Top Ten Tuesday - My Top Auto-Buy Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week is a new theme to start book discussions. I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and join in!

This week it is the top ten auto-buy authors. Here are mine, in no particular order:

  • JK Rowling. Might be obvious, maybe even clichéd, but still true. While The Casual Vacancy didn't come close to living up to its predecessors, I love her style and her characters.
  • John Green. Hands down, one of my all-time favourite people/authors. Not only does he write beautiful, amazing books but is the Co-Father of Nerdfighteria. Can I put him down for like 6 of the slots??
  • Stephanie Perkins. Anna and the French Kiss was like a breath of fresh Parisian air. Lola and the Boy Next Door was like a whirlwind of colourful wigs. I love the characters she has created, especially St. Clair!
  • Brian Jacques. I know he's technically dead so no new books are going to materialise but still. When I was younger, I loved the Redwall series. Before I discovered the concept of spoilers, I used to go to the back and read the epilogue first. God, imagine if I had done that with HP7?? The horror!
  • Veronica Roth. I love the world she has built and continues to build, and also Four. Can't wait for Detergent!
  • Suzanne Collins. I think this was the first big dystopian series I read, and I was immediately hooked. I'm interested to see what comes next for her.
  • Beth Revis. Her Across the Universe 'verse is a fascinating take on the dystopian future genre. Shades of Earth is definitely on my to-read list.
  • L.A. Weatherly. I love a bit of supernatural, and her Angel series really ticks the box. It was by chance that I picked this book up (actually at a book signing) and I was not disappointed. Angel Fire is waiting to be read.
Ok, so I could only come up with seven for this one. But just take it as read that John Green fills up the remaining slots...

Book Review: Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind by Andy Robb

Synopsis: Archie is fourteen years old and a Geek to his core. In the world of role-playing games, he's a Level 5 Mage, capable of summoning the Undead. In this world, things are rather different. With no rule book to navigate Life's Big Challenges - warring parents, a crass step-father, orc-like school bullies and crap hair - he's teetering on the brink…

Then a Beautiful Girl appears in his Geeky world… Despite the fact that the closest he's come to an encounter with a girl is painting an Elven miniature, Archie embarks on a Daring Quest to win her heart.

Pages: 352

Rating: 9/10

Overall Thoughts: Seriously funny. Seriously loved it. It makes you remember how awkward and confusing being a (geeky) teenager was, and how much you both do and don't miss it. While I felt the plot loses it way slightly in the middle, it makes sense with the final act that makes up for the wobble.
Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind

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Award Season Prophecies: The Oscars 2013

The Oscars were last night and from what I've seen so far, it looks like it was quite an evening! Jennifer Lawrence fell up the stairs, Daniel Day-Lewis made history (the male version of Meryl Streep??) and the cast of Les Misérables wowed us yet again.

So now to see how I fared in my predictions...

Best Film
Prediction: Argo
Winner: Argo
Yes!

Best Actor
Prediction: Daniel Day-Lewis
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis
Yes!

Best Actress
Prediction: Jennifer Lawrence
Winner: Jennifer Lawrence
Yes!

Best Supporting Actor
Prediction: Christoph Waltz
Winner: Christoph Waltz
Yes!

Best Supporting Actress
Prediction: Anne Hathaway
Winner: Anne Hathaway
Yes!

Best Original Song
Prediction: "Skyfall" - Skyfall
Winner: "Skyfall" - Skyfall
Yes!

Best Animated Feature
Prediction: Brave
Winner: Brave
Yes!

Best Foreign Language Film
Prediction: Amour
Winner: Amour
Yes!

Best Director
Prediction: Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Winner: Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Yes!

Best Original Screenplay
Prediction: Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained
Winner: Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained
Yes!

Best Adapted Screenplay
Prediction: Chris Terrio - Argo
Winner: Chris Terrio - Argo
Yes!

Best Cinematography
Prediction: Lincoln
Winner: Life of Pi
Oops.

Best Costume Design
Prediction: Anna Karenina
Winner: Anna Karenina
Yes!

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Prediction: Les Misérables
Winner: Les Misérables
Yes!

Best Original Score
Prediction: André Desplat - Argo
Winner: Mychael Danna - Life of Pi
Oops.

Best Production Design
Prediction: Les Miséables
Winner: Lincoln
Oops.

Best Animated Short
Prediction: Paperman
Winner: Paperman
Yes!

Best Visual Effects
Prediction: Life of Pi
Winner: Life of Pi
Yes!

15/18!

Only three wrong! Booyah!

A lot of these I'm really happy about, and I don't think there were many big upsets were there?

Well that is the last award show of the season, and the last prediction/results post for this year (audience-supplied aww!). I've had a lot of fun speculating over who will win what. I have been wide of the mark a few times but if I do say so myself, I was pretty close to perfect this time ;).

I hope you've enjoyed my predictions, and here's to the next year in film!

Book Review: Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral

Synopsis:  After her mother died, Glory retreated into herself and her music. Her single father raised her as a piano prodigy, with a rigid schedule and the goal of playing sold-out shows across the globe. Now, as a teenager, Glory has disappeared. As we flash back to the events leading up to her disappearance, we see a girl on the precipice of disaster. Brilliant and lonely, Glory is drawn to an artistic new boy, Frank, who moves in next door. The farther she falls, the deeper she spirals into madness. Before long, Glory is unable to play anything but the song "Chopsticks."

But nothing is what it seems, and Glory's reality is not reality at all. In this stunningly moving novel told in photographs, pictures, and words, it's up to the reader to decide what is real, what is imagined, and what has been madness all along...

Pages: 272

Rating: 7/10

Overall: A beautiful-looking book, which challenges how you read into a story. While I enjoyed it, I felt something was lacking for me. Maybe something I wasn't picking up on with the way this story is told through photos.
Chopsticks

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Award Season Predictions: The Oscars 2013

It is almost upon us. The big one. The one we've all been waiting for. The Oscars! Or to give its full name: The 85th Academy Awards.


Pretty much all the previous award shows have been warm-ups to this one. We all use the SAGs, the Golden Globes etc. to help predict how the Academy is going to vote this time. So with that in mind, here are my predictions for the biggest award show around!

Key:
Film I think will win
Film(s) I want to win
Both



Best Picture
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Amour
Django Unchained
Argo


Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Denzel Washington - Flight
Hugh Jackman - Les Misérables
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

Best Actress

Naomi Watts - The Impossible
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Supporting Actor

Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Alan Arkin - Argo
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

Best Supporting Actress

Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Amy Adams - The Master

Best Original Song

"Before My Time," - Chasing Ice
"Pi’s Lullaby," - Life of Pi
"Suddenly," - Les Misérables
"Everybody Needs A Best Friend," - Ted
"Skyfall," - Skyfall

Best Animated Feature Film

Frankenweenie
Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
Paranorman
Brave

Best Foreign Language Film

Amour (Austria)
No (Chile)
War Witch (Canada)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
Kontiki (Norway)

Best Director

David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln
Michael Haneke - Amour
Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Original Screenplay
John Gatins - Flight
Mark Boal - Zero Dark Thirty
Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained
Michael Haneke - Amour
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola - Moonrise Kingdom

Best Adapted Screenplay
Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Chris Terrio - Argo
Tony Kushner - Lincoln
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
David Magee - Life of Pi

Best Cinematography
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Best Costume Design
Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Makeup and Hairstyling
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables

Best Original Score
Dario Marianelli - Anna Karenina
Alexandre Desplat - Argo
Mychael Danna - Life of Pi
John Williams - Lincoln
Thomas Newman - Skyfall

Best Production Design
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

Best Animated Short
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare,'
Paperman

Best Visual Effects
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Marvel’s The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman


I think the Oscars this year will be a mixed bag, no one film taking every award. But on the other hand I do think that Argo is going to be a frontrunner if previous award shows are anything to go by.

So let me know if you think I'm right with my predictions or miles off the target! And enjoy the Oscars spectacle!

Book Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Synopsis: 'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.
Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins.
This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight...

Number of pages: 240

Rating: 10/10

Overall Impression: A very satisfying love story with an apocalyptic backdrop. Romantic, thrilling and heartwarming. Zombies will never look the same again.
Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies, #1)

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Book Review: A Million Suns by Beth Revis


Synopsis: Trapped on board the spaceship Godspeed, Amy trusts no-one. The ship's ruler is dead and a rebellion threatens. Amy wants to help Elder as he tries to take charge, but she's torn between her feelings for him and the chaos that's pulling everything apart. As more harrowing discoveries are made about Godspeed, Amy is caught in a desperate race to unravel its secrets. Only one thing is certain. They have to get off this ship.

Number of pages: 386

Rating: 9/10

Overall Impression: A great sequel to Across the Universe, it ramps up the tension and claustrophobia felt by all the characters, as it races to a climactic cliffhanger. It is, all at once, a crime novel and thriller with a dash of romance thrown in.
A Million Suns (Across the Universe, #2)

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Book Review: The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth

Synopsis: The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language springs from Mark Forsyth's Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words. It's an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language, taking in monks and monkeys, film buffs and buffaloes, and explaining precisely what the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.

Number of pages: 288

Rating: 10/10

Overall Impression: A fascinating, twisting and turning tour of the English language. Witty and intelligent, with something new to learn on every page, even when you thought you knew the origin of a word.
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

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Award Season Prophecies: The BAFTAs 2013 Results

The results are in. Stephen Fry was, as per usual, a delightful host and nobody waffled on too long. Always a bonus. The nominations and my predictions/wishes are here.

Let's see if how well I did.

Best Film
Prediction: Argo
Winner: Argo
Yes!

Outstanding British Film
Prediction: Les Misérables
Winner: Skyfall
Oops.

Best Leading Actor
Prediction: Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln
Winner: Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln
Yes!

Best Leading Actress
Prediction: Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Winner: Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Oops.

Best Supporting Actor
Prediction: Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Winner: Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
Oops.

Best Supporting Actress
Prediction: Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
Winner: Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
Yes!

Best Director
Prediction: Ben Affleck - Argo
Winner: Ben Affleck - Argo
Yes!

Best Animated Film
Prediction: Brave
Winner: Brave
Yes!

Best Film not in the English Language
Prediction: Amour
Winner: Amour
Yes!

Best Cinematography
Prediction: Lincoln
Winner: Life of Pi
Oops.

Best Costume Design
Prediction: Anna Karenina
Winner: Anna Karenina
Yes!

Best Makeup and Hair
Prediction: Les Misérables
Winner:Les Misérables
Yes!

Best Original Music
Prediction: Skyfall
Winner: Skyfall
Yes!

Best Production Design
Prediction: Les Misérables
Winner: Les Misérables
Yes!

Best Sound
Prediction: Les Misérables
Winner: Les Misérables
Yes!

Best Special Visual Effects
Prediction: Life of Pi
Winner: Life of Pi
Yes!

Rising Star (Public Vote)
Prediction: Suraj Sharma
Winner: Juno Temple
Oops.

12/17

Well, that's a much better result than the SAG Awards! I think this one being a British award show may have helped me here. Especially as Les Mis is (technically) a British film. Also the last one could have gone to anyone due to being a public vote *shrug*.

I think that's the last big award show (that I'll be doing at least) before the biggest one of them all: The Academy Awards aka the Oscars!

Award Season Prophecies: The BAFTAs 2013

Another day, another award show. This time, on my side of the pond: The BAFTAs.

The BAFTAs are always interesting as they definitely put the spotlight on British films (for obvious reasons), which can mix things up a little, I think. Also they are hosted by the living legend that is Stephen Fry, which is always a bonus.

Anyway, on with my predictions!

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Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Synopsis: One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Number of pages: 525

Rating: 9/10

Overall Impression: A great sequel to Divergent. The action is relentless, and the constant feeling of not knowing who to trust or who is speaking the truth is ever present. I found myself not liking Tris as much this time around, but liking Four more and more.
Insurgent (Divergent, #2)

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Lifescouts: An Introduction.

I am joining Lifescouts.

What is Lifescouts you ask? Well:
Lifescouts is a badge-collecting community of people who share their real-world experiences online (x)
Similar to if/when you were in the Boy Scouts or Brownies or whatever you called it, and you got a badge for learning a new skill, Lifescouts is a way to collect badges for life experiences. You can do it through Tumblr, Twitter or, like me, on a blog, or you can even collect actual real-life badges! I'm rather tempted by some of the badges.

It was created by Alex Day off of YouTube and he talks about it here.

I think this would be a great way to inspire my blogposts, give me something to talk about, and let you get to know me that much better. I'm going to post the first month's ones here (the ones that apply to me obv) and then after that I will probably post when I have 'collected' around 4 or 5 badges.

French Language Badge
I have read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in French. I'm currently working my way through the whole Harry Potter series en français.

Empire State Building Badge
New York City is one of my favourite places in the world. I first visited and went up the ESB when I was 16. It is a bit of a blur, my whole first visit to NYC. The second time was on my third visit to New York last year with my sister. The weather was bitterly cold but the views were spectacular. Despite it being a tourist trap, it is an absolute must see for the views of Manhattan and beyond. I definitely recommend going early in the morning to miss the queues.

Driving Badge
I passed my test first time, with only 4 minors. I have now been driving 6 years. I have a red Fiat 500, which started out life as Polly, but is now called Mario. He would like you to respect his life choices ;).

Scuba-Diving Badge
I am a qualified BS-AC Sports Diver. I have been diving properly since I was 14, but had tried diving possibly as early as 8 in the pool with my dad's kit. I have dived mainly in British waters, but also in Tenerife. Since university, I rarely dive, though I still sometimes go to my dad's club to say hi. One day I want to dive on the Great Barrier Reef, and in other more tropical climes than British waters.

Mona Lisa Badge
I have seen the Mona Lisa in person in the Lourve Museum, Paris, when I was 17ish on a school trip. I was slightly underwhelmed by it, to be honest. It is a really small painting. I thought it would be much bigger. We also weren't allowed to get very close to it because of the security around it. The museum itself though is a great one. I really want to go back and take my time wandering around it.

Niagara Falls Badge
I visited the Niagara Falls during a school trip to Canada in 2004. We had visited Quebec, Montréal and Toronto. We went to the Niagara Falls on our last day. We took a trip on the Maid of the Mist into the Falls, all looking fetching in our ponchos! But as the ponchos didn't quite cover us down to our feet, we ended up catching the flight home with damp trousers from the knees down! It was awe-inspiring to see though. Also, Canada is very proud of the fact that their side of the Falls is bigger than America's!

Eiffel Tower Badge
I have been up the Eiffel Tower a few times. I can't remember when the first time was though. But we definitely got the lift! I have also been up it once with school (same trip as the Mona Lisa visit). Like with the ESB above, the views of Paris are amazing.

Big Ben Badge
I'm going to take this as visiting London. I have been to London many times. I even applied to 2 universities there back in the day. I got to see some of the London Olympics last year, which was amazing, and this year I'll be going to LeakyCon there!!!

So, there we go. Let me know if you start collecting your own Lifescout badges. I'd love to know what you have 'collected' and how!