Top 10 Tuesday: Fictional Family

This week's TTT, which is hoted by Broke and Bookish, is: Characters You Would Want As Family Members. So, time to build me a fictional family! I'm not so sure I'd want these people as my family but I think they would make a good family even if I wasn't in it. Oh, and I know it's only supossed to be ten, but I like big families.

Hello, Mother:
Molly Weasley from Harry Potter and the Epic Quest to Defeat Voldemort. I loved how protective she was of her children, like a mama bear. That's a very good quality, one that my real mom has.

Hello Father:
Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. Really, you don't even need to say anything about this choice. He was a courageous defender of truth and justice and I love that he read to his children.

Here's the Sisters:
Jo from Little Women. She was a lot of fun and I liked that she was alwasy willing to join in or start something, like their plays. I always loved that. Plus she was brave ans self-sacrificing. Excellent qualities in a sister.
Sara Crewe from A Little Princess. I would love to gather after dark and huddle around the flickering light of a candle to listen to this girl's stories. She had the most fabulously vivid imagination ever and she was so caring. A charming little sister.
Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. I loved her tomboy ways and how she was always the at center of things without being in the spotlight. She'd be an awesome little sister.

& the Brothers:
Shaun Mason from Feed by Mira Grant. He was totally insane and so much fun, but underneath all that he was such a caring and sweet brother. I think he'd be ideal as an older brother.
Edmund Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia. I mean the Ed at the end of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, not the coniving little blighter that he was at the beginning. He was brave and just and I admire that. Plus, he might take you to Narnia! That'd be beyond awesome.

Jem Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. In regards to age, he may be the (fictional) little brother, but he had several excellent big brother qualities. I don't have any brothers in real life, but I'd love have him as one.

Grandfather:
Bilbo Baggins from LOTR. He has the best stories to tell! Plus, who wouldn't want to visit their grandfather in a hobbit hole, "Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

Grandmother:
Marmie from Little Women. She'd be a great grandma. Caring, entertaining, and wise.


Uncle:
C.S. Lewis. Now, I know what you're thinking: "You can't have an actual person as your fictional uncle!" Oh, but I can! The Great Divorce was written as a first hand account and was narrated by the writer. So, HA! He can be the fictioanl uncle because he fictionalized himself. And he'd be awesome; I'd love to discuss religion and faith and spirituality with him and maybe he could tell some stories. he's very good at that, you know.

And that's my fictional family.
Tune in next week when I list my top ten book related pet peeves.

as always,
i am
zombie girrrl
and while these people may be interesting
I would never trade my real family for them

Top 10 Dynamic Duos

I'm really excited about this week's Top Ten Tuesday, brought to us by the letter M and the blog Broke and Bookish. As always, these are some of my favorites, but they are in no particular order.

1. Jess and Gemma from Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer. I loved the dynamic between these two, it was so sweet and innocent and completely enviable. If you happen to have a Jess (or a Gemma) in your life, then consider yourself blessed.
2. George and Shaun from Feed by Mira Grant. I really enjoyed the way these two played off each other, and not just in the witty banter, but emotionally. I love sibling duos, and George and Shaun are two of my faves because they were more than willing to take a bullet for the other.
3. Sara Crewe and Becky from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. In a seemingly hopeless situation, Sara found strength in the friendship of Becky, and Becky was brought to life by the care and imagination of Sara. Had it not been for the other, I think they both would have succumbed to an incurable despair.
4. Cal and Niko Leandros from the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman1. Another sibling duo that I love. Cal, who views himself as an abomination because, well, on some levels he is, and Niko, the only person who's ever said otherwise, are the butt kickingest brothers there ever were with a soft spot held only for each other. Not only do they have each other's backs in battle, but they take care of each other too. Niko sacrifices everything, even the chance to have a normal life, for Cal, and Cal would do anything for Niko.
5. Rose and the White Bear from East by Edith Pattou. What's not to love? Basically it's Beauty and the Beast, but Belle goes on an epic quest to restore the Beast's humanity. Thrilling and so sweet.
6. Scout and Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Growing up is hard to do, but having a sibling to do it with, particularly when all your growing up is crammed into a very short period of time, makes it a whole lot easier.
7. Aly and Nawat from Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce. Aly, the fiesty and resourceful daughter of Alanna, a living legend of Tortall, and Nawat, a crow who shed his feathers for his love of Aly, are one of my favorite couples. Their courtship was hilarious because, while Nawat may have had the body of a man, his customs were still that of a crow, complete with preening and bugs. They were really sweet together and I liked that their relationship, which was as inevitable as the sunrise, grew over time. I do wish, though, that pierce would write a character who lived chastely. That's my only complaint about her books.
8. Jonah and Bea from How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford. This was a pretty complex relationship. They were closer than friends yet completely platonic. Like siblings but not related. They just completed each other at the point that they were feeling the most incomplete. It was a very bizarre relationship, to be sure, sometimes they didn't even acknowledge the other in public, but they were like peanut butter and jelly. Mac and cheese. Golden oreos and chai spice tea2.
9. Rapunzel and Flynn from Tangled. Yes, the Disney princess movie. It's one of my favorite movies ever, and this couple is one of the main deciding factors of that. I could watch Tangled on loop for a week and not get tired of it.
10. Merry and Pippin from LOTR. Sometimes when I watch the movies, I skip the Sam and Frodo bits so I can watch these two. They always make me laugh, and I love the way they represent the loss of innocence in war.

i am
zombie giRRRl
& that was
my top 10 tuesday

footnotes_________________________
1  BTW, did you know that Rob Thurman is a woman? When I saw that, I was like, "Whaaaa?" Don't know how I went so long without knowing that, but it was pretty shocking.
2  Trust me on this one. It's a good match.

Top 10 Tuesday: Books I HAD To Buy...

But are still sitting on my shelf. I can only assume that this week's TTT, a meme hosted by Broke and Bookish, is referring to books that I bought yet have not read and not books I bought and kept.
Anywhoodle. I only have five this week. These are not in any particular order.

1. The Road by Cormick McCormick. Wait... that's not his name.
2. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. The reason I haven't gotten past the third page is sort of stupid, but the font was too big! Large fonts make me feel like the author/publisher/type-setter is talking down to me. Plus I'm going through a bit of a rough patch with supernatural.
3. The Coming Plague by Laurie Garret. I went through a very big pathology-of-bloody-diseases phase. This one came in on the tail-end of that phase. I'm sure the plague has come by now, that's how long it's been sitting on my shelf.
4. Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan. I lurrrrrved Forest of Hands and Teeth so much. The only thing that's kept me from starting this one is, well, I'm bein' a big ol' chicken. You gotta be in a certain mood to have livin' daylights scared out of you, and I just haven't been in that mood yet.
5. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. Again, I really liked the first book, but in this case it's not fear that's held me back, it's plot. I was reading this at the same time as my sister, no big deal, we just used two bookmarks. Well, I was loving the story, it was good, I got to about page 40 or something like that before I opened it to the wrong mookmark. I started reading it from the mid-way point. And. I. Didn't. Even. Notice. It took me several pages to realize that I had skipped forward by a good chunk because the story seemed as though it hadn't really moved on. Not good.

Not that I'm writing off any of these books, I just haven't gotten to them for one reason or another.

I am
hungry for justice
tired of violence
full of hope
Zombie GiRRRl

Top Ten Tuesday: Book to Movie Adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme/feature hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. As you can see from the title, this week's theme is book to movie adaptations, something that always has us buzzing like a nest of angry hornets. Here's my top picks...

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Yes, I can pick an entire franchise as one. The books are some of the best fantasy ever written, in my opinion, so I was pretty stoked when the movies came out. I view the films as visual aid to the books.
2. Harry Potter and the Most Amazing Seven-Part Story Ever Told in Eight Parts. I wasn't that thrilled with films 5 an 6, but 7 more than made up for it.
3. A Little Princess. The movie version had one major plot change, but I can forgive that because I actually like that outcome better. This just swept me away when I was little. I can't say anything more that.
4. Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I know I've been counting entire franchises up to this point, but this one was my favorite of all the movies thusfar because none of the symbolism was compromised (there was actually another layer added) and the casting was so fantastic. I just hope they manage to squeeze ed into the Silver Chair because he's my favorite.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird. Flawless adaptation and perfect casting. 'Nough said.

Now to shake things up a bit. Here's the top five yet-to-be-released book to movie adaptations that I am most looking forward to...

1. Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska from Alice In Wonderland. I read this book when I was about thirteen and it bored me to tears, but after seeing this preview I've decided to give it another go. Yeah, it looks that good. And to think, I always rolled my eyes whe my mom said this was her favorite book. Comes out this March.
2. The Hobbit. I'm so exicted for this one, and I'm super happy that's it been split into two parts--more chances to nerd out! This is set to drop sometime in 2012.
3. The Hunger Games. This was such an amazing book that the thought of it being put into the hands of, well, anyone had me nervous, but I've heard that the director, Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, the one where Spider Man rides a horse), is a huge fan of the series; so here's hoping that he can, not only handle it, but keep it true to the book without having an R rating for violence. This should release sometime in 2013.
4. World War Z. I love, love love this book, and it's not just for the zombies. This was an epic alternate reality tale with some truly gritty and realistic characters. Milo Ventimiglia is perfect for the lead. Set to release in 2012.
5. This last one is just for Ren: Airborn, based on the book by Kenneth Oppel. I know how awesome you said it was, Ren, and, lucky for you, it should be coming out this year! Cross your fingers.

And that concludes my Top 10 Tuesday. Tune in next week for: Top Ten Books I Just HAD to Buy...But Are Still Sitting on My Bookshelf. It's time to come clean about some of my book purchases.
I am
Zombie GiRRRl

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