Friday Link Dump: Trailers, Hidden Rooms And The Anatomy Of A Book

 -The trailer for City of Bones is here and even though I didn't love the book, I'm kinda excited for the movie. It looks fun.

-I'm even more excited for the The Great Gatsby movie, especially after seeing the new trailer.

-I also can't wait for the new season of True Blood. It looks so awesome.

-When I grow up, I totally want a hidden room through my bookshelves and/or wardrobe.

-The anatomy of the book is pretty interesting.

-This is what Game of Thrones would look like if Westeros had Facebook. Meanwhile, you can learn Dothraki if you have enough time and, er, interest. And here's an entertaining remix featuring big Game of Thrones moments.

-The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is sadly over, but Hypable have listed their top ten episodes of the web series. I agree with pretty much all of them except their number one.

-Here's a  very cool way to deliver writing advice.

-Melina Marchetta is doing a Q&A session on Goodreads on April 30.

-Here are the real life people that inspired the looks of Disney characters.

-This parody of Taylor Swift's '22' is both hilarious and depressing. The latter mainly because this is basically my life at 26...

-But hey, informercial people failing at life in GIF form will make you feel better about your own life.

-And these The Golden Girls insults are well, pure gold.

Friday Links: The BSC, The Hunger Games and Google Poetry

New photos of Sam Claflin as Finnick, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in the watery arena (a.k.a. Hawaii) in Catching Fire have emerged. They look awesome. Also awesome: This Hunger Games/Mean Girls mash-up.

Flavorwire has listed 10 TV shows that are better than the books they're based on. I totally agree about True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, but I haven't read any of the others so I can't really judge. Even though that was my aim for this year, with my own challenge and all. Sigh.

If you like charts, you might want to check out this data on 50 Shades of Grey (specifically, the sex scenes). Apparently, the first book is 13 per cent sex, the second is 11 per cent and the third is eight per cent. But you don't have to wait as long to get to the sex scenes in the final two... so there's that.

Did you know David Levithan started out as an intern working on The Baby-Sitters Club? In honour of the BSC's 30th birthday, he's done a Q&A with Ann M. Martin for Scholastic. Super cute.

Who knew Google suggested searches could be so poetic? And hilarious - but we all knew that part.

I would really love to know how some people's minds work. Like what kind of mind goes, "hey, you know what would be a great idea? Taking celebrity mug-shots and giving them a 1920s makeover". An awesome mind, that's what kind. An awesome one.

I loved looking at these vintage photos of Australian kids, especially all the Christmas shots.

This super-cut of Barack Obama in relaxed moments will make you smile.

YouTube Clip of the Week
Poor puppy is never going to get his toy back.  

Friday Link Dump: So Many Trailers! And Some Other Stuff

Stephanie Meyer hasn't ruled out more Twilight books - in fact, apparently she's already plotted out a few more focusing on Renesmee and Jacob. Ick. No word on whether the rest of The Host series is coming any time soon, but the trailer for the movie has just been released. It doesn't look amazing, except for Max Irons. Dayum.

A UK charity for abuse victims asked for donations of 50 Shades of Grey so they could use it to wipe their bums. Which is kind of hilarious. Not so hilarious is the fact that one woman is blaming the book for the disintegration of her marriage. Oh dear...

Should I read Beautiful Creatures? For some reason it's passed under my radar until recently, but now the internet is kinda exploding over the movie trailer. The cast is great but the story doesn't totally grab me from the trailer alone. Bit over paranormal romance TBH, though it's good to see the guy as the mortal for a change.

Another trailer that's making the rounds is the one for Warm Bodies. When I first heard about it I thought it was just cashing in on Twilight (with zombies) but it actually looks kinda good. The comments about R having the kind of face that could mean he's in his 20s, but could also mean he's a teenager, are particularly funny in light of the author's minor tantrum over the fact that his book isn't YA, even though it looks like it is to a lot of people.

Then there's the City of Bones trailer (what is the, Trailer Week?). I wasn't a massive fan of the book, but the movie looks pretty good. The cast looks right - even Jamie Campbell Bower. I wasn't convinced when they cast him, but judging by the trailer he does a good job as Jace.

I'm not fussed on Sookie's new "love interest" for the next season of True Blood. I guess this means they're not using Quinn, which I can't say I'm sad about. I never really liked him in the books. But ugh, enough with the faeries! Just have hot vampire sex with non-amnesiac Eric already!

Speaking of Sookie, the synopsis for the final book in Charlaine Harris' series has been released. The stuff about Eric being distant is annoying but unsurprising. I just hope they end up together in the end. Because all the other guys blow. 

The Oatmeal's latest comic on writing and content creation is both hilarious and insightful. His analogy of inspiration as a river is great, as is his advice for reading feedback and comments online (basically, it's not a good idea *cough*SPAs*cough*).

The Oxford American Dictionary has named the word of the year: GIF. Given my love of gifs, I appreciate this, but it's especially great considering the other contender was YOLO. Which I think we can all agree needs to live up to its meaning and go die.

You know how action figures/celeb dolls often look kinda fugly? This guy repaints them so they're more realistic, and they're absolutely amazing.

Will Smith still knows every word to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air rap. And it's awesome. 

I'm pretty sure Andrew Garfield is my favourite human being right now. Watch him do 10 different dances - with no music - for charity on Ellen.


This gif set is pretty much the story of my life.

YouTube Clip of the Week

Pash, Pick or Pass: Sookie Stackhouse's Boy Besties

Time to play Pash, Pick or Pass (a.k.a. Date, Do or Ditch) - a weekly game I feature 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
Sookie Stackhouse's non-vamp friends...

Her brother, Jason

Her crush buddy, Alcide

Her boss, Sam

My Choices

Pash: Jason. The boy is fine, and with all his experience in the sack I'm sure he'd know a thing or two about pashing. But he's dumber than a bag of hammers and a box of rocks put together, so I couldn't deal with him for longer than that.

Pick: Alcide. Now that's a man. That scene with him cooking steak (for breakfast, of course) in season three of True Blood? MAN. Hot, hot MAN. The kind I'd want to keep around the house. I'm being selective, of course, and picking Alcide from the show/early books - coz he's a bit of a douche by the end. But for now he's all mine.

Pass: Sam. He just does not do it for me at all. In the books or the show. Pass!

Who would you pash, pick and pass?

PS Who do you want to play with next time?

Bookish Buys: True Blood Edition

Yes, I've got True Blood on the brain this week. I still haven't seen the new episode yet and I'm getting seriously twitchy. So I have to get my fix in other ways - like looking at this cool merch.

I actually own this necklace from Corso Studio, and it's like a True Blood fan detection device - when I wear it, I get knowing smiles from those who are fans, and strange looks from those who aren't.

I expect the same thing would happen with this necklace. Even non-Truebies would probably get it, but they might still raise an eyebrow.

This one makes me smile, because I freaking love Pam. Even though when she said this line, she was interrupting this.

 

I thought this necklace - inspired by Godric's tattoo - was pretty clever. Not sure I'd wear it myself, but props for uniqueness.


 

Here's another cool decal, this time from Mac Appeal. Apple should seriously sponsor these people, because I totally want to buy their products, just so I can decorate them.

I loved cross stitch as a kid and only recently embraced my inner nanna and got into it again. I'm currently finishing off a Peter Rabbit bookmark (yes, alongside my inner nanna sits an inner six-year-old) and have already ordered this awesome Pretty in Pink pattern for my next attempt, but if I haven't run out of steam by then I might just give this one a go - at least you only need one colour!

And I've saved the best for last. It's a Bill Compton voodoo doll! I need this, like, now, to release all my Beel-inspired aggression. I have a lot of it. Even better would be an Eric Northman stress doll that I could hug and squeeze to my heart's content. What? Get your minds out of the gutter, people!

Pash, Pick or Pass: Sookie's Harem

In honour of True Blood returning to TV this week, the contenders for Pash, Pick or Pass will be selected from amongst Sookie Stackhouse's many admirers:

My Choices

Pash: Alcide. Why? Well...

'Nuff said.

Pick: Eric, because he's sexy, powerful, intelligent, passionate, cheeky, protective, caring and, ahem, good in bed:

Pass: Bill, because I hate him so freaking much. He's manipulative, selfish and whiney. In the first book/season of the show, I actually really liked him, but as both versions of the series progressed he just got more and more douchey and waaay less attractive:

Want to play?
Go here if you want more info on Pash, Pick or Pass. Join in by sharing who out of Bill, Eric and Alcide you'd: 1) pash and dash; 2) pick for a long-term relationship; and 3) pass on altogether. Create your own post (linking back to this one) and share the direct link here, or simply comment below with your choices!

Mag Monday: True Blood Stars Cover EW

FINALLY, season four of True Blood is here! Well, not here here, but there here, as it hit US screens last night. I'm tossing up whether I want to a) stay spoiler-free and wait until I can see all the shows in one go, as I have in past years; b) read spoilers and still wait until I can see all the shows in one hit; or, c) give in to my impatience and watch each ep as it becomes available, so I won't have to worry about spoilers. I'm leaning towards the latter, because I'm dying to see how the season pans out - I hope it stays faithful to the fourth book (my fave), or I might just get stabby.

Anyway, what this ramble is eventually bringing me to is this: I love the Entertainment Weekly covers this week! The Alexander Skarsgard one is my favourite, of course - his expression cracks me up. Know what else cracks me up? Stephen Moyer's shoulder pads.

Review: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

This book answered a bunch of questions but left me asking even more.

Having read the entire series back-to-back over a few weeks last year, I'd been super excited about the release of the next Sookie Stackhouse book. But sadly, while it satisfied me to some extent, I can't help feeling a bit... disappointed.

Dead Reckoning follows Sookie's continuing (mis)adventures as she deals with her complex relationship with the (hot hot hot) vampire Eric, a rough patch at work, her newly-found fairy family living in her house, and more than a few crazy creatures out to get her. The thing is, none of this is particularly new; it's just variations on what's happened in previous books, and I have to admit I'm getting a bit over it. Of course, I lurved anything involving Eric, and found his part of the storyline gripping, but was unimpressed by how little it progressed and how some major issues were left hanging (obviously setting up the story for yet another book in the series). I find the whole fairy plot kind of dull, and paradoxically was frustrated by how much of the story it took up and also how much was left unresolved (again). Yes, Sookie got some answers, but most of those seemed unimportant compared to what wasn't answered.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the book while I was reading it, but after I finished I kind of felt like, "Was that it?!" Although a couple of big things happened towards the end, the majority if the book moved quite slowly (for instance, I was shocked when I realised I was a third of the way through - it felt like all Sookie had done was clean her house and go to work!) and overall it seems to have been more of a set up for the next book than a story within itself.

Rating: 3/5

Spoilery Talking Points

• I really, really hope Sookie doesn't leave Eric and get back with Bill, as the end seemed to hint at. I might just give up on the series if she does. I hate Bill, especially in the books.
• I'm so disappointed with the way Alcide's character has gone - he could have been a serious contender when he was first introduced, but now he's just such a tool box.
• I felt so sad for Pam! I also wanted to see more of her AND Eric. 
• Was it just me, or were the two big showdowns at the end kind of anti-climatic? Sure, they were pretty violent (especially the assassination of Victor), but it almost seemed too easy for Sookie's side. I mean, they only had one casualty, and yet completely wiped out the other side?! I know they're the good guys and all, but it to me it was a bit too much of a Meyer-style cop out.
• Did I mention I'm over the fairies? It doesn't look like they're going anywhere anytime soon, though. 
• After making a big thing about the portal being too small for anyone to travel through, it seemed dumb that they were able to dump a body - even a "small" one - in there.
• As for the cluviel dor, I predict Sookie will use it to get Eric out of his marriage to the Queen of Oklahoma. At least, I hope she does that - and DOESN'T get back with Bill. The thought also crossed my mind that she could maybe turn Eric into a human... but that's probably pretty implausible.

Eye Candy
As a massive True Blood fan (it's the main reason I read the books in the first place), I pretty much pictured the entire cast as their characters. That's coz I think, for the most part, the casting is spot-on - especially for the guys.

Sookie and her harem

A shirtless Eric, just coz

I love this pic of Jason - it sums up his character perfectly

How awesome is Pam?! I love her

 

Sure, Alcide is an a-hole in this book, but that doesn't mean we can't perve

My Book Boyfriend: Eric Northman

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Missie at The Unread Reader, all about fictional boys who make us swoon. As I'm currently buried in Bon Temps via Charlaine Harris' latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Reckoning, plus drooling over Alexander Skarsgard in GQ and anxiously awaiting season four of True Blood, naturally the book guy at the front of my mind this week is none other than the amazing Eric Northman.

About Eric

• He's a vampire who's been around for more than 1000 years. When he was alive, he was a Viking.
• He's tall, built and blonde. I don't normally go for blondies, but Eric is just divine. In the books he has long hair, but I REALLY don't go for guys with long hair, so I still picture him with the short hair Alexander Skarsgard (who is the perfect Eric) sports from season two of True Blood.
• His maker was a creepy Roman named Appius Livius Ocella, and his vampire brother was the Tsarevich Alexei Romanov. His "child" is the awesome Pam.
• As the vampire Sheriff of Area Five, he's fierce, brave, calculating and powerful, but he also has a softer - and extremely passionate - side. He's very protective of those he loves and has a (sometimes literally) wicked sense of humour. 

Swoon-worthy Quotes
(Spoiler alert if you haven't read the books)

"We could go back to your house. I can stay with you always. We can know each other's bodies in every way, night after night. I could love you."

"'Sitting here on your bed, smelling your scent,' he said in a voice so low I had to strain to hear it. 'Sookie ... I remember everything... I can’t believe I felt something so strongly and was so happy for the first time in hundreds of years.'”

"My eyes flew open, and I pushed back against rock-hard shoulders. I let out a little squeak of horror. 'It's me,' said a familiar voice... 'Eric, what are you doing here?' 'Snuggling."

"'Let go,' he advised me, and I loosened my grip on his hands. 'No, not of me,' he said smiling. 'You can hold on to me as long as you want. Let go of the pain, Sookie. Let go. You need to drift away.'"

"I hurt with you. I bled with you - not only because we're bonded but because of the love I have for you."

Related
Alexander Skarsgard is just about the best thing in Zoolander.

Better still is this:

Bookish Fun: Two Things I Am Ridiculously Excited About

1. Breaking Dawn Part 1
I'll admit it: I freaking love Edward Cullen. Yep, I'm one of those girls. Sure, he's all stalkery, broody and sparkly, but goshdarnit I love the guy. It's not that I don't have issues with him. And I have many more issues with Bella and even more with Breaking Dawn. Man, do I hate Breaking Dawn. HATE it. But I've still read it three times. And I still let out a squeal when I watched this:

2. Season Four of True Blood
As much as I love Edward, I love Eric Northman about a hundred times more. He is one beautiful vamp. And I love, love, love, True Blood - it's one of my fave shows. So to say I'm excited for season four to start is a bit of an understatement. Especially because book four, which this season will be partially based on, is my favourite book in the series. The Eric/Sookie storyline is so much fun. I hope the show does it justice - I have a feeling it will: