Well, it's been a busy and mostly crappy year. However, from a literary standpoint I have read some of the freaking BEST books in the last year or so...and it wouldn't be fair to exclude you from that list...all my loving little ninjas. So here you go, a short-ish list of some of the freaking awesome stuff I've read this year....

It might not be RELEASED this year...but I've read it this year...

Also...notable authors...

~ P.S. I love using a tilde....even the word is cool....tilde...~

~Anything by the following authors has my vote: 

Christopher Moore <most notably Lamb...but ANYTHING else is funny as hell>
 Stephenie Meyer <Twilight Series>
 Holly Black <Tithe, Ironside, etc>
 Maggie L Wood >Mistolear Series/Princess Pawn>
 Adam Selzer <How to Get Suspended and Influence People and sequels...Hilarious>
 Tamora Pierce <Tortall Books...LOVE them>
 Spider Robinson <Callahan Series>
Sara Pennypacker <Clementine Series>
Cassandra Clare <City of Bones/Mortal Instruments Series>
Jake Wizner <Spanking Shakespeare...both he and Selzer kind of remind me of Chris Moore for the YA crew>

Okay...sidetracked...

Y'know what I love? I have written to, met or gotten signed booty from almost all of those authors...it is friggin' awesome how cool writers are these days. More kids should be aware of this...google your favourite authors and send them an email about how much you love their stuff. I am a complete and utter author whore and not ashamed to say it. If writers had organized groupies like the movie "Almost Famous" I would be Kate Hudson...or at the very least Fairuza Balk....

That's it...I'm gonna get a bunch of my fellow Lit Lovers together and we'll form a Literary Groupie Coalition....

I'm done rambling now...this post derailed from my original train of thought....

I promise I'll give a more up to date list next time...

Next time, Gadget, next time....

Wow, March Break is almost over!! Here's the deal on how your Library Ninja has been keeping busy!

1) Sleeping in! Ha haaaaa, alarm clock at 6:30 no longer! Now my eyes don't open until...6:30, then 7:00, then 8:30! WoW!

2) Cleaning House! Found out that contrary to popular belief, my carpet is GREEN, not Calico.

3) Watching movies and reading! Like I do anything else in my spare time.

4) Playing video games! Mostly Fable and Guitar Hero. Okay, scratch that last comment from number 3.

5) Rediscovering my gym equipment in the basement...and consequently discovering just how long I can use an elliptical before the huge blister on my foot makes me vault off the machine and rip my shoe off like it's on fire. If you're curious, it's 20 minutes.

6) Visiting Lana and Maggie in London! Spent 8 hours in London with the hubby for a business meeting. Well, I spent a goodly amount of time in the car reading Genetics for Dummies and gleefully doing punnett squares for rabbit fur colour/texture and height of pea plants. Then had a fantastic lunch at Casey's with my buddy Lana and MAGGIE L WOOD!!! YAAAAY!!! Afterwards, Maggie and I went shopping at a little Occult store and a Comic Book store where I bought a book on Numerology and bought my hubby his new Xmen Comic and the board game for D&D Clue. We are such nerds, it's fantastic. AND I got to ride in Betty!!

7) Had lunch with the hubby and some of his work peeps.

8) Spent an OBSCENE amount of money at Chapters...I mean in the multiple hundreds.

9) I am going to see 300 on Friday, having the in-laws up on Saturday...going to read and  play more fable and stuff.

What I read and watched this week...

Read:

Genetics for dummies...I know it screams NERD, but I really liked Biology in school.

Mister Monday and part of Grim Tuesday...okay I LOVE this series, it's very interesting and I love how Garth Nix crafts the whole world of the House and all the little nuances of it's laws/rules/people.

Finished all the Caroline Meyer Young Royals books, waiting patiently for more...

Started the Numerology book Maggie suggested to me...it's fun!

Started reading Tattoo by Jennifer Barnes.

Watched:

Candy Man: A horror classic....but I forgot how bad it was.

Beowulf and Grendel: The reviews said it was horrible. It had Gerard Butler in it, which was one of the biggest reasons I watched it, aside from the fact that it had Sarah Polley in it, who I love. That said, I am getting TIRED of fast forwarding through movies. Sarah Polley, I love you, but you shouldn't be in a movie set in a foreign land if you can't fake at least some SEMBLANCE of an accent. I could buy the scotsmen as men from "Dainland" but your eccentric, outsider character would have been more believable without the Canadian accent. And the movie seemed to drag onnnnnnnnnn and onnnnnnnn. I think having Gerard Butler READ the Beowulf poem ALOUD to the camera may have been more interesting. Oh, and props to Stellan Skaarsgard...you're a champ.

Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing: I LIKE the Dixie Chicks. I like them a whole lot more after seeing this movie.  Great insight into the controversy and the hype over the "incident" involving Natalie Maines and George Bush. And a great commentary on Freedom of Speech in the U.S.

H.P Lovecraft's Beyond the Wall of Sleep: Oh my God! It was like watching a student art film! The actors were clearly from that school of acting that has you OVER enuncIATE cerTAIN parts of Every WORD, you might recognize the name: The Shatner School of Acting. The plot was nonexistent and nonsensical. The lines were all lifted from either early comic books or 1960's horror films. (Ex. "You fool! You'll kill us all!") They even botched the guest appearance by Cthulu! (Look it up) The zombie movie I plan to make this summer will apparently have a bigger budget than this movie. Even on fast forward it was still bad. H.P. Lovecraft I want that hour of my life back.

Little Miss Sunshine: I liked this movie...but it is NOT a comedy. It has moments of comedy, but mostly it's just dark. I love Steve Carrell from The Office and The 40 Year Old Virgin, and he delivers in this movie as well. He can do more with his deadpan expression than others can do in 10 lines of dialogue. He made this movie for me. Check it out.

Fast Food Nation: This is another case of the book being better than the movie. They took an interesting and contemporary topic and tried to turn it into fiction. And it did NOT work for me. We follow the lives of three different characters that intertwine in the fast food industry. The corporate schill trying to investigate the source of tainted meat, the illegal mexicans working at the meat packing plant and the teenager from a single parent family working the counter. Doesn't that sound interesting?!! Well the movie was about as interesting as that sentence can possibly sound. Had I been able to find the remote it would have been a "Fast Forward Nation".

Okay, time for this cheeky monkey to go out to the Keg for lunch! I LOVE the Keg. So it's that time again, go outside, play a sport, read a book, wash your car...but get your butt away from the computer for 5 minutes!!

From,
 Your Friendly Neighbourhood Library Ninja. 

Wow, so I pretty much burnt myself out during Christmas Break, reading all those Forest Books (Last Count: 24 of 36 books read). So I took a brief hiatus from reading fiction and immersed myself in a few great comics, online and in print.

Print Comics Read:

PVP (Player vs. Player): A gaming comic, very funny and great story arcs that old school gamers and contemporary gamers can appreciate. Some plots border on "soap opera" but they're all in good fun!

The Essential Xmen (The first 20 comics): I gave this a try since the hubby likes them, but man, old school comics just aren't my thing. I know I'm committing comic book heresy here but...Stan Lee's comic stories are just boring. There I said it, now hundreds of fanboys and fangirls are going to roast me alive.  To each his own.

The Far Side: I like Gary Larson's comics. Some of them are very apparent with their humour, others make you look twice until you get that "Oh, yeahhhhh" moment.

Online Comics:

I'm not going to blurb about these, there are too many that I read daily so here's a quick list. Most of these are gaming comics...I'm a gamer, I make no apologies.

Questionable Content
PVP (online)
SinFest
Ornery Boy
VG Cats
Natalie Dee
Ctrl+Alt+Del
Penny Arcade

Books Read in the last while:

Chris Moore's "You Suck: A Love Story" - If you know me, you know I LOVE his writing and own copies of every book. This is the sequel to "Bloodsucking Fiends" which was one of his first books. As always, it's witty, engaging and bloody hysterical. He is one of the few authors that consistently makes me laugh OUT LOUD when I read his work. Seriously, don't read his work on a bus, it makes the other passengers nervous as you burst into giggles. And I snort when I laugh, picture that one.

Ann Brashares' "Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood" - I do enjoy this series. But I must admit some of the characters in the beginning of this book were driving me crazy, I wanted to smack Carmen and ask her what was wrong. But that is a testament to Ann's great writing: If you want to smack a character and ask what's wrong, you're hooked. A great finale for the series, clerverly wrapped up. I must say that most of the characters seemed to be, how shall we say, more promiscuous in this one. 

Patricia McCormick's "Cut" - From the writer who brought us "Sold", this author tackles yet another sensitive, but contemporary topic. This book chronicles the life of a teenage girl (whose name escapes me right now and I don't want to trek downstairs to get the book and check...yeah I'm lazy...live with it) who is sent to a care facility for teenagers with issues like: anorexia, obesity, bulimia, self mutilation and abuse. The girl in question is a "cutter" who can't cope with the stresses in her life. This book follows her progression through therapy, her relationship with the other girls in the facility and her relationship to her family. A very interesting read which I completed in one sitting. 

Hugh Laurie's "The Gun Seller" - Yes, this is a book by THAT Hugh Laurie, the indomitable (look it up) Dr. House. What CAN'T that man do? Seriously, he can act, sing, play numerous instruments, write, speak several languages and he's a hottie to boot. The man is a NINJA. I want to marry him. And he's British. This book is awesome. It's got a Douglas Adams meets Film Noir vibe, with that lovely dose of dry, British humour. Did I mention I want to marry him?

** Just as an aside here, to show my dedication to bringing you, the reader, the very latest in good books, film and random insanity: I am in a significant amount of pain as I type this, due to a mishap with my rather vicious can opener. Dedication, that's all I'm saying.

Beth Goobie's "Hello, Groin" - Some of you might know Beth's work from the Bayview High Series, most notably "Something Girl" which covered the issue of abuse. In this novel we are following the story of Dylan, teenaged female protagonist, who is coming to terms with the fact that not only is she a lesbian, but she is also in love with her best friend who may or may not be in love with her. A very poignant story about being true to yourself amidst the pressures of high school and societal stereotypes that I think alot of people can relate to. 

Carolyn Meyer's "Mary, Bloody Mary" - This is part of a great Teen Historical Fiction series called "Young Rulers", which includes titles about Catherine of Aragon, Queen Elizabeth, Anne Boleyn...all relations of Henry VIII. We all know the stories of who was imprisoned, divorced, beheaded, who bore sons and all the history behind that much talked about monarch; these novels are very engaging, reader friendly and inspiring representations of the lives of Henry's women. Reading about Mary and the trials she endured (going from Princess to Servant, pressured to denounce herself as a bastard child, cut off from her mother and made to wait on the "new" Princess Elizabeth) one can almost forget that she burned thousands of people at the stake as heretics. What I also like is that we get to see a continuation of her character through Elizabeth's eyes in "Beware Princess Elizabeth". I read this one straight through and loved every minute of it.

Okay, Here's what's on my desk to read next: 

Garth Nix's "Keys to the Kingdom" Series 'Mister Monday' - I cheated and read like 3 chapters of the end of this book, now I have to read all of it.  It looks awesome.

John Marsden's "Tomorrow When The War Began" - Looks great, and the series is like 8 books long.

The rest of Carolyn Meyer's Series. I was debating reading another one or writing this...you know...on account of my wounded hand.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes' "Tattoo" - This looks cool, a group of kids get a temp tattoo and end up with powers, deaths start happening around them...right up my alley. 

Okay, I have also been watching alot of TV/DVD's and playing some cool PS2 Games.

PS2 Games of Choice right now:

Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero 2: I can't help it...I wanna be a Rock Star. It's just the coolest game series ever and actually very helpful if you DO play guitar. It builds great speed, dexterity and endurance for budding guitarists...and it's just sweet to rock out to tunes like "Sweet Child O' Mine" , "Monkey Wrench" , "Freebird" and "Ziggy Stardust"...I'm dating myself here....

Latest DVD choices...

Carnevale Season 1 and 2: There were only 2 seasons of this show, aired on HBO from 2003-2005. It was a brilliant and provocative show, and like another favourite (Titus), it was cancelled in it's infancy. This show is most definitely not for several groups of people, most notably: children, the squeamish or the religious right. Taking place in the "Dirty Thirties" dustbowl, Carnevale follows a nomadic group of carneys and their attractions, ranging from: The Bearded Lady, Gecko Man, A Blind Fortune Teller, Conjoined Twins, A Tarot Card Reader and her Catatonic/Psychic mother, A Snake Charmer and a family of "Cooch" Dancers. (If you don't know, I'm not telling). Under the direction of Samson, former midget strongman, and the elusive "Management", they pick up a stranger named Ben Hawkins and begin the ultimate Good vs. Evil Battle. It is a fantastic show with great cinematography, but again, not for kids...too much swearing, nudity, sexual situations, alcohol abuse and sensitive subject matter. It is quite graphic.  The plot is very intricate and the writers have created their own mythology to explain the forces of light and dark, and the conditions for their battle. I highly enjoyed it. 

Pulse: This movie did not impress me at all. They had an impressive SFX budget, but there were glaring plot holes and shoddy acting. I also thought the ending (which might have been one of 2 possible endings, I don't know I was too bored to watch the special features) felt tacked on, too much of a "Planet of the Apes" deal. It would have been a prefect lead in to Romero's "Land of the Dead". The only way it could have been worse was if they woke up and "It was all a DrEaM....."

TideLand: OH MY GOD! TERRY GILLIAM WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!? In case you didn't know, Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame wrote the screenplay for this movie which made me bleed from the eyes with my need to turn it off. Ten year old Jeliza-Rose, the lovely little moppet from the movie version of "Silent Hill", takes off with rock star dad after mom OD's on methadone. They go to live with Grandma, whose been dead for lord knows how long, and take up residence in her derelict house where Jeliza-Rose, like every other day, helps daddy shoot heroin until he too dies from an overdose. This movie broke my brain. From watching the little girl continue to talk to her putrefying father (Jeff Bridges), to her relationship with the handicapped son of a demented neighbour it was just one painful scene after another. I mean, the girl watches the neighbour perform taxidermy on her FATHER. I was more disturbed by this movie than by the idea of the dead coming through my modem in Pulse. I actually fast forwarded the latter half of the movie. It was like a train wreck...I just...couldn't...look....away. Until the actual train wreck at the end of the movie. and then I thought AHA! A metaphor!

Stay Alive: This movie was fun. And I have to say Frankie Muniz (TV's Malcolm in the Middle) MADE this movie for me. I love a good gaming movie, and the plot was cool. PC Game comes out where if you die in the game you die in real life...like if Freddy from Nightmare on Elm Street made Video Games. The downside to watching if your a gamer is you sit there wondering how they got the voice activation software on the game if no one had it installed, and how with one copy of the game they played it over a WAN as an MMORPG. I just spent 2 minutes arguing about that movie with the hubby.

Okay I have now been writing this post for about 2 hours. Done now! Done, Done, Done! Go home! Turn off your computer and go outside!

But...

Come back to visit me...I get lonely.