I Forgot to Savour It...

Lately, I've been a little bit, uh, obsessed, with Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels. You know, the ones that HBO's TrueBlood are based on? They follow Sookie, a mind-reading waitress in rural Louisianna as she navigates the newly revealed supernatural world - vampires, weres, witches and fairies - oh my! If you've been following along, you'll remember when I first discovered the tv series and spent a whole day watching the entire first season, when I bought and read the first book in the series, when the books completely took over my life, when I considered threatening postal employees because the latest realease had not arrived yet, and finally, when it arrived and I was so excited I took pictures with it.

I had big plans to take it slowly and savour this one, because as far as I know, Ms. Harris has not announced when the next one is coming. I even waited and didn't start reading on Friday night when I got the book, knowing it would go too fast.

Well I started on Saturday morning and finished on Sunday night. "Dead and Gone" went fast.


I don't want to spoil too much for anyone who hasn't read it. (By the way, if you're reading something else, you're wasting your time - start reading this series ASAP!) Let's just say I was pleased. No big departure from the previous books, this series certainly has an established style that it sticks to - but I am a fan of that style. In order not to ruin it, my review is like this:

ERIC!!! (ack! swoon! whaa?) Woah - Arlene! Bill!?!! Holycrapfairiesarecreepy!

Those of you who've read it (*ahem* EP *ahem*), thoughts?
Those of you who have told me you have the first book in the series but have not read it (*cough* Olga *cough*), get on it - you've got a lot of catching up to do!
Those of you who for some bizarre reason have not thought to pick up a copy of these books - seriously, get your butt to the book store or library! They're entertaining and light while being thrilling and sexy. And at least for me, they're consuming, they take over my life, I get emotionally involved, I have a GIANT literary crush on a certain former Viking.

I'll Be MIA for a Few Days...

It arrived today!! Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris! Look how excited I am! I need to remember to savour it, though, as I don't know when the next is coming. But I'm going home on Sunday, so I'll get to spend next week reading it on the porch - we'd better have good weather!

Seriously, guys, are you reading this series yet?

I'm (Impatiently) Waiting!

Okay, seriously, Chapters, I pre-ordered the new Charlaine Harris book Dead and Gone, a month ago. It came out on Tuesday. Where is my book?? I could have gone to the store and purchased it multiple times by now! The website finally says it has shipped in full, so maybe this is Canada Post's fault. I've gone downstairs in my pjs every day since Tuesday to check the mail, and I've got nothing. It's Thursday, but if I don't get it tomorrow, so that I have it for the weekend, somebody will be in trouble. Listen, guys, just give me my Sookie Stackhouse book and no one gets hurt.

My Top 10 Pre-Teen / Early Teenage Books

A while back I read a post over at the Society of List Addicts about Favourite Books from my Childhood, and that inspired me to create my own. I read a lot as a kid. I'm not going to include storybooks, instead I'll stick with the ones I was obsessed with in paperback form as a pre-teen / early teenager.

1) Invitation to The Game - Monica Hughes:
Honestly, I think they should make a movie of this. I read this book more times than I ever read a book in my entire life, it was just that good. I wanted to be Lisse and live in that futuristic dystopia. Now, I loved many of Monica Hughes' other books, but this one definitely takes the cake as the best. In case you haven't read it, go here to read a review.2) The Babysitter's Club - Ann M. Martin:
I read almost every book in the series, squealed with joy when the movie came out, and went to get my babysitting liscence ASAP because of this series. I imagined I was these girls. Anything that can glamourize babysitting to pre-teens is an amazing series. Here's the background info.
3) Nancy Drew - Caroline Keene:
I read a good many of this series as well. Nancy Drew is an amazing girl who, with her 2 best friends, nice car, helpful daddy, and handsome boyfriend, solved various mysteries, often including creepiness and life-risking - everything you would expect from a good mystery. Check out the background of the series.
4) Anne of Green Gables / Emily of New Moon - L.M. Montgomery
Both series (Anne and Emily) were written about East-coast Canadian children who are orphaned and grow up in adopted families (Anne) or with relatives (Emily). Both are daydreamers and have a small group of close friends that they win over, and the series' follow each of them transform into successful young women. Here's info about Anne and Emily.
5) My Teacher is an Alien - Bruce Colville (and pretty much all of his other works):
I was obsessed with Bruce Colville. My friend and I even wrote him fan mail (although I don't remember if we ever sent them). It went along nicely with my obsession with all things space-related. Three school-aged kids who find out that their teacher is, in fact, from outer space. I wanted to be Susan and had a total crush on Peter, and wished pretty much daily that I would be taken into space. Here's more info.

6) Tomorrow When The War Began - John Marsden:
This was a series about a group of teenage friends who were camping in the woods for the weekend when their country (Australia) is invaded by another country. These teens are some of the few people who remain free after the invasion and they help to lead attacks against the invaders, all while experiencing their own coming of age. I read this during a time when I was obsessed with all things war-related - between this, and WWII novels, I wonder if my parents were ever worried about that obsession. Here's more about the series.
7) The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis:
I don't even need to explain this, do I? I think Mom read all of them outloud to us growing up, every night before bed. When I got a bit older, I read them all myself. There is possibly nothing better as a child than to be read to about talking animals, fairies, nymphs, fawns, and royalty as you're drifting off to sleep, and then, when you're old enough to read it yourself, re-reading the series and being captured by the magic all over again, remembering it just as you heard it as a child. Here's more about the series.
8) Madeline L'Engle - anything by her - especially A Ring of Endless Light and A Wrinkle in Time:
Youth protagonists coming of age while the storylines cover modern science and fantasy events with a religious tinge - they were just perfect for what I was interested in growing up. The religious aspects reminded me of the stories I grew up hearing at church, and made them "cool" again by adding in science and fantasy. Here's more about Madeline.

9) Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder:
Another series that Mom read to us growing up (I think Mom's reading to us had a lot to do with how much my sister and I read later in life). This one based on the real life stories of the Ingalls family settling on the prairie. My sister and I used to pretend we were the girls in the story, we'd go outside and play Little House. It also inspired a lifelong fear of panthers. Here's more about the series.
10) His Dark Materials Trilogy - Phillip Pullman:
I recently re-read these books again, and they are just SO good. Don't let the recently made movie be any base on which to judge the series. Lyra and Will are from different versions of Earth, and they battle together for the forces of good while coming of age. Also combining religion and fantasy, it's not surprising that I was drawn to it. Although, I read it much later than most kids, because I picked it up when I was too young, got confused, and didn't pick it up again for much too long. All the same, incredible series. Go find out more.

So there you go. The pre-teen / early teenage books that I obsessed over, and that honestly helped shape who I am today.
What were your favourite books / series as a pre-teen and early teenager?

My Latest Obsession

I've been a bad blogger. I know. I'm sorry.
And I'll likely continue to be a bad blogger for a little while longer.
Would you like to know why?
I have a new obsession.
The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris... You know, the books that True Blood was based on?
Let me tell you, the books are even better than the series. Oh. My. Goodness.
I have lost sleep over this series, I've stayed up to the wee hours of the morning reading, and still not been able to sleep afterward because I've continued to think about them.
They are just that good.
Right now, I'm reading Definitely Dead, the 6th book. I have one more to read, until the next one comes out in paperback at the end of the month, and then another one comes out in May... the author says she's not done yet, which makes me terribly happy.
I am no good at book reviewing. I doubt I ever will be any good at it. All I can tell you is that these books are incredible and if you haven't read them yet, do so immediately.
And with that, I will likely be MIA for a little longer while I spend all of my free time reading these books. I'll still be Tumbling and Twittering, so if you're missing me, come see me there!

Recap

So life has been busy lately, thus I've been MIA from the blogging world. Here's what's new with me:

• Mom's surgery went really well. She had it on Monday and was okay to go home on Thursday! Her nurses were fantastic and everything went really smoothly. I am unbelievably relieved that this is finally over.
• I've been working overnights. I expect it will be a while before I have a normal sleep schedule again. We have been short staffed the past 2 nights, so I have been stationed by myself at the main desk of the shelter, which I love. When there are no new intakes and all of my work is done, I get to chill with a snack, listen to some Dave Matthews, and read or play around on the internet while everyone else sleeps.
  
• I bought the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, it's the book that True Blood is based on. I am almost through it already and I loved it! I went to Chapters tonight and bought the next 3 in the series.
• Maurice the turtle is living at my apartment now! The cat hasn't tried to kill him yet, so all is well! He likes staring at me while I do stuff around the apartment, he's funny! I will introduce you properly soon.
  
• My littlest sister is on a March Break school trip to Spain and Italy right now. The middle sister is still in Australia. I am stuck in Toronto... and slowly going stir crazy.
• BUT, I got a ticket to see the Dave Matthews Band in June! I'm crazy excited, especially because their new CD comes out only days before. However, the crappy part is that I'm going with 2 other friends, and Ticketmaster wouldn't allow us to puchase more than 2 tickets together for inside the pavilion, so I am sitting one section over from my two friends... here's hoping we can sweet talk the people around us to let us all sit together...
  
• I started a Tumblr, because I clearly need to spend more time on the internet. It's Tumbling Down the Rabbit Hole, go follow me!
• Oh! How Lovely! Shops is giving away a set of bodhicitta Recycled Glasses, very cool! Go enter!
  

The Letter N

Lindsay over at Adventures of a Book Thief made a list of 10 things she liked that start with the letter m, and gave me the letter n for mine.
Leave a comment if you want me to give you a random letter for a meme of your own!


1- Night - I am almost entirely nocturnal if given the option, I would much rather sleep all day and stay up all night.
2- Neverland - Not the Michael Jackson place. Peter Pan is one of my favourite books ever, and the newer live version of it is one of my favourite movies. I would love to live in Neverland with the pirates and mermaids and Indians, and never have to grow up.
3- Nosferatu - Basically synonymous with "vampire". I have had a healthy obsession with vampires for years now, much before the Twilight Saga came out, I read Companions in the Night and Dracula and dreamed of running with the vampires.
4- North - I live in the Great White North, and I really do like it here, though I am not technically all that nothern, as I was born about an hour away from Canada's Southernmost Point (Point Pelee and Pelee Island, in case you were wondering), so technically I have spent most of my life more south than most of Canada and some of the US.
5- Narwhal - What a freaking cool animal. It's got a freaking unicorn horn, do I need to say more?
6- Ned from Pushing Daisies - He's completely adorable! Ned could bring me back from the dead and solve mysteries with me any day.
7- North by Northwest - A Hitchcock classic with Cary Grant. Action packed and full of lines such as: "You're a big girl in all the right places", you can't go wrong.
8- Nano - As in, my iPod 3G Nano. I rarely go anywhere without it. It gets me through my hour commutes to and from work.
9- Nerds - The candies! I especially love the green and yellow ones, in sour and normal.
10- Number 36 - The Dave Matthews Band song. Here, Wikipedia tells us a bit about it's history:

Four days after his assassination, the rock group Dave Matthews Band (whose lead singer and guitarist, >Dave Matthews, is from South Africa) began playing a song, #36, to honour Hani. A live favorite for years, the music evolved into the basic foundation of the 2001 single, Everyday. The Introduction to the popular hit "Everyday" starts with the crowd singing "Honey, Honey, come and dance with me", and the crowd and band occasionally use the reprise as an outro to the song as well. (It was originally written as "Hani, Hani, come and dance with me," but Matthews believed the song to be too cheery with those lyrics, so he changed it.)

Here you can watch it:

But I Hate Resolutions...

I am a notorious New Year's Resolutions hater. It feels like I always am just setting myself up to fail with the same old goals of losing weight, exercising, and eating better. But I got to thinking, and I guess if I keep choosing the same resolutions every year and I keep failing at them, then maybe I'm not ready for that just yet. So instead, I've thought up a few other things that I would like to see happen in the new year:

1) Stop biting my nails. - I have been a nail biter since I was little. In the past few years though, I've mostly stopped. Now I only bite them when I am stressed or when they get chipped badly. I want to stop all together.

I really should stop biting my nails by diurnaldreamer

2) Drink more water. - I drink way too much diet cola. The problem is that I don't like the taste of water (I am really picky, I know). I am going to try to cut it down by bringing my Nalgene to work with me and some Crystal Lite singles so I can get it down.

Fill 'er up by acermate433s

3) Keep the apartment clean. - My apartment is pretty much always a disaster zone as soon as things in my life get busy. I want to keep on top of things this year. I am going to take the garbage out on the same day every week so I remember, and I am going to do the dishes as soon as I am done with them. I am also going to make the litter box clean out a daily occurrence. If I stay on top of those things, then the rest of it will be easier to get done when I have time.

Banksy by Simon Crubellier

4) Read more. - Now that I'm not in school, I can read for pleasure without feeling guilty that I'm not doing my homework. And now that I'm done the Twilight series, I'm left with a gaping literary hole to fill. I want to keep reading on a daily basis - whether before bed, at work, or on the subway.

On the platform, reading by moriza

5) Keep at this dating business. I'm still doing the online thing, but sometimes the idea of dating seems like more effort than it's worth. I do want to meet someone I like though, so I need to keep trying.

Date by XXVIII

I will keep you posted on my progress. You guys can keep me accountable so that I actually have to work on these. Wish me luck!

Not Nearly as Dazzled by the Movie

Last night I conned a friend (who hasn't read the book) to go see the Twilight movie with me. I loved the book a lot (I'll get into that later) so I had fairly low expectations for the film, because I had heard it was bad. Still, there was part of me that was ridiculously excited to see it. I think I had expected it to be closer to the book. It took me hours afterwards to fully explain to my friend what she just watched, she had so many questions. I wouldn't recommend going if you haven't read the book, because it just won't make sense.
I thought I wouldn't like Robert Pattinson as Edward, because the picture of Edward I had in my head was so different. However, I was pleasantly surprised by his hotness, I think mostly because of the fact that he was Edward... if that makes any sense. Casting-wise, I had no major beefs, my beefs were mainly with the plot.
It felt like the build of the relationship between Edward and Bella was done in fast forward, so it didn't really make sense that all of a sudden they were in love and couldn't live without each other (especially if you haven't read the book). Also, Edward's explaination of everything about vampires seemed like it was given in bullet points - Bella is supposed to slowly unravel it, not have it all given to her at once. What what happened to the relationship between Alice and Bella? It was just non-existant. Not to mention Bella's friendships at school with Jess and Angela were also barely developed.
My other beef was with the filming itself. Who decided that the entire movie needed to be shot in close ups and bumpy forest shots from bizarre angles? I could see the covered up pimple on Bella's face, and my friend noted that she was wearing contacts. Not necessary I'd say.
Overall, I would strongly recommend reading the book first if you're going to see the movie, but if you're expecting something exactly like the book, you're probably not going to love the movie. But, if all you want are gratuitous amounts of the goodlooking and and swoonworthy Edward, then it'll be worthwhile to go see the movie.

My Very Own Blog Secret

With no time to officially post, and an intense commitment not to fail NaBloPoMo, y'all get to hear my embarrassing confession...

I am officially a 15 year old girl again...


I had a dream involving Edward Cullen last night.


In my defense (and to make it less creepy), he was older than 17 in my dream.


I'm about half way through Twilight, in case you were wondering. I'm the girl with her headphones in her ears and her nose stuck in a book on the bus and subway... so much so that I nearly missed my stop yesterday.

Yup, officially a teenager again.

Here I Go...

I am ready to be a teen again, I have the book in my hot little hands (swiped from the little sis, who was currently re-reading it). This lovely lady and I are hopping onto the Vampire bandwagon together. Seeing as I loved vampire books, such as "Companions in the Night", as a teen, and really really really loved vampire books such as "Dracula" and "The Historian" as a 20-something, I should have no issues with this. I'll let you know how it goes.