Bookish Fun: Finnick, Annie and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

These have been kicking around for awhile but I think they're still cool enough to post. The first video is from a web series by Mainstay Pro, the peeps who created the Second Quarter Quell fan vid. This time they've tackled the Finnick/Annie back story, and while I wasn't a fan of the first few clips, episodes 4-6 are pretty sweet. I hope there's plenty of Finnick (and Annie) in the actual movies!

The next video is part of the promo for the US version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's a faux Hard Copy story on the disappearance of Harriet Vangar. It's done pretty well and makes me super excited for the film. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out. I love the attention to (dodgy) detail.

Reading Icons: Charles Dickens

"My father had left a small collection of books in a little room upstairs, to which I had access (for it adjoined my own) and which nobody else in our house ever troubled. From that blessed little room, Roderick Random, Peregrine Pickle, Humphrey Clinker, Tom Jones, the Vicar of Wakefield, Don Quixote, Gil Blas, and Robinson Crusoe, came out, a glorious host, to keep me company. They kept alive my fancy, and my hope of something beyond that place and time..." - David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) by Betty White

Obligatory name-dropping moment: I picked up this book when I met Betty Freaking White in New York. The fiance and I were just doing the tourist thing, wandering around Barnes and Noble on Fifth Avenue one day, when I saw a sign stating she'd be there for a book signing the next day. I can't remember what we'd had planned for that day, but we (I) pretty much canceled those plans immediately. As a massive Golden Girls and Betty fan, I couldn't miss this opportunity to meet her. So we got down there early the next morning to get a good spot in the line. We went to the front of the store and saw that the line went right around the corner. So we followed it... and kept on following it... and kept on following. It reached around the whole block.

Even I was hesitant at that point. We were only in New York for a week - did we really want to spend half a day in a line? My fiance wasn't overly enthused, but after weighing it up I thought, when else am I going to get the chance to meet Betty Freaking White?! The fiance, bless him, agreed, and diligantly held our spot in the line while I ran into the store to buy If You Ask Me. I rejoined him half an hour later. He'd moved forward about 10 metres. We waited another half an hour and crept forward inch by inch. The fiance spotted a sports store and went shopping, while I progressed another 10 metres. After an hour and half, we finally neared the corner of the store, not too far from the entrance. Staff came out and warned that we might not get to meet Betty as she'd have to leave soon. My heart sunk. We decided to stick around, just in case - we'd waited this long, after all. We got closer and closer to the door. The manager came out and said they were only letting five more people in. I was number six.

There I stood, at the front of the line, 25 years old and about to burst into tears because I was going to miss out on meeting Betty White. All of a sudden, the manager turned around and said, "Ok, you, and you can go in". Me?! ME can go in?! I raced through the door before she changed her mind, the fiance in tow... and we joined another line. Another 20 minutes later, I finally got a glimpse of Betty. We were told to have our books open to the right page and not to ask for pictures, because she had to leave. My turn came, and the loud-mouthed guy in front of me wouldn't stop talking to Betty. They tried to push him away three times before he finally left. I wanted to thump him in the head with my book but all I could do was stare. At Betty. During the two-and-a-half hour wait I'd thought of about 267 things I wanted to say to her. In the end all I managed was a manic "OHMYGOD-I-LOVE-YOU-SO-MUCH". She smiled, said, "Thank you so much for coming to see me, today. I appreciate it SO much." We had a connection. And then I was moved along.

My lovely fiance hung back so he could sneakily snap a few pictures of my moment with Betty....

So close...

Betty is RIGHT THERE, I swear. And I wanted to punch that guy next to me really, really hard.

The Betty Effect.

Anyway, if you're still here after my rambling, you're awesome, and you're also going to finally get to hear what I actually thought of the book. I read it in a couple of hours yesterday. It's a super easy read, but I have to say I was slightly disappointed. I haven't read any of Betty's previous books so I don't know what they contain, but this one gave very little insight into her or her life. It seems to have been written more for people who are already fans of Betty; there's the assumption that you already know her story, her career, her love of animals, and this is just a series of anecdotes about what's been going on with her lately. Like catching up with an old friend. The tone is very conversational, and each chapter jumps from topic to topic with no segue.

It's a lot of fun - just not quite as hilarious or insightful as I anticipated. There were a few highlights for me, like the fact that Betty has a room that keeps her up at night - you know, that room where you just dump things and plan to organise "one day". It makes me feel better about my own semi-hoarding that Betty Freaking White does it too. Her passing reflections on being the last Golden Girl and the loss of her husband, Allen, and her dear pets, are touching and poignant. You finish the book, if not more in touch with the "real" Betty, at least more in awe of her energy, enthusiasm, humour and positivity. She's still going strong - let's hope she stays that way for years to come!

Rating: 3.5/5

February TV Addict Reading Challenge

Leave your 2012 TV Addict Reading Challenge links for February here! If you haven't signed up yet, you can do so here.

Sassi Sam Review: The Maid's Tale by Rose Plummer with Tom Quinn

I've long been an admirer of Sassi Sam's girlie, fun website, so when she asked me if I'd like do book reviews for her I jumped at the chance quicker than, um, something that jumps really quickly (Kangaroos? Tigger? I digress...). My first review for Sassi Sam is now up - check it out if, y'know, you want to. It's a review of The Maid's Tale by Rose Plummer and Tom Quinn, which I highly recommend for Downton Abbey fans. BTW, what I didn't mention in the review is that the book involves tales of old-school vibrators, spitting on cutlery to clean it, and ladies who walked around with bird poop on their shoulders all the time. Fun times!

January in Review

I google imaged 'January' and this was by far the best image.

Month one of 2012 down! I hope everyone had a good start to the year. It's been a bit slow for me in terms of reading and blogging (although it looks like more, thanks to holiday build-up!), because between finalising wedding plans, trying to get fit, and getting actual work done, I haven't had a helluva lot of time. Which makes me kinda sad. On the plus side: I'm getting married in four months (eep!), and there's not too much planning left to do. I also signed up for a writing course, which starts in a few weeks, and I can't wait! Here's what I have been up to on the blog:

I read/reviewed...

• The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
• The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
• Legend by Marie Lu
• The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan (My fave of the month)
• Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi
• Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
• The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

I watched...

• Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon

I swooned over...

• The Fuentes brothers
• Oliver from TSPOLAFS

I brought reading icons back...

• Julia Andrews
• Michelle Williams
• Charlie Chaplin

I also ditched Mag Monday (I still might feature magazines every now and then, just not every week), and I'm currently contemplating whether I should pick or pass on Pash, Pick or Pass. I might just feature it once or twice a month rather than every week. I want more time for actual reading! And, y'know, life and stuff. Anyhoo, that was my January - how was yours?

Review: The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

This book was painful. Like, I-feel-like-my-heart-is-bleeding kinda painful. A good kinda painful, then. Naturally. 

The Piper’s Son is the sequel/companion to Melina Marchetta’s Saving Francesca, and it picks up the characters’ lives five years down the track. This time, Tom Mackee is our main character, along with his aunt Georgie, as the book alternates between their viewpoints via third person narration. They, along with the rest of their family and friends, are trying to recover from some devastating losses in the past (both recent and distant). 

With protagonists that are 22 and 42, The Piper’s Son feels a bit more grown up than Saving Francesca and Looking for Alibrandi, and the third person narrative also sets it apart. The writing is even more beautiful, if that’s at all possible. I liked being able to get into more than one character’s head, as well as seeing them from the outside. It gave the story a much wider scope than it perhaps would have had otherwise.

Now, I thought Saving Francesca was sad, but I have to say, it’s got nothing on The Piper’s Son. Tom and Georgie are both so lost in their grief and it’s such an emotional ride, made all the more potent by the extremely realistic characters, conversations, emotions and actions. As with Marchetta’s other books that I’ve read, I found myself nodding along to a character’s inner monologue more than once. I really felt their pain. And it was tough.

Thankfully, there are plenty of light moments to balance out the sadness. As Tom slowly reconnects with the old gang from St Sebastian’s, the friendly teasing comes back into play and you can’t help but smile. The interactions between the Mackee family are also tinged with humour, and there’s a lot of joy mixed in with their hurt. The best moments, though, come from Tara (who is in Timor) and Tom’s email exchanges. Though they're half a world apart (literally and emotionally), their spark is still there, waiting to be set alight. I just love all of these characters; they’re strong, unique, and well fleshed-out. I feel like I know them well… if only I had friends like these in real life!

Rating: 4/5

Spoilery Talking Points

• I was sad at the lack of Jimmy in this book. He was one of my favourite characters in Saving Francesca. I need to know that he's OK.
• On the other hand, the suggestion that Frankie's parents are doing great is heartening. 
• I also kinda missed Siobhan! She seemed to be doing well though. I was kinda glad they were all still friends. Well, except for the whole Tom kerfuffle - but he made good in the end.
• On an entirely superficial note, I really want to know what Will's tatt looks like.

Eye Candy

The same as Saving Francesca, plus...

Benedict Samuel as Tom

Claudia Karvan as Georgie

Emily Browning as Tara

Guy Pearce as Sam

Fine Print

Genre: Contemporary fiction

Published: March 2010, Viking

Get It: Fishpond

The Book Was Better: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon

I was obsessed with the Sailor Moon anime when I was a kid, and totally want to rewatch it after reading the manga. I currently have the whole series downloading, er, on order, and while I eagerly await its arrival, I thought I'd check out the live-action series, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.

Now, I like cheesy, cutesy stuff as much as the next adult-in-denial, but even I couldn't get past episode one. Seriously, I started watching episode two and thought WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE. The acting is on the over side, the special effects on the under side and the whole thing is just craptastic... minus the tastic. Like, Luna is a stuffed toy/really bad CGI animation. And the transformations involve really, really bad wigs. And Tuxedo Mask is kinda creepy. Maybe it gets better, but... eh, I just can't do it. P.S. If you want to, the whole thing is on YouTube.

Reading Icons: Charlie Chaplin

"A day without laughter is a day wasted." - Charlie Chaplin

Revisit: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

So. Here's the thing. Melina Marchetta is one of my all-time favourite authors. She is my idol. But I've only ever read two of her books. I KNOW. But I have an excuse! Kind of. You see, for the majority of my teen years, Looking for Alibrandi was the only Marchetta available. I adored it. Obsessed over it. Reread it at least once a year (and often more frequently). I identified so strongly with Josie, and felt like this book just got me in so many ways. It was a cherished friend (and is still one of my favourite books, BTW). I longed for Marchetta to write more, so I could devour fresh words of wisdom and realism. Then Saving Francesca came out. I was 17 and... kinda disappointed.

I liked it, don't get me wrong. I liked it a lot. But I just didn't have the same connection to Frankie that I had with Josie. My subsequent wariness, and the fact that I grew out of Young Adult books for a little while (or thought I had, at least!), meant that I didn't rush to pick up the books Marchetta released in the following years. Then, thanks to a friend thrusting The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants on me, I rediscovered how awesome YA could be. I started blogging, and read countless reviews and comments on the amazingness of Marchetta's other works - some even said they were better than Alibrandi. Big. Call.

Needless to say, The Piper's Son, On The Jellicoe Road and Finnikin of the Rock quickly joined my ever-growing TBR pile. My plan was to reread Saving Francesca before tackling The Piper's Son, then on to Jellicoe Road before finally diving into Finnikin. The hitch in this plan was that every time I picked up Francesca, I couldn't bring myself to read it. Not because of my first experience with it (because I had actually really liked it), but because I knew it touched upon issues that had recently become a very sensitive subject for me. I was afraid of how it would make me feel.

Then last week, I did something that I am both incredibly excited and extremely nervous about: I signed up for a writing course taught by Marchetta. I am more excited than nervous, actually. I'm downright ecstatic. But the reason I mention it here is because it gave me the kick up the butt I needed to finally get over my fear of Francesca - or, at least, that fear was eclipsed by a frenzied desire to absorb every word Marchetta had ever written ASAP.

I'm so, so glad I reread it. Because Francesca, of course, is absolutely amazing. The very reason I was afraid to pick it up (recent personal experiences) meant that I was able to appreciate it - and yes, connect with it - in a new and powerful way that I couldn't as a teenager. It's not an easy read (though it's beautifully written); Francesca's sadness, and her mum's depression, permeate the book. But it deals with the issue in such a tender, realistic and ultimately hopeful way that, by the time I turned the last page, I actually felt a lot better than I had before I picked it up. Like Alibrandi before her, Francesca touched upon so many aspects that were completely relevant to my life, and made me feel good about them. As though I wasn't alone. My feelings for Francesca might just be on par with my love of Alibrandi. Which is really saying something.

The Piper's Son, here I come.

Rating: 5/5

Eye Candy
I pictured...

Caitlin Stasey as Francesca

James Sorensen as Will

Xenia Goodwin as Justine

Alicia Banit as Siobhan

Khan Chittenden as Jimmy

Fine Print
Genre: Young Adult
Published: 2003, Viking
Get It: Better World Books