Sisterhood + Bookshelf Tags

The lovely LoverofLembas has tagged me in a couple posts - thank you! :) The first is the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award, and these are her questions:


1. In a movie of your life, what actress would play you?
Emma Watson - a quiz told me this once and I agree.

2. If you could ask any author (living or deceased) one question, who would you ask and what would your question be?
I really don't know...maybe ask Tolkien what happened to Elladan and Elrohir.

3. If you were a warrior, what weapon would you use and why?
The weapon of negotiation. If I had to pick an actual weapon though, maybe a bow.

4. You've discovered a new star somewhere in the galaxy.  What do you name it?
Wilfred

5. Pick your favorite fictional universe.  Where in that world would you live?
Picking a favorite is hard...I'll say Alderaan or Naboo for Star Wars and Hobbiton, Rivendell, or Rohan (or Gondor...) for Lord of the Rings

6. What fictional character do you identify most with?
Anakin Solo (Star Wars), Hermione Granger (Harry Potter), and James Hathaway (Inspector Lewis) - we have some traits in common and something really connected me to them.

7. What country would you most like to visit or move to?
England, the home of the second two characters in the above question.

8. What book would you most want to adapt yourself or have adapted by someone else into a movie?
The Jedi Apprentice series, and its sequels. I don't know, could one do an audio version? With girls playing everyone? I mean why not...

9. What book would you never want adapted?
Nothing is really coming to mind, like even my research methods textbook might be at least easier to follow if it was a movie!

10. If you were a cookie, what kind of cookie would you be?
Chocolate chip - normal and homey. (please don't eat me)

 The second tag is a book shelf tour!

• Once you are tagged, copy and paste the image above into your new post.
• Show readers your book shelf and explain what books are on there.  Pictures are always fun!
• Tag as many other people as you want and copy-paste these instructions onto your post so they know exactly what to do.
• Make sure to leave a link to your post on the site you were tagged (for instance, the people tagged below by me should leave a link to their post in the comments here)

Before anyone is shocked and horrified, we have a copy of Lord of the Rings in another room. :P

The bookshelf in my room isn't too impressive, but mostly consists of books that are specifically mine - not that they can't be shared, but they're more specific to my interests. Everything is basically sorted by size, since I like the orderly look. The bottom shelf is favorite American Girl books, a few other miscellaneous things, and my stack of church music which is a constant battle to keep organized.

The top shelf has my skull (a tribute to Sherlock) and, I realized, several books that I haven't actually read. The first few mass market paperbacks I got for free a while ago, and except for a couple SW novelizations, haven't read yet. Then there's Doctor Who, Ace Attorney, more Doctor Who...

And the rest of the assortment of basically fandom- or religion-related books. I also added a few shows - Endeavour, Doctor Who 50th anniversary, Sherlock s1, and Liberty's Kids. I got the last one, along with Mansfield Park and DW: Beautiful Chaos where I used to work, so seeing them is always a nice reminder. Then my beloved Cabin Pressure from A to Z collection and a few other cds Also the purple coaster was made by my friend and it's so cool and handy.

My Christmas Darth Vader bobble head decorates the bottom shelf, and yes, he stays out all year long.

So that is my bookshelf! I'm never sure who's around blogger, but I will tag Shena, Misty, Anna, and anyone else who drops by and would like to do it. :) Thanks again LoverofLembas, and hope you all have a good weekend!

Edit: Also, this is my 100th post! :D

Favorite Female Characters

Although I missed International Women's Day, I wanted to put together a list of my favorite female characters with something I like about each. Female characters don't have to just be "strong" (though that is cool too), but it's great when they have unique personalities as normal people and have their own role in the story apart from a leading or supporting male character (though this does not make their relationship bad or unimportant!). All of these characters are really great and I love how they are portrayed complexly - they are already cool and strong but have moments of weakness that show their humanity and ability to learn and grow. There are so many I want to mention and I'm probably forgetting some ladies I love, but here are my top choices at the moment:

Ellie Miller

Broadchurch

A detective sergeant and a mother, she's thrown into a situation she's not prepared to deal with but her compassion continually shines through.

Rose, Martha, Donna, Sarah Jane, and others

Doctor Who

Rose always puts others first and looks out for people many don't notice. Martha balances what everyone wants from her and stands up for herself. Donna sees the Doctor as he is and encourages people to be their best, even with her own insecurities. Sarah Jane is like another Doctor and adopts *all* the kids.

source

Win and Joan Thursday

Endeavour

It's the 60s - Win, the mother of the Thursday family stays home and Joan, her daughter, has a job, and both are portrayed as good and important. Joan is funny and a bit adventurous and Win supports her family through thick and thin. (Dorothea Frazil is cool too)

Cully and Joyce Barnaby and Gail Stephens

Midsomer Murders

Daughter and wife of the lead detective, Cully and Joyce both have an interest in the arts (whether as a career or a hobby). Cully knows what she wants and works toward it, and Joyce likes to try new things and be involved in the community. Gail Stephens is a police officer and while junior to Barnaby and Jones, she has a different set of skills to contribute to investigations.

Molly Hooper

Sherlock

Molly has such a great character arc as she starts out as an awkward, love-sick, mouse and establishes herself and gets the respect she deserves. But it's the two sides of her existing simultaneously that make her so relatable. Also shout out to some other awesome women of Sherlock - Mrs. Hudson, Mary Morstan, Sally Donovan, Anthea, Janine, and Sarah.

source

 Eowyn

 The Lord of the Rings

She's a leader and sacrifices what she wants for the good of others, not to mention brave and resourceful and all-around awesome. Shout out to the many other women of Middle-Earth as well.

Hermione Granger

Harry Potter

Her hard work and patient study make her the "brightest witch of her age," and she is strong and flawed and beautiful and loyal and keeps her friends together.

Maya Fey

Ace Attorney

How to summarize the awesomeness of Maya... She seems so real in that she has multiple sides to herself and surprises you as you get to know her. She's quirky and spunky most of the time but doubts her abilities and her worth. Throughout the series she works through personal tragedies while doing anything she can to help her friends. Franziska is also an amazing character I could go on about.

This is getting long so to say a few more:

 Lizzie, Jane, and Lydia Bennet from The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Ahsoka, Padme, Leia, Siri, Bant, and many others from Star Wars

Carolyn Knapp-Shappey from Cabin Pressure

Emma Swan and others from Once Upon a Time

Fanny Price from Mansfield Park

Several of my favorite characters are guys, but these women are particularly special. I find many of them are realistic, relatable, and a great part of their story. For those in current series, hopefully this will continue! Who are your favorite female characters?

Update on me

Stealing idea from Nessima and others!


Books I've Been Reading:
- Dear America: With the Might of Angels
- Meet Cécile (American Girl)
- Ace Attorney manga (The Miles Edgeworth Files)

Music I've Been Listening To:
- Adrisaurus
- Video game related music, as usual

Videos I've been watching:
- Blimey Cow
- This Time Productions

Things I love and/or can't wait for:
- Musicals (I'm in one and this is our final weekend of shows!)
- Ace Attorney (finished the third game yesterday - the last case was awesome, as always)
- Friends
- Upcoming church events

Other thoughts:
- I was finally able to request a transcript so I can transfer my credits from dual-enrolling to the college I'll be going to this fall! That was tricky to get.
- Three more days of putting on a ton of makeup for stage, then back to looking normal, thankfully. Maybe I'll start wearing a bit on a regular basis, but chances are my laziness will win out and I won't.
- I haven't written a song parody in a while.
- I haven't written anything in a while.
- You're awesome for reading this.

And because some were adding pictures...

Off to practice some music and later put on makeup for the millionth time! Hope this post wasn't too lame - I have one possible post idea for the future, but probably won't have time to write for the next few days. Have a great weekend everyone, and may the Lord be with you!

Fall Releases

Ba de ya, say do you remember
Ba de ya, dancing in September
Ba de ya, never was a cloudy day
September - Earth Wind & Fire


I like September.  Even if it's not any cooler than August, and even though school is starting.  It's a promise that autumn is coming.  And it has a pretty name.

It also marks the beginning of new seasons of TV shows, holds many other releases.  My brother and I recently put together a list of all the releases and premieres we're looking forward to the rest of the year.  Here's what we have:

September 16

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 4

It's almost here!  The trailers and photos released promise an epic season.  Dave Filoni said Season 4 will be darker than the previous seasons, and the subtitle "Battle Lines" hints at more battles this time around.  As events move toward Revenge of the Sith, it seems Anakin is going to becoming closer to his dark side self this season.  But with Gungans in the second episode, hopefully we'll have some fun too.

September 19

The Sing-Off Season 3

The Sing-Off is a musical competition between a cappella groups.  It's really amazing the music they can make with just their voices.  The contestants are always very talented and great people as well, and there isn't any backstage drama, which I really like.  Also, the judges give kind and informative critiques on the performances.  I always watch this with my mom and brother, and it's a fun thing to do together.  Definitely looking forward to the next season.

October 4

Perry Mason Season Six, Volume 1 DVD

CBS begins to release the sixth season of Perry Mason for fans of the expert defense attorney.  Perry Mason is a courtroom drama based on the series of books by Erle Stanley Gardner.  Along with secretary Della and detective Paul, Perry cracks open murder cases the prosecutor, Hamilton Burger, thinks are perfect.  Perry will not only prove his client's innocence, but unmask the true murderer as well.  The shows are always very complex and exciting.  Volume 2 will be released November 22.

October 4

The Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune

The second book in the series following Percy Jackson and the Olympians!  I can't say much about the plot as it would spoil the previous book (The Lost Hero), but it's going to be incorporating some new characters and put an old character in an intriguing new setting.

October 17

Professor Layton and the Last Specter

The fourth game in the Professor Layton series for Nintendo DS is being localized!  This one is a prequel, and will show how the main characters, Layton and Luke, first met!  I've heard a lot about Emmy, the Professor's assistant in the prequels, and am looking forward to getting to know her.  This game has more puzzles than any of the other games, so that should be fun.  My brother and I are going to pre-order it and figure out how to play it at the same time.  I am so incredibly excited!

October 18

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides DVD

The new movie sails to the shelves on DVD and Blu-ray!  Although the first three are my favorites, this movie was still a lot of fun.  It will be great to watch it again and have a better understanding of what's going on, and opportunities to memorize more good quotes!  Plus my mom will get to see it so my dad, brother and I can stop trying to avoid spoilers!  There are a few different versions coming out - the regular DVD edition will come out November 15.

November 4

(poster from Japanese version)

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva DVD

Another Professor Layton localization - this time the movie!  Following Last Specter, the movie has been out for a while in Japan and Europe, and is finally coming to North America!  Although I've been spoiled on one cool part from looking at fan art, I'm as excited for this as Last Specter!

November 23

The Muppets

They're baaaack!  And in a new movie!  Although I've always preferred Sesame Street to The Muppets, but I've been enjoying a few clips lately (particularly the Swedish Chef), and the hilarious trailer promises an entertaining movie.  If only Yoda were in it...

December 6

The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers: A King's Ransom

A King's Random is the second books in the series following The 39 Clues books.  Each book is written by a different author (some write more than one), and this one is by Jude Watson, my favorite Star Wars author!  I'm definitely looking forward to it.  The books are set in the modern world, but they incorporate history and give it a different meaning, which is very cool.


A few other things coming out soon are:
September 16, Star Wars Blu-ray
October 11, Kung Fu Panda 2 DVD
October 18, The Clone Wars Season 3 DVD
November 1, Cars 2 DVD

So those are a few releases I'm excited about this fall!  What are you looking forward to?