Counting down to Christmas

Can you believe there is only a little over three weeks left to Christmas! Usually I have been a little more organised with my Christmas shopping, but I have to admit this year has gotten away from me a little, arrgh!

So let me help you feel a bit more organised as we head into the festive season, with some geekalicious book suggestions for making gifts, decorating, Christmas Day meal planning (lets face it, the food is a pretty important component of the day) and entertainment.

First up has to be getting those gifts ready. Harry Potter fans are sure to love anything you make them from The unofficial guide to crafting the world of Harry Potter : 30 magical crafts for witches and wizards by Jamie Harrington. From Butterbeer Lip Balm to your very own golden snitch necklace, this book is a treasure trove of gift ideas.

Another excellent book to check out is Bonnie Burton's Star Wars craft book, with ideas such as an AT-AT herb garden, an Ewok flower vase, and my personal favourite, the Chewbacca sock puppet - every household needs one!

And now to the decorating, what could be cooler than Lego themed decorations! The LEGO Christmas ornaments book: 15 designs to spread holiday cheer by Chris McVeigh has a stunning array of Lego plans for you to build the most gorgeous tree decorations, you'll be looking truly festive in no time at all, and have fun doing it.

Now, if you are a bit of a The Great British Bake Off fangirl like I am, you will totally love The great British bake off: Christmas by Lizzie Kamensetzky. What better way to plan your Christmas menu! This gem will make you look like a true Christmas goddess with recipes from a variety of contestants and judges Mary and Paul. If someone feels like whipping me up some of Mary's ultimate Christmas Pud, I will forever be in your favour :)

Now that we have made some gifts, got the place looking festive, and cooked up some amazing Christmas noms, you'll be about ready for something nice and relaxing to do.
Personally, I love a good wee Christmas story and every year the lovely Debbie Macomber kindly provides one that really warms the heart. Some of my past favourites have included Dashing through the snow, Starry night and Call me Mrs. Miracle. I'm eagerly awaiting her latest for this year 12 days of Christmas.

Another one of my favourite things to look forward to at Christmas time is the Dr Who Christmas specials. I may still be getting over last year's Doctor Who: The husbands of River Song, which made me laugh and cry in fairly equal portions. The previous years installment Dr Who: Last Christmas kind of terrified me (along with making me want to laugh and cry), guess that is just the magic of Doctor Who!

Righty, I think we're looking pretty organised now - back to finishing that shopping :)

Excitement Level Over 9,000! Children's tales coming to the screen in 2016

I am a big fan of all things Disney. (Does it hurt my feminist credentials to admit that?!)

That's why I was so excited to find out that two Disney tales are returning to the silver screen this year; The Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast. Whilst browsing Youtube, I was side-tracked by two other movie announcements; The BFG, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I got really excited, thinking about these upcoming movies, then I realised; ALL THE MOVIES I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO WERE KID'S MOVIES.  

However, with actors such as Eddie Redmayne, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba and Emma Watson, studios are breaking out the big guns. These are the kinds of films that bring up nostalgia for generations of movie-goers, and looks set to make them the major blockbusters of the year. I am definitely excited for Bill Murray as the bumbling bear Baloo. And Christopher Walken as the giant 'orangutan' King Louie? Genius. What am I saying? Go ahead, indulge your inner child.

The Jungle Book, with stars including the aforementioned Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray and child actor Neel Sethi, will be the first to arrive on NZ's screens, premiering in April this year. The trailer promises a sweet hearted, but action-packed story. Prepare to be dazzled by the beautiful Indian wildlife, and to have your heart stolen by the plucky new Mowgli.

The second to open in New Zealand this year is The BFG, premiering in July, with a cast of actors including Bill Hader, Rebecca Hall and our very own Jermaine Clement. There is only a teaser trailer out at the moment, but as Roald Dahl and director Steven Spielberg fans know, there's only so far you can (hopefully) go wrong.

*hyperventilates* Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. A Harry Potter prequel; what more can I say?! With an upcoming 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' play premiering in London this year, prepare for further Rowling mania. The announcement trailer doesn't give much away, but the plot basically is actor Eddie Redmayne playing 'Magizoologist' Newt Scamander, author of a future Hogwarts textbook on the subject, who chases down magical creatures in 1926 New York.

The second Disney story adapted for the screen, Beauty & the Beast, is technically not appearing to cinemas until 2017, but there is a lot of buzz around it already. Fans are freaking out about the casting of Miss Hermione Granger herself, Emma Watson, as book-loving Belle. With her large fan base and Brown University credentials, she is the perfect casting. Other actors in this astonishingly talented ensemble include Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, and Stanley Tucci.

What movies are you excited to see this year? Any other kids movies coming out this year that I've missed? Let me know in the comments below!

Alan Rickman: The Perfect Villain And Much More

If you've read some of my previous posts you'll know I have a thing for Die Hard being The only Christmas movie that everyone should watch, and not just because it has explosions and witty one-liners and action galore but because of the superb Alan Rickman.

Forget Bruce Willis.

Alan Rickman is the man.  Charming, debonair with just the right amount of snark and a voice that could turn you into a swoony puddle.

It's no wonder he made such wickedly wonderful villains.   

Then again he was pretty much wonderful in everything he did.  Whether as the suave Hans Gruber in Die Hard or as the evil Sheriff in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves or as a the romantic ghost in Truly, Madly, Deeply; if he was in a movie you just knew you had to watch it just for him a lone.

With his sudden passing binge watching all his movies seems like the perfect thing to do so why not check out some of his best work 

Dumbledore's Army Reunites at Quidditch World Cup Final

I'm a bit late to the game with this, and many of you have probably seen it already BUT!!! It is VERY exciting in my eyes.

J.K. Rowling has added another installment into the world of Harry Potter. This time it is a Daily Prophet news article written by the infamous gossip columnist Rita Skeeter, who spots Potter, friends, and family at the Quidditch World Cup Final.

Rowling released this on her site Pottermore, which I would Highly Recommend that you sign up to right now, if you haven't already! You get to go through and answer questions, and then get sorted into a house; the questions are designed by Rowling herself!

Have a read of the article below:

Every book has its day

I've read some articles lately that attack the public view of what makes a good book. First up was a piece about The Great Gatsby, in which the reviewer admitted they thought the book was utter crap. And that what most people think it's about - the parties and the celebration of decadence - completely misses the point.

Someone else sneered at Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and other bestsellers. They may be popular, the writer said - but that doesn't mean they're good. Only women's book groups like them, not real critics like me.

Fact is, everyone likes to look down on something. We all want to feel superior in our own way. Yes, I love a formulaic slasher novel, but at least I don't read romance. Yes, I read British chick lit, but I don't touch that American trash. Oh, fantasy...I prefer Margaret Atwood myself...

And so on.

Well who says what a good book is? These are the ingredients for me:

It must have a story that makes me want to keep reading.
It must have characters I like spending time with.
I must enjoy it.

Anything else is just a bonus.

Thing is, almost every book is a good book to someone. One person's tastes do not match another's. Thank God for that. At Easter I get to eat all the marshmallow eggs, because others in my house don't like them. Lots of authors get told they're unpublishable before making their first billion. It's just how life is.

If the mark of a quality book is one you read over and over, here's my own list of the classics. Take it as read that Jane Austen is on here...

Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

Feet of Clay and Carpe Jugulum - Terry Pratchett

Q & A - Vikas Swarup

The Grand Sophy - Georgette Heyer

The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper

One For the Money - Janet Evanovich

Be My Enemy - Christopher Brookmyre

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling

Dead Beat - Jim Butcher

I own a lot of crime novels, naturally, but they don't feature on here so highly because it's best not to remind yourself of the ending too often. Wait a few years and then surprise yourself all over again! I recommend: Mark Billingham, Louise Penny, Stuart MacBride, C. J. Sansom, Belinda Bauer, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Adrian McKinty.