Friday 21 February 2014

Lets Talk About Veronica Mars!



I'm 6 episodes into Veronica Mars. You guys, it's brilliant. I'm reminded so much of Joss Whedon's stuff!
The characters are all wonderful and I fell in love (or in hate) with them so quickly. I have NO idea why I thought this was just another teen angst soap like 90210 or Gossip Girl or something!

My only experience with Kristen Bell is from Heroes, where she played Elle. I didn't like Elle, so I didn't think I would like Bell in any other role! I'M AN IDIOT! I don't know why I do that! I did the same thing with poor Eliza Dushku! I HATE Faith in Buffy/Angel, and Eliza was also in Dollhouse, so I refused to watch it for the longest time. I finally got around to it, and I LOVED her character, Echo. I really have to stop punishing actors because I dislike the characters they choose to play! Haha!

Veronica is just so endearing and easy to relate to, and I want to be her best friend. She's strong and so smart, and even when the writers show her vulnerable side, she keeps that inner strength and never becomes the damsel in distress. There's very little romance so far, but when it is shown, it's done very tastefully and realistically. There's no "I love this boy immediately and now he's my whole life!" shit.

I enjoy playing 'Spot the Guest Star!' during each episode (like many older shows--I'm thinking of Buffy and X-Files, especially, there are a ton of not-yet stars that make appearances), and trying to figure out how to do my daughter's hair in the various styles Veronica uses. ;)

In case I gave the wrong impression, this is NOT a supernatural show. It's about a high school girl who works for her father's private investigator business. She's like a modern day Nancy Drew, but way cooler. There's a crime of the week that needs to be solved during each episode, and then a running story arc throughout the season (or maybe throughout the series?)
It IS only 3 seasons, but--and many of you will remember this--the movie will be released in March. They did a Kickstarter to raise funds, and quickly surpassed their goal.

Veronica Mars has a huge cult following, and much like Firefly, most people didn't discover it until after the series had been cancelled. I know that I keep mentioning Joss shows, but it's seriously so much like his style. And from what I've read, he was a huge fan of the show!

I'm really, really looking forward to seeing where this show goes, and I might start posting my thoughts as I watch, if I can find the time...and I don't watch too fast.

Monday 17 February 2014

Movie Review: The LEGO Movie



I'm going to be honest here. When I saw the trailer for this movie, I was just 'meh' about it. I had no desire to see it. Even when my 5 year old daughter asked, I told her we'd just wait for the DVD. Yeah, I'm a mean mom.
Then it was released, and everyone and their dog went to see it. And everyone I know absolutely raved about it. One person that I hold in very high esteem literally couldn't stop tweeting about its brilliance. Well, that made me curious, and so my daughter and I made a date to see it this weekend.

You guys...oh my God, you guys, everything makes sense now. I get it. I understand the raving. I understand the reviews. I understand the 'best movie of the year' talk, even thought it's only February and there are still a butt-ton of movies to be released.
This movie was perfect. It was fun and touching and hilarious and magical.

My 5 year old loved it, although it was slightly beyond her understanding. It was a bit too complicated for her to follow, but with the bazillion actions scenes, that she didn't seem to care what else was going on.
Just a small warning-- This might be too much for busy or over-excitable kids. Like I said, there's a TON of action. This movie is non-stop, and that may cause many wiggles and over-stimulation in some kids. Also, there were one or two scenes that were difficult for my daughter to watch. More sensitive kids may cry or be sad. It helped when I reminded her that it wasn't real, but there were still a few tears.
Those parts are over quickly, and little brains are also able to move on. My daughter did want to discuss one certain tough part after the movie, but the movie handles the storyline well, and that particular sad part doesn't stay sad for long.

I'm really, really glad that I was able to experience such a wonderful movie with my daughter. She's been watching the 'blooper' video (see below) and the trailer since we got home, and she won't stop talking about it.

EVERYONE should see this movie, and, yes, everything IS awesome!




Book Review: The Troop by Nick Cutter

Paperback
368 pages
Expected Release Date: February 25, 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster Canada)
Author: Nick Cutter
HUGE thank you to S&S Canada for providing this book for review!



Boy Scouts live by the motto “Be Prepared.” However, nothing can prepare this group of young boys and their scoutmaster for what they encounter on a small, deserted island, as they settle down for a weekend of campfires, merit badges, and survival lessons.

Everything changes when a haggard stranger in tattered clothing appears out of nowhere and collapses on the campers’ doorstep. Before the night is through, this stranger will end up infecting one of the troop’s own with a bioengineered horror that’s straight out of their worst nightmares. Now stranded on the island with no communication to the outside world, the troop learns to battle much more than the elements, as they are pitted against something nature never intended…and eventually each other.





Morbid, gross, disturbing, disgusting, shocking, horrifying, and a HELL of a lot of fun!

Let me start by saying that this book is NOT FOR TEENS.
This is an adult read. through and through.
It's very graphic and NOT for the squeamish. I have a stomach of steel, but even I had to skim over some parts (especially one involving a turtle), and take short breaks while I read to look at pretty rainbows and cute puppies to wash my brain.

A group of teen boy scouts and their scoutmaster are camping on a deserted island off the shores of PEI,  when a very ill stranger shows up needing help.
I'm not going to get into the actual illness, but needless to say, what happens next is morbidly chaotic, and each boy handles it differently.

The Troop is being marketed as 'the book that scared Stephen King' and 'a cross between Lord of the Flies and 28 Days Later'.
While I didn't find it scary, I did find it delightfully gruesome and gory. The author pulls no punches with the blood and guts, and at times almost seems to be trying to 1-up himself with the shock value.

The character development is fabulous, the writing is fantastic, the pace is page-turning, and the subject matter is terrifyingly worrisome! :-O

If you're a fan of horror and psychological thrillers, you'll eat up The Troop!


Friday 14 February 2014

Blackout Cover Reveal and Giveaway!


Blackout (T.O.E. Trilogy, Book 2)
Release Date: March 19, 2014
Centrinian Publishing Ltd

Summary from Goodreads:
What was shall no longer be. Was was not shall now become.

Despite having the protection of the talisman and the Legion, a reforming force of warrior angels and elementals, guarding his every move, things are not looking good for Charlie Blake. Tasked with the responsibility of saving mankind, finding the four diamonds to restore the talisman is all he can think of, but when his prophetic visions start to invade his reality and he suddenly can’t distinguish the dream world from the real world, the pending extinction of mankind becomes the least of his problems. Everyone assumes Charlie’s dormant powers are activating, until he starts showing symptoms of a deadly disease.

With his nemesis, Gaddis, threatening the lives of his loved ones, he faces a race against time to locate Raphael’s Stone, the air diamond, before an imminent pandemic destroys civilization. As he ventures into dangerous lands once again, he unearths shocking revelations about his past life that forces him to question his allegiance. With no one to turn to for answers, he can’t help but wonder if his purpose is truly to save mankind.


Excerpt from Blackout:

Charlie’s eyes shifted back and forth between Derkein and the knife. Derkein had a look in his eyes he didn’t recognise. This wasn’t the man he had moved in with. He wasn’t the man who was soon to become his adoptive father. This was an impostor.

‘My father always said everything happened for a reason,’ Derkein said, ‘but he never met you. What good is immortality if I’m stuck in one place?’ He stopped and dropped his arm by his side, the knife slipping out of his grasp and landing with a clunking noise on the marble floor.

Charlie stopped, leaving a few inches between him and Derkein, who was standing with a guarded stance. Charlie couldn’t help but wonder who was more afraid of whom.

‘You’ve left me to rot in this god forsaken world for the rest of my life, so forgive me if I seem a tad ungrateful,’ Derkein went on in a flat tone. His blank expression left no room for interpretation. ‘If I have to rot in hell, I don’t see why I should have to suffer alone.’

Charlie didn’t see it coming. Derkein lunged at him, grabbed him by the arms, and thrust him backwards. Charlie waited for the collision of his back with the conservatory door, but the impact didn’t occur. Instead, he found himself falling and landing hard on his back in darkness. The only source of light came from the kitchen ahead of him where Derkein was standing.

‘Why do you look so surprised?’ Derkein asked. ‘What did you expect was going to happen when you resurrected me, or did I not deserve the common courtesy of a conscious thought? I’m not like you. I’m not like them. Tell me, Charlie. What am I, exactly?’

Charlie rose up into a sitting position. He didn’t have the answers Derkein was seeking. ‘I’m sorry.’ The words barely escaped his mouth.

‘Yeah. Me too.’ In the blink of an eye, Derkein and the kitchen vanished, leaving Charlie in complete darkness. He sat in the empty silence, waiting. It wasn’t until he heard his rapid breathing that he realised panic had overcome him. Charlie scampered to his feet and charged ahead of him, ramming into the hard, rough texture of a brick wall.

‘Derkein!’ he yelled, pounding the wall with his fists. ‘Derkein, please –’

‘Sol.’

Charlie felt a crawling sensation move down his spine as a shrill voice echoed around him. With his palms braced against the wall, he remained still as the voice slowly faded. He held his breath as silence invaded the space once again. When the voice didn’t return, he made a move to the right, running his hand over the wall as he searched for the door.

Within seconds, he felt a tingle of cold air on the back of his neck that made him jump, and he released his breath. He spun around, shifting his head left and right, but his eyes couldn’t penetrate the darkness that surrounded him.

He reached up towards his neck and froze. The rhythm of his heart accelerated as he moved his hand over his chest in search of the familiar touch of the two silver rings he had become so accustomed to over the past five years, but the chain wasn’t around his neck. Although he couldn’t see anything, he suddenly felt as though the darkness was closing in on him, compressing his lungs as if attempting to stifle him.

A spotlight appeared a few feet in front of him, and his heart stopped. He gulped down the lump forming in his throat as he stared at the figure submerged in the light, dangling about two feet off the ground.


About the author Alecia Stone

Alecia Stone is a full-time writer who spends most of her days with her head in a book. She loves anything and everything paranormal - the stranger the better. Her fascination with all things supernatural sparked her obsession with books, particularly young adult fantasy fiction, which she has never grown out of. She graduated with a BA in Film & TV and has worked in television for a short period of time before branching out into storytelling.

When she's not writing, she enjoys watching movies and travelling. Blackout is the sequel to the Amazon bestselling YA fantasy novel Talisman Of El. She currently lives in the UK with her family.

Author Links:

Cover Reveal Organised by:

Blackout Cover Reveal Giveaway

Ends March 31st.

International. Open to anyone who can receive gifted ebooks from amazon.com and gift cards from either amazon.com or amazon.co.uk. Alternatively, gift card winners may opt for Paypal cash ($10) or a book of choice from The Book Depository ($10).

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Things I'm Obsessing About Today...

Hi, guys!
So I thought I'd write a fun post about things that I've been obsessing about lately. Y'know, TV shows, music, toys, movies...whatever!
This might become a series of posts...the sky is the limit!...but for now, here's what I'm obsessing about today:

Downton Abbey



OMG, you guys, this show. This damn show! Okay, so Downton is an English primetime soap opera, but it's so much more than that.
It follows the family of an earl, including his wife, three daughters, distant cousins and his mother, the Dowager Countess.
But the twist is that is also follows the lives of their servants! So it's kinda like getting two shows in one, and it's so, so good!
I watched the first 3 seasons--there are only 9 episodes a season, and the first 2 seasons are on Netflix--in a week. I'm caught up with PBS, who is currently halfway through season 4.
Downton Abbey airs in Canada and the US on Sunday nights at 9pm ET.
Season 4 has concluded in the UK, and season 5 has been picked up.
Seriously, WATCH THIS SHOW.

Welcome to Nightvale



Welcome to Nightvale is a podcast, and it's hilariously brilliant and creepy. It's in the style of a radio show, with community announcements, local weather and news. It's hosted by a wonderful DJ, Cecil, and includes secret police, mysterious hooded figures, a glow cloud, a dangerous dog park, and so much more.
If you like creepy and funny, you'll love Nightvale.

Maple Sleigh Flavoured Coffee (Keurig)


I cannot even start my day without this coffee. It's SO GOOD. Seriously, if you love maple, and you love coffee, try it!

Peter Capaldi



Unless you're new here (and if you are, hi! Thanks for visiting!), you know that I LOVE Doctor Who. I couldn't be more excited/happy/thrilled that Capaldi is our next Doctor. I can't wait to see what he brings to the role, and I know that he's going to quickly become a favourite for me!

Low Carb Eating


Nope, you'll find no preaching here! But this is my list, and this is one thing that I'm obsessed with right now! I have a few pounds to lose, and, after trying many diets, I've found the one that works best for me. Losing weight while eating bacon, cheese, steak and butter? Yes, please!

The Olympics



Yep, I'm one of those people. I LOVE the Olympics, winter or summer, and it's on my TV 24/7 for the whole two weeks!

Reign



Although I don't have a the time I used to to write about it, I still LOVE this show. I love the story, the costumes, the hair, the boys, the cast, EVERYTHING!

And lastly,

School



I haven't mentioned here the reason WHY I don't have much time for blogging these days, but here it is.
Yup, I've gone back to school to get my high school diploma. Nope, I screwed around too much as a teen and never graduated in the first place, so this is a HUGE step for me! Also, I'm OLD you guys! So it's HARD!
But I'm on the honour roll with a 95% average, so, yay me!

And that's what I'm obsessing about today!