Book Awards and Updates

Both the Goodreads and Epic Reads annual book awards are happening right now. I voted for The Young Elites in the Science Fiction and Fantasy category and The Iron Trial in the Children's category on Goodreads. I haven't read any contemporary fiction published this year so I can't vote in that category. What can I say? I've been a fantasy mood. For the past six months. I nominated several books in the Epic Reads Book Shimmy Awards including:

• Clariel (which I haven't read yet, but I know it's going to be awesome)
• Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Which I am currently reading)
• The Young Elites
• City of Heavenly Fire
• Ruin and Rising
• Cress

Anyway, I am probably going to do my own book awards for no reason other than that I like talking to myself.

In other news, I have been watching Elementary and How to Get Away with Murder which are both awesome. I want to watch Orphan Black and Teen Wolf.

I finished reading The Young Elites which I really enjoyed. It is my favourite book that I have read so far published in 2014, but Clariel might top it. I read Crown of Midnight (the second book in the Throne of Glass series) and Unravel me (the second book in the Shatter Me series). Both sequels were much better than the first books in the series'. I am currently reading Blue Lily, Lily Blue, the third book in the Raven Cycle.

Female Character Edits

Top Ten Female Characters:

Top Six F/F Ships/Friendships:

Top Six Female Characters who are Unfairly Hated

Top Six Female Antagonists:

Top Eight Female Characters with the Best Character Growth:

Top Four Mother Characters:

Top Six Female Warriors:

Top Six Female Non-Warriors:

Top Six Female Hufflepuffs:

Top Six Female Slytherins:

Top Six Female Ravenclaws:

Top Six Female Gryffindors:

Top Eight Main Female Characters:

Top Eight Supporting Female Characters:

Top Six Non-White Female Characters:

Top Six Queer Female Characters (Canon and Not Canon):

Doctor Who Series 8: Death in Heaven

SPOILERS!!!!! Read at your own risk.

I did really enjoy this episode, but I was honestly a little bit disappointed. It just wasn't as good as some other Doctor Who finales. Maybe I thought it would be like my two favourite episodes of all time (Utopia/ The Sound of Drums/ Last of the Time Lords and The End of Time) which both had the Master. It was quite as good as those two episodes.

But, seriously, Michelle Gomez is awesome. She's totally not the reason I didn't like this finale as much as some of the others. I may even like her more than John Simm. In Doctor Who extra Steven Moffat basically said that Missy isn't dead and we should expect her to come back which is really exciting and I can't wait.

The main reason I didn't like the episode as much as some others was that the timing seemed a bit off. This seemed to be a big problem in the whole series.

I am really sad that Danny is gone for good. I really loved him. This episode did make me cry, and not many have actually done that, so there's that.

As for Clara, I believe she is going to be in the Christmas special. That may, however, be her last episode, which would make me really sad since she is my favourite companion. Some people have been saying that they want the next companion to be male, but I don't. I always like shows better when there are main characters of multiple genders. I just hope the next companion is awesome.

The Doctor was great in this episode. I love how he answered "Am I a good man?" I wonder what his catchphrase is. At this time it seems like it could be "Shut up." One question: Has Doctor Who been hinting that there will be a female Doctor after Peter Capaldi regenerates? It really seems like it. We got a female Master, and Clara keeps impersonating the Doctor (I really love her impersonation in this episode, by the way). I would be both really excited and really worried if there was a female Doctor. I would be excited, because it could be really awesome. But I would also be worried. While I love Missy, her version of the Master flirts with the Doctor much more than John Simm's version did. I'm worried that a female Doctor would be done in such a way that people think of her as a female version of the Doctor instead of just one regeneration of the Doctor. I'm worried that if the Doctor became female she would start falling in love with men. I do believe that the Doctor is bisexual, but he has fallen for women in the past way more than for men. If he became a woman, I have this sinking suspicion that she would suddenly fall in love with a male companion.

Anyway, here is my updated list of favourite episodes in series 8:

1. Dark Water/ Death in Heaven
2. Listen
3. Deep Breath
4. Flatline
5. Into the Dalek
6. Kill the Moon 
7. In the Forest of the Night
8. Mummy on the Orient Express
9. The Caretaker
10. Robot of Sherwood
11. Time Heist

The next episode is the Christmas special and it isn't that far away. I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas specials in general, though there are some large exceptions to this rule. I'm still excited, though. I hope that nothing bad happens to Clara. She deserves to be happy.

"Strong" Female Characters

I dislike the term "strong female character" because it makes it sound as if female characters should always be physically strong and stereotypically "male". Some people hear the term "strong female character" and they write a female character who can shoot a gun and punches guys in the face. The term really means a complex and interesting female character.

In my opinion, female characters should be treated in the same way as male characters. They should all be unique. Some can be physically strong, some can be physically weak. Some can be stereotypically "male", some can be stereotypically "female".

Every Fairytale Needs a Good Old-Fashioned Villain

Doctor Who Series 8: Dark Water

SPOILERS!!!!! Read at your own risk. Really. You do not want to get spoiled for this episode.

Wow! This episode was amazing. I can not wait a week for the second part. I was really, really hoping that Missy would be the Master but I thought I wouldn't get lucky. I did!!! I'm so excited about that. I unfortunately saw a spoiler about itbefore I watched the episode. I always see spoilers. 

The idea for the episode is really odd and it actually legitimately scared me. By "the idea" I mean the thing about what happens after a person dies. I wonder what Missy is trying to accomplish with the cybermen.

I was really surprised about Danny dying randomly in the beginning of the episode like that. I guess it was supposed to be surprising. I wonder if he's going to come back.

Then there was Clara and the Doctor. Most people are annoyed at Clara right now, and I am honestly a bit annoyed at her too. I wonder if there was something more going on in the volcano scene, though. The reason I say that is because of one line from the next time trailer: "I'm not Clara Oswald. Clara Oswald has never existed." I have no idea what that means. And then of course there is what Missy said at the end of In the Forest of the Night. "Clara. My Clara. I have chosen well." We had the big Missy/Master reveal in this episode, but there is something else coming. Something that has to do with Clara.

My theories on Clara? I have no idea. Seriously, I have no clue. Is she some kind of robot? A human version of the Master? I have no idea. Somehow, Missy chose Clara. Why and for what I have no idea. I guess we'll just have to wait a week.

The next episode is Death in Heaven. What is going on with Clara? What is going on with Danny? What is going on with Missy? What is going on???

How to Get Away with Murder (and Other Updates)

My friend told me to watch the TV show How to Get Away with Murder, and at first I wasn't especially interested because it's not the kind of thing I normally watch. But I've watched the five episodes that are out so far and I really like it. I think the story is told in a really interesting way. So, new TV show.

I finished watching series 1 of Elementary. I really enjoyed it, especially the last episode. I'm going to start series 2 today. Series 3 actually comes out in a few days which I'm really excited about. I won't be seeing that for a while, though.

I read the second book in the Falling Kingdoms series. I liked it even more than the first one. This series is one of my favourite epic fantasies.

I read the Revenge of Seven, the fifth book in the Lorien Legacies. I read all the other books a year ago, so I was worried I wouldn't enjoy this book because I wouldn't remember anything, but I actually had a great time reading it. The fourth book was kind of a disappointment for me, but the fifth book makes up for it.

I finished The Perilous Sea, the second book in the Elemental Trilogy. I was very impressed by it, mostly because of the unique way the plot was set up. I liked it more than the first book.

Right now I am reading The Young Elites by the author of the Legend trilogy. I am really enjoying it, in fact, I like it more than Legend. Next I'm going to be reading The Crown of Midnight and Unravel Me.

I went to two author events this month. One was with Veronica Roth and Tahereh Mafi. It was cool, but the place was really crowded, and some people got there at 4 in the morning. I bought signed copies of Four: A Divergent Collection and Unravel Me. The other was with Marie Lu. I really enjoyed it. I got Legend and The Young Elites signed.