Friday Link Dump: Bookish Cocktails, Instagram Paraodies And Tom Hanks Being Tom Hanks

-Shameless self promotion: I joined BuzzFeed recently and have written a few posts if, you know, you want to check them out... There's History According to Tumblr, 100 Parks and Recreation GIFs, 21 Signs You're Anne Shirley, 25 Times Disney Face Characters Were Adorable, 10 Australian Celebs Before They Were Famous, and The 39 Stages of Being a Bride. (BuzzFeed)

-Closer to home (as in, this blog), I'm getting caught up on book reviews and wrote three this week for books I loved: Stardust by Neil Gaiman and Six Impossible Things and Wildlife by Fiona Wood. (This blog!)

-Reynje from Wordchasing did an awesome post about the Melbourne locations seen in Six Impossible Things, which author Fiona Wood expanded on. (Wordchasing, FionaWood.com)

-Find book recommendations similar to what you've read and liked on Go Book Yourself. (Tumblr)

-I would like many of these bookish things in my home. (BuzzFeed)

-And I would like many of these bookish cocktails in my belly. (BuzzFeed)

-Apparently they are remaking Little Women and this could be really bad. (Crushable)

-Jamie Dornan, a.k.a. the incredibly hot Huntsman from Once Upon a Time has been cast as Christian Grey. Which makes me actually want to see the movie. Oh god. (Hypable)

-Here are some web series that will appeal to fans of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, apparently. (Hypable)

-Pitchfork Review Generator: in case you need inspiration for your snark. (Pitchfork Review Generator)

-I love Hocus Pocus and I was very happy to find out I am Winifred. Which Sanderson sister are you? (BuzzFeed)

-This artist has been doing drawings of Disney characters dressed up as other pop culture icons and it's awesome. (Tumblr)

-Hot guys of history. Oh yeah. (Tumblr)

-MamaMia Spoilers is my new fave Twitter. (Twitter)

-I am in awe of this Deadspin writer's ability to monitor 10 screens at once and get work done and wow. My eyes hurt just looking at a picture of his set up. (The NY Times)

-Here are some people that are already winning at Halloween. (Junkee)

-10 reasons why TV is better than film right now. I kinda have to agree - I watch waaay more TV shows than movies these days coz the latter just haven't been as good. (The Guardian)

-I'm loving these two Instagram parody accounts: Satiregram and Thisisrealstagram. (Instagram)

-Salted caramel is the best. Make ALL the recipes. (BuzzFeed)

-Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock playing chopsticks on a big (or, er, Big) piano is my favourite thing ever. Followed closely by Sandra Bullock rapping. (YouTube)

-I am super excited to watch The Grand Budapest Hotel. It looks so fun. (YouTube)

Top Ten Movie Adaptations

1. Jane Eyre (2011), based on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It packs a lot into its limited running time, and manages to capture the emotions and feel of Bronte's classic beautifully. Plus Michael Fassbender.

2. The Princess Bride (1987), based on The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It's so faithful to the book and just plain awesome.

3. The Notebook (2004), based on The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. One of those rare movie adaptations that's actually better than the book. Much, much better.

4. Never Let Me Go (2010), based on Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Gorgeous, heartbreaking movie to fit a gorgeous, heartbreaking book.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), based on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The acting is a highlight of this classic adaptation.

6. The Secret Garden (1993), based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It may not always be faithful to the letter but it is very faithful to the spirit of the book, filled with the same whimsy and magic that's present in the original.

7. The Last Unicorn (1982), based on The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Sure, the animation isn't exactly high-tech, but it does manage to convey a lot of the same beautiful imagery that's in Beagle's book. Such a strange, kinda creepy but magical tale.

8. Clueless (1995), based on Emma by Jane Austen. It says a lot about both the movie and the novel that studying them in high school didn't forever sap my enjoyment of them. On a superficial level Clueless doesn't have a lot in common with Emma, but below the surface they are clearly kindred spirits.

9. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It's just not Christmas without this book or movie. And Gonzo as Dickens? Pure genius.

10. Little Women (1994), based on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. A gorgeous movie that hits all the right emotional notes. Which means a few laughs and a helluva lot of tears.

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

Pash, Pick or Pass: The Men of Little Women

Time to play Pash, Pick or Pass - a game where we pick from a random book trio and say who we'd pash (and dash), who we'd pick for a relationship and who we'd pass on all together.

The Contenders
From Louisa May Alcott's Little Women...

Jo's husband, Professor Bhaer

Amy's husband, Laurie

Meg's husband, John Brooke

My Choices

Pash: Prof Bhaer. I always got the impression he was quite passionate underneath that reserved exterior.

Pick: Laurie. Because it's LAURIE! Jo made the dumbest choice ever when she said no to him. And then poor Laurie got stuck with Amy. I'd make him feel better.

Pass: John Brooke. Mainly because the cast of the movie are ingrained in my head, and Eric Stoltz gives me the heebie jeebies.

Who would you pash, pick and pass from Little Women? What kinda guy do you think Beth would have married if she'd lived (sob!)?

Top Five: Books That Make Me Cry

Reading makes me happy, but that doesn't mean all books do - and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it feels good to just have a cry. Aside from that, it's wonderful to be so involved in a story that it really makes you feel - even if those feelings aren't always warm and fuzzy. A good story, well-told, has the power to make you experience all kinds of emotions, and if something moves me to tears, it means I've had a great read, if not a great time. Here are the top five books that have left me a blubbering heap of despair (in a good way, of course)...

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Oh my goodness, this book floored me. I was a wreck not just at the end, but all the way through it. Telling the story of three friends whose fate was already decided even before they were born, it's a devastating tale of love and loss. It's beautifully written, but an extremely intense - and at times excruciating - read. The worst (and best) part is that you kind of know what's going to happen, and getting there is wonderful and awful all at once. It's one of the best books I've read (and one of the best movies I've seen) this year.

2. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Henry has a disorder that causes him to time travel uncontrollably, complicating all aspects of his life - especially his relationship with his wife, Clare, who first met him as a little girl on one of his trips through time. What I found most interesting was the idea that Henry and Clare had no choice but to love each other - when they each met the other for the first time (Clare as a child meeting adult Henry in the "past", young adult Henry meeting young adult Clare in the "present") the other is already in love with them (adult Henry with his wife Clare, young adult Clare with the Henry who has visited her all her life). It's this lack of control that is the most frightening aspect of the story, especially as - like with Never Let Me Go - you get closer and closer to what you suspect is going to happen. I devoured this book in two days, and when I finished it I literally sobbed for about half an hour.

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. You go into a story set in Nazi Germany (narrated by Death himself, no less) knowing it's not exactly going to be all sunshine, rainbows and lollipops. But The Book Thief surprised me by how whimsical, beautiful and even delightful it was. Which, of course, just made the inevitable sad parts all the more heart-wrenching. I read it over a year ago now and I still get that punched-in-the-gut feeling when I think about certain parts. But it's the wonderful characters that stay with you more than anything; from the book-loving thief of the title, Liesl, to her cheeky, caring friend Rudy, to her abrasive-but-loving foster mother Rosa and her quietly heroic "papa", Hans. This is one of those books that I nag everyone to read - so if you haven't, go do it. Now.

4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It's a cold, cold person who can make it through Little Women - the classic tale of three remarkable and one extremely annoying four remarkable sisters - without crying. I always know what's going to happen, but it gets me Every. Single. Time. As soon as Beth goes to the Hummels, that's it, I can barely continue reading through my tears. Why couldn't Amy have gone instead?! I mean, er...

5. Checkers by John Marsden. I read this when I was about 11 or 12, and it's the first book that I remember really crying over - like, really crying. Told in flashbacks by a teen girl in a psychiatric hospital, the events that led her there - involving her beloved dog Checkers, her dad and the state government - are slowly revealed, with heartbreaking results. I revisited it again years later, racing through it in a matter of hours - and was still utterly gutted by the end of it. While I haven't read it in awhile, I'm still haunted by its contents whenever I catch a glimpse of the cover on my bookshelf.

What books have really made you cry?

Image via I Can Has Cheezburger