Thursday’s Things: Watch Out For Those Arrows

heart-beating

  • Feminist-Friendly Romance Novels – I’m not much of a Romance fan, no matter how Feminist; however, if you’re looking for a love story or two to read this month, you may want to give some of these a try.
  • 13 Times Books Perfectly Described Heartbreak – If you’re like me, and Romance isn’t your thing, here’s an entirely different list of books.  Maybe you recently had your heart broken, or you’re so head over heels that you want to remind yourself that not everyone is so lucky.  Either way, the books on this list and the quotes that go with them are perfect.

Let Me Love You

virtual_hug

kisses

Thursday’s Things: Addendum

HP wands

First David Bowie, who, while he was more involved in music and film than literature, played one of my favorite characters in Labyrinth, a movie that celebrates Fantasy and stories.  Now Alan Rickman, a man who played a role in several of my favorite movies, many of which were adaptations of well-loved books.

As many of you already know, I happen to be re-reading one of those books right now as part of my Harry Potter Re-Read.  After the range of emotions I’ve gone through since I read the horrible news this morning of Rickman’s passing, I don’t even know how I’m going to handle Snape’s death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  I’m also not sure if I’ll be able to re-watch the movies for a while.  While Severus was never one of my favorite characters, more someone I loved to hate throughout most of the series, I do remember feeling that he redeemed himself through his actions in the final book and movies, and as much as I wanted to continue to despise him, I couldn’t.  J.K. Rowling and Alan Rickman showed me that nothing is black and white, especially human beings.  Grief is also complex.

On that note, here is a tiny round-up of links out of oh so many I’ve come across today in celebration of Alan Rickman and the mourning of his loss:

Thursday’s Things

1001 Things
Original Image: Viktor Hertz

Thursday’s Things: The Holidays Edition

Home Alone Gif

‘Tis the Season to be jolly, so here’s a list of Holiday bookish things to help make that happen!

  • Gone Reading Shop – Didn’t find anything in my 2015 Holiday Gift Guide that would make the perfect gift for your favorite reader?  Check out this shop dedicated to reading and book-related products.
  • 36 Best Audiobooks for Your Road Trip and Beyond – Traveling to visit family and friends and need an audiobook?  Check out this list from Book Riot.  I recommend Bird Box by Josh Malerman, and while I haven’t read Landline, Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park and Fangirl are excellent options.
  • Book and Dessert Pairing Guide – These book and dessert pairings would make great and inexpensive gifts.  Instead of just buying a book, make or purchase a snack to go with it.  You could even add tea, coffee, or hot cocoa mix to go with it all, and if you’re really “crafty,” place everything in a basket, wrap it all up, and top it off with a bow.
  • 60 Bookish Films Streaming on Netflix – Are you tired of watching Christmas specials, but sticking your nose in a book would be rude while you’re with family?  Give one of these bookish movies a try (be warned: not all of them are all-ages friendly).
  • 12 Books That Will Lift You Up When You Are Down – Many of us get the Holiday Blues or suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).  While reading isn’t a cure-all, I’ve found it does help to lessen a case of the blahs.  Reading also helps reduce stress, another common problem during this time of year.
  • Project Night Night – Unfortunately, there are a lot of kids out there who are homeless.  This is a great bookish alternative to Toys for Tots.  Consider donating $25 towards a Night Night Package (which contains a security blanket, a children’s book, and a stuffed animal inside a canvas tote bag) or build your own and mail it to one of the donation centers they list.
  • 5 Bookish Charities Santa Claus Approves – If you’re looking for even more bookish charities to support this Holiday season, check out Litha’s list over at Victorian Soul Critiques.
  • Free snowflake patterns inspired by Game of Thrones – Here’s some DIY snowflake decorations.
  • 10 Classic Christmas Carols and the Stories Behind Them
  • Holiday Tradition and a Book – I was a guest blogger over at Michelle’s blog Because Reading is Better than Real Life, and I wrote about A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  Check it out along with the other guest posts throughout December.

Thursday’s Things: Books, Netflix, and Cats

Cats and Netflix
“Cats and Netflix”-The Doubleclicks on YouTube

This month’s “Thursday’s Things” is mostly about this special time of year when the weather gives us the perfect excuse to stay indoors.  There is plenty here to read and watch for the rest of the year.

  • 13 Fantasies Inspired by Mythology from the British Isles
  • Books for a Rainy Day – Though Winter isn’t quite here yet, the weather Melinda write’s about arrived in Texas a couple days ago and led me to break out the fuzzy socks and my Doctor Who blankie, and turned my cat, Dresden, back into a cuddler.  Then the temp went back up into the low 90s because…Texas.  Anyhow, I love the shift in the weather because it means my reading also changes.  I’ve read a couple of the books on this list, and several others are on my TBR or wish list.
  • 15 Movies Starring Bookstores – I’ve seen all of the movies on this list at least once, and while I’d love to pretend that all I do during this time of year is snuggle with my cat and read books, I also snuggle with my cat and watch movies.
  • Outlander Word Search Puzzle – I still haven’t seen any but the first episode of the TV series, and I have yet to finish the books.  I don’t have cable, and I refuse to pay about $50 for the whole season.  I’m waiting until the price drops considerably or a reasonably priced box set of both volumes comes out.  However, this is the time of year when I read the books.  I’ll be starting A Breath of Snow and Ashes soon.
  • Sherlock Holmes by the Numbers – Speaking of book-related TV, I’m waiting for the new season of Sherlock to air (2017?!  Are you freakin’ kidding me?!), so I can then wait to watch it for free on PBS Masterpiece.
  • Zadie Smith Talks Parenting: Are Two Kids Too Many?
  • Book Lovers On Instagram Vs. Reality – This is why I have yet to create an Instagram account.  It takes too much energy to make my reading life look less like reality.
  • The Literary Cat – Have too much time on your hands?  Looking for some cat-spiration for all those Caturday Instagram pics you won’t ever take?  Look no further.
  • 6 Books Adapted into Movies Starring Sylvester Stallone
  • The 7 Types of People You See in EVERY Bookstore

Thursday’s Things #11: Halloween Edition

1001 Things
                Original Image: Viktor Hertz

As promised, here’s the second “Thursday’s Things” post for this month.  All of the links are related to Halloween, Horror, or Gothic literature in some way.

Thursday’s Things #10: Banned Books Edition

1001 Things
Original Image: Viktor Hertz

Since it’s Banned Books Week, all of this “Thursday’s Things” are related to banned books.  I’ve also updated the Banned Books page to remove broken links so check it out for even more information about banned books.  Sometime during this month, I’ll do a second “Thursday’s Things” in celebration of all things Halloween.

Thursday’s Things #9

1001 Things
                Original Image: Viktor Hertz

Thursday’s Things #8

1001 Things
Original Image: Viktor Hertz

Thursday’s Things #7

1001 Things
Original Image: Viktor Hertz