Quick note - Amazon Prime just $79 today

Heads up to all my loyal readers - You can sign up for Amazon Prime for just $79 today.  They're celebrating the launch of The Grand Tour.  But the offer is for today only, so if you're interested, don't put it off.

Thanks, as always, for reading my blog.  Stay tuned for more posts!

Me Before You - my thoughts after

I'm a bit late to the game, but I recently watched the hit movie, Me Before You, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Jojo Moyes.  It was as good as everyone said it was.

Although it involves a heavy and controversial topic, there are light-hearted and touching moments.  The stellar cast led by Emilia Clarke (of Game of Thrones fame) strike the right balance to give the audience an emotional and fulfilling experience.

Emilia Clarke's character, Louisa, has spent her whole life in a quaint town when she is let go from her latest job and finds herself in a new one, for which she has no experience - being the carer for a wealthy young man who was paralyzed in an accident.  Throughout her journey, there are plenty of highs and lows.  Make sure you have tissues ready because there are several tear-worthy moments.

It's not a movie to watch when you just want something light and brainless, but you should watch it at some time.  It's been years since I've seen a movie so moving.

Early books get the bookworm

I love a good story, and as amazing as TV and movies are these days, nothing beats the combination of a good book and your own imagination.  I'm lucky that I developed the habit of reading at a young age.  Children's books are the best - from those early baby books that had only a few words but lots of tactile elements like a dog that actually felt furry, to chapter book series with no pictures but plenty of cool adventures that inspired real life fun.

Having recently spent time with my little niece, I was reminded of the books that shaped my childhood and, well, me.

Bumble B. Bear Rides in the Car by Stephen Cosgrove and Charles Reasoner

This book was the first one I could read in its entirety all by myself.  It chronicles the steps this little bear goes through to get ready for a car ride.  I loved the pictures and seeing how his steps compared to my own.  After doing a quick search just now, I found that it's actually part of a series of books - Bumble B. Bear does more than just ride in a car!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

A classic.  An interesting story, illustrations that spark the imagination, and counting.  What more could you want?

Up From Jericho Tel by E.L. Konigsburg

This author may be better known for From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (also a great book, and made me wish I could live in a museum), but Up From Jericho Tel was my favorite.  It had a bit of magic and fantasy in it and a little more character development and celebration of individuality than other books I read at the time.  Of course, that's my analysis now.  At the time, I just loved the book.  No concrete reason why.

The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin

If I read one of these books today, I'd probably still find them interesting, and I'd still want to be a member of the club.  I loved all the series and spin-offs - the regular books, the super specials, the mysteries (although they scared me a little), and even the little sister series.  I used to secretly stay up at night to finish these books.  They're probably why my vision's so poor, but I have no regrets.

The more I type, the more I think of other books that I loved.  If I keep going, I don't think I could stop, so I'll leave the list here.  The point is, children's books are wonderful and the list of good ones is endless.  If there are any children in your life, make sure they get to experience the joy of them.

Alice's Tea Cup - fairytale food

One of the NYC restaurants I love is Alice's Tea Cup.  They have three locations, and each one is a cute little space decorated with fairy wings and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland-inspired art and knickknacks.  Even better than the magical environment is the delectable menu.  The tea selection is huge.  Breakfast/brunch entrees, sandwiches, and salads are all delicious.  And desserts and pastries are scrumptious.

Imagine my joy when I discovered they have a cookbook!  I tend not to buy many cookbooks because they usually have just one or two recipes I want and the rest are filler, but I want to make almost everything in the Alice's Tea Cup cookbook.  One of my favorite recipes in the book is for chocolate cake.  It always comes out moist and not overly sweet.  Here's a summary of the recipe:

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup hot brewed coffee

Sift together the dry ingredients.  Mix in the rest (except the coffee) with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Decrease the mixer to low speed and drizzle in the coffee until everything is blended.  The batter will be very liquidy.  Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350° F.

The book also has a recipe for vanilla buttercream frosting that you can put on the cake!  But this book isn't just full of desserts.  It also contains recipes for brunch, soups, salads, sandwiches, scones, tea concoctions, and party planning suggestions.  You can even learn how to tea-dye fabrics.

So if you're not in NYC, or you don't want to wait to get a table during their busy weekend brunch hours, get the Alice's Tea Cup cookbook and enjoy making and eating your own meal.  Who says tea parties are only for children?

A tale of The Writer's Tale

Lately, I haven't been posting as frequently as I'd like to on this blog.  I've been a bit busy with other things, and to be honest, when I don't have to be doing something else, I've been reading The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter.

I definitely wasn't planning to write another Doctor Who-themed post, but I've become slightly addicted to this book.  And season 9 of the show is starting tomorrow (!), so maybe I'll allow myself this indulgence?

The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter is a book that features email correspondence between Russell T. Davies, the Doctor Who showrunner for seasons 1-4 of the rebooted version, and journalist Ben Cook.  The correspondence takes place while RTD is writing and running season 4 of Doctor Who, and it gives very honest and candid insight into his writing process, what happens behind the scenes of a highly successful and much loved TV show, and the truth of how the show's stories and characters went from an idea to our TV screen.

For those of you not familiar with the TV show, I give a rough overview of it in my previous Doctor Who post.  I would recommend watching the show that was rebooted in 2005 (at least season 4) before reading this book, since it references those episodes, and it will allow you to get the most insight and enjoyment from reading it.  Also, there are spoilers about Doctor Who seasons 1-4 and another show, Torchwood in this book.  If you don't plan on watching the show but are interested in writing and TV show production, Amazon lets you "look inside" to see a bit of the book so you can decide if you'll enjoy it without being familiar with the show.

For anyone that has already seen the show and is a fan, you will love this book.  Did you know the 10th Doctor's last companion was almost going to be someone else?  You learn how it all changed. Some episodes were originally going to be completely different than what was aired, and some characters were going to be played by different actors.  You can read the early stages of scripts and ideas that were never brought to life.  For those that love gossip, you'll also see the seemingly mundane moment that gave RTD the idea to give the 10th Doctor a daughter, which eventually led to a real-life marriage.

This book is fun to read and insightful and let's me re-live the RTD years of Doctor Who.  I've never really enjoyed reading non-fiction books, but I'm actually enjoying this one more than some fiction books.  Frankly, I can't believe I put it down to write this blog post.

The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter is available on Amazon, Kindle, and iBooks.  (Right now the Kindle and iBooks formats of the book are only $4.99!)

For more Doctor Who fun - check out our friends at http://rebootwhovian.blogspot.com, and for Who-themed t-shirts visit http://teespring.com/stores/rebootwhovian.

My Truthiness of Stephen Colbert

In just three and a half weeks, Stephen Colbert will be returning to our screens on a daily basis as the new host of the Late Show.  It's been a long time since his last episode of the Colbert Report in 2014, so it might be a good time to revisit some of his past work.

I first saw Stephen Colbert on his show, the Colbert Report, a parody news program where he portrayed a character also named Stephen Colbert.  Colbert the actor could make Colbert the character hilarious, thought-provoking, mocking, poignant, and sentimental all at the same time.


I so loved that character that I refused to watch any interviews or programs where I might see the real Stephen Colbert, for fear of shattering the illusion.  Luckily, a friend of mine convinced me to watch an interview he did with Larry King.  I saw that as himself, Colbert still had great humor and charisma, which is why I know the Late Show will be in good hands.

The writing for the Report and his character development was so well done that when Colbert published his book, I Am America (And So Can You!), I bought it right away.  As I was reading, I realized I missed hearing the character deliver the words.  My imagining of the character speaking could not have been as good as how he would have delivered it.  I should have bought the audiobook.

At that time, I was still in the mindset that audiobooks were "cheating," but I wasn't in school anymore, and this book was for my enjoyment.  Of all the books to listen to rather than read, surely this would be the one.  So when America Again: Re-becoming The Greatness We Never Weren't came out, I did the smart thing - I signed up for a free Audible trial and downloaded that audiobook as my free book.  (Tip: Now Audible is giving you 2 free books instead of just 1 during the free 30-day trial!)

Hearing the book read by the Stephen Colbert character was definitely more entertaining than reading it myself in my head.  So in addition to the hundreds of hours of entertainment Colbert provided me through his show and books, I also have to thank him for opening my mind to audiobooks and realizing that sometimes it can be preferable to reading myself.

The world will be watching with anticipation on September 8, as Stephen Colbert walks onto the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater.  As a long-time fan of the David Letterman, it will be odd not seeing him, but based on his past work, I am excited about how Stephen Colbert will carry on the torch.

Lumos on Harry Potter

It may be a minority opinion, but I love overcast days.  Temperatures are comfortable, and you don't feel the burning of the sun on your skin.  There's also something calming about the light yet grey tone of the environment.

If it's raining, and you want to stay indoors, it's the perfect time to grab a cuppa tea and curl up with a good book.  Some of the best indulgences - the books in the Harry Potter series.  I started reading the series in college, and I still love rereading it today.

The stories are captivating at any age and a treat for your imagination.  For those of you that have somehow managed to avoid all the hoopla, the series is about a boy who learns he's a wizard and gets swept up in the wizard world.  While going to a wizarding school, he develops lifelong friendships with classmates and teachers who help (and hinder) him in various adventures.  The overarching adventure, however, is the classic battle of good versus evil.  The evil in this series are the forces of a powerful wizard gone bad.

Like any great work, the stories are entertaining at face value, but there are also deeper undertones on life, humanity, and morality.  Depending on what you like to get from entertainment, you can read it as you wish.


I will admit, some of the books are a little slow in the beginning.  It's not that they're bad, but they're not as page-turning as later on in the book, once you've passed the scene-setting and are in the thick of the plot.  Usually about a quarter of the way through, though, you are compelled to keep reading until the end.  That's how some die-hard fans finish a book in one day.  It usually took me a week to finish a book - a few days for the first quarter and one day into late night for the last three quarters.  Now that I've read them all, every now and then, I go back and just read the bits I'm craving at the time.

So why not watch the movies and save some time and effort?  Please do!  I find them highly entertaining.  The Harry Potter movies are some of the better adaptations from books that I've seen, but the main reason I would also read the books is the internal monologue that doesn't come across on screen, which allows you to connect more deeply with the characters.  There are also significant elements and subplots in the books that aren't developed or shown in the movies.  Elements that make the books that much more enjoyable.

So put the kettle on, get settled in your cozy chair, and welcome to the wizarding world of Harry Potter!