Friday Link Dump: The Slap in America, Frozen Censored and Anne Shirley on YouTube

-In the vein of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries and The Autobiography of Jane Eyre, a new web series has begun based on Anne of Green Gables. It's pretty good so far. (YouTube)

-The Slap is being adapted for American TV (because its native Australian is too foreign, I guess?), as well as a new Wizard of Oz series that sounds fun. (EW)

-Flavorwire lists 25 YA books adults should read. Pretty standard for the most part. (Flavorwire)

-Here are some movie adaptations to look forward to this year. I haven't read any of these books, I think now is probably the time! (Publisher's Weekly)

-The Mockingjay poster is here! Too bad we have to wait 10 months for the movie. (Facebook)

-There's a #readwomen2014 challenge that is a lot like #AWW2014 but not focused on Australian women (obviously). (The Guardian)

-You have to watch Frozen with unnecessary censorship. It's hilarious. (YouTube)

-Also hilarious: what if Google was a real live person? (YouTube)

-These 100-year-old colour photos of Russian are amazing. (Mental Floss)

-The portraits of celebs this guy takes with Polaroids are so incredibly cool. (Tumblr)

-On the more professional side of portraiture are the EW shoots from Sundance. Love them all. (EW)

-BuzzFeed stuff: The very accurate 15 things that happen when you work in an office; 12 historic bars every bookworm needs to visit (I want to go to them all!); This story of two college girls discovering they were actually sisters after becoming friends is pretty freaking amazing; and in honour of Australia Day on Sunday I posted these awesome Aussie manis and these drool-worthy Aussie recipes.

Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters

1. Anyone from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Each character in these books are amazing. I love that nothing is black and white, and each character is complex and realistic – magic notwithstanding. Neville, Luna, Snape, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Dobby, the Weasleys, the Dursleys, McGonagall... there are so many I love, and love to hate.

2. Jeffrey Lu in Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey. Jeffrey was one of the highlights of Jasper Jones for me. I loved his cheekiness and positivity, and was rooting for him in the cricket match and beyond.

3. Anyone in David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. My favourite thing about Dickens is the quirky collection of characters in all his books, but David Copperfield is a particular fave. Betsey Trotwood, Mr Micawber and Uriah Heep (shudder) are some of the most memorable literary characters ever.

4. Finnick and Cinna in the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I couldn't pick between these two. I love them both and they make me want to cry.

5. Jimmy in Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. One of my fave characters ever. I missed him in The Piper's Son, so I was super excited when Marchetta said Jimmy had popped back in her head and would be in an upcoming book!

6. Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables. I can't say anything more because I will start to cry. Not even joking.

7. Squire Hamley in Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. The old fashioned, rough-around-the-edges squire with a big heart is great on the page, but even better as portrayed by Michael Gambon in the 1999 mini-series. Fave line: "I'm not saying she was very silly, but one of us was very silly and it wasn't me."

8. Mrs Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I know Mrs Bennet isn't everyone's fave, but she just makes me laugh - especially when combined with her weary but witty husband.

9. Mia's family from If I Stay by Gayle Foreman. Another one that makes me cry. It was so nice to come across a genuine, close family in a YA book. Of course, they don't stay that way... sigh.

10. Hareton in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Heathcliff who? Seriously, I am so not a fan of abusive abuser Heathcliff. Hareton on the other hand, is an actual puppy dog who I want to adopt.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Bookish Buys: Anne of Green Gables

Thanks to Alison Can Read for suggesting Anne of Green Gables for Bookish Buys! I found some delightful treasures...

Friendship card

iPhone dock

Print

Handpainted bangle

Quote print

Print

Hollow book

Portrait

Locket

Print

Notebook

Lady of Shallott earrings

Friday Link Dump: Sexy Books, The Golden Girls and Cute Animals

-This list made me realise how many great library scenes there are in movies.

-I love this photo series from the Real Fauxtographer of scenes from YA books.

-Flavorwire has compiled their top 10 sexiest books of all time. I haven't read any!

-This is a lovely story about how Anne of Green Gables change done woman's life. 

-Which Game of Thrones house do you belong to? Apparently, I'm a Tully. It could be worse.

-Check out the trailer for the award-winning adaptation of Craig Silvey's The Amber Amulet. I can't wait to see it!

-This pretty much sums up my feelings about the last season of Downton Abbey (warning: spoilers!).

-I adore these pop culture-inspired illustrations.

-The perils of live TV: bad for the reporters, hilarious for the rest of us.

-Buzzfeed has compiled a list of the greatest musical moments on The Golden Girls, and it's amazing. But they missed out on the genius, 'Miami is niiiiiiiiice'.

-When your Sims game gets bugs, it can be pretty annoying. But it's pretty damn funny in screen shots.


YouTube Clip of the Week

Top Ten Favourite Romances

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Need I say more? OK, I will anyway. It's Darcy and Lizzy. Two of the greatest literary characters ever, combined in the romance to end all romances. Or the romance to start all romances, rather, given the thousands of remakes, rejigs and rip-offs.

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen. Another Jane Austen, I know. But if Pride and Prejudice is the Greatest Romance of All Time (which it is), then Persuasion is a very close second. The tale of Captain Wentworth and Anne Eliot's reconnection is bittersweet and beautiful. Don't even get me started on the letter.

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I adore how passionate and strong Rochester and Jane's love is, and the way they respect each other and value one another as equals.

4. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Thornton and Margaret's love reminds me a little of Darcy and Lizzy, in that they can't stand each other at first but eventually see each other in a new light. Their story is filled with a lot more heartbreak than Austen's novel, but that just makes the happier moments all the more meaningful.

5. The Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery. Anne is my hero, and I worship her almost as much as Gilbert does. The only downside of their romance is that in the later books Anne goes all wifey and motherly and forgets her own creative dreams and ambitions, which might be historically accurate but is disappointing nonetheless.

6. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. An American girl falls in love with an English boy at a school in Paris. Oh, how I love everything about this book.

7. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. "This is True Love. You think that happens every day?" No, Westley, no it doesn't. Which is what makes this book so special.

8. The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons. Set in the Soviet Union during World War II, there's only one word to describe Tatiana and Alexander's love story: Epic.

9. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. This book made me ugly cry for a good half an hour after I finished it. Now that is a strong romance.

10. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. This one is extremely cheesy but totally addictive. I devoured it and was left wanting so much more. Pure, trashtastic fun.

What are your fave romances?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books I'm Thankful For

1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. For allowing me to inhabit a world full of quirky characters that felt so real and so dear, I was left wanting more after nearly 1000 pages.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. For giving the world Mr Darcy and Lizzie Bennet, arguably the greatest hero and heroine of all time, forming the greatest love story of all time.

3. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta. For being a good friend throughout my teenage years; for making me laugh and cry; and for making me feel like I wasn't alone, that what I was feeling was normal, and it was all going to be OK.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. For being so beautiful it moved me more than any other book ever has, and for teaching me that Death isn't such bad company - at least for a few hundred pages.

5. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. For bringing me joy every single time I read it.

6. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. For teaching me that being a freckled, kinda strange, imaginative and talkative red-head is awesome, no matter who calls you "Carrots" (especially if people call you "Carrots").

7. Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares. For snapping me out of my judgey, anti-YA ways.

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. For distracting me when I was stranded at Heathrow airport for two days with a chest infection and a broken rib and no idea when I'd be able to get home.

9. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. For putting me in the Christmas mood every year... and for The Muppet Christmas Carol.

10. Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright. For making me so mad I just had to express my anger - and so I started this blog.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Kick-Ass Heroines

If you haven't already, you need to watch the BAMF Girls Club

1. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy. If you looked up kick-ass in the dictionary, there'd be a picture of Katniss.

2. Lisbeth Salander from the Millenium trilogy. She may be socially inept, but she's intelligent, feisty and sure knows how to get revenge.

3. Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. Without Hermione, I'm pretty sure Voldemort would still be around... and Harry probably wouldn't be. The boys wouldn't have gotten anywhere without her.

4. Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series. Oh, Anne-girl. I have a special place in my heart for the little ginger. She belongs on this list purely for the moment she broke her slate over Gilbert Blythe's head - although she's all other kinds of awesome, too.

5. Lizzie Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie doesn't have to be a zombie slayer to kick butt: she does it classic-style, with her sharp tongue and fine eyes.

6. Josie Alibrandi from Looking for Alibrandi. I love all of Melina Marchetta's heroines, but Josie is special to me because I grew up with her. Sure, she's kinda annoying at times, but I adore Josie for her passion and her ability to fight for what she believes in.

7. Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre. C'mon, the freaking book is named for her. How kick-ass is that? What's even more kick-ass is Jane's self respect: She demands to be treated as an equal, and won't compromise herself or her values for anyone (even the swoony Rochester).

8. Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout is everything I wasn't as a kid: tomboyish, brave, unafraid to speak her mind... but I think she's amazeballs. She packs such a big punch (in more ways than one) for someone so small.

9. Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy series. I read this series straight after Twilight, and it's safe to say Rose is the antithesis to Bella Swan. Forget falling for vampires - she stakes them! And, uh, just falls in love with her teacher instead... moving on.

10. Matilda from Matilda. Look at that, another title-worthy character. Matilda is intelligent, brave, cheeky, strong-minded and magical - and her favourite thing in the world is books. What's not to love?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

My Book Boyfriend: Gilbert Blythe

My Book Boyfriend is an awesome weekly meme hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader, all about fictional boys who make us swoon. This week I've chosen another one of my early loves: Gilbert Blythe from L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. 

About Gilbert

• He's the bully-turned-rival-turned-friend-turned-love-turned-soul-mate of one of my favourite characters of all time, Anne Shirley.
• He's described as a "tall boy, with curly brown hair, roguish hazel eyes and a mouth twisted into a teasing smile."
• He's pretty much perfect: smart, confident, witty, friendly... not to mention patient and devoted - he never stops trying to earn Anne's trust, respect, forgiveness and (eventually) love, despite her being a mean grudge-holder.
• He's selfless, too, giving up his teaching position in Avonlea because he thinks Anne needs it more. Awww.
• He's played by Jonathan Crombie in the amazing 1985 TV adaptation. Because I grew up watching this and only read the books as a teenager, Gilbert has never looked like anybody else to me.

Swoon-worthy quotes

As Anne of Green Gables focuses on the early teen years of Anne and Gilbert, there isn't too much to REALLY swoon over (that comes in later books - but if I delved into them we'd be here all month). Still, there are quite a few lovely, iconic scenes:

"Gilbert Blythe was trying to make Anne Shirley look at him and failing utterly... Gilbert Blythe wasn't used to putting himself out to make a girl look at him and meeting with failure. She SHOULD look at him, that red-haired Shirley girl with the little pointed chin and big eyes that weren't like the eyes of any other girl in Avonlea school. Gilbert reached across the aisle and picked up the end of Anne's long red braid, held it out at arm's length, and said in a piercing whisper: 'Carrots! Carrots!'"

"Gilbert had also sprung from the boat and now laid a detaining hand or her arm. 'Anne,' he said hurriedly, 'look here. Can't we be good friends? I'm awfully sorry I made fun of your hair that time. I didn't mean to vex you and I only meant it for a joke. Besides, it's so long ago. I think your hair is awfully pretty now - honest I do. Let's be friends.'"

"But suddenly, as her dilated, frightened eyes gazed out over the audience, she saw Gilbert Blythe away at the back of the room, bending forward with a smile on his face - a smile which seemed to Anne at once triumphant and taunting. In reality it was nothing of the kind. Gilbert was merely smiling in appreciation of the whole affair in general, and of the effect it produced on Anne's slender white form and spiritual face against a background of palms in particular."