Friday Links: Judy Blume, Giraffe Butts and Game of Thrones

-Judy Blume did an AMA on Reddit. Best ever. (Reddit)

-I've been in a bit of a Game of Thrones Google binge since it ended this week. In my travels I came across this awesome Hitler reaction vid on the Red Wedding. Spoilers if you haven't read/watched it (YouTube). I also discovered Game of Kittehs, which is ridiculous but made me giggle (Tumblr). Then there's ah-mazing 80s-themed character posters (Society6), along with this 80s-style Jon Snow training sequence that totally needs to happen IRL (YouTube). Finally, a fan who is also a dwarf gives his perspective on the character of Tyrion, and it's brilliant (Reddit).

-The worst from the slush pile - or, what NOT to do in a query. (Tumblr)

-The actress of one of my all-time fave movies, Matilda, reveals her inside knowledge on why child actors go crazy so often. (Cracked)

-One child actor who didn't go too crazy (unless you count his obsession with skeletons and ghosts) is Ryan Gosling, who, speaking of skeletons and ghosts, had one of his earliest roles in the Goosebumps series. Watching it makes me all nostalgic. (Vulture)

-Mean Gurlz is the best Mean Girls parody I've seen in a long time. "You can't twerk with us!" (YouTube)

-I'm obsessed with this cinemagraph blog. Just stunning. (Tumblr)

-One photographer takes the 'Dear Photograph' concept to another level by going to the places old movies/TV shows were filmed and juxtaposing new photos with old shots. Awesome. (Tumblr)

-If you've been living under a rock and haven't yet watched The Greatest Event in Television History, you should probably go do that now. (YouTube)

-Here is a gallery of everything Ron Swanson has eaten on Parks and Recreation. It's a lot of meat. (Vulture)

-ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG new season of Skins is out soon and here is the trailer. Sad that Sid isn't in it while Cassie is, feel pretty meh about Effy, but interested to know what happened to Cook. (YouTube)

-A new show that I'm excited about is The White Queen, based on the series by Philippa Gregory. I haven't read the books but the trailer looks great, so I'll have to read then watch. Max Irons, hello! (YouTube)

-Pomeranians are probably are the key to world peace. Meanwhile, did you know giraffes use their BUTTS as pillows?! If that's not adorable/hilarious enough for you, these gifs should do you in. (BuzzFeed)

Friday Link Dump: Game of Thrones Art, Literary Foods and Awkward Moments

 
This typographical Game of Thrones fan art is pretty awesomesauce. Speaking of Game of Thrones... can season three come out already?! I need me some Jon Snow action.

I don't know about you, but whenever I watch or read about a character eating something, it totally makes me want to eat it too (what, just me?). Luckily Quirk Books has compiled a list of some literary foods you can try in real life. I might steer clear of the green eggs and ham though...

I was addicted to Goosebumps as a kid. These days, I'm addicted to TV shows like Dexter, The Walking Dead and American Horror Story. The fact that this post combines those two addictions (in an incredibly clever way) makes me way happier than it should.

So I didn't realise that the dorky guy from NCIS is THACKERY BINX from Hocus Pocus and now I know and my mind is blown. Also, Hocus Pocus is the best movie of all time a great movie.


Watching Law and Order can sometimes feel like playing Where's Wally? with celebrities. Check out this super-cut for just some of the surprise cameos.

I love me some Gossip Girl fashion, so I found this post about the iconic style moments of the show by the Fug Girls super fun. This is the reason I tried to wear headbands for like three weeks in 2008. It was a painful time.

On a more sombre note, this gallery of photos from a psychiatric hospital in the 1930s is quite chilling and heartbreaking. It looks like something straight out of a horror movie.

Back to bright things, I dare you to look through this gallery of the the best wildlife photos of the year and not say, "woah!".

Awkward situations are always funny when they're happening to other people (or, er, animals).

Rose and violet flavoured fairy floss? Yes, please.

Top 5: Series That Defined My Childhood

When I think about the books that I read as a child, they always seem to be a part of a series or collection. I read individual books, of course, but I guess purely because I read more of them, it's the series that seem to have stuck in my mind the most. Here are the ones that dominated my early years:

1. Little Golden Books (Ages 1-10)

For as long as I can remember, I had a shelf full of Little Golden Books to dive into. Before I could read myself, my family read them to me, and once I learned I spent many an hour with a Golden Book in my hand. Later, as I outgrew them, I had the excuse of a little brother to share them with - though admittedly I would still pick up my old favourites when I was alone. Even as a kid I was super nostalgic, never quite ready to let go of past joys.

2. The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin (Ages 8-12)

I first picked up a BSC book in Year 3, but I wasn't immediately hooked (probably because it was a Mallory story), reading the books at various times, in no particular order, as I got them from the library or as gifts over the next couple of years. Then when I was around nine or 10, my mum signed me up for The Babysitters Club Club. I got my very own BSC necklace, and was sent three books a month, in chronological order, starting with Kristy's Great Idea. By the time I got over it a couple of years later, I'd racked up 112 books (not counting doubles or super specials) and countless hours of reading, rereading, watching the show and movie, and trying to start up a BSC of my own (it didn't work out - astonishingly, parents in my neighbourhood weren't quite so eager as those in Stonybrook to leave their kids with 11-year-olds as sitters).

3. Paul Jennings' short story collections (Ages 8-12)

I still have a few of these books lying around at my parents' place, and from the sad state of them - dog-eared pages and missing or torn covers - you might think I neglected them, but in fact it's a sign of how very well-loved they were. I obsessively reread them, spending time assessing each story and ranking them in order from most liked to least, from saddest to happiest and so on (the first stirrings of the book blogger in me?). I was such a nerd, I know, but at the time it didn't seem so bad, coz Jennings' books were so awesome that they were actually considered cool to read. I remember having in-depth discussions (well, as in-depth as nine-year-olds get) with my friends about each story, and competing over who had read the most. Throw in Round the Twist, the show based on the collections, and I spent much of my formative years under the influence of Jennings' twisted mind.

4. Goosebumps by R. L. Stine (Ages 9-12)

Although I wasn't quite as obsessed with Goosebumps as I was with the BSC, I still amassed a considerable collection - in addition to devoting many library visits to the series. I was hooked on the mysteries, thrills and big twist endings, and loved the ghostly ones the most. When the show hit our screens I became addicted to that, too, roping in my poor baby brother to watch it with me. I wonder if this has anything to do with all the nightmares...

5. Series by V. C. Andrews (Ages 11-14)

My auntie introduced me to the joys of V. C. Andrews, first lending me her collection and then starting me off with my own when she gave me the full Flowers in the Attic set for my 11th birthday. Looking back, I'm amazed she encouraged me to read them - they're so trashy, twisted and just a bit naughty - but at the time, of course, I ate them all up. Though I guess I turned out all right, and I'm not gonna lie, I still love them today - for the same trashy, twisted reasons I loved them back then.