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friday5 for September 13, 2013




It's baaaaack. The Friday5 took a little summer hiatus of sorts, but now it's back, and while my schedule will dictate whether or not it manages to be a weekly feature here on the blog, I have missed dishing on the latest news with you, my dear bloggies. There is so much I could catch up on from the past several weeks, but in an effort to keep things on track, I'm going to focus on recent news only. So let's get to it!

1. Is it even possible to start with any other news item when there is major Harry Potter film news to share? No, it's not. A Wizarding World spin-off movie is in the works, based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and holy crap, the internet hasn't been this excited since we found out that Queen Rowling is also King Galbraith. Though I'm a little sad we won't be seeing Harry, Ron and Hermy, the premise of this spin-off is truly worthy of our excitement. Plus. it will mean new characters for us to fall in love with, living in the HP universe. Excitement!!

2.So this is interesting. Tumblr has announced an official book club, aptly called the Reblog Book Club. I like the idea of this, but it does have me wondering (and maybe I just haven't done enough digging) if this is a genuine freestyle book club or are marketing dollars driving their selections? I don't really have a problem with it either way, but I like my book clubs to be transparent :) Regardless, I think it's a good platform for something like this and I'll definitely be watching to see where it goes!

3. Hooray! The Fall TV season is upon us! Maybe it's just because I was super busy all summer, but the annual hiatus didn't seem that long. Not nearly as long as it seemed when I was a teen, waiting for my favourite WB (now CW) shows to return. Plus, new shows, including one from Joss Whedon! Let's just assume that everyone is planning to watch Agents of SHIELD because, obviously, but what other debut shows are you planning to check out?

4. Speaking of fall...actual fall-ish weather is finally here! Okay, yes, this doesn't necessarily apply to you, depending on where you're located, but after a brief September heat wave, the usual beloved September cooling off is happening, making way for perfect weather to pop on a sweater and go for a stroll. I see leafy paths and pumpkin patches in my future. Give me a comfy sweater, a good book, a mug of cider and some country air and I'm a happy girl. I think my small town is showing...

5. YA book rec time! Ah, it's been so long since I've done one of these and there have been so many good books! But since we're keeping things timely, and since I already mentioned the Tumblr book club, let's take a look at its first pick, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

"Hey baby. That's a really strange position to be typing in..."

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
(Summary from Goodreads.com)
That was a long synopsis, right? But it definitely has my attention. Actually, the title itself is what first caught my attention because I consider myself to be a fangirl (as does everyone on Tumblr, which is why it's a good pick for them). Before I go any further, it's confession time. I have not (yet?) read Eleanor & Park, Rowell's NYT bestselling breakout title. The truth is, I've been avoiding it. It looks like the kind of book I usually hate. Cute, hipster cover. Cute, hipster title. And Rainbow Rowell? Doesn't that sound suspiciously like a pseudonym for someone who is actually James Frey running young creative minds through his fiction machine? (It's not, by the way. From what I've read, Rainbow Rowell is her real name.) Okay, so fine, I don't read E&P, despite the hype, but then along comes the synopsis for Fangirl and ugh, it sounds so good! And the reviews of Rowell's writing are so good. And she sounds like a genuinely nice and awesome person so I think I need to get past my own weird hang-ups about hipster covers and just read Fangirl because it sounds delightful. What are you reading this week?

Happy Friday the 13th and happy weekend!

pretty little recap: sleight of hAnd


4.12  Now You See Me, Now You Don't
LONG OVERDUE 4A finale recap! I had the best intentions to write this up BEFORE I went on vacation, but I seemed to have forgotten to factor in all that other stuff I needed to do before going on vacation. So oops. The good news is that though I've had too busy a summer to blog regularly, I have been keeping my blog idea file well stocked so I have lots of goodies to come as we head into what I hope is a slightly quieter fall.... A girl can hope, right? :) But that's for later. For now, let's discuss the season 4A finale of PLL!!!

Okay, you know you're in trouble when the town hobo is
better dressed than you and your friends combined.
Photo credit: ABC Family

Pretty Little Highlights

1. I actually kinda awwwed at the sweet couple snuggles in this episode. Awww, you guys! Too cute. Even with Creeper Toby involved--that's quite an accomplishment!

2. Speaking of Creeper Toby, Team Caloby lives! I don't know how I'm going to survive this show moving forward without Haleb or Caloby. I need these pairings in my life!

3. Hanna trying to do magic is priceless. In fact, all of the magic in this episode was entertaining. A's magic trick was creepy and I'm only a little ashamed to admit I didn't see the bait and switch coming.

4. Aria fighting Cece also made my life a little bit. And then the red coat being Cece's downfall? Love it. Though the fall did feel a little too Ian all over again.

5. Hooray for A (or an A-teamer at least) having a layer in Ravenswood! This raises my hope for crossover episodes! I refuse to accept that Hot Caleb is going to be gone from PLL proper.

Pretty Little Mistakes (a.k.a What Aria Did)

1. Okay, girls? It's time to stop opening packages from A. I mean, really. It's clear that A craves the attention she/he/it gets from you opening her creepy obsessive little gifts. So why do you keep giving her the satisfaction? Okay, yeah, a lot of the time said gifts give you a decent heads up that nefarious tidings might be headed your way, but maybe, just once, try not opening one of her packages and see what happens. That's all I'm saying.

2. This is really picky and more an issue with high school dramas in general, but what's up with Teachers on TV introducing a topic only for the bell to ring a minute or two later? I know we the audience don't want/need to sit through an entire lecture, but can't they at least try and make it seem like we're catching the tail end of something instead of starting some new (coincidentally relevant to the storyline) discussion that instantly gets cut short? And then the teacher reminds the kids that their term papers are due or hands out essays or something and then asks one particular student to stay behind so that they can't talk about something slightly more personal? How many times do we have to see this same scene play out on our TVs?

3. Why are the liars leaving their creepy doll coffin just lying around? What if Ashely sees it? Or are the girls just assuming that after prison life, Ashley no longer questions stuff like that. Inquiring minds would like to know, liars. You're really not that good at keeping secrets.

Pretty Little ZOMG WTF?!

1. A is a guy. And probably not Creeper Toby again. Maybe. Err, okay, at least one of the A team is a guy. This we kinda know. Is this really a WTF moment? Maybe.... Whoever this man-A is has been tracking Aly. Maybe.

2. A has a payroll. This explains so much. I feel like I can finally stop asking questions about the practicality of As many arbitrary stunts. That said, I can still question the time/money investment...

3. Ali is alive! And possibly a zombie. Or maybe not. The Halloween hand rising from the grave is real though! Or maybe not. Hmmm. Most of these ZOMG WTF moments are non-starters......

4. OR MAYBE NOT BECAUSE CREEPER TOBY IS A! I mean Ezra. Ezra is A. Okay. Alright. This feels like the Creeper Toby reveal, but it also feels different enough that I'll allow it. (Also, can we please go back to Creeper Toby being evil? That was so much more fun than Creeper Toby being mopey, though admittedly I wouldn't want to give up Caloby...) I guess we'll see where this whole EzrA thing goes. That's right, old Fitz has earned himself a capitol A. I'm intrigued and ready for more answers. And yet we must wait... Damn you PLL!

Until the Halloween Special!

~PLR~