My Favorite Holiday Movies

We are right in the midst of the holiday season right now as you can probably tell the state of the mall and the abundance of Christmas lights out. I thought it would be fun to show you a list of my favorite holiday movies that help me get into the holiday spirit. It's not the most traditional list. For some reason, I have managed to not see a lot of the films that people consider Christmas classics (Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation). But I have my own special list of films that are my go-to for the holidays. Hope you enjoy!

Harry Potter (all) - I am starting off this list by cheating a bit. All of the Harry Potter films remind me of Christmas. I think it's because there's usually a Christmas scene with a magic feast. And they're often wearing winter woolens, which definitely makes me think of the holidays.

Elf - I have had this on repeat for the last week or so. I love this movie so much. Smiling's my favorite!

How The Grinch Stole Christmas - This is a classic. I used to watch this a lot as a kid and I always love watching it during the holidays. 

The Holiday - Yes, cheesy romantic comedy! This is just a fun, sweet movie. Kate Winslet is fantastic in it. Cameron Diaz annoys me a bit but she does sort of match the character well. Another one I put on repeat during the holidays. 

Nightmare Before Christmas - This is great because it can work as both a Halloween movie and a Christmas movie. I don't actually own this one, sadly, but I shall rectify that immediately. 

While You Were Sleeping - Another romantic comedy. This one stars Sandra Bullock as a toll booth thinks she is in love with a man who falls into a coma and then proceeds to fall in love with his brother. This is just cute and funny and it takes place in Chicago during the holidays, which looks very cold.

Trading Places - I haven't seen this movie in awhile but I always watch it when it's on. Man, Eddie Murphy used to make such good movies. He and Dan Akroyd are fantastic in this.

Die Hard 1 & 2 - Anyone who knows me in real life knew that Die Hard was going to make the list. I love the first two films and will watch either of them if they are on (I also own all the films). But these are Christmas movies because they take place during Christmas. They also have awesome action and Alan Rickman. What more could you ask for, for the holidays?

That's all I can think of right now. Thanks for humoring me. Does anyone else have a holiday movie that they love that I need to check out? Let me know in the comments below. :)

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images in this post are not mine and belong to their respective companies. no harm or infringement is intended. 

Favorite Scary Movies

October is probably one of my favorite months because it has the best holiday - Halloween. I love everything about Halloween from the cooler weather, miniature candies, and of course, scary movies!  I don't know what it is but I just love scaring myself. I love psychological thrillers, slasher flicks, ghost stories, bad B movies; I like them all.  So just for fun I am listing some of my favorite scary movies. This is by no means an all inclusive list and just includes some of the movies that scared me as a kid and some recent faves. I'd love to know what your favorite scary movie is, too, so leave a note in the comments. (and these are in no particular order)

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Dudes, you don't know how much this movie traumatized me as a child. For one thing, Freddy is freaky looking. And this is one of the only movies I can think of where the bad guy gets to come back for revenge. Sure, he died a terrible death, but he was child molester for goodness sake. But what really terrified me about this movie was the idea that someone or something could come and kill you in your dreams. I mean, how scary is it to think that you'll die if you fall asleep? Seriously this movie kept me up many a night as a teen. Plus, Johnny Depp.

Slither (2006)

Slither is a super campy horror film starring Nathan Fillion (yay!) and Elizabeth Banks about an alien creature that takes over a small town, turning everyone into zombie with worm-y mind control. This one is just really fun movie that's very clever and embraces all of the tropes of horror movies.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

I know, I know, this remake doesn't compare to the classic George Romero flicks but I have to say that I kind of love Zach Snyder's update of Romero's classic. A group of people take refuge in a mall after a zombie plague. This is one of those films that's really about people, not zombies. I just thought that the human drama was really tense and realistic and the zombies were freakin' scary. 

Poltergeist (1982)

This is another one from my childhood that totally traumatized me. For years I had nightmares involving scenes from this movie. Seriously, nightmares through my teens and college. I finally mustered up the courage to watch the movie again when I was an adult and it was surprisingly tame. Though it didn't have the same impact years later, I still think fondly of it.  The real life legend of the Poltergeist curse makes the whole franchise that much creepier.

28 Days Later (2002)

Yessss, I love a good zombie (sorry, K) and this really was one of the first modern movies to bring zombies back in a big way. Danny Boyle's version of the future with zombies who don't stumble aimlessly and are freakin' fast is terrifying. And like any good zombie movie, it's really about humanity. The idea of a military takeover and the crazy lengths they will go to in order to maintain the human race is very plausible to me and very scary. 28 Days Later also introduced the world to Cillian Murphy, for which I am forever grateful. 

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

What can I really say about this movie that hasn't been said already? It's pretty brilliant and I am only sad that I never got to see it in the theaters. Serial killers will always be the scariest thing to me because they actually exist. I've personally never seen any proof of zombies, aliens, or ghosts so they don't scare me as much. But serial killers. They're very, very real. 

The Devil's Backbone (2001)

I haven't seen this one in a long time but I remember it being very creepy. It was probably the first Guillermo del Toro movie I ever saw.  A boy's orphanage is haunted by a ghost. But is the ghost good or bad and what's really going on at the orphanage. Really well done and made me a fan of del Toro. 

Halloween (1978)

Another classic. Horror movies today have to rely on a lot of gore and effects for their scares but this one doesn't need those tricks. I remember that scene where stabs a kid and leaves him hanging in the door. You don't see much, but it's totally effective. Plus, great score.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

A mix of comedy, horror, and buddy flick, Shaun of the Dead is one of my more recent faves. Gotta love Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as two hapless dudes trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. This movie is just brilliant and there are so many memorable moments from it. One of my faves is the zombie walk practice. Man, I think I am going to go watch this right now.

The Walking Dead (2010)

I am just getting back into The Walking Dead after getting rid of cable last year. Thank goodness for Netflix. Even though zombies have been popular for awhile, I think this show really brought them out to the masses. Limbs are being chopped off and brains are being eaten on TV, people. The characters on the show are really complex and diverse. Each episode is fraught with tension. I also love that the production value is so high and all of the makeup and effects are just awesome. It's my weekly zombie fix.

So that's my really long, drawn out list of favorite scary movies/shows. I am sure there is stuff missing that I'll remember two minutes after I post this. What's our favorite scary movie? I'd love to know so I can add them to the Netflix queue. Happy October, everyone!

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all images are copyright their respective film/production companies. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Sites I Read That Aren't About Books

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week focuses on a different topic and you make a top ten list from it! This week's topic is: Blogs/Sites You Read That AREN'T about Books.

Love this topic. I am really excited to see what book bloggers read besides book blogs. :) Let me just preface this list by telling you that my main hobbies/interests are: reading, knitting, and baking/cooking. Therefore you will see that most of the blogs I read are about these things. And I love makeup/nail polish and read nail polish blogs (yes, they exist).  Leave links to your TTT and I'll be happy to stop by. Thanks!

Joy The Baker - One of my favorite cooking blogs. Joy is super funny and sounds like your sarcastic best friend but with cookies. She just put out a cookbook this year as well. 

Smitten Kitchen - Another fantastic cooking blog. I love the recipes on this blog and the pictures of delicious food. Another blog that is coming out with a cookbook later this year. I am so pre-ordering it. 

One Sheepish Girl - I am a new reader to Meredith's blog but I really enjoy it. It's sort of a fashion/lifestyle/crafting blog. Meredith has a great voice and I love her pictures. 

David Lebovitz - Fantastic writer and award winning chef/baker, David is funny and smart and loves food. I enjoy his recipes and reading about his exploits living in Paris.

A Beautiful Mess - A really fun, colorful lifestyle blog. There's always so much inspiration for style, food, crafting and many other things on this blog. 

Ravelry - Ravelry is a fantastic website for knitters and crocheters. There's a huge database of patterns and yarns, not to mention message boards and groups. It's a really awesome way to keep track of your knitting projects and interact with the knitting community. 

The Polishaholic - One of my favorite nail polish blogs. I love the clear, detailed images and the regular updates. Many of the polishes featured on the blog end up on my wishlist. 

Nails and Noms - I am a fairly new reader to this nail polish blog but I am a big fan. Again, great pictures and she features a wide variety of nail polish colors and brands. 

Cute Overload - I think the title says it all. If you like pics of adorable animals then Cute Overload is the place for you.

Pinterest - I am actually not on Pinterest as much as a lot of people I know. I do like it but I just don't surf the web all that much during the day or I often do it on my phone. And the Pinterest mobile app sucks. But I do enjoy it and really like pinning recipes. It's a really great way to collect all of the online recipes that I want to try. If you're on, leave me a link to your profile and I'll check it out. I am fishgirl182 on Pinterest if anyone wants to see what I am pinning.

That's my Top Ten Tuesday this week. I'd love to know what non-bookish sites everyone else frequents so leave your links and I'll stop by. :)

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Recommend To Someone Who Doesn't Read Comics

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme created by the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish. To sign up or find out more about it, visit the Top Ten Tuesday page. This week's topic is Books I'd Recommend To Someone Who Doesn't Read X. X can be any category you pick so I am choosing Comics/Graphic Novels. The terms comics and graphic novels have sort of become interchangeable over the years, even though technically I think they're a bit different. Comics generally come out in serialized form (like once a month, once very two months, etc.) whereas graphic novels are created to be consumed at once time, like a regular novel. In this case we're just going to say they're close enough since what we're really talking about is sequential art. I am not going to get too crazy with definitions but if you're ever interested in learning more about comics as a medium, I totally suggest checking out Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. On to the books!

(in no particular order)

1. Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale - Like dark, gritty, intelligent writing and fantastic art? Then you won't be disappointed with The Long Halloween, one of my favorite Batman stories ever about a serial killer who only kills on holidays. Creepy!


2. Maus by Art Spiegelman - This one shows up on a lot of lists but there's a reason for it. Spiegelman's own story as well as his father's story of surviving Nazi Germany is poignant, emotional and gripping. Winner of the Pulizter Prize.


3. Fables Vol. 1: Legends In Exile by Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham - Long before there was Once Upon A Time, there was Fables, a story about legendary characters who aren't fiction but are very real and living in modern day New York. Exiled from their homelands but an evil emperor, they are waiting for the day when they can go home again. Vol 1 isn't my favorite. It's sort of a mystery plot that isn't as interesting as the later books are. However, it does introduce you to the characters the world. Each Vol gets better and better. James Jean also does the first 100 covers to this series and each one is a work of art.

4. Kabuki: Skin Deep by David Mack - David Mack's artwork is totally unique. Collage, watercolor, photography, painting and drawing all combine in a one-of-a-kind style. Kabuki is his own creation, a former assassin with a lot of family issues who has a scarred face. In this storyline, Kabuki is institutionalized and makes friends with some of her fellow inmates and plots to escape the facility.

5. Preacher Vol 1: Gone To Texas by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon - After a preacher who loses faith bonds with a deity and gains "The Word", he and his gun toting ex-girlfriend and an Irish vampire prone to drinking embark on a mission to find God and hold him accountable for his actions. Throw in a twisted kingpin character, strange sexual acts, crazy redneck relations and you have a demented and brilliant story. Also, the covers are fantastic. This one is definitely for mature readers.


6. Y: The Last Man Vol 1:Unmanned by Brian K Vaughn & Pia Guerra - This is the story of what would happen if all the men on Earth suddenly died of an unknown cause. Yorick and his pet monkey are the last males on the planet and they must battle extremist biker gangs, Republicans and a few assassins as Yorick tries to find his girlfriend and the answer to what happened to all the men on the planet.

7. Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons - Also on a lot of lists. This is a pretty epic volume. It reads a little bit dated today but is still an excellent read. It's pretty dense especially since it has pages of just text. But it's definitely worth reading.

8. Bone Vol 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith - Bone totally reminds me of my childhood. This was probably one of the first black and white comic books I read (the newer Scholastic versions have been colorized). Fantastic and magical story about an odd little creature named Bone and his adventures with his cousin Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone. Stupid, stupid rat creatures!

9. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - Is this considered a graphic novel or just a novel? I am really not sure. I feel like it's half pictures and half prose. Anyway - this is a beautiful and imaginative story of a boy named Hugo who becomes involved in a mystery involving an odd machine that his father left behind. Gorgeous, gorgeous book! The movie that came out this year by Martin Scorcese was also quite good.

I know I am missing one as I had to cut it short due to time. But there are many, many wonderful comics and graphic novels out there in every genre and style that you can probably imagine. Check out the graphic novels section of your local bookstore the next time you're there or, better yet, visit your local comic shop for the best selection. 

say "twee!"

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follow thuy on twitter @fishgirl182

Top Ten Tuesday (7) - Books I Want To Give As Gifts

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme created by the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish. To sign up or find out more about it, visit the Top Ten Tuesday page. This week's topic is Top Ten Seven Books I Want To Give As Gifts. 

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - This would be great for anyone but I think I would give it to my friend Mecaila who loves the idea of running away with the circus as much as I do.

2. Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead - Yes, this book/series pops up on a lot of my lists. That's because it is awesome and I love it and want everyone to read it. Not sure who I would give this to. Maybe the friend who doesn't like paranormal stories. I think this could convert them.

3. Matched by Allie Condie - I am getting this for my 13-year-old niece. She's just reading the Hunger Games now and I think she'll really like this.

4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I was totally charmed by this book and highly recommend it. I have bought it for my friend L and convinced my other friend to get it for her best friend. My plot to have everyone read it is working! Muahahahaha!

5. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs - I'd get this for my friend Kimberly because she hasn't read the series yet.

6. The Lost City of Z by David Grann - This book was fascinating and terrifying at the same time. About a famous explorer on his last trip into the Amazon where he was never seen again. Flesh eating insects, harsh weather and hostile natives are only a few of the obstacles they encountered. Grann tries to unfold the mystery of what happened on the mission. I think my brother would enjoy this one.

7. Fables #1 by Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham - Love this comic book series. Anyone who loves fairy tales should read this. I'd get this for my friend Carrie who is currently obsessed with Once Upon A Time.

say "twee!"

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follow thuy on twitter @fishgirl182

Winter Wishlist: Week 1 - All I Want For Christmas

Welcome to Winter Wishlist, the fun seasonal meme that my co-blogger over at Read Now Sleep Later dreamed up. This is just a fun little meme in the holiday spirit of giving and getting. The first week (Dec 6 - 12) is all about YOU and what you're hoping Santa leaves under your tree this Christmas. For more info or to sign up, visit the Winter Wishlist page.

Week 1: Write about Books or Bookish Things that you would love to get.
Week 2: Write about Books or Bookish Things that you would love to give.
Week 3: Write about a charity/nonprofit/community group that works with books and/or literacy.

Books & Book-ish Fun

• Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey - This one is high on my list because of the gorgeous cover. I just love the design and the flower petals scattering. I hope Santa brings this one for me. 
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - Another great cover (hm I am beginning to sense a trend here)  
• Witchlanders by Lena Coakley - I've been wanting this one for awhile now. I've heard great things and it has has a beautiful cover.

• Penguin Embroidered Classics Books
• Black Beauty, Emma, The Secret Garden - The first batch of the new Threads collection by Penguin. I am a crafty gal and these embroidered covers call out to the crafty/literary nerd in me. I don't have a huge attachment to Black Beauty so that would be lowest on my list but Emma or Secret Garden would be fantastic.

• Unveiled (Turner #1) and Unclaimed (Turner #2) by Courtney Milan - I read Unlcoked, a novella in this series recently and really liked it. Would love to read some of Milan's full length stuff.
• Angel's Flight by Nalini Singh - I'll pretty much read anything by Nalini Singh. This is a compilation of short stories from the Guild Hunter series. One of the stories is brand new. I defintely want.

• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling- I think Mindy Kaling is just hilarious and she seems like she would be an awesome friend. I'd like to read this book and pretend that we're besties.
• Habibi by Craig Thompson - There hasn't been a Craig Thompson book in awhile. This one looks gorgeous and epic.
• Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton- Another great cover. I love to cook and think this memoir looks fascinating.

One can't live on books alone (though I try) so here are a few non-book but book related wishlist items.

• Mighty Bright Kindle light - I actually haven't done a ton or research on lights but recent blackouts have made me aware that it's good to have a backup light source for my kindle. I can save the ice cream from melting in the freezer and read while I wait for the power to come back on.
• Threadless t-shirt in Storytellers - This thing is so adorable and I've had my eye on it for awhile now. Gotta love book-ish t-shirts! While you're there, check out all of their other awesome shirts.
• Colossal Kidney - OK, this has nothing to do with books. But it's adorable. Uh I can cuddle it while reading. Yeah, that's it. 

So that's my (abbreviated) wishlist. Thanks for humoring me. If you'd like to share your Winter Wishlist, sign up on the linky list below and stop by next week for some more gift ideas

 

Top Ten Tuesday (6) - Books On My TBR List For Winter

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme created by the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish. To sign up or find out more about it, visit the Top Ten Tuesday page. This week's topic is Top Ten Books On My TBR List For Winter. This will be a mix of new books releasing in the winter but also books I've had in  my TBR pile that I want to read over winter break.




1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - Yes, this came out awhile ago but it's been sitting on my shelf unread. I am hoping to get to it soon.

2. The Traitor And The Tunnel by Y.S. Lee - I love Lee's Agency series and I can't wait to get back into it with the third book in the series. Love me some James!

3. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen - I love the cover for this book and the premise sounds great. This one can't come out fast enough.

4. Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - I am woefully behind in my Maggie reading.

5. My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland - I bought this the second it came out but I still haven't read it.

6. Obisidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout - I managed to get this one from Netgalley last week during their flash output on the site. I have heard lots of good things about this one and can't wait to read it.

7. Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent - Another book that's been out for awhile that I haven't read yet. I really want to read this one.

8. Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin - How awesome does this book look? I can't wait!

9. Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson - I just got this book and have been dying to read it ever since it came out.

10. The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark - A good friend of mine just started this and is loving it. I got it from Netgalley awhile back but haven't read it yet. I am moving it up in the queue.

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thuy just made her first html table in this post and feels pretty good about it. you can see what else she's up to on twitter @fishgirl182