast as Cinna, Katniss' stylist (I am still pulling for Cillian Murphy), and President Snow, who has to be the creepiest and most sadistic person around (honestly, no idea who should be cast there).

Overall, though I still am unsure how the movie can possibly be anywhere close to as good as the books and concerned with how much they can't show to make it a PG-13 rating, I am getting excited. I look forward to seeing how it all pans out and who the round out the cast with. I will do another post on further castings. In the mean time, let me know what you think about who has been cast. Was it who you pictured? Are you upset over anyone? Who do you see as some of the other characters?

ETA: Last tributes cast...I should have waited a few more hours before writing this!

Favorite Songs

Since my top list of favorite bands/artists went over so well I thought I would continue on the music trend and give a list of favorite songs. These are going to be in no particular order as I really don't have a "favorite" song.

As you can tell from my favorite bands list, I have an eclectic taste in music. A lot of the time, what I like to listen to is dictated by my mood, the weather, and what I'm doing at the time. My favorite songs list is going to be songs that I like to listen to at any time regardless. You should also assume that any song I mentioned in the favorite bands list is also a favorite song.

*I Like It by Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull--I fell in love with this song last summer, cemented my love when they performed on SYTYCD, and have listened to it more times than I can count and learned part of the dance from the SYTYCD performance. If I were to have a #1 song, this would probably be it.

*Party Girl by McFly--Besides being an amazingly catchy song, the music video is wicked awesome. And they made it into a 30 minute movie. I have also listened to this song more times than I can count.

*Little Lion Man by Mumford & Songs--Such a chill vocal sound, but super peppy beat. It is one of the most fun songs to listen to while out driving.

*Fuck You by Cee Lo Green--Besides being one of the catchiest songs ever, it is always fun to get to yell out swear words!

*Rock and Roll by Eric Hutchinson--I really dig a beachy, summer, singer-songwriter vibe and Hutchinson gives it in abundance.

* Rhythm of Love by Plain White T's--I like all of their stuff, but Rhythm of Love just really grooves in a nice way.

*Can't Speak French by Girls Aloud--Sometimes you just have to groove to a dancey girl group and Girls Aloud is exactly that.

*Live Like We're Dying by The Script/Kris Allen--I had heard the song before Kris Allen did it because I listen to UK music and I like both versions. I really like Breakeven and For The First Time by the Script, but since I love both version of Live Like We're Dying, it goes on the list.

*If I Had You by Adam Lambert--I have memorized all of the words. I had them all memorized before it was released as a single.

*Cinnamon Lips by OK Go--I like most of their songs, but something about Cinnamon Lips just makes it a song I can listen to over and over again.

*Scotty Doesn't Know by Lustra--If you've seen Eurotrip, you know the song. I can sing each and every lyric and do so often.

*The Monkees--Ok, so they should have gone on the band list. I forgot. But now I am trying to pick out my favorite Monkees song and can't because I love so many of them.

*Dog Days by Florence & the Machine--I love the original version and I love the Glee version. It is just a great song with a great groove to it.

*River Deep-Mountain High by Santana & Mercedes from Glee--Holy cow I cannot tell you how much I love this duet. It just works. Everything about it is good.

*When I Get You Alone by Darren Criss--The original is really kind of bad, but the Glee version is bangin'.

*Ain't No Rest For the Wicked by Cage the Elephant--What can I say? I like a good beat, a quirky vocalist, and anything I can dance to.

*Big Spender from Sweet Charity--I've never seen Sweet Charity, but I've seen this number. Anytime I can dance around like Fosse, I am happy.

*She's So Lovely by Scouting for Girls--Super poppy fun UK stuff. I love it so much. No explanation needed.

*I Predict a Riot by the Kaiser Chiefs--Indie Rock band from UK who is not nearly famous enough. This song is just a fun party song.

*Right 'Round by Flo Rida--I freaking love this song always, though especially when covered by the Beezlebubs on The Sing-Off.

*I Believe in a Thing Called Love by the Darkness--A 70s glam rock throw back. If on, I will sing it loudly and in falsetto. Nothing makes me happier than singing this song.

Ok...enough songs for now. I know that I have missed a bunch and I know that you are now thinking about your favorite songs, so definitely share those. I love listening to new music! Or old music! Or music that I have forgotten that I love! Please share!

Top *Number* List

I am going to write a blog about all the Hunger Games casting eventually, but am just really unmotivated to write about anything related to books right now. So instead, I am going to do a list of my favorite musicians!

I have extremely random music tastes. I really will listen to just about anything and everything depending on my mood. I really enjoy music from the UK and as a result, end up listening to a lot of stuff on YouTube and BBC Radio 1. The UK charts just fit with my style more, though I still listen to a lot of Top 40. Anywho...on with the list! In descending order.

1) Hanson--Oh, you've heard of them? Back in the 90s? You think they only sing Mmmbop? You are wrong. Well, not wrong about Mmmbop, they do sing that and often, but they are so much more. I have seen Hanson in concert three times and each time was better than the last. They give great concerts. They play a wide variety of old and new stuff. They structure the set list to have a journey. They always play Mmmbop, often acoustic. And they always always always look like they are having fun. And they do great charity work. If you are not listening to Hanson, you should be.
Songs to listen to: "Thinking 'Bout Something" off their new album or "Penny & Me"/"If Only" for some old school

2) McFly--Oh, you've never heard of them? Not surprising! I'm not sure how I became obsessed with McFly. I think I just kept hearing them on UPop when I had satellite radio. They also were in a Lindsay Lohan/Chris Pine (Captain Kirk!) movie called Just My Luck. You should watch it! It is trashy fun. But yeah...I love McFly a whole lot. Their sound has progressed since they started. From rock/pop to more rock/dance now. They get lumped in with boybands in the UK even though they write all their own music and play their own instruments and are a rock band.
Songs to listen to: "Party Girl" if you like Lady Gaga or "Shine a Light" if you like Taio Cruz or "Transylvania" for old school

3) Adele--I am overly obsessed with Adele at the moment. Her voice is amazing. A. Ma. Zing. She had more passion in her voice than anyone else ever. Also, I love her as a person. She is so charming and funny in interviews. And is a really great role model for how comfortable she is with being and looking like herself. She seems like a genuinely awesome human being and I want to be best friends with her.
Songs to listen to: "Someone Like You" preferably a live version or "Rumour has it" or really anything by Adele

4) Bruno Mars--I have been harboring a hardcore crush on all Bruno Mars music for a while now. His songs are amazingly catchy and breezy. They make me think of summer and laying out in the sun and chilling. And besides all the stuff he sings himself, he has also been involved in writing "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy, "Right Round" by Flo Rida and "Fuck You!" by Cee Lo Green. What? Awesomesauce! Also, his performance at the Grammys with B.o.B. and Janelle Monae was beyond amazing.
Songs to listen to: "Marry You" or "Grenade" Grammy performance
**Special note...if you don't know who Janelle Monae is, get on that asap!

5) Enrique Iglesias--I have to admit that back in the day when Enrique Iglesias was first popular, I knew his songs, but didn't particularly care about him. But now I love him big time. I am particularly found of his new stuff because it is soooo dancey, but I also have been listening to his older stuff and I like that too. I just think his voice is pleasent and he is fun. And he doesn't take himself seriously at all in interviews.
Songs to listen to: "I Like It" or "Tonight" (NSFW if you listen to the uncensored version. The radio version is SFW)

6) Pitbull--I have to admit that most of Pitbull's songs are highly inappropriate, shouldn't not be listened to at work or around kids, and are probably semi-offensive. But dude, are they catchy! He has a ton of songs from his albums, but he is probably more famous/popular for being featured on other artists songs notably "I Like It" (Enrique) and "DJ Got Us Falling In Love" (Usher) and "Hey Baby" (T-Pain). I like that even though he is a rapper, he definitely has an authentic latin flair to his music.
Songs to listen to: "Fuego" or "I Know You Want Me"

7) 3Oh!3/Ke$ha--I am putting these two together because I started listening to both around the same time and they are fairly similar styles. They are both rather inappropriate, but fun and good to dance around to. Also, my favorite songs of both artists are ones that have both. Just seems easier. I don't have much explanation for why I love either so much, but if I am stressed and need to dance around my house, I am putting 3Oh!3 and Ke$ha on.
Songs to listen to: "My First Kiss" or "Blah Blah Blah" both have both artists; Ke$ha: "Kiss N' Tell"; 3Oh!3: "Holler Till You Pass Out"

8) Gaelic Storm--Back to more appropriate music! I love Gaelic Storm. Yes, you've heard them even if you don't know it. They were the third class band in Titanic. The one that Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet dance to. See, you do know them! I love all sorts of Irish/Celtic music, but Gaelic Storm is my favorite at the moment. Nothing makes a day better than some fun Celtic music!
Songs to listen to: "Johnny Jump Up" or "The One" or "Nancy Whiskey" or "The Beggarman" or go watch them in Titanic again

9) Darren Criss--Really, if you aren't in love with Darren Criss than you obviously don't watch Glee. If you are not a fan of Glee, you should still listen to Darren Criss sing.
Songs to listen to: Anything he has recorded

ETA: Honorable Mentions (aka people I totally forgot about while writing the list): Mika, Blake Lewis, Jesse McCartney

Yes, my music taste is random. Sometimes inappropriate. Yet all fun!
What music do you love?

The Problem of a Good Book

I have noticed that sometimes I don't like when I finish a really great book. That sounds kind of crazy at face value, and in some ways it is, but hear me out. I love reading books that completely consume me. I like feeling like I am in the book, part of the plot, the main character, watching it unfold. I love that feeling of reading just a solidly great book.

And then I finish the book.

I have such issue picking out the next book because nothing will be as great as the book I just read. Obviously, that is not true. But I get that feeling. I finish a great book and all I want to read is more of the same book. It works out well sometimes to have a series of books, but that is almost worse. After reading a ton of books in a series, I am solidly in the world and have it all fleshed out in my head and really then have more trouble picking the next thing to read.

I have a couple tricks that I use to get into the next book. One is that I sometimes read a book that I've read before because I already know that I like it. Or even reading an author I know that I like. Anything Meg Cabot usually is a good choice. But also, I love Meg Cabot so I find picking a book after any of her books is difficult. Even if it is a book I've read before. Another strategy is to pick a book that I'm not sure I'll get totally into. Going into it expecting to not be fully engrossed can help with the panic of "Oh no! How will anything live up?" Since I am not planning on it living up, there is no pressure on that book. Another strategy that I've found is just to not read for a bit. This is rather hard since I always read before bed. But I have found that if I read a magazine or short story instead of a book for a while, it helps cleanse the palette for the next book to come along. And lastly, sometimes I just force myself to read another book and tell myself to stop being so weird about it.

I finished To Tame a Highland Warrior last night (it was so good, even though the main guy kind drove me crazy with his concern that the main chick wouldn't like him if she knew his "true nature", but she was totally fine with it because she was awesome. Give the girl some credit, dude!) and now am at a loss at what to read. I grabbed a book on my way out of the house this morning, but am not sure I want to read it. So now on to the various strategies to find the next book.

Weekend Reading/Watching

For such a blah week, I was terribly productive in my reading of books and watching of tv/movies this weekend.

First, what I read: I finished The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham and OMG was it good. It was absolutely nothing like I thought it was going to be. The story went in a completely different direction from what I was expecting and I loved it. All of the characters were complex and had motivation for their actions. There were a ton of overlapping story lines and they all worked. Usually in a book with this many story lines you start with separate characters and stories and they all come together by the end, but The Wedding Girl started with one main character and all of the story lines went out from there. It was cool and the book had a whole lot of heart.

I started reading To Tame a Highland Warrior by Karen Marie Moning. Have you not read Karen Marie Moning? You should. Well, if you like romance novels and/or fun vaguely sci-fi/fantasy novels and/or Scottish Highlands and are not offended by fairly frank descriptions of sex you should read Moning. I was in the mood to read some light trash and was lucky enough to be at my friend Sarah's house and was able to borrow Highland Warrior from her. It is the second in a series, though it isn't really a sequel. I definitely stayed up far later than planned reading. And now I only have about a third of the book left. It is so good.

What I watched: I watched many things this weekend, beginning with a week's worth of Jeopardy! I DVR Jeopardy every night and watch it all at once over the weekend. Yes, I realize that is incredibly nerdy, but it makes me happy and for how much people mock me for it, everyone always wants to watch it with me. So there!

I also watched the last three episodes of Being Human (the SyFy channel version, not the BBC version). OOoooo it was so good! If you don't know, Being Human is about a ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf who live together in Boston. And both the werewolf and the vampire work at a hospital as a nurse and an orderly respectively. There is definitely some soap opera type stuff about how hard it is to be supernatural, blah blah blah. But it is also just really fun. There is a ton of violence, lots of killing, not a lot of blood really and a ton of light and funny moments. I seriously enjoyed the entire series, but the last three episodes really rocked. I now want to watch the original BBC version.

Also watched, John Tucker Must Die. I've seen it before but really enjoyed the repeat viewing. First of all, I think it is a really underrated teen romantic comedy. It is really funny but also ends up having some sort of message. And even the jerk character is really likable. Also, it has Penn Badgley in it. With longish curly hair! Fun. And it has the most amazing soundtrack. Seriously good music in that movie.

I also satisfied my craving for all things British by watching many episodes of Little Britain. It says something about how funny a show is when it is set in a country I have never been and I still find it super funny. It is a sketch show about really strange people in Britain and mocks pretty much everything. The best thing though is that Anthony Head, aka Giles from Buffy, is the Prime Minister. And really, the scenes that he is in are the funniest of the show. The whole show is like if you took the weirdest Monty Python sketches and made them slightly more inappropriate. Very weird and very funny.

And last, neither a book nor a movie nor a tv show...I played Just Dance on Wii. It was awesome. I got super sweaty because what is the fun if you aren't going to get into the moves? I am much better at Just Dance than I am at DDR. Most fun part of my weekend!

Dilemma

I am in a reading dilemma. I am currently reading "The Wedding Girl" by Madeleine Wickham, aka Sophie Kinsella. I am not terribly far into it and I am enjoying it, but also very worried that I'm not going to like it. Now, that doesn't make total sense. I am currently enjoying the book but I'm worried that I'm not going to enjoy it. Mental, no?

Here is my problem. I liked the set up. I liked the prologue. I like some of the things that the main character, Milly, does. I'm worried that I'm not going to end up liking the main character. I have had some mixed feelings on Kinsella books before. I love love love Twenties Girl, Remember Me, and Undomestic Goddess. But I couldn't even get half way through Confessions of a Shopaholic. So I am a bit worried that I'm going to hate Milly and not being able to read all of The Wedding Girl. Which is silly because I really want to read it.

I am also concerned because I'm not actually sure if the guy she may end up with is the guy I want her to end up with. Milly is engaged, but a guy from her past who knows a secret about her just showed up. See...normally in a chick lit, if the main character is engaged, it is to someone who is wrong for them. And Milly's guy is really nice. He isn't perfect, but neither is she (she acts like someone else around him, which makes me hate her just a little bit). I'm worried that she is going to end up with the new guy and her current beau is going to end up being screwed over, which he doesn't deserve because he is really nice. It is kinda like in The Notebook (yes I've read it, no I didn't really like it, no I haven't read any other Nicholas Sparks books). The fiance of the main chick gets screwed over for the "real love", but he was really nice and didn't deserve the treatment he got, all of which made me kind of hate the heroine a bit.

I'm going to keep reading, at least for a bit more, to see where the story goes. Maybe it will end up being one of my favorite books ever, but mostly I am just hoping that it doesn't disappoint.

Challenged Books

The American Libraries Association has released the list of the most challenged books of 2010. I was going to actually comment about it, but I don't have time right now as the time I was going to spend blogging turned into time I used to read the blog of an author that I now want to read all the books of. So....the list
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/and-tango-makes-three-waddles-its-way-back-number-one-slot-america-s-most-frequently-challe

My biggest question...Hunger Games...sexually explicit? Really? When was that? I don't remember anything sexually explicit about Hunger Games. If there is sexually explicit material in it, I may need to reread.

Reading and rereading (and rereading)

Some books you read and enjoy and never pick up again. And some books you read over and over again. This top six list is about the books that I have read many, many times. There are a ton of books that I've read twice, but not a ton that I have read a bunch of times. I enjoy rereading, but also really like new materials, so I like to balance it all. This list is not books that I've read more than once, as that last would be ridiculously long. There is no specific order, nor is there much rhyme or reason to the list.

1) The Phantom Tollbooth--It is a kid's book, but if you have never read it, you should get on that pronto. I have read this one so many times I cannot even count. It was my favorite book when I was a kid and it continues to be one of my favorite books. It is a nerdily entertaining book and is funny while also being weighty.

2) Size 12 is Not Fat--I know that it is sort of weird to reread mysteries because you already know who the killer is and why, but I enjoy it. First, if it has been a while, you can forget the who and why, so you can discover it again. And if you know, it is fun to notice the subtleties that point to the killer long before it is revealed. Also, Meg Cabot books are always good for rereadings.

3) Harry Potter Series--This one could almost be left off the list due to the "no duh!" nature of it. I would probably reread the series more if it weren't for my obsession with having to read the entire series and not just certain books. I would probably enjoy reading the Goblet of Fire more often, but I can't read it without reading the first three first. But still...I've read them a lot.

4) Princess Bride--I've seen the movie enough to be able to quote the whole damn thing. And I've read the book enough times to be able to read a bit of it, set it down for months, pick it up to read a bit more and know exactly what is going on. And you know, it holds up every time. I will never get enough Princess Bride goodness!

5) The View from Saturday--I'm a huge E.L. Konigsburg fan and I think that View from Saturday is her best work. It is about a quiz team (much like Academic Superbowl which I did all four years of high school! Made it to state twice, what up!) and their lives and how they all connect. Every time I read it, I notice something that I didn't before. Some subtle connection that I had missed.

6) The Castle in the Attic (and to a small extent the Battle for the Castle)--I'm not sure why I was so obsessed with Castle in the Attic when I was younger. This is the only book on the list that I haven't read in the past few years. But I remember reading it so many times. It is kind of a scary book what with all the evil characters, battles, giant effing rats, and threat of death. I really enjoyed the whole idea of transforming and being stuck in a magical place and having to fight your way out. All sorts of fun adventure!

Mostly kids books and series, strangely enough. I've read quite a few series twice through, like Southern Vampire Mysteries and The Cat Who books, but never read an entire series more than twice except for Harry Potter. I am planning on rereading SVM before I read the new book, but I haven't done so yet.

Are you a rereader? What books have you read the most times?

Hunger Games Casting News

Gale and Peeta have both been cast for the Hunger Games movie. Gale is going to be played by Liam Hemsworth and Peeta by Josh Hutcherson. I'm going to discuss Gale's casting first and then Peeta's casting.

Gale Hawthorne...I don't want to get all whiny about any sort of "whitewashing of movies", but seriously? Gale is said to have the common Seam working class look: olive skin, dark hair, gray eyes; Liam is rather run-of-the-mill Anglo. Not that he isn't hot because he is quite an attractive dude. Also, he is slightly older than Jennifer Lawrence, which works with the characters. I can't really judge his acting at all because I haven't seen him in anything. I know who he is for two reasons...he dated Miley Cyrus and was in that one movie with her that I didn't see because I have better taste than that and his brother is Thor and George Kirk! So, I suppose if he can act, he should be fine, though I really saw someone of a more diverse background in the part.

Peeta Mellark...Ok, so I am totally good with this casting. Peeta is described physically as rather middling build and kind (I also pictured him as quite hot, but in a sweet/adorable way and not in a heartthrobby kind of way). I think that Josh Hutcherson will do well in the role. He is rather young (just 18), but he has a rather extensive filmography. And though the only thing that I've actually seen him in is Zathura, I've heard good things about him in The Kids Are Alright. I think that he should be able to bring something very nice to the character of Peeta. Also, he's just rather adorable!

I am looking forward to how they fill out the rest of the cast. I am hoping that they get some really strong supporting characters for the other important roles like Haymitch, President Snow, Effie, Rue, and Cinna. I am not expecting The Hunger Games movie to be that great, but I am still hopeful that it can be good.

What do you think about the casting of the main boys?

Unfinished Business

I am one of those people who has no problem putting down a book and not picking it back up if the book in question does not hold my interest. Life is too short and there are too many entertaining books out there to read something boring. I started taking this stance in high school when I was forced to read crap that I hated. I will give a book a good go, but if it sucks, I'm out. So, here is a list of 11 books that I have stopped reading (I have stopped way more books than that, but these are some of the more notable ones).

Category 1: Books I Am Never Going To Finish. Ever.

The Grapes of Wrath-Steinbeck--There is a whole chapter (chapter 5) about a turtle crossing a road. An entire chapter. About a turtle. It has nothing to do with the rest of the book. I gave up after that chapter. The best part is that I was reading it for a high school class and still got an A- on the test by only reading the cliff notes.

Gulliver's Travels-Swift--Again, had to read it in high school. I read the first section and then stopped. It was sooooo boring. I just couldn't read it any longer. It had no point. I'm pretty sure I was the only person in the class who hated it.

Faust-Goethe--I read this in college for a class and really, I gave it a solid go. I read the entire first part, but I just could not force myself to read the second part. Luckily the paper that we had to write on it got canceled. Which was a relief because I didn't have to fake my way through the entire second half, but was also a pain in the ass because it meant that I really hadn't needed to read the first half.

Madame Bovary-Flaubert--I had to read this for the same college class as Faust and I remember just not really about Madame Bovary. I don't even really remember reading it. I remember how much I hated Faust, but I just won't recall anything about Flaubert. It was worse than being bad, it was boring.

Confessions of a Shopaholic-Kinsella--I am a big fan of British chick lit and I love Kinsella's non-shopaholic books, but I really could not get into Confessions. Love the movie, love the writing style, hated the main chick. Just...couldn't understand where she was coming from or why she was so stupid. Most disappointing non-finish.

A Clockwork Orange-Burgess--I didn't make it all the way through the movie either, but that is because it is long and I fell asleep (I found that it got a bit dull after the reprogramming). I decided to try the book because I like weird shit. Honestly, I gave the book a solid try, but I could not figure out what the hell Burgess was saying at all. He made up a ton of words! I don't want to have to work that hard to read something for fun.

Category 2: Going to Finish It If It Kills Me

The Historian-Kostova--I've tried it twice now and I have trouble getting into the story. Or actually I have trouble finding the time to get into the story. I'm going to try again this summer because I like the plot, I like that it is about Dracula, and I like all the history nerd stuff. I will read it. I will!

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-Adams--I read the first three books in high school and then had to stop because I had no idea what was going on in the story. I tried again this past winter and couldn't get into it. I really want to read it. What I've read, I've liked. I feel like such a geek-poser for not having read it.

Circle Trilogy-Dekker--I love Ted Dekker's books. I read The Lost Books, which are a sci-fi(ish) teen(ish) series that shares characters with the Circle Trilogy. But I had issues getting interested in the first Circle book. I have them, so I need to just read them. I love his writing, so I will love it. This seems to just be an issue of laziness.

Category 3: Possibly Going To Read At Some Point (Maybe)

Lord of the Rings-Tolkien--I read The Hobbit and loved it. I read Fellowship of the Ring and liked it. I read part of The Two Towers and stopped. Battles, while exciting to watch in movie form, are dull to read. And the entire book is walking, battles, walking, battles. Maybe it was because I was in high school that I couldn't get through. Or maybe I'm just not programmed to read epics. Dunno, but I may try again at some point.

The Chronicles of Narnia-Lewis--Yeah, ok, confession. I've never read The Chronicles of Narnia. I remember starting The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was little and just not being interested. I read the first three books right around when the movie came out. I just...couldn't stick with the story. And the characters change. And I just...meh! I may attempt again at some point, but currently I am ambivalent to Narnia.

So, there are the books that I have started reading and failed at finishing. What are your unfinished books? Did you always read everything for class? Or are you one of those people who have to finish a book once you start it?

Book Review: "Under the Dome" by Stephen King

Oooh! Guess what, everyone? I actually finished a book!

It seems crazy for someone who blogs about books to not actually read very often, but between writing and working and watching waaaaaaay too much TV (damn you, BBC America! Stop playing "Top Gear" all the time! I can't resist!) ... it actually took me more than three months to read just over 800 pages of "Under the Dome" by Stephen King. And I am not a slow reader. In fact, I am a very fast reader.

Sad, right?

It's not like I didn't like the book. I kept wanting to read it, but I would run out of time for weeks on end. The only reason I finished it this weekend is because my husband was engrossed in building his new character for D&D on Saturday afternoon so I seized the opportunity to read like a crazy woman until it was time for dinner.

At any rate, I guess "Under the Dome" gets points for being a pretty easy book to set down and pick back up to read.

"Under the Dome," like so many other books by King, is about a small town in Maine. This small town, Chester's Mill, is suddenly cut off from the rest of the world by a clear but solid barrier. Inside the town - under the dome - King creates a huge cast of characters that are all trying to survive or even thrive in the dome. The main drama comes between Dale "Barbie" Barbara, a former Army lieutenant who has angered a number of young men in the town, and Big Jim Rennie, the town's corrupt, power-hungry second selectman. Rennie's son, Junior, just happens to be one of the young men who is at odds with Barbie. Barbie is tapped by the government to lead the town during the crisis, while Big Jim works hard behind the scenes to put himself in charge of the town and discredit Barbie. And, of course, there is the big question - why is the dome there, and how can they get rid of it?

There also are several other characters who play prominently - the local newspaper editor, a physician's assistant, a 13-year-old boy - and a whole host of minor characters who round out the town. As someone who is working on writing her own first novel, I am amazed that King could keep track of all of the characters and make all but a few into well-written, fleshed out characters. There's probably a reason King had to wait until now to write this book, after having started and stopped the project a couple of times.

"Under The Dome" is not great literature - it's kind of pulpy - but it is a great read that I really enjoyed. At times I felt like the novel was a little bit long and could have used some editing, but I suppose that some of the reward for having published 49 novels is that you get to get a big long-winded at times. But, really, that was only a couple of places - most of the book flies along at a good clip. It was just what I expected from a Stephen King book, so if you like other King books, you'll enjoy "Under the Dome."

Books into Movies

Since my last list seemed to generate some interest, I thought I would do another. What follows is a Top Twelve List of books (or novellas) that have been turned into a movie (or tv show or mini-series). It isn't an all encompassing list, but rather the first 12 books that popped into my head of which I've seen the movie and read the book. I'm sure I am missing a ton. The order is random.

1) Stephen King's The Body, The Shining, IT, 1408, The Mist -> Stand by Me, The Shining (movie), The Shining (mini-series), IT (mini-series), 1408, The Mist--I find that Stephen King books are a bit hit or miss when it comes to making them into movies. Stand by Me is just as good as the novella, some say better. 1495 and The Mist are much much worse than the novellas. I also find it odd that I have read some of the source material prior to seeing the movies and some after. 1408 and The Shining (the movie) especially come to mind. I think that I would have liked both movies more if I hadn't read the books first. I am one of the few people who likes the mini-series version of the Shining more, mostly because it most closely follows the book. Also, it was filmed in the hotel that Stephen King wrote the book in. Fun!

2) Neil Gaiman's Stardust, Neverwhere -> Stardust, Neverwhere (mini-series)--I read Stardust after seeing the movie, but watched the Neverwhere mini-series after reading the book. I love the movie Stardust, though it is nothing like the book. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the movie as much if I had been a fan of the book before. Neverwhere, though a made for tv with semi-shoddy special effects, really follows the story while adding in visuals that I felt really matched the book. Fun all around!

3) Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries, Avalon High--I love The Princess Diaries books and movies. I read the first couple books before the movie came out, and while they are vastly different, they are both still awesome. Same with Avalon High. Vastly different stories, but the same feel as the source material. I always think that more Meg Cabot books should be made into movies or tv shows (yes, I know that the 1-800-Where-R-You? series was turned into a tv show, but I haven't finished reading the series, so I haven't watched the show yet).

4) Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, Da Vinci Code--Mmmm popcorn books, popcorn movies. I know that many people hate the books, hate the movies, hate Dan Brown, blah blah blah. I love the books and I love the movies. They are interesting, entertaining, have lots of art and history, and have Tom Hanks. Also, Ewan McGregory is in one and Paul Bettany is in the other. How could that every be wrong?

5) Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries -> True Blood--My mom bought the first few Sookie Stackhouse books and gave them to me to read. While in the middle of reading the series, I started watching True Blood and wasn't a huge fan. However, once I finished the books and focused only on the show, I liked it way better. I find that I like both for the characters and plots and everything, but have to have them be separate entities. I cannot be reading and watching at the same time or I compare them and come out disappointed in the show.

6) Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club -> I saw the movie, loved it, read the book, loved it. I'm pretty easy to please. Movie with hot guys and lots of fighting, I'm in! The book is super fun, also. I'm not sure I would have gotten the twist in the book if I hadn't seen it in the movie first, but I found that knowing the twist didn't hamper my enjoyment of the book. Fight Club, in my opinion, is one of the best book to movie adaptions.

7) J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series--I'm not going to go into these too much because the last movie isn't out yet and the movies are so vastly different. But I will say that I have never been disappointed in one of the movies when it was released. I think that overall, the filmmakers have done a good job of capturing the stories and the atmosphere of the books.

8) William Goldman's Princess Bride--I had seen the Princess Bride many many times before I ever read the book and I think I like the book better. Slightly controversial stance, I know. I think the movie is one of the best (and most rewatchable) movies around, but I think the book, written in such an unconventional style, adds more to the characters and the plot. I think Goldman is a genius and can not stress enough that everyone should read the book.

9) Steven Gould's Jumper--If you have seen the movie, you are probably saying "That was such crap, why would you read the book?" And the answer is...I have no idea why I read the book. It was probably partly because I sort of loved the movie for its supreme trashiness and partly because I saw the book in the library and thought what the hell. The book is amaze-balls! Like, whoa. And the thing is that the best parts of the movie, Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Bell, are not in the book! Though Gould wrote the origin story of Bell & Jackson which is also excellent. Really though. I'm not a huge fan of reading sci-fi, but I love Jumper, Griffin's Story, and Reflex (the sequel). I highly recommend.

10) Phillip Pullman's Golden Compass--Such a fantastic book, such a terrible movie. Like, so bad they didn't make the sequels. It is just such a shame because the book is so great. It was like they decided that they didn't want to be controversial at all, so they took out all the best stuff from the novel (except the polar bear fighting). Bummer, dude!

11) Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn --> Tom & Huck, Huck Finn--I like Twain a lot. He wrote important stuff, but man do I love the camp that are the movies! Tom & Huck is one of the first movies I remember seeing in the theater. It came out when I was 8 and I distinctly remember seeing it with my cousins and my sister, sitting way too close to the screen. I also remember watching it approximately 17,000 times on vhs. I am also a big fan of the Elijah Wood movie of Huck Finn. I mean, come on. It is soooo cheesy and campy and has Elijah Wood yelling "Biiilllllllyyyyy". Awesomesauce.

12) J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring--It was the only of the Lord of the Ring books that I made it through and I read it after seeing the movie. I like it a lot (not as much as the Hobbit, but still...). I think having seen the movie helped me keep track of the characters and the major plot points, but also, the book just moves along at a good pace for the most part. Some good stuff was cut out of the book, but honestly, it had to be. The movie was already extremely long.

So...those are my top 12 (ish) books turned into movies. I'm sure I'm missing some obvious ones or some of your favorites, so what did I miss? What books should I read that have been made into movies? What movies should I read the books of?

OK, Maybe Katniss Won't Be So Bad ...

Well, what I was fearing has come to pass - Jennifer Lawrence has been cast as Katniss in "The Hunger Games."

But now I've read several articles about the casting, and I'm feeling a little bit better about it.

First of all, director Gary Ross feels like Lawrence will be a good Katniss. He told Entertainment Weekly, "...she came in and read for me and it just knocked me out. I don’t want to go into too many details, but we did a scene from the movie and it was so amazingly powerful that it was sort of stunning. You glimpsed every aspect of the role and the potential of the whole movie."

That sounds like a good sign, but movie directors always say things like that, even when the person they cast absolutely sucks.

But when I read that author Suzanne Collins approved of Katniss' casting, I was sold.

First of all, as a budding novelist, I can't imagine trying to find someone to embody a character that I created. I'm so glad that Collins was involved though - it lends a lot of credibility to the movie for me.

Of Lawrence, Collins wrote: In her remarkable audition piece, I watched Jennifer embody every essential quality necessary to play Katniss. I saw a girl who has the potential rage to send an arrow into the Gamemakers and the protectiveness to make Rue her ally. Who has conquered both Peeta and Gale’s hearts even though she’s done her best to wall herself off emotionally from anything that would lead to romance. Most of all, I believed that this was a girl who could hold out that handful of berries and incite the beaten down districts of Panem to rebel. I think that was the essential question for me. Could she believably inspire a rebellion? Did she project the strength, defiance and intellect you would need to follow her into certain war? For me, she did.

OK, fine. I'm sold on the Katniss casting. If the author approves, who am I to judge?

I am still not sold on the whole movie, though. It's going to be hard to make such a scary, violent story into a movie that will be rated PG-13, because I'm sure it will have to be PG-13 to get the kind of box office returns they want. How are they going to make this movie work? I'm not convinced.

Top Seven List

I am stealing an idea from a friend of mine's blog (http://readeroffictions.blogspot.com/ she does awesome book reviews, check her blog out!) of doing a top ten list of some topic. I am stealing it because I like lists and organization, but I am only doing seven because...why not? So...today's top seven list is going to be on books that everyone has read/says everyone should read that I have never read and don't plan on reading (at least not in the near future). Aka the "Kelly is obstinate" blog!

1) Pride & Prejudice (or really anything by Jane Austen)--I know that lots of people love Jane Austen. And I've seen a couple different movie versions of P & P and there is really nothing much about the story that would make me say "wow...that sounds like the kind of book I would enjoy". Just not my thing.

2) Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (and sequels)--I don't like when people tell me that I have to read something. And after Dragon Tattoo came out everyone who read it told me that I had to read it OMG! So, I have zero interest in it. At all. I may come around eventually, but at the moment...meh!

3) Anna Karenina/War & Peace--I have no idea what either of these books are about, but they seem like the quintessential pretentious novel. I am not a pretentious person (except in my use of British slang because I am a nut) so I don't see the point in reading pretentious novels.

4) The Great Gatsby--Again, this seems like one of those novels that everyone has read or says you should read or says is one of the best novels ever. I just don't care. 20s society is not my scene. I read the Magnificent Ambersons in high school and that seemed like enough high society for me.

5) Wuthering Heights--All I really know about it is Heathcliff, who is a tortured hero, which I tend to hate. So, like with Pride & Prejudice, I'm not just interested.

6) Catch-22/Brave New World--These two really don't have anything to do with one another, but I always seem to group them. They are some of those books that it seems like everyone has read and says is so great, but really the only reason people read them was because they were required for a class.

7) Gone with the Wind--This one I would actually like to read. I've heard it is great and it sounds interesting. And I love the movie. I just haven't bothered to do it yet.

So...that is my list. Do you have any classics you refuse to read? Or do you think I am on crack for not having read one of these?

Fashion!

I just wrote an entire blog post and then deleted it because it was going nowhere. All ramble, no point. I'm going to attempt to write a blog with a point now. Though I'm not sure I every really do that. We'll see. Today's topic is fashion.

I have never been particularly girly. Growing up I had a few girly tendencies like doing ballet and having long hair. But I really could not have cared less about fashion, makeup, doing my hair nicely, watching chick flicks, wearing dresses, wearing heels, or acting at all girly. In a lot of ways, I haven't changed a lot; I am still not particularly girly. I still can't figure out why people would spend time putting on make up in the morning and I would much rather see a movie with blood, sex, and car chases than romance, but the one thing that has evolved is my fashion. I have slowly and sneakily become a bit of a fashion girl.

This isn't to say that I follow the trends and wear all the hottest clothes and all that junk. I have just learned how to create an outfit and have figured out my style. For example, the outfit I'm wearing today is the perfect example; I am essentially in a grownup version of jeans and a t-shirt. I have on jeans, a blouse, a jacket, boots, and a necklace. On the surface, nothing too out of the ordinary or too fancy. But let me explain outfit in some detail. The blouse is an abstract sort of flower pattern with black, hot pink, bright blue, and a bit of purple. The jacket is a velvet blazer; a bit of a masculine cut, but with only one button. The necklace is a ridiculously chunky chains and beads layered piece with a giant-ass flower. And the boots are grey four inch heeled ankle boots. I look fierce.

On the weekends, I am usually in just jeans or cargo pants, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. My preferred footwear are tennis shoes or flip flops. I'm a casual sort of person. But at work, I like dressing up. I like wearing dresses and shirts, though mine are all above the knee and are either satin, camo ruffles, teal, or crazy hot pink patterned. I don't do normal, bland, basic at work. But I also don't do overtly feminine. Even in a skirt, I like having the structure of a masculine look. I prefer a blazer jacket to a cardigan (I don't really do sweaters ever at all). I have my hair short now and tend to spike it or make it into a faux hawk. I wear boots or gladiator sandals and never pumps. I would describe my style as fierce and strong. Feminine with masculine touches or masculine with feminine touches, depending on the day. And you know what, I like doing it. I like figuring out my outfit. I like wearing that extra piece of crazy jewelry. I like making people take an extra second to take in my outfit. The best comment I've heard about an outfit was when I was in my camo ruffled dress, a khaki jacket, and a pair of brown motorcycle/cowboy boots. I was told that I looked like I was going to a Cyndi Lauper concert. It was meant as a compliment and I took it as such.

That is what my style is. It is different from everyone else and it took a while to perfect it. I now can go to the store and pick out the jacket and shoes and necklace that will work for me. It is fun to have style and be different. And really, nothing beats strutting around in a pair of four inch heels. I suggest everyone give it a try!

Worried about casting Katniss? Me too!

I am excited - though pretty nervous, too - about the prospect of "The Hunger Games" as a movie.

I've been burned by filmmakers before when they completely screw up books I love. But "The Hunger Games" seems like it is just made for the big screen treatment! There is so much action and excitement, and I love the idea of seeing Katniss' gritty home in District 12 and the insanity of the Capitol and the excitement of the Games.

That being said, I am really pretty unhappy with the talk of Katniss' casting - specifically, the scuttlebutt that blond-haired, blue-eyed Jennifer Lawrence might play her.

(Cue the Luke Skywalker yell after he finds out that Darth Vader is his father - angry face and all): NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

It's not that I don't like Jennifer Lawrence. She's obviously a good actress and she was very good in "Winter's Bone." However, SHE IS NOT KATNISS. SHE LOOKS NOTHING LIKE KATNISS. Katniss is not a blond haired, blue eyed beauty. Katniss is darker, with olive skin, gray eyes and dark hair. This is a key part of her character, because she looks like all the other workers in District 12. I realize that the Katniss on the big screen will not look like the Katniss in my head, just like always, but she needs to at least resemble the character described, just like Ron Weasley needed to have red hair. It's part of who they are.

The other issue I have with that is the whitewashing they are, therefore, doing to the character by having Katniss played by a very white actress. Hollywood has a terrible track record with whitewashing (Exhibit A: "The Last Airbender." *shudder*). Performers of other races - it seems, especially actresses - are ignored in favor of the pretty Caucasian girl. That seems like what they're doing again. Why not find some great actress who isn't a whitey-white-white girl with blond hair? They ARE out there! Hell, if they want an Oscar-nominated actress, why not at least go with Hailee Steinfeld from "True Grit?" At least she looks more like Katniss than Jennifer Lawrence. It's absolutely deplorable that Lawrence's name would even be bandied about for the role when she so obviously doesn't even resemble the character. This is such a great opportunity for people - especially impressionable teens and preteens - to see real racial diversity in a movie.

I mean, besides, the whole idea of making Katniss light-skinned and blond would screw up the deliberate racial undertones in the novel, since the lower class of workers in District 12 is olive-skinned and the merchant class is pale and blond. HELLO? I'm pretty sure Suzanne Collins didn't just put that detail in for shits and giggles, especially considering that the novel has some very real commentary on class and race in it.

I hope I'm wrong and that the producers hear the outcry and make sure that they cast Katniss correctly ... but I don't hold out a ton of hope. Hollywood has let me down many times before, and I'm really afraid it will again. It's too bad, because "The Hunger Games" has such potential, both to be a great movie and to offer up some real diversity and real opportunities for a diverse group of young actors.

Book Review: Florida Roadkill by Tim Dorsey

I read a book that was neither chick lit nor mystery. Cha! I know. Write it on the calender! Though to be honest, the whole chick lit/mystery exclusivity is really recent and I do enjoy other genres of books. Florida Roadkill by Tim Dorsey is a crime novel, or a crime caper. Or a highly violent, yet light and funny novel that takes place in Florida. Seriously, that seems to be a genre onto itself. Violent Florida crime caper comedy. It is an entertaining genre for sure. Onto the review.

The main character is Serge Storm, a highly unstable, manic, obsessive, violent, personable guy who is prescribed many medicines that he doesn't take and enjoys being a rather spazztic tour guide to whoever he happens to be traveling with. Honestly, he is the kind of guy that you really don't want to like, but in the story you can't help but enjoy having him there. And outside of the psychological problems, he is really knowledgeable about the culture and history of Florida.

There are a ton of other characters in Florida Roadkill. So many that I had trouble remembering who everyone was and had to keep going back to check on when I met the people before. But all the characters were needed because the plot was wicked complicated. Basically, Serge ends up getting a very douchey dentist a 5 million dollar insurance settlement, which the dentist puts into a briefcase before running in an attempt to get away from Serge. The main secondary characters are a pair of buddies who kind of know the dentist and end up with the briefcase, unbeknown to them. The whole book, in flashbacks, out of sequence plot lines, and constant character focus changes, tells the story of Serge trying to get the money.

Though I kept getting confused by the characters and the plots, I would still recommend Florida Roadkill, especially if you have read Big Trouble or Tricky Business by Dave Barry. Also, apparently if you like Carl Hiaasen, you will enjoy Tim Dorsey (I haven't read Hiaasen yet, so I don't know, but I know that Dave Barry is the same genre and I loved both).

I am now currently reading The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke. I've read it before (and the whole series), but I wanted something light to read. And I have discovered that I don't remember who the killer is at all! My next book to read is Abandon by Meg Cabot. I am currently in possession of an Advanced Reader Copy. So excited!

Happy Birthday Won-Won!

I didn't know it until the day, since it's apparently not a national holiday, but Tuesday, March 1, was Ron Weasley's birthday.

I'm actually sort of disappointed I didn't make a cake or something.

I know that Ron is a fictional character, but I like the idea of celebrating a fictional character's birthday. I'm not sure if it's because I really like Ron, or because I have no life. Maybe both. I know I'd rather celebrate Ron's birthday than Justin Bieber's!

Anyway, what's the best way to celebrate Ron's birthday? Lord Voldemort decided to remind Ron of birthday's past with his tweet: #HappyBirthdayRon. Remember when you turned 17, drank love potion & then almost died? Good times.

Ha! That Voldey. Always good for a laugh.

I saw "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I" again last week for my friend Sean's birthday, and got to thinking about how Ron is portrayed in the movies vs. how he's portrayed in the books. First of all, they do the best in "Deathly Hallows" of making him not a complete idiot like they do in the rest of the movies. But, really, going off the movie portrayals, Ron is a glutton, a moron and a wuss. That is not the Ron I know from the books. They use him for comic relief occasionally and he does stupid things sometimes, but it's not like Harry and Hermione are rocket scientists all the time. They all have their idiot moments. I mean, he kicks a lot of butt at Wizard's Chess! I can't play chess, so color me impressed. And I wouldn't call any of the trio wussy, except in affairs of the heart, but who wasn't a complete dweeb when they were 16 and in love? About the only times I really legitimately get angry with Ron (why, yes, I do get too into books sometimes, why do you ask?) is when he refuses to talk to Harry after Harry's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire, when he goes out with Lavender Brown and hurts Hermione's feelings and when he leaves Harry and Hermione in the woods in "Deathly Hallows." Other than that, Ron makes a lot of sense, and in fact I prefer him to Harry during much of Harry's bitchy phase during "Order of the Phoenix" and "Half-Blood Prince."

I know that it's already the day after Ron's birthday, but I think tomorrow I'll read a couple of my favorite Ron passages - his bravery in battling the Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic, the hilarity of his relationship with Lavender, killing the horcrux in the locket. Heck, if I weren't so dang busy I'd just re-read all the books right now.

In conclusion: Happy birthday Ron! You rock!

How did you celebrate Ron's birthday? Or, if you didn't, how will you celebrate next year?

March Resolution: To Blog and Stuff

I realize I haven't posted in, like, forever. I also haven't read in, like, a week. I'm blaming it all on winter. I can't really get myself to do much of anything during the winter except lay on the couch and watch TV. That's why, really, the concept of New Years Resolutions are so flawed. Who is going to start doing ANYTHING in January? Unless I resolve to watch more TV, it's not happening.

However, today is March 1, which means it's spring! At least, in my eyes it is. And, so, I am going to resolve to read and blog more. My blog entries will probably be slightly different though. Rather than always having a huge entry about some big thing, I am going to try to do more bite-size entries about book news of the day. It seems to me that it will be a much more manageable way to blog with my busy lifestyle. There will still be bigger entries and reviews, but it won't be every day.

To amuse you until I blog again, check out this list of classic steamy novels from Entertainment Weekly. I haven't read any of them except "The Other Side of Midnight" by Sidney Sheldon and a few selected passages from "Clan of the Cave Bear" (I remember passing a bookmarked copy around Chemistry class in high school) ...

... but you'd better believe I have a few more books on my reading list now!

Recap of recent reading

Why, hello there blog world! I've been neglecting blogging because I hadn't really read much recently. But I shall now recap all that I have read in the past couple weeks.

First, I read part of a mystery novel called Steamed. I wasn't reading it very fast and wasn't really getting into it, but I gave it a go. About halfway through I realized that 1) after meeting a certain character for the first time, I knew that he was the killer, 2) I didn't actually care about why he killed a guy, and 3) I didn't care if the main character ended up with the guy she liked. So I bailed on the book. No harm, no foul.

So then I started reading Bad Boys by Olivia Goldsmith. By all respects I should have liked it. But man, I just couldn't get into it at all. I gave it a good go, but I didn't like the main chick...she was an idiot. And I liked her best guy friend until he decided that he should change from the awesome geek that he was into a Bad Boy. Lame lame lame lame lame. So again...bail!

After two no goes, I decided to read Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris. It was recommended to me by my mom and was a mystery novel. I kind of guessed who the killer was, but that wasn't really the big mystery. The main character finds the body of a child in the garden of an old house and tries to find out what happened, even though the body is from about 30 years prior. That mystery leads to a mystery about a young woman who has been missing for 30 years. All of that leads to a murder! It was a fun book, nothing too exciting, but the characters felt real and the police force in the town actually did a good job with their job...a rarity in mystery novels. It was a nice book to read after two failed starts.

I also read Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie. I like Crusie, so I liked this book. I think it was not the best choice coming off of Agnes and the Hitman because it was a lot more....calm? I dug the main character. She was strong, independent, badass, and didn't let people tell her what to do or push her around. I also found the main dude likable. And there were ghosts! In a Haunted Mansion/Castle! I mean, really, how can that be wrong? The story was fun and the side characters were all crazy and awesome. A solid read for a wintery day!

I am now switching genres a bit and reading Florida Roadkill by Tim Dorsey which is a crime caper (at least that is the genre given on wikipedia). I'd call it crime comedy? Have you ever read Big Trouble or Tricky Business by Dave Barry? They are kind of like that. The main character is a royal screw up of a human being, but I kinda like him. I also have a couple other straight fiction comedy books checked out from the library, not to mention a chick lit and a couple mysteries. I also have World War Z that I may or may not get around to reading. Depends on my mood, I guess.

More on Doctor Who (because I don't feel like writing about books)

Yes, I know this is a book blog and not a pop culture blog. Yes, I know I wrote about Doctor Who not too long ago. No, I don't care.

I finally finished watching season 5 of Doctor Who, including the Christmas Special (which I supposed is really the beginning of season 6, but whatever). As a result, I am going to rank The Doctors and companions (because I love making lists!) from favorite to least favorite. I'll start with The Doctor.

My favorite Doctor is the Eleventh Doctor, played by Matt Smith. I was discussing with my sister and I still can't pinpoint quite why he is my favorite. I think that his youth has a lot to do with it. Matt Smith is only a few years older than I am which I think resonates with me. I also like his style of work as the Doctor (the capitalization of the name "The Doctor" is bugging me out...no idea what the proper capitalization is). He talks super super fast and doesn't seem to have an inner monologue...he literally talks through his thought process. I like getting to hear how he comes to conclusions. He seems a bit spazztic and less with it than the other Doctors, which is fun. Also, he is just quirk...in dress, physical features, and movement. I mean, he wears a bow-tie (bow-ties are cool!), suspenders and occasionally a fez. He is also just kind of adorable, but not in as obvious a way as David Tennant.

My second favorite Doctor is the Ninth Doctor, played by Christopher Eccelston. He was the first Doctor I saw, so he has a special place in my heart. I also like that he tends to go kinda manic around the Daleks. Like...he goes crazy nuts when he and Rose meet that first Dalek of the season. He also just seems like he is ten steps ahead of everyone else...like when he is out to dinner with the Slatheen in Cardiff. He is nonchalantly ahead of her thinking. I think that Eccelston is also great at combining the humor of the Doctor with torment. He also just tends to brush off anything bad and move on. Fantastic!

My third favorite Doctor (not my least favorite...just third favorite) is the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant. I'm not sure why he is at the bottom of my list. I really like Tennant as the Doctor, but I feel like he gets a little too angsty sometimes. He is also very irresponsible with the TARDIS. I want to count the number of times that he gets separated from it or it gets sucked into Hell or ends up somewhere out of reach. If you are a space traveler, you should keep track of your one way to get yourself and others home. I think that the Tenth Doctor ends up with too much relationship drama, whether it be falling in love with Rose or having Martha pine over him, it gets to be a bit of a downer. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Tenth Doctor and I love David Tennant, but by the end of his final specials, it seemed almost like mercy to have him regenerate and lose a bit of the drama. I mean, at the end of The Water on Mars, you can just see the torture...and then the next special makes him relive the heart break of losing Donna. Gah!

Anyway, now onto the companions. I won't have as long of descriptions (probably) as there are more of them.

1) Donna--Oh my goodness, how I love Donna. I loved her in The Runaway Bride and even more when she became an actual companion. She is a bit daft and a bit nutty, but so so so much fun. And I like that she and The Doctor are 100% just mates and nothing more. You can imagine them staying together for all of Donna's life. I think the most heartbreaking thing in all of Doctor Who is the end of season 4. However, I have a theory that Donna might come back eventually...or maybe that is just wishful thinking.

2) Captain Jack Harkness--It is impossible not to love Captain Jack. I love him when he is first introduced and he is a con man and a bit of a rogue. I also like him when he is more of the leading man in Torchwood and when he goes back with the Doctor in season 3. But nothing beats when he initially travels with the Doctor and Rose. He adds a nice dynamic to the group. And also, he's just really hot.

3) Amy Pond--I'm not a huge fan of companions pining after the Doctor, but Amy does it in such a way that it is adorable. I also just love that, like Donna, whenever the Doctor tells her to do something, she does the exact opposite. She loves traveling with the Doctor and trusts him, but also doesn't like how he can be slightly patronizing. I also love that she doesn't let him get away with anything. She calls him out on everything.

4) Rory Williams--Up until the end of season 5, Rory wasn't really high on my list, even though I knew he was going to be a companion. But now I love Rory. He is probably the most stable of the companions ever and he doesn't seem to mind that his wife has a crush on the Doctor. He seems like he will be helpful in a crisis because he is a nurse and to be honest, I just really think he looks good as a Roman soldier.

5) Mickey Smith--I love Mickey when he is a companion/ends up in the parallel world/ends up back in the real world, though not so much at the beginning of season 1. He has a nice character arch and really grows into an awesome character. I must admit that I started to love him when he hacks into government systems for The Doctor and then I fell in love when he turned into a badass militant dude.

6) Martha Jones--I like Martha as a character and I love her on Torchwood, but as a companion she annoys me. She is so in love with the Doctor, but not in a fun way like Amy Pond. It is better when Jack is with them, but she is just kinda meh as a companion. She is such a rocking character, though when she is out kicking ass and being a Torchwood doctor.

7) Rose Tyler--I like Rose fine as the companion of The Ninth Doctor, but I think the whole thing goes a bit soap opera with Rose and The Doctor loving each other but not being able to be together. Just not my thing. Also, Rose in love ends up being very annoying. She also seems to be the most "damsel in distress". Martha, Donna, Amy, Jack all seem to be able to get out of scraps, but Rose tends to need saving. Or maybe I just think that because I don't really like her. I so love Jackie Tyler, though!

*Updated: I forgot River Song! Probably because I'm just not sure where to rank her. I love how enigmatic she is and how she fits into the story, but I'm not sure that I dig that she may or may not be married to the Doctor. Also, how did she end up at the wedding at the end of season 5? Shouldn't she not know Amy and Rory since Amy didn't remember the Doctor, hence he didn't exist. How did that work? All the time travel makes sense to me until River shows up and then it confuses the hell out of me. I'd probably rank her as 7? Maybe 6? I dunno.

I know that there are a few other companions who were around for only an episode or two, but that seems like too much trouble to rank them. So, how does my ranking line up with you? I know most people either love Matt Smith or hate him, so what side are you on? Who is your favorite companion?

Agnes and the Hitman: Review

I wasn't planning on reviewing books I've read because I feel like it is starting to get repetitive (mayhaps because I have been reading all chick lit and mystery), but then I read Agnes and the Hitman and decided that I had to rave about it.

Agnes and the Hitman is the second collaboration between Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer and it was sooooo great. It is a contemporary romance/chick lit type novel mixed with an action adventure. There were a lot of killings, a lot of swearing, and some really hot sex. All my favorite things in a story! It is like if you took True Blood, removed the vampires, and added the mob. As in any Jennifer Crusie novel, there were approximately 18 different story lines and 2700 characters. But I was able to keep most of it straight generally. I had a few times of having to flip back to an earlier section to check on a name or relation, but most everything was spelled out in the end for those readers like me who occasionally read too fast to remember who people are and how they are connected.

I loved the main characters a whole lot. Agnes used to go to a therapist so a lot of her inner dialog is "talking" to the therapist, yet ignoring the advice. Agnes also has some anger issues...in that she has a tendency to hit guys with frying pans if they cheat on her/threaten her with a gun. There was also a little incident with a meat fork to the neck. See, romance novel with lots of violence! Fun! Shane, the hitman, is fairly calm in his killings and his every day life, which is a nice match for how Agnes tends to explode about everything. Really, one of the best pairs of characters in a novel I've read.

The secondary characters all had interesting stories and I would read books about all of them, but my favorite was Carpenter, Shane's work partner. He is the one who cleans up after the hits and is a Spiritual Humanist, so he is often found just being calm or giving good life advice. Essentially, he just cracks me up. I feel like there could have been a concurrent story between Carpenter and Agnes' best friend, Lisa Livia.

My favorite thing about Agnes and the Himan was the dialog. It was some of the funniest and snappiest dialog from a book. If you've seen Buffy or Firefly, think of that dialog. How it flies by and makes you laugh and makes you want to quote it. It just feels real, but more. Like...the dialog is how I wish I talked, but it still seemed plausible and real. And it kept making me laugh out loud, which doesn't usually happen when I read. A little giggle or something, sure. But actual laughter is rare. And happened numerous times while reading.

Essentially, this is probably my favorite Jennifer Crusie novel. It took all the elements of her other novels that I love and added excessive amounts of violence and swearing. It was everything I like my books to be...strong female character, guy who challenges heroine without being a dick about it or trying to take her independence, lots of mystery, lots of yelling at people, an awesome dog, and hitting people with frying pans! I highly highly recommend reading Agnes and the Hitman.

I am now starting on a mystery novel I randomly picked up called Steamed by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant. Probably won't review it unless it is super awesome or super awful.

Another day, another mystery novel

I read Just Desserts by G.A. McKevett. It was good. Not amazing, but decent. I enjoyed that I totally didn't call who the killer way until the end and I really enjoyed the characters.

The main heroine was Savannah, a southern belle from Georgia who is a forty-ish detective in LA. She has a big family back home, but no boyfriend/husband/kid. She spends most of her time with her partner, Dirk. Immediately, I liked the two together. Dirk is very old-school detective...gruff, grumbly, sarcastic...and Savannah matches that sarcasm with ease, adding in a healthy dose of saying exactly what pops into her head. I like a strong female character who stand her ground no matter what, so I liked Savannah.

About half way through the book, Ryan Stone was introduced, who I loved. He is kind of set up as the guy to fall in love with for Savannah, but then that story line ended up going in a much better direct. I was pleasantly surprised by the twist as I really didn't see it coming. The minor characters were mostly fun, though I wasn't a huge fan of the subplot with Savannah's sister Atlanta. I could have done without it.

The most I reflect on the story, the most I think I liked it. I didn't feel terribly invested in it, but it is a long series, so I think I will be more invested after a few books. Kinda like The Cat Who Books. I'm excited to have a new series of books to read that I can actually get all of at the library, as compared to Jess Lourey, who I can only get a couple books of. Darn small town libraries!

The next book I am going to read is Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer.

Princesses are cool!

Lately on GeekMom, Jezebel, Meg Cabot, etc. have been talking about princesses, prompted by Disney's announcement that they are not going to do any more princess movies. There has been much discussion about princesses, princess culture, princess movies, princess books, if boys will watch princess movies, etc., etc., etc.

Personally, I don't see what the big fuss is about princesses. I grew up with princess movies as did most people my age. My favorite movies when I was little were Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid. I can name the favorite princess of all of my female friends (mine was Little Mermaid because having fins would be cool and Eric was hot), but most of my guy friends also know all of the princesses. It is a bit of a stigma now that princesses are for girls, but I really don't know many people who haven't seen the major Disney princess movies. Sure, princess culture tends to be for girls, but movies like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, or even more recent movies like The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Enchanted have a broad appeal. I watched Enchated a ton in college, mostly with guys. So...the argument that boys won't watch princess movies is bogus.

Next argument...and the one that is the biggest debate in feminist blogs...princess culture. There seems to be this idea that if little girls watch movies with princesses in them that they will wait around to be rescued by a guy...or something like that. I'm really not quite sure because there are only a couple movies that I can think of that have a rescue element to them, namely Snow White and Sleeping Beauty who need kisses to be awoken (which is weird on a whole other level...). But like, Cinderella...she goes to the ball on her own; Belle rescues the Beast, Princess Tatiana definitely rescues the frog prince, and Giselle decides that she doesn't want to be rescued. I suppose it is more the "do something radical for a guy" a la grow legs like Ariel. But even that, there ends up being the lesson that if the guy is really for you, he will like you even after he knows that you are a mermaid or a maid or smart or whatever.

As I earlier, I grew up on princess movies, but I never aspired to be a princess. Just like watching Rookie of the Year didn't make me aspire to play baseball, Tom and Huck didn't inspire me to fake my own death and attend my own funeral, and The Three Musketeers didn't make me want to kill a Cardinal all in the name of France. I think people don't give kids enough credit for knowing what is and isn't real. Sure, my sister and I acted our princess scenes with our Barbies, but we did that a lot less than we played Star Wars, with Barbies and full out. And while I sometimes liked to play Ariel or Belle, mostly I liked playing Star Wars because I always got to be Luke!

And how could being a princess be bad when you have Princess Leia as a role model! I mean, talk about badass! She is the one who rescues Han, Luke, and Chewie from the Stormtroopers, she single-handedly saves the rebel alliance by hiding stuff in R2, and she totally rocks by getting the Ewoks involved in taking down the Empire.

I like princess movies because they are kind of like chick lit on screen. They have a formulaic plot, a happy ending, lots of fun drama in the middle, and a fun heroine to root for. I don't know that Disney necessarily needs to have more princesses right now, since there are soooo many at the moment...I always really liked the movies with cool guys like Aladdin, Hercules, and the Lion King and think there should be more of those...but I don't think princesses are bad. Everyone likes to be able to fall into a story and have fun acting it out later. And trust me, most kids are smart enough to realize fairly early on that they aren't real.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella: Review

Sometimes when I pick a book to read, I don't read the inside flap/back cover. I like to be surprised by the plot. I learned this from reading mystery novels. I always hate it that the summary tells who gets killed. In the first few chapters of the book I like to try to figure out who is going to get killed. Twenties Girl is not a mystery, but I still didn't read the back. I had been told that I would like it and that it had a ghost in it and that was all I knew.

I really enjoyed Twenties Girl. I found the main character, Lara very likable, if somewhat challenged when it came to guys. Her great-aunt Sadie who she didn't know dies at age 105 and appears at her own funeral as a ghost, though her ghost self looks like she did at 23. Lara is the only one who can see/hear Sadie, which means that Sadie is kind of stuck with Lara to try to get her favorite necklace, which has disappeared, back. Kind of a complicated premise for a story that is more about the people than the plot.

As I said, Lara was very likable, as is Sadie. They are polar opposites in some ways, but they end up influencing each other in good ways. Lara, for as much as she complains about Sadie, really does listen to most everything Sadie tells her to do. I also like that everyone thinks that Lara is kinda crazy because it looks like she is talking to herself. I liked when she would write something down for Sadie and then Sadie would respond orally. It was kinda fun to imagine if I would be able to not react to a ghost. Lots of multitasking! As a subplot, there is the relationship drama. Lara's old boyfriend has broken up with her and she isn't over it. She ends up using Sadie and her powers to try to get him back. Sadie, however, has found a guy, Ed, that she likes and makes Lara "date" him by proxy.

I gotta say, I would have loved for Ed to be in the book more. He was just kind of a normal guy and the relationship between Lara and Ed grew naturally, I think. Most chick lit novels have the love at first sight or hate at first sight thing. Ed and Lara were pushed together by Sadie and really just kinda like each other ok at first. They get on well, but don't care to date. I really enjoyed that the relationship stuff was in the background. But really...more Ed!

Overall, I am torn about Sophie Kinsella as an author. I really love some of her books like this one, Remember Me, and Undomesticated Goddess, but I didn't even make it halfway through Confessionals of a Shopaholic. I appreciate that her plots are intriguing and definitely not the standard chick lit formula. And the guys are always fun, normal guys. But I find her main heroines to be a bit daft usually. For British chick lit, I'd probably stick with Hester Browne as my number one, but Kinsella is definitely entertaining.

I am now reading Just Desserts, the first book in the Savannah Reid mystery series by G.A. McKevett. Apparently I am going to continue with my chick lit and mystery kick. Stay tuned for more reviews! And probably more blogs about non-book things. Because that is how I roll!

Doctor Who Love

If you read this blog with any sort of regularity, you've seen me write about Doctor Who. I am a tad obsessed at the moment. With both Doctor Who and Torchwood. Well, some say obsessed (*cough*Jen*cough*) while I say a fan of. I started watching Doctor Who last spring. Not a very long time of fandom, but dedicated nonetheless.

How did I get into Doctor Who last year when it has been around for decades and the reboot has been around for going on six years? It is all my fellow tart's fault. Jenny had been telling me for months, years even, to watch Doctor Who. I had no interest in it really. I had seen the odd episode here or there (apparently I watched the first 2 or 3 episodes of series 1 at some point, but blocked it from my mind until I started watching them last year...it was weird to realize that I knew what was going to happen) and knew that David Tennant was hot and Christopher Eccelston was crazy awesome. But actually watching the show...meh. And then two things happened. I discovered the hilarious and hotness of John Barrowman and I got NetFlix.

I started reading a bit about Torchwood on Wikipedia and imdb. And I watched a few interview clips and show clips. And I saw that NetFlix had Torchwood on Instant Queue. So I decided that I had to watch it. But, how could I watch Torchwood without first watching Doctor Who? I mean, sure, I could. But I wanted the full experience. Captain Jack Harkness is in the second half of Series 1 of Doctor Who and Series 2 sets up Series 1 of Torchwood. I had already borrowed all the seasons of Doctor Who from Jenny, so I decided to start watching Doctor Who, just so I could get to Torchwood. And upon watching, I became obsessed with The Doctor and his companions and the aliens and all the crazy fun adventures that happen.

Doctor Who is a kid's show in the UK. Shocker, right? I mean, there is a lot of death, killing, scary monsters, etc. in a lot of the episodes. But really when you think about it, The Doctor isn't particularly violent (except again the Daleks), there is no blood, no swearing, no sex. It really is a fairly tame show. Except for the fact that some episodes scare the crap out of me! Torchwood is not a kid's show. I like to say that if you combine Doctor Who with True Blood you get Torchwood. It has a whole lot of sex and a whole lot of violence. Not a lot of swearing, really...only when it really is effective. I like both shows for different reasons. Torchwood gives me the grittiness and emotion that I like my shows to have, and Doctor Who gives me that fun sense of adventure and heart.

What attracts me most to the whole Doctor Who universe is just that, the universe. It is such a complex world. Time travel, space travel, alternate universes...it is all so cool. I mean, who doesn't want to hop in a police box and go see a Shakespeare play, presented by Shakespeare? Or see when the Earth is destroyed in 5 billion years? It is so awesome! I don't particularly believe in aliens as seen in Doctor Who, but how cool would it be if it were real? I love Doctor Who because it is a robust universe that you can get immersed in. It is so fantastical, yet all rooted in the heart and the sense of adventure and learning and trying something new. What better world to loose yourself in?

Review: May Day by Jess Lourey

Look at that! I read a book that wasn't chick lit/by Jennifer Crusie. See, I occasionally change it up. I stayed up way too late last night to finish May Day because I hit that point in the book of "OMG! I have to finish it and find out who the killer is and why right NOW!". Yeah...it was one of those books.

So, how did I pick this book? My mom suggested it to me. Or rather, she read it and the sequels and kept telling me how much I would love it and that she thought I would like it and have I managed to find it yet? So, when I found May Day (the first of now 4 Murder by Month books by Lourey), I started reading it. And once again, mom does not disappoint. I quite loved May Day and can't wait to read more!

May Day begins with a murder, or rather, the finding of a body in the library. The finder is Mira, who happens to recognize the body as the guy she had been dating/sleeping with/planning on falling in love with forever/hanging out with for the past week. Instead of being sad, she gets mad that the potential future she was picturing is gone and decides to try to figure out what happened. Her methods of detective work leave much to be desired as everyone seems to know what she is doing. And not many people are willing to help her out seeing as she is an outsider in their small Minnesota town.

There were a couple things I really enjoyed about May Day.
1) Mira's voice...oh man! She is hilarious. You know how in some books the narrator uses a voice that sounds very stilted and boring? Not Mira! She talks like how I talk and thinks of things in a different way than most people. She has a way of thinking of something she shouldn't do and deciding "ah, screw it" and does it anyway. And pretty much in that tone. Excellent!
2) Side characters! Besides Mira, everyone was a side character, but they all felt like full characters. Each person had motivation as to why they were acting the way they were and it all made sense.
3) I kind of didn't see the ending coming. Well, I sort of guessed who the killer way part way through because I read a lot of murder mysteries and always look at the unexpected character, but I didn't actually think it was going to happen that way. But then it did! And the reasoning was twisted and awesome.
4) Mira is kinda kick-ass. She is the assistant librarian in town, her favorite hobby is gardening, she loves watching trashy tv, when the time comes to attack, she really delivers. All around badass!

If you like mysteries, I highly recommend!

And now, in other news...I also finished The Science of Doctor Who. Or rather, I turned it back into the library even though I had only read half of it. And it wasn't because I didn't enjoy it. I am a math person, but I am not a science person. Some of that shit was over my head! I get the physics stuff somewhat, but any talk of chemistry, atoms, biology, aliens...yeah...nothing! It wasn't a book I could read before bed or just for fun in the evenings. I will probably read more of it at some point as it was super interesting to see how some of the crazy-ass stuff they do in Doctor Who could potentially be semi-possible-ish. Like the Tardis being bigger on the inside? Cha, on a super duper small scale (like...atoms small) they have done that. Made something bigger on the side. What? I don't get why (I read that section twice...still don't understand), but how cool is that. And the traveling through worm holes...totally plausible! And I kind of understood that. My favorite was the analysis of the Cybermen as I learned a bit about cyborgs in college. So, if you are a Doctor Who fan and/or like nerdy science things, read it!

PRINT IS DEAD! Or ... not.

Print is dead, and I am part of the problem.

Why, with a blog about books and a job in the newspaper biz, would I be helping the death of print along?

I bought an e-reader. *hangs head in shame*

It was a long process to decide whether I wanted one, and which one I wanted, but in the end, it seemed like a pretty great thing to have. Just buy a book, upload it to a small, hand-held device and read it. I especially love the idea of taking it on vacations, since my ever-shrinking bags (thanks, airline fees!) are usually full of books.

I know, I know ... I'm a terrible person for not wanting to read books with ink on paper. Instead, I'm reading a book ("Under the Dome" by Stephen King, if you're curious) with e-ink on a screen. I'm sure there are people out there shaking their heads at me for not wanting that feel of a paper page between my fingers and the smell of a book and the weight of an 800-page hardcover book in my hands.

But, to me, that's not what a book is about. A book is the words, the story, the characters, the feeling I get when I'm reading it. The paper and ink, or the e-reader and e-ink, is just the vehicle upon which to convey the words, story, characters, etc. that give me that feeling is what a book is really about for me.

And, I have to say, it's pretty dang convenient too. Anytime I want to read a new book, I can get online, buy it, upload it and read it. I also have an app on my phone where I can read the books I've purchased, too. I can get on the computer and check out books from the library without having to go to the library, too. And there are lots of books in the public domain that I can read for free! It's pretty dang sweet!

Despite how much I am enjoying my e-reader thus far, I don't plan to sell all of my "dead-tree" books and go to a strictly electronic existence. I mean, maybe eventually I will, if that's the way that the world goes. But for a long time, I'll probably live a hybrid existence, reading some things on my e-reader and other things in books.

If you've been contemplating getting an e-reader, I'd urge you to try it. They're not that expensive, and there are a lot of wonderfully convenient things about them. But if you're inclined to stick with paper and ink, that's OK too - just don't take to the Internet, magazine, newspaper or carrier pigeon to denounce people who choose to use technology to read books, newspapers or magazines. After all, the important part is the book, not the way that you're experiencing it!

Judging a Book by the Cover

First of all, as I said that I was going to review the books I read, but don't feel like doing a full review...I read Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer (Crusie? Shocker, right?). I really enjoyed it, though it definitely wasn't anything that I would rave about or probably read again. I liked the two main characters a lot and I liked the main little girl in the story and the plot itself was fun...but it just didn't really click with me. There just seemed to be a lot going on and the ending seemed very thrown together. It was Crusie & Mayer's first co-write, so I have high hopes for their other books. I liked it, but I probably won't recommend it as much as some of her other books.

And now for the topic at hand...Book Covers! I may have written about this before, but I don't really remember doing so...so I'm going to do it now. I judge books by their covers. That is right...a librarian...judging books...on their covers. There is even a nifty saying about not doing it. But seriously, you can tell a lot from a book cover. And I don't come by this by accident...I believe it is inherited as my mom does the same thing.

Romance novels are some of the best books to judge by their covers. If the cover has pictures of flowers, trees, a meadow, some sort of inspirational looking light...probably going to be a rather chaste, inspirational type romance novel with flowery descriptive language. If the cover has a half-naked man (preferably in a kilt), a woman with her dress trying to fall off and any sort of head thrown back in ecstasy...probably my sort of romance novel. As I said...romances are easy. The trashier and more explicit the cover, the trashier and more explicit the book for the most part. The only big exception I know of are Patricia Cabot (aka Meg Cabot) romances. They have lovely scenery on the covers, but super fun and trashy plots and are classic bodice-rippers (one of her books actually has a bodice being ripped...awesome!).

Chick lit books are a bit more difficult to suss out. I find that a lot of it has to do with the title, the font, and the colors on the cover. If the font is cursive and swirly, I'm probably not going to pick up that book (and neither is my mom). Any sort of pastel color is also not going to be my thing, unless paired with something awesome. If the font is hot pink and in bubble letters, you are starting to speak my language. If the picture on the cover is a hot dress, a dog, fun shoes, a hot car, or alcohol, I'm interested. Pair any of those with hot pink, lime green, bright blue and I am reading the back. Make the title something awesome (Big Boned, Undomesticated Goddess, Fast Women) and put it in a fun font,I don't even need to read the inside cover. If the cover looks fun and the title sounds cool, I'm going to try it. So far, this hasn't really backfired on me.

The last main category is mysteries. My mom is the one who can really do a great job of choosing awesome mystery books based on the cover. I'm not even sure what the real criteria is for a mystery cover that I'm going to like. I know that my mom picked The Spellman Files (a large pair of eyes with binoculars) and the Charlaine Harris books (have you seen the illustrations on the original paperback covers? They are freaking fantastic) based solely on the covers.

My suggestion to you, dear readers (all three of you), is to judge a book by its cover. If the cover looks boring or stupid or insipid or lame or trashy or just not your style, skip it. Sure, you might miss a book you would really like, but you might also waste time on a book that is boring, stupid, insipid, etc. And if a book cover looks interesting and you've never heard of it or the author, grab it anyway. I have found some super awesome books by random chance.

And lastly...what I'm currently reading. The Science of Doctor Who by Paul Parsons. I'm letting my geek flag fly. And reading nonfiction, which is rare for me. I am planning on starting a new book tonight, but I'm not sure what book yet. I'll update when I figure it out.