the friday5 for March 28, 2014

There is a lot of big news this week so I had to prioritize and cut a few things I would have loved to talk about (but may be able to include in a future Friday5) so if there's something happening that you're excited about this week, please leave it in the comments! I hate having to pick and choose on a good news week.

1. Veronica Mars. Yes, again. I had to put this one in because I haven't had a chance to write a reaction to the film now that I've seen it. Twice. And yes, it was equally awesome both times. I loved it. I do think it is more appealing to fans of the show than a general movie audience, but that's why everyone should just watch the show and then see the movie! I am thrilled that it did so well considering how few theaters it was in and I don't even know what the digital results have been. This Kickstarter Backer is extremely satisfied. The movie was pitch-perfect with the VM snark, humor, romance and cameos the fans have come to know and love. I relished every minute of it, and I'm so happy that I also have the digital download (and a blu-ray on the way) so that I can watch whenever I feel like it. Sequels please!!

2. Veruca Salt is reuniting and it feels so good. This news is a few weeks old, but again, I haven't had a chance to report on it. Veruca Salt has been one of my top ten bands since I first became a fan back in high school. It's spiteful chick rock done oh so right and I can't tell you how many times I've listened to American Thighs and Eight Arms to Hold You. The prospect of two new tracks has me so very excited and I can't wait to listen.

3. What is up with the all big March finales? I remember a time when TV event style finales all aired in May, but with season lengths varying and the way seasons are released shifting (like with PLL), being aware of when a show's final episode for the season is airing has almost become a full time job. For example, I watched the final episodes of both Girls and Brooklyn 99 this week without realizing I was watching finales until after they were over. Was this public knowledge somewhere? At least I know that both the season finale for The Walking Dead and the SERIES finale for How I Met Your Mother are just around the corner. So I guess this means finale season is officially underway. What are you most looking forward to?

4. Louis CK is hosting SNL again. I am not an avid viewer of SNL, but Louis CK hosting is all the excuse I need to tune in. Like most episodes of the sketch comedy show, there were hits and misses the last time CK hosted, but the hits were glorious and I'm really hoping they learned from past mistakes. And his monologue is bound to bring the LOLs. Yes, I just said that.

5. This week's pick for Noteworthy YA (and my final Veronica Mars recommendation for the day) is The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, which is out this week by show creator Rob Thomas and co-author Jennifer Graham. This book is an all-new (not a movie tie-in) continuation of the canon VM universe post-movie, co-authored by the same man who first brought Veronica to life on the small--and then big--screen, AND for the full Veronica Mars effect, I just found out that the audiobook is narrated by Kristen Bell. Seriously, it doesn't get better than that.

From Rob Thomas, the creator of the television series and movie phenomenon Veronica Mars, comes the first book in a thrilling mystery series that picks up where the feature film left off.

Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She’s traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.

Now it’s spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is no simple missing person’s case; the house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica’s past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined.

In Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas has created a groundbreaking female detective who’s part Phillip Marlowe, part Nancy Drew, and all snark. With its sharp plot and clever twists, The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line will keep you guessing until the very last page.
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

I only just received the email from Amazon that my copy has shipped so I don't have it in my eager little hands yet, but I might just go ahead and download the audiobook as well because as much as I'm happy to have a physical copy on my shelf. I don't think I can pass up the chance to hear Kristen narrate Veronica and the gang for me. Like the film, this book probably isn't the best jumping in place for non-Veronica Mars fans, but if you're a Marshmallow already, you will want to check this out.

Happy weekend!

friday5 for May 3, 2013

1. It's May! This is exciting for several reasons. We finally have some spring weather (which is quickly sliding into summer weather, which, yeah, seems a little hasty, but I'll take it since it was snowing a few weeks ago). It's also season finale time (and series finale time in some cases). There are some shows that I'm just not ready to see go (Like Community. Maybe. I'm not sure if there's been official official word yet) and there are others that I've watched over the years and am ready for their big send-off (like The Office, which I enjoy, but it really is time). Which season/series finales are you most looking forward to? Nothing that I've seen air so far has shocked me. I'm waiting for that finale that everyone is talking about it... which one will it be?!

2. Okay, so I'm still processing this news. I need Hot Caleb in my life, PLLers. That's a fact. If this means he'll be on both shows, then I'm on board, but if it means a permanent move to a spin-off that might then be cancelled (and I don't even want to think about what this means for Haleb), then I'm concerned. I need more info before I can fully digest... Oh, Hot Caleb. Please don't leave my screen!

3. This is a short, but sweet bit of news to add to your calendar: Allegiant Cover Reveal. May 9th. You know you don't want to miss it.

4. Teaser teaser trailer time! (Yes, that's a teaser twice removed.) Ender's Game. Lots to be excited about here, even for such a short sneak peak. I think I need to re-read the book before this comes out! 

5. This week I'm taking a look at The Program by Suzanne Young. This book seems like a big departure from some of the lighter fare that Suzanne launched her career with, but there's a lot of buzz surrounding it and Suzanne is a talented author so I think it's one to check out:

I wonder if the yellow jumpsuits are optional... it's so not my colour.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them. (Summary from Goodreads.com)

This may come off sounding really shallow, but sometimes I'm too mentally exhausted to handle "issue books". I'm certain I'm not alone in feeling that way. Cancer, suicide, depression, family death, heavy sadness--they're important topics, but an issue book has to be really good to draw me in and keep me reading. Books like Thirteen Reasons Why, If I Stay, The Virgin Suicides, The Fault in Our Stars, etc. There are definitely issue books where the story and the message is well written enough that you can actually kind of embrace the sadness of it all and enjoy. Issue books can  also go horribly wrong. But let's not talk about those. Suzanne Young definitely has the writing skill to handle a book centered around the topics of suicide and depression. And I like the fact that it's an issue-driven book with a dystopian element--that's very intriguing. Most issue books are contemporary. I could very well end up not enjoying it, depending on how the issues are handled, but the dystopian element will likely help with that, and like I said, there's buzz around it, which makes me confident it's doing something right.

Happy weekend!