Ten Thoughts on "A Dance With Dragons"

(because an actual review would just be scattershot and hard to follow)

by Rachael Nisenkier

10. It turns out I really like the actual kingdom of Westeros. One of my problems with this installment was that most of the action was set in the southron kingdoms, like Meereen and Bravos, and that I wasn’t all that invested in the outcomes there.

9. God I missed Sansa. Who would have thought, back in book 1 when she was just a whiny spoiled rich girl, that she would become one of my favorite characters?

8. And speaking of surprising favorite characters, I love Theon Greyjoy. Not since Jamie went from incestuous kingslayer to charming defender of the Maid of Tarth has my opinion of a character so completely flipflopped.

7. Although I liked the book, I think it suffered even more than Feast for Crows by only having half the story. I’m looking forward to having all the action back together in the next book, whenever that comes out.

6. It was nice having Tyrion back, but the entire book kind of felt like it had a “How Tyrion Got His Groove Back” vibe, after the decimation of everything that led to him pulling out that crossbow on Tywin.

HERE BE SPOILERS

Adaptation Alert: Hunger Games

by Rachael Nisenkier

Oh hey, new images of Peeta and Gale from the upcoming Hunger Games adaptation. I, personally, love them. I stand by my (cautious) belief that the seemingly look-blind casting approach that led to a naturally blond Katniss, dark haired Peeta, and Viking God-related Gale will lead to a movie cast with actors who actually can behave like their parts. What do you think?

More at Ew.com

The Help

by Rachael Nisenkier

I am happy to admit I indulge in the time-honored tradition of hurrying to read a book before a movie comes out. I’d like to think that I DON’T do this just so I can sound smart and say things like, “Well, yes the movie portrays her angst in a very visual way, but it loses the book's subtlety in representing her ennui” (which, is, for the record, what I imagine to be a stupid thing to say about a book-turned-movie). I’d like to think that I do this because I love stories, and prefer to visualize them in my own head before I see them on screen. But it’s possible I’m just kind of a tool.

Anyway, in anticipation of the new Emma Stone vehicle that had me tearing up every time I saw the trailer, I decided to read The Help. I’m a sucker for southern-fried racism stories, and enjoy a good "plucky women overcome stereotypes" yarn. So, in my summer-induced boredom, I plunked my behind down in the middle of Barnes and Noble and started reading.

Six hours later (yes, I sat on the floor of a Barnes and Noble for six hours, I don’t have a real job-screw you), I closed the book. In a summer filled with epic fantasy, this simple tale of three different women figuring out the central thesis that underneath our skin color we’re all just people had me epically gripped.