Dear Alyssa M.

Dear Alyssa M

You don’t know me, and I don’t know you, so I’m going to keep this short; I bought your old copy of Lord of the Flies from a second-hand book store. Do you want to know how I know it was yours?

Yeah. It was quite hard to figure out at first, but with a bit of sleuthing I got it.

I understand writing your name inside the cover, I understand highlighting passages if you’re reading it in school, which I assume is why you had this copy, that stuff is totally fine by me. This is the stuff I have a problem with:

Aaaand this:

If you’d read an earlier blog post I wrote, which I’m sure you didn’t because we don’t know each other, you would know how I feel about leaving books open, face down, and for all I know, you could have done that to this poor book as well, but I think that maybe I wasn’t clear enough about my opinion on other forms of book treatment. From what I can tell you haven’t dog eared the pages, but your other transgressions are crime enough in my eyes.

I can foresee two possible solutions to this problem. Neither of them fix the current state of Lord of the Flies, but I’m willing to overlook that if you implement at least one of these options.

1. You stop writing in your books unless it’s for purely academic purposes, because no one  likes a book that’s been written in in pink highlighter; or
2. You stop donating books that you have written in, because while it is interesting to read people’s notes in the margins, I haven’t found that your particular style of notes gave any enlightenment to my experience and enjoyment of this book

I hope we can work together to come up with a solution that is best for the whole book-reading community at large.

Yours Sincerely,

Teya of Eddie’s Sofa
Book-reader, and concerned member of the Society of Book Nerds (SoBN)

BOOKTOBERWEEN

It’s still Booktober, and I’m still here, but not only does this week mark the final week of Booktober, it’s also Psych-Yourself-Up-For-Halloween week! Halloween is one of my favourite holidays, so I’m presenting The Eddie’s Sofa Official Guide to an Awesome Halloween.

(This guide is mainly for Halloween nights in, but it does include some helpful costume tips)


Books
The best way to get psyched up for Halloween? Read creepy books in the lead up. I will admit that I’m not a big reader of horror, but these are a few books I think fit the Halloween creepy quota.


How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found
By Sara Nickerson

This is one I’ve been meaning to do a post on for a while now; it’s been a long time since I’ve read it, but I remember it being particularly creepy. The characters are younger than I normally read about - the main character is twelve – but  it’s got all the good makings of a Halloween book; creepy old mansions, a mystery to be solved, kidnapped children and rat-men. What’s also interesting about it is that the narration of the story is done partially through comic panels. I remember it being fast paced, well written and gripping.


Angelfall and World After
By Susan Ee

I did some serious raving about Angelfall in a previous post called I Am Obsessed, which pretty much sums up how I feel about it. Despite just being really good, though, Angelfall is quite dark, violent and gory and the sequel, The World After, is even more so. The imagery is really descriptive, and it’s very hard not to get completely immersed in the story. I highly recommend the audiobook; the narrator is really good and the listening experience in general is really intense. As in, super vivid, I-can-still-picture-scenes-from-this, intense. And come on, it’s just SO GOOD.


Frankenstein and Dracula
By Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker

These two were actually originally on the list for last week’s blog post as well, until it turned into a rant, directed primarily at myself. Seriously though, where would any Halloween book list be without these two? I’m hoping I can get at least one of these done by this Friday. Bonus points are awarded if you read said books while wearing a Dracula costume, a Frankenstein’s monster costume, or a Frankenstein’s bride costume. Last week’s post also includes Jane Slayre, a vampire infested take on Jane Eyre, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which seems pretty self-explanatory to me. These are also excellent choices when preparing for Halloween.

Movies

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon

My goodness, it does not get much better than this in the way of Halloween movies. Rocky Horror should not be reserved just for Halloween, as it is a timeless classic, befitting any occasion, however, Halloween is prime Rocky Horror watching time. Provided it is frequented with and followed by much singing of the songs, because it’s Rocky Horror. Duh. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, while annoying to type over and over, is one of my favourite movies of all time. It’s funny, clever and creepy, with awesome songs, and is just generally perfect for such an occasion.

World War Z (2013)
Starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos

I will begin this by saying that I have not read the book, and that people who have read the book hated it because quite a bit of plot got left out in the transition from book to movie. As a stand-alone movie, however, I quite liked it. I went to see this with a group of friends, and just as the movie started, one of my friends said quite loudly “I heard this movie is really scary.” Thank you for that. While it was not as terrifying as he promised , it had a lot of jump scares. It’s not the best movie plot wise; it’s basically Brad Pitt fighting zombies, and that’s it, but as an apocalyptic action movie, it’s pretty awesome. Another good Halloween zombie movie is Zombieland, which takes a more light-hearted approach to the apocalypse, but doesn’t skimp on the action and violence, either.


The Polar Express (2004)
Starring Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter

Finally, you might be wondering “why is The Polar Express on this list? This is a Christmas movie.” You would be completely right in your assertion, but the reason that this movie is on the list, is that it terrified six year-old me so much that I have not wanted to watch it since. I don’t know about you, but that seems more like Halloween material than Christmas.



But seriously, you can fill this with pretty much any horror movie you want. Classic versions of Dracula or Frankenstein are also winners.


Television

Supernatural (2005- )
Starring Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins 

Ah Supernatural… I couldn’t not include this one. Seeing as the premise of the show is two brothers , Sam and Dean, driving across the US, hunting evil supernatural creatures, it seems to go without saying that Supernatural is perfect Halloween fodder. I could leave it here, and just say “watch Supernatural” but instead, I’ve made a list of some of the scariest episodes in my opinion.  While there is a line of horror that Supernatural doesn’t cross, a lot of the episodes are quite gory, some of them just downright terrifying, and they don’t shy away from violence, so proceed with caution. One thing that is good about it, though, is that there is a limit to how far the gore and creepiness goes, so I know that it won’t extend past the level of horror that I'm comfortable with. Supernatural is really well written, funny, with a lot of attention paid to the mythology of the creatures they fight, but I do think it’s more of a 15+ show. You have been warned.

Season 1 Episode 5: Bloody Mary
You know the game where you say “Bloody Mary” three times into mirror? Yeah, well in this episode, it works and, and Bloody Mary appears, and the brothers must stop her before more people die.

Season 1 Episode 11: Scarecrow
A creepy, pagan Scarecrow god demands sacrifices from the town surrounding it for a fertility ritual. This episode includes lots of chasing through corn fields, and man, that scarecrow is creepy. This episode also includes the classic Supernatural line “Dude, you fugly.” The moral of the story is, stay away from both corn fields and scarecrows.

Season 1 Episode 19: Provenance
This episode is about a family portrait from around 1910. Anyone who owns it dies, and when a newlywed couple suffer a painful death, Sam and Dean look into the history of the painting. This is a very clever episode with a really interesting plot twist. Like the next episode, I watched this one in the dark because I’m stupid, but my goodness was it fun.

Season 2 Episode 2: Everybody Loves a Clown
Right? Ahahah NO. Stupid person that I am, I watched this late at night, in the dark, because apparently I thought that would be a good idea. It was ultimately both a very good and very bad decision. A clown appears to children, and then convinces them to let him into their house where the clown then proceeds to murder the child’s parents. I hate clowns.

Season 2 Episode 6: No Exit
Sam and Dean confront the ghost of H. H. Holmes, the first serial killer in American history with the help of [super awesome] Jo, played by Alona Tal, who also played Meg in Veronica Mars. It’s super creepy, and involves a lot of crawling around far underground. Urgh.

Season 4 Episode 7: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester 
The ultimate Halloween must-watch; a witch is sacrificing innocent people to raise a very bad demon. This is a really cool episode because it goes into detail about the origins and folklore of Halloween. Entertaining, interesting and topical, what’s not to love?

Season 4 Episode 11: Family Remains
The brothers desperately try to stop a family from moving into a haunted house, but who or what is haunting it, and why aren’t they behaving like a normal ghost? I both love and hate this episode; it’s really interesting, and takes some unexpected turns, and it’s really scary but it’s also REALLY SCARY.

The X-files (1993- 2002)
Starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson

Aaagh I love this show! (as evidenced by the I want to Believe poster in my room) The X-files is about two FBI agents, Mulder and Scully who investigate paranormal cases. If Supernatural deals with demons and ghosts and the like, The X-files does UFO’s and government conspiracies… and more! It’s a really good series, and very witty and funny. I was going to make another list of episodes, but pretty much any episode will make for good Halloween viewing. Honourable mention, however, goes to the third episode of season 1, Squeeze, which freaked me  a lot. Not because of violence or gore, but because of the brilliant use of creepy music and its excellent timing.

So go forth! Grab some popcorn and any Halloween-themed foods, and binge watch to your heart’s content.


And finally, what every one’s been waiting for; some costume advice for those who haven’t yet come up with something:

1. Do not dress up as a sexy Ebola nurse (only 59.99) or patient, because no matter how funny any topical you think you’re being, it’s just wrong
2. Also don’t go as a sexy hamburger or corn, or really any kind of food for that matter
3. To be honest, stay away from sexy costumes all together. And finally;
4. If you go trick or treating and you come to my door, no matter how good your costumes are, you will most likely only get lettuce, because we don’t have candy. (True story)

*******

And that’s it! Happy Halloween!

Booktober Week 4: Six Books I Feel Bad For Not Reading, and an unexpected rant

I missed a week of Booktober, yes, but I am still here! I shall not abandon Booktober! I am back, and laying on the guilt with Six Books I Feel Bad For Not Reading.

So here’s the thing; all of the books I’m about to talk about are on my shelf. I own hard copies of all of them. I even created a separate shelf of classics, in the hope that seeing them regularly would encourage me to actually read them. I’m hoping that putting this on the internet, in its eternal foreverness will pressure me even more into stopping talking and starting reading.

Let’s start shall we?

The Catcher in the Rye
By J. D. Sallinger

This one’s first on the list because it’s everywhere. I feel like The Catcher in the Rye is just one of those books that you need to read because references to it are in so many other books. Every time I read John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines, I feel bad about not having read it. To be perfectly honest, I actually don’t know anything about the plot other than Holden Caulfield, a red cap and a field of some sort. I’m pretty sure that the plot goes slightly beyond that, but I wouldn’t know, now would I? *accusatory tone* TEYA. I shall report back on my findings once I finally pressure myself into reading the books on my list.

Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera
By Victor Hugo and Gaston Leroux

So, potentially little known fact about me, I am a big musicals fan. Big Fan. Huge. I love Les Mis and Phantom and want and have wanted to read the books for a very long time. I am a reasonable way through Les Miserables, but I think part of the reason I am going at a pathetically slow pace is the language. While it is accessible, it takes a little while to get into the headspace of understanding it. This means that it’s really not the kind of book to stop and start in tiny increments over a long period of time. Which is no excuse.

Gone With the Wind
By Margaret Mitchell

I’ve read a few pages of this but haven’t gotten far. Much like Catcher in the Rye I actually don’t know much about the story, to be honest, I prefer to read books without reading the blurbs, but I do know: 1861, southern USA, horses, Scarlett O’Hara and sixteen-inch waists. Part of me just wants the achievement of reading a 1000+ page book, but mostly, I think I’d really like the story. Also I'm pretty sure it would provide an endless supply of references I could make. I will say one thing though, it is daunting. Props to anyone who’s made it through it. Seriously.



My final two might be considered by some to be somewhat out of place in this list of classics, but I say they’re not.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Jane Slayre
By Jane Austen with some help from Seth Grahame- Smith, and Charlotte Brontë with some help from Sherri Browning Erwin

To be honest, there’s really no excuse for this one. I mean, the covers and titles should be enough. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies starts with the quote “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” I mean COME ON, why have I not read this already? Jane Slayre is described as “A timeless tale of love, devotion… and the undead.” As someone obsessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Supernatural, and almost anything with vampires that don’t sparkle, I don’t see what’s stopping me.

****

I was going to add some more books to this list and make it to ten books, but I’ve decided to stop it here, because in the process of writing this, I’ve come to a realisation. This post started out light hearted, but now, it has a *MESSAGE.*

Since before I can remember, I would always say that I couldn’t read a particular book because it wasn’t the right time and place. I would generally end up reading at a later date when it was the right time and place. To be fair, this saying was said most frequently when I was averaging between 60 and 100 books a year. Now, however, there are either a lot of books for which now is not the right time and place for me, or I’ve gotten out of the habit of reading. Or both. Either way, I don’t think I like it.

I think this should stop now. Dear everyone, including me: THERE IS ALWAYS TIME TO READ BOOKS. IF YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO READ BOOKS, MAKE TIME. I am taking this opportunity to call out myself – especially myself- and anyone else putting off reading for any reason. Stop making excuses and just read the thing. You know you want to.

*mic drop*

Booktober Week 2: Books that made me cry

Booktober! Is it Monday? No! Is it Wednesday? No! Is it Friday? No! But is it still the second week of Booktober? Technically yes! So we will count that as a success.

We’re getting sad for Booktober: Week 2. Today we have Five Books that Made Me Cry Like a Baby

I would just like to clarify that I almost never cry during books or movies, so if they made me cry, they were hard-core. Also, crappy books don’t make me cry (unless they're so bad that I’m crying tears of agony)



The Fault in Our Stars
By John Green

Okay, so everyone saw this coming, but if I’m going to talk about books that made me cry, this one is automatically at the top of the list. I reread it, thinking “Oh, this time around I’ll be fine because I know what’s coming.” Nope, still cried. What’s worse is that I’ve read it multiple times, as in at least five times, and guess what happened every time? What was that Einstein quote? Oh yeah, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Yeah.



Looking For Alaska
By John Green

Basically, if John Green wrote it, and it’s sad, I’ll cry. I’d probably cry if he wrote a particularly bleak shopping list. I could sort of the the sad plot twist coming, but it still felt like getting hit in the emotional stomach. In this case the anticipation made it worse, and the fallout after said plot twist, was to raw and emotional.

Allegiant
By Veronica Roth

I mentioned in my last blog that the ending of Allegiant was spoiled for me by a particular  Tumblr user who I will not name. *AHEM* And while I did not appreciate a major plot twist being revealed, the fact that I knew what was coming did not stop me from feeling ALL THE SADS at two in the morning. It was so intensely written and accessible, that I felt everything the character felt. To anyone interested, the Sads are worse ridiculously late at night.





Mockingjay
By Suzanne Collins

While we’re on the subject of sad books at two in the morning, let’s talk about Mockingjay. I will admit, Mockingjay is not my favourite Hunger Games book, I personally feel that the plot goes down-hill as the series goes along, but, it is still well written, with shameless heart string-pulling and PRACTICALLY EVERYONE DIES, so I'm sure you can guess what I was doing at two in the morning. I think there’s a pattern emerging here…




Wallflower
By Holly-Jane Rahlens

Finally, the only book on this list that isn’t actually sad. I talked more in a previous post about the magic that is Wallflower, but it's so beautifully written and intense and just nice, that my brain said something along the lines of “I-love-this-book-so-much-and-it’s-so-good-and-nice-and-happy-and-emotional-and-I-feel-all-the-emotions-now-oh-no-cryingaah” and that was it for me






I realize now that this post makes me sound somewhat emotionally unstable, but hey, you know what? I’m not ashamed of crying, if books manage to make me cry, that means they’re really well written. (Unless, of course, I'm crying because the book is so painfully bad…)

So, the moral of the story is don’t be ashamed of crying, don’t read sad books at two in the morning, because that’s dumb –trust me, I’d know – and if you don’t mind a bit of a cry, then read these books, because they're good! Promise!

Booktober Week 1: The Ten Commandments of Book-ness

Say, what month is it? Why it’s Booktober, of course! November is for the moustachioed and bearded people, but Booktober is our month, the month of the book nerds! (Bearded and moustachioed book nerds feel free to join in on the fun) Is it technically the middle of the week? Yes! Did Booktober technically start three days ago? Yes! Will that stop me from revelling in my Booktober joy? NEVER!

To kick off Booktober I present: The Ten Commandments of Book-ness.


1. Thou shalt return all books that thou hast borrowed
The amount of times I’ve thought “Oh I really want to read that book…” only to realise not only did I lend it to someone who never gave it back, but they then also left the country, is ridiculously high. Don’t be a jerk; return books you borrowed. Especially library books.


2. Thou shalt not leave books open and face-down
WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!? This one, right here is the root of all evil. There is a special place in whatever form of eternal punishment you believe in, reserved for people who do this. WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?! THIS IS GENUINE, NON-SARCASTIC OUTRAGE.


3. Thou shalt not dog-ear, write in, or generally deface other people’s books
Please refer to commandment number 2


4. Thou shalt not post or talk about spoilers without clear and obvious warning beforehand
How do you think I found out about the MAJOR SPOILERS at the end of Allegiant? Yep, Tumblr. Don’t be that person, use spoiler warnings. This also applies to TV shows. *Accusatory glare*


5. Thou shalt read the book before seeing the movie
Yes, on *some* occasions, the movie is better, but movies completely skew your mental image of characters and places when you’re reading. If you read the book first, then when you see the movie, you can sniff in indignation every time anything is different to how you imagined it, and explain loudly how a certain event ACTUALLY was. You can do this, see, because you read the book. Plus, when the movie is over, you can loudly proclaim “THE BOOK WAS BETTER” if/ when necessary.


6. Thou shalt not mock other people’s fandoms/tastes
This is less of a nerd rant vehicle for me, and more of a general rule of common decency. I don’t care if someone likes Twilight, or My Little Pony (even though that doesn’t really count as a book) or anything else that conflicts with your tastes, if it makes them happy, it’s nobody else’s business to criticize them for it.


7. Thou shalt be wholly unashamed of thine tastes
Similarly, if you like books that other people make fun of you for, forget them and revel in the happiness you get from these books. [Substitute other forms of entertainment-based media where appropriate]


8. Thou shalt recommend books to others
Even if the book in question is your favourite and you don’t want anyone else to have it because it’s yours.


9. Thou shalt read widely
Don’t limit yourself to just one genre; get out see the –literary- world! There are so many amazing books out there; don’t read within just one type. Explore! Be free!


10. Thou shalt cry unashamedly when reading sad books. (Especially The Fault in our Stars)
There is absolutely no shame in crying. There is especially no shame in crying when reading a sad book. There is EVEN LESS SHAME in crying while reading a book written by a heart-crusher such as JOHN EVIL GREEN. (Okay, so maybe that’s not his middle name)


And one more for good measure:


ExtraBonusNumber11. Thou shalt not waste thine time reading crap books
In the words of my mother: “Life is too short to spend it reading crap books”



And that’s it! Go forth and read! Here’s hoping that this is the month where I successfully follow through on a theme!

[SARCASM ALERT]

As some may know, this week is banned books week. In the interest of staying topical, and keeping up with what the youths are doing, here is the most depraved and immoral book that is polluting the minds of the youths of today:

Harry Potter
By the corrupter of our youth, J.K. Rowling



I mean just look at those covers. Those are covers that just scream "Not Suitable For Children"

Look at it.

Horrible.

Harry Potter promotes harmful messages to children, such as loyalty, honour, a sense of moral integrity, teamwork, kindness, individuality and pride in one's intelligence. These are the hallmarks of a well adjusted, compassionate, confident child or teen, and everyone knows that ultimately, it is those children who are the downfall of today's society.

What's more, Harry Potter is very often the series that fosters a love of reading in the child. Not only is their introduction to reading through this promoter of depravity, but they are also reading. No person in their right mind would want their children, or any impressionable, young  person in their life to be reading. How could you live with yourself if you knew that a child was reading and you were doing nothing about it? How could you live with the life-long guilt that would bring?

Finally, books, and reading in general, expose children to ideas and opinions that are different to the ones they were raised with. Why would you want children to be aware of anything non-black-and-white that could promote a healthy discussion of complex issues. Books are the easiest way to shatter the carefully constructed bubble of authority-figure-approved values and social norms that took so much time to construct around the child or teen. So I say, in the spirit of banned book week BAN ALL THE BOOKS! Encourage the suppression of all media that differs from your viewpoint, and use censorship to push your opinions and values one everyone else!

*****

In all seriousness though, please try and read at least one banned book this week. The internet abounds with lists of banned books. Show your support for the literary cause, because in my opinion, if the books are being banned, they must be doing something right.

Monthly Finds aka. CURSE YOU JULIET MARILLIER

So there are two ways to look at this week's blog post:

One, is that I haven't finished a book for this week, - BUT - the other one is hey- lots of recommendations for awesome things.

So here is Monthly Finds; books, movies and TV shows I have discovered this month and subsequently fallen in love with.

Firstly, books:

Wolfskin

By Juliet Marillier

I started reading Wolfskin a little while ago, and my obsession with this book is unhealthy. It's interfering with my life, or, more accurately, my life is interfering with my reading. I'm only about 200 pages in with another 300 odd pages to go, but it's soo good. Beautifully written, well paced, nice, strong hero, feisty heroine and vikings - what's not to love? (One day people will write stories about my love for Juliet Marillier's books) Obviously I haven't finished it, so I can't make grand evaluations yet, but if my previous encounters with Juliet Marillier's books are anything to go by, I'm thinking, it's only going to get better.

Feisty Chick-O-Meter: 9/10

Age rating: 15+

Rating: 10/10

Book or audiobook: Book

Stand alone or series: Series

Length: 508 pages

Obsession level: HIIIIIIIIIIIGH

On to TV!:

Grimm

Starring David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch 

I recently started watching Grimm, which came perfectly timed with my interest (read obsession) in the darker, original Grimm fairy tales. Grimm is set in the present day and is about a detective, who discovers he is a descendant of the original Grimm brothers, and starts seeing fantastical creatures. Intrigue abounds. It's very cleverly written, and each episode (at least so far) introduces a new creature from the original tales. I haven't gotten far enough that the overarching plot has been fully revealed, but it's building up really well. The only dubious point for me would be the special effects; I'm not entirely sure how I feel about them yet. That, however, does not overshadow the wonderful goodness that is the rest of Grimm.

Feisty Chick-O-Meter: 3/10

Age rating: 14+

Rating: 9/10

Obsession level: Yes. YES

And finally, movies:

Reality Bites

Staring Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller

I watched Reality Bites a few days ago, (and finished it, I might add). It's the story of Lelaina and her friends, recent university graduates, as they try to find their place in a mid-90's world. It's very raw, and honest, and while ultimately it's a happy movie, it's not afraid to portray things as they were. I also like to fact that it stays away from the standard-plot-arc-finishing-with-a-neat-happy-ending. If anything, it's a very real movie. And also well written. And funny. Can you tell I liked it?

Feisty Chick-O-Meter: 10/10

Age rating: 14+

Rating: 10/10

Length: 99 mins

Obsession level: I think this blog is making me sound like more and more of a fangirl each week

And there you have it, a new book, TV show and movie for you to go explore. You're welcome.

If only I could make this title into a pun of my own name...

...But maybe maybe that's a Teya-rrible idea.

Darkness Before Dawn

By J. A. London

I had high hopes for this one, - I mean just look at that cover - unfortunately, I was very wrong. (I feel like there is a lesson here)

So here’s the story: It’s after the Vampire/Human war, and there is some semblance of peace; the humans supply the vampires with blood bags and in return, the vampires don’t attack and slaughter them all. Enter our main character, Dawn (notice the clever pun in the title, boys and girls?) her parents were the human ambassadors to the vampire lord Valentine, and when they died the responsibility fell to Dawn. Why you would entrust a 17 year old with the responsibility of keeping vampires from massacring all of humanity -or at least North America- I have no idea. Anyway, tensions rise between the humans and the vampires, but also between Dawn and her boyfriend, as she (predictably) falls for a dark and mysterious stranger.

Can you tell how I feel about this yet?

I really wanted to like this, but the best adjective I can think of to describe it is ‘average’. It could have been a decent book, but for me there were three main issues: (yay lists!)

1) It was oddly paced. The build up to the main action was quite long and drawn out with a lot of back-story, while the actual climax was ridiculously short. To be honest, the final battle/confrontation was a letdown; my first reaction was ‘oh, is that it?’ There was so much tension and anticipation piled up to a final showdown that seemed to barely take up one chapter.

2) The love triangle. Ugh, I’m not a huge fan of the classic love triangle (childhood friend vs dark, mysterious, brooding, new love interest) because I find it’s really overdone and clichéd. In this, the love triangle is predictable, and because it is so obvious it loses its value as a plot device.

3) This one is saved for last because it’s the one that is the biggest issue for me; you could take Dawn out of the story completely and it wouldn’t make that much of a difference. Had this book been purely romance it would have been fine, but it doesn’t work because of the political plot line which is a major component of the story. Despite being the official human delegate to the vampire overlord she really doesn’t negotiate anything or make a difference. Her one moment of breaking diplomatic protocol to stand up to this vampire is incredibly short lived and then everything goes back to the way it was. In the final showdown she stands on the sides and watches as someone else does all the fighting. Without her, almost everything except the romance would have happened the same way.

One thing that I did like however, was the world-building. J.A London is actually a pseudonym, and the book is written by Rachel Hawthorne, who has written many teen novels and her son Alex London, who has a degree in Historical Studies. Now I’m assuming that the detail in the historical back-story and the mythology around the vampires is at least in part because of the historical background, but either way, I thought it was really well done.

I would like to point out one last thing though; a lot of people love this book. It really didn’t do it for me, but I think it’s the kind of book where you either love it or you hate it. It has a lot of really good reviews and a lot of really bad reviews. I’m not saying this to discount my or anyone else’s opinion on this book, but I think it should be noted that it is a *type* of book. You may like it you may not, but at least you know which boat I’m in.

Feisty Chick-O-Meter: 3/10

Age rating: 15+

Rating: 3/10

Book or audiobook: Book

Stand alone or series: Series

Length: 342 pages

Obsession level:  Eeeeeeeeeehhhhhh

*****

(I'm leaving the covers of books 2 & 3 here because i think they're pretty)

[Insert witty and humorous title here]

Purple Daze
By Sherry Shahan


And now for another alternative historical fiction!

This time, on Eddie’s Sofa, we’re in the sixties. Purple Daze tells the story of six teenagers during the time of the Vietnam War. It’s written in verse, with very short chapters alternating between the characters. None of the characters are perfect in any way and each one has their own character arc. It is very much the story of messed-up teenagers navigating messed up situations in an equally messed-up time, some coming out better than the others. The book and the characters explore the complexities of war, feminism, race and human interactions, set against the backdrop of a war-obsessed society.

Purple Daze is so different style-wise to any other book I’ve read. Not only is it written in verse, but there is no obligatory back-story in the beginning; the book dives right into the characters’ respective head spaces  At first it’s a little difficult to figure out who is who, and who is with whom, but very quickly the characters unique personalities and voices emerge and it’s not difficult at all. Because the narrative doesn’t stop for the reader to catch up, or provide convenient back-story interludes, you have to wait for the whole story to unfold to fully understand what happened. Each chapter is almost-but not quite a journal entry and so as a product of this, you as a reader very much feel like a fly on the wall of these characters’ lives.

Sherry Shahan does an amazing job of creating such individual characters, something that makes them seem real even if you only get a glimpse of their lives. The narrative is so brutally honest and raw, so genuine and confronting, without being aggressive that it really left and impression on me. It wasn’t emotional like Wallflower, but it was so powerful and the stories really stuck with. The story is at some points, quite bleak, but is still vibrant throughout.

Purple Daze Is not for the faint of heart, but definitely worth the read.

Feisty Chick-O-Meter: 9/10

Age rating: 16+

Rating: 10/10

Book or audiobook: Book

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Length: 210 pages

Obsession level:  10/10

*Melts into a puddle of happiness*

Wallflower
By Holly-Jane Rahlens


I am completely in love with this book. That’s a good way to start this off, yeah?

Molly Beth Lenzfeld is stuck. She is stuck in a crack and counting down the days until she leaves. It’s three weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and sixteen year old Molly is ready to leave Germany, and return to her home in New York. Things change, however,  when, on a pilgrimage to her deceased mother’s birth home in East Berlin, she meets Mick, an East German acting student. During the next four hours they delve into the maze that is the  East Berlin Underground system and travel its complex network of trains. In this time, Molly, a self-professed wallflower discovers a new side of herself and the Germany she thought she knew.

Wallflower is a very short read (only 150 pages!). I think it only took me a couple of hours, and it was completely worth the time. It’s beautifully written with a heavy emphasis put on the senses, especially smell. Everything is described in such detail that the book plays like a movie in your head. (At least it did in mine.) It’s such a brilliantly conceived and executed story, and the usage of the four hours in which the story takes place is perfectly timed. It moves at a fast and engaging pace but still takes time to dwell on the little details that make it so vivid and realistic.

Aside from being a beautiful love story (and don’t let that deter you- it’s not your average sappy run-of-the-mill romance) It also provides a very good, accurate insight into post-Wall Berlin. The historical context is masterfully woven in around the story so that it doesn’t feel like a standard setting or a history textbook.

Wallflower is now most definitely on my favourites list. It’s such a beautiful book. I may have cried a little –okay a lot- at the end. Not because it’s sad but because it ends so beautifully.

Euh… Ahem… I should probably stop before I start crying.

Feisty Chick-O-Meter: 10/10

Age rating: 15+

Rating: 10/10

Book or audiobook: Book

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Length: 150 pages

Obsession level:  10/10

The one when I made a movie

Veronic Mars: The Movie
Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring and Enrico Colatoni

Okay, so maybe the title’s a bit misleading, but hear me out. Remember that time I wrote about the Veronica Mars movie? Well, then I went and watched it.

And oh, my god, I loved it.

It’s ten years after the television show aired, and Veronica’s just about to finish law school. About to start completely new, she is dragged back into the life of a private eye that she had tried to leave behind. When her old high school flame, Logan Echolls’ pop star girlfriend is murdered, and he’s the main suspect, Veronica must return to her corrupt home town of Neptune, California. But as she tries to exonerate him, she gets pulled in deeper than she ever could have anticipated.

I was apprehensive, but it did not disappoint.  The movie was very faithful to the original series, with a very good and realistic plot arc. The acting was consistently good across the board as were the characters, who were incredibly believable as ten-years-later manifestations of the characters. The dialogue was very tight and consistent with the TV series, full with the trademark Veronica Mars wit and sarcasm. I think that it also holds up as a stand alone movie, however as a fan of the series, I was very happy to catch all the inside jokes and references to the TV show.

I don’t know if I can think of anything negative to say about it. It was over all very well executed and made me incredibly proud to have played even a small part in it coming to pass.

So binge watch the TV Show, and then go see the movie.

Feisty chick-o-meter: 10/10
Age rating: 14+
Rating: 10/10
Number of explosions: ... I don't think there were any...

Length: 107 mins 

I Am [still] Obsessed: Part Two

Look how consistent and reliable I am! As promised, I Am Obsessed: Part Two.

Throne of Glass
By Sarah J. Maas

The 18 year-old assassin, Celaena Sardothien has served a year in the harsh salt mines, Endovier, for her crimes, when she is brought before the crown prince. He presents her with an offer she can’t refuse: in exchange for her freedom, she must compete as his champion in a competition to become the king’s royal assassin. If she wins, she will serve the king for three years, and then be free. In the competition she faces other criminals from around the kingdom, champions of members of the king’s council, all of whom are male. Forced to hide her talent and identity as the kingdom’s best assassin, so as not to be a target, Celaena quickly grows tired of the monotony of the court, however, when other competitors start turning up dead, she must find the killer before she is the next victim.

Where do I even begin?  I finished this about two months ago and have literally thought about this book every day since. No, that is not a misuse of the word ‘literally,’ it’s a sign that maybe I spend a little too much of my life living in books.

Celaena is a really interesting and unique character. She is incredibly strong, both physically and in character, but at the same is very vulnerable. She is flirty and confident, yet quiet and troubled. She is person who loves both books and dresses. Celaena is essentially, an exercise in strong, well rounded and developed characters. It’s very easy to have characters who fit into boxes, such as the nerdy, bookish character, or the shallow character who likes shopping, when in reality, people are multi-faceted, and have interests that aren’t defined by one label. Celaena is proof that a character can be able to kill any opponent she faces and also enjoy wearing beautiful dresses. This also applies to the other characters as well; they are all realistic and believable.

It’s –obviously- incredibly well written and incredibly detailed. There are also passages in the book that you want to reread over and over. Remember how last week I said I could play scenes from Angelfall in my head like a movie? Yep, this too.

I just love it so much.

Feisty Chick-O-Meter: 10/10

Age rating: 15+

Rating: 10/10

Book or audiobook: Book

Stand alone or series: Series

Length: 432 pages

Obsession level:  10/10

I have not yet read the sequel for...reasons, but i will soon! Also, the third book comes out September this year. Just sayin'...

I Am Obsessed: Part One

During my …hiatus, while I didn’t blog, I did conduct *ahem* research for future blogs… lots of research. In the process I got somewhat accidentally obsessed. With two separate books.

So, in the interest of suspense, and more importantly, giving me a blog topic for two weeks instead of one, here is Part One of I Am Obsessed.

Angelfall
By Susan Ee

It is over a month after the apocalypse, when angels attacked from the skies and laid waste to the modern world. Seventeen year-old Penryn must navigate the now-treacherous streets of Northern California fending for herself along with her schizophrenic mother and 7 year-old wheel chair-bound little sister. When her sister is taken by a vengeful angel, Penryn must strike up an uneasy and unusual alliance with Raffe, a wingless angel, and embark on a dangerous journey to get her sister back.

Dangerous journeys, uneasy alliances, quests for vengeance - what’s not to love?

I’m not entirely sure if I have the words to express just how much I love this book. I listened to it almost non-stop and took any opportunity I could to keep listening to it, even if it was just for three minutes. I even caught myself thinking that I was a part of the book sometimes. Why do I do this? I don’t have to rescue my sister. I don’t have a sister. I realise I have a problem but while it’s a really good sign that I have some serious issues, it’s also a good indicator of an amazing book.

Angelfall is immensely engaging; the narrative is so compelling and everything is described in such detail. I think I could probably play the entire book back in my head as a movie, almost a month later, I can still see scenes from the book in my head in vivid detail. It’s (obviously) very well written and the dialogue flows very naturally. Penryn is a very good character who is both physically and internally strong. I think what makes the characters in this book so compelling is the fact that they are all realistic, and realistically flawed. The pace moves slow enough to allow for detail, but fast enough to keep you (obsessively in my case) hooked.

The sequel was equally gripping and also took a little bit of my heart with it when I finished it. Everything ramps up and just gets even better.

Can you tell I like these books? Now go read them.

Feisty Chick-O-Meter: 10/10

Age rating: 15+

Rating: 10/10

Book or audiobook: audiobook

Stand alone or series: Series

Length: 288 pages

Obsession level:  10/10

Tune in next week for more proof of my issues.

Not feminism, but...

Feminism is often talked about in relation to movies. There's a lot of discussion about how we need more feminism in movies. The thing is, we don’t need “The Next Great Feminist Movie." What we need are movies with realistic representations of men and women. We don’t need feminism in our movies; we need gender equality.

Gender equality means an equal distribution of male and female extras from technicians to civilians.

Gender equality means a realistic male to female character ratio

Gender equality means female characters who have their own storylines instead of being a plot device in the male protagonist’s character development

Gender equality means female characters don’t use their “feminine charms” to get what they want and male characters aren’t “powerless to resist her”

Gender equality means female characters whose bodies aren’t glorified objects to be stared at

Gender equality means emotion isn’t strictly “feminine” and strength isn’t strictly “masculine”

Gender equality means female characters who are female characters, not “Female Characters”

Gender equality means that a male character and a female character can wear equally tight pants, without either character’s bodies being glorified or ogled

Gender equality means that a male and female character can be friends without pursuing a romantic relationship

Gender equality means that you don’t have male characters and female characters; it means you have characters


Do you want to know what movie fits these criteria?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 
Starring Chris Evans, Sebastien Stan, Scarlet Johanssen

I know, my first guess wouldn’t have been a superhero movie either. Not only is it well scripted, edited, acted and filmed it’s also a very good case study in movies where female characters are just characters, not “lady characters” or objects. I was tempted to write a long post about this, but it’s not made a huge deal of in the movie and I wont either, because equal representation of both genders in movies shouldn’t be note-worthy, it should be the norm.

I strongly urge you to go and see The Winter Soldier, because it’s also just a really good movie. Smart humour, awesome fight scenes surprising plot twists, you’ll love it.

So go see it


Feisty chick-o-meter: 10/10
Age rating: 12+
Rating: 10/10
Number of explosions: Soooooooo many

The book lover's Lament

So I love books. [This is where everyone reading says “DUH”] And while I haven’t found the next book to captivate me, the last two books I read took me about three days, but stuck with me for the next few weeks. This is great, because for a few weeks, I get to live in another world. Unfortunately, after the book fades in my mind a little, I may or may not get depressed because I’m not living in a fictional world. And how do I cure this? With another good book! (Don’t tell me I have a Problem.)

Anyway, I present to you, my latest obsession: The Books of Faerie Series

Lament and Ballad
By Maggie Stiefvater


Lament is about sixteen year-old Dierdre, an excruciatingly introverted musical prodigy. At a music competition, she meets Luke Dillon, a boy just as mysterious as he appears. As Dierdre spends more time with Luke, she discovers things about herself no one would ever believe. Luke has his own secrets too; of a dark world of faeries and these secrets will put the lives of Dierdre and everyone she cares about at risk.

…And that’s all I will say. I read the book only having a vague notion of what it was about, and it is an experience I would highly recommend. I read descriptions of the books after I had finished both and was very glad I hadn’t read the blurbs before I started the series. The descriptions give away information I, personally, would have left for the reader to discover on their own. So if you get to the end of this post and want to get these books DON’T READ ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THEM.

Lament is a very captivating book. The world in which the story exists is very complex and the relationship between the humans and the Fey is very clever. Dierdre is a very strong, likeable character and everything that happens or that she does is very believable. The supporting characters, as well, are well-rounded, without needing pages of backstory. The plot moves at a really good pace, and everything is so well plotted and described in such detail, with such vivid language, that it’s almost impossible not to imagine yourself in the story.

Something that really appealed to me was the depiction of the Fey. They are the dark and cruel Faeries as opposed to the light Fairies that are prone to flitting. In this series the Fey enjoy taunting and playing with humans, much like cats enjoy playing with mice, and it gave a fantasy story a really nice dark edge.

Ballad takes place a few months after Lament, but instead of being from the perspective of Dierdre, it’s narrated by her best friend James. And another… *Ahem* girl… named Nuala. I was dubious at first; as a general rule, I vehemently dislike it when narrators change throughout the series (I'm looking at you, Narnia), however, Ballad pulls it off, and it’s really good. More depth is brought to James, and he really evolves as a character. What’s also interesting is to see how Dierdre changes even though she isn’t the focus of the book. (No spoilers, I promise.) The style, quality and humour is consistent with the first book and is just overall amazing.

I'm only a little bit obsessed.

Feisty Chick-O-Meter: 10/10

Age rating: 13+

Rating: 10/10

Book or audiobook: Book

Stand alone or series: Series

Length: Lament: 325 pages Ballad: 353 pages

PS: Book three...2015... Just saying...