Friday Link Dump: Flowers in the Attic, Adorable Dogs and Nutella

-The big news in the YA book world this week was the release of the Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters teaser trailer. (Yahoo!) If that isn't enough for you, here are some stills (Weebly), and here are author Richelle Mead's thoughts on the teaser (Dhampir Life). All I want to know is, why the hell is Dimitri wearing granny knickers?!

-There is a Nutella recipe book. I want to go to there. (Book Depository)

-I totally want this gorgeous book of illustrations of famous literary heroines. (Refinery 29)

-Even Stephenie Meyer is sick of Twilight. Really. (Variety)

-Cuddlebuggery created some memes about the woes of being a Big Book Blogger. Lulz. (Cuddlebuggery)

-The book isn't always better than the movie - at least according to the authors who wrote these ones. (Cracked)

-If you haven't seen the OCD poetry performance that's been doing the rounds, go watch it. Now. (YouTube)

-This is what Teen Wolf looks like to a Tumblr user who hasn't actually seen the show. Spoiler: It's hilarious. (Hypable)

-The history and magazine nerds inside me are both very happy with this post about the first issues of famous mags. (Mental Floss)

-People who think The Onion articles are true are silly. And hilarious. (Thought Catalog)

-The Toast had a Flowers in the Attic day and it was amazing. They interviewed editor Ann Patty, who also wrote her own account of how the book came to be. They also published some fan art and this insightful piece on "disability horror" - coz V.C. Andrews is about more than incest. Ahem. (The Toast)

-In other V.C. Andrews news, Kiernan Shipka (a.k.a. Sally Draper) has been cast as Cathy in the upcoming Flowers in the Attic movie and I don't know how to feel about this. (Deadline)
 
-Hypable lists their fave Shakespeare movie adaptations. I like that 10 Things I Hate About You made the list. (Hypable)

-I've been reading Tales of the Macabre by Edgar Allen Poe this week and it made me curious about how accurate The Following is in its portrayal of Poe. Apparently not very. (Vulture)

-The 10 types of writers you probably resent. (The Toast)

-I can't decide whether to laugh or cry at these emoji versions of famous artworks. Laugh. It's laugh. (Tumblr)

-I am really excited to watch A.C.O.D. Although it will be odd to see Amy Poehler play Adam Scott's step-mother. But awesome. (Yahoo!)

-The trailer for Cory Monteith's last movie, McCanick, looks great but it's incredibly haunting. It makes me wonder if playing a drug addict triggered his own addiction. So sad. (YouTube)

-GQ lists the key horror movies to watch this year. Although their definition of horror is quite loose. (GQ)

-Tina Fey is working on another TV show and it's the best news I've heard all week. (AV Club)

-Do you ever browse the web and find yourself thinking, "if only every single photo on this page was Ryan Gosling"? No? Well, there's an app for that anyway. (Hey Girl)

-Take this hearing test to see how good your ears are. Mine are "under 40". Yikes. (YouTube)

-These dogs are cat people and although I am not cat people I am all for interspecies friendships. I am also all for dogs who sometimes forget how to be dogs and get themselves into hilarious positions. But most of all I am for dogs who are really excited about being dogs. (BuzzFeed)

-Meanwhile this dog knows how to play with himself (get your mind out of the gutter!). (YouTube)

-I love seeing pictures of Marilyn Monroe that I haven't come across before. Like these. (Vintage Everyday)

Be My Guest: Michelle From Maree's Musings

Today I have Michelle Maree from Maree's Musings as my guest. I was lucky enough to meet Michelle yesterday (along with lots of other awesome bloggers) and she is just as lovely in real life as she is online. She has a gorgeous blog which showcases her love of books as well as movies, TV and music - especially The Beatles. She's made me want to read so many books, including All This Could End by Steph Bowe, the Girl Heart Boy series, Saltwater Vampires by Kirsty Eager, This is Shyness by Leanne Hall and Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

What are we eating and drinking at this party?
I'm thinking milkshakes. My favourite flavour is lime and banana, I know, it's kinda crazy, but so yummy! And I think we need TimTams to eat! We always need chocolate. Always.

What part of the world do you hail from, and what's something not many people would know about that place?
I'm from a town in Central Queensland called Rockhampton, which loves to call itself the beef capital of Australia. We have a Beef Week every three years and a pub with a bull riding ring inside. It is a pretty awesome pub. We also have bull statues all over town with puns like 'remove-a-bull' and 'contain-a-bull' written on them at local businesses.

Tell us one random fact about yourself.
I am super protective/paranoid about my books being kept in good (read: perfect) condition.

What do you do when you're not reading/blogging?
At the moment I'm studying at university, so really I don't do anything else. It's basically reading for uni and then reading for fun and relaxation. I used to enjoy crafts but since moving out of home I haven't really had the chance to do anything.

What kind of books do you read, and what is your ultimate favourite?
I love contemporary young adult, that is by far my favourite genre. However, I do try and read as much YA as possible because there are so many good books out there. Since I started blogging I've found books I love  thatI never would have thought of reading before and that has been a really lovely experience. It's hard to pick an ultimate favourite, but I think it would probably be the entire Harry Potter series.

Describe your blog in three words.
Books. Beatles. Rambling.

What is your favourite thing about your blog/blogging?
It is definitely the wonderful people I have met. A lot of my friends at uni don't read the same types of books as me, so it has been lovely to find people who love the same books I do. There are certain bloggers who have such similar tastes to me that I can pretty much always email them and vent my feelings about a book. The best bit is they usually feel the same! It certainly makes reading even more fun.

I've also really enjoyed developing my writing style. As a journalism student the experience of book blogging has been invaluable to me and has made me more confident in myself and my writing ability. 

What post or review are you most proud of, and why?
I have to say my review of Every Day by David Levithan. I find it really hard to write reviews of books I didn't like and I feel like I justified everything I didn't like in this review without sounding too snarky. Well, I hope that's the case anyway!

 

I am also really proud of the joint reviews Mands and I have written for Scarlet and Beauty Queens. Mands and I have such similar taste when it comes to books that it was really fun to write these reviews together. We are planning many more joint reviews this year!

What are your top three favourite book blogs, and why?
Not including Belle's Bookshelf, my top three blogs are Wordchasing, Wear the Old Coat and Vegan YA Nerds. I love all the blogs on the sidebar of my blog, but these three (and yours) are the ones I tend to turn to first for recommendations simply because we all have similar tastes.

Can you think of a time another blogger's review made you actually buy/borrow/read a book?
The four blogs above encourage me to read so many books. Almost every book Mands reviews I end up wanting to read (if I haven't already). Not only does she encourage my book buying addiction, she sends me books to add to my overflowing shelves! But I am very grateful :)

Jo's review of Keren David's When I Was Joe made me want to read the series - I still have one book to go, but I am loving it so far and I never would have known about it were it not for Jo's review. I also bought some books based on two of Jo's reviews (The Earth Hums in B Flat and All Fall Down) but have yet to read them. Rey's recent Five Reasons to Read: The Montmaray Journals by Michelle Cooper has got me very interested in this series.

Name the first and last books that made you...
-Laugh.

First: I honestly have no idea! I mean, I've been avidly reading books since I was very young so I can't definitively say what the first book was. However, there is one book which sticks in my mind as having made me laugh so hard I actually got an asthma attack and that was Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella. I think I really need to buy a copy so I can read it when I'm feeling a bit down.

Last: The last was The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay by Rebecca Sparrow. This was so, so much fun to read, but I also felt a real connection with both the characters and the Brisbane setting.

-Cry.

First: I rarely cry in books actually, but the first was probably in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when *SPOILER ALERT* Dobby dies. That part still has me SOBBING in the movie. Always.

Actually, that whole book had me bawling.

Last: The last was definitely the gorgeous Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield. I loved this book so much. LOVED IT. But Ms Wakefield just broke my heart into tiny little pieces.

-Throw them across the room in fury.

First: I think maybe Breaking Dawn. Actually, the entire Twilight series. Oh, how I wish I could get those months of my life back!

Last: I'd have to say Praise by Andrew McGahan. I found this to be vile. I was so glad I could just skim it, but there is no way I would have read it had it not been for a uni class.

-Push them onto others.

First: It was definitely Matthew Reilly's Seven Ancient Wonders - the first in the Jack West Jr. series. I pushed this onto my best friend (who had got me hooked on Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider Series) and she loved it. Actually, and this is kind of embarrassing, she has now read all of Mr Reilly's books while I have only read the Jack West Jr. series. I need to get my act together!

Last: Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris. Kim from Two Girls and a Novel and I were talking about what books we were planning to read next on Twitter when I mentioned I'd soon be reading the second book in the series. Kim had Unravelling on her list anyway, so decided that would be her next book. I'm very glad to say she loved it!

-Stay up till 2am reading.

First: I'd say it was one of the Harry Potter books, but I can't be certain.

Last: The last was Sweethearts by Sara Zarr. Gosh, I have so much love for this book and this author. I can't wait to read the rest of her work!

Thanks for being my guest Michelle!

The Movie Was... Meh: Breaking Dawn Part Two

 
So. I've ended my relationship with The Twilight Saga. It's over. And not a moment too soon.*

Last night I dragged the Husband along to see Breaking Dawn Part Two, and I can't say either of us were particularly excited about it. I HATED the book, especially the second half, but I felt like I should watch the movie to, you know, get a sense of closure. The Husband just came along because he's a good sport. He subsequently slept through half the movie.**

As I mentioned in my post about Part One, I had a lot of problems with the book, which in turn meant I had a lot of problems with the movie(s), seeing as it's the same story and all. There were a few redeeming qualities,but not many. Spoilers ahead!

What I Liked

• The lullaby was played during the opening credits AND Edward actually plays it again to Bella and Renesmee. It's quite sweet. 
• The sex scenes were OK. Lots of facial close-ups. I guess they had to keep it PG or whatever. Sigh.
• Bella bashing up Jacob when she finds out he's imprinted on her daughter. Though her screaming about the Loch Ness Monster nickname was cringey, as is everything else about that name.
• Unlike in the book, Charlie actually wants to know what has happened to Bella. She refuses to tell him, and he gets really frustrated. I couldn't stand it in the book when Charlie went from a caring father to someone who was all "don't want to know", so I was really glad they changed it in the movie.
• The end, when Bella shows Edward her memories, was sweet, and the flashbacks provided a nice sense of closure.
• It was cool that they featured everyone from the saga in the credits, even if they didn't appear in this movie. It was a nice way to finish it off. Although by the end it started to feel a bit soap opera-ish, with the actors turning and smiling towards the camera.
• There was more action than there was in the book, but...

What I Didn't Like

• Of course it wasn't real action, it was just Alice's vision. I knew that going in, because I had read spoilers. The Husband, knowing nothing about the book or movie, said he thought that was going to happen anyway, because there was no "flash" of Alice's vision otherwise. But when the "twist" was revealed, everyone in the theatre laughed and there was more than a few cries of "are you serious?!" and "you've got to be joking!" I don't think many people were very impressed. I certainly wasn't. It's still lame that there's all that build up and nothing essentially happens. They're freaking vampires and werewolves, and no one dies? Yaaaaaaawn.
• RENESMEE. Everything about that character is The Worst, including the CGI - that baby was so freaking unrealistic, it was laughable. Literally. I couldn't take any scene with her in it seriously. When she finally turns into a real girl, she's too big. And the whole Jacob thing is still incredibly creepy, no matter how they try to make it seem like it isn't. The vision that Alice gets of Jacob and Renesmee together in the future is not only cheesy, it also doesn't make any sense - Alice can't get visions of Jacob OR Renesmee, which is why she can't just show everyone it's going to be fine in the first place.
• Bella looks good, but everyone else in the cast looks pretty terrible. The styling, hair and makeup was once again totally off for pretty much everyone. Edward was not hot. Which defeats the main purpose of the movie, really.
• Bella's narration was unnecessary (hello, Captain Obvious!) and distracting.
• Everything turns out perfect. Too perfect. It's boring. I blame Stephenie Meyer.

Rating: 2/5

*Seriously, I'm contemplating getting rid of the books. Maybe I'll give them one last hoorah before I dump them, but I think it would just be painful.
**Random anecdote: Before leaving for the movies, I was mucking around and threw some glitter at the Husband. It didn't really wash off. He had to walk into a Twilight movie as sparkly as Edward. Teehee.

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

Friday Link Dump: Mad Hatters, Fairy Tales and Ryan Gosling

This real-life Mad Hatter's tea party looks crazy fun. Hats! Stilts! Masks! Facepaint! TEA!

The Real Housewives of Westeros. YES.

A possible Twilight TV series? NO!

This is what would happen if fairy tale characters lived now... and were 20-something. Hilarious.

This girl has some of the most amazing (if completely impractical) pop culture-inspired nail art I've ever seen. I can't even pick a fave, there are so many brilliant pieces here.

If you would like the illusion of horror movies destroyed, look at these behind-the-scenes pictures from iconic films. Most are hilarious but some are mind blowing - namely, Gizmo from Gremlins is actually a giant.

Ryan Gosling had swag even at age 12, wearing a denim shirt and pronouncing his words like "oot" and "aboot". 

That sound you hear is me drooling all over my keyboard thanks to these cake batter ice cream sandwiches.

YouTube Clip Of The Week
Every time I think Tom Hanks can't possibly get any more awesome - he does. 

Bookish Buys: Twilight Edition

As you might expect with the massive Twi fandom, there is a ridonkulous amount of merch out there. Unfortunately, most of it is really daggy/creepy/weird/hilariously lame. But I sifted through all the crapola to find the most unfugly items I could...

Edward necklace by Pretty Little Charms

Twilight pencils by Bouncing Ball Creation

Twilight ornaments by In From The Rains

Team Jacob card by Cards By CG

Twilight confetti by Firefly

Renesmee's locket by Midnight Sunn

Vampire skin ring by The Crafty Sprite

Bite Me necklace by Charms 4 You

Bad wigs mug by LTT/LTR

Breaking Dawn necklace by Enchanted Leaves

The Movie Was Better: Breaking Dawn Part 1

So. I just got back from watching Breaking Dawn Part 1. As I've mentioned a few times this week, I haven't been that excited about watching it - I especially haven't felt the anxious excitement that I experienced with the first film (and, to a lesser extent, the second and third). Part of this I think is because it's been so long between movies, and my interest has naturally subsided. Another part is the fact that it's split into two movies, and I knew I'd have to wait another whole year to get the complete story... But mostly I think it's coz I really hated the book. It makes me ragey.


All that being said, the movie was... OK. It was pretty much what I expected it to be. There were a few things I LOVED, many that I laughed at, a couple that I hated, and still more that left me feeling not a lot at all. I'm going to break it down below, so if you don't want to read some massive spoilers for the movie STOP NOW.

The first and probably last time I'll use car-related humour. (Source)

What I liked

• Bella's wedding shoes and the back of her dress are gorgeous. I wasn't a fan of the front though. 
• The wedding vows were adorable - especially because they played "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron and Wine in the background as they said their vows and then as they kissed, with the camera panning around them. It was a lovely, unexpected echo of the first film that tied it together nicely and reinforced the fact that Bella is getting exactly what she wanted when she first danced with Edward to that song.
• Jessica is a welcome voice of reason and hilarity - "Do you think Bella will be showing?... Please, why else would you get married at 18?!"
• The lullaby is back! After going missing in New Moon and Eclipse, Bella's lullaby is played not once, but TWICE in Breaking Dawn Part 1. The first time is when Edward is doing his speech, and the second is towards the end, in a flashback montage of Bella and Edward's relationship. I was so happy to hear it again and thought they used it really well, especially the second time.
• The honeymoon is pretty cute. There are some sexy scenes, though nothing too graphic obviously. But it was MUCH better than the fade-to-black in the book. When I read it, I hated how Edward freaked out and Bella practically had to beg him to have sex with her again, but it's not as annoying in the movie. It's actually kinda cute, with scenes of them having fun together as Edward tries to tire Bella out, she tries to seduce him and he tries to resist. Their interactions are pretty sweet. Then she gets pregnant, and it's all downhill from there.
• There were a few things that were cut from the book that I was so glad not to see, especially the term "little nudger", and Edward's request that Jacob give Bella "puppies". Ugh.
• Edward actually gets some balls and becomes really angry with Bella. He even yells! He apologises later, naturally, but at least he wasn't a total wimp like he was in the book.
• They kind of made a joke out of the fact that Bella (read: Stephenie Meyer) chose the worst name ever for her baby. WORST. NAME. EVER. They all looked totally embarrassed to say it out loud. Which was pretty hilarious.
• The part where Edward "hears" the baby (I'm avoiding that name as much as possible) for the first time happens when he's alone with Bella, and it's actually quite a touching, beautiful moment between the two of them.
• The fight with the wolf pack at the end added some much-needed action.

What I didn't like
I'm not going to list everything, because then we'd be here all night. Needless to say, I've got a lot of issues with Breaking Dawn - much the same issues I think many fans have. As for the movie, its faults are largely due to the crappy plot it inherited from Stephenie Meyer. But there were a few movie-specific things that irked me:

• The hair and makeup. I swear, it's been getting worse with each movie. The one that bothered me most was Edward. He's supposed to be BEAUTIFUL, but his hair was way too dark and flat most of the time, and his face was way too pasty. I know he's a vampire, but it was just not a hot shade of white. What made it even worse was that a few times when, say, he had a top button open on his shirt, his skin was clearly a different colour below the neck. Lame. The one area makeup worked was when Bella is preggo. She definitely looked like crapola, as she's supposed to.
• I don't really remember Renee being so happy with Bella getting married in the book. And wasn't she warning Bella OFF getting so serious with Edward in the last movie?! Her excitement when she receives the invitation just felt a bit wrong to me. Charlie's reaction, on the other hand, was pretty spot on - as was his speech at the wedding!
• It's been awhile since I read the book, so I could be wrong, but I also thought Bella knew long before Breaking Dawn that Edward had killed people. His last-minute confession on the night before their wedding was just weird and out of place.
• The scenes where the pack are all in wolf form and communicating telepathically are kinda, well, lame. 
• I was personally glad not to have to witness Bella spewing up blood, but the birth scene, while not all that graphic, was still pretty gruesome. The director definitely tried to add in some more horror elements in this movie, and I can appreciate that, but let's face it - 99.9% of fans are watching this for the love story. You don't go to Twilight if you want to be scared. It's like McDonald's trying to add salads to their meals. Missing the point!
• RENESMEE. Need I say more? Everything about the name, the character, the whole plotline, is horrible. It's bad in the book, but it was kinda worse in the movie, especially watching Jacob fall to his knees at the sight of a baby. Pretty creepy. It's even creepier when Edward has to explain to everyone that Jacob has imprinted on his daughter. It was icky enough to read about, but hearing it out loud was totally gross. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
• I think I'm going to dislike Part 2 even more, because that was the part I really didn't enjoy in the book. There's so much RENESMEE in it, which I can't stand, and I found it hard to relate to Bella as a vampire. But I still don't want to have to wait a whole freaking year to see it. It's WAY too long between parts, in my opinion. They're just prolonging the pain.

Rating: 2.5/5

If you've seen Breaking Dawn Part 1, let me know what you thought!

My Book Boyfriend: Edward Cullen

 

My Book Boyfriend, hosted by the lovely Missie at The Unread Reader, is a weekly meme that allows book bloggers to showcase our fictional crushes (and drool over each other's). I've avoided featuring Edward Cullen for a long time because it seemed like such an obvious choice, and now the time has come when I'd planned to feature him in honour of the release of Breaking Dawn... and I have to admit, I think I'm over him. I never thought this day would come, but there it is.

Once upon a time, I was full-on obsessed with both Edward Cullen and Rob Pattinson, rereading the books and rewatching the movies over and over again, visiting Twilight blogs daily and plastering my man wall/desktop with photos of RPattz. But these days? They barely muster a smile, let alone a squee. When trying to find quotes for this post, I struggled - what I once found hot now just seems super cheesy and lame. I dunno, I think maybe I've just come across so many awesome books (and book boyfriends) since reading Twilight, Edward just pales in comparison (and not coz he's a vampire). I'm watching Breaking Dawn tonight, so maybe that will reignite my passion. But I'm still picking Edward now, for old time's sake... and for the love that once was [insert sigh and look of longing here].

Swoon-Worthy (And Occasionally Laughable) Quotes

"I have always loved you, and I will always love you. I was thinking of you, seeing your face in my mind, every second that I was away. When I told you that I didn’t want you, it was the very blackest kind of blasphemy.”

“If I could dream at all it would be about you.”

“For almost ninety years I’ve walked among my kind, and yours…  all the time thinking I was complete in myself, not realizing what I was seeking. And not finding anything, because you weren’t alive yet.”

“Then you were nearly crushed to death in front of my eyes. Later I thought of a perfectly good excuse for why I acted at that moment - because if I hadn't saved you, if your blood had been spilled there in front of me, I don't think I could have stopped myself from exposing us for what we are. But I only thought of that excuse later. At the time, all I could think was, 'Not her.”

Pash, Pick or Pass: TwiGuys

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
It's perhaps the most famous love triangle of all (or at least of the past ten years)... yep, I'm talking Twilight. I've been sitting on this one for awhile in anticipation of the release of Breaking Dawn. Which I thought I'd be way more excited about by now. I have to say I'm feeling very "meh" about it... something that was really highlighted when I just about exploaded with excitement upon viewing The Hunger Games trailer. I was like, "Oh, THERE you are, Excitement". Anyway, now I'm rambling. Let's play with Edward et al, shall we?

Edward "Prick Tease" Cullen

Notable Quote: "Look after my heart... I've left it with you." 

Jacob "Don't Make Me Angry" Black

Notable Quote: "Does my being half-naked bother you?"

Mike "I'm Human" Newton

Notable Quote: "If I were lucky enough to sit by you, I would have talked to you."

My Choices

Pash: Jacob. Mainly so I can feel his abs. I also think he's pretty sweet and cute when he's not being all growly or falling in love with infants.

Pick: Edward, of course. There's just something about him that's irresistible, even though certain aspects of his character drive me nuts (stalker, much?).

Pass: Mike. Poor guy, he didn't stand a chance next to the other two. Bo-ring.

Who would you pash, pick and pass out of Bella's suitors?

Mag Monday: Double Shots of Kristen Stewart and Ryan Gosling

This was me when I saw Kristen Stewart on the cover of the September issue of W (minus the blue fur):

I'm not a massive fan of hers - her acting annoys me, and she's uncomfortable to watch in interviews/on the red carpet - but holy smokin' hotness she looks amazing here. Love it.

Kristen is also on the cover of Entertainment Weekly this week with Robert Pattinson, so I guess the hype machine for Breaking Dawn is officially in gear. The cover is obviously a still from the movie, and I have to say it's a bit... blergh. Why does Edward look so scared? This is one of the supposedly hot honeymoon scenes, so why do they look so, well, cold? I know he's a vampire and all, but c'mon!

Although I guess I shouldn't be too picky, it's still better than this:

There are a bunch of new stills inside the mag too, including some cute chess playing and what looks like Bella's "little nudger" moment (*groan*):

But my favourite cover of the week is most definitely Ryan Gosling on Esquire. It is so freaking adorable - even more so because apparently it was his idea. It represents his two selves - the public one, and the real him. The rest of the shoot apparently illustrates recent dreams Ryan has had and his weird obsession with skeletons. The story that goes with it is awesome - I am so incredibly jealous of the journo who interviewed Ryan and got to spend a whole day with him, driving, going on rides at Coney Island and eating candy.

Related: If you haven't seen the Ultimate Ryan Gosling GIF Wall yet, you haven't lived.