Top Ten Ten Places Books Have Made Me Want To Visit

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new top ten list for bloggers to answer this week is Ten Places Books Have Made Me Want To Visit. Here are my answers:

1) Hogwarts (Harry Potter by JK Rowling) – I know Hogwarts isn’t real…or so they tell us Muggles doesn’t change the fact that I would sell my mother for an opportunity to go there. Sorry mom.

2) Paris (Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins) – I have always wanted to visit Paris and reading Anna and the French Kiss only made me want to go there more – which I did this past summer but I want to go again and have an Anna and the French Kiss tour. Anyone up for a trip next summer?

3) Prague (Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor) – Oh Daughter of Smoke and Bone how you made me fall in love with this city! I mean seriously I really want to go to Prague since reading this book. The second I finished I text my friend and asked her to go! (She said no. Bitch)

4) Barcelona (The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon) – Someone needs to take me to the Cemetery of Forgotton Books – I’ve been wanting to go here since I was twelve. Parents, friends – get on it. (I don’t care if it’s not real.)

5) Idris (The Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare) – I am aware that Shadowhunters have got some problems but I still wouldn’t mind walking around their pretty magic land preferably with a Herondale holding my hand and telling me how pretty I am.

6) Middle Earth ( The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein.) Doesn’t everyone want to visit a world where Elves look like Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen is King?

7) Edinburgh (Harry Potter by JK Rowling) Yes, Harry Potter locations make the list twice. I’m not even sorry and I’m going there next summer! I will sign the wall of the Harry Potter Cafe!

8) Revka (The Grisha Series by Leigh Bardugo) Just to catch a glimpse of the Darkling to be honest. Damn, he sexy.

9) Terrasen (Throne of Glass series by Sarah. J Maas.) Fae, magic and Celaena Sardothien as it’s Queen – Terrasen is a place I would like to visit (again I might catch sight of Chaol Westfall shirtless!)

10) Serenity (Firefly by Joss Whedon) – This is technically cheating but Firefly is now a comic so it kinda/sorta counts. I would love to live aboard the Serenity with Captain Tightpants and his crew. It would be so much fun and I could learn Chinese – what fun! (BTW: movie, what movie? EVERYBODY IS ALIVE AND WELL.)

 

 

Avalon: Review

Author: Mindee Arnett

Publisher: Balzer & Bray

Genre: Science Fiction

Summary: Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth-and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they’re damn good at it. Jeth doesn’t care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents’ ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he’ll go to get the freedom he’s wanted for so long. (Via Goodreads.)

Review:

I first picked up Avalon because it was described to me as “Teenage Firefly” and boy is that description apt. This novel is essential Firefly fan fiction.

I am a huge Firefly fan so the comparisons didn’t put me off but rather encouraged me to read and once I realised just how much like Firefly this novel was it didn’t make me want to stop reading. However, the issue with making a book so like a show that is as beloved as Firefly is that it is always going to fall a little flat and, for me, it did. It wasn’t that this book was bad but it was quite predictable in some ways (especially if you’ve seen Firefly) and there was just something about the characters, even though I liked them, I didn’t really connect with any of them; so their troubles and hardships didn’t really bother me as much as they should have.

With all of that being said the book is good. It’s action packed while still giving importance to the relationships (familial rather than romantic – although there is some of that). It’s a very visual book – in that I couldn’t help but picture it as a film which I think is a very good thing when you’re reading a sic-fi novel. At times it’s funny and sad. A very well rounded book in my opinion – even if it is a little average.

I think this is a very easy book to read (I read it in about two sittings), sometimes though the writing seemed a little middle-grade but as there are a wide range of characters with different ages I can’t really complain too much about that and for the most part it didn’t affect my reading or my enjoyment of the book.

Overall, I liked this book. It definitely wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever read but if you like science fiction and are a fan of Firefly I’d recommend you give this one a shot – just try to keep the show and book separate! I do want to read the sequel but I won’t be counting down the days for it.

3 Stars

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Movies/TV Shows

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish . Each week they post a new Top Ten List and this weeks is Top Ten Favourite Movies or TV Shows.

I’m going to break it down into my Top Five Movies and My Top Five TV Shows, so without further ado here are mine!

Favourite Movies:

1) Moulin Rouge – My favourite movie of all time. France. Singing. Love. Ewan McGregor. What more could you want from life?

2) The Lion King – The greatest Disney movie ever. No one can argue with me about this and I feel no shame for claiming this as one of my favourite films in the history of the universe.

3) Marvel Movies – My weakness is superhero movies. I love them! Spiderman, Avengers, Iron Man – hell I even liked Green Lantern!

4) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – My favourite Harry Potter book and my favourite film. I loved all of them but POA will always remain on top for me.

5) The Shawshank Redemption – Written by Stephen King and it has Morgan Freeman narrating. No explanation needed.

Honorable mentions to: The Dark Knight Trilogy, Star Wars, The Town and every Disney movie ever.

Favourite TV Shows:

1) Buffy the Vampire Slayer – This is the greatest show on television. It’s been off the air for over ten years and I still think it’s the best thing to ever happen to pop culture.

2) Game of Thrones – Amazing. Incredible. Where the fuck was Lady Stoneheart?

3) The 100 – My new obsession. I am a little bit addicted to this show. Can’t wait for it to come back in October! Love the characters, love the plot, love Bellamy Blake shirtless…

4) Orphan Black – This show is fantastic. Tatiana Malsany is sensational, one of the best actresses I have ever seen. She really should have been nominated for an Emmy!

5) Scandal – I love binge watching this show. My roommate and I watched the entire first and second season in like one sitting last year.

Honorable mentions to: American Horror Story, Teen Wolf, Firefly, Spooks and Friends.