29 November 2012

Fancy Sensible Shoes

There are a few things that raise my stress levels over the holiday period. One of these is finding just the right gift for each of my family and friends, and the other is finding the right outfit for my work Christmas party. This has extended slightly this year since with my recent dislocated knee cap I have not been wearing high heels. Flats and boots have become my main wardrobe staple however I find my biker boots are heavy and all of my flats are plain ballet flats with little twists (I have a nice pair in a flower print at the moment).

I have spent many hours recently scouring the internet to find some edgy yet still pretty shoes which are different to standard ballet flats and still in my price range. Then I stumbled upon the following picture on pintrest...


How excited was I to learn that these were flat shoes and sold by Zara, unfortunatley they are no longer in stock but without further hesitation here are the current flat shoes I am drooling over at Zara.









I decided to buy the last two pairs. I will have to see which pair looks better with the dress I am going to wear. One panic down, now just the gifts to tackle!

28 November 2012

Review: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Title - Burn for Burn
Author - Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Publisher - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published - 18th September 2012
Series - Burn For Burn #1
Source - Own Copy

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.
Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.
Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.
Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.
Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.
It's shallow, I know, but the reason I wanted to read this book was because it had a pretty cover and Jenny Han was involved with it. I didn't really know much about the story going into it, but I just dived right in. I started this book in the waiting room before a physio appointment, and I don't know if I was distracted, or just not paying attention, but the switching of narrator from one chapter to the next really threw me. Luckily for me I got over that super fast (I must have just been worried about my appointment) and each of the characters started to feel like they had their own voice.

This book took a long time to set up the premise of the story. I didn't mind this however as it gave me time to get to know the characters and their voices. At its core this is a book about revenge. Each of these girls has been wronged by someone that they want to get revenge on. This was really fun and I liked some of the ideas they came up with. I wished that the revenge had gone on for a bit longer for each of the victims as I would have liked to have seen some more of the suffering (does that make me a bit sick?)

I think what I liked most of all in this book, and what really stuck with me was that when you read about what the girls had been going through, their thoughts and fears about everything, we got to see that these girls are more similar that they appeared on the surface. The issues they were struggling with were great equalisers  showing that essentially we all have problems and no one has a charmed life.

I liked this book and enjoyed it on the whole. The one issue I had a little problem with was the Carrie style powers that appeared. This was not explained and we were left at the end of this book with only half of this story being told with no hint of an explanation to keep us excited until the next book. It left me wanting so much more and a little confused (did I just read a contemporary book or a paranormal book?). The whole ending felt rushed and cut off almost like it had been cut mid chapter. This little annoyance aside, I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to the next books in this series.

27 November 2012

'Tis the season of the YA movie

There seems to be a stream of YA films just having been released and being released in the near future.

So if you have not seen it yet, we have the final chapter in the Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn 2. I thought this on the whole was amazing, but the CGI baby freaked me out. It was a great end to the series.

Next up we have another Stephanie Meyer film coming out in The Host. I really like this novel and can't wait to see how they make this into a film. You can see the trailer here...



Next up is Beautiful Creatures. I have already posted the first trailer for this here, but the is another!! This is the second trailer released and even though I was not a huge fan of the book I think the film looks amazing...



The Mortal Instruments, another book I still have to read and that has gone stright to the top of my to read list. This film looks amazing and stars Twilight's Jamie Campbell Bower, and even better my crush since watching Gormenghast 12 years ago, Jonathan Rhys Meyers! Here is the trailer and the pretty artwork.




Finally some rather late news about the extremely exciting Divergent film. It has a director in Neil Burger who directed The Illusionist and Limitless. We also have exciting casting news with Shailene Woodley as Tris, here is our Tris...


Currently there is no news on who is going to play Four, but the main gentlemen in the running are; Luke Bracey, Brenton Thwaites, Lucas Till and Jack Reynor. Here is a taster...

Luke Bracey
Brenton Thwaites
Lucas Till
Jack Reynor


So what are your thoughts on everything. Which upcoming film are you most excite

26 November 2012

Running Thoughts - The Walking Dead 3x07

My mental vomiting of thoughts while watching the walking dead continues. I want to share my thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead with my buddy "Sheriff Claw" and all of you...

If you have not seen this episode yet, do not read on, lots of spoilers ahead for episode 3x07



The Walking Dead 3x07 - "When the Dead Come Knocking"

So the play is over and I now don't know what to do with all of my time! Only joking, I can't tell you how much work and housework have piled up over the past few weeks. I have taken some time to sit down and watch the Walking Dead - When the Dead Come Knocking. I am guessing that the title refers to Michonne since Merle told The Governor that she was dead!! I'm so excited!


Previously... No one leaves, closed gates, shot in the leg, bad guy Merle, stupid guy Glen, eavesdropping Michonne, Merle will work out where they have camp and Michonne and the zombies.

Such a good opening scene that really makes me hate both Merle and The Guv'nor. I mean come on he has to know what kind of lengths Merle will go to get this information from Glen and then you know that, like with the soldiers, The Guv'nor will probably want to go and wipe them out and take their supplies.
So Merle is torturing Glen, and doing a pretty good job of it with his sword-hand. He tells Glen that it is his fault that he was taken prisoner and tortured. If only he had lowered his gun to Merle when he saw him, and not left him on the roof for that matter, none of this would be happening. Then Merle disses poor T-Dog, let the man rest in peace Merle! He reminds up that Glen was the cunning and sneaky one back at the beginning of season 1. He took the risks. Now one thing that confused me was that Merle refers to Maggie as the "Farmers Daughter". How does Merle know that Maggie is the farmers daughter? Did they just guess from what Andrea has said about them all?


I can't wait to see what happens when Daryl and Merle meet again. I really hope Daryl defends his people against his brother. You just know there is going to be some major conflict!

Credits... Creepy!

I love Michonne, the image of her standing there with the look in her eye that screams that she is desperate for help and to find a place with some good people, while she is surrounded by walkers has to be my favourite visual of this whole series so far! The bad thing is that she is still bleeding from the shot in her leg and it looks like Rick has not decided if he wants to help her or not yet. Carl is all over it, up at the gate with the keys, and when Michonne passes out trying to fight the zombies off, he is the one that nuts up and shoots them in the head. So as we expected they go and get Michonne and the basket full of formula and cary her inside.


So after bringing in Michonne they try and get her name from her and take away her sword. They tell her that they won't hurt her unless she tries something first and that they are locking her up away from them without her sword for just now. Basically she is in the same position she was in while at Woodbury Cult Camp, but at least this lot are being honest about the facts.
In the cell block Daryl has something to show Rick, and that something is Carol. This is a really touching scene where we can see how happy Rick is that he didn't lose another member of his gang. She survived by fighting her way to solitary and then passing out there. The looks that are shared when she sees the baby and Rick made me well up again, and it was not just me, poor Carl was welling up too and could probably have used a hug from Carol. I think Michonne realised she was going to be OK with this lot when she watched them all interacting with each other in an honest way.

Back at Woodbury and I am already bored. I can't wait until the gang blow into town to get Glen and Maggie. I know it gives a bit of variety and shows just how grim the prison really is by comparison, but all of the characters here really annoy me, especially Andrea! Dr Frankenstein passes on the message that Mr Coleman is ready to The Guv'nor who then tries to talk to Andrea, she tries to jump his bones. I hope there is a zombie infestation soon, maybe just a handful of zombies to spice stuff up.

Michonne starts talking about how she found the prison and that the "young Asian guy" and the "pretty girl" got taken. Just after she tells them that they were taken my the same son'bitch who shot her (who we know is Merle and Daryl's brother... say it, say it...) she pauses and they put pressure on her by pressing her wound, and point a crossbow at her... Probably not the best way to get info from her! After getting the basics, Woodbury, 75 survivors, pretty boy Guv'nor (pretty... really?), armed guards etc... Michonne then mentions that she things they can slip through and get in! Yay, go get them!!

Glen has had the absolute shit kicked out of him. He looks really messed up. I agree he is a lot tougher than I took him for! Merle is messing with Glen's head saying that no one is coming to rescue him. Glen talks it all up and says that there is too many of them for Merle to fight and starts listing everyone including Shane, Dale, Jim and Andrea.... ruh-roh and I think from Merle's reaction Glen realises he has made a mistake!


Michonne is being stitched up by Hershel and looks like she is still not trusting them by the look she gives Carl. Did anyone else notice that she was wearing a necklace with the letter A on it? I wonder is that is part of her back story, or belonged to Andrea at one point?!?
The gang are assembling a rescue party to go and get Glen and Maggie. Beth offers to go with Rick, and then Axl (hey Axl!) and Oscar offer too. They are taking some pretty impressive weaponry, flash grenades and tear gas along with all of their guns, all packed tidily into the boot of their car. Michonne makes some comment about how she couldn't believe that they have cleared the whole prison and Beth comments that there were more of them, but they have only really lost T-Dog and Lori so far (and half of Hershal's leg) it just feel much less without Maggie and Glen doing it in the guard tower.
Rick and Carl finally talk about Carl shooting Lori and then he asks Carl to look after them all if something happens and to take care of his sister. It was sweet when Carl tells Rick that Daryl has been calling her Ass-kicker and then they settle on the name Judith after Carl's 3rd Grade teacher. This seems a little weird unless he just likes the name, which is completely acceptable, however after a teacher that you have not seen in years is weird. Daryl and Carol say good bye... kiss... aww shucks, not this time!! Looks like Axl is staying behind as well as he is still inside when they shut the gate.

Mr Coleman seems to be the oldest member of Woodbury and is being nursed by Dr Frankenstein while there is some old school music playing. The Guv'nor thanks Mr Coleman for doing a great service for them all... my spider sense is tingling!! The Doc rings a prayer bowl and then asks Mr Coleman a bunch of questions about who he was married to and who his children were. It looks like Mr Coleman is about to bite the dust, poor man!

Glen is struggling with his restraints, but he has been welded on to that chair with Duct tape!! Oh shit! Merle is now torturing Glen with the threat of a zombie on a stick. This is not looking good! Merle releases the zombie and Glen does amazingly with all the crap in the room, especially as he has his whole forearm taped to a chair. They fight and Glen finally (and painfully by the sounds of it) smashes his chair against the wall. The zombie bites into his forearm, but as we know from doc, duct tape is rather zombie resistant, so Glen has the upper hand and shoves something through his head! I actually clapped at the end of this scene because Glen is a badass!! Go Glen!


The Doc and his creepy tea explains the basis for the experiment to see if there is anything left of Mr Coleman once he has turned. Andrea is there to finish him off! There is some chatting about how the Doc has never seen anyone turn, then the old dude dies and they begin to tighten his restraints.

Merle reports back on how he has got nothing from Glen, and how awesome Glen was with the Zombie (my words!). The Guv'nor tells Merle that he will go and speak to Maggie to find out what she knows and where there camp is. I actually seriously don't know if the Guv'nor is really stupid or not. Doe he think that telling her that they will drive her back to her camp, she can't talk to Glen because her people are dangerous, we will bring them back here and you'll be safe will work? everything contradicts each other. Also I think that he thinks he is being charming, and really it is just coming off as creepy and sleasy! I feel like I need a wash after watching that! Now he is making her strip and it's really creepy, ok and it looks like he is going to try and rape her and she still stays silent. Looks like he was bluffing for now! I hate him so much!


So the rescue team decide to stop their car a few mile from Woodbury to avoid patrols and they set off into the forest to walk the rest of the way. Rick thanks Daryl for holding everything together and Daryl tells him that it is just what we do. He is totally team Rick! After a while they notice that they are totally surrounded by zombies, I guess they are in "the red zone"!! They make a run for an old run down house and find a crazy person hiding inside who then threatens to call the cops. How long has this guy been out there for? The zombies are all nicely lined up against the house, the long and short of it is that Michonne kills the crazy man before he can let all the zombies in and then they decide to use him as bait while they run out the back. It's blood and guts galore and amazing!


Mr Coleman changes and poor Doc tries to get Mr C to answer the same questions. He thinks that the restraints are stopping him so takes one off against Andrea's wishes! Stupid! Zombie Mr C tries to eat his face and Andrea stabs him in the top of the head. It must be a good knife to get through the skull with no effort!

After all they have been through Maggie and Glen are finally back together when she is brought still topless into his room. When the gun is pointed at Glens head, Maggie cracks and tells them where their campo is and how many they are.
The Guv'nor and his men are having a very interesting discussion. They are trying to decide if Maggie is lying about there only being 10 of them at the prison, or if there are more. If there are more then they have trouble, but if there is only 10 they have done something that Merle said was impossible. I have to assume they are talking about taking the prison which we have just been told is in the middle of the red zone! Go Team Rick!!

The gang sneak up on Woodbury and scope it out. The Guv'nor asks where Merle's loyalties lie and he states with Woodbury. I think his loyalties lie with Daryl, but when he finds out that Daryl does not feel the same way all hell will break loose. The Guv'nor sends a recon party out to the prison to see what's going on... (3 kids, a one legged man, Carol and Axl are what's going on!) Andrea goes back to the Guv'nor telling him that Mr C died and the Doc didn't find what he was looking for. Sad face Guv!

Net time... Oooohhh... mid season finale! Glen and Maggie look like they are going to be shot execution style (al least Glen gave Maggie his top), The Guv wants to kill them so Andrea doesn't find out. Daryl finds out his brother is there. Carl is taking charge with some zombies and making decisions (he tells someone to "leave her". Who?). Another zombie fight. Is Michonne the enemy? And a battle!!


I can't believe we are at the mid season finale already!! I can't wait to see what happens when the two camps clash. Have both camps got their best people scouting out the other camp? Who does Carl want to leave behind? I am so excited, are you?


All pictures from amctv.com.

21 November 2012

Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Poster

The first official poster has been released by Lionsgate for the Hunger Games sequel, Catching fire. Not only do we have this static poster, there is also an amazing motion version of this too courtesy of Mockingjay.net. I don't want to keep you in too much suspense, so they are, just for you...

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Review: This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

Title: This Is Not A Test
Author: Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: 19th June 2012
Source: Own Copy

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?
Knowing that this is a Courtney Summers zombie book, you know it is not going to be a straight forward story of survival. The main character Sloane Price felt like she had very little to live for before the outbreak. She was alone in a horrible home situation after her sister left, and when the outbreak occurred Sloan saw it as a way to leave this world with no one noticing. When she ends up with five other students taking shelter in the local high school Sloane is not sure she even wants to be there.

What I love about novels including zombies is the tension. Zombie books should be straight up survival books with the horror almost coming from what the living are willing to do to survive. Since at the start of this book Sloane wants to die I felt that there was a lack of tension. To be fair this did build during the course of the book and the desperation of the other characters came through in the writing too.

As usual, Courtney Summers builds a complex character with real fears and feelings. You can't help but immediately sympathise with Sloane and understand why she has become numb to her own life. This numbness carries through a good part of the story which I found entertaining even if it was a bit lacking in tension.

I didn't enjoy this as much as I did with Some Girls Are and Cracked Up To Be but I enjoyed it none the less and I will be queuing up to read whatever she writes next!

20 November 2012

Running Thoughts - The Walking Dead 3x06

My mental vomiting of thoughts while watching the walking dead continues. I want to share my thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead with my buddy "Sheriff Claw" and all of you...

If you have not seen this episode yet, do not read on, lots of spoilers ahead for episode 3x05



The Walking Dead 3x06 - "Hounded"

I am finally home from tonight's technical rehearsal of Richard the Third, which I am assistant director for. It has been a long few days setting everything up and running after everyone with my bum knee in a freezing converted church. But I am now settled and warm and ready for some bloodshed and zombies. Bring it on!!!


Previously... The Guv'nor, sword, Michonne, T-Dog and Carol dead, zombie fight, Andrea, caesarian section, baby, Rick flipping out, Merle loves Daryl, Michonne leaves, Andrea stays, ring ring...

In the woods Merle and a hunting party stumble across some mutilated zombie parts that look like they are a message. One of them figures out that it is a message spelling "Go Back". It was quite clever with the GO spelled out and then the back of a torso. I probably would not have figured it out so quickly. The one that worked it out is totally freaking out and Merle tells him to nut up and then proceeds to call him Neil as he can't pronounce the poor boy's last name. I hate Merle again.


Merle shouts out for Michonne to come out of hiding saying that she is never going to beat them with her sword. Before you know it she has dropped from somewhere (the trees?) and chops of one head and sticks another one. As she is running away she is shot in the leg, looks like a flesh wound to me, and dissappears into the woods. I am guessing fresh blood may be a bad thing to have running down your leg in a world infested with zombies!!

Credits... creepy.

Rick is on the phone with a woman who is, rightly so, being shady about her location. Rick wants to come and join forces with them as she claims they are some place safe. Crazy Rick had cracked and tells her that they are all dying here. He told her that he has a son and a newborn, Rick has no idea yet that it is a girl since he went all nuts and on his killing rampage.

Rick comes back in to see how everyone is doing and pats Carl on the back. He has cleaned himself up and changed his closes which is good since he was looking totally funky before. He does not even look at his baby, possibly because it would mean to him that Lori is really dead and that he is on his own raising her. Axl is clearing out the generator room in case they have to use it for an emergency, but there is no mention of the phone call to the group. He is playing this one close to his chest.

Poor Neil is being sick over the decapitated head of his buddy. Merle tells them that they are in the Red Zone and they will have to move. Have the zoned everywhere close to the cult camp, and if so, what exactly defines it as a red zone? Do they have amber and green zones too? Merle stabs one of them in the head and gets Neil to do the other one so that they don't turn. Good call Merle!

Andrea is still at the cult camp and reeling from the zombie showdown fight. She claims to get it, and seems to be pissed at the Guv'nor. She asks for duty on the wall shooting at things and seems to be getting what she wants, but I am still suspicious. I am kind of bored of the Andrea scenes now. It annoys me that she is still buying into all the nonsense going on and can't see that the Guv'nor is not someone to be trusted. It is irritating how stupid she has become this season.

Waiting for a phone call must be even more boring when all you have to play with are bolts, but Rick finally gets the callback he has been waiting for. There is a man on the other end of the phone that confirms that where they are staying is safe. Sounds a bit like the propaganda being spun over at the cult camp. He wants to know if Rick has killed anyone, and to his credit Rick takes ownership of the murders he has committed. There was the 2 in the bar when they were staying at the barn, the machete in the head and Shane! Mr phone seems to want to run some grief counselling over the phone and asks how Rick lost his wife. He is still in no mental state to talk about this and for saying this the other guy hangs up. What strikes me as odd is that he could receive incoming calls but there is no dial tone. Does this mean that the call is coming from inside the prison?

Andrea is up on the wall sharing stories of killing family members with another girl who is seems to be on guard. There is a zombie coming and the girl on guard misses twice, come one love don't make us look feeble and pathetic. Andrea jumps the wall and stabs him in the eye. She gets that look on her face like Michonne did that seems to say "I have missed killing stuff!" Are you back Andrea?

Rick is alone in the boiler room and Hop-Along-Hershel comes in to shoot the breeze with Rick. They talk a little about Lori and Hershel tells him to take time, which I think is pretty cool since they are on the back foot at the moment. Rick tells Hershel about the phone call, and while he was doing it I started to wonder if the phone calls were figments of Rick's imagination. He seemed to completely snap during the last episode, so it could easily be that he has imagined a utopia as a coping mechanism. Hershel offers to wait with him, but Rick wants to be alone.

Merle and Neil are still Michonne hunting the woods when they suddenly find her. It seems like she cut Neil when she swung, but when he was holding his side there was no blood or evidence of being cut, so I think he was lucky. Merle and Michonne tussle and Michonne is kickass even without her sword, breaking Merle's nose, no more modelling jobs for you Merle! Unluckily for them 3 walkers try to eat them, Merle is trying to keep one of them off him and Michonne only just gets her sword. One of the most disgusting things yet, was when Michonne sliced at the walker's stomach and all his guts fall out of the newly made wound and land on her lying underneath. It was wonderful. By the time the boys recover, Michonne has fled again.


Oscar, Daryl and Carl are on zombie clearing duty. Daryl and Carl are walking together and Daryl talks about his mother dying in a fire she set by smoking in bed. Carl admits to shooting Lori before she had turned and all in all it was a really sweet and touching moment. Daryl and Carl will make a kickass team!

Uh-oh, Andrea has been called into the Guv'nor's office because she is in trouble for jumping the wall. He takes the wall guard duty away from her as punishment. I really don't care any more what she does. There is weird flirting and I am distracted by dust on my wall!

Neil wants to finish hunting Michonne and it is now clear from his t-shirt that he did get sliced by her. Merle wants to go back and tell the Guv'nor that she is dead anyway. Classic Merle! After some more talking, where Neil wants to tell the Gov the truth, Merle shoots him in the head. Well that's that decided then, lying to the Guv it is!
Michonne is getting her stuff when 4 walkers appear, however they walk right past her as she is covered in zombie guts, it is season one all over again!!

The woman is back on the phone wanting to talk about Lori. She calls him Rick and suddenly I am convinced that this is all in his head! Poor crazy Rick!


Michonne stumbles upon a car park, of what looks to be a closed up shop. What would you know, Maggie and Glen pull up in their car. I have been looking forward to this after seeing a teaser for it on last weeks preview. Maggie and Glen are being all lovey dovey with each other and then start to open the shop. A few birds fly out and I jumped so high. I mean birds can be evil and angry. When they gang together you better watch out!! The film The Birds is a good cautionary tale. Maggie asks Glen to get the toy duck as a "kid growing up in prison could use some toys" therefore giving Michonne all the information she needs to work out where they are and that they have some young! Silly woman!

Andrea, flirty, garden, drinking. Uncomfortable flirting now. Yuck. Talky talky, boring!! Kissing, so stupid Andrea!


Yay, it seems that they now have lots of formula for baby plus other tasty goods!! Aww shit, it's Merle, just when I thought Michonne might come out of hiding and introduce herself, he shows up! Neither Glen or Maggie trust Merle with his sword attached to his stump. Merle wants to know about Daryl, and Glen has the good idea of saying that he will go and tell Daryl where Merle is and he will come back to meet him. It's with good reason that they don't trust him as, before you know it he has drawn another gun and has taken Maggie captive. Glen refuses to take them to his "camp", but Merle is going to take them somewhere different anyway... the cult I am guessing!! Michonne is left there looking at the formula, knowing that there are people holed up in a prison and they need this baby food. Go on Michonne, go and take the food to get yourself in!!


During patrol Oscar finds a pair of slippers and is very excited. I loved this little touch of funny in with all the drama going on in the prison, and I have to say that I would be pretty excited about slippers too. I love slippers!! Suddenly a zombie, they all shoot, but there is a knife stuck in it's neck. It's Carol's knife... I really hope this means she is alive as they can't kill her off in such a crappy fashion that they just find her scarf and assume she is dead!! Daryl looks hopeful too - go and get her Daryl!


Another phone call with the voices and Rick actually looks scared of it this time. Oh lordy, I think I was right. Rick has been talking to the dead. The reason they are all safe is that they are in heaven. He has been talking to Amy, Jim, Jackie and he is currently having a conversation with Lori. Rick pours out his soul and all his guilt over letting her die. I hope this means that he can pull himself together and take up the Ricktatorship again. He needs to go and look after his baby and Lori's voice tells him this too!!

Andrea got some, so she must be happy! Merle lied his ass off about killing Michonne and why he doesn't have either her head or her sword! And now it sounds like he is planning on torturing Glen and Maggie for the location of where they are staying. It is a busy day in the cult!

It seems like they have managed to steal some nice baby clothes for the baby, and Rick is finally holding her and being a dad!


It looks like it is Daryl's turn to go nuts. He is sitting stabbing at the ground listening to a banging door, once he opens the door he does not find a walker like he expected, but Carol!! Yay Carol! I am so happy that she is not dead. Daryl carries her out of there like a hero!


Outside Rick passes the baby to Carl and he sees something in the distance. When he walks up to the fence, there are the usual walkers and then there is Michonne carrying the basket full of formula standing in the middle of them all covered in their smell! The look on her face is so desperate to have somewhere to rest and recharge that I am really hoping Rick will let her in (of course he will, it would be a shit series otherwise!). I actually clapped to see Michonne there, but I am surprised she could walk so far so quickly when Glen commented that they might get back for dinner and her was in a car. I hope she tells the gang where Glen and Maggie are soon. I smell a rescue coming on!

Next time... Glen torture, group hunting, Michonne killing zombies, slutty Andrea, Michonne dishing the dirt on the Guv, Maggie torture, flashes and the Glen being punched.


There are some parts of this show for me that I love and get really excited for and then there are most of the bits with Andrea. I really hope the lid get's blown off the cult by Rick and the gang so that we can move on. Next week I con't wait to find out -

- How Michonne is going to get on with everyone.
- If Carol is ok.
- What they are going to name the baby.
- How long will Glen last under torture before spilling everything?
- I know Axl was "fixing the generator", but where was he really?

12 November 2012

Running Thoughts: The Walking Dead 3x05

My mental vomiting of thoughts while watching the walking dead continues. I want to share my thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead with my buddy "Sheriff Claw" and all of you...

If you have not seen this episode yet, do not read on, lots of spoilers ahead for episode 3x05



The Walking Dead 3x05 - "Say The Word"

It is going to be really hard for this episode to top last week's one!


Previously... Gate, Lori, cult Camp, T-Dog v. the zombies, Andrea is a fool, C-section, baby, gun shot, despair.

In the Cult camp they are drinking ice cold drinks and they are all having a party and there is going to be some creepy shenanigans tonight. Michonne still does not trust them at the camp, and neither do I! I think Michonne should leave soon even if Andrea does not come with her.

The Guv'nor is doing some personal grooming on someone and pulls out most of her hair, because she is a zombie child!! He is keeping her in a straight jacket and hood, but she still wants to eat his face. This is his daughter and Michonne seems to have seen everything standing outside the window a floor down.


Credits... creepy.

The baby appears to be healthy, but Rick is in a daze and baby is going to need food to survive. We know that the baby is a she and Carl is being a good brother by holding her. Daryl is going to make a run to try and get baby food and begins to take point on giving the others instructions as to what they should do. Both Maggie and Glen want to go with Daryl and Beth is going to look out for Carl. These two will probably become a couple soon. I still think it is a little weird that he is so young. Daryl is very attractive when he takes charge and he really seems to care about Rick, Carl and the baby! Rick takes off with an axe and I can only imagine what he is planning to do. It seems to be that there is a shortage of baby supplies about and all the local stores have been looted so they are heading off to a shopping centre. I am guessing that this will either also be looted, or totally over run with zombies.

The con's seem to be stepping up to the plate pretty quickly working the gates. Did they even know about Lori? Up until now they seemed to have been kept pretty separate from the group. Were they surprised to see Maggie walking out with a newborn in her arms?

Rick is on a zombie killing mission slicing down anything in his way.

Back at cult camp they seem to be celebrating the anniversary of the camp. Everyone has very nice colourful glassware in this town. How is it that all the other houses we have seen have been looted to the max and this crazy little cult is pristine? Michonne has finally found the balls to take back her sword and gets a bit nosey. Well I would poke around too! In the book of crazy scribblings she finds a list of names with the name Penny at the bottom underlined and some major OCD type dashes for pages and pages. Michonne hears movement which must be zombie child, but gets interrupted in her curiosity by The Guv'nor, Merle and the doc. The Doc is talking about an experiment he is working on and needs power for. Is he Dr. Frankensteining the zombies? The Guv'nor just became really southern all of a sudden, even to my British ears it sounded weird!

Michonne is doing some exploring round a creepy factory covered in rotting guts, when she stumbles upon a cage of zombies. This is like a birthday to Michonne who immediately sets them free and in a badass style backs up to get some space and gets to some great chopping and head stomping. The keeper of the zombie zoo comes out of the factory for feeding time, looks like this may have been something to do with "the experiment" and Michonne is going to be in trouble!


Ruh-ro, looks like Michonne has been brought up in front of the headmaster! Michonne does not say much, but when she does she makes it count. I can't tell if Michonne saying "bet you say that about all the girls" gave away that she probably is just stabbing in the dark about the zombie child! The Guv'nor really wants too keep his hooks in Andrea, I wonder why. This feels like a chapter from the shitty parenting handbook. "I was about to give you this pretty toy, but you were bad so I'm not" how is that going to motivate anyone? Woo, go Michonne, showing him what you can do and getting your sword back at the same time is some awesome multitasking. She obviously does not need Merle to take care of her! The Guv'nor is just going to sit and think of other ways he can be a total creepy dick!

Glen is digging graves for the fallen and me looks so sad it breaks my heart a little. Axel and Oscar offer to help Glen dig the graves and there is a very touching moment when they talk about the group being family, not just friends. I really hope they work Oscar and Axel into the group. Hershel is supervising on one leg. He and Glen talk about how awesome T-Dog was and I get sad all over again. I really can't believe Carol is dead though, there was no evidence apart from her dropped non bloody headscarf. Rick is till inside going mental, I hope he does not accidentally chop human Carol's head off!

Andrea turns up looking slutty to the Guv'nor's office. This whole scene makes me laugh. The Guv'nor sounds like a total baby talking about how Michonne killed his pet zombies with her own sword! I can't believe Andrea is still entertaining this guy. He has just laid out all the reasons they should leave and Andrea still wants to stay. They should totally be escaping. I think Andrea the hussy wants to stay so she can get herself some Guv'nor!

Glen if following a trail of chopped up zombies, and what is his prize at the end? Rick standing with a bloody and dripping axe like a stereotypical horror movie villain He seems to flip out on Glen, he seems to have no idea who Glen is or what he should be doing now. This is worrying, what is going to happen to the Ricktatorship?

I have no idea what is going on here, there is some kind of solar panel powered turning thing, and a really primitive zombie catching hole. Is this like a weird zombie version of The Deadliest Catch? Creepy Doc has made himself and anti zombie jacket, I wouldn't really call that a good test though, one zombie who barely nibbled your arm. Merle has now decided to be come a zombie dentist by removing some teeth. Good luck with that career choice Merle.


It looks like Maggie and Daryl have stumbled upon a daycare facility and Maggie is breaking in to investigate. This is giving me major heebie jeebies, I really don't want to see any zombie babies! Daryl creeping down the hall and the music is too much, I don't want to know what happened here (Well, I really do!)!! Shit there is some super scary banging noises coming from a cupboard! AND it's a possum... time for some stew!

Finally it looks like Michonne and Andrea have the right idea to leave, but Andrea doesn't actually want to go? Wait I am confused, if they are not allowed to leave Andrea wants to go, but if they are free to go she wants to stay. I am getting tired of Andrea being stupid. When Michonne walked out the doors I did a little whoop for joy, she is finally away from the cult. The Guv'nor seems to be proposing to some drunk sex to take Andrea's mind off it! These two belong together!

This was so sweet, first Daryl looks super hot holding and feeding the baby (what is it with my brain?). Then Carl suggesting all of the names of the women that the group have lost as names for the baby made me want to hug him!! Seriously when did he become such a great character?!? OK, I think we can now say that Rick has gone super crazy! There is a puddle of Lori's pregnancy mess all over the floor, but no Lori. It looked like Rick picked up a bullet from the floor which must mean that Carl could not bring himself to shoot his mother and fired at the ground instead. I thought the fat zombie was post-pregnancy Lori zombie, alas no! What really makes this show for me are the little details, and the sound of the zombie's teeth scraping along the barrel of the gun as Rick shoved it in his mouth was awesome and gross at the same time! That zombie looks like it has Lori's hair sticking out of it's mouth and I think Rick is about to gut him to see what's inside! Does he think he can free Lori? Nope just taking out his rage! Good way to do it!

Andrea is being paraded round town like the Guv'nor's queen. Holy shit is this zombie death-match or are they using the zombies as the boxing ring? Hit the side and you're out!! Yup, that pretty much seems like the sum of it, but when the fight gets boring the zombies get closer. This is all just weird, I think I saw a similar thing on Death Valley, but it was a joke. At least it finally looks like Andrea is finally working out that Michonne was right and, as usual, Andrea was wrong! The Fool!



So Daryl is standing by, what I can only assume is Carol's grave and leaving a flower. If she has a grave, that must mean that they found her body and she really is dead. I fell like she was totally cheated out of a good death scene and her death was overshadowed by the much more visible deaths of T-Dog and Lori! This all seems a bit like a dream sequence, Rick is hearing baby crying, but it is actually a phone (what?) and he picks up and answers...



On the next episode... There is someone on the phone, we are dying, Andrea jumps the wall, Michonne and Merle fight, Rick is crazy and clean, is Carol alive, Maggie and Glen maybe meet Michonne? The Guv'nor is still creepy and zombies!


That episode has left me with some burning questions -

- Are we to believe that now Carol might be alive, and if so what did they bury?
- Is Andrea ever going to figure her shit out and leave the cult.
- What is the Doc's "experiment"
- Are the really going to Little Ass-Kicker, because that would be cool, La for short!!

11 November 2012

Goodies for my Kindle and Shelf!

Spending lots of time off your feet often leads to internet shopping. I spent a week on the sofa with my leg up and so for me it was all about books for my shelf and my kindle! Already I have a massive number of books sitting in piles on my shelves and in folders on my kindle to be read (plus a few NetGalleys I am long overdue to read) but a girl can always use more books! So here are some of the books I will be reading over the next few months (or years with how slowly I am reading at the moment).






10 November 2012

Review: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Title: Saving Francesca
Author: Melina Marchetta
Published: 6th May 2004
Publisher: Puffin Books
Source: Own Copy

Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastian's, a boys' school that pretends it's coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas who specializes in musical burping to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can't seem to stop thinking about.
Then there's Francesca's mother, who always thinks she knows what's best for Francesca—until she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and without an inkling who she really is. Simultaneously humorous, poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who must summon the strength to save her family, her social life and—hardest of all—herself.

This was my first Melina Marchetta book. As soon as I finished it I was online buying up everything else she had ever written. After reading the final words I dried my tears and felt a sudden urge to go and hug my mum. This is the story of Francesca who is only of only a handful of girls who attend St Sebastian's boys school. Francesca has to deal with much more that the politics of being befriended by girls nothing like her and becoming the nemesis to Will, to whom she can't seem to say anything right. Francesca has a home life where her mother has not come out of her room for days and her father seems to be barely holding on.

I was expecting a usual high school coming of age book, with comedic situations and everything would be nice and happy and tied up with a bow. This was a little different from that, in fact it was a lot different from that. This was a raw book of a girl who is really struggling to make it though a normal school day. She is trying to keep it together and function like anyone else.

The writing in this book was beautiful. It felt raw and poetic at the same time. It pulled you in so quickly and kept you reading to see if Francesca's life would improve of get any easier on the next page. I wanted to hug this book and all the characters in it. Melina Marchetta is a magical writer and I can't wait to move on to the next book of hers that comes through my door!

06 November 2012

Running Thoughts - Walking Dead 3x04

My mental vomiting of thoughts while watching the walking dead continues. I want to share my thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead with my buddy "Sheriff Claw" (he loves the nickname I made up for him... really!) and all of you...

If you have not seen this episode yet, do not read on, lots of spoilers ahead for episode 3x04



The Walking Dead 3x04 - "Killer Within"

These thoughts may be a bit more random that previously as I have been taking pain killers today for my knee as I slipped on the stairs in the office today and they are making me a bit loopy. Hopefully tomorrow at physio it will all be OK and not have set me back any. For now I am going to lay back and enjoy the zombies in my happy doped up state. I really hope we get to see Otis and his fine 'tache again...


Previously... Starting with some of the cold people slayings we have had this season, hopefully setting the mood for some more deaths! I can't believe Andrea fell for all his nonsense. Woo Otis!

Was that deer body outside the gates? This must mean it's the person who was spying on Carol as none of the others would leave to go and get a half eaten deer! Would they?
Well that's one way to get the walkers attention, throw stones at them.
Would Zombies really have the reasoning to leave food and go and investigate more potential food? Surely they would just keep feeding then move on to the next bit of flesh?
That is some good zombie make up. I have been watching Face Off recently and I now really appreciate a good zombie look!
OMG is that a fresh heart?

Credits... spooky!

The Rictatorship is getting organised bringing in the cars and discussing how to get rid of the dead walkers. I take it this is what Lori meant by cleaning. If she suggested it should she not be out there helping?
High five, Glen is getting it on with Maggie in the guard tower. I bet he was standing to attention!!
I like Carol's new hat! If she is out there tidying, what became of her little experiment? Did she manage to practice the caesarian on the withered up old corpse? What were the insides like? Was it successful  We need to know these things!
Rick you should let the prisoners join your group. I am sure you would love two more people to boss about.
Hold up, these prisoners were talking to Rick and having a very reasonable discussion about their living conditions. I am guessing that after almost 300 days, bodies that have been shot execution style probably leave a bit of a stink and I wouldn't want to live there either. So, since when does Daryl call the shots and decide for the group? Daryl can tell me what to do all day long, but I thought this was supposed to be a Ricktatorship!
I really like that T-Dog is getting more of a role and a voice this season. He is developing into a really nice character and I like that he wants to let the others join their group.

Oh we are switching scenes this episode. It's a nice change of pace from having had it all prison and then all cult camp. So, back at cult camp...
I like that they have built up walls by using big trucks, but Michonne does not seem as convinced. I think she will work this all out quite quickly.
Creepy Guv'nor, get away from her. You don't want her head in a jar, it's good on her shoulders!
I really dislike the Guv'nor. As a character he has been built up well to seem really menacing even when he is being nice and this is totally creepy but kind of enjoyable at the same time. Maybe I will ponder it while drinking at looking at my wall of fish tank heads!
Michonne just keeps poking the bear, picking apart everything he tell her and all of his explanations. I want to see her out fighting with her samurai sword again... escape Michonne!

Back at the prison we have piles of bodies at the side of the road, that is a lot of cleaning they have been doing. T-Dog's conscience is getting the better of him and he claims to not want any more human blood on his hands. With a dwindling population this is probably a good idea.
Otis tries to offer his help with tuning Daryl's bike. I like the idea of having some new characters in the mix to see what skills they can bring to the party, but Daryl really shouldn't let just anyone mess with his bike! Otis is so desperate, it is quite pathetic really.

I see the inappropriate relationship between Carl and Beth is still being alluded to. It is a little weird, is Carl not only 13 years old?
Hershel is getting back on his feet. That feels fast, has his stump even had time to heal? Healing is exhausting! As someone who has spent the last 5 weeks on crutches trying to get around, I really feel for Hershel and all the shit he is about to have to learn again, like stairs... I hate stairs, they are my nemesis! Sorry a little off track there!

At the cult camp Michonne is plotting her escape. Water and a boat always seemed like a good idea to me. Docking when you need supplies and living off a little island.
I really think Andrea should be listening to Michonne's gut. I mean has it really ever led them wrong yet? There is something off and creepy about this place, get out!
I am kind of getting a bit bored of these scenes, I feel like we learn very little in each camp scene. I know it's interesting to change up the pace in the episode, but this is a bit too sluggish compared to the prison scenes.

Where did they just lock up the prisoners? Looked like the fence corridor. It also looks like Otis and the other one (do we know his name yet? Is it just escaping me?) are being looked after to an extent, and not just being left to fend for themselves. Food and safety is all anyone can ask for at this point.
At least they are thinking to the future now and discussing why burning the bodies is so important to them. Who knows what can happen if your veggies have been grown in zombie compost!

Hershel at least still has both trouser legs. I thought Beth got a bit one-leg-happy two episodes ago and cut them all off at the knee on one leg. It would have been amusing if she had cut the wrong leg off his trousers!
Lori is so annoying. Sometimes you just need time and space to work things out for yourself without people standing about telling you not to fall. Like that's going to help him if he loses his balance.
Oh no. I have paused the episode to collect myself as this all seems to nice and happy. You know what that means... some kind of attack is about to come!
Shizz, walkers! How come Carl, with his back to them, was the first to notice? You would have thought that some of the people looking at Hershel and the others would have picked up on them first.
Don't leave the fence open Glen. That would just mean more walker clean up later!


Where have all these walkers come from all of a sudden?
Everyone is a pretty good shot now. Lots of nice clean head shots. Is no one missing their targets?


Hershel now has a good skull crushing crutch at his disposal.
Locking the gates after you seemed like a really good idea at the time. Why are there so many padlocks? I thought they were using the faster climbing clip and chain method of keeping gates shut. In hindsight that probably would have been better.
Who left the damn gate open? I smell sabotage! Maybe the wee guy who Rick put out to die is still alive and messing with them all (It was suggested a few weeks ago on The Talking Dead Podcast that we never saw him die!)!!!
I love this, it is all so suspenseful!
Lori, Maggie and Carl, where are you going? This looks more like the big spaces I thought prisons would have. More walkers, but only three... I would have thought killing them would have been better than going into the tunnels again. That has not worked out well so far!
Give the prisoners weapons, there are a lot of walkers to put down!
T-Dog behind you... no I was really liking getting to know him!

Back at the cult camp Andrea is supplying Merle with a map of where she last saw Daryl. That was nice of her and how does he repay her? By being all creepy, come on Merle! At least Andrea is holding her own.
Andrea should go and find the old gang.
Is she at last questioning the Guv'nor's motives? It feels like she might be suspicious and then Merle has to go and defend him!

Finally the cavalry (Rick, Daryl and Glen) are through the gates to come and save the day.
Daryl is badass! That was an awesome knife to the head, it split the skull in two like it was a melon. That is my favourite kill of the season so far!
There was sabotage!!! As expected Rick and the others think the prisoners, who look like they are going to shit themselves, did it. Do you really think they would hang about if they had unleashed zombies, Rick?
Things are going from bad to work as the "escaped prisoner" siren has started going off and it is drawing all the walkers on the outside to the prison. How well did Glen tie up that fence?
There is some talk of back up generators and the main gates being opened with power, this is bad, but it seems like one of the prisoners knows where all of the generators are, so they head off to see what's going on.

Back in the tunnels and T-Dog is not doing so well. Carol is being realistic and basically offered to kill him, but bless, T-Dog thinks that Hershel can help him with his shoulder wound. It looks too high up, they would have to cut off some neck to get it all and I am thinking that will probably kill him!

Lori, Maggie and Carl are wandering aimlessly though the tunnels when Lori looks like she is staring to have contractions! The walkers can smell her fear and desperation and descend upon them causing them to turn back with Carl taking point. You go Carl!
Shizz, they are being boxed in by walkers now, just give them Lori and run, she is only going to slow you down.
Carl manages to find the boiler room and the only door in the whole prison that does not shut properly and they take refuge. At least the walkers seem too stupid to notice the open door, so that's good or there probably would be a few down in the boiler room with them.

At the camp the Guv'nor is playing golf trying to hit the walkers on the outside. It looks quite fun.
Merle proposes going on a Hunting mission to track down Daryl. I have to agree with the Guv'nor that it has been too long since they were at the farm and it will probably be a bit pointless.
He can't be swayed though and still wants to look. The Guv'nor manages to fob him off with a promise that if they can get a better lead they will go and find him together. This totally sounds like something you tell a child to make them go to sleep.

Power looks to be coming back on and Lori is about to give birth with only Maggie and Carl to help. I suggest Carl stays up at Lori's head, just a suggestion!
Brutal, Lori seems to be giving birth standing up, it looks like ninja level birthing. And that blood does not look good!

T-Dog and Carol are still moving thought the tunnels and when they come upon more walkers T-Dog runs at them to give Carol a chance to escape. This is a bit like suicide by zombies. It is quite sweet in a way. I hope she lives her life well to honour him.
So long T-dog, you will be missed!

At cult camp the Guv'nor seems to be OK with Andrea and Michonne leaving, I think it is all an act.
The Guv'nor not wanting Merle to have any hope that his brother is still out there is cruel.
At least Andrea is getting boozed up before she leaves. That is a girl with her prioroties straight.
He really gives me the heeby-jeebies and I somehow don't believe he is going to hand over Michonne's sword so easily.
Philip, seems like a nice name for such a creepy man, it's probably a lie.
I totally thought he was going to try and kiss Andrea.

Shutting down the generators seemed easy enough, and I don't see why convict number 2 couldn't have pointed to the shut off switch and stayed to help Daryl at the door.


Arggh, it's the wee guy. He didn't die after all. I have totally forgotten his mane too so until it is mentioned he will be convict 3!
Rick needs to get on with killing con 3. Daryl is multitasking like a boss! Shoot, stab, door! He is getting it done.
Yeah, con 2 saved Rick from con 3 and then shot con 3 in the head. Don't do anything stupid now man, give Rick back his gun!

Is Lori going to die? Happy days!
Things are looking dire, but at least Lori can face the truth that they will probably both die if they don't cut the baby out, and at least that way the baby might survive. Neither Maggie or Carl know what to do here, but Carl has a knife. He wants to go for help on his own, but Maggie and Lori both say no. When has that stopped Carl before?
Maggie looks like she won't do it.

Michonne looks super pissed back at camp that Andrea wants to stay a few more days, and I don't blame her. Andrea is so fickle and changes her mind at every turn. When is she going to think for herself and not just do what she is told?

I am beginning to like Lori again, just as she is saying her dying goodbyes to Carl. Finally she seems strong again and not clouded in guilt that it's probably Shane's baby! This is quite touching and I think if I had less painkillers in my system I may have cried. I don't think I really want her to die any more.


She is asking Maggie to kill her when she turns, well Lori might try and eat her baby otherwise!
Who was her final "goodnight love" too? I think it was her putting it out there to Rick.
Woah, not even trying to go for the possibility of Lori surviving. Maggie is just cutting away at her stomach.
I can't describe how gory that was, pulling the baby out of Lori's stomach. Now they have a baby to look after.
Carl offering to kill his mother so she doesn't come back as a walker and the flashback to Rick lecturing him on growing up last season brought a little tear to my eye.
And it's done, shooting her may have been a bad idea with so many walkers in the tunnel, silly boy!

All this sad music for Rick's team and Glen's team meeting up and then finding T-Dog's body is too much. Maybe I'm now overly emotional. Sad times and Rick still has no idea that his wife is dead, sob!
They don't think Carol made it... please tell me they are wrong, I can't stand any more deaths this episode.

Hershel and Beth are still good and when Maggie comes out with the baby and Carl, I think my heart broke a little for them all. This was such good acting. I am not ashamed to say I was actually crying tears of sadness. Rick... what can I say, he still really loved Lori.



On the next episode... It looks like Rick is going off the rails. The gang have to figure out how to look after a newborn, 3 Men and a Baby style, and it looks like there are problems in the Cult camp (good).


This has to be one of my favourite episodes so far, maybe it's the pills talking but this was amazing. I need to go and sort the mascara on my face and the last time I had to do that was for the end of season 2 of Dance Academy (The best show ever). The series has totally stepped up it's game from last season. I am too sad just now to think of any of my burning questions, lets just see what next week holds.