It's the End of the World As We Know It...

It’s the end of the world as we know it… this morning R.E.M.’s earwormish tribute to the end of the world played on the radio and sparked a thought. I quite liked The Hunger Games trilogy and the film adaptations. I’m in the midst of reading Divergent.  I love post-apocalyptic television shows like Revolution.  I am also really moved by this short film “Love 2062” or love after the end of the world,  directed by Roman Demongeot in collaboration with musicians De Andria & Ghisal. A dark, futuristic and post-apocalyptic short film in which humanity is using drugs and virtual reality to share moments of pleasure…

Love 2062 from romain demongeot on Vimeo.

 

But, I am a reader first. I much prefer the story to be told on the page first, and there is something missing for me in the Young Adult post-apocalyptic novels. I need something more. I have a hard time finding something more adult. It might just be me, but I need some clash of bodies while worlds collide and the earth ends as we know it. I would love to read about two characters who come to find each other and love at the end of days.

So I am asking. Do you have a favorite New Adult or Adult post-apocalyptic book that is flying under the radar? If so, help a geek girl who needs a passion filled post-apocalyptic fix. Please leave me a comment with the title and author so I can read it. I’ll also compile a list and post it here.

Prince Charming is a Sociopath?

I watched Disney’s Frozen last night. I’ve wanted to see it because everyone was raving about it, and rightly so. It’s well done. But Disney takes a bit of a different approach with its villain this time. Usually you can’t miss the malevolent expression and awesomely terrifying LBED (little black evil dress) on Snow White’s Maleficent. You know that special evil gleam in the eyes of Jafar and Captain Hook. When Gaston starts waxing poetically about his glorious muscles, we were all with Belle in realizing he couldn’t be trusted. Even in Tangled, you know Mother Gothel was the evil antagonist right away. But that’s not the case in Frozen.

In my opinion, Frozen is one of those movies that goes against the natural norm of what you would expect from a movie studio. To describe the film, Frozen is a deconstruction of the usual Disney film. It's a fairy tale in which reality ensues. Since this was a Disney film, Anna was a firm believer in love at first sight. I mean, why shouldn't she, considering that she's in a movie where this trope is played nearly all the time with Disney? And it seems that her philosophy is correct, because she meets the gentlemanly Prince Hans who seems to really like her too. And they seem to have absolutely everything in common; a matched pair.

In a dramatic twist (which is to say, SPOILERS), the handsome prince who sweeps the princess off her feet in the course of a single day turns out to be a bad guy who is only pretending to love our heroine to get his hands on her inheritance. Just when we think he is going to save Princess Anna, he reveals himself to be a greedy, throne-usurping would-be killer. Hans leans in, about to give her that kiss…then he sneers, “Oh, Anna, if only there were someone who loved you.”

But there is more to it than that. It seems our evil villain is more evil than we could have thought. Hans didn’t seem like the evil guy, but for me, he’s the scariest Disney Villain, because he is the bad guy you won’t see coming.  He’s the person you trust, the one who seems so kind and helpful and loving.  You let him into your life, into your heart and you think everything is okay, not knowing he’s manipulating you, not knowing he’s leading you into a world of hurt. Prince Hans seems to be a bit of a sociopath/psychopath. Disclaimer here: I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist and from the little I’ve read thanks to the Internet, these two terms are sort of interchangeable and that’s what I am going with. What especially chilled me after seeing Frozen was the article “10 Ways to Know Very Quickly IfYour Man is a Psychopath” and how many can be applied to Hans. Seriously, it’s horrifying. There’s no tell, no obvious sign that he’s a Bad Guy and the Scary Thing is that’s how it is in Real Life.   

 

 

Despite the 500+-Year-Old Spoiler, I Still Wanted Mary to Choose Bash

Anyone with access to Google, could have seen what was coming last night on the CW's Reign. Mary, Queen of Scots chooses Francis over Sebastian. She insisted she loved them both, but loved Francis more. Despite the smoldering chemistry building between Bash and Mary, CW's creators decided their drama "loosely based" on needed to stick to the historical accounts in this aspect. Really?

In my humble opinion, Bash would have proven much more interesting a choice for Mary. He is more dark and brooding,  and he seemed to not necessarily give a darn what anyone except Mary thought.

Which brother would you have chosen for Mary?

Hump Day Hunk: Alright, Alright, Alright

I think after Sunday night's Oscars everyone can agree on two things. One: Matthew McConaughey is an incredibly talented actor. Two: Matthew McConaughey is incredibly attractive.

We might agree to disagree on which role he is hottest in. Some might like his Eddie from his chick flick moments with Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner. Some prefer his role as Ben in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

This is where we have to agree to disagree. I am most attracted to Matthew McConaughey when he is playing gritty or offbeat roles.  I  lust over him as Mickey Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer, but the role that really does it for me is David Wooderson in Dazed and Confused. There - I've admitted it. I "heart" Wooderson, the creepy, pink jeaned wearing, Ted Nugent shirt plastered, older guy who never gets over being in high school. Now that I've admitted my darkest secret, I can proudly say, its not because of all the creepy, but because of all of the confidence he projects. What's not to like about a confident man?

Purgatory's Push and Pull

 

The Push and Pull

Of our Textual Tango

Leaves me

Breathless

And Broken

 

You flood

My soul

With so many words

One day

And the Next

Nothing

A Blank screen

Of Disappointment

 

On Your Terms

Those words

Float into my

Periphery

And I am again

Dismissed

Back to Purgatory

 

What penance will

Suffice

How long will You

Cage your consonants

And vowels

 

When will You unleash

The madness

In Your soul

And forgive me

And love me

Again

Hump Day Hunk: That Melts My Butter

Mardi Gras in the United States is fast approaching, but I say we trade the tradition of bead throwing in this year for a different type of debauchery - the kind that involves fist-fighting, pancakes, and butter - lots and lots of butter.

That's right, I said butter. For those of us who can't let the word slip past our lips without thinking of the penitential five mile run on our treadmills we will have to deal with later, butter still sounds like a divine way to sin, I mean gear up for Lent. Apparently, I'm not alone in this thought process. Some of my Slavic heritage must be surfacing because March 2, 2014 is the beginning of Maslenitsa, or butter week in Slavic countries. Russia is where it seems to be where it is most elaborate. According to an article on NPR's site the background of the festivities involve:

Maslenitsa, an Eastern Slavic folk holiday that takes place the week before the start of Russian Orthodox Lent (this year, it starts March 2). Though now tied to the Christian calendar, Maslenitsa has roots in ancient Slavic sun worshippers — it originally marked the end of winter and advent of spring. And, like Mardi Gras, it involves a whole lot of feasting before the Lenten fast — with blinis, a Russian pancake, as the food of choice.Topped with sour cream, caviar, berries or jam, blinis are everywhere, anyway you like 'em. Why blinis? Their round shape and warmth were meant to symbolize the sun. And they're usually drenched in butter (the festival, whose name derives from "maslo," the Russian word for butter, is also known as "Butter Week"). 

It also involves, organized fist fighting.  Devouring decadent thin pancakes slathered in butter while grown men fight each other? Count me in! So ladies, rather freeze your ta-ta's off for some plastic beads or have a man whip up some pancakes and rub them in butter? I know my choice...

Geek Girl Fiction Infographics

This infographic is a snapshot of sort from my writer platform for my New Media and Publishing Class. The one below takes a look at New Adult readership trends.