A bit of an update...

Okay, so I haven't been the best about keeping my blog very active. In my defense, my life is incredibly busy right now. Let me give you a bit of a rundown of what's been going on.

First. I am graduating in December. I am taking summer semester right now, at the end of August I will start my last semester ever of my undergrad. WOOHOO! I have 140 days until graduation. Yes, I am counting down. I have a countdown widget on my phone.


I am working (mostly) full time. When I say mostly it's because I'm one of those lucky government employees who are being furloughed. Happy happy joy joy...


I am also working as the Stage Manager for a musical. Anne of Green Gables! Which is great fun, really. I'm working with a couple of relatives (cousin for a director, another cousin as a light/stage designer). I also get to do things that one might not normally think of for a play. Such as learning about maypoles and teaching a bunch of kids how to use one. (It's going to be AMAZING).  It also means that I have rehearsal every day, so when someone asks me to go do something...






I also just got back from San Diego Comic Con. Which was amazing and completely exhausting. I mean, 130,000+ people? I camped out over night in order to get into one of the biggest panels in Hall H. My friend and I got in line at 10:30pm the night before, the panel started at 10am. The line was already a mile long! I'm pretty sure I had to turn in my sanity for that week. I spent most of my time there completely fangirling over practically everything. I walked into a panel only to see Steven Yeun (Glenn from The Walking Dead) Kit Harington (Jon Snow from Game of Thrones) and Matt Smith (11th Doctor from Doctor Who). I about died. Glenn, Jon Snow and The Doctor all sitting next to each other???! It's probably a good thing no one took video of me during Comic Con, it might have just been too embarrassing.

Oh, and for you Doctor Who fans out there... The preview they showed for the 50th anniversary special????

 

 

 

Basically, prepare to freak out. I barely remember half of what the diologue was because I was too busy screaming along with the entirety of Hall H.

 

Also, today is my birthday (yay!) so things are even more crazy. I mean, look at what I woke up to find in my car!

So those are some of the reasons I haven't been too active. Hopefully I'll do better!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Top Ten Tuesday- Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at my other blog, The Broke and the Bookish.
 

Lisa T. Bergren- I’m not sure if I would have heard of her if a friend hadn’t recommended her book series, then later I saw someone mention it during a boutofbooks chat. After that I looked the River of Time series up… and fell in love with the story. 

Stephanie Fowers- I love talking about local authors. Stephanie’s books are light, and filled with humor. Her characters are so relatable that if I were to cast the actors in the play or movie version, I have a friend that would fit every role perfectly. 

Lindsey Leavitt- Okay, she’s fairly well known. But more people need to know about her. Her Princess for Hire series is an absolute delightful read.

Maria V. Snyder- How she isn’t more well-known is a mystery to me. Maria is the queen of strong, relatable heroines. Her Study series features a lead named Yelena, and is one of my absolute favorite heroines. Wonderful world building, fantastic characters (you’ll love Ari and Janco too!) and absorbing story telling.

R.L. LaFevers- I think by now a lot of the blogging community has heard about her and her fantastic books. However, if it weren’t for all the amazing bloggers out there I may not have found her books! 

S.J. Kincaid- Another author I know of because of blogging. I read Insignia last year and loved it. A YA novel with a male MC! 

Elizabeth Fama- I got to meet Elizabeth, be jealous. No seriously, you should be jealous because she’s awesome. When you think mermaids, you think red hair, dinglehoppers, heart of gold, couldn’t hurt a fly, etc, etc. Elizabeth takes that stereotype,  flips it upside down and makes it ever so much more interesting. Monstrous Beauty is a great read if you’re looking for something that’s a mix of romance, historical fiction, mystery, and fantasy. 

Chanda Hahn- I don’t even remember how I heard about her series, but it’s wonderful. I’m a sucker for a fairy tale retelling, and her books are fantastic! 

Jessica Day George- I discovered her by accident (another local author!) when I won the audio for her book, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow. I think she might be more well known among MG readers, not many realize she writes YA as well.

So… I only made it to 8. Turns out a lot of my favorite authors are already well known. 

Who is on your list? What delightful authors have I yet to discover???

Top Ten Book to Movie Adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at my other blog, The Broke and the Bookish.

I prefer not to think of the adaptations that I didn't like (Eragon, Ella Enchanted, Percy Jackson...) so I decided to focus on the ones that left me smiling and happy. At the same time, this list makes me nervous. So many of these are close to my heart. What if someone hates one of my favorites? That's totally fine, everyone has their likes and dislikes... But someone hating something I love is a bit like someone telling me they don't like my best friend.

 

Anne of Green Gables- I am Stage Managing the musical adaptation this summer, and it's made me fall in love with Anne and her world all over again. I identify with Anne more than almost any other literary character. Daydreams, books... I'm not an orphan, and I'm still searching for my Gilbert, but Anne and I share a bond. And the movies! Oh those movies! Could they have possibly picked better actors to fill those roles? The books I so adore were so lovingly adapted. Beautiful Prince Edward Island, wonderful actors, the best moments from the books... I watch them at least once a year.

 I recently found out that some of my fellow Broke and Bookish bloggers have NOT seen the movies OR read the books! How terrible is that??? Do me a favor and go nag them. (Hint: it's Kelly and Jen)

 

Lord of the Rings/Hobbit- I recently got into an argument with a friend about these movies. He doesn't really like them, I adore them. The argument ended with me telling him he's not allowed to talk about the series around me. Again, BRILLIANT casting. Seriously.  There were changes from the original, but none of them bother me. The movies are beautiful. I have watched them numerous times and still love them.

 

Jurassic Park/Lost World- I was terrified of these movies when the first one came out. Now they are some of my favorites. If you've read the books, you'll know just how much they've changed. A lot. And yet these movies are great. My friends and I went and saw Jurassic Park at the IMAX, in 3D. It was like seeing it for the first time! I think I came close to dumping my popcorn a couple of times when I jumped, or one of my friends did.

Inkheart- I've read the books, and the movie strays a bit... but I love it with all my heart.  Can you name a movie more bookish? Elinor and her marvelous love for books... "But I just adore everything Persian"/ "You've been to Persia?"/ "Yes, a hundred times. Along with St. Petersburg, Paris, Middle-Earth, distant planets and Shangri-la. And I never had to leave this room. Books are adventure. They contain murder and mayhem and passion. They love anyone who opens them." The casting isn't perfect but some of them were so wonderful that they make up for the rest. Helen Mirren as Elinor? Paul Bettany as Dustfinger? Wonderful.

Howl's Moving Castle- I saw Miyazaki's movie first, then later went back and read the book. I love them both. (Though, it IS Miyazaki. I don't know how I could hate any of his movies anyway) They are almost identical until about the middle section, then they go separate ways, but I can't say which of them I prefer!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- I don't mean the one with Johnny Depp (which is pretty good). I'm talking about Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The music, the whimsy, the charm. My dad read the book to me when I was really little, and I've watched the movie multiple times. I love it. Pure Imagination is one of my favorite songs.

 

Princess Bride- I'll say it. It's better than the book! One of my all time favorite movies. I mean, really, how can you not like it? I know it's possible. I have an aunt who hates it. She also hates the Goonies, so I don't have a lot of faith in her taste in movies. (Love you still, Aunt Marci!) But the movie is so quotable, the actors took characters that were merely likable, and made us adore them.

 

The Great Gatsby (2013)- Not everyone liked this. I was enchanted by it. The style, the actors, the elements of the story they focused on.... They captured so much of the book.  It kept me thinking for weeks after I saw it. Although, I can't decide if hearing Leonardo DiCaprio say "Old Sport" makes me want to hit something, or laugh.

  

Stardust- Again, better than the book. I adore this movie. I've watched it... I don't even know how many times. I read the book, and just didn't enjoy it as much. Which is weird, because it's Neil Gaiman and I love just about everything he does.

 

Perks of Being a Wallflower- I liked the book. I loved the movie. Again with the casting. They were so perfect. They were characters that I liked in the book, but wasn't sure I could love. The movie made me love them.

What are your favorite adaptations??