December Reading List 2013

It's very quickly warming up over here now that NaNo (November) is over. I didn't write anything else. Thinking of trying to get some more work done today if the heat doesn't end up frying my brain.

I can't even believe that this is the last month of 2013. And the last month this year I'll be putting together one of these reading lists. Crazy.

An Ice Cold Grave

I'm very much enjoying this series of books. Much better, in my opinion, than the Southern Vampire Mysteries series and without all the drama. This series is only four books long, so I'll be finishing it next month.

Magic Bleeds

Getting through this series at a rate of knots because I'm reading it with some big fans of the series. After last month's book, however, I don't even mind. This book is going from strength to strength, just like Jim Butcher's Dresden books, and just like I was promised they would! People picking up this series: It's a slow burn, but it's worth it.

Dime Store Magic.

Just when you think I'd be done with paranormal fiction for this month, I pull out this old favourite. Kelley Armstrong's Bitten is being made into a TV series starting out in January. I've read most of the books that the series is going to be based from but, sadly, I've never actually finished this one. So, into the pile for this month it goes!

Neverwhere.

Next on my list is Neil Gaiman!! After the huge success that was reading through The Ocean at the End of the Lane two months ago, I've been looking forward to reading this one with a group with baited breath. Not to mention, this is the book that the radio play read by Benedict Cumberbatch, Natalie Dormer, James McAvoy and others was based from. :D:D

The Lives of Christopher Chant
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This just wouldn't be a month of my reading if I didn't go in for some Young Adult fiction. I absolutely loved my introduction to Diana Wynne Jones last month when reading Charmed Life and so I figure this book will be one of the first that I pick up to follow that up with this month. These books are fantastic, even for adults readers who haven't read them before and so don't have the nostalgic value of their first time reading it.

Mistborn.

This is another book I'll be reading along with my group on Goodreads this month. I've never read anything that wasn't a Wheel of Time book from Brandon Sanderson before--even though I previously worked in a science fiction and fantasy book shop--and I've been told that this is something that needs fixing right away. Therefore, this is a book on my list for the month.

The Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Joss Whedon.

Okay, a little bit about S.H.I.E.L.D.

When I first heard about it, I was a little ho-hum. When I first heard that Joss Whedon had been roped into putting together a television series based on the Oh-So-Popular Avengers Movie, I thought, 'Okay, I'm in.'

Still pretty lukewarm, I had yet to read about anything on when this series was supposed to be set, whether there would be guest appearances by anyone I liked, and of course there is the ever present fact that Joss Whedon's shows have been threatened or cancelled with increasing regularity ever since Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

When I heard that ABC--not Fox--were going to be the ones running this show, I started feeling the first rays of hope.

Then there was this.

Punchy, startling, and a little under-whelming coming in at about 30 seconds. A teaser, in the truest sense of the word: It left me wanting more.

One day later, I'm wandering around my house with my eyes only half open as I haven't yet had breakfast and waking up is quite a bit to ask during a full week of holidays, and BAM.

Tuesdays this Fall! And also a two minute longer trailer!!

I said a couple of smart-ass things on Twitter, namely the fact that Coulson lives is the worst kept secret in a series that hasn't already started, and that isn't taking into consideration Joss' love affair with the particular trope, and something about wanting a Level 7 clearance, but all that's left to be said now is that for an hour each Tuesday starting as soon as this series does, I am busy.

I haven't been as excited about anything since the Neverwhere radio play.

Watch this space. I'm unlikely to be quiet as the countdown to S.H.I.E.L.D continues.

Nostalgic post on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It made me so happy the other week to get all nostalgic over Buffy with Tony Head in his Giles tweed. On this night when we celebrate his most recent project in the radio play Neverwhere, I thought it might be a nice idea to do a nostalgic post to the series that first introduced me to the wonderful man known as Anthony Stewart Head.

For those not in the know, Buffy is this amazing cult classic of a show, screening largely in the 1990s and written by this god man by the name of Joss Whedon. Joss earlier than this wrote an origin story for Buffy in the form of a feature length movie starring Kristy Swanston, but it flopped. After the end of the series Buffy, and it's spinoff Angel, Joss collaborated with a bunch of mates and made the post-series comics (also referred to as Season 8 of Buffy, and After the Fall).

Buffy the Vampire Slayer first came on my television screen when I was a lonely eight year old girl. I thought this looked good, and identified with Willow perhaps a little too much, but thankfully did not pick up her fashion sense (until around season 5, when it became AWESOME). I laughed and cried with the four main characters, made up of Buffy herself, two best buds in Willow and Xander, as well as the older, mentor figure as well as guardian to Buffy's mystical slayer heritage, Rupert Giles.

I also laughed and cried through the various love interests over the 7 years that the series screened: Angel being thrust into a hell dimension after being evil Angelus for 9 episodes, Oz's tearful goodbye when he realises he's the wolf all the time, Anya's ridiculous/hilarious antics in trying to learn about dating and love (which I suffered through the first time, and only came to love gradually, through several rewatches). Spike's love of Buffy through it's various forms seemed much more real and layered to me than Buffy's high school sweetheart relationship with Angel (rife though it was with him turning evil the moment they had SEX). Tara's relationship with Willow was something that went completely over my head in its beginning stages, and then was something I came to adore as I realised myself to be bisexual and able to fall in love with a woman, too.

The important thing was, this was the formation of story, how a story can be told, (how a story *should* be told?) for a number of long years. I still play a game right now with my fiancee, whenever I'm stuck on a decision to do with a story, of saying, "What would Joss do?" Earlier this year, I made a post on my Tumblr saying I knew that, in some small way, the inspiration for my cover art and some of my stories came from Joss

A couple of awesome Buffy related things happened this year. Firstly: Buffy's 32nd birthday was noted and celebrated on the 19th January on Twitter by YA and Queer novelist Melinda Lo, as well as by many of my other friends. (This also means I am old, as I was always two years behind the Buffy crew.)

Secondly, there was this:



Buffy may not have been with us on our TV screens for the last 10 years, but the magic still lives on.

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Gothic has been featured this week on Goodreads poll 'Paranormal Movers and Shakers 2013' http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/33975.Paranormal_Movers_and_Shakers_2013#17207130
If you have a Goodreads.com account, please consider voting #1 Gothic. I know we can get it to #1!

'Neverwhere', an updated post!

A little while ago, I posted some early news on the upcoming Radio 4 adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. You might remember it, I was quite excited.

A couple of days ago, an email from one of my lists contained this rather nifty link containing a bunch of updated information for this upcoming radio play. It's happening, guys, it's happening!

I really cannot state in calm and rational sounds just how excited I am by this cast.

Keep in mind, I come from a strong fanfic (fangirl) background, so it's tempting for me to take a look at each individual actor from the popularity of previous fandoms if only for just one second:

James McAvoy.



Look at that cutie-cute. You may know this man from X-Men: First Class where he played a non-bald, non-wheelchaired Professor Charles Xavier. Should you also read fanfic, you will also recognise him as the often-times partner of one Erik Lensherr (Magneto), easily one of the most popular 'ships for months after the release of this movie.

Benedict Cumberbatch.



You may know this man from BBC's Sherlock, where he plays a not!sociopath alongside characters such as a not!housekeeper and not!boyfriend. The fanfic archives would have that otherwise, however, in the overwhelmingly large responses that have risen up after each season finale. The grief-stricken John fics alone, as he first comes to terms with Sherlock's demise only to find that the death has been a fake (and often punch Sherlock in the face). We are all achingly awaiting the day when Moffat finally reveals to us how it really was that Sherlock escaped death, but in the meantime we're happy to just listen to his amazing voice.

Anthony Stewart Head



Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although I have seen Tony Head in a number of roles past his portrayal of weary watcher Rupert Giles (Repo, Spooks), not to mention the sheer number of hours I personally have whiled away on the computer over the years reading Buffy fanfic. He may appeal to an older audience, true, but there is a lot in this man that's still there to appeal to the younger crowd. See also: previous comment about amazing voice ;)

Other most notable mentions include:

Christopher Lee & Natalie Dormer. 


Lord of the Rings (Fellowship and Two Towers, anyway) & The Tudors/Game of Thrones.

This series will begin on SATURDAY 16TH MARCH, and I will be listening eagerly.

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It is four months this week since Gothic hit the shelves and I'm pleased to see a whole bunch of reviews coming back this week to commemorate the occasion.
This week, I have both a featured interview and review over on Ashley Torbeck's http://drunkenspacepenguin.blogspot.com

So, in today's news of the most exciting thing ever--

We're going to be putting a pause on book ruminations for radio-play-of-a-book ruminations.

That's right! For any of those who haven't heard yet, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere is being produced as a radio play slated for somewhere in the first 4 months of 2013 and includes such voices as James McAvoy, Natalie Dormer, Benedict Cumberbatch and Anthony Stuart Head.

Neverwhere "tells the story of Richard Mayhew, the strange girl Door and their adventures in Gaiman’s mythical “London Below.” This brilliant alterna-verse is populated with characters named for London landmarks (The Old Bailey), regions (The Angel Islington) and tube stops (The Black Friars). This story is Gaiman’s at his finest and delivers up the perfect blend of fairytale, myth, modern crime story and romance."(Read more here)

Cue me jumping up and down like an absolute fangirl! I will so be on this :D:D:D



(photo and content thanks to http://www.pajiba.com)