37 x The Monkees
12 x Doctor Who (Four)
22 x Doctor Who (Nine - 3 Animated)
8 x Hugh Laurie
10 x The Last Unicorn (Quotes from the novel - 9 Animated)
9 x Jeeves and Wooster
45 x Fred Astaire (Follow the Fleet)
8 x Fred Astaire (Silk Stockings - Animated)

Examples:



( Icons under the cut )

18 x House (s4ep12, 1 animated)
23 x Torchwood (s2ep2)
29 x The Monkees
25 x A Bit of Fry & Laurie (3 animated)
14 x Jeeves and Wooster
1 x SGA

Examples:


( Icons below the cut )

After another long break I bring you a post full of icons of the strangest fandom groupings I could possibly think of.

22 x House (Frozen)
38 x Torchwood (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)
32 x The Monkees
17 x Jeeves & Wooster
8 x Joe Flanigan (mostly SGA)
17 x Fred Astaire (animated)
3 x Doctor Who, 4th Doctor (animated)

Examples:


( Icons under the cut )

I decided I had to break up the planned icon post into two sections because I was already over 100 and if I kept going with all the fandoms I need to do it'd be over 200. So The Who and 2 Pints have been moved to the next icon entry which will hopefully be soon.

26 x Eddie Izzard
30 x Jeeves & Wooster
62 x The Monkees
25 x Doctor Who (4th Doctor)
13 x David Bowie

Examples:



( Icons under the cut )

See I come through on my promises. Even if it has been months since I last made an icon post :/

Ok this SHOULD cover all the requests, but if I have forgotten any, slap me upside my head and remind me in a comment what I left off. In that order. And now...we have...

13 x House (04.01)
28 x Doctor Who (Four, Tom Baker)
4 x Doctor Who (Ten, David Tennant)
32 x Jeeves & Wooster
23 x Torchwood (quotes and Ianto)
10 x Stargate Atlantis
12 x I *heart*

Examples:


( Read more... )

*I'm also working on Eddie Izzard, The Who, 2 Pints of Lager, and Bowie icons but those sets aren't yet complete so they'll be in the next icon post.

58 x Pan's Labyrinth
32 x About a Boy
11 x Books
15 x The Who

Examples:


( Icons under cut )

I don't remember what the last book review I posted was so I'll just go into the last two books I read (that didn't have to do with the writer's market...because I know none of you are dying to know which creative writing contests are out there or what jobs there are for English majors).

Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney: Oh yes, I did read this book. I'm not amazingly into sci-fi, but I saw this on sale at The Strand and I thought "Huh, that sounds like fun." And it was. It's an extremely quick/easy read. If you've got some plane time or are stuck in a waiting room, I'd suggest you pick it up. It's not deep, it's not moving, it's not a book that will change your life, but it is entertaining, nostalgic, and a very good light read. It doesn't beat you over the head with overcomplicated and drably futuristic science fiction as I feel most current sci-fi does, instead it's very calm and 1950's about the whole thing. You feel like you're watching a quaint black and white film while reading it. It only took me a few hours so it's not something to toil over. If you need a break, it's a good book to break with IMHO.

Roger Daltrey: The Biography by Tim Ewbank and Stafford Hildred: This is no surprise is it? Kimberly and I were stuck at Half Price Books for the good portion of a day and ended up buying more than our means should allow, this was one of the purchases. Now, I did know a lot of the book's content (at least vaguely) before reading it, but I didn't find it boring at all. The quotes from Roger and others close to him greatly entertained me. The acting chapter was probably my favorite out of the book, especially the section on Tommy, because I didn't really know all of what Roger went through during the filming. Reading his biography just affirms the fact that Roger is tops, I find it hard to think of anything not to like about the man (aside from the majority of his wardrobe over the years). If you have any interest in The Who or Roger I would suggest reading it. If not, you might not be as entertained as I (biasedly) was. Roger seems much more the normal guy than the typical rock star (one more thing I find likable), so while there are many interesting/funny anecdotes in the book, it's not as fast paced or controversial as a book on say Keith Moon or Jim Morrison would be. That said, my personal opinion is: I very much enjoyed reading it, from Roger building his first guitar and forming the group that would later become The Who to his acting career and extensive charity work...it was a good read about a good man.

(And I really want to see The Who in concert again, yo!)

So I thought I'd post my reading list here to try and keep track of it, because it's growing out of control. I'm currently on Ray Bradbury's I Sing The Body Electric. My list then goes on to:

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Jack Finney
(I bought this in New York because it amused me)

The Gun Seller, Hugh Laurie
(Getting this for Christmas, recommended by Kimberly)

My Elvis Blackout, Simon Crump
(Getting this for Christmas, recommended by a classmate)

The Quiet Woman, Christopher Priest
(MIGHT be getting for Christmas if one of my brother's decides to follow my wishes)

In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson
(Will read once Kimberly gets a copy, guess who recommended it)

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Laurence Sterne
(No clue how I shall get my hands on this one, but the movie made me want to read the book...more specifically Stephen Fry in the special features did)

Dear Boy, Tony Fletcher
(Keith Moon's biography. No plan for getting this one either)

The Paper Soldier, Hugh Laurie
(Ok this one has yet to come out, but also no idea how I'll get it)

The Flight of the Iguana: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen
(Found this book reviewed while looking up cryptozoology, sounds very entertaining and informative as it may be. No plan on acquiring it)

I wish I still had access to a real library that carried books newer than 1970. As an addition to this list I'd like to ask that if any of my friends have copies of the not yet acquired books and would like to lend them (if you live close of course, I don't want to trouble anyone to mail them across countries), please do. Also (on a long shot) if anyone knows of any good cryptozoology books, please do recommend. I don't really want to buy one and have it turn out to be boring...in terms of writing of course, I don't think the topic itself could be boring.

I figured I should save my review of the book until I saw the movie, which I did today. So now you get a very long post reviwing both. Anything that is too SPOILERY will be under a cut. I'm also trying to space the cuts so that if you click on one you won't have to see the others :)

The Prestige: The Novel
I give this book a 10/10.
There is only one thing I didn't like about it and that was the very end, and only because it wasn't as resolved as I would have wished. However, in nearly 400 pages, having only one thing that I wasn't gung-ho about means it's a 10 for me anyway. Rarely am I this drawn into a plot or characters. Some people may not like the fact that the book has multiple narrators, but I found it very interesting. Figuring out who is reliable and what is generally going on was great fun. Priest also changes voices very well.
I will say, if you have seen the movie prior to reading the book, the suspense may not be as great and thus you may not feel as engaged as I did. But, I assure you the two are different enough that the book is still well worth the read even if the movie has already been viewed.
One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was that it deals smoothly with time-period language. I mean, it conveys the time period without being painfully annoying in vernacular. The use of certain phrases and words remind you of the time period without succumming to constant period language. That may annoy people who are staunch about period novels and might find the writing too modern, but I often find period novels like being stuck coninually in the eye with a needle and in turn, I very much like Priest's style.
There was even bits that reminded me of Pete Townshend. ( although those shall have to be put behind a cut )



The Prestige: The Movie
I give the movie a 8/10 (although if I hadn't read the book first it would probably be a 9).
It was a very good movie. All of the actors did great jobs, especially David Bowie who played Tesla with a mysterious air and a flawless accent. I was highly impressed by him, enough to get completely past his silly mustache. Alley was also very well played in the movie.
The overall look of the movie, the tones and shadows were done very well. I think it fit the (mostly dark) story perfectly and added to the notion of magic and rivalry.
I also liked the choice of narrator/his lines which introduced the story in the way I was expecting (that's said in a positive light, I was hoping they'd choose those lines).
I did however, not like the ending, for different reasons than why I did not like the book's ending of course. Though again, this was not enough to tarnish my liking for the film, and the reason I didn't like the ending may be influenced by my reading of the book. Oh, and before I get to the cut, Hugh Jackman is HOT.
( A bit of spoilers in what I would change... )




The Book vs The Movie
One of the most interesting things about comparing the two is that Tesla's character was very different in each, and still probably my favorite character of both versions. I chalk this up to good description in the book and Bowie's acting skills in the movie. I do wish Tesla had a bigger part in both versions, but epecially the movie.
Although both are very good, I would side with the book over the movie. The biggest reasons being The Prestidigitators themselves (and the constant use of that word, which I adore btw). But that all belongs under a cut.
( The Prestidigitators )

The End

( To comment without seeing spoilers lol click here )