Top Ten Tuesday – Veronica Mars Episodes

I generally try not to go off script on Tuesdays (or in this case Wednesday because I’m late posting this – life happens). The ladies over at Broke and Bookish do all this work to make us these interesting, diverse lists. I want to give them their due and follow the prompts. However, this week, I’m going rogue. I’m not much of a resolutions person. Why decide once a year what you’re going to do for the next twelve? You have no idea where those twelve months are going to take you. How can you promise yourself that you’ll have the same focus at this time next year? Instead, I pick a kind of project for every year. Two years ago, it was hacking old furniture I’d been hoarding with the intention of using. That went pretty well. Last year, I decided I wanted to try out blogging. I’m still doing it – so, yay me.

This year, I’m going to keep the blog going – and catch up on some reviews I haven’t written – but my project is going to be sewing. Making adorable little dresses for geeky parents to dress their children in and maybe getting around to selling them. We’ll see how that goes.

But that makes for a pretty short post. It’s pretty much all I have to say. So, for today’s post I’m doing a top ten list I’ve wanted to do for a while. My top ten Veronica Mars episodes list.

I adore this show. I love the movie. I really enjoyed the first book in the series. I have a VM tattoo (I have a series of ‘geeky’ ones running up my arms). People mostly get the other tattoos, but they have a harder time with this one. The symbol is less recognizable, so more people ask what it is. And then I see that look on their face – why would you permanently ink the symbol for a cancelled tv show on your body? I love all the shows/books I’ve inked, but they all symbolize more than that. Character traits I cherish, admire, want. People I respect.

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (@escottwrites)

This book was both exceptionally easy and exceptionally hard to read. Easy from the perspective that it’s short, the font is large, and the chapters are a few pages at most. Hard from the perspective that this minimalist style of writing gives you nowhere to hide. And hide is what you want to do in this book. Hide from the nightmare this girl has been living in for so long that it’s just normal for her now. So normal that when given the chance to escape, she doesn’t take it.

Alice has been living with Ray for about five years, starting when she was almost ten. She knows he’s not her father, no matter what he says. Even though she thinks the story of her life before is a lie. He’s the man that tricked the old her. The girl that used to be. He’s the man that made Alice. She’s now fifteen, and she no longer fulfills his ideals. She’s too tall. Too heavy. Too old. Too everything. She no longer fits in the tiny white dresses with the ruffled trim. Keeping her weight under 100lbs has become a constant struggle. He’s turning her into an anorexic – which she has no desire to be. When she gets the chance to eat, she does. As long as she can brush her teeth before she sees Ray again. She knows it’s not worth the pain she will feel if he catches her with food.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books From Santa

Books are kind of a staple present in my house at Christmas. Everyone usually gets at least one book or book related item. Sometimes, it’s all books, all the time. I’m giving eleven books as gifts this year – a good chunk of them to my niece and nephew who are just starting to get into reading. Watching how excited my nephew gets when I give him a book and sitting down to read it with him is honestly one of my favourite things about being an aunt. I love that this kid has picked up this habit.

But that’s not really the point of this post. The girls over at B&B want to know what books I want to get from Santa this year. I’m rarely unhappy with a book, but there are a few that I would love to find under the tree. These are books that I really like but don’t happen to own a copy of – or books where I want a different edition. I’m weird about cover art. I’m also kind of obsessed with trade paperbacks. It’s my preference. I want that version of all these books unless otherwise specified.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I’ve talked about this book before. I love it. I want to re-read it. I adore the cover. Somehow, I don’t own a copy.

Head Over Heart by Colette Victor – @chickenhsebooks

My YA tendencies usually lean towards books aimed at older teens that contain a bit of grit, but occasionally, I’ll pick up one aimed at the younger side of the YA spectrum. Head Over Heart is one of these books (I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review). The story focuses on the life of Zeyneb, a young Muslim girl going through the challenges of becoming a teenager in a busy and diverse London school. She is now of an age where she needs to make lots of big decisions – between family, friends, and boys. It’s a book a lot of young girls will be able to relate to, even if they don’t have to make the exact same choices as Zeyneb.

Family is very important in Zeyneb’s life and culture. Family comes first – at all times – at least according to her parents. But Zeyneb has other things pulling her attention. First there’s her best friend, Kelly, who comes from a single parent home and doesn’t understand the extreme demands put on Zeyneb by her family. Then there’s school and where that’s going to take her in just a few short years. Will she go to university for an education or follow in her sister’s footsteps and get married and have children. And then there’s Alex – the boy that sends her heart a flutter. The boy she is most definitely not allowed to have fluttery feelings about. And her decision about a headscarf. What she chooses in each of these scenarios is going to directly influence each of her other decisions.

Top Ten Tuesday – Best of 2014

We’re inching close to the end of the year, and you know what that means – best of lists. Although, let’s be honest, aren’t all the top ten lists a best of of some sort? Anyway, this week’s list is the best reads of 2014. It’s mostly a rehash of other posts I’ve published this year. I’ve talked about my bests a lot. If they weren’t worth talking about, they probably aren’t a best. But this is a nice way to do a round up. So, without unnecessary fanfare, here’s my list.

I Wear the Black Hat by Chuck Klosterman

I started out my year with this book. I’m generally a fan of Klosterman’s more recent work. And I’m always a fan of a good villain. So, when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. It contains some of my favourite essays by Klosterman. He looks at our culture of blame and villainization and mirrors it back in this book. It’s well worth the read.