Bookish Buys: Halloween Puppehs

I was going to make this post about literary costumes in honour of Halloween, but then I thought - you know what would be more awesome/hilarious? DOGS IN COSTUMES. And here we are. The poor dogs - some of them look like they need a pint of dog beer after the trauma and humiliation of being forced to wear these things...

Harry Pawter from Gypsy Eyes Clothing

Thing One/Two from Little Dog Fashion

Frankendog from Paws Point

Queen of Hearts from Paws Point

Little Red Riding Hood from Down Under Dog Designs

Dracula from Down Under Dog Designs

Sherlock Holmes from Down Under Dog Designs

Snow White from The California Chi

Robin Hood from Dog in a Fez

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

There's a passage towards the end of The Night Circus (don't worry, it's not a spoiler) that encapsulates what I love about books:

"There's magic in [storytelling]. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift."

Now, The Night Circus wasn't a life-changing read by any means, but it does do exactly what a story should: creates magic. And that's not just because it's about magic (although that's certainly part of it); there's also a sense of wonder, delight and whimsy in the way it's told, in its language and construction, and in the quirky cast of characters that inhabit its pages. It's entertaining, it's mysterious and it's just plain fun.

The story itself centres around a competition between two young students of magic, for which the circus is the venue. Celia and Marco have been raised with the express purpose of defeating one another, but things get extremely complicated when their feelings - for each other, and for their circus family - come into play. They're likable enough protagonists, but I have to admit, as the book progressed I found myself less interested in their starcrossed love story and more invested in the secondary characters and the circus itself. It really is the star of the show.

I know some readers have had problems with the pacing and style of The Night Circus, and while it can be a little slow in places, I really enjoyed the winding path the plot took to get to the end. I was intrigued by the mystery of the "game" and loved the way it all slowly unravelled. But the highlight was definitely Morgenstern's descriptive language - she paints the circus in such a vivid and sensual way, you can practically smell the caramel on the air and see the stark black and white tents before you. She draws you in and makes you never want to leave. It truly is magical.

Rating: 4/5

Eye candy
I imagined Celia to look like Lily Collins, and Marco to look kinda like Lee Williams.

Fine Print
Published: 2011, Doubleday
Get it: Book Depository

Bookish Fun: The Hunger Games and Snow White

You've probably seen The Hunger Games trailer a million times by now. I know I have (well, at least 11 times, anyway). How freaking awesome does it look?! Here's what I love about it:

• Jennifer Mother Loving Lawrence as Katniss Mother Effing Everdeen. Amazeballs. Perfect in every way. The moment when she volunteers... that is Katniss!
• Liam Hemsworth as Gale. He doesn't have to do much other than be spunky, and he does that pretty damn well.
• PRIM! She's adorable and perfect and breaks my heart.
• RUE! She's adorable and perfect and breaks my already broken heart even more.
• Lenny Kravitz is totally the Cinna I saw in my head.
• The costumes and scenery all look amazing and definitely bring to life the world built by Suzanne Collins.
• I'm still not totally behind Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, but the emotion on his face when his name is pulled out in the Reaping is spot on.
• Stanley Awesomesauce Tucci. I kinda wanna marry him.
• The glimpse of Peeta and Katniss talking on the roof. Squee! I love that scene.
• Katniss' salute and the response from the crowd.
• The way they set up the story without revealing the whole freaking movie. And the way they built up the tension and cut off the trailer just as the Games were starting. Talk about a teaser! The moment when Katniss is being lifted up and you can hear the countdown is totally gut-wrenching - as it should be.

Here's what I didn't like about it:

• Whatever the hell is on Haymitch's head. Did they use the same wig department as The Twilight Saga?
• Call me superficial, but Josh is still not hot enough to be my idea of Peeta... but hey, he might change my mind by the end of the movie.
• It's not out till March. I can't wait that long!

In other movie news, the trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman was released last week, and while it's sadly been trumped by The Hunger Games, it still got me pretty excited. The only criticism I have is that there is no way Kristen Stewart could ever surpass Charlize Theron in "fairness". But the movie looks really good!

What did you think of The Hunger Games trailer? Are you excited for Snow White and the Huntsman?

Bookish (Movie) Fun: Young Adult, Snow White and Paradise Lost

I posted a little while ago about how I was cautiously excited about Diablo Cody's upcoming flick Young Adult, because it sounded like an interesting comedy about a YA author, plus it had an awesome poster. Well, the trailer has been released, and I have to say I'm no longer excited at all. I think I'll give this one a miss. It doesn't even look craptastic - it just looks crap.

One movie that I am getting increasingly excited about is Snow White, starring Lily Collins and Armie Hammer. There's no trailer yet, but there is a bunch of pretty stills:

In other (kinda old, but new to me) movie news, I was surprised to find out that John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost is being adapted for the big screen. As an action movie. In 3D. Starring The Hangover's Bradley Cooper as Lucifer, unknown Benjamin Walker as Michael, Ben's little brother, Casey Affleck, as Gabriel, I Am Number Four's Callan McAuliffe as Uriel, Pretty Little Liars' Diego Boneta as Adam and... wait for it... the girl Joe Jonas dumped Taylor Swift for, Camilla Belle, as Eve. I don't know how I feel about this. I'm curious, that's for sure. I guess angels really are the new vampires, huh?

Mag Monday: Snow White And Prince Charming

I am a bit obsessed with Lily Collins right now. She is so beautiful! I'm actually going to see Abduction tonight and I have high hopes. But I really can't wait to see her in Snow White and City of Bones. In the meantime I'm so happy to see her popping up in a few magazines - like Teen Vogue. Love.

Meanwhile, Lily's Prince Charming, Armie Hammer, appears on the cover of this month's Details. Looking rather dirtier than a prince should, but hey, I'm not complaining.

Bookish Fun: Battle of the Snow Whites

It seems that the powers that be in Hollywood have decided vampires are, like, so 2010 and have moved on... to fairy tales. We've already seen new versions of Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast (in the Vanessa Hudgens vehicle Beastly), but it looks as though Snow White is really where it's at. Because they're making not one but TWO versions of it at the moment - and they both look kind of awesome.

Sorry, Snowie, you're old news.

Film 1: The Brothers Grimm: Snow White (working title). According to the studio Relativity Media, it will be "a spectacular reimagining of the classic fairy tale - an evil queen steals control of a kingdom, and an exiled princess enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in a spirited adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over." There's even a love triangle - between the evil queen, the innocent princess and, of course, the handsome prince.
The date: Release is currently set at March 16, 2012.
The stars: Lily Collins (Phil's daughter) will play Snow White, while the prince who captures her heart will be played by none other than my Gatsby, Armie Hammer - who you might recognise as the Winklevii from The Social Network. Julia Roberts, meanwhile, will get to use her grin for the greater evil as the queen, and Sean Bean will be her king.
The sneak peek: So far, only a shot of Lily as Snow White has been released. She looks very pretty, and very much the fairy tale princess.

Film 2: Snow White and the Huntsman, which IMDb says is "a twist to the fairy tale - the huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the evil queen."
The date: US release is set for June 1, 2012.
The stars: Kristen Stewart tackles this version of Snow White, while the titular huntsman will be played by Aussie spunk and Thor star Chris Hemsworth. Charlize Theron will play the evil queen, and Sam Clafin of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides fame will represent the prince - looking decidedly more creepy than handsome here.
The sneak peek: Here's a glimpse of all the key players, which suggests that despite being based on the same story, this will be a very different film to the Collins version.

I'm excited for both films - they both seem to have great casts and unique takes on the tale. The fact that I'm not a fan of Kristen's acting makes me lean towards the first version, but then I also dislike Julia Roberts. But judging from the tidbits of the stories that have been released, the latter film does intrigue me a little more. What do you think?