Fantastic Finds

Apologies for the long gap in posts! After a month settling (somewhat) into my new position as a Teen Librarian (yay!), I'm feeling the need to start posting again. I'll do a few catchup posts before getting back to the more regular one book at a time review.

What have you been reading? Watching? Listening to? Making shadow plays of? Tell me in the comments!

I had a lot of fun putting my list together last year, and a lot of them actually came true! Or at least half true- S.H.I.E.L.D. was picked up, but is neither awesome nor Whedony, at least not yet, and while Community did return, it was a soulless mockery of itself. But that's ok because!

10) Dan Harmon's return will put an end to the Darkest Timeline. This is not so much a wish as it is a dearly held belief.

9) S.H.I.E.L.D. to get better. There's so much potential, but so far it's lacking that essential spark and I just don't care about anyone other than Coulson most of the time.

8) The chance to go back to NYCC. I went this year and it was amazing and even better than last time (Sleepy Hollow cast! Spirited feminist debates! Hugs and love from John Barrowman!). Here's hoping the third time is the best so far.

7) To not say appallingly stupid things to the Supernatural cast at the con I'm going to in September. Or to swoon during my photo op with "Sam" and "Dean."

6) This is pretty vague, but more movies that say "feh" to traditional gender roles and romantic tropes. Pacific Rim was a really fun surprise, partially for this reason, and everything I've heard about Frozen is encouraging.

5)  For the Daughter of Smoke and Bone film adaptation that's in the works to do the book justice. I would say it's not that hard, but it kind of is, which is why I'm not even cautiously excited that there's going to be a movie in the first place. Just, could we not? Thanks.

4) More Simon Pegg and Nick Frost collaborations, ideally with Edgar Wright.

3) For Sleepy Hollow to continue being the breakneck whirlwind of supernatural cheese, ethnic diversity, pair bonding and gleeful insanity that we've come to know and love. With Orlando Jones with his finger on the fandom pulse, I think we're in safe hands.

2) A live-action miniseries with the Eighth Doctor. I don't want to hear your reasonable excuses. He was back for The Night of the Doctor and people loved it so la la la la la.....

And finally:

1) A female-led comic book movie because COME THE HELL ON ALREADY. Marvel please, I don't trust DC with this.


What's on your nerdy wish list this year?

It's that time of year again! Time to agonize over picking my ten favorite books this year, and then find ways to cheat slightly to include a few more. ;-)

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Actually, I had a bit of trouble putting together this list because so many of my favorite books this year were firmly in the Adult category. Still, plenty, like this one, have broader appeal. While the movie is fun, and it's great to have an addition to the ZomRomCom genre, the book outstrips it by a mile. Contemplative, horrifying, and emotionally resonant for a generation, Warm Bodies should definitely claw its way onto your reading list.


 I mentioned the cheating, right? Here's a big one- the ninth spot on my list belongs to the collections of critical essays based around popular TV shows that I've read this year. It's been a big year for fandoms, and what better way to celebrate than by delving deeper into the history, psychology, and cultural relevance of your favorite Time Lord, Vampire Slayer, Hunter or Browncoat?



Again with the cheating. Last one though. Probably.

I'm giving the Eighth spot, and I swear that this was actually a coincidence, to the Big Finish audio stories featuring the Doctor's  Eighth incarnation, as voiced by Paul McGann. This year marks the show's 50th anniversary, so it seems fitting to include them. Even if you've  never tried audiobooks before, these can be a fun introduction as they're really more radio plays with multiple actors, many well-known to Whovians. I highly recommend a viewing of the (cheesy but lovable) 1996 Doctor Who movie, then listening to some of these audios. Fair warning: you will fall head over heels in love with Eight's "Edwardian Adventuress" companion, the fantasic Charley Pollard.


The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Aaaand, back to the teen books! Series are a fact of life in the realm of teen lit, and this can sometimes be wearying, so it's always a pleasant surprise to find books that you actually can't wait for the next installment of. With engaging characters, an increasing amount of magic, and enough quippy banter for any CW-hardened fan of genre fiction, these books are a fun ride that I wholeheartedly recommend.

The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente

Speaking of series that you're actually excited for! If you've seen this blog before you know I turn into a babbling sack of enthusiastic superlatives where the Fairyland series is concerned, so I'll spare you. If you haven't already, please start this series. It's waiting to welcome you with open arms and a fresh pot of spiced tea.

Another Little Piece by Kate Karus Quinn

Not my usual, but I really enjoyed this creeptastic bit of madness and body horror. Recommended for fans of Stephen King.
The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna

I feel like there's a shortage of good sci-fi being released for teens. Maybe that's just because I don't read enough sci-fi in general to be on top of these things, but so much of it seems like quickly churned out dystopian filler. Not so here, where the focus is on the ethical issues of cloning, and the story plays out in an all-too-possible future. It's chilling and uplifting and really makes you think- exactly as good science fiction needs to.



Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

English. Snarky. Magical. Mysterious. Romantic. Gothic. Funny. Yes good.

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

I struggled with this spot, and almost had it be a tie with Ashfall (which is one of the only YA books with a male protagonist I've read this year, and was a damn good story to boot), but I decided I'd done enough cheating. Besides, this one feels that little bit more unique, even if it is perhaps a bit less polished. I've had just about enough dystopian novels, but this one, which happens on the outskirts and to everyday people, made things interesting again. Bleak but powerful, this is an intriguing portrayal of survival and love in the face of overwhelming odds.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

I had despaired of vampires ever being even tolerable in a YA novel again. And then this happened. Sexy and scary by turns, exactly as the best vampire lit should be, this is a fun ride into a dark and glittering world of ballgowns, teenage angst, shameless media consumption, marketing, death and romance. This is my kind of vampire book people, and it might just be yours as well.




And there you have it! Not as many books as I was completely in love with as some previous years- and as much as I love The Dream Thieves and The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two, the inclusion of two series installments on this list is telling.

What made your top ten list this year?

Poor blog, I haven't been posting much lately. I haven't been reading as many teen books as I did last year- this is partially because I've been away, or there have been adult books I've wanted to read. But, here's a bit of a confession:

Sometimes I get a bit tired of reading young adult books.

*cringes*

Before I go any further, let me say a few things clearly and emphatically.

Not all teen books are the same.

It's not a genre, it's just a target age group.

IT'S NOT A GENRE.

SERIOUSLY. NOT A GENRE. So there aren't set guidelines as to tone, content, setting, violence, characterization, voice, perspective, length, complexity, intelligence, competence or style. There are scads of of important, meaningful, technically skilled works of literature that also happen to be aimed at a teenage audience.

Are we clear?

Ok, good.

With that in mind.... there are certain popular trends in teen lit right now, namely dystopian novels and paranormal romances. As one would expect, publishers are fully aware that these are popular marketable themes, and are flogging the hell out of any book they can get away with claiming might be the next Hunger Games or Twilight. This means that there are soooooooooo many books which, on the surface, appeal to my interests, but were written hastily, accepted for their perceived money-grabbing potential, and add nothing to the already teetering heap. I'm pretty burned out on those, and haven't been reading as many books that don't already have some serious buzz surrounding them (or if I just can't resist the summary). In some ways this is good, as I am becoming more selective, but it also leads to a bit of a rut wherein I find myself mostly picking up sequels or things that seem like pretty sure bets anyway.

There's also a bit of an issue that really is not an issue- teen books are aimed at teens. And I'm not a teen. One way to look at this is in terms of romance. Many teen books are dealing with first loves, and often idealized ones. Big, sweeping, tragic, epic PERFECT romances. Which is perfectly fine. But sometimes I want to read something a bit more complex, or edgier, than fluttery, sweet, will they-won't they soulmatey crap. To put it in vampire terms (as you do), sometimes I want Buffy and Angel making eyes at each other in the Bronze, and sometimes I want Buffy and Spike wrecking house.

Or maybe I want to read about someone else struggling with their job, not math class.

(Again, this is not an issue of genre. Someone could reasonably suggest that I look to, say, modern literary fiction, but I would be just as happy reading about, say, a demon hunter being frustrated with her crappy midlevel position in the research and development department of a paranormal defense organization. It's a stage of life thing, not a setting thing).

None of these are complaints, I'm just putting down some thoughts that have to do with the lack of entries. I still love teen media, and have dozens of young adult books on my to-read pile that I can't wait to get my hands on. Maybe I'll post more about movies here, or branch out? I've been keeping it pretty YA-specific in the name of job-hunting, but I don't know.

Any thoughts, guys?