“My life hurts…sometimes.”

This is actually my favorite quote not because it’s me who says it but because of the reaction I get from everyone when I say it. It’s highly entertaining. For example, my friend Megan just stares at me and says, “I don’t know how to react to that!” in this horrified voice. She does it every single time I speak those words. It’s awesome.

I actually think I might get a tattoo that says that on my ankle, just for kicks.

And besides, I’ve found that when my life turns to utter crap, which is recently has for a reason I will most likely post a serious blog entry about at a later date when it hurts less, I find that it does feel like my actual life is hurting. So the quote is fitting, both it entertain me and to express a difficult moment.

I knew Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton could go in two directions: pretty good or terrible. I had read in most other reviews for the Anita Blake series that after the last book, The Killing Dance, that the books devolve into bad plots and total smut. Well, that apparently doesn’t apply to Burnt Offerings, because this actually had the best plot since The Lunatic Cafe as far as I was concerned.

Firstly, let us talk about Anita Blake herself. I was pleasantly surprised by her in this book. She had started to piss me off in a grand way with her inability to think properly and her total hypocrisy. In Burnt Offerings she actually has real personality beyond being a stupid bitch, which is how she was in the past three books or so. I actually liked her in this book. This made me very happy.

As for the ‘hunky men’ that live in Blake’s world, I’m still half-in love with most of them. I like Jean-Claude, though I do think that Hamilton tries to make him appear too perfect. The problem with a character being ‘perfect’ is that it usually makes them out to be a flat, boring person with flowery speech. Though, his reaction to Blake eating food kind of makes up for that. (That and the total gay love happening between him and Asher.) Richard is back in this book, which made me very happy because I absolutely adore him. It’s so wonderful to see a guy in this book series that doesn’t follow Blake around like a puppy dog and actually calls her on her bullshit. And he’s not perfect at all, which makes me like him all the more. I like the slightly messed up ones, what can I say?

Which is why I have a feeling I’m going to adore all of the wereleopards in this series. Nathaniel and Zane are both just adorable. I swear, between those two and Jason and Stephen this book series has the adorable boy section covered.

Now then, how about plot elements? I liked the pyrokinetic plot-line, but I felt that it was barely touched upon and then conveniently fixed at the end. The Council was awesome, though extremely cheesy. One moment they had class and realistically evil motives and the next they looked like bad guys from a really bad horror flick. Hamilton really needs to work on character consistency.

She also needs to work on not using rape as a plot device in every single book! Okay, this book actually had a good excuse to use rape as a device in one instance—i.e. Sylvie, who I have the hugest crush on by the way—but Hamilton once again amazes her readers by taking a moment of rape with Sylvie and making Sylvie’s pain real, then utilizing the concept of rape so often for the rest of the book that it loosing its effect and meaning. While I could understand her making this mistake once, I cannot for the life of me understand why Hamilton has made such a point to use rape in nearly every book of this series. Rape is not a toy to use every time you feel there isn’t enough ‘sexual excitement’ in your book! Except, apparently, in Hamilton’s world.

Overall, this was a pretty good book. It had some bad parts to it, but it was good enough that I will continue forward and read the next book.

I’m a bit of bibliophile, so picking a favorite book is a lot harder than it looks. However, I have had one book stand out above all others, which I read in ninth grade. The Book of Night with Moon by Diane Duane is one of the best fantasy novels I’ve ever read, and as someone who almost exclusively reads fantasy that’s saying a lot.

It all comes down to cats. Yes, that’s right, cats. I love cats. I have an awesome cat named Rian that I have even created a shine for on this site. Yeah, I’m that much of a pet owner nerd. Nonetheless, I love cats. So, not only does this book deliver with an amazing cast of characters who all happen to be of the feline nature, but it also makes those cats wizards. How awesome is that? Cats should always be allowed to do magic—though I suspect they already do, considering some of the stuff my cat gets up to.

If you won’t read the book for the cats then you can at least read it for the amazing story building. Duane has not only created a believable world where cats can be wizards, but she also has developed a cat language that feels real and a cat religious system.

Now, if only I can find my copy of The Book of Night with Moon so I can re-read it. Because not knowing where it is makes me a very sad individual.

I have to admit that I don’t really watch television anymore, mostly because some of my favorite television shows are no longer airing. One of these shows and the best by far is Stargate: Atlantis. I loved the movie Stargate and the show Stargate: SG-1, but Atlantis was the one I watched religiously and the one I am now making an effort to own on DVD.

There is so much to this show I could babble on and on about in order to explain just why I love this show, but in the end it comes down to a few select things: multi-cultural expedition, Rodney McKay, Wraith, and did I mention Rodney McKay?

This man some how manages to incorporate all of the best things and annoying things a character can have, while making it work. How often does that happen? McKay is arrogant, terrible with people, a hypochondriac, and afraid of practically everything except his own brain. At the same time he remains the bravest character in the show and always manages to do what he can to protect those around him, even though it takes a lot of hilarious complaining in order for it to happen. That’s another thing: his funny. He’s just a joy to watch!

And it does help that David Hewlett is simply an amazing actor.

Also, who doesn’t love a show that has a bad guy that can suck the life out of you through their hand?

I’m just pissed that they ended this show when they did. There could have been so much more to this series. Being in another galaxy? That could have opened so many doors in character and story development. But, no, they had to end it so they could start Stargate: Universe, generally agreed upon by Stargate fans to be the worst thing in the world. I watch that show if I want to fall asleep. It has nothing on the rest of the Stargate franchise. Hell, as far as I’m concerned there is no such thing as Stargate if it doesn’t have Daniel Jackson or Rodney McKay in it.

And that’s how Jo sees it.

Okay, I give; I’m a Joss Whedon fan. Or at least I was. I used to be a big Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan until the last two seasons (which I won’t go into, as that’s a whole rant by itself), but his greatest creation as far as I’m concerned is Firefly. Which means, almost naturally, that my favorite movie is Serenity. Though, The Dark Knight and The Lion King comes in close behind.

Why do I like Serenity? There are a lot of reasons to put down for that one and I’m not entirely sure I could list them all. This movie brings out a wonderful melding of snarky wit and western/sci-fi fused action. One moment you’re chuckling over Jayne (a strapping, massive kind of fellow) getting beat up by a tiny teenage girl and the next you’re realizing that if you lived in space, you’d have nightmares about Reavers as well.

I’ll admit that I’ve got favorite characters in this film that makes the movie for me. MY most loved character is Dr. Simon Tam, who has an Asian last name but is clearly white (oh, Hollywood, and your race casting – again, another topic). Simon is just perfect in his creation. I honestly believe that he’s the best developed character, aside from Mal, because there are so many layers to him. He’s prim and proper, but at the same time willing to get dirty in order to protect the number one thing in his life: his sister.

Which, I give this movie – and essentially the television show – props for having. Most shows go for the romantic relationship to keep you entangled. Sure, Serenity has a little bit of that with Mal/Inara tension and Wash/Zoe marital love, but the purest relationship and the one that keeps you wanting more is the brother/sister love between Simon and River. I’ve never seen a sibling love pushed to this point of unconditional loyalty before, except perhaps Sam and Dean on Supernatural.

Another thing that I love about this movie is that the characters mesh so well together and, really, that is what makes the plot worth getting into. You can tell these people consider each other friends in real life. That sort of caring shows in their acting. And in bloopers:

As for the plot, well, I like the underlying commentary of the government’s role in controlling the population for ‘their own good’. I think that you really don’t get as much out of this movie without having seen the television series, though. The plot and meaning behind so much of what is going on, such as River’s behavior and Mal and Inara’s relationship tension, is really lost without that background. But I’ve seen the show five times over thanks to owning the DVDs, so I never had that problem.