Sneak Peek: Lucifer Or The Devil Made Me Do It

I have, as you may know, a weakest for bad boys. Especially bad boys who have a certain snarky charm.  You know the type of guy,  The one with a wicked but still slightly swoon worthy smile and a way of cutting to the heart of things with some nasty but somehow still charming words.

Forget nice guys. At least in the world of fiction.  Bad guys are the way to go.

The kind of guy who wouldn't hesitate to rip your heart from right out of chest or snap your neck like a twig and do it all with a smile.

Lucifer, and yes it is THE Lucifer, definitely fits the bill in this wonderfully fun show.  The bad angel is this time just a little bored with hell and all that torture so topside he goes all in the name of having some fun.  And fun he does have.  From solving crimes and punishing bad guys to discussing his existential crisis with a delightfully open-minded therapist in exchange for some "naked cuddle time"

Wonderfully portrayed by Tom Ellis (he of Miranda fame) and aptly supported by a cast of intriguing characters Lucifer is the perfect show to indulge in.  And if that isn't enough there are also the comics on which it is based on that you can try out.

The Devil never looked so good...

From the sick bed... Or Madly Watching All The Things

Being sick sucks.

It's kind of  obvious but I feel I just had to put it out there on behalf of .... well everyone really.  There is though one shining light when one is sick.  When you're at the moment between being not quite capable of standing on two feet without the room swaying from side to side and wishing for death to swallow you up and take you now.

You know the moment.  The one where you can lay on the couch, all snugly with tissues, water and medication nearby and just veg out in front of the television.

It is, as they say, the perfect moment to catch up on all the things you've been missing out on or to indulge in something you love.

Fargo

Dark, comic, and violent, Fargo is The show that everyone is talking about.  And no wonder. Because it is seriously good.

There's murder and blackmail and ruthless hit men and people with funny names.  And it's all set in Minnesota.  In the middle of winter.  Where the temperature can drop to minus 20.

Minus 20

Just a tad chilly then.

So it's the perfect show to curl up on the couch and watch with a hot drink, maybe even a hot toddy.

Penny Dreadful

Seriously dark and twisted Penny Dreadful is just my kind of show.

It also features some famous characters from literature such as Dr Frankenstein and Dorian Gray.  It also features the amazing and always lovely Eva Green.

Who I adore.

That she wasn't nominated for an Emmy or a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the haunted and gutsy Vanessa is a tragedy.

Black Sails

Pirates.

Do I really need to say anything else?

Okay maybe just a little more.

Pirates.  Hunting for treasure. Led by Toby Stephens who is kind of swoon worthy in the bad boy way.

Pretty much sums it up.  It's also pretty damn good. Because Pirates.

Did I mention pirates?

Arrow

I'd be the first to admit that Arrow isn't a great show.  But that's okay because it is a good show.  One that keeps getting better and better with each season.

It's a superhero show. So there's costumes and some kick ass fighting and training scenes.  There is also the awesome Felicity Smoak.  IT girl extraordinaire who is geeky and funny and all-round wonderful.  And there's Olicity moments.  Which as far as I'm concerned is the only OTP (One True Pairing)

And if that doesn't work for you well there's always Stephen Amell's abs.  Which almost deserve a show of there own.

Pure indulgence.

Perception

Quirky, intelligent, entertaining.  These are just a few words that I would use to describe this show.

And it's glorious.  And it's all due to Eric McCormack's (he of Will and Grace fame) portrayal of Dr Daniel Pierce, a neuroscience professor who helps the FBI while at the same time battling his own mental health issue, paranoid schizophrenia.

He's also an fascinating lecturer. So much so that I almost wish his classes were real just so I could attend them.

Pretty incredible for a fictional character.

Angel

I know that I have mentioned this show in the past.  But regularly marathoning my favourite shows is just something that I do.  And this is one that I have been marathoning recently.

Weirdly enough Angel isn't my favourite character.  Instead I adore Fred and Wesley (who becomes a total badass) and of course, Spike.

It also made me cry.  Like buckets.  Because Joss Whedon is a cruel, cruel man.  If you watch season 5 you'll know what I mean.

This Month I'm Loving...

The cooler weather, bowls of steamy hot soup and socks.

I love socks.

Long socks, short socks, stripey socks, spotty socks.  The brighter the better, though I am also rather fond of long, black socks, the longer the better.  My current favourites are my latest purchase -  a pair of Big Bang Theory Soft Kitty socks.

Yes you heard correctly. And yes I *adore* them because Reasons.

Damn Sheldon Cooper and that Soft Kitty song.  And if ever someone makes a pair of Supernatural socks (the show, not the other...) I'll be the first in line.

As always I've been discovering a world of new things.  Many of which aren't available for purchase in New Zealand.  Yet...

Our selectors at Auckland Libraries are amazing so I know that when these do become available they will probably be purchasing them.  In the mean time here's an advance preview of things to watch out for.... and which I can't get enough off.

Teen Wolf

I totally blame Tosca for this one.  She's the one who kept taking about it.  So of course I just had to give it a try.

And of course I've become completely and utterly hooked.  And don't get me started on Sterek....

Trust me you really don't want to know.  What you do need to know is that it features werewolves, hunky guys, great music...

It was pretty much a given that I would love it and become addicted to it... all in a completely non-obsessive way...

Vikings

Blood and mayhem.

It's a thing.

And I make no apologies that I have a certain weakness for it.  Especially when it involves good storytelling and great characters.

Ignore the fact that Vikings is made by the History Channel (even though it is) or that it's creator was the man behind The Tudors (which he was).

Vikings is a rousing tale that follows the mythic adventures of Ragnor Lodbok.  There's also swords and leather and men with beards so you just knew I had to be there.

Utopia

As much as I like blood and mayhem and supernatural things I also like things that are just a little dark... okay make that a lot dark.

Utopia fits the bill perfectly.  There's brutal deaths (and that's just in the first few minutes), weird characters and a comic which may just hold the destruction of mankind in it's pages.

Mikky Ekko

I mentioned above that one reason for watching Teen Wolf is some of the great music and this artist is just one that I've fallen for.

Most people probably know him through his duet with Rihanna on the song Stay, but you really need to check out his solo stuff which is even better.    I'm hanging out for his debut album which hopefully will be coming out later
this year.  Until then Youtube will have to fill the void.  Check out this song of his which has been on constant repeat on my Spotify account Who Are You Really

Haim

Another artist that is due to release their debut album later this year, Haim are three sisters who have been slowly building up a huge following over the past year,

I fell in love with them when I heard their song Don't Save Me earlier this year.  It's bouncy and catchy, just like the rest of their music.  You just have to check them out

8th Doctor Who Big Finish Adventures

After my last post you're all probably aware how much I have fallen in love with audio dramas so it will come as no surprise that I am just loving the 8th Doctor Who adventures which I have been working my way through.

Paul McGann is just as brilliant doctor and he has the perfect voice for audio and as always Big Finish have produced a series of just wonderful audios which I know I will probably listen to again and again.

Attack of the Munchies i.e. Zombies Take Over the World

I've recently developed a relationship with The Walking Dead.

And surprisingly I mean that quite literally.

Now I've never been much of a horror fan.  All that blood and guts and gore just freaks me out and not in a good way.  And yes I know it's kind of weird considering how much I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BTVS), The Vampire Diaries (VD...mmm unfortunate acronym) and Supernatural.

Then again none of these shows have much to do with horror and instead are all about great characters, great story lines and great music.  The blood letting is in fact quite minimal, which is just the way I like it.  Gore has never been my thing and I've mostly kept away from anything stomach churning.  I know, it's very wussy of me and wuss that I am I've avoided watching The Walking Dead.

Until recently that is.

It's a love/hate relationship at best. 

I love the tension and excitement and some of the characters and hate all the rest... you know the blood and guts bits... of which there are several... which of course means that I generally watch the show with my eyes half covered and my fingers in my ears because yes the sound effects can be pretty yucky as well, all that squishing and oozing and splashing of blood well it's enough to give you nightmares... which again  means I generally watch this show in the daylight.

As I said it's all very wussy of me. 

As my good friend Xander (from BTVS) would say "I laugh in the face of danger and then I hide until it goes away"

Of course this new found love/hate of The Walking Dead has led to some rather strange conversations with my other half, such as me informing him that if he were to ever become a zombie I wouldn't hesitate to shoot him in the head, which he thought was a) rather sweet and b) just a tad worrisome...

I, of course, would probably be first on the menu.  The life of a wuss never ends well.

The Walking Dead

"After an epidemic turns people around the world into zombies, a police officer leads a band of survivors as they look for safety and try to find a cure."

Based on the hugely successful comic by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead craze has taken over the world.  Gory it is, but it is also exciting and tension filled, with characters that you either loathe and wish the munchies would just take a bite out of or love and cheer on as they fight for survival.

Zombieland

A zombie movie that is funny too, featuring the always awesome Woody Harrelson as a gun-toting zombie slayer, a guess appearance by Bill Murray and Jesse Eisenberg as a wuss who learns to fight back.

Now this is my kind of zombie movie, violent yes but low on gore and with a sense of humour.

The Return Man / V. M. Zito.

"The outbreak tore the USA in two. The east remains a safe haven. The west has become a ravaged wilderness. They call it the Evacuated States. It is here that Henry Marco makes his living. Hired by grieving relatives, he tracks down the dead to deliver peace. Now Homeland Security wants Marco, for a mission unlike any other."

A serious zombie book, if you can have such thing, and one that is really good.

Outpost / Adam Baker.

"They took the job to escape the world, they didn't expect the world to end. A derelict refinery platform moored in the Arctic Ocean with a crew of 15 who must battle not only the elements but the hell that awaits them on the mainland."

Personally I think if a zombie apocalypse broke out, the last thing I want to do is to stay on the mainland and an oil refinery in the middle of nowhere sounds like a great haven to me, then again wuss here speaking so you'd know I'd be the first one heading for the hills if things went bad...

World War Z: an oral history of the zombie war / Max Brooks.

"The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. This is a firsthand account of the experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years."

Considered one of the greatest zombie books ever written this classic (can a book that is only 6 years old be considered a classic?) is now headed to the big screen with a highly anticipated release due out next year.

Rot and Ruin / Jonathan Maberry

"In a post-apocalyptic world where fences and border patrols guard the few people left from the zombies that have overtaken civilization, fifteen-year-old Benny Imura is finally convinced that he must follow in his older brother's footsteps and become a bounty hunter."

The first in a series of three this book aimed at teens but more than suitable for adults follows the tale of Benny a teenage zombie hunter and saviour of the world. 

And we thought our life as a teenager was hard.

Knit Your Own Zombie: over 100 combinations to rip 'n' reassemble for horrifying resullts / Fiona Goble.

"Forget stress balls: next time things get tough, express your feelings by ripping a zombie apart. No need to feel guilty about it afterward, either - fitted up with Velcro strips, its just as easy to put him together again. 8 full zombie characters are laid out here in neat little sets, each part knitted quickly and separately."

Feeling the need to cuddle up with your very own zombie, then look no further.  These zombie toys are the perfect Christmas present for that Goth Girl (or Guy for that matter).

Zombigami: paper folding for the living dead.

"Easy to follow, step-by-step instructions show you how to fold simple origami paper into some of the most revolting creatures of the night. This origami crew of the undead includes Starvin' Marvin who hungers for a sip of fresh blood; Idle Hands, whose hands are no longer attached to his body and Suzie Gravemaker, everyone's favourite zombie mum!"

And the zombie craze continues with this origami book.  Why you would want to I have no idea but each to their own.

Zombies Hate Stuff / Greg Stones.

"Zombies hate clowns. They also hate hippies, penguins, nudists, weddings, and kittens but strangely don't mind Canadians. Each ghoulishly colorful painting reveals a funny and unexpected scene of zombie disgruntlement, cataloging the stuff that really riles up the walking dead with wit, humour, and, of course, brains."

Just when you thought the zombie craze couldn't get any stranger a book like this comes along. 

Forget about vampires, Zombies are taking over the world.