November, We Meet Again

It’s hard to believe that we’re almost halfway through November.  Like…really?  How did we get from September to the middle of November in what seems like a matter of days?  Is this what getting old is like?

Okay, so I blinked and October disappeared into bits of school activities and Halloween parties and weddings and sicknesses.  I’m serious – my daughter will sniffle one day, and the next day my husband and I feel like we’re dying of the plague.  Ah, parenthood.  It’s lovely, it really is.  And so are weddings!

The lovely bride and me.

On the plus side, Thanksgiving is only 16 days away!  Thanksgiving is super fun because of food, and that’s about it.  It’s also the unofficial start of the holiday season (though some retailers use Halloween as the unofficial start…crazy town, if you ask me…), which means I’ll start listening to Christmas music and decorating the Christmas tree the day after I eat turkey and watching holiday-ish movies with the fam.

Namely this…

And okay, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t sneaked a few Christmas songs into my daily listening already.  But it’s been really cold (it was 12 degrees this morning!!), and I made myself better by playing some Manheim Steamroller.  So there.

Namely this…

In between all that stuff, all I’ve been doing is reading.  Honestly, it’s, like, all I do these days.  And I couldn’t be happier.  As usual I started my annual Harry Potter Read-a-thon.  And this time around I checked out the new paperback editions from the library just because they’re brand new and I’m totally in love with the covers.

Drool…slobber…love…

Of course I only got through four books before some new young adult stuff beckoned me over to their side.  But I fully intend of finishing up the Harry Potter series before the end of the year…after I get through some more YA stuff.  Seriously, I just checked out the new edition of Order of the Phoenix and it’s in line, just waiting to be read.  Promise.

Fancy pants Potter…

But I’ve been hitting the YA jackpot lately when it comes to really good books.  To write about them all would take up another ten pages, so I’ll just make a list of the ones I recommend for some excellent stay-home-because-it’s-too-cold-outside reading:

• The Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson (one of the best high fantasy series I’ve read since the Graceling trilogy)

• The Benny Imura series by Jonathan Maberry (perfect for Walking Dead fans with excellent writing)
• The False Prince and The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielson (so much fun, that’s all I can say.  Can’t wait to read the third and final…)

• Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano (a new series from one of my fave authors that will leave you begging for the second book
• Just One Year by Gayle Forman (finally we know what happened after Just One Day!!)

So those were some highlights over the past month.  I’m currently reading Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series, which is perfect since I’ve been on this high fantasy kick lately.  Like how last year it seemed that all the good books were historical fiction, this year it’s high fantasy.  Love it.

Complete with kick-ass cover

Am I watching TV?  Not really, unless you consider spending endless hours watching THE SCARIEST SHOW ON EARTH, “Lazy Town”, with my daughter watching TV.  I’m serious, that show is horrifying.  I’d tell you to watch it just so you know, but I don’t want to subject you to that horror.  Just take my word for it.

I…just…can’t…

I have been keeping up with Glee, though, because even though it’s not like it used to be, I still feel rather devoted to it.  And yes, like how last season was different, this season is even differenter (made up words are fun), mainly because NO FINN (cue sadness).  When critics say that “there’s a cloud hanging over the Glee cast this season”, they’re not just making up silly stuff like they usually do.  They’re actually kind of right.  Everyone on the show seems…off.  But that’s to be expected.  And I’m okay with that, considering things.

Cloud…

One bright spot this season is the addition of Demi Lovato, bless her awesome little heart.  I’m totally not ashamed to say that I have been a Demi fan ever since Camp Rock, people.  She’s got a flipping amazing singing voice, and she’s a strong supporter of eating disorder education (sadly close to home for me) and she’s just plain awesome.  My favorite song so far on this season of Glee has been her Beatles duet with Santana when they sang “Here Comes the Sun” and Demi sounded…hmm…I don’t know…kinda perfect.  Please, Glee Peeps, have Demi sing more.

Finally…some sun

I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY MOVIES SO DON’T ASK.

The rest of the year looks to go just as quickly but be just as fun.  Here’s a run-down on some things to look forward to:

• An exciting list of books on request from the library, including Vicious by Victoria Schwab and These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman.
• The Doctor Who 50^th Anniversary special on November 23!
• The new One Direction album released on November 25!  Because admit it…you secretly kinda sorta love the song “Story of My Life” just a teeny little bit maybe yes.

• After being on the library wait list since September 17, Season 3 of Downton Abbey is finally almost available! (I’m patron 8 out of 221).
• And speaking of Downton Abbey…and Sherlock…new seasons to premiere in January!!!!!
• The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug in theaters December 13!!
• My office holiday party on December 14!  Okay, not exciting.  Sorry.

That’s about it as far as my goings-on goes.  What’s new with the rest of the world?

The Waiting List

If you’ve all been doing your homework, you know that right now I’m currently taking break from my normal young adult lit reading habits and delving back into the world of Harry Potter, the way I always do every fall.  And even though I’m thoroughly enjoying my time with Harry, it’s hard not to notice all the YA books that glare at me at the library, taunting me with their pretty covers, silently begging me to check them out as I painfully pass them by.

Must…resist…the…prettiness.

It also makes cruising the Goodreads website difficult to visit everyday.  This is where I usually discover all the new and amazing books that I want to read, making a list a bringing it with me to the library.  And just to let you know, my criteria for books I want to read is that they usually have to have a Goodreads rating of 3.80 or higher.  Anything lower than that, I usually disregard.  I say “usually” because there are always exceptions.

So I figure that instead of being tempted by the books I’m not reading at the library, now is the perfect time to sit on some eLibrary waiting lists.  I love checking books out on my iPad and having them sent to me in seconds, but a lot of the ones I want have waiting lists.  Normally this would drive me nutso, but since I’m currenly preoccupied with British wizards and witches, I can patiently wait for these books to become available.  Let’s take a look at the list, shall we?

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent is the sequel to the book I finally got my hands on (thanks, Natalie!), the Goodreads Book of the Year for 2011, Divergent.  Divergent was crazy intense – we’re talking Hunger Games level of intensity – and I devoured it.  Of course – of course – it ended on a cliffhanger, thus creating my need for the sequel.  Well, of course I haven’t seen the sequel available at the library, so I put myself on the eLibrary waiting list.  It’s been awhile, but I’ve moved up quite a bit – I’m patron 75 out of 139.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

I originally heard about this book from Goodreads, a site that I’m impossibly addicted to.  First off, let’s talk about the cover.  GORGE.  The story could be crap, and I would still want to read it because of that AMAZING DRESS.  But fortuntely the story sounds rather intriguing – a sort of Princess-Meets-The Bachelor dystopian story, which is right up my I-have-yet-to-get-sick-of-you dystopian alley.  I am currently partron 45 out of 78.  Sigh.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner is another book that I kept seeing popping up on Goodreads, reading amazing review after amazing review.  It’s – surprise – a dystopian novel, this one about a guy who wakes up to find that he doesn’t remember anything except his first name.  Like Jason Bourne.  But minus the Matt Damon.  And then he meets a bunch of other teens just like him.  And then amazingness ensues.  People obviously love this book, which is why I’m still patron 30 out of 64.  Awesome.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

For the longest time I was getting this author mixed up with Veronica Roth, author of Divergent and Insurgent, which is actually how I found Under the Never Sky.  It has a 4.13 Goodreads rating, which is pretty damn good in my book.  I don’t really know exactly what it’s about – it sounds like it’s about a girl who lives “on the outside”, alone and always in danger by cannibels and storms.  I guess it’s because I don’t really know the plot but because it’s dystopian that I want to read it.  And it looks like I’ll get to read it before the others – I’m patron 9 out of 16.

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

I have a few trusted friends on Goodreads – people whose reviews I know I can take seriously and who are honest in their reviews.  Ten has a slightly lower rating than the above books – 3.89 – but it still makes the cut, and the people I follow really spoke highly of this book.  It’s a horror book (re:  not dystopia) – like one reviewer described it, “Just like my favorite slasher movies from the nineties. All the tropes, all the angst and dramz, and all the mystery.” – and sounds like a good read for a stormy, October evening.  And it looks like I’ll definitely get it in October – I’m patron 1 out of 1.

So, waiting for books that you really want to read is hard to do.  But if you’ve got something to keep you busy in the meantime  – like 4224 pages of Harry Potter – then waiting isn’t so bad.  And because you’re on the list for so long, you’ll probably forget that you were even on the list to begin with, making that “You’re book is now available” email just like getting a surprise Christmas present!  Drinks all around!

Happy reading! (and waiting)!

It’s That Special Time of Year

Like many other people in this world, I love fall.  The colors, the smells…it’s all so beautiful and wonderful and such a nice change from summer.  If you live in certain parts of the country, fall is usually when you switch out your t-shirts for sweatshirts, your swimsuits for parkas, your flip-flops for boots.  And if you’re me, fall is usually when I switch out my young adult books for Harry Potter.

I read the Harry Potter books once a year – more specifically, every fall.  It’s like every time September 1st rolls around (it is, of course, the day the Hogwarts Express leaves for Hogwarts), I get the urge to read Harry Potter.  I’ve stated before how during the fall I tend to resort to what I call “comfort reading“, and reading Harry Potter is the ultimate comfort read for me.  And then once the holidays are over, the urge disappears and I usually go back to reading my normal young adult fare, not picking up another Harry Potter book until next fall.

This year, however, I’m going things slightly different.  Because I’ve read my books so many times, a little bit of wear is starting to show.  I even think a couple of pages in my hardback copy of Prisoner of Azkaban are coming loose.  THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.  These books are prized possessions of mine, and I’ll be damned if they ever get ruined!  So this year I decided to check the books out from the library.  I figure since I have no attachment to these particular books, I don’t have to be uber careful with them the way I am with my own.

Last week I checked out the first two, Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets.  It was a bit weird opening an unknown copy – you know when you’ve read a certain book so many times that you’ve memorized everything about that copy.  The edition of Sorcerer’s Stone I checked out was the 10th Anniversary edition from 2008, and I noticed right away that the lines were slightly closer together than my first edition copy I have, it didn’t smell the same, and it just felt different in my hands.

I know all this may sound weird to some people.  It’s just a book, right?  It’s not like the words are any different, or the story has changed.  But one of the reasons why I love reading these books every year is for the experience of reading them.  They’re my favorite books in the world, and I’ve come to treasure every little thing about them.

But once I got past the whole “this book doesn’t feel like mine” issue, everything was cool.  I’m about halfway through Chamber of Secrets, and it doesn’t even faze me that I’m holding a library copy that hundreds of other people have held before me.  Rather now I’m thinking that the last person who held this book could have been reading it for the very first time.  What did they think of it?  Did they love it?  Will it mean as much to them as it did – and still does – to me?  Will they go on to read the whole series?

Tonight I head to the library to pick up Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire if it’s there, and although it’ll still feel a little weird checking out books that I already own (seriously, I feel like I have to defend myself to the librarian), I’ll know that at least my cherished copies are safe atop my bookshelves, simply looking pretty.

The Awesome 13 – Harry Potter

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since the last Harry Potter movie was released in theaters.  Not only that, but it’s been five years since the last book came out.  And one more thing…it’s been fifteen years since the very first book was published.

So even though Harry has been out of our lives for a year (or five years if you’re one who only cares about the books), he’s been a part of our lives for fifteen years.  There have been amazing moments in the books and movies (and unlike some people, I am a true fan of both), and I’m here today to bring the top 13 things about Harry Potter.

13.  Harry Gets His Wand (Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone)

When Harry finds out that he’s a wizard, he’s a bit confused and overwhelmed, and the whole idea of being a wizard after enduring 11 years of torture from his extended family still seems so farfetched to him, even as he walks through Diagon Alley with friend / mentor / half-giant Hadrid.  But then he goes into Ollivander’s Wand Shop and everything falls into place.

There’s the moment where after a few unsuccessful tries at different wands when Ollivander suddenly knows…he knows exactly which wand is meant for Harry, and when Harry holds that 11” wand made of holly with the core of a Phoenix feather, we ALL know.

“I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter…. After all, He-Who-Must- Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great.”

12.  The Unexpected Ally (Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix / Deathly Hallows)

I’m lumping three different moments into this one because they’re all sort of related.  In Order of the Phoenix there’s a moment where Harry’s aunt and uncle – Vernon and Petunia – are about to throw Harry out of the house because he’s being an annoying magical teenager until Petunia receives a howler (a very loud letter) from Dumbledore. And suddenly Petunia won’t let Harry leave.

“Remember my last, Petunia.” 

We’re pretty sure the letter was meant to remind Petunia about the last letter that Dumbledore sent her, which was attached to baby Harry when he was left on her doorstep, telling her that she must raise him as her own.  We also get the feeling that maybe evil Aunt Petunia cares for Harry a little more than we’re meant to think.

And then there’s the moment (also, like above, not in the movies) in Deathly Hallows where Harry is leaving his home for the last time before going off and looking for horcruxes and evil dark lords.  Vernon and Petunia get in the car without really saying goodbye (though in the movie we do get a shot of Petunia sitting in the car looking rather torn), but suddenly Dudley – the boy who’s harassed Harry his whole life – walks over and shakes his hand, thanking him for saving his life from the Dementors two years ago.  It’s a touching moment when you realize that Dudley really sees Harry as a brother, not just a punching bag.

“I don’t think you’re a waste of space.”

“Thanks”.

Finally there’s a small moment towards the end of Deathly Hallows after Voldemort’s and Harry’s duel when everyone thinks that Harry has died.  He’s lying on the ground, and when Draco’s mom Narcissa walks over to him, Voldemort asks her if he’s dead.  Narcissa bends down, sees that Harry is in fact alive, and instead of calling him out, she quietly asks him if Draco is all right.  While this doesn’t fully prove that Narcissa cares for Harry, it proves that she’s a mom and that her son is the most important thing in the world to her and that she’d rather have the peace of mind that her son is alive than Harry dead.

“Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?” The whisper was barely audible, her lips were an inch from his car, her head bent so low that her long hair shielded his face.

11.  Harry and Lupin (Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban)

Harry meets Remus Lupin at the start of his third year when Lupin becomes the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.  He soon finds out that Lupin was a close friend of his dad’s, and because of that Harry suddenly sees Professor Lupin as someone he can trust and confide in even more so than Dumbledore, as the first adult he’s been able to truly trust outside of Hagrid.

He develops a bond with Lupin that seems to connect him to his deceased father, a bond we don’t see again until he meets Sirius.  And the scenes that reflect this both in the book and the movie show us just how much Harry needs a father figure in his life.  Plus Lupin is the one who taught him “Expelliarmus!”, which proves to be one of the most useful spells Harry will use.

“The very first time I saw you Harry, I recognized you immediately. Not by your scar, by your eyes. They’re your mother; Lily’s. Yes, I knew her. You mother was there for me at a time when no one else was. Not only was she a singularly gifted witch, she was also an uncommonly kind woman. She had a way of seeing the beauty in others, even, and perhaps most especially, when that person couldn’t see it in themselves. Your father, James, however, had a certain, shall we say, talent for trouble.  A talent, rumor has it, he passed onto you. You’re more like them then you know, Harry. In time you’ll come to see just how much.”

10.  Harry and Hermione Dance (Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows)

This small scene doesn’t appear in the books, and was simply added into the first Deathly Hallow movie as a tension breaker.  But’s so much more than a way to break the tension.  Harry and Hermione are on the run, hiding, and Ron has left them after a rather large argument between him and Harry.  Hermione is depressed because she loves Ron, and Harry is frustrated – not only because his best friend is gone, but because he doesn’t know where to look next for those damn horcruxes.

The radio is playing music, and suddenly Harry, seeing how miserable Hermione is, gets up and makes Hermione dance with him.  She’s reluctant, but she joins in and they end up laughing, and yes, for a moment you think that maybe there’s someone else between the two of them, but you quickly realize that there’s not.  Harry and Hermione are best friends, they’ve been through a lot of crappy stuff together, and they’re going to stick together even though this.  But the absence of Ron is so overwhelming in this scene, and you can see it on both their faces.  It’s a scene that’s both uplifting and heartbreaking (as is everything about Harry Potter, but whatever).

9.  The Yule Ball (Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire)

What I love so much about this movie isn’t the fact that there’s a huge tournament going on at the school, or that Voldemort is back.  It’s that this movie captures what it’s like to start growing up, what it’s like to suddenly be teenagers and have complicated feelings about other people.  And what better way to experience all of that than at a dance!  The Yule Ball showcases teenagers at their best – the dancing, the swooning, the crying – and makes you realize that it doesn’t matter whether you’re a witch or wizard or muggle.  You still all go through the same ups and downs as any other 14-year-old.

“The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to – er – let our hair down.”

8.  Harry Rides Buckbeak (Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban)

Things start to change in Harry’s world once he starts his third year.  He’s used to his magic ability now – the wizarding world isn’t a novelty anymore.  He’s becoming a little more confident in himself.  But he’s still a 13-year-old boy, and things are still confusing.  He hates his aunt and uncle enough to walk out on them and catch a ride on the Knight Bus.  He hates the fact that he passes out every time a Dementor comes around.  He hates that he doesn’t have an adult figure to confide in.  And he hates Draco Malfoy more than ever.

When Harry has the opportunity to ride the new hippogriff at school Buckbeak, he’s a little apprehensive.  But as soon as he lifts off he suddenly feels absolute freedom.  For those few minutes, all of his problems disappear and he’s able to just enjoy life the way he knows he’ll never really be able to do.  It’s a liberating moment for him and for us as well, because all we want is for him to feel truly free.

7.  Cedric Dies (Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire)

If Prisoner of Azkaban is considered the one where things began to change, then Goblet of Fire is the one where shiz gets real.  The Triwizard Tournament is a huge event.  Students coming to visit from other wizarding schools is a huge deal.  And the fact that freaking He Who Must Not Be Named has come back is pretty much the end of the world.

And then we meet Cedric.  Sweet, honest, loyal Cedric Diggory, the boy from Hufflepuff who only want to play fair in a tournament rife with danger.  And when he and Harry decide to call it a tie and grab the Triwizard Cup at the end of The Maze together, we think, “Oh, what a great boy, that Cedric Diggory.  I’m really glad they’re both going to win.”

And then they’re swept off to a cemetery by means of a portkey where they run into Wormtail and a fetus-looking Voldemort, who orders Wormtail to do his worst.

“Kill the spare.”

And Cedric dies.

This is the first death that occurs in J.K. Rowling’s books (outside of Harry’s parents, of course, which we only see through memories), and it was a huge deal at the time.  Someone gets murdered in a kids book???  But you know what?  It had to happen.  It’s Voldemort, for Pete’s sake.  This is what he does.  As depressing as it was, Cedric had to die, if only to prove that Voldemort must be defeated at all costs.

“Remember Cedric Diggory”

6.  A Young Tom Riddle (Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince)

We first meet Tom Riddle in Chamber of Secrets as a 16-year-old memory from an old diary who reveals himself to Harry and Ginny as a way of trying to defeat Harry again.  It’s a great introduction to Tom Riddle, who will later become Voldemort, but it doesn’t come close to the young Tom Riddle we meet in Half-Blood Prince.

In a memory collected from Dumbledore’s pensieve, we see Dumbledore meet Tom Riddle for the first time at the orphanage in which he grew up.  He’s 11 years old and – just like Harry – is unaware that he’s a wizard, though he knows there is something different about him.  He’s done some bad things at school, but he’s still innocent.  We know he grows up to be The Dark Lord, but for those fleeting moments at the orphanage you want to believe that he’ll turn out differently.

“I can make animals do what I want without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me.  I can make them hurt.”

5.  Snape’s Memory (Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix)

Because they’ve discovered a connection between Harry’s and Voldemort’s minds, Professor Snape has been asked to give Harry lessons in Occlumency, which will protect Harry from Voldemort reading his mind.  Harry fails miserably at first, and Snape keeps on harassing him and belittling him until suddenly Harry gets angry and fights back and finds a way to get into Snape’s mind.

We’re suddenly watching Snape’s memories of Harry’s father James, along with his friends Sirius and Lupin, and how they made fun of Snape as a teenager at Hogwarts, and how they would play tricks on him, including the trick that almost killed Snape.  We get a tiny piece of backstory on Snape that we never imagined, as well as insight to James and how Harry feels about him.  Snape is suddenly fleshed out, and Harry becomes more confused and angry than ever.

“Suddenly Harry’s mind was teeming with memories that were not his — a hook-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-haired boy cried in a corner…. A greasy-haired teenager sat alone in a dark bedroom, pointing his wand at the ceiling, shooting down flies…. A girl was laughing as a scrawny boy tried to mount a bucking broomstick.”

4. The Epilogue (Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows)

A lot of people are split on how they feel about the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, about whether they felt it was necessary or not.  Well, I can’t imagine NOT wanting to know how things end up for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and while we won’t know everything, the epilogue gives us a tiny snippet at the future lives of our beloved threesome.

We see Harry and Ginny, happily married with their children on the first day of Hogwarts for their son Albus Severus, we see Ron and Hermione with their children, and we even see Draco acknowledge Harry at the train station, as they have an understanding now.  Albus is scared to leave, and it’s not until Harry explains to him why he was named after Severus Snape (aka SNAPE), you really get to see how far Harry has come in his life.

“What if I’m in Slytherin?”  The whisper was for his father alone, and Harry knew that only the moment of departure could have forced Albus to reveal how great and sincere that fear was.  Harry crouched down so that Albus’s face was slightly above his own. Alone of Harry’s three children, Albus had inherited Lily’s eyes.  “Albus Severus,” Harry said quietly, so that nobody but Ginny could hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to Rose, who was now on the train, “you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.”

3.  Harry and Ron’s Argument (Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows)

After finding the cursed necklace – a horcrux which they must destroy – Ron holds on to it for safe keeping.  But because this necklace is cursed, it drives its owner slowly mad.  Suddenly it takes over Ron, who becomes angry at Harry for leading them on this pointless journey to find the other horcruxes.  All Ron cares about is making sure that his family is dead, and he accuses Harry of not understanding that because his family is already dead.

The dialogue and the emotion between the two best friends is so strong and powerful that it’s almost hard to watch (or read).  Here are two boys who have been together at Hogwarts from the beginning.  They’ve been through deadly wizard’s chess games, a chamber of secrets, a Whomping Willow, and a werewolf attack together, and suddenly you feel this hate coming from Ron, when all you want them to do is hug and make up.  Of course Ron gets angry enough to leave, which makes you realize how evil the power of the dark side can be.  And we’re just left feeling empty inside.

“Well then, I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand. What part of this isn’t living up to your expectations? Did you think we were gonna be staying in a five-star hotel? Finding a Horcrux every other day? You thought you’d be back with your mum by Christmas?”

“I just thought after all this time we would have actually achieved something! I thought you knew what you were doing! I thought Dumbledore would’ve told you something worthwhile! I thought you had a plan!”

“I told you everything Dumbledore told me! And in case you haven’t noticed, we have found a Horcrux already.”

“Yeah and we’re about as close to getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them, aren’t we?  You know why I listen to that radio every night? To make sure I don’t hear Ginny’s name. Or Fred, or George, or Mum—“

“What, you think I’m not listening too? You think I don’t know how this feels?!”

“No, you don’t know how it feels! Your parents are dead! You have no family!”

2.  Dumbledore Dies (Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince)

Obviously this is a huge moment in the books and movies.  Dumbledore is the most important person in Harry’s life, and when he sees Dumbledore dies by Snape’s wand, his world comes crashing down.  It’s a majorly depressing scene in the book, and made even more depressing on film as everyone at Hogwarts holds their lit wands up to light up the sky for their fallen Headmaster.

It’s not fair – everyone he has loved – his parents, Sirius, and Dumbledore – has left him, and now he’s out for blood.  He’s determined to do what he can to finish what Dumbledore started and to finally defeat The Dark Lord.  It was another one those “OMG HE DIES???”” moments that began with Cedric and continued on with Sirius and then multiple others in Deathly Hallows, but it’ll always be Dumbledore’s death that gets us the most.

Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.

“Severus… Please…”

Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore. “Avada Kedavra!”

1.  Snape and Lily (Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows)

Omigosh, this scene.  This scene nearly killed me in the book, and drove me to tears in the movie.  Voldemort has just attacked Snape, and when Harry finds him he’s close to death.  Snape montions for Harry to collect a tear from him, aka a memory, to put into the pensieve.

And then Snape dies.

But that’s not the sad part.  When Harry drops the memory into Dumbledore’s pensieve, we see how Snape became friends with a young Lily Evans before she met James Potter.  We see the two of them start Hogwarts together as best friends, we see them get sorted into different houses (Lily to Gryffindor, Snape to Slytherin), and we see them start to grow apart.  Snape delves deeper into learning about dark arts, Lily meets James.  But Snape never stops loving Lily, even when she marries James and has a baby boy named Harry.

Because of his love for Lily even after her death, Snape has promised to keep Harry safe even though he represents all that he hates.  Everything that Snape has done over the past six years since Harry entered Hogwarts has been for him, all from his love for Lily.  It’s the best scene in all seven books and eight movies, and it shows that Severus Snape is one of the best characters ever written.

“Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?”
“For him?” shouted Snape.
Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.
“After all this time?”
“Always,” said Snape.”

The Harry Potter series is one the biggest series of all time, and there’s a reason for that.  For J.K. Rowling, the timing was perfect, and something about the books struck a chord with audiences everywhere.  There are hundreds of books out there about witches and wizards, but none of them can come close to the characters, the stories, and the world that Rowling has created, and to her I owe so much.  I will love these books forever.

And trying to pick out only 13 awesome moments of them was REALLY hard to do.

What’s Wrong with Fan Fiction?

I’ll tell you what’s wrong with fan fiction.

Nothing.

Ever since fan fiction started to gain popularity in the late 90s (re: the dawn of the internet), it’s earned a bad reputation.  “It’s not real writing.”  “It’s not original.”  “It’s plagiarism.”  “It’s a waste of time.”  But to someone who loves to write and is a fan of a lot of things, I stand here today to defend the writers of fan fiction, aka “fanfic” and to reassure them that what they’re doing should be appreciated and respected.

Fanfic is exactly what it sounds like:  fictional stories created by fans of a certain published work.  For example, there are thousands of fanfic stories that take place in the world of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Twilight, Lord of the Rings, and other such works.  Some writers stay within that world, and some do crossovers, for instance, having Frodo stumble upon Hogwarts on his way to Mordor.  Fanfic usually refers to written stories, but it also may apply to artwork.

Admittedly, a lot of fanfic is ridiculous (not to mention filled with spelling and grammatical errors).  I would probably never seek out fanfic devoted to Legolas erotica, nor would I want to read about “a very special relationship” between Batman and Superman.  But there’s some fanfic out there that I find truly interesting.  I follow a blogger who does mostly Harry Potter fanfic based on the backstories of the original Hogwarts founders.  To me that’s interesting because it’s something that no one knows about except for J.K. Rowling, because we can make up our own backstories to enrich the stories that much more.

And that’s basically what fanfic is.  It’s a way for us to either extend a world that we love so much that might have ended too soon, or it’s a way for us to insert parts we felt were missing from the story.  You wanted Aang to hook up with Toph in Avatar: The Last Airbender?  Write it yourself!  It’s like imagining “what could have been” and just having fun with it.

I’ve never really written true fanfic – I’ve never even dared writing a story that takes place at Hogwarts or that takes place where Firefly left off – not because I have no interest in it, but because it seems like such a daunting task.  Not only would I be meddling in something that’s already fantastic, but I would really have to know my shiz.  You can’t just start writing fanfic based on Lord of the Rings just because you liked the movies.  You have to know a TON about every character and the story just so what you’re writing actually makes sense.  And trust me, people who read fanfic on the internet will let you know after the first paragraph whether you’re half-assing it or not.

How I began writing twenty years ago, however, was taking certain actors that I liked at the time and writing about their personal life intertwining with my main character.  One example would be my character meeting Matt Damon before he became a big star and then they get together and he basically lives his real life, just alongside a fictional character that I created.  I wrote a similar story revolving around Orlando Bloom while he was in drama school before Lord of the Rings came around.  I guess you can say it was like “real life fanfic”.  Completely fictional based on real-life events.  Like Lifetime movies.  But still fanfic.

Fanfic writers will most likely never get published, though there are certain authors who absolutely do not allow anyone to write fanfic on websites like FanFiction.net, like Anne Rice (Interview with a Vampire) and George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones).  Other authors like J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer, however, support the art of fanfic and seem to encourage it among their fans (though I wonder what Rowling thinks of all the Harry/Draco shippers out there).

So what are the most popular brands of fanfic that people are writing?  On Fanfiction.net, the number one fanfic work based on movies is Star Wars, followed by Pirates of the Caribbean and High School Musical.  The top three TV shows generating fanfic are Glee, Supernatural, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  And when it comes to books themselves, the big three are Harry Potter, Twilight, and Lord of the Rings.  No big surprises, though I’m a little shocked to see Newsies in the top ten.  Looks like I wasn’t the only one who knew its potential!

A lot of people don’t see fanfic as legitimate writing, which I think is crap.  So it’s usually not the best writing in the world.  But you know what?  Writing is writing.  I don’t care if you’re writing in your diary about your day, blogging about arts and crafts, or writing a story about Loki (like my co-worker is currently doing).  If you’re writing, your brain is working.  If you’re writing, you’re using your imagination.  If you’re writing, you’re creating.  And that’s what’s most important.

So don’t feel like you’re less than a writer if you like to write fanfic.  What do you think all those fairy tale retellings are?  They’re fanfic in its purest form.  If you like to write it, keep on writing and don’t stop.  Because sometimes a different point of view is all we need to fully understand and appreciate a story that we already love.

Happy reading and writing, fans!

Groundhog Day Books

Groundhog Day is the annual day in February where Punxsutawney Phil (said Groundhog) comes burrowing out of his hole to look for his shadow to let the public know wether we’ll have six more weeks of winter.  It’s a crap way of forecasting spring, but it brings out the crowds anyway.  This sacred holiday took place yesterday, and while I could care less whether he saw is shadow or not (he did – yay, winter) it made think of the movie Groundhog Day in which Bill Murray lives the same day over and over again, and then that got me thinking of books that I tend to read over and over again.  Nice segway, yeah?

When it comes to reading books, my main goal is to read ones that I’ve never read before.  And I do a pretty good job of doing that, given the number of books that I want to get my hands on when I’m at the bookstore or library.  There are so many books out there that I want to read that I could easily spend the rest of my life not reading the same book twice again.  But of course there are exceptions.  There are so-called Groundhog Day books that we tend to read over and over again because they either bring us comfort or they’re just that good.  I have plenty of those books, and here’s a sampling.

The Harry Potter Series

I can’t single out any book in this series, because when I reread them, I reread all of them.  I tend to do it once a year, typically around the holidays, or when I’m home sick, because they just make me feel better.  And they’re really good.  And they’re my favorite books.  So that’s why they’re Groundhog Day Books.

Served up fresh once every year.

The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Series

I read these books all the time as a kid, and to this day I still can’t get enough.  When I was a kid I loved reading about all the kids and their “ailments” that Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle would cure with her quick wit and magic potions, and now as an adult I read them from a parent’s point of view – and see if I can get any ideas to cure my daughter of such ailments as “Never-Want-To-Go-To-Bedder” or “Answer-Backer”.  Because you never know.

The Boxcar Children

I actually haven’t read this book in a long time, but I used to read the crap out of it.  The story of four siblings and their life living in a boxcar was really appealing to me, but for some reason I never read another book in the 127-book series.  I just kept reading the first one over and over again.  I never was a fan of mystery books, though, including Nancy Drew and The Bobbsey Twins books, and The Boxcar Children books went down that same path.  I simply just chose to stay at the beginning and never travel down that path.

No need to find out how it all ends.

The Princess Bride

One of the few adult books on this list, The Princess Bride is just as wonderful and hilarious as the movie of the same name.  But what you miss in the movie is the rich detail William Goldman includes in his book, bringing you that much more into the worlds of Florin and Guilder.  Of course you miss out on actually seeing Cary Elwes in action, but it’s still a fun book to read again.  And again.

When I was your age, television was called books.

The Hunger Games

The fact that I can tear through this book in one day is all the proof one needs that this should be read more than once.  I guarantee you will find something new and powerful each and every time.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

The Secret Garden

Everyone loves a good orphan story, and this one takes the cake.  I never get tired of reading about how horrible Mary’s life is at first, only to discover not only a beautiful garden, but friends as well.  We all know how it ends, but we never get tired of discovering it all ourselves.

It’s not a secret anymore…

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

This book so strange and trippy and wonderful that every time I read it, I’m blown away by what I’m reading.  It’s rare when you find something this original, but when you do, you make sure that you’re reading it as much as you can to get the most out of it.

Curiouser and curiouser…

My list of books I want to read this year is quite long, not to mention the books that are yet to be released.  But somehow I always manage to squeeze in a few of these Groundhog Day books, just to remind myself why I love them so much.

What are some of your Groundhog Day books?

Happy reading!

If It Were All About Hermione…

While lying in bed last night, my mind was racing about what to blog about next.  And I got to thinking…what would the Harry Potter books be like if Hermione Granger had been the protagonist rather than Harry?  Of course Harry probably has the more interesting story, what with the whole “Chosen One” business, but I know I’m not the only one out there who loves Hermione.  I’m sure she’s had some moments we don’t even know about during her years at Hogwarts.

So let’s just pretend that J.K. Rowling has given me the opportunity to write all seven books over with Hermione as the main focus.  I wonder what she would think of these:

Hermione Granger and the Two New Friends

It’s Hermione’s first year at Hogwarts, and after eleven years of being a freakish know-it-all witch with weird powers to all her Muggle classmates, she’s finally among her own kind of people.  And even those people also think she’s a freakish know-it-all witch, she manages to catch the attention of two boys, Harry and Ron (also rather freakish).  Join Hermione, Ron, and Harry as they get in and out of trouble at Hogwarts, and see how Hermione figures out everything about the Sorcerer’s Stone even though Harry Potter gets all the credit in the end.

Hermione Granger and the Restricted Section of the Library

It’s soon discovered during Hermione’s second year at Hogwarts that people are calling her a Mudblood, “a filthy name for someone who’s Muggle-born”, and that there’s some mysterious ancient monster lurking in the chambers of Hogwarts who’s out to kill all Mudbloods.  People seem to think that her good friend Harry Potter has something to do with it, but Hermione knows better.  After doing loads of research in the restricted section of the library, she discovers that this monster is a basilisk and has been getting into Hogwarts through the bathroom pipes. So once again, Hermione saves the day, even though Harry gets all the credit in the end.

Hermione Granger and the Pile of Homework

Even though it seems that someone is out of kill Hermione’s friend Harry, Hermione has bigger things to worry about, i.e., taking as many classes as she can in one year!  In order to do this, Hermione receives a Time Turner from Professor McGonagall so she can go back in time to take more classes during the day.  Everything is fine and dandy at first, but soon Hermione starts to feel the stress of all the homework.  And with a class as ridiculous as Divination, and her friends only caring about things like Dementors and Boggarts, Hermione feels more alone than ever.  Maybe helping Harry go back in time and saving the day will make things better!  Even if someone else gets all the credit in the end.

Hermione Granger and the New Makeover

It’s time for the Tri-Wizard Tournament this year at Hogwarts, and even though her friend Harry is competing in it against his will, Hermione is busy attracting the attention of fellow competitor Viktor Krum all the way from competing school Durmstrang.  He’s totally not her type, the big, brawny loaf that he is, but since Ron seems too stupid to realize that Hermione is in love with him, she leads Viktor on just to make Ron jealous, and makes things even worse for Ron by getting her teeth and hair fixed and wearing a pretty dress.  Will it work?  And will Hermione save the day again???  And not get the credit?

Hermione Granger and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Teacher

Hogwarts has a new Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year, and is she a piece of work!  In addition to not letting the students do magic in class, Professor Umbridge is punishing Hermione’s friend Harry in ways that are practically inhuman.  So once again it’s up to Hermione to form an army against this teacher in the only way she knows how:  with the help of her friends.  But seriously, if Hermione hadn’t come up with this idea, all the students would have been totally screwed.  And Neville Longbottom would have never learned how to conjure up a Patronus.  Credit.

Hermione Granger and the Love Triangle

It’s Hermione’s sixth year at Hogwarts, and it seems that her friend Ron still hasn’t gotten the hint that she loves him, especially when he begins going out with that ridiculous dumbbell Lavender Brown.  Where is Viktor Krum when you need him?  And to make matters worse, it seems her friend Harry has found himself a girl as well in Ron’s sister Ginny.  Who else will Hermione turn to when all the good guys are taken?  Well, that Cormac McLaggen bloke isn’t too bad…

…and a lot better at Quidditch than that idiot Ron anyway.

Hermione Granger and the Tiny Bag That Saves Everyone’s Life

Hermione and her friends are on the run from Voldemort and his followers, and it seems that Hermione is only one who come prepared.  With a tent, clothes, a radio, and many other items magically stuffed into Hermione’s tiny Mary Poppins carpet bag, the threesome are able to hide from the bad guys – at least for while until Harry ruins everything by getting caught.  And who ends up saving the day in the end?

Neville Longbottom.

Well, to be fair, they all save the day.  But they wouldn’t have even come close had it not been for our protagonist.

Because she’s the only one who can get into the Restricted Section.

Happy reading!

Awards Show Loser

Back in the day, when it came to awards shows like the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes, I knew it all.  I did research on movies months before the shows were on, even months before the nominations were announced, because I was that much in the know.  And then on Oscar or Globe night, I had all my predictions written down in three categories:  Who I Want to Win, Who Should Win, and Who Will Win.

Yes, I was that organized.  And I was good.

But unfortunately, things change.  My life got busier, theaters got pricier, and movies got crappier.  Okay, well maybe that last point isn’t quite true.  But for some reason I started becoming less and less interested in the majority of movies that were coming out.  It seemed that the only movies I was interested in were franchises like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, and nothing else seemed to compare to them.

Sorry, it’s the best.

But because I wasn’t seeing as many movies anymore, I started to feel a little clueless while watching awards shows.  I had heard about the movies, I knew most of the actors, but beyond that I didn’t know a thing.  Take a look at the last seven Oscar winners for Best Picture since Lord of the Rings: Return of the King won Best Picture in 2003.  We have:

1.  Million Dollar Baby (2004)

2.  Crash (2005)

3.  The Departed (2006)

4.  No Country For Old Men (2007)

5.  Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

6.  The Hurt Locker (2009)

7.  The King’s Speech (2010)

Of all those winners, I’ve seen one of those – The Departed – which happened to be on DVD before the Oscars aired, so I rented it the night before the show.  But those stats are pretty pathetic, right?  Well, not as pathetic as this:  Of the 45 Best Picture Nominees from 2003-2010, I’ve seen 15 of them, and only four of them were seen before their awards show:  Brokeback Mountain (2005), The Departed (2006), The Queen (2006), and Inception (2010).

Her Majesty does not look pleased.

All this may seem trivial to some people, but researching and watching these awards shows used to be a huge part of my life.  But while I was watching the Golden Globes last week, I felt like a total loser because I haven’t seen any of the movies from any categories.  Over the last few years, it seems the only categories I could really say anything about were the Visual Effects and Sound categories, because movies like Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean always seemed to fall into those categories.

It did have good sound and effects, though.

The 2011 Academy Award nominations are going to be announced tomorrow and, once again, I probably won’t have a say in any of it.  I saw a total of three – THREE – movies in the theater in 2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Captain America, and Drive.  And the latter two I probably wouldn’t have seen had I not been at Comic-Con for the premiere of Captain America, or if my brother hadn’t suggested we see Drive when he flew out to visit me.  So I could have easily seen just one movie this year.  And that’s pathetic.

This, however, is NOT pathetic.

Obviously I don’t know what the 2011 Oscar nominations are going to be, but here’s what people are saying about Best Picture:  The Artist, The Help, The Descendants, Hugo, and Midnight in Paris.  Do I want to see any of those movies?  Sure, maybe someday…about the same as all the other past nominations.  Will I make an effort to see any of those movies before the award show is on?  Probably not.  Of all of them The Artist sounds the most entertaining, but with all that’s going on in my life right now (The Move, finding a job, raising a kid, blogging and reading), I probably won’t get to.

They look happy, but I’m sure they’re pissed.

When it comes to movie priorities for 2012, it seems I haven’t changed a bit.  We have The Hunger Games (franchise), The Dark Knight Rises (franchise), and The Hobbit (uber-franchise) coming out, and if I only see three movies again this year, it will be those.

So once again I remain an Awards Show Loser.  I’m going to cross my fingers for an Alan Rickman nomination for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, but if that doesn’t happen I can at least depend on Visual Effects and Sound, and the occasional Film Score since I am, as you know, a Film Score Geek.

But I wish all the luck to the nominees announced tomorrow morning.  I’m sure your movies are good, I’m sure your performances are good, and I’m betting that the effects and sound are phenomenal.  Hopefully someday I’ll be able to see what everyone else is talking about.

Happy viewing!

Two Versions of the Same Book

The inspiration for this post came to me when I was at my local library’s monthly book sale this morning.  I was cruising through the children/teen aisle, which is usually so jam-packed with kids that sometimes I can’t even get into the aisle, but luckily today it was just my daughter and me.  I wasn’t finding anything I really wanted to buy, especially since I was being extra frugal and extra conscious of how many books I already own – books I have to pack up and move 2000 miles with me a month from now.  But something did catch my eye…this:

Now, obviously I already own the first Harry Potter book.  I bought it eleven years ago when I had to read it for one of my college classes (little did I know what it would end up meaning to me).  But the book I bought today…it’s British!  For some reason the American people who published J.K. Rowling’s first book decided to change the word Philosopher to Sorcerer – probably because they assumed American kids would have no idea what the hell a philosopher is and what it had to do with magic.

Philosopher = History = lame.

Sorcerer = MAGIC = awesome.

When my husband and I were in London back in 2003, we were at a children’s book store at Harrods and I thought it would be really cool to get British editions of books I already had, namely Harry Potter books (though at that time only four had been released).  I didn’t end up getting any, though, due to backpack restrictions (as in a backpack is all I brought with me to London).  Instead I bought the British edition of a Series of Unfortunate Events book that I didn’t have, which now looks weird in between all the American editions.

One of these books is not like the other…

I’ve always regretted not buying a Harry Potter book while I was there, though.  It would have been a pretty cool souvenir.  So when I saw it at the library today – even though I was in SoCal instead of London – I grabbed it.  And it was only fifty cents, so…duh.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone isn’t the only book I have two versions of.  I also have two versions of the Lord of the Rings series.  Actually three versions if you count the all-in-one movie tie-in cover I bought after I saw the first LOTR movie back in 2001, which is now packed away somewhere.  I was working at Brentano’s, a now-closed subsidiary of Borders (ALSO CLOSED) in Sherman Oaks during the 2001 holiday season, and we had a huge LOTR setup in the store because of the movie.  I bought this version:

Soon after that I became obsessed with all things LOTR, and decided I needed a much better version of the books.  I received this next edition for Christmas the following year:

These editions of the books are amazing, beautifully illustrated by Alan Lee, and also weigh about 100 pounds each.  Which makes them difficult to read while curled up in bed.  Plus they’re just so pretty…I didn’t want to ruin them with multiple readings.  So while I was at another library book sale (I’m there a lot), I found these scary things:

For tiny paperbacks, these are about as awesome as you can get.  For one thing, they’re easy to hold while laying in bed.  They’re also easy to stuff into my purse, since I always have to have a book with me where I go (because you never know).  And also, look at the covers!  They really have nothing to do with the story itself, and could probably be the cover of any random fantasy book.  The cover of Fellowship of the Ring, for instance, has salamanders climbing on trees and weird flamingo-looking creatures eating grass, and something that kind of looks like an alligator walking in the bushes.

I don’t remember these characters.

I’m probably not done with my versions of LOTR.  A few years back they released another set of editions that, if I find for really cheap at a library sale, I will probably buy just because I love the covers.  And then of course I’m still on the lookout for the “unauthorized editions” – the paperbacks that Tolkien himself did not authorize to be published.

Good luck finding these!

The other books own two of are my Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books.  I had the four paperbacks when I was a kid, and I LOVED them.  I still do, actually, and when I saw that I could buy three of them (they left out the fourth one, Mrs. Piggle’s Wiggle’s Farm for some weird reason) in one big hardcover book at Borders for $7.00, I couldn’t pass it up.  But I also couldn’t bear to part with my original paperbacks from my childhood.  So now I have both.

I love it, but it just doesn’t feel the same…

With the exception of these books, I don’t think there’s any other one I’d buy two of.  I would like to have all the Harry Potter books in paperback, just because my hardbacks are becoming “loved”, if you know what I mean, and I’m afraid Prisoner of Azkaban is going to fall apart if I read it one more time.

Paperbacks for reading, hardbacks for looking.

I know I’m not the only one out there…are there any books that you would buy two of?

Happy reading!

Crushing On Fictional Characters

Or at least that’s what I like to tell myself every time I read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  Because of Cedric Diggory.

Of course when I read the book eleven years ago, Robert Pattinson wasn’t even a blip on my boy radar.  The future sparkly vampire was not the reason why I developed such a crush on Cedric Diggory.  I have to thank J.K. Rowling for that, for developing such a swoon-worthy character that when Cedric dies in the book, I was heartbroken.  I was upset that he was murdered by Lord Voldemort just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I was heartbroken because Cedric Diggory was gone forever.

I’m totally not afraid to admit that I’ve had lots of crushes on fictional characters in books.  I take it as a sign of good writing and of good character development.  If you find yourself not really caring about a character in a book, then that author hasn’t done a good job at writing about them.  When I find myself crushing on a boy from a book, that author is gold to me.

My Young Adult bookshelf: packed full of crush-worthy characters.

*Side note: I will only be covering characters from books, not movies or TV.  To me those don’t really count because you always have a face to put with the character, thus causing you to crush on the actor as well (i.e. Ferris Bueller / Matthew Broderick).  Crushing on book character forces you to use your imagination, something that is sorely lacking in this world today.

My first crush on a book character – and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one – was on Logan Bruno from The Baby-Sitter’s Club.  Logan had just moved to Stoneybrook, CT from Louisville, KY, which meant he had an adorable Southern accent, he was a total jock but NOT a jerk, he was blond-haired and blue-eyed, and – OMG – he liked to baby-sit!  But more importantly, he liked Mary Anne, the shy and quiet one (like me!), which proved that he was different from all the other guys.  And that made me love him!

Look how tan he is!

I’m a big fan of the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot, mainly because of the witty writing and the numerous pop culture references Cabot loves to throw in her books.  But I also love the books because I developed a big ol’ crush on Michael Moscovitz, the brother of the main character’s best friend.  He was against organized sports and loved computers and was in a rock band and had his own online magazine called Crackhead, all while having “a very nice chest” and  a “neck that smelled good”.  And he just kind of got dreamier and dreamier as the books went on, until I finally came to grips with the fact that I had a major crush on him.  Still do.

The book where they finally…um…fall in love.

I’m sort of split on the boys of the Twilight series.  When I read the first book, I totally wanted to marry Edward Cullen.  I mean, I knew where Bella was coming from with her whole obsession with becoming a vampire so she could spend the rest of her life with him.  Edward was amazing, he sparkled, and he loved Bella so much that he couldn’t even be around her.

Cold as ice, but oh, so sparkly.

But then Jacob came along, and his character became more and more important as the story continued.  And that’s when I started thinking Edward was a total pansy and that Bella should totally get with Jacob because, well, he wasn’t cold and sparkly.  He was hot – literally – and totally beefy.  My crush had now transferred over to the werewolf.  Edward may have been willing to die for Bella, but Jacob was willing to kill for Bella.  And that’s a little hotter, don’t you think?

When I started Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series, I wasn’t expecting to fall for any of the characters.  In fact, I wasn’t even sure I was going to like the series – I just picked them up at Borders because the store was closing and they were dirt cheap.  I didn’t even know what they were about.  But I was wrong about all that.  Not only did I love the series, but I met this guy:

Jace is your typical bad boy – a cocky jerk who’s a total asshole and thinks he’s the greatest thing in the world.  But this is where good writing comes in.  Cassandra Clare writes him so well that you can’t help but be totally attracted to him.  Because you know deep down he’s a good guy.  Deep down you know that Jace has issues, that he’s hurting, and that he desperately needs someone to help him.  To love him.

Well, I do.  I love Jace.  When a character that sexy has lines like this: “If you wanted to rip my clothes off, all you had to do was ask”, well, you can’t help but love him.

I’m saving the best for last…the character to whom I compare all the rest…The Boy with the Bread.

I’m of course talking about Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games trilogy.  If you were born yesterday and still haven’t read these books, please stop reading this blog and go to the library immediately to check them out.  Please.

Peeta is the second tribute picked to participate in the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with Katniss Everdeen, the book’s heroine. Peeta of course loves Katniss, and has loved her ever since he heard her sing on their first day of school when they were 11 years old. He’s carried that love for her all this time, and throughout the Games, and he’s always there for her whenever she needs him.  He comforts her at night when she can’t sleep, and he’s willing to sacrifice himself just so she can survive.

I know that people were split – Team Peeta / Team Gale – but I rooted for Peeta the entire time.  Never did my love for The Boy With the Bread waver.  And after three books, I got the ending I wanted.

I’d love to stay and chat more, but it’s time to go read about some more awesome guys that don’t exist in real life.

Happy crushing!

Need a Good Cry?

Well, originally this particular post was going to be about books that have made me cry…until I realized that only two books have made me cry, and that’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Dumbledore dies) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Snape dies).  So I really can’t write a whole post about only two books (well, I suppose I could, but that wouldn’t be very exciting for the reader…unless of course those two very same things also made you cry).

So I’ve decided that since more movies and TV shows (yes, TV…get over it) have made my eyes well up, I’ll write about that.  Plus I’m sure more readers can relate since more people have seen movies than read the books I’ve read (though I don’t want to meet the person who hasn’t read Harry Potter).  And I promise you I will NOT mention The Notebook or any other Nicholas Sparks movie because, well, they’re just obnoxious.

Movie: Dead Poets Society (1989)

Tissue Moment: As with most movies that have made me cry, there are more than one defining moment.  But you’d have to be a robot if you didn’t at least tear up when Ethan Hawke, in his most defining moment ever, stands up on top of his desk and says “O Captain, My Captain” to just ousted teacher Robin Williams.  You’re waiting the entire movie for Ethan to grow a spine, and when it does, it’s perfect.  And when the rest of the class joins in on top of their desks, well, just hand me that freaking tissue.

Movie: Moulin Rouge (2001)

Tissue Moment: Yes, it is sad when Satine (Nicole Kidman) dies at the end (spoilers!).  Even though we knew the entire time that she dies, it’s still pretty depressing.  But that’s not what made me cry.  No, I blame all my tears on Ewan McGregor and John Leguizamo.  There’s a scene where Christian (McGregor) has pretty much given up all hope ever since Satine told him that she didn’t want to have anything to do with him.  He’s sitting in bed, looking horrible, and Toulouse (Leguizamo) sits on his bedside and says:

“You may see me only a drunken, vice-ridden gnome whose friends are just pimps and prostitutes.  But I know about art and love…if only because I long for it with every fiber of my being.  She loves you.  I know it.  I know she loves you.”

And then Christian tells him to go away.  Yells it, actually, and you can see the pain in Toulouse’s face.  It’s heartbreaking.  The whole freaking scene is heartbreaking, and it makes me cry every single time.

Movie: Field of Dreams (1989)

Tissue Moment: At the end of the movie, after Kevin Costner has come to grasp the fact that old, dead baseball players are playing baseball in his cornfield, his dead father appears in his old baseball uniform.  If you’ve been paying attention to the movie, you know that Kevin Costner’s character didn’t have the best relationship with his father, and that he always regretted not have that one moment with him.  Well, that moment has arrived.  His father – not knowing that he’s talking to his future son – asks Costner:

“Is this heaven?”

“No.  It’s Iowa.”

And maybe you giggle a little when he says that.  But then as his father begins to turn away, you think, “Wait!!!  You have to say something else – that’s your father!!!”  Well, don’t worry, he does.

“Hey…Dad?  You wanna have a catch?”

“I’d like that.”

OH SHIT GIVE ME A GODDAMN TISSUE.

*Side note:  I just watched this scene again on You Tube, thinking I could handle it.  Couldn’t.

TV Show: Friends

Episode: The One the Morning After (1997) aka “The One Where Ross and Rachel Break Up”

Tissue Moment: Friends has undoubtedly made me laugh all the time during its ten-year run.  I watch reruns now and still laugh.  But it’s also made me cry like a freaking baby.  Like when Ross and Rachel break up.  The episode has lots of funny moments, but the great moments come from the amazing acting and dialogue by David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston.  The rest of the cast is “listening in” on the breakup in the other room, and we the audience get to witness it firsthand, and it’s so real that it actually feels like these two are breaking up right in front of us in real life.

“I can’t imagine my life without you…without…without these arms…and this face and this heart…your good heart…”

“No…I can’t.  You’re a totally different person to me now.  I used to think of you as somebody who would never, ever hurt me.  Ever…it’s just changed everything.  Forever.”

It’s rare when you find yourself caring about TV characters that much.   It doesn’t happen that often, but after that episode I felt horribly depressed. Thanks, Friends.  Thought you were a funny show.

Movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Tissue Moment: Did I mention Dumbledore dies?

*Side note:  He does.

Movie: Little Women (1994)

Tissue Moment: Well, duh.  Beth dies.  That part is really sad, and yes, it makes me cry most of the time.  But it’s Laurie, played by Christian Bale, that makes me cry the most.  He’s just told Jo how he feels about her, that he loves her and wants to marry her, and Jo stupidly turns him down. Laurie is obviously hurt by this, and while tries to hold his tears back, he says this:

“Someday you’ll find a man, a good man, and you’ll love him, and marry him, and live and die for him. And I’ll be hanged if I stand by and watch.”

Man, that’s such a good line.  And it’s Christian Bale.  Crying.  Of course I’m going to cry along with him.  While I’m yelling out, “Forget Jo!  She’s an idiot!  I’ll marry you!”  Sniffle sniffle.

TV Show: Gilmore Girls

Episode: The Incredible Shrinking Lorelais

Tissue Moment: We’ve all had meltdowns, but I loved the honestly of Lorelai Gilmore’s meltdown to will they/won’t they friend Luke Danes.  In this episode, best friends/ mother & daughter Lorelai and Rory haven’t spoken to each other in days, and if you know this show, that just doesn’t happen.  The lack of contact has taken a toll on both of them, but it’s Lorelai’s moment that really makes my heart hurt.

“I just thought I had everything under control, but I didn’t and the inn is just falling apart. This has been my dream forever and I have it and it’s here and I’m failing and I can’t handle it, I just spend every minute running around and working and thinking and I thought I would have help but Sookie has Davey and Michel has Celine and I’m… I can’t do it all by myself! And I don’t even have time to see my kid anymore, hell forget see her, just even talk to her and I miss her. And I sat there in my parents’ house just listening to my grandma basically call me a charity case and I couldn’t even argue with her, I couldn’t even say anything, because I am, I’m running out of money! And I was going to ask you for $30,000 at dinner tonight, that’s how pathetic I am.”

*Side note: Gilmore Girls is my favorite show of all-time, and there are tons of sad moments in it.  This doesn’t do it justice.

Movie: Good Will Hunting (1997)

Tissue Moment: Matt Damon cries.  A lot.  All because some hairy guy named Sean (Robin Williams) forces Will (Damon) to admit that none of what’s happened to him during his entire, crappy life is not his fault.  This causes Will, after trying to act cool about the whole thing, to bawl like a newborn, along with everyone else that’s watching the movie.

“It’s not your fault.  It’s not your fault.  It’s not your fault.  It’s not your fault.  It’s not your fault.”

Movie: Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Tissue Moment: The Beast dies.  Granted this movie has a happy ending because the Beast comes back to life as a human, but at that moment before that all happens, just watch Belle’s face.  She’s devastated.  She comes to realize that she’s totally in love with the Beast, only to have him die in her arms.  And that music you hear in the background?  It’s so beautiful and haunting and sad that it ties in perfectly to the scene.  Amazing.

Movie: Serenity (2005)

Tissue Moment: In this movie spin-off of the amazing TV show Firefly, Zoe’s husband Wash, in true Joss Whedon “I-love-to-kill-off-favorite-characters”, has just been impaled by a massive spike that shot through the windshield of the ship he was piloting.  Normal people would break down and cry and scream if this happened to their husband.  But not Corporal Zoe Washburne.  Being a true soldier, she keeps a straight face and continues on, as they’re all currently being attacked by reavers.  She knows that if she stops for one moment it puts her and the rest of the crew in danger.  It’s so true to her character and heartbreaking at the same time that my throat always closes up during the scene.

“Zoe, are you here?”

“To the job, sir.”

Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Tissue Moment: Frodo realizes he must go on without his friends.  He’s standing at the edge of the lake, holding the ring in his hand, and he hears Gandalf’s voice in his head, which is sad, because he thinks Gandalf is dead.  When he realizes that he has to continue on his journey to destroy the ring but he doesn’t want to put his friends in danger, he tries to leave without anyone seeing.  Until good ol’ Samwise Gamgee spots him and runs faster than he ever has in his life to catch him, even jumps in the water even though it’s well known that Hobbits are afraid of water, and swims to catch up to his best friend and master.  Frodo tells him to go home, Sam refuses, and then almost drowns until Frodo grabs him and pulls him up into the boat.  Lots of crying is happening.

“I made a promise, Mr Frodo.  A promise. ‘Don’t you leave him Samwise Gamgee.’  And I don’t mean to. I don’t mean to.”

Oh, geez.  They’re crying, I’m crying…it’s just a big ol’ mess.

So if you’re ever in need of a good cry, here’s some options for you.  Just make sure you have a big box of tissue with you.

Happy crying!

It Was the Best Trailer I Ever Saw

We’re going to take a step away from books and tea today and talk a little about movies.  More specifically, movie trailers.  AKA those previews for movies that come before the movie you actually paid to go see in the theater.  They usually come with this attached to them:

Now before you could go on the internet to a website like www.comingsoon.net, you had to see the trailer on the big screen.  And if you want my opinion, that’s really the way they should be seen.  Especially when a studio is releasing a particular trailer for the first time.  Watching it on the internet almost seems like cheating to me.  You should only be able to see it the same time as everyone else.

Some people don’t get excited about trailers.  And there are some trailers that are so uninteresting (i.e. ones for rom-coms) that they shouldn’t be allowed to show in front of a movie.  But sometimes it’s worth seeing a movie just because you know that a certain trailer will be playing beforehand.  Let me go through some memorable ones that I’ve seen, and maybe you’ll come to understand why the art of the movie trailer is something that needs to be appreciated.

Let me start with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.  The studios actually released the trailer for this movie during Fellowship of the Ring‘s run in the theater and attached it to the end of the movie.  It was my tenth viewing of FOTR, and my hubby and I had driven all the way from Sherman Oaks to Culver City to see it.  While we were waiting for the movie to begin, one of the ushers came and said “For those of you who came to see the trailer forThe Two Towers – we won’t have it until the 7:00 showing.”  It was 4:00 at this point, and I kid you not, more than half of the theater walked out (including us), got a refund, and hubby and I drove back up to Sherman Oaks to see FOTR,where they did have the trailer.  Then a few minutes before the movie ended, I spotted a group of people sneaking into the theater just to see the freaking trailer.  How was the trailer?  Totally worth it.

When we saw the movie Monsters, Inc. in the theater on opening night in late 2001, we had no idea that they were premiering the trailer for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones before it (which goes to show you how little we used the internet back in 2002).  But as we were waiting for the movie to begin, my hubby’s brother called him to tell him about a rumor he heard about the trailer and how it might be playing before the movie.  So we patiently waited through countless, unimportant trailers until finally we saw this:

And we knew this was it.  It seemed the rest of the audience knew what it meant, too, because suddenly everyone started cheering and whistling.  The trailer began, people continued to cheer, and then a huge applause came when it ended.  It was definitely a cool experience to be in a crowd who appreciates the same kind of thing as you, and who will cheer just as loud.

The teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was attached to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in IMAX six years ago, and I had gotten split up from the group I was with because the theater was so crowded.  So there I was, all alone, practically sitting in the front row, and suddenly the trailer for Goblet of Fire came on.  I was so surprised that I actually started crying.  By myself.  In the front row.  I also cried because it was my favorite book of the series at that point, and the trailer started off with screenshots of how the kids had grown from each movie.  I’m a nostalgic person.  Crap like that makes me cry.

Oh yeah, and I also got to see what Cedric Diggory looked like.

I wish I would actually show you these trailers, but it costs money to put video on blogs, and unfortunately I don’t have that much disposable income.  But if you Google “Best Teaser Trailers Ever” you come up with such trailers for Jurassic Park, Superman Returns, Cloverfield, Independence Day, The Dark Knight, and Spider-Man, an awesome trailer that was actually pulled from the theaters just after 9/11 because of shots of the World Trade Center in the trailer (Spidey creates a web between the two towers).

There are lots of really cool teasers out there…what are some of your favorites?

You Do Know It Was a Book First, Right?

As we all know, most movies put out today were first known as books.  It seems that the less creative Hollywood gets, the more they depend on authors to write books that they think will be blockbuster hits.  And sometimes – sometimes – the book gets lost in all the hoopla of the movie and people don’t even realize or remember that its first home was a bookstore.

 Wait…this was a book first????

There’s always going to be a debate on whether the book is better than the movie, and vice versa.  There are some people, for example, who are always going to think that Pride & Prejudice is the greatest movie ever without ever even cracking open the book.  And then there are the people who refuse to even see The Lord of the Rings movies because they’re Tolkien purists who don’t want to see their beloved stories get butchered (I don’t interact with those people).

As for myself, I’m kind of in the middle of the road.  Being an avid reader, I tend to read the book first anyway without any knowledge that it’s going to become a movie.  But I’m not a snob, and I’m not going to diss anyone for not reading the book first.  I mean, going back to LOTR, I saw the movies first.  I had planned on reading it before they came out, but I didn’t have time, was busy reading other things, blah blah blah, and I was totally cool with that.  Of course after I saw the first film and decided it was the best movie ever made, I quickly gobbled up each word that Tolkien wrote within just a few weeks.

1137 pages of magic.

But you know what?  I still like the movies better.

Plus it has Orlando Bloom in it.

The reason behind my adoration for the movies over the books (besides the Orlando Bloom factor) is probably due to the fact that I did in fact see the movies first.  Seeing Tolkien’s words come to life on the screen in front of me was my first impression of the story, therefore it means more to me than the books.  I’m not saying the books aren’t good, because they are.  But they’re admittedly a little hard to get through at certain parts (The Council of Elrond, anyone?), and frankly it’s just a lot of pages of a lot of description.

But if you take something like, say, Harry Potter – books that I started reading from the beginning before any of the movies came out – I’m always going to like the books better.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the movies.  The actors were perfectly cast, the screenwriting was great (considering how hard a job it had to have been to turn a 870-page book into a 2-hour movie), and the music was a great addition to the story (only because I’m a film score nerd).

But I luuuuuurve the books.  I read them every year…like going back to an old friend once a year and feeling all warm and fuzzy while a snowstorm blows outside.  Yes…that’s how those books make me feel.  When I meet someone (and I have) who has seen the movies but not read the books, I get personally offended.  And yes, I realize that I’m crossing into purist territory when I saw that, but…come on.  READ THE DAMN BOOKS, PEOPLE.  Dont’ show up at a midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows just because you saw a commercial on TV for it and “it looked kinda cool”.  Go to your local library, check out all seven of them, devote one month to reading them cover to cover, and then I give you permission to sit behind me in line at the AMC theater where I’ve been waiting since I got off work at 5:30 pm.

So, what other books do I consider to be better than the movie?  Well, any book written by Roald Dahl, for starters (excluding Wes Anderson’s movie version of Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is, for lack of a better word, fantastic), but that’s probably because they’re books from my childhood, and nothing can beat that.  But all the other movies have come up short when trying to recreate Dahl’s dark humor.  My favorite Dahl movie, of course, is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which also happens to be the movie that Dahl himself hated because it was nothing like his book.  Rightly so, I guess…the movie did change a lot of things (which Tim Burton later changed back in his version of the movie), but I still love the movie.

I told someone once that my favorite book was Harriet the Spy, and she got all excited because one of her favorite movies was Harriet the Spy.  She hadn’t read the book, so I shouldn’t have let it get to me.  She simply didn’t know what she was missing.  But after trying to watch the movie – and turning it off halfway through because it was so not my Harriet – I just couldn’t understand it.  Why did she think this movie was good? Would she still think it’s good after reading the book?  Will she stop reading the book halfway through because it’s just so not her Harriet?

To make matters worse, Rosie O’Donnell is in this.

But like I said before…I’m not one to diss anyone for what they prefer.  You’d rather watch a fairly decent version of Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries (and a dismal sequel that I wish was never made) than read the TEN amazing and dramatically different books that make up the series?  Fine.  You’d rather watch Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson play star-crossed vampire teens than read about Bella and Edward falling in love?  Fine (they’re about the same in quality, anyway).  You’re satisfied with just watching The Wizard of Oz? Fine, but you’re totally missing out on the 18 OTHER BOOKS that are so different and imaginative from anything else you’ve read.  You’d rather just wait for The Hunger Games to come out in theaters than read the books right this second?  Fine (you’re a stupid idiot).

On the flip side, there are some movies that were better than the books (besides The Lord of the Rings).  Even some that I saw after reading the book!  Little Women, for example.  The book is good, yes.  It’s obviously a classic that will continue to live on for centuries and centuries.  But the 1994 version starring Winona Ryder and – wait for it – Christian Bale (sigh) is so good that it made me glad that Louisa May Alcott wasn’t around to see it because she’d probably be jealous that she didn’t make the movie herself.  I mean, the character of Laurie in the book?  Meh.  In the movie?

‘Nuff said.

The Princess Bride is another one.  I saw the movie first, obviously, years ago before I even knew that Wesley was my future husband.  And then after I realized that the movie is kind of awesome, I read the book.  And I decided that the book was awesome, too.  Hilarious, even, and sometimes even more hilarious than the movie. But you know what?  The movie had Peter Falk reading to Fred Savage.  The movie had Andre the Giant making rhyming jokes.  The movie had Mandy Patinkin on the ultimate quest for revenge.  And the movie had, of course, kissing.  After all, it was a kissing book.

Well, I could go on for hours here.  The bottom line is that books will always be written, movies will always be made, and more often than not books will be made into movies.  But do yourself a favor if you want to avoid any headaches: separate the two.  Look at these books and movies as two separate entities.  That’s how I look at the Harry Potter movies.  I know that they’re completely different in their own way, and for that reason alone I will never complain about what was left out of which movie or why they changed a certain part of another. The books are their own thing, the movies are another.  So stop complaining, people.

That being said…does that mean I should give the Harriet the Spy movie another chance?

Nope.

Happy reading!