Kell

I'm shocked that Andy Serkis wasn't nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work on Rise of the Planet of the Apes. He was absolutely superb in that. I've seen footage of him ni his motion capture get-up and he acted his socks off in that role, giving an awesome performance. I also can't understand why a coupl eof the animated films nominated are from 2010, rather than 2011...

The Oscars are coming. Which do you think will be the big winners and losers? The nominations are as follows (with my picks in red - note, these are who I think will win, not necessarily who I would like to win! I have not made picks fo rthe last four catergories because I haven't a clue): Best Motion Picture of the Year: The Artist (2011) The Descendants (2011) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011) The Help (2011) Hugo (2011/II) Midnight in Paris (2011) Moneyball (2011) The Tree of Life (2011) War Horse (2011) Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Demián Bichir for A Better Life (2011) George Clooney for The Descendants (2011) Jean Dujardin for The Artist (2011) Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) Brad Pitt for Moneyball (2011) Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs (2011) Viola Davis for The Help (2011) Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady (2011) Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn (2011) Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Kenneth Branagh for My Week with Marilyn (2011) Jonah Hill for Moneyball (2011) Nick Nolte for Warrior (2011) Christopher Plummer for Beginners (2010) Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011) Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Bérénice Bejo for The Artist (2011) Jessica Chastain for The Help (2011) Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids (2011) Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs (2011) Octavia Spencer for The Help (2011) Best Achievement in Directing: Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris (2011) Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist (2011) Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life (2011) Alexander Payne for The Descendants (2011) Martin Scorsese for Hugo (2011/II) Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: The Artist (2011): Michel Hazanavicius Bridesmaids (2011): Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo Margin Call (2011): J.C. Chandor Midnight in Paris (2011): Woody Allen A Separation (2011): Asghar Farhadi Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: The Descendants (2011): Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash Hugo (2011/II): John Logan The Ides of March (2011): George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon Moneyball (2011): Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011): Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: A Cat in Paris (2010) Chico & Rita (2010) Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) Puss in Boots (2011) Rango (2011) Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: Bullhead (2011): Michael R. Roskam(Belgium) Footnote (2011): Joseph Cedar(Israel) In Darkness (2011): Agnieszka Holland(Poland) Monsieur Lazhar (2011): Philippe Falardeau(Canada) A Separation (2011): Asghar Farhadi(Iran) Best Achievement in Cinematography: The Artist (2011): Guillaume Schiffman The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): Jeff Cronenweth Hugo (2011/II): Robert Richardson The Tree of Life (2011): Emmanuel Lubezki War Horse (2011): Janusz Kaminski Best Achievement in Editing: The Artist (2011): Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius The Descendants (2011): Kevin Tent The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter Hugo (2011/II): Thelma Schoonmaker Moneyball (2011): Christopher Tellefsen Best Achievement in Art Direction: The Artist (2011): Laurence Bennett, Gregory S. Hooper Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011): Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan Hugo (2011/II): Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo Midnight in Paris (2011): Anne Seibel, Hélène Dubreuil War Horse (2011): Rick Carter, Lee Sandales Best Achievement in Costume Design: Anonymous (2011/I): Lisy Christl The Artist (2011): Mark Bridges Hugo (2011/II): Sandy Powell Jane Eyre (2011): Michael O’Connor W.E. (2011): Arianne Phillips Best Achievement in Makeup: Albert Nobbs (2011) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) The Iron Lady (2011) Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011): John Williams The Artist (2011): Ludovic Bource Hugo (2011/II): Howard Shore Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011): Alberto Iglesias War Horse (2011): John Williams Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song: The Muppets (2011): Bret McKenzie(“Man or Muppet”) Rio (2011): Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, Siedah Garrett(“Real in Rio”) Best Achievement in Sound Mixing: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Hugo (2011/II) Moneyball (2011) Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) War Horse (2011) Best Achievement in Sound Editing: Drive (2011) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Hugo (2011/II) Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) War Horse (2011) Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Hugo (2011/II) Real Steel (2011) Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) Best Documentary, Features: Hell and Back Again (2011) If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011) Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011) Pina (2011) Undefeated (2011) Best Documentary, Short Subjects: The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement (2011) God Is the Bigger Elvis Incident in New Baghdad (2011) Saving Face (2011/II) The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (2011) Best Short Film, Animated: Dimanche (2011): Patrick Doyon The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011): William Joyce, Brandon Oldenburg La Luna (2011): Enrico Casarosa A Morning Stroll (2011): Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe Wild Life (2011): Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby Best Short Film, Live Action: Pentecost (2011): Peter McDonald Raju (2011): Max Zähle, Stefan Gieren The Shore: Terry George Time Freak (2011): Andrew Bowler, Gigi Causey Tuba Atlantic (2010): Hallvar Witzø

Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton. Check out all the info HERE.

It's not that the glass is large, it's that it's closer to the camera. I shall demonstrate in the style of Father Ted (please say in an Irish accent)... "This Diane is very small. But this Diane is far away!"

Friday Finds What great books did you hear about / discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS! By following links to blogs taking part in various memes, I’ve heard about so many great books it would be impossible to list them all. I’m also a regular visitor to our local library and am always eagerly awaiting newly published books by my favourite authors. However, here are the ones that really stood out for me this week and for which I’ll be looking out on future book acquisition expeditions: Theodora Goss – The Thorn and the Blossom Adam Christopher – Empire State Nancy Bilyeau – The Crown Mette Ivie Hrrison – Mira, Mirror Barry Unsworth – The Quality of Mercy Paula Brackston – The Witch’s Daughter They’ve all gone onto my wish list!

We're compiling a list of free e-books for Kindle HERE.

Booking Through Thursday What’s more important: Good writing? Or a good story? (Of course, a book should have BOTH, but…) Of course, a really good book has both, but if I had to sacrifice one for the other, I’d take average writing with an exciting and absorbing plot over an exquisitely written slice of dullsville. I’ve enjoyed many competently written books where the riveting story has rattled along and kept me on the edge of my seat, but no matter how beautiful the writing is, if there is little to know plot, or if there’s a good plot but drawn out in such a way as to make it drag, then I’m afraid I’m not going to finish it, and it becomes a waste of my time and money. Of course I’d prefer a winning combination of both elements, what reader in their right mind wouldn’t? But given the choice of only one, that’s my answer.

I can vouch for how fab the series is and how brilliant Robert Carlyle is as Rumplestitlskin/Mr Gold. His manic giggle as the former is just creeptastic and his mildly threatening in an "I'm not threatening at all, honest" kind of way as the latter is perfect.

I have the new £89 version of Kindle (got it for Xmas) and can vouch for how excellent it is. It's not backlit (none of the Kindles are - it's e-ink technology) but if you have a clip-on book light or a bedside lamp, you'll be fine for bedtime reading too (I have both and it's fine with either one).

Self publishing in ANY medium is only a good thing if the author has incredibly high standards of editing and proof reading, preferably from an independent source. Too many self-publishers have sent their work out into the world filled with spelling and gramatical errors, syntax errors, and gaping plot holes, not to mention non-existant editing and that is what has made so many readers avoid them like the plague. If writers want to turn that around, then they have to hold themselves to exactingly high standards and do a hell of a lot of promotion through such tools as blog tours and giveaways, as well as offering some of their e-book work for free as a taster example to draw readers in. There are a LOT of brilliant self-published authors out there, unfortunately they get tarred with the same brush as the ones who just whack out a load of crap because they THINK themselves brilliant when they clearly are lacking.

Just received two books from a publisher for review: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth Looking forward to reading them both!

Yup, anything with Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn or James Stewart in is always worth a watch - I've yet to be disappointed by any of them.

WWW Wednesday What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? Anne Frasier – Hush (Kindle e-book) This Kindle e-book caught my eye and I thought I’d give it a try. I’m so glad I did! I’m now half way through and it’s so exciting! The writing is excellent and the plotting is tight. I’d never even heard of this author before, but now I’ll be looking out for more of her work to snap up! Jackson Pearce – Sisters Red (S) This is one of the books I bought with some of my Xmas money and I’ve been dying to get to it. The cover first grabbed my attention and positive reviews from fellow bloggers have made this a must-read. I’ve only just started this, so no comment yet. I just hope my expectations aren’t unrealistically high! What did you recently finish reading? Frances Hodgson Burnett – Little Lord Fauntleroy (e-book) - 4/5 Although I enjoyed the writing in this novel every bit as much as I did with The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, this story was a little more “goody-goody” than either of those. I think if I had actually known Little Lord Fauntleroy personally, he would have annoyed me intensely as he is just TOO good to be true. The story is also rather predictable so there were no actual surprises for me. However, the writing is really excellent and it’s worth reading it just for the beautiful, flowing style as much as the sweet story. So, not quite as much of a favourite as the other two I’ve read, but still rather good. Susan Hill – Howards End is on the Landing - 3/5 I’d heard so many wonderful things about this book that I think I fell victim to the hype and wanted to like it so much more than I did. That’s not to say it’s not good – it IS good, just not as good as I’d hoped. Howards End is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home is less a love letter to the books Susan Hill loves, and more a recounting of the many anecdotes she has of meeting and working with other writers, and their books which have subsequently helped shape her life, both personally and professionally. It’s a little dry in places and, I confess, it did not actually inspire me to search for any of the books mentioned that I had not already read, but I did enjoy some of the little stories that were triggered by Hill wandering round her book-filled home and choosing to read only books she already owns for a year. If we were all to follow her example, I’m sure everyone’s “Final Forty” would look very different. Certainly, there are not many books on which she settles that I would include in my own list, and there are many others I would insist upon that are omitted, but, as I’ve already intimated, everyone’s tastes are different. This is an interesting read for anyone who loves books and, who knows, may lead to others discovering the joys of those tomes Hill pulled down from her own shelves. Jonathan Pinnock – Mrs. Darcy Versus the Aliens - 3/5 Not quite as clever as Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, nor quite as funny as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but still a fun read. Pinnock pits our beloved Elizabeth against invaders from another planet and, on the whole, it does well, but some of the pop-culture in-jokes will probably not age quite as well as the ones based on more classic areas. This really is a major mash-up, not just between Austen and aliens, but also time, as the Regency meets the Victorian age too. If you’re a fan of mash-ups, especially of Austen-based ones, you’ll probably enjoy this. If not, then you’re probably best to steer clear, as you simply won’t get it. What do you think you’ll read next? Stuart MacBride – Birthdays for the Dead Not set in Aberdeen and not about Logan McRae or any of this colleagues, but it’s by Stuart Macbride and that’s more than good enough for me! I love his books! I have this in hardback (to add to my permanent collection along with the rest of MacBride’s books) and it will be my bedside table book for now. Charles Dickens – Great Expectations (Kindle e-book) This one features on several of my reading challenges, so I thought I’d make a start. The only Dickens I’ve ever read before now is A Christmas Carol. I don’t know why I’ve put off reading more of his work for so long, but I hope to remedy that over the course of this year.

I'm certain that it was Sherlock himself that jumped/fell due to several reasons: All the other points on my theory I have already mentioned in a previous post and I stand by them, but here's a bullet pointed list to clarify some of them: Additional theory:

Teaser Tuesday 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teaser: Synopsis: A year or two into her marriage, Elizabeth Darcy has much on her mind: she has still not produced an heir for Mr Darcy, there are preparations to be made for the Pemberly summer ball, and her youngest sister Lydia has been abducted by aliens. As Regency England sleepwalks towards tentacled oblivion, will she be able to reunite with her old foe Wickham and put a stop to their evil plans? Meanwhile, in the East End of London, the repulsive Mr Collins is running a Mission for fallen women whilst his poor wife Charlotte has fallen under the malign spell of Lord Byron and is now a laudanum addict. But is everything at the Mission all that it seems? What is Mr Darcy doing there? And why are there strange lights in the sky over Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s seat at Rosings? What I think of it so far: Not quite as clever as Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, nor quite as funny as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but still a fun read. Pinnock pits our beloved Elizabeth against invaders from another planet and, on the whole, it does well, but some of the pop-culture in-jokes will probably not age quite as well as the ones based on more classic areas. This really is a major mash-up, not just between Austen and aliens, but also time, as the Regency meets the Victorian age too. If you’re a fan of mash-ups, especially of Austen-based ones, you’ll probably enjoy this. If not, then you’re probably best to steer clear, as you simply won’t get it.

I loved both the book and the film of American Psycho. Unfortunately, the dark humour appealed to me so much that I got some very odd looks when reading it at work and laughing out loud at some of the funniest bits. Most people don't seem to realise it's got pitch-black humour, so to see the very mild-manered CE's secretary laughing out loud at a book about a psycho serial killer made people think I was perhaps a bit of a psycho myself - ROFLMAO!

Finished Mrs. Darcy Versus the Aliens by Jonathon Pinnock. Not bad. Quite funny.

Musing Mondays Why do you think that the Young Adult genre is so popular, even with the adult readers? Do you read YA books, yourself? I most certainly read young adult novels, in fact I’m a most ardent fan of them! The rich array of stories and characters, combined with some really excellent writing mean tha tif you don’t read them, you’re really missing out! I think all readers of young adult fiction realise this, and this is the reason we embrace it so wholeheartedly. Cover Crazy - Empire State by Adam Christopher What I love: It’s that old combination of black, red and white again – I just cannot resist it! In this case, I also love the stylised art deco look of the cover with the cinematic title font. The eye is immediately drawn to the Empire State Building at the centre, yet it doesn’t overpower the cover as it’s set against a muted grey backdrop. Instead, the behatted figure with the gas mask and gun is more prominent, despite being to one side. Then there’s the figure in the target-like circle. Synopsis: It was the last great science hero fight, but the energy blast ripped a hole in reality, and birthed the Empire State – a young, twisted parallel prohibition-era New York. When the rift starts to close, both worlds are threatened, and both must fight for the right to exist. It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Anne Frasier – Hush (E) This Kindle e-book caught my eye and I thought I’d give it a try. I’m so glad I did! I’m now half way through and it’s so exciting! The writing is excellent and the plotting is tight. I’d never even heard of this author before, but now I’ll be looking out for more of her work to snap up! Jackson Pearce – Sisters Red (S) This is one of the books I bought with some of my Xmas money and I’ve been dying to get to it. The cover first grabbed my attention and positive reviews from fellow bloggers have made this a must-read. I’m just about to start it today…

Oh dear. Sounds delightful. NOT!

I got notification from Goodreads today that I'm getting sent a copy of Sunburnt by M D Keating for review. And last night ifinished Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill (review HERE).

Anonymous, which is pretty good, especially if youre a fan of Shakespeare.

Yup - that's where I heard about February Flowers - it just looks so lovely.

Friday Finds What great books did you hear about / discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS! By following links to blogs taking part in various memes, I’ve heard about so many great books it would be impossible to list them all. I’m also a regular visitor to our local library and am always eagerly awaiting newly published books by my favourite authors. However, here are the ones that really stood out for me this week and for which I’ll be looking out on future book acquisition expeditions: Jennifer Anne Kogler - The Death Catchers Elizabeth Aston - The Second Mrs. Darcy Elizabeth Aston - Mr. Darcy's Daughters Fan Wu - February Flowers Bethany Griffin - Masque of the Red Death They’ve all gone onto my wish list!

Me too. I cried buckets while Sherlock was on the roof with tears in his eyes too.