Friday Link Dump: Vampire Academy, Internet Linguistics And Ra-Ra-Rasputin

-A new trailer for Vampire Academy has been released and it looks much better than the first teaser. I hope the movie is good. Or at least craptastic. (Yahoo!)

-As much as I love Anne Shirley, this post about how you'd react if you met her in real life is hilariously accurate. (The Toast)

-I love words, and I love getting creative with them. So I really love internet language and totally agree with this article in defense of it. (The Toast)

-I am loving this season of American Horror Story, so I found this post on the real story of one of the characters fascinating. (Flavorwire)

-There is a TV series about Rasputin in development and I am excited. (Deadline)

-Kids movies in the '80s really were pretty scary. (Flavorwire)

-I am SO excited about the Muppets Most Wanted movie. The trailer looks great. (YouTube)

-Oscar the Grouch met Grumpy Cat and it was the most awesome meeting of cranky minds in history. (YouTube)

-You will not believe these drawings aren't photographs. (BuzzFeed)

-This acapella version of Royals by Lorde is aca-mazing. (YouTube)

-The napping adventures of a boy and his puppy is my new favourite Instagram account. (Instagram)

-These dad jokes are actually pretty funny. (BuzzFeed)

-This is why killing a lion is the most cowardly thing you can do. (BuzzFeed)

-This account of two journalists who went undercover on an asylum seeker boat headed for Australia is a must-read. Amazing. And heartbreaking. (The New York Times)

-I saw Catching Fire yesterday and it was amazeballs and of course I reacted in GIFs. Earlier in the week I discovered you can actually buy Katniss' wedding dress, although no word on if it comes with fire tricks. (This blog)

Friday Link Dump: Pugs, Sesame Street and Vampire Academy

-The Vampire Academy movie has launched an official Tumblr, which is kinda like a Gossip Girl-esque in universe site. (Tumblr) Meanwhile if you want to stalk anyone who has anything to do with the movie, Penguin Teen Australia has got all the accounts you need to follow. (PTA)

-Which literary character are you? Apparently I'm someone from Lord of the Rings, which I haven't read, so doesn't have a lot of meaning to me. (Abebooks)

-Rainbow Rowell has some brilliant things to say about the censorship of her books. (The Toast)

-Meanwhile, Fiona Wood has some brilliant things to say about sex in Young Adult fiction. (The Midnight Garden)

-I am so excited about Disney's new movie, Frozen. Could do without the naff snowman, but hopefully it's not as goofy as it appears. (YouTube)

-Kit Harington. Wet. (Wonderland)

-Mash-up blog of the week: Teen Wolf meets New Girl. (Tumblr)

-Speaking of Teen Wolf, before he was the adorkable Stiles, Dylan O'Brien was an adorkable YouTuber. (YouTube)

-The creators of Once Upon a Time sure do know how to cast a hot guy, as this gallery shows. (Imgur)

-Not that I ever needed an excuse to love Prince Eric, but it's nice to see him get some recognition as the best prince ever. (BuzzFeed)

-Clem Ford names the ministries Tony Abbott should create to restore Australia to its former glory. And it's hilarious. (Daily Life)

-Apparently I'm not the only 20-something who can't make decisions or, you know, be an adult. How reassuring. (BuzzFeed)

-These photos of divers in front of the Eiffel Tower in 1912 and these of a woman dancing on the beach in the 1920s are are amazing. (Vintage Everyday)

-Proof that pugs are the best ever. (BuzzFeed) If that's not enough, here's more. I want one. (YouTube)

-Get ready to go gooey over these guest spots on Sesame Street: Henry Cavill, Lena Headey and Peter Dinklage. (YouTube)

-Jimmy Fallon has been going off this week. There's the hashtag conversation with Justin Timberlake, Lip Sync Battle with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a performance with the folks from... wait for it... Sesame Street. (YouTube)

-This gif list will warm your heart. Even if it's stone cold. (BuzzFeed)

-These comics about depression are so powerful. (BuzzFeed)

-Jon Hamm holds cute baby animals. It's as amazing as it sounds. (BuzzFeed)

-This interview with Jennifer Lawrence reinforces everything I love about her. (YouTube)

-Forget turning a webpage into a Ryan Gosling shrine, now you can get the Cookie Monster everywhere all the time. (Omnomnomify)

-If you need more cuteness in your Instagram feed, check out these adorable animals. (Mashable)

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)

Friday Link Dump: Casting News, Bookshelf Porn and Semi-Naked Beckham

-Big casting news this week. First up, Vampire Academy. Dimitri is actually being played by a Russian... I kinda like it. But I'm most excited about the The Book Thief news - Geoffrey Rush is great and the rest of the cast seem good, although I never pictured Max quite so... baby-faced. I'm also slightly concerned about how they'll translate the beauty of the book into movie form. What I really want to know is who will play Death!

-I'm not sure how I feel about this new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. It's like they're trying to cash in on it AND Downton Abbey. Who am I kidding, I'll still watch it.

-BOOKSHELF PORN. 'Nuff said.

-Book-inspired hotels: I want to go to there. And there. And there and there and there.

-Celebrate Valentine's Day with pop culture thanks to these fun e-cards. My faves are the Golden Girls set, natch.

-I love a good mash-up - and this The Avengers/The Breakfast Club mix is the best.

-Here are 20 reasons why Community is totally awesome. 

-These baby fennec foxes are the cutest thing you'll see all week.

-Except for the boy stuff (I'm lucky enough to have a lovely husband, vom, I know), this GIF post pretty much sums up my life. 

-This week the internet had fun with Beyonce. It's my new favourite meme.

-Apparently, you can do amazing art with some Oreos. Personally I just like eating them.

YouTube Clip of the Week

 

Top Ten Kick-Ass Heroines

If you haven't already, you need to watch the BAMF Girls Club

1. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy. If you looked up kick-ass in the dictionary, there'd be a picture of Katniss.

2. Lisbeth Salander from the Millenium trilogy. She may be socially inept, but she's intelligent, feisty and sure knows how to get revenge.

3. Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. Without Hermione, I'm pretty sure Voldemort would still be around... and Harry probably wouldn't be. The boys wouldn't have gotten anywhere without her.

4. Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series. Oh, Anne-girl. I have a special place in my heart for the little ginger. She belongs on this list purely for the moment she broke her slate over Gilbert Blythe's head - although she's all other kinds of awesome, too.

5. Lizzie Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie doesn't have to be a zombie slayer to kick butt: she does it classic-style, with her sharp tongue and fine eyes.

6. Josie Alibrandi from Looking for Alibrandi. I love all of Melina Marchetta's heroines, but Josie is special to me because I grew up with her. Sure, she's kinda annoying at times, but I adore Josie for her passion and her ability to fight for what she believes in.

7. Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre. C'mon, the freaking book is named for her. How kick-ass is that? What's even more kick-ass is Jane's self respect: She demands to be treated as an equal, and won't compromise herself or her values for anyone (even the swoony Rochester).

8. Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout is everything I wasn't as a kid: tomboyish, brave, unafraid to speak her mind... but I think she's amazeballs. She packs such a big punch (in more ways than one) for someone so small.

9. Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy series. I read this series straight after Twilight, and it's safe to say Rose is the antithesis to Bella Swan. Forget falling for vampires - she stakes them! And, uh, just falls in love with her teacher instead... moving on.

10. Matilda from Matilda. Look at that, another title-worthy character. Matilda is intelligent, brave, cheeky, strong-minded and magical - and her favourite thing in the world is books. What's not to love?

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

Top Ten Tuesday: Easy, Fun Beach Reads

Source

1. Bridget Jones's Diary be Helen Fielding. This is one of the few books that have ever made me literally Laugh. Out. Loud. It's light, fluffy, easy fun, with bonus Darcy. 

2. Anything by V.C. Andrews. It's the literary equivalent of a deep-fried Mars Bar: as junky as you can get but deliciously bad. 

3. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. After going on a massive post-Twilight vampire book binge, I have well and truly overdosed on the genre and now avoid it more than Edward Cullen avoids sex sunlight. However, Vampire Academy remains one of my favourite YA series and one that I still recommend and occasionally reread. 

4. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. It's Toddler's and Tiaras meets Survivor with an extra helping of awesomeness. It's easy, entertaining and intellingent to boot. 

5. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. This Romeo and Juliet-esque tale (with a happier ending, natch) is completely cheesy but completely fun. 

6. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. This adorable summer road trip story is so perfect for the beach, I actually took along Matson's follow-up, Second Chance Summer in the hopes that it would be the same (the title also hinted to good beach reading. Alas, it wasn't exactly - but that's a story for another post). 

7. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. This book is one of my all-time favourites. The romance and humour make it perfect for warm days lazing about on the sand - with the downside that it will totally make you wish you were in Paris instead! 

8. Cargo by Jessica Au. While it's not as light as the others on this list, I had to include Cargo because it always makes me think of the ocean. And not just because of the cover - Au evokes life by the seaside so effectively, it's like you can almost smell and taste the ocean air while reading. Taking it to the beach would create the perfect real-life atmosphere. 

9. Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares. Four girls share magical pants to stay connected during a summer apart. This was my gateway book for YA as an adult, and I'll always have a soft spot for it. 

10. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It's got everything: "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles." Whether you're sick in bed or sunning yourself on the sand, Goldman's satiric fairy tale is perfect for any situation.

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

My Book Boyfriend: Adrian Ivashkov

 

My Book Boyfriend is hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader.While Dimitri remains my favourite book boyfriend from The Vampire Academy series, I gotta give Adrian some love too. He's rich, flirtatious, handsome, a tiny bit unstable, but genuinely good and generous. He reminds me a lot of Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl, so naturally I pictured him as Ed Westwick.

Swoon-Worthy Quotes

"Look, Rose. You don't have to keep up with the hard-to-get thing. You've already got me."

"If only it were that easy. You forget: I have an addictive personality. I'm addicted to you. Somehow I think you could do all sorts of bad things to me, and I'd still come back to you."

"I want you, Rose. I've always wanted you. I want to be with you. I'd like to be like other guys and say I want to take care of you too, but... well. When it comes down to it, you'd probably be the one taking care of me."

“I loved you!" he yelled. He jumped up out of his chair so quickly I never saw it coming. "I loved you, and you destroyed me. You took my heart and ripped it up.”

Top 5: Books I Want To See On The Big Screen (TGIF!)

This is my first time participating in TGIF, a recap/networking meme hosted by Ginger at GReads. I've seen it bouncing around the blogosphere and thought I'd finally join in this week - especially coz it's such a fun question. Ginger asks: Which books would you love to see made into a TV series or movie? As regular readers of my blog would know, I love me an adaptation, so I couldn't not participate with this question. Here is my top five books, in no particular order, that I want to see adapted for the big (or small) screen (because I love me a list, too):

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I'd love to see this as either a movie or a TV show. The sexual tension between Anna and St. Clair and the development of their relationship would make for a steamy and super-cute teen flick, but there's also some awesome secondary characters that could be fleshed out for an ensemble TV show. The location enough would be enough to make me swoon (though St. Clair ain't bad either).

2. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. OK, so the vampire thing has kinda been sucked dry and I'm not gonna lie, I'm getting a bit over the trend myself. But that being said, the Vampire Academy series is a truly great set of teen books, with some awesome characters and plenty of action (of the violent and, er, less violent kind). There's a lot going on which I think would make it perfect for a TV drama series.

3. A Modern Comedy by John Galsworthy. This is the sequel to The Forsyte Saga, which has already been turned into an awesome mini-series in the not-too-distant past. I was so disappointed when they didn't continue the story - I'm still hoping they will one day!

4. Evelina by Frances Burney. This is another classic that I would love to see turned into a mini-series. Evelina's somewhat awkward entrance into society and her relationships with the rakish Sir Clement and the dashing Lord Orville, not to mention her crazy relatives, would make for fun viewing. Plus, it hasn't been done to death like, well, anything by Jane Austen (not that I'm complaining).

5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This is one of those books that I'd be really, really excited and at the same time really, really terrified if they decided to make a movie based on it. It's such a wonderful book and I think it could make an amazing film - but only if it's done right. There's a lot of potential to screw it up and I love it so much that I couldn't bear to see it hurt by Hollywood. So, to sum up, I'd like to see this as a movie - but I also really don't want to.

This week on Belle's Bookshelf...
Mag Monday - Lily, Ita and Donald
Pash, Pick or Pass - The Mortal Instruments Edition
My Book Boyfriend - Lord Orville
Young Adult, The Movie
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare Book Review
Bookish Buys - Cute Bookends
Book/Movie Comparison - The Last Unicorn

Pash, Pick or Pass: Vampire Academy Guys

 

Pash, Pick or Pass is a feature/meme I've created that involves choosing, out of a group of three guys, who you'd pash (ie have a one-off, purely physical encounter with); who you'd pick for a long-term relationship; and who you'd pass on altogether. Each week I'll post new contenders, and I'd love it if everybody joins in! If you want to play, you can either state your opinion in the comments or create your own post (linking back to this blog) and pop it in the linky below. I use celebs to represent what the characters look like to me, but feel free to add your own interpretation of the guys if you create your own post (which can be on any day of the week, by the way - you don't have to do it on the same day). Here's who we're playing with this week...

The Contenders

After all the (friendly) fighting over Dimitri Belikov in my book boyfriend post last week, I thought what better way to settle it then to create the chance for everyone to pick him by playing Pash, Pick or Pass with the guys from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series?! The only catch is, of course, you also have to choose who out of this titillating trio you'd pash and - perhaps more difficult - pass on.

Adrian Ivashkov        Dimitri Belikov        Christian Ozera

My Choices

Pash: Adrian, because he's sexy and sweet but so messed up that I couldn't deal with being in a relationship with him. That and, well, he's no Dimitri. But I'd make sure he brushes his teeth before the pash because he's a grotty smoker.

Pick: Dimitri, of course! He'd hot, smart, funny and would come in handy when I wake up in the middle of the night freaking out about robbers. Oh, and he does things "that'll make you lose control within seconds". Yes, please.

Pass: Christian. I like the way he's a bit twisted but also sensitive and caring, but he just ain't for me.

My Book Boyfriend: Dimitri Belikov

My Book Boyfriend, a meme dedicated to our many fictional loves, is hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader. This week I've chosen my second Russian book boyfriend: Dimitri Belikov from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.

About Dimitri

• He's a 24-year-old from Siberia with a hot Russian accent.
• He's a dhampir (half-vampire), meaning he has super-strength and fast reflexes but doesn't need to drink blood to survive. Dimitri is described as looking like "a god" when he fights (natch).
• He works as a teacher at St Vladimir's Academy and personally coaches Rose, the feisty heroine of the series. They really enjoy getting hot and sweaty together. Ahem.
• He's the strong, silent type and sticks to his principles, but his calm exterior masks a fierce passion underneath. Ahem.
• He's mega tall - over six foot - and has brown eyes, tanned skin and shoulder-length brown hair. Google image search "Dimitri Belikov" and you'll see that Ben Barnes is a fan favourite for Dimitri, but personally I always pictured him looking more like Ian Somerhalder.

Swoon-worthy Quotes
 

"'You are so beautiful, it hurts sometimes.'"

"'Roza. I did want you. I still do. I wish we could be together... If I let myself love you, I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you.'"

"There was a tremulous note in his voice. 'You're strong—you're so, so strong. It's why I love you.'" 

"'Wait until next time,' he warned. 'I'll do things that'll make you lose control within seconds.'"

"It was sweet and wonderful at the same time. When I looked into his eyes, I could see without a doubt that he loved me more than anyone else in the world, that I was his salvation, the same way that he was mine."