Goodbye to 2012

Looking back over 2012 I had a lot of exciting things happen for me: 1) I’m now halfway through the process of getting my MLIS, 2) I saw a lot of great Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction, and 3)My wife and I celebrated our 15^th wedding anniversary, which means my marriage is now old enough to go to high school (I hope the popular marriages will let us sit with them!)

In classic genre works I discovered Zombi 2 and Shadow of the Colossus, and in terms of new stuff I loved there was Warm Bodies, The Cabin in the Woods, Chronicle, Safety Not Guaranteed, Old Man’s War, and The Hobbit.

The Third Season of The Walking Dead blew me away and both of my kids shocked me with how good they are getting at videogames, work, reading and life.

So Happy 2012 everyone, and let’s have an amazing 2013!

Things I've Noticed: The Vorkosigan Saga just keeps getting better and better

Looking back at 2009, my very first “Genre Character of the Week” post was for a science fiction character named Miles Vorkosigan.

Yesterday I finished the 14^th book in the Vorkosigan saga, Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, and honestly, this series is quickly becoming one of my favourites in the genre of Science Fiction.

I came across the Vorkosigan novels while working my way through the best Science Fiction novels for the Locus Awards. In 1991 Barrayar won, but it was part of a series so I decided to start at the beginning, which turns out to have been one of the better decisions I could have made in my reading history.

Here’s what I love about the series, it grows and changes.  As a guy in his mid (soon not-so-mid) 30s, I’ve grown and changed a lot in my life, the Bookmonkey of my childhood is reflected in, but not the same as the Bookmonkey of my 20s, and both exist but do not fully represent the Bookmonkey I am today.  In a similar vein, Miles Vorkosigan changes and grows throughout the series, and it is that growth that first drew me to the character.

Although he only makes a cameo in the latest book, I really enjoyed it, and am now going to be keeping an eye out for the series in hardcover to add to my own collection!

Merry Christmas 2012 from Bookmonkey

A Quick Christmas Jingle from Bookmonkey

....

....

Hmmm...

Oh Yeah!

It's Christmastime!

It's Christmastime!!

IT'S CHRISTMASTIME!!!!

(Trust me, although the lyrics are lacking the melody is pretty fantastic!)

Movie Review: Safety Not Guaranteed

On Friday I finally got around to seeing the science fiction film Safety Not Guaranteed.  Based on an actual classified ad put in a magazine in 1997, the film follows three journalists who are tracking down the mysterious writer of an advertisement which claims the following:

Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me.  This is not a joke.  P.O. Box 91 Ocean View, WA 99393.  You'll get paid after we get back.  Must bring your own weapons.  Safety not guaranteed.  I have only done this once before.

Tracking the writer (Mark Duplass) down to his home, one of the journalists, (Aubrey Plaza) poses as someone responding to the ad, which is the setup for the film, wherein she learns about his proposed plan to travel back in time (again), and balances between disbelief and a growing belief in what he may or may not be doing.

The movie was a lot of fun, and part of the enjoyment comes from the fact that you can watch it (mostly - no spoilers through) either viewing the writer as crazy or a legitimate traveller.  

A fun film.

Things I’ve noticed: So I saw this guy wearing a Tree Skirt as a poncho…

…at work today, not a shopper, mind you, but a man enjoying coffee at the Second Cup closest to my work, having coffee with a bunch of coworkers, and It stopped me in my tracks.

I wasn’t sure what to make of it, I mean, did he just wake up this morning, walk past his Christmas tree and think, “You know what, I’m going to wear that tree skirt as a poncho at work today.

Being a fan of Christmas myself, but never having seen anything like this before, I did what any polite modern-day Canadian would do – I kept my head down, tried not to make eye contact, and immediately googled “Tree Skirt as Poncho” when I got back to my office.

First I came across this article, then this one, and then this one.

I know that as I’m getting older I’m a little slower on picking up the current trends (for example I just saw that Korean Gangnam Style video for the first time yesterday, so I'm about half a year behind my 15-year-old daughter on what is currently trending), but every year I’m more and more shocked at what has become a “thing” – perhaps next year I’ll wear stockings to work instead of shoes – that’ll teach them (them being, whoever decided wearing Tree skirts as ponchos was a thing).

Genre Character of the Week: Bilbo Baggins

 So after looking over the many different characters I have enjoyed throughout the genres of Fantasy, Horror and Science-Fic... Oh who am I kidding - I just saw The Hobbit and today we’re looking at Bilbo Baggins.

Here’s what I love about Bilbo (whether played by Martin Freeman in the new film, or by Orson Bean in the animated 1977 TV Movie I grew up with), he is a small kind person who also has great courage in his convictions.  Also I love the fact that he lives a quiet, comfortable life and yet also answers the call to adventure when it comes.

Although I actually find The Lord of the Rings to be a more engrossing story, I was introduced to The Hobbit, when I was in the third grade, and Bilbo ended up as one of my favourite childhood heroes.

Movie Review: Paranorman

Okay, I just finished watching the 2012 film Paranorman with my kids and I really enjoyed it.  Although I didn't like it quite as much as my last favourite spooky kids movie, Monster House, but it was a lot of fun as well.

The film follows a kid named Norman, who has the ability to see and interact with ghosts.  Part of the fun for me was seeing just how normal he viewed everything, dealing with the ghosts as if they were friends and neighbours (which many of them in fact, are), but things do get trickier once zombies get involved.

The film was done in a stop-motion/CGI format, which was pretty cool to see, and although I'm not sure if it will get added to my Halloween themed marathon next year, it was definitely a lot of fun.