doing my part for the economy

So these are like the worst pictures known to man, but I just wanted to share with y’all what I did with my day. Spend money, basically. On shoes. Lots and lots of shoes.

just some basic, gray, functional boots. no really, they're functional. I swear.

couldn't get enough light to show the purple without putting my foot up on the wall. but oh they're purple and fab.

these are so amazing. I love them I may just wear them all the time, even when I'm asleep.

black! buckles!

And yes those are my huge fat calves. There’s a fifth pair of boots I would have purchased if they’d been able to zip up around my legs. Grrrrr. C’mon people, design knee-high boots that FIT me dammit.

bring out your dead!

If someone were to set out to make my ideal movie, they would probably include some or all of the following:

vampires

zombies

Victorian England

gothic horror

bizarre comedy

graverobbers

Dominic Monaghan

BUT WAIT!!! WHAT HAVE WE HERE????

When I walked by the poster at the fabulous-go-there-if-you’re-in-Cambridge Brattle Theatre (a different poster than this one, but the same general theme) I did a double-take because I saw Merry’s fa–Dominic Monaghan’s face. And then I realized what was going on and just about died right there. Vampires. Zombies. Victorian England. My God. Someone read my mind and made a movie from what they found.

So I went to see it last night and I loved it.

I mean, let’s be honest, it’s not going to win any Oscars, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously and it’s just bad enough to be good. It’s bizarre, oddball, and wonderful. Obviously low-budget. There’s some beautiful animation interspersed; sometimes shots would just end and turn into artwork, kind of looking like a graphic novel. The plot is pretty simple, and uh big plot twist for the duh? But I was entertained.

So if you get a chance, go see this quirky little horror flick. Click here to find out when it’s coming to a theater near you.

drumroll please…

I would like to hereby announce the upcoming publication of Break by the absolutely amazing debut author Hannah Awesomesauce Moskowitz.

Jonah is on a mission to break every bone in his body. Everyone knows that broken bones grow back stronger than they were before, and Jonah wants to be stronger—needs to be stronger—because everything around him is falling apart. Breaking, and then healing, is Jonah’s only way to cope with the stresses of home, girls, and the world on his shoulders. This is the story of his self-destructive spiral, his rock-bottom moment, and how he finally learns to accept help and find true strength through recovery.

The book doesn’t “officially” come out until Tuesday, but it’s available now at Barnes and Noble, amazon, and other fine booksellers near you. And if it’s not, you should request they order it, and then you should buy it. It’s so good. I mean, let’s just start at the beginning, shall we:

The first feeling is exhilaration.

My arms hit the ground. The sound is like a mallet against a crab.

Pure fucking exhilaration.

How can you not want to read a book that starts like that?

Don’t just take my word for it. Hannah’s getting awesome reviews left and right. So get thyself to a bookstore.

a how-to video that will change your life

no really would I lie to you?

what

Possibly the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Ukraine obviously has more talent than we do.

(thanks to the baby brother for this)

Sense and Sensibility and…

So um yeah. You may recall that I was pretty excited about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the recent(ish) mash-up of two of my favorite things: Jane Austen and zombies. I bought it but haven’t read it yet (it’s glaring at me from here); I remember finding the first page a bit clunky, which turned it from a “read immediately” book to a “get around to it eventually” book.

Which is a shame, because I really like the new Jane Austen mash-up genre, in theory.

Which is good, because Quirk Books is publishing another one:

The next big thing?