“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is the most influential movie series I have ever seen. Given this fact, you cannot imagine how excited I was when “The Hobbit” movies were announced. My 12-year-old self was ecstatic. I wrote the date for the first one in my parent’s calendar and reminded them of it at least once a week. I remember practically vibrating with joy as I sat in the theater waiting for it to start. And boy was I disappointed. After the first movie, I was upset, but not terribly. “I’m sure it will only get better!” I remember thinking. “Nowhere to go but up!” After the second, I was distraught. “What did they do to one of my favorite books?” I said to myself, “The third one will be amazing. It has to be, after that.” Little did I know. By the third, I was mad. I felt oddly betrayed by just how bad the franchise ended up being. To this day, ten years, later, I absolutely despise “The Hobbit” movies. How could something that I was so ready to love become one of my most hated pieces of media? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Why I Hate The Hobbit Movies”
Obviously, I am an avid lover of books. In fact, I love books so much that I am one of those people who thinks that the book is almost always better than the movie. Don’t get me wrong, I love adaptations; There are some that are incredibly well done. For instance, the new Percy Jackson series on Disney Plus is insanely good. They did a fantastic job capturing what made the books so magical for so many people. But generally, no matter how good I think a movie is, I still tend to think the book is better. There is just something about the medium of literature that cannot be outdone. This fact holds true for everything except one of my all-time favorite series: “The Lord of the Rings.” If I believe that books are better than movies nine out of ten times, why would I change my mind for arguably one of the most influential series of the 20th century? Read on to uncover the mystery. Continue reading “Why “The Lord of the Rings” Movies are Better Than the Books”
Happy Pride!
If you’re looking for a new, queer read, I’ve got a list for you in every color of the rainbow!
We Mostly Come Out at Night
An anthology of short stories ranging in genres from horror to romance; featuring classic and original monsters and creatures. Continue reading “Read the Rainbow”
If you’ve read any of my other blogs, you’d know that I am a lover of all things fantasy. I pretty much essentially only read fantasy. I play mostly fantasy video games. If I could dress in fantasy inspired clothing every day, I absolutely would. My love of fantasy started pretty young, but the one franchise that really solidified it for me was “The Lord of the Rings.”
I first saw the movies when I was about 12 years old. From that point on, I have consistently watched them at LEAST once a year. I genuinely believe that everyone should watch those movies, regardless of whether they’re into fantasy or not. Here’s my top 3 reasons why: Continue reading “Why Everyone Should Watch “The Lord of The Rings” Movies”
Just like food and shelter, menstrual products are a necessity. Period poverty is a real thing that many folks face. According to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), the high cost of menstrual products keeps one in five American teens home from school each month. Continue reading “Menstrual Products for All @ Your Library”
In honor of Women’s History Month, I’m celebrating the growing genre of “Good for Her.”
Good for Her stories have a female main character that fights against an unjust power or system. She often subverts the expected rules to obtain her justice and doesn’t feel bad about it. Good for Her stories present systemically oppressed people with dreams come true. We love seeing a woman triumph, whether it’s against an abusive lover, a rigged contest, the school bullies, or the patriarchy. There is so much we can’t control in life, from the families we are born into to the potentially toxic teachers, classmates, and coworkers with whom we must get along in order to survive. This is why witnessing other unseen, underestimated, and exploited women win feels so, so good.
So if you’re craving some righteous, delicious feminine retribution, peruse the titles below.
And for some more options, including movies, check out this list. Continue reading “Good for Her”
Trust me, you are not the only one. There are lots of reasons to not be the biggest fan of the holiday. Personally, when I was in high school, I actively dreaded the day. For many reasons, I never really dated in my teens. I struggled a lot with my mental health. I wasn’t quite sure of my sexuality. And on top of it all, I went to a very small school and was very unpopular, so no one even wanted to date me. It was a sore spot on a regular day. On Valentine’s Day, it became an active wound. When I started seeing how based in consumerism the holiday is, my dislike turned to active hatred. If you feel like I did back then (some mix of unlovable and alone), first of all, you’re not alone and you are so so worthy of love, in whatever form fits you. Secondly, you might desperately want something NOT love-related during this frankly unpleasant period. Or you might want some examples of love that aren’t horrifically painful and awful. If either is the case, I’ve got you covered. Continue reading “If You Hate Valentine’s Day…”
In another installment of Grae finds household objects and turns them into art — a.k.a mundane magic🪄 — today we’ll learn how to make your very own sticker sheets using toner-printed images, packing tape and waxed or parchment paper! This craft has it all: it’s easy and engaging; astonishing and adorable; low-cost and endlessly customizable. Moreover, thankfully stickers never seem to go out of style, which is probably all thanks to Lisa Frank. Thanks, Lisa!🦄 Continue reading “DIY Sticker Sheets 🐸✨”
Calling and/or caterwauling all ghouls, goblins, gargoyles, gremlins, and giggling green ghosts: Spooky Season has arrived with all of its ghastly delights and gnarly frights. Hip-Hip-Horroray! Which means it’s time for another installment of Spooky, Not Scary™️, a watch-list of titles for all of us soft goths, tender terrors and nervous nellies. A quick recap for those of you just joining in: while Halloween and all its eerie marvels are my top vibe, I avoid the deeply distressing and downright disturbing imagery and atmosphere of most “scary” movies, tv, and even musical soundtracks, mostly because I have always had an immersively detailed dream and/or nightmare life, which often means I don’t really need the help or inspiration or taunting hauntings that that kind of media provides. Thanks, horror genre, but I can terrorize myself all on my own! 💀
So, to still celebrate this terrifically chilling time of year, I give you the following titles that are avowedly Spooky, Not Scary. Each title is rated on a scale of 0-5 smashed pumpkins. The more smashed pumpkins (which I’ve metaphorically dropped out of terror), the closer the tv show/movie/video is to being truly frightening.
Continue reading “Spooky, Not Scary Watch-List: Volume II aka BOO! 👻”
This time of year is perfect for some creepy crafts, but if I’m being honest I love all things spooky any time of year! See below for some of our favorite spine-tingling projects. Happy haunting! Continue reading “DIY Creepy Crafts”
