Friday Link Dump: Men In Glasses, Shakespeare Rumours And Karl Stefanovic Fan Fiction

-Here's how Tumblr helped one person become a better (and published) writer. (Publisher's Weekly)

-Why YA deserves more recognition in mainstream media. (Kill Your Darlings)

-The Flowers in the Attic movie hasn't even aired yet, but Lifetime is already developing a sequel. And I am excited. (EW)

-Book Riot has some suggestions of activities you can do while listening to an audiobook. (Book Riot)

-Here are some entertaining and probably untrue rumours about Shakespeare. (Mental Floss)

-The Twitter trailer for the new Muppets movie is #amazeballs. Can't wait to see it. (YouTube)

-If you're attracted to men in glasses, this Tumblr is for you. (Tumblr)

-This Snickers bar slice has me drooooling. (Style Me Pretty)

-Hello Giggles addresses the question of why women (and men) prefer male bosses. (Hello Giggles)

-BuzzFeed stuff: How to create a good cheese platter; Great movies you may have missed in 2013; All of the BSC cover outfits ranked; What Are You Afraid of the Dark might be like if it was on now; This Alexander Skarsgard meme is the best ever; The best of the internet's reaction to Cory Bernardi; The adorable exchange between the CSIRO and a little girl who just wants a dragon; and the best moments from the Karl Stefanovic fan fiction you will never be able to unsee.

Bookish Buys: Quotable Wall Candy

 

Alice in Wonderland quote

 

The Velveteen Rabbit quote

Louisa May Alcott quote

The Little Prince print

 

Northanger Abbey print

Harry Potter quote

 

F. Scott Fitzgerald quote

Winnie the Pooh print

Jane Austen print

Pride and Prejudice quote

C. S. Lewis quote

Shakespeare print

Sylvia Plath quote

Peter Pan quote

Jack Kerouac quote

 

The Bell Jar quote

The Great Gatsby print

Dr Seuss print 

John Green print

Jane Austen quote

Top Ten Opening Lines

1. "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o'clock at night." - David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. 

2. "The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone... she was no longer the careless colour of sea foam, but rather the colour of snow falling on a moonlit night." - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.

3. "My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die. I counted. It happened on the Jellicoe Road." - On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.

4. "First the colours. Then the humans. That’s how I usually see things. Or at least, how I try. ***Here is a small fact*** You are going to die." - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

5. "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

6. "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." - 1984 by George Orwell.

7. "All children, except one, grow up." - Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie.

8. "Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that... Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail." - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

9. "This is my favourite book in all the world, though I have never read it." The Princess Bride by William Goldman.

10. "Jasper Jones has come to my window. I don't know why, but he has." - Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.

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

Top Ten Books I Want Santa To Bring Me

1. The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling. I feel like the only person in the world who hasn't read this book.

2. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. Everyone I know adores this book, and every time I see a new, glowing review, I kick myself for not owning it.

3. Metamorphoses by Ovid. I love Greek mythology and I've been meaning to read the Metamorphoses for years, so I'd love to get it as a gift.

4. Saved by Cake by Marian Keyes. This not only looks like a totally adorable cookbook, it also sounds like an interesting and potentially moving read, focusing on how baking literally saved Marian's life as she recovered from depression.

5. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson. This twist on the Peter Pan tale sounds intriguing and has gotten amazing reviews from people I trust.

6. The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens. I loved The Emerald Atlas when I read it last year, and I've been looking forward to reading its sequel for awhile. I just need to get my hands on it!

7. Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart. I'm obsessed with Miranda's self-titled sitcom, and her book sounds just as hilarious and delightful.

8. On Writing by Stephen King. I'm hoping to focus more on my creative writing in the new year, and it seems like this book is a must-have for all aspiring authors!

9. The Illiad and The Odyssey by Homer. I specifically want the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics edition of Homer's work, because it looks gorgeous. I'm obsessed with this collection.

10. The Original Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. This edition of Mary Shelley's classic includes two versions of the story: the original that Mary wrote, and the version we all know, which was heavily edited by her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley. I'd love to see the original and compare the two.

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

What's on your wishlist?

Bookish Buys: Wedding Table Numbers and Custom Book Art

Before my wedding, I got lost in the world of wedding blogs and every now and then I'd surface with one (thousand) things I wanted to do for my own wedding. One of those things was table numbers made from books. The (now) Husband took one look at the picture I had as inspiration and said, "I can do that". I was skeptical, but surrendered a book I knew I wouldn't reread with the proviso that I would be able to, if I wanted to, after he was done. I was blown away by the result, and needless to say he ended up doing all of the table numbers for our wedding. He also made a "true love" pop-out which we used as a prop in photos and also sat on the bridal table, plus a "where we came from" sign that sat with photos of our parents and grandparents on their wedding days. We completed the decorations with pink and ivory flowers in assorted vases and stacks of books in shades of of pink, green and blue, tied up with ivory ribbon. We also put a baseball on each table, to represent The Husband's favourite pastime, and asked the guests to sign them as lovely mementos in addition to our guestbook.

 

 

 

OK, you're probably wondering about now why this post is titled "bookish buys" when it's all about my wedding. Well! The husband had so much fun creating the table numbers that he decided to continue doing it, and set up an Etsy store for custom orders. He has also started creating some adorable characters. So this post is kind of a shameless plug, but I figured I spend plenty of time promoting other people's Etsy stores, I should be able to promote The Husband's. I'm biased, but I love what he's created. Although I don't like seeing books cut up, they're all second-hand AND if you really want to, you can pop the characters/letters back into the book and it's still readable, give or take a few words. So, you know, no books were (seriously) harmed in the making of these projects. Check out his store, Custom Book Art, if you're after table numbers or book art, and message him for requests if you have any. The characters he's done so far are Peter Pan and Winnie-the-Pooh, but I have it on good authority that he's got Allie and Noah from The Notebook and Sherlock Holmes coming up.

Winnie-the-Pooh book art

 

Peter Pan book art

Wedding photography by J Roberts Photography

Top Ten: Books With Vivid Settings

1.The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. This one's a bit of a no brainer, right? Who DOESN'T want to go to Hogwarts? Post-Voldemort, natch. I want to drink Butterbeer with Hagrid and discuss hair potions with Hermione.

2. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Sigh. This book is so, so beautiful - and the setting is a big part of that. Just look at these opening lines: "The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone... she was no longer the careless color of sea foam, but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night.” Vivid, no?

3. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. From the Ivory Tower to the Desert of Colours, and the from the City of Old Emperors to the Waters of Life, Fantastica contains about a gazillion different settings for the price of one. The various lands are one of the highlights of the book.

4. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. Though I can't follow directions very well (second star to the right and straight on till morning!), I just have to open the pages of Peter Pan to visit the mysterious, dark and wonderful world of Neverland any time I want.

5. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Like The Neverending Story, and to a lesser extent Peter Pan, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is filled with many enchanting - and occasionally terrifying - lands. While everyone is familiar with the Yellow Brick Road and Emerald City, my favourite is the China Village.

6. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Oh, how I'd love to visit Florin. Mainly to track down Westley and convince him that his True Love is really me, not that ninny Buttercup. I'd also eat peanuts with Fezzik and quote Inigo Montoya to himself.

7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The evocative descriptions of the magical black and white Night Circus was my favourite thing about this book. Can someone make it happen in real life, please? Only, minus the battle to the death and all that.

8. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. This is one vivid setting that I most definitely don't want to visit. The totalitarian world of Oceana is the stuff nightmares are made of. It's drab, grey, depressing and horrific.

9. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The Republic of Gilead is another place I wouldn't want to visit in a hurry. The oppressive atmosphere is terrifyingly tangible through the the eyes of strong-minded Offred.

10. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. This is the only book on my list with a real world setting. But it's Paris. That's magic enough in itself. If I didn't already want to travel there, this book would definitely put it on my wish list. Somebody get me a croissant.

What are your fave book settings?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top 5: Characters I Love To Hate

For TGIF this week, Ginger at GReads asks: "Love-hate relationships: Which characters do you love to hate?"
 

1. Voldemort from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling: Voldemort is one sexy villain. Not literally, of course. He's pretty scary-ugly, in that case. But he's got charm, charisma, intelligence and power that are totally attractive. Shame he's crazy.

2. Soames Forsyte from The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy: Soames is such an interesting character. Brought up to believe in the value of possessions in an era when women were seen as exactly that, he just doesn't understand how to treat his forward-thinking, freedom-seeking wife. He loves her dearly, but he can't express that love in healthy ways, driving him to some pretty horrible acts. Still, you can't help but feel for him.

3. Uriah Heep from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens: Ugh, Uriah Heep makes my skin crawl. He is so disgusting and devious, with his "'umbleness". But he's so wonderfully constructed, I really love his character, even though I really, really hate him.

4. Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: Pretty much every single character in this book is horrible, but Heathcliff is the worst. He's the "hero" of the novel and yet he's quite evil, using and abusing those around him to suit his own sick schemes. The love that exists between him and Cathy is so twisted, it hurts everyone that comes into contact with them. He's by no means heroic, but he sure is compelling.

5. Captain Hook from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie: He may be a murdering, thieving pirate, but hey, he's a gentlemen about it. He's a stickler for "form" and enjoys the finer things in life. And really, who could blame the guy for having it in for Peter Pan, the boy who leaves a trail of fairy dust and mischief wherever he flies... not to mention the little incident with Hook's hand. 



Which characters do you love to hate?

Bookish Buys: Pretty in Prints

There is a ridonkulous amount of awesome prints available on Etsy. Here are some of my faves...

Alice in Wonderland by Prrint

As You Wish by Zavalick Designs

Jane Austen quote by Tag Team Tompkins

Mr Darcy card by Little Minnow Designs

A Fairy Tale Ending by Type Posters

Harry Potter typographic print by Balanced Personality

Click Your Heels by Penny Wishes

Make Believe by Please Be Still

Yearning by In The Nook

Flying Lessons by The Gorgonist

The Secret Garden by Kate Fete

A Remarkable Book by The Little Chickadee