Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

A small Weekly Obsessions but one filled with some pretty amazing things!

BOOK

Cover Of A Line In The Dark By Malinda Lo (goodreads)

The darkness of this cover compliments the darkness hinted at in the synopsis perfectly. There is something vivid and striking about this cover. It stands out and makes you want to take a closer look.

The title almost looks like it is carved into the skin in a way (or like veins). This novel sounds incredible as well so the pretty cover is a bonus.

Third Book In The Me Before You Series 

It was announced this week that Jojo Moyes will be releasing another book about Louisa Clark to make the Me Before You series a trilogy. I had mixed views about After You, and I have mixed opinions about another book about Lou but I will totally read it. I adore Lou and want to continue her story even if it crushes my heart with the looming absence of what made these books special (ie the bond between Will and Lou).

TV/MOVIE

Beauty And The Beast

IT IS SO SOON!! I am going this upcoming Thursday and I already have tickets. I am beyond excited and hope it is as good as I anticipate it being. They released the official soundtrack yesterday and I spent most of the day listening to the songs on repeat!

Mr Robot Season Three Announcement

Mr Robot is moving from its usual summer time slot for season three. It will instead have an Oct premiere date which basically ensures Oct is going to be an epic month for television. As part of the announcement they revealed that BD Wong will be promoted to series regular which is very exciting. I, however, just want more Tyrell Wellick in my life (and on my TV screen) so I am curious about Martin Wallström's presence in the third season. It is going to be a really long wait, but something tells me it will be more than worth it.

What are you obsessed with this week?

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

I had a bunch of goodies make their way into my mailbox in the last little while.

First up are two candles that I ordered before Christmas and waited to share as some of them were gifts.

I especially love the Bucky Barnes scent while it is burning. It is lovely. I may have to order a larger size of that one.

Next up I ordered some lovely bookmarks from HappyHello on Etsy. I love my Stranger Things one so much! They are super cute but Will is noticeably missing so I may have to get one specially made to complete the collection. 

I also got her Will and Lou from Me Before You set! How cute are they?!

I also purchased a few things from Hot Topic this week. A colour changing Stranger Things mug!

It is amazing. The letters R, U and N turn red when heat is applied, and the background fills in white. It is pretty much my new favourite mug. 

Lastly, I manged to score this Joker Funko Pop. I previously showed that he came in two editions (regular colour and this special edition black and white option). I hit it lucky and was at Hot Topic when they put them out and scooped up the black and white edition as it was my preferred one. I love how the kisses pop as the only colour against the black and white.

That is it for me this week. Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Best of 2016 ... Non Bookish

It feels like 2016 had been one year long suck fest, particularly towards the end. It is hard to remember that there were some good things about 2016. I listed the top books I read this year in a previous post, and now I am going to share the best of everything else - movies, TV, etc.

So here is what I loved in 2016

TELEVISION 

Stranger Things

An incredible show that is filled with 80s nostalgia. It boasts a cast of adorable and talented kids, the return of Winona Ryder and was one of the biggest additions to pop culture this year.

If you haven't watched this I highly recommend you binge watch it immediately. You'll completely fall in love with the entire cast (but especially Eleven) and will be dying for them to release season two.

Lucifer

I was pleasantly surprised by this show. It is filled with charm, humour and wit. Tom Ellis plays a very charming and endearing Lucifer, but the rest of the cast shines equally as bright. Chloe and  Mazikeen in particular have really been given character development.

The ship in this show is on of my top ships right now. They are adorable together and they make each other better which I love. Binge this if you haven't because it will definitely surprise you.

Mr Robot Season 2

People had mixed feelings about the second season Mr Robot. I, personally, loved it. I felt it kept the perspective right where it needs to be - on Elliott. I also felt that it handled the 'big reveal' of the season beautifully. The acting was, as usual, stellar from the entire cast.

The finale left me with a lot of questions, and has caused me to have a certain theory that, if proven correct, will take the show in an entirely new (and unforseen) direction. I cannot wait for season 3.

OTHER

Funko Pops

I was late getting into these but I am now obsessed. They are super cute and they pretty much have something for everyone. It is a slippery slope though because you won't be able to stop at one.

I am super excited for the Stranger Things set in 2017!

My Disney Trip

On a more personal note, one of the highlights of 2016 for me was getting to go to ALA in Orlando and visiting Disney World. I go to see my friend Kelly and generally had a great time.

Disney is one of my favourite places, and it really is magical.

I am hoping to go back soon (maybe even next  year) and would especially love to see it decorated for Halloween as I haven't had that experience yet.

MOVIE

Me Before You movie adaptation

A movie adaptation that was highly faithful to the source material and had some great casting. I loved both Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin as Lou and Will. Emilia was especially adorable as Lou. She was perfectly cast and managed to light up the screen. Sam was equally well cast as Will. He had that dry sense of humour and charm that Will had in the book.

It had all the major scenes from the book and ensured that the feel and tone of Jojo Moynes novel was felt throughout the entire movie. It was heartbreaking and that is exactly what I wanted from the movie.

Captain America: Civil War

This movie rounded out the Captain American trilogy nicely, while securing the future of the Marvel Universe movies. The introduction of Black Panther was brilliant and pretty much made everyone excited for his upcoming solo movie. He was one of the highlights and was cast perfectly. The new Spiderman proved to be charming and ensured that everyone would be excited about his upcoming movie. The humour of Peter Parker was there in spades.

I happen to be Team Cap so I especially loved everything between Steve, and his group. Bucky is my favourite and this rounded out the Winter Solider story arc nicely as well. It's a fantastic trilogy and a fantastic movie all on its own.


La La Land

A wistful throwback to classic Hollywood musicals that is every bit as romantic, whimsical and sweet as you would expect. There are a lot of callbacks to iconic scenes, and an overall feeling of nostalgia is present during the entire movie.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have a natural chemistry and rapport that shines through their scenes and made this movie even more heartfelt. It is one I will be adding to my collection and one I predict will take home plenty of awards come awards season.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

Lots of amazing goodies made their way into my book closet this week!

At the advance screening of Me Before You that I attended we were given a gift bag as we left. that included some amazing things. First up a tissue box that had the movie poster on it, a small movie poster, and some red lipstick in a shade similar to what Emilia Clarke wears in the movie.

So fun! It would have been great to get the tissues before the movie though. Haha.

Thanks to Raincoast Books I have a copy of this fun sounding read! A large majority of us book nerds are also fangirls/fanboys and this novel sounds perfect for those of us who are.

All The Feels by Danika Stone (goodreads)

I am part of the Raincoast Books blog tour and will be sharing a guest post for my stop. You can also expect a review that same week! So excited to dive into this one.

It's no secret that I am a huge Sarah J Maas fangirl so when Bloomsbury offered up a pre-order incentive for A Court Of Mist and Fury I jumped on the chance.

The tote is amazing! I am going to bring it to ALA with me in a couple weeks! 

I had ordered a set of these lovely carry-alls from Evie's Society6 shop. You may recall that I did not get the correct middle sized pouch. Society6 was fantastic in helping fix the situation and I now have a full set! They're amazing and I intend on using them frequently.

A huge thank you to Society6's customer service who were great and fixed the situation promptly and went above and beyond to do so.

What bookish items made their way into your mailbox this week?

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

BOOK

Cover of The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee (goodreads)

First go read this synopsis and tell me that this book isn't begging to be read with a glass of champagne (or some kind of frozen fruity alcohol beverage) by the pool? It is basically the reason sudsy summer reading is a thing. 

Now, take a look at this STUNNING cover! It's incredibly pretty.

Obviously I can already see this being a show on the CW. It is pretty much a futuristic Gossip Girl and I am already excited to check out the inevitable TV show.

TV/MOVIE

The Space Between Us trailer

Watch this trailer and tell me that this wouldn't make an amazing YA novel. I am really sad it's not a YA novel because it would be something I would immediately devour.

This looks AMAZING! I am a sucker for the romance aspect of this. The guy is FROM A DIFFERENT PLANET! This just screams YA romance and I am absolutely going to see this opening night.

Me Before You

I was lucky enough to get to see an advance screening of this and loved it immensely. If you are a fan of the novel you absolutely need to go see it. A lot of the really big moments from the novel are captured perfectly, and the casting was flawless. Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke not only have chemistry together but both of them deliver pitch perfect performances as Will and Lou. You'll laugh, cry and immediately want to watch it again.

Guilt

I have been intrigued since I heard that this show was coming to Freeform. It's a murder mystery that has echoes of the Amanda Knox case in it's synopsis. This promotional art only has me more excited to check it out.

There is something really eye catching about the bloody footprints and it sounds like perfect twisty summer drama. It's too bad that Canada doesn't have Freeform, but I am hoping another network has picked it up for Canadian distribution or that it'll end up like Shadowhunters and be loaded into Netflix.

What are you obsessed with this week?

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

It has been a crazy but awesome week in bookish mail.

First up is a prize pack I won from the Raincoast Fall Blogger Preview event. I am so excited to put together the puzzle with my nieces. The candle smells amazing, and the tote bag is super cute! I am looking forward to reading Labyrinth Lost at some point as well.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova (goodreads)

Next, I received a book that I have been really curious about since I first saw the announcement. It sounds like it might be a dark, but fascinating read. A huge thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending it for me to review.

The Girls by Emma Cline (goodreads)

My friend Kim gave me a finished copy of a Peter Pan inspired book that I read and loved. She also gave me this amazing J.M. Barrie print that is below. Thank you so much, Kim. I love them (obviously, because Peter Pan).

Everland by Wendy Spinale (goodreads)

Lastly, this is a book I owned but had my friend Amanda get signed for me. She was gracious enough to go to the Jojo Moyes signing in Toronto to get this signed for me. I am insanely excited to have one of my favourite books signed. Me Before You is such an incredible story.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (goodreads)

What bookish items made their way into your mailbox this week?

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

Lots of amazing things arrived in my mailbox this week!

First, I got my pre-order postcards from Bloomsbury for their When We Collided pre-order campaign. They are amazing and I intend on framing them to hang in my apartment.

When We Collided by Emery Lord (goodreads)

Next, I received my April #otspsecretsister box. It was filled with 80's candy, an amazing feather pen, and a book I am super curious about along with some fun post-it notes. A huge thank you to 'Tink' for this!

A Night In With Audrey Hepburn by Lucy Holliday (goodreads)

This is a book I already owned, but I had to get the movie-tie in edition, obviously. I cannot wait to see this movie and I love the movie poster.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (goodreads)

What bookish items made their way into your mailbox this week?

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

TV/MOVIE

Me Before You Movie Poster

I've been obsessed with the Me Before You novel since I read it, and have been even more obsessed with the movie adaptation. This week we were finally gifted with a movie poster and trailer.

This movie poster is perfect and I need it for my apartment.

Just from this movie poster I am able to tell that I am going to be a crying mess at the theatre when this releases. The red dress!!

Me Before You Movie Trailer

The day after we were given the movie poster, the first trailer was released and it is just as perfect as I anticipated it would be. It's beautiful, and so similar to the book.

The bumble bee tights, the red dress, the chemistry, the lines that are directly lifted from the book. This is as if they've taken the mental picture I had in my head and made it real. I ugly cried through this entire trailer and part of that was simply seeing these characters I love so much come to life through Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. They are a perfect Will and Lou and this trailer has only increased my need to see this movie as soon as possible.

Excuse me while I go watch this a million times from now until the June release date.

What are you obsessed with this week?

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

BOOK

Cover for Sing by Vivi Greene (goodreads) 

The cover for this amazing sound novel was just revealed and I LOVE it. The synopsis offers up a Taylor Swift inspired vibe and the cover only increases that comparison.

Fun, right? I definitely want to get my hands on this as it sounds like a book I am going to really enjoy.

Heartless by Sarah Henning (goodreads)

As someone who loves fairytales and fairytale retellings this book immediately caught my attention. I've seen lots of Little Mermaid inspired stories but this one sounds like a delightful twist on the classic tale as it is told from a unique perspective.

Pitched as the never-before-told origin story of the sea witch from Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" told in the vein of Wicked – from the villainess's point of view

Amazing right? And the fact that it is based off Hans Christian Andersen's version lends itself to a darker, much unhappier ending (as least for the mermaid). I am excited to see a cover, and eventually read this amazing sounding premise.

TV/MOVIE

Me Before You Release Date Moved

JoJo Moyes recently announced that the release date for the Me Before You movie has been moved up to March! Very exciting news as this means a trailer will be right around the corner along with other promotion material (like movie posters and stills). This novel is one of my favourites and the cast has me anticipating a spectacular movie.

What are you obsessed with this week?

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

BOOK

Cover of Upside Down Magic by Mylnowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins (goodreads)

It is not often that I feature middle grade covers in this post. This one however is too cute to pass up.

I immediately wanted my cat to have wings after seeing this. How cute is that?! Who wouldn't want a kitten/dragon hybrid? Everyone would, obviously. This is one book that I have to get my nieces because they'll love the cover.

MOVIE/TV

Me Before You movie release date

They announced the release date for the Me Before You movie. June 3, 2016 is when it'll hit North American theatres and I am SO excited. I am very much looking forward to being a crying mess in the theatre in June (as funny as that sounds). The cast is perfect, and the behind the scenes photos I've seen are promising.

OTHER

Book Expo America

BEA WEEK IS HERE! I will be arriving into NYC on Tuesday and am looking forward to so much. If you missed my post detailing what I am most looking foward to/how the blog is going to work while I am gone (basically little to no interruption) be sure to check it out.

What are you obsessed with this week?

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Extremely small Weekly Obsessions post this week.

BOOKS

Me Before You and the sequel by Jojo Moyes (Goodreads)

I recently read Me Before You. I am pretty sure I am one of the last people on the planet to read it as I recall it being everywhere when it was first released. I LOVED this book. Completely obsessed. I was both apprehensive and delighted to hear that a sequel would be released this September. The first one was so perfect and I am afraid for the sequel to mess with how I feel about that book, but I am equally looking forward to returning to these characters. If you haven't read Me Before You, get on it immediately.

Cover of Truly Madly Famously by Rebecca Serle (Goodreads)

You  might have heard me talk about Famous In Love, just a little bit. It was one of my favourites of last year. I have been anticipating the sequel since I finished reading it last May. The cover was just revealed and I LOVE IT! It's a little different from the first one, BUT fits with the series. Rebecca has said this is the book she wanted to write, and that makes me even more excited to read this.

Cover of Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett (Goodreads)

Creepy right? It's also a little romantic with the old fashioned dress. Those two elements together seem to fit this novel's synopsis perfectly. A blend of death and love. The tagline immediately caught my attention and it's made me even more excited about this book.

MOVIE/TV

Me Before You movie adaptation

As noted above I loved the Me Before You novel. So much. I found out that Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin have been cast as Lou and Will in the movie adaptation. It is set to start filming in April and has an anticipated release of 2016. I am happy with the casting and I cannot wait to see what these two do with these roles. They are both favourites of mine and I anticipate some pretty electric chemistry. Expect much flailing and posting of set images/trailers/movie posters/etc as they come available.

How To Get Away With Murder 

I've been obsessed with How To Get Away With Murder this season. They just had their season finale on Thursday and IT WAS PERFECTION! It was the best way for this show to end it's stellar first season and has me NEEDING to see season two. If you missed getting obsessed with this show be sure to catch up during the summer. 

What are you obsessed with this week?

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Release Date - December 31, 2012
Publisher Website - Penguin
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 369 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**borrowed from library**

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

After closing the final pages of Me Before You I knew it was going to be one of the hardest reviews I had ever written. How to convey what this book made me feel adequately when I was barely able to be coherent after. Me Before You is a love story. It is also so much more than that. It's smart, unrelenting, and shines a bright light on the quality of life for disabled people in the process. A story that stole my heart, and left me an ugly sobbing mess in it's wake, but also infused with me an appreciation for this life I get to live.

This is the first novel I've read by Jojo Moyes and it certainly will not be my last. Her talent is in creating characters, and crafting emotions with her words. She makes you fall effortlessly in love with her characters, and in a novel of this nature, that is key. Even her secondary characters are written as incredibly life like and complex.

The moments of humour are so wonderfully woven into this plot. They are bright lights in an otherwise murky setting. They contrast the darker moments and create a realistic balanced portrayal that really brings the characters to life. You are thankful for these happy moments because they allow you to breathe in between the moments of crushing sadness. They are timed perfect, and add to the novel's pacing.

The romance in this was a lot like John Green's classic line of falling slowly and then all at once for me. I fell for Will and Lou slowly, but when it happened it was all consuming. I was enthralled by their connection and love story. They are the type of couple that becomes iconic because you feel their chemistry through the pages. Their little moments show that a romantic, swoon worthy connection can be effectively capture with minimal physical interaction. It's their words, banter, and actions that define and create their love story.

This novel deals with how the disabled are treated, their role in society and the hot button issue of assisted suicide. The author doesn't take a strong stance but instead, through the characters, lets you see all sides of this complex issue. She allows you to sympathize with those who are in Will's position, while still feeling for those who care about them. While she doesn't tackle the political and legal aspects with as much depth, she chooses to focus on the personal elements. The novel wants you to see a view point that is perhaps not your own. It will encourage conversation, and that is perhaps this novel's greatest achievement.

A novel that makes you see things in many different aways. A story that embraces the many complexities around the issue of assisted suicide, and shouts the notion of living your life to it's fullest from every page. A romantic, heart crushing, inspiring story I will not soon forget. It's one with an important message at it's heart, and it just so happens it'll also leave you feeling everything all at once.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

Some amazing books made their way into my mailbox this week! 

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (goodreads)

Me Before You by Jo Moyes (goodreads)

The Kiss of Deception by  Mary E. Pearson (goodreads)

The Young Elites by Marie Lu (goodreads)

I also got the Frozen soundtrack thanks to a Twitter contest, and my Lindor chocolate countdown to Christmas calendar! 

Thanks to Jessica for lending me The Kiss of Deception and The Young Elites.

What books made their way into your mailbox this week?

Happy weekend, and happy reading!