Talking Point: Apocalypse Survival By The Books

Tomorrow is the day. The end of the world the Mayans predicted. Or just, y'know, when their calendar ends. Just in case the world does end tomorrow, I thought I'd get prepared by refreshing my knowledge of apocalypses (apocalypseii?) from the place I get all my life skills (or lake thereof): books. I hereby present the (un)Official Apocalypse Survival Guide of 2012. There's only one problem: it's limited to the books I've read. But time is running out, so here goes nothing...

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Apocalypse: Unspecified disaster followed by a despotic government that controls the population by forcing them to send their children into The Hunger Games, a fight-to-the-death television extravaganza.
Survival Skills Required: Archery, running, cunning, a strong stomach, knowledge of plants, hunting, skinning squirrels, charisma, style and possibly cake frosting.
My Chances: 1/10 a.k.a. Doomed

And All The Stars by Andrea K. Host
The Apocalypse: Alien invasion via purple dust that infects humans, causing them to turn weird colours and manifest powers before being taken over.
Survival Skills Required: Running, hiding, baking, eating.
My Chances: 7/10 a.k.a. Let me eat cake.

The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman
The Apocalypse: Zombies. Lots and lots of zombies.
Survival Skills Required: Running, being quiet, shooting, hacking, hitting, stabbing, decapitating, foraging, raiding, a strong stomach.
My Chances: 2/10 a.k.a. I'm hiding upstairs.

The Children of Men by P.D. James
The Apocalypse: The human race is suddenly infertile.
Survival Skills Required: Strong mental health and resilience.
My Chances: 6/10 a.k.a. Depressed, much?

Legend by Marie Lu
The Apocalypse: This is never really clear, to be honest.
Survival Skills Required: All-round perfection, money.
My Chances: 4/10 a.k.a. I'm too confused to give up all hope.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer
The Apocalypse: Invasion of the alien body snatchers.
Survival Skills Required: Running, hiding, being really strong-willed.
My Chances: 5/10 a.k.a. Nobody messes with my brain but me.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Apocalypse: Terrorist attacks + low fertility = Biblical-inspired misogynistic, extremist society where women are reduced to the archetypes of the pure (and barren) wife and the objectified (and fertile) whore.
Survival Skills Required: A fertile womb and subservience.
My Chances: 3/10 a.k.a. I don't know about my fertility, but I do know I probably wouldn't want to survive in this world.

That's about as far as my apocalyptic reading has gone to date. Here's hoping the world doesn't end tomorrow and I can add to the list! In the meantime, feel free to share your book-inspired survival tips in the comments.

Top Ten Books I Read In 2012

 

1. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey. An instant favourite – I’m talking top ten books of all time. I loved Silvey’s style, the authentic characters and the intriguing story.

2. On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. It’s Melina Freaking Marchetta. Nobody does beautiful, heartfelt and realistic character-driven stories like she does. This is probably my favourite of her contemporary books.

3. Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver. This was a magical little book about grief and friendship and love. And magic, of course.

4. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. A unique contemporary novel featuring a bunch of broken and messed-up characters who burrow under your skin and take up residence in your heart.

5. Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters. The compelling biography of an “ex-homeless,  ex-junkie psychopath", it's the type of book that stays with you long after you've finished it,

6. Fury by Shirley Marr. A darkly funny mystery featuring a smart and spunky heroine, I was hooked from the first line.

7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Yes, I only read this for the first time this year. And of course it was brilliant.

8. The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta. Another Marchetta, I know. I went on a bit of a MM-binge earlier in the year, and it was probably my best reading period of the last 12 months. So much gorgeous writing.

9. Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. This rich retelling of Rapunzel weaves together the stories of three powerful women: the "real" Rapunzel, the witch who entrapped her, and the woman who wrote down her story.

10. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. This was the scariest book I've ever read. While I wouldn't say I particularly enjoyed it, it had some powerful (and creepy) imagery, a haunting story and beautiful writing.

What were your fave books of the year?

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

Friday Link Dump: Blurbs, Baby Animals and A Very Bad Idea

Source

Jennifer Love Hewitt wants to adapt Pride and Prejudice. For Lifetime in the US. And she wants to call it Darcy's Town. And I have no words.

Here's the complete story of Harry Potter in poster form. It's pretty awesome.

It's kind of hilarious when book blurbs are the equivalent of: "you've had a haircut." Think, "this is a book" - or about as useful.

HuffPo has a list of celebrities who have modeled for book covers. They forgot Courtney Cox and Jennifer Connelly!

Do you know your celeb doppelgangers? Take this quiz to find out. Either it's super easy or I spend waaay too much time looking at celebs, coz I got 'em all.

This Christmas light hanger (is that the proper title? It'll do) really hates his job, apparently, and decided to troll a whole town. Penis humour FTW.

BABY ANIMALS. 'Nuff said.

Bookish Buys: Gifts For Book Nerds

'Paperback' bubble bath

Bookplates

Bookmark pad

Necklace

C.S. Lewis print

Brooch

Personal library kit

Bookend

Tea towel

Novel Tea

Chalkboard mug

For more bookish gift ideas, check out previous Bookish Buys.

Review: Cinnamon Rain by Emma Cameron

I was a bit dubious about reading Cinnamon Rain. Mainly because it centres around a love triangle and I’m very tired of those. But thankfully, Cinnamon Rain has a few things going for it that make it very different from your standard YA love triangle fare:

• It’s a verse novel.
• There’s no insta-love. Far from it – these characters have known each other for years.
• It’s told from the perspectives of all three characters.
• These aren’t your average heroes and heroines. They screw up, act out, hurt themselves and each other – in other words, act like totally real human beings.
• Speaking of which - it’s not paranormal. Yay, contemporary!
• The focus is on their individual lives and journeys as much as (or perhaps more than) the love story. They’re all trying to find their way in the world and figure out who they are and what they want as they leave school and home for the first time.

In other words – don’t let the love triangle put you off. I’m glad it didn’t stop me. I’ve been wanting to read another verse novel since I read and loved Sarah Crossan’s The Weight of Water about a year ago, and I finally got to it with Cinnamon Rain. I have to say it didn’t touch me in quite the same way as The Weight of Water did, but of course it’s a completely different story with different characters and themes. I still enjoyed the verse form; it was sparse but said so much. There were more than a few elegant and beautiful passages I connected with. However, the verse did mean that, for me, the three character voices weren’t as distinct as they could have been otherwise. But it was still great to get inside all of their heads.

The story structure worked really effectively, with Luke’s version of events opening the book, followed by Casey revealing her side of things before Bongo closes out the tale with his harrowing experience.

I appreciated the fact that the main characters were ordinary teenagers, and that this didn’t mean the story was boring. Far from it – because STUFF happens in real life, and STUFF definitely happens in this book. I sympathised with all three characters for the most part, but I especially felt for Bongo. He’s the one who has gone through the most in his life, and the one who by outward appearances seems to be a bit of a deadbeat – when really he has a big heart that has the potential to break just as much as anyone else’s. Perhaps more so. My own heart broke a little for him.

I liked Luke’s story, although it didn't have the same emotional impact as Bongo’s. It was a good starting point for the trio’s tale, and set the foundation for the other characters that we got to know better in their own sections. I hate to say it, but Casey drove me a little nuts. I felt for her at times but didn’t really connect with her character as a whole. Even though a third of the book is told from her point of view, I still felt a bit distant from her character and didn’t understand many of her actions.

The way the three stories intertwined and came together at the end was beautifully done. I thought the ending was great; without being too abrupt, it avoided wrapping everything up in a neat, cheesy little bow. Because life doesn’t work that way - and Cinnamon Rain is achingly true to life.

Rating: 3.5/5

Fine Print
Published: February 2012, Walker Books Australia
Get It: All Books 4 Less

Note
Interestingly, the US edition of this book is called Out of This Place. It probably makes more sense than Cinnamon Rain (which frankly doesn't make a lot of sense at all) - although it's less "poetic".

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2012

1. Craig Silvey. I read Jasper Jones in one day on my honeymoon and it instantly became one of my favourite books. I totally have an author crush on Mr Silvey, thanks in no small part to meeting him at an event for his novella, The Amber Amulet. I totally fangirled.

2. Kat Zhang. As I mentioned in my review, I had a lot of problems with What’s Left of Me, Zhang’s debut novel, but I still loved it nonetheless. There’s something special about her storytelling ability, so I’m looking forward to seeing what she does in the future.

3. Shirley Marr. I was first introduced to Ms Marr when I won a competition to have a cameo in her book, Preloved. I was beyond excited – even more so when I became friends with her on Goodreads (her author profile is sadly no longer active) and quickly discovered how witty, funny and lovely she is. I finally got around to reading both Fury and Preloved towards the end of the year, and adored them both!

4. Lauren Oliver. I’ve had Oliver’s Delirium on my bookshelf for awhile and still haven’t read it, but I did manage to fly through Liesl and Po earlier in the year and thought it was absolutely beautiful. I really need to read more of Oliver’s books now!

5. Sarah Beth Durst. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Drink, Slay, Love; especially how funny it was. Considering how over all things vampire I am, I was very impressed that Durst delivered a fresh and fun take on the genre.

6. Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I finally read The Language of Flowers this year and it was every bit as emotional and beautiful as I expected it to be.

7. Alexander Masters. I don’t often read non-fiction, but Masters’ biography of Stuart Shorter blew me away. It was clever, funny and incredibly raw (in a good way).

8. Kate Forsyth. Bitter Greens was a complex, gorgeous historical retelling of the Rapunzel story, which made me eager to try out some more of this talented Aussie author’s work.

9. Gabrielle Williams. I wasn’t really expecting to like The Reluctant Hallelujah, but it completely drew me in – and broke my heart. The writing was powerful and I loved the characters. I must check out more of Williams’ writing.

10. Katja Millay. The Sea of Tranquility has been getting a lot of buzz in the blogosphere, and for good reason – it’s a moving story about two broken people who are slowly helping each other to heal. It reminded me a lot of The Language of Flowers.

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

Friday Links: Marchetta News, Dying Libraries and Alex Mack

I've been hyperventilating all week because JIMMY HALLIER is back. Also, Saving Francesca is being made into a movie. So much Marchetta awesomeness.

What do your bookshelves say about you? I love the idea that books are like photographs for readers, representing who you were at a particular time in your life. 

A eulogy for Fisher Library at Sydney uni. Tear. On a more positive note: this slideshow of the best college libraries in America makes my mouth water a little bit.

This Facebook page of "reviews" of books that are TL;DR makes me laugh. My fave: "1984 by George Orwell. A book about events that happened 28 years ago, published 35 years earlier. Irrefutable proof that time travel is possible."

Last month Harlequin launched their new digital imprint Escape Publishing and it's currently open for submissions.


Can season three of Game of Thrones come out already?! Here's a peek behind the scenes of production. Squee!

The Hawkeye Initiative is highlighting the ridiculousness of how women are portrayed in comics by rejigging the art to feature Hawkeye. Brilliant.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is not only the greatest A Christmas Carol adaptation, it's also the best Christmas movie, IMO. Here are 25 reasons it rocks.

Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield are the cutest couple of the year. Officially. If they break up, I will be devastated. Unless she hooks up with Ryan Gosling and he gets with Rachel McAdams. Or they all get together and form one big polygamous family of adorable.


Julia Gillard's apocalypse speech is probably the most awesome thing she's ever done. Aside from, you know, being Australia's first female prime minister or whatever.

This has to be the greatest selfie ever taken.

Here are 45 powerful images from 2012. 

Having a bad day? Laugh at these people. That's not mean, right? Ahem.

Where is Alex Mack now? And did she ever take the cure? The answers might surprise you.

YouTube Clip of the Week
This made me smile.

 

Ten Reasons You Should Read The Amber Amulet By Craig Silvey

• Craig Silvey's wonderful, beautiful prose that perfectly encaptures the whimsy, imagination and uncertainty of childhood.
• The gorgeous illustrations and design of the book overall. It has a really cool vintage vibe and is just lovely.
• The Masked Avenger, a lonely 12-year-old boy by day and a fearless hero at night, who saves his neighbourhood from evil - and flat tyres. He has so much heart, I just wanted to give him a hug. 
• Richie the Powerbeagle, The Masked Avenger's trusty sidekick, who has an in-built alarm system (a.k.a. muzzle), trouble detection (a.k.a. nose), ocular friend/foe identification (a.k.a. eyes) and a semaphorical communication device (a.k.a. tail).
• It's about the power of gemstones and metals and the natural wonders of the earth, and makes me want to have an Amazing Powerbelt of my own.

 

• It's also about love, and loneliness, and family, and friendship, and frustrated dreams, and fulfilling dreams, and life-changing moments, and the way we're all connected.
• It showcases the best side of humanity and gives you hope that there are people out there who just want the best for you, even if you don't know it.
• It's funny, and touching, and a little heartbreaking but a lot more heartwarming.
• It will only take you an hour to read but it will put a smile on your face for longer than that.
• Do you really need any more reasons? OK, how about because I said so? No, seriously, you won't regret it. 

Related
This one time I met Craig Silvey and I totally fangirled.

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?

December TV Addict Challenge Links

Post your 2012 TV Addict Reading Challenge links for December, and any round-up posts, here.