.: so comes snow after fire :.

After an appallingly long break, the Reading Bingo is finally back!



For the "A Book Published This Year" square, I went for Jim Butcher's 15th book in the Dresden Files series, Skin Game, which was released two days ago. The Dresden Files are a great series of books about a detective in Chicago who's also a wizard. They are the perfect marriage of detective stories (the gritty dark settings, the weird sense of humour) and urban fantasy at its best (vampires, angels, wizards, fairies). I read the first one on holiday in Greece three years ago, and I was hooked from the start. Harry Dresden is a compelling character: he's witty and funny and has gone through some pretty shitty stuff, but he always keeps fighting the good fight. His nerd knowledge is really out of date, and he loves quoting obscure movies at villains at the most inappropriate times. Most of the time when I'm reading a Dresden Files book I have to read aloud my favourite lines, and giggle like a lunatic. :D

The urban fantasy part is perfect. What I love most about these stories is that there are rules, and they can't be broken. Fae can't lie. Blood will help evil creatures to track you. Guests are sacred. Most of the rules come from folklore, and they're never ignored. Most of the time in urban fantasy literature magic seems to mean "everything is possible", and I love how Jim Butcher treats it like science, like something that exists and needs rules like everything else.

The plot twists are also amazing, but they never come out of nowhere. They made me scream in shock most times, but they were always hinted at at the beginning of the book, and they always made sense. Plus Harry is rarely the one who defeats the evil creature, and he always needs to rely on the help of his friends, on teamwork. Another one of my favourite things!

And the female characters are all awesome, realistic characters, with motivations and personal stories, and they're all different. There's not a Strong Female Character (TM) to fill the quota, but there are many different characters, good and bad, who have their own reasons to act, and their own plans.

About Skin Game, without going into spoilery territory, I loved it. It focused on the Knights of the Blackened Denarius, the Knights of the Cross, and on a few main characters (Michael, Karrin, Nicodemus), and since it's my current favourite storyline (that and the Winter Court), I was ecstatic. Although there was no Thomas and very little Molly, which was a pity. I devoured it in a few hours, and now I'm seriously considering re-reading the whole series while waiting for the next one. I have a Reading Bingo and a reading challenge on Goodreads, I can't! Stop me, I'm weak!

My aunt left this morning, but I'll visit her for the holidays, so it's a short wait this time. Still, it feels quite lonely now. Yesterday has been quite the eventful day, and the first true day of winter too. I could finally put away the lighter jackets and got the winter coat out, while Sakura started spending the whole day sleeping next to the radiator. That's her main activity during the winter.



Look what finally arrived! I was planning on having a The Hour marathon, to cheer me up and all, but I had completely forgotten about the new Dresden Files book, so goodbye plans for this evening because I have to skip sleep and know how Harry Dresden is doing. Who needs sleep anyway?

It looks like I defeated the stupid bug. That gave me more or less ten hours of good health, and then my period kicked in. I called my aunt complaining about it, and she laughed the whole time. I swear it's not so funny when you spent the last four days fighting cramps and are about to spend the same amount of time fighting cramps. Again. This will be reflected in her birthday gift, oh yes.

Just before going to bed yesterday I took some painkillers I bought in Greece: one pill is worth three pills of the same medicine here in Italy. The cramps went away in about an hour, and I had the weirdest nightmares ever, and woke up in the middle of the night and paced up and down the room for at least fifteen minutes and I have no freaking idea why. God, never again.

[/whining] I finished reading the Dresden Files, as in, I just finished sobbing my eyes out and screaming like a little girl because of Ghost Story. The best thing about this series is that it started as "wow, this is about a detective who's a wizard? That's so cool!" and now it's "oh my god, here, have my firstborn and my soul, this is the best series ever!!!". It's *that* good. And Ghost Story was so perfect, I have no words. It's such a wonderful thing when a book is so good you stop midsentence to argue out loud with the characters, swear, scream in fear, laugh and re-read the whole paragraph out loud and laugh some more, or sob like a little girl. You, Jim Butcher, are a genius. I need the next book like oxygen.

First, real life update. Yesterday I did a liver ultrasonography. Two years ago we found out I had completely benign angiomas, and so I had to check if they're still there, still the same. In other words, I got freckles in my liver. Anyway, everything's fine. It's my favourite kind of exam because it's quick, you keep your clothes on, and it's completely painless.

The bad part was there was a demonstration on the road to get there, because a factory there is going to fire two hundred people next month. The buses couldn't go through, so we had to get out and take the train. It was 8 am, and there were hundreds of people at the railway station, it was nuts. I managed to jump on a train, and had to run all the way to the hospital. When I got there the nurse was shocked, and asked me how on earth I had done it, since three patients had already called to tell them the roads to Venice were blocked. Then another nurse heard us and she came to ask me about the trains because her mom was still at the railway station and she had just called to tell her the trains weren't moving. I was this close to say "You got me, my mutant power is flying." This close.

Anyway, did my exam, had breakfast at the bar, and then walked back. The trains were going again, even if the timetable was completely messed up. I jumped on the first one I saw, took that five-minute ride, and then walked home from the station. More than 40 minutes by feet. I was lucky it was a very warm day, so it wasn't unpleasant. Yet today my muscles are all cramping. XD

Then in the afternoon I went to the cinema to watch Jane Eyre. First of all, that was my sister's favourite book, so you can imagine how crazy I am about that book, about every scene and detail. Even so, I *loved* the movie. It's the first one where they finally manage to capture the essence of the main character, her complexity. Mia Wasikowska was amazing. I knew her from Alice in Wonderland, but I wasn't expecting her to be so good. If the entire movie had been her talking, I wouldn't have minded it at all. Left me speechless. Michael Fassbender was pure perfection too, but it wasn't a surprise or anything. So, so good. When he cried, I was sobbing my eyes out, and I already knew everything, and how it was going to end, and yet I was crying like a baby because of him. He's such a terrific actor.

Only thing I didn't like, and mind you, it's a tiny detail, it's how they rushed the ending. I would have liked a couple more scenes there. But anyway. Another thing I noticed, I liked all the secondary characters here more than in the book. In the book everyone is just a bit meaner. Even the little girl, I found her annoying in the book, while she was adorable here.

Long story short, I must get the dvd. Or the bluray. God, I hope there's a bluray.

Today I watched Super 8. I'm not going to write any spoilers here, don't worry. The weird thing is, it took me half an hour to figure out it was set in 1979. I don't know why, I was sure it was 1995 or something. No, the super 8 didn't give it away, I thought they were going for a classic look or whatever. XD

The weirdest thing, anyway, was that they sold it like a big sci-fi film, and yes, it is, but what I liked about it was the kids. I wasn't interested that much in the big mystery, I was worried about Joe and his dad, and what happened to Alice's mom, and if they would have finished their little movie. Yes, it's a good movie, but seen once I don't think I'm going to see it again. It's cute, I liked the sci-fi storyline, the ending, and the fact that it was two hours of homages to the movies I grew up with (The Goonies, E.T. and so on), but let's face it, if I want that kind of story, I'll just go and watch The Goonies again.

That's two movies off my to-see list, only 86 left. Yay! :D And I still have two Dresden Files books left to read. And a gazillion comics and manga volumes stashed everywhere because of Harry Dresden, and because I bought the latest Percy Jackson book and it was awesome beyond words and so it cut in at the front of the line.

Tomorrow I have another medical exam, but since it's at half past noon I hope there won't be any roadblocks and everyone will be having lunch. Once a week is enough for me, thanks. ^^"

First, real life update. Yesterday I did a liver ultrasonography. Two years ago we found out I had completely benign angiomas, and so I had to check if they're still there, still the same. In other words, I got freckles in my liver. Anyway, everything's fine. It's my favourite kind of exam because it's quick, you keep your clothes on, and it's completely painless.

The bad part was there was a demonstration on the road to get there, because a factory there is going to fire two hundred people next month. The buses couldn't go through, so we had to get out and take the train. It was 8 am, and there were hundreds of people at the railway station, it was nuts. I managed to jump on a train, and had to run all the way to the hospital. When I got there the nurse was shocked, and asked me how on earth I had done it, since three patients had already called to tell them the roads to Venice were blocked. Then another nurse heard us and she came to ask me about the trains because her mom was still at the railway station and she had just called to tell her the trains weren't moving. I was this close to say "You got me, my mutant power is flying." This close.

Anyway, did my exam, had breakfast at the bar, and then walked back. The trains were going again, even if the timetable was completely messed up. I jumped on the first one I saw, took that five-minute ride, and then walked home from the station. More than 40 minutes by feet. I was lucky it was a very warm day, so it wasn't unpleasant. Yet today my muscles are all cramping. XD

Then in the afternoon I went to the cinema to watch Jane Eyre. First of all, that was my sister's favourite book, so you can imagine how crazy I am about that book, about every scene and detail. Even so, I *loved* the movie. It's the first one where they finally manage to capture the essence of the main character, her complexity. Mia Wasikowska was amazing. I knew her from Alice in Wonderland, but I wasn't expecting her to be so good. If the entire movie had been her talking, I wouldn't have minded it at all. Left me speechless. Michael Fassbender was pure perfection too, but it wasn't a surprise or anything. So, so good. When he cried, I was sobbing my eyes out, and I already knew everything, and how it was going to end, and yet I was crying like a baby because of him. He's such a terrific actor.

Only thing I didn't like, and mind you, it's a tiny detail, it's how they rushed the ending. I would have liked a couple more scenes there. But anyway. Another thing I noticed, I liked all the secondary characters here more than in the book. In the book everyone is just a bit meaner. Even the little girl, I found her annoying in the book, while she was adorable here.

Long story short, I must get the dvd. Or the bluray. God, I hope there's a bluray.

Today I watched Super 8. I'm not going to write any spoilers here, don't worry. The weird thing is, it took me half an hour to figure out it was set in 1979. I don't know why, I was sure it was 1995 or something. No, the super 8 didn't give it away, I thought they were going for a classic look or whatever. XD

The weirdest thing, anyway, was that they sold it like a big sci-fi film, and yes, it is, but what I liked about it was the kids. I wasn't interested that much in the big mystery, I was worried about Joe and his dad, and what happened to Alice's mom, and if they would have finished their little movie. Yes, it's a good movie, but seen once I don't think I'm going to see it again. It's cute, I liked the sci-fi storyline, the ending, and the fact that it was two hours of homages to the movies I grew up with (The Goonies, E.T. and so on), but let's face it, if I want that kind of story, I'll just go and watch The Goonies again.

That's two movies off my to-see list, only 86 left. Yay! :D And I still have two Dresden Files books left to read. And a gazillion comics and manga volumes stashed everywhere because of Harry Dresden, and because I bought the latest Percy Jackson book and it was awesome beyond words and so it cut in at the front of the line.

Tomorrow I have another medical exam, but since it's at half past noon I hope there won't be any roadblocks and everyone will be having lunch. Once a week is enough for me, thanks. ^^"

First things first, thanks to all of you for the birthday greetings, you're all amazing and you brighten up my day and my inbox. Love you, guys! :******

day one • a song
day two • a picture
day three • a book/ebook/fanfic
day four • a website
day five • a youtube clip
day six • a quote
day seven • whatever tickles your fancy

A book? Go and read everything Jim Butcher wrote. That's what I'm doing lately, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Fanfics, fanfics, where do I start? I have so many bookmarked, and I need to make a rec post sooner or later. Anyway, if I have to choose just the one, it'll be this one:

The Poster Girl by stardust_made. It's a Sherlock case fic, and it's awesome. Wonderfully complex and realistic, it's all about deducing and investigating, and the characterizations are perfect. It's the best way to survive the long wait for new episodes, with a brand new case that's so perfectly written you'll find it hard to believe it isn't the real deal.

Now back to drinking my soya milk. It took me a lot to get used to the taste, but it's the only safe way I can introduce calcium in my body, and I really don't want to break a hip because I couldn't drink milk. ^^

I love Etsy! It takes more than a month, but it deliveres such wonderful things as this necklace:



Inception was my first real fandom. It was the first time I joined communities, read fanfics on my own (as in before I only read a few fics recced by close friends), watched tons of videos, downloaded fanmixes. Being such a wonderful fandom, it gave me the right push and I dived into the Sherlock fandom. And now the X-Men First Class fandom, with tumblr and the dozens of writers I follow religiously, and all the new artists I discovered thanks to all those Charles/Erik fanmixes. So it's all thanks to these two guys, the Point Man and the Forger, and now I can show my love to everyone. :D

(I'm still frightened to death by the Supernatural fandom. It's my favourite show and everything, but the fans are crazy.)

On an unrelated note, The Dresden Files books are amazing. I'm at the fifth book, and I can't stop reading, it's intoxicating.

I love Etsy! It takes more than a month, but it deliveres such wonderful things as this necklace:



Inception was my first real fandom. It was the first time I joined communities, read fanfics on my own (as in before I only read a few fics recced by close friends), watched tons of videos, downloaded fanmixes. Being such a wonderful fandom, it gave me the right push and I dived into the Sherlock fandom. And now the X-Men First Class fandom, with tumblr and the dozens of writers I follow religiously, and all the new artists I discovered thanks to all those Charles/Erik fanmixes. So it's all thanks to these two guys, the Point Man and the Forger, and now I can show my love to everyone. :D

(I'm still frightened to death by the Supernatural fandom. It's my favourite show and everything, but the fans are crazy.)

On an unrelated note, The Dresden Files books are amazing. I'm at the fifth book, and I can't stop reading, it's intoxicating.

Guess whose to-read list just got insanely long? Yep, mine.



Those are all the Dresden Files books I could find on Amazon. So let's add them to the Game of Thrones books on my nightstand, sitting near the X-Men comics (I just started the Messiah Complex volume, and Layla Miller is back and a badass, I love this verse so much), The Once and Future King, Stranger In Strange Land, and a bunch of other books on the living room table because I need new bookshelves. Yet, I regret nothing.

Not to mention, The Vampire Diaries second boxset. Can't wait to see the gag reel, and then start a VD marathon because September is almost here, and I have to be ready!

Speaking of which, 24 hours until the Doctor is back, and Rory gets to punch Hitler. \o/

The problem with me and travelling is always one and the same. It takes me a few minutes to get used to a new bed, different timezone, different food, but it takes me days when I get back home. I've been here four days and I still get hungry one hour earlier than usual, get sleepy early in the evening, and I have cramps in my legs because I walked miles everyday back in Greece and now I'm back to my usual sedentary lifestyle. My body makes no sense.

ANYWAY! I still have to check all the fics that were uploaded by my favourite writers when I was away, because you guys are so amazing and prolific but a day only has 24 hours and I need sleep too.

My aunt went back home and I slept at Tati's yesterday, so today is the first day in almost two months I'm alone at home for the evening. It's weird, having the house all to myself again. I feel like watching The Doctor's Wife in the dining room, just 'cause. :D

While I was at Rhodes I read the first book of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Storm Front, and I loved it so much today I ordered the rest of the series on Amazon. It's just my kind of story, a realistic take on wizards, a private detective, magic duels, loved it.