Book Survey

I have nothing really to say, except I have a new video up on StephandEmmy, and that you should go watch and comment. :]

Also, I'm copying hayleyghoover again, and I'm doing this lovely book survey she posted on her blog. :]

1. What author do you own the most books by?

Jo Rowling. I have ten books by her, and multiple copies of ALL seven Potter books.

2. What book do you own the most copies of?
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (original decrepit hardcover, well-worn paperback, spanish translation copy, 10th anniversary edition). Unless you count all the Lord of the Rings books my dad owns, or the massive amounts of Bibles in my house, but of the books I exclusively own, Sorcerer's Stone.

3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
No, that's how most people talk.

4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
There are no secrets here. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm madly in love with the Tenth Doctor, Harry Potter and Edmund Pevensie. And I realize one is from a TV show, but he still counts because I adore him.

5. What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon does not count)?
Ehhh, I'm going to sound like a child here. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I lost count after 12 times. It's probably closer to 16 now. I promise, I have read other books!

6. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Ella Enchanted by Gale Carson Levine and Harry Potters 1-3.

7. What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
That's a good question. If we're only counting from January, probaby House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo, and it wasn't even that bad. I just didn't enjoy it as much as the other books I've read this year.

8. What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Paper Towns by John Green and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Oh! And Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard. If that counts, because it's really a play, so I'm not sure.

9. If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
*makes uncomfortable writhing noises because you're trying to make her choose bits of her soul*

10. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Most movies from books aren't particularly good, so I'm reluctant to see any movie adaptation of books I love. I guess no answer here. COP OUT, I know. Sorry. :[

11. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Off the top of my head, probably The Hunger Games. It's contained perfectly in my head! Don't ruin it for me!

12. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
I once dreamed that I was Legolas, and I was running around with the Fellowship, and Aragorn and I had to get up this really big cliff thing, and there happened to be a giant, sleeping Galadriel at the base of the cliff thing who lifted us up to the top. Nice of her, really.

13. What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
Yeah, probably Twilight. Unless I read Eragon after I turned 18...

14. What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Wuthering Heights. I never finished it. I feel like I should because it's a classic, but I just...couldn't get into it.

15. What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
I've never seen his obscure plays performed! Only the mainstream ones. :[

16. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Oh, this is the part of the survey where I begin to question my standing amongst the literati. Haven't read enough of either to be able to say, unfortunately.

17. Roth or Updike?
I'm sorry....I haven't read either.... *hides*

18. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Myeh, I feel inadequate. Haven't read them either.

19. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
SHAKESPEARE! Because I love him.

20. Austen or Eliot?
Ooh...um...Austen, I suppose. Yes.

21. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
I haven't read nearly enough classics. Actually, most embarrassing is probably that I haven't read The Catcher in the Rye. But I will! I promise!

22. What is your favorite novel?
RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT, they are as follows: Harry Potter (all of them, but with particular emphasis on Deathly Hallows and Prisoner of Azkaban), Paper Towns, The Hunger Games, Ella Enchanted and the Abhorsen Trilogy (by Garth Nix).

23. Play?
Much Ado About Nothing, probably. Love Shakespeare.

24. Poem?
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost; Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas (which is a recent find but most definitely makes this list); and Shakespeare's 116th sonnet. <3 I also the The Second Coming by Yeats.

25. Essay?
I don't really read essays outside of school.

26. Work of nonfiction?
Well, Melissa Anelli's Harry, A History made me cry about four times, so I guess it takes top bill right now.

27. Who is your favorite writer?
NOT FAIR! :[ I can't choose! I do love Jo, though. Quite a bit. I suppose I could go with her.

28. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Stephenie Meyer. Hey, I like Twilight well enough, but let's face it.

29. What is your desert island book?
Um, probably that book I've read near 16 times....

30. And... what are you reading right now?
Devilish by Maureen Johnson, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by Jo Rowling, and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.

See you soon! <3
Emily

About Time, Martha!

Martha is gone. Quite right, too. It was honestly the smartest thing she did all series. And I'm not just saying that out of hate. I'm saying it because it's true. Because she's not very clever, she just isn't. She's fiesty, oh yes, I'll give her that, and she's determined, but she's not clever. Her little speech about her friend right before she left shows that leaving really was the smartest thing she did all series. Because she can't make him love her, and she's FINALLY realized that. Thank the lord.

Anyway, I feel sad for the Doctor because he's all alone again, and he doesn't want to be alone. Now that the Master and Martha have both left him. But from what I hear, Donna will be along soon.

Soooo, yes. Series 3 complete! On to series 4!

I'll get a life again soon, don't worry. The last week, however, has been consumed with Doctor Who. I didn't even make it to church tonight because of heavy rain and a flooded street, so there really has been no social life for me.

See you soon!
Emily <3

Story of a Doctor

I don't think I've ever really talked about my love for Doctor Who here before except for once when I called David Tennant attractive (because he most certainly is)...hang on...yeah, I just checked and that's about it. Besides the original trock lyrics I posted in the same blog, and then I think twice previous to that in a very passing way. SO I believe it's high time.

I-FREAKING-LOVE-DOCTOR-WHO!!! Very very much!

I can recall seeing my very first episode of Doctor Who while surfing channels. I couldn't find anything to watch, and as I passed the SciFi channel, I saw that Doctor Who was on. I'd heard a bit about it, but didn't really know anything about it at all. I did, however, immediately recognize the man who played the Doctor as Claude (one of my favorite characters) from my then-favorite program, Heroes. It was Series 1, Ninth Doctor, episode 3: "The Unqueit Dead". I only caught the last half or so, but I enjoyed it well enough. I thought it was entertaining, and I really liked the characters. I didn't watch any after that for a long time, though.

I kept hearing from friends that I should watch it, and I had every intention to...once my schedule cleared up a bit. I had other shows to keep up with, after all. I'd get into it later. Then some of my favortie YouTubers were talking about it...a lot. And so I made firm plans with my sister (this was sometime early this year) that we would start with Series 1 as soon as the summer started. After telling a friend of mine this, she transferred all Tenth Doctor episodes from an external hard drive she had onto my computer. I know had no excuse.

We had every intention of starting in May as we'd planned...until Easter. There were a lot of people in our house and we weren't really enjoying any of their company, to be frank. So my sister and I stole away to her upstairs room and started watching the first series on Netflix. We watched about four episodes in a row that afternoon. We'd soon learn that we'd never ever be able to watch just one a go.

We finished the first series pretty quickly, and moved right on to the second. I was aprehensive about having a new Doctor after I'd become SO fond of the Ninth one. The only thing I'd ever seen David Tennant in was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and I knew he was brilliant in it, but I just didn't know if I'd love him as much as Christopher Eccleston. And then he was unconcious for half the episode and I couldn't even get used to him! I was very whiny and upset...until David Tennant woke up. He started asking very seriously and in the middle of a crisis whether he was ginger, he ignored the imminent danger while joyously greeting a very bemused crowd, and then...he stole my heart. He referenced The Lion King, and the absolute perfection and brilliance of his delivery of that beautiful line had me hook, line and sinker. I was officially a David Tennant fan. My sister and I had to pause the video for a good 4-6 minutes as we laughed uproariously and uncontainably because we couldn't hear the dialogue over our own laughter.

Well, we had a very busy period for a while, and after watching "The Girl in the Fireplace" with a friend on a plane in late May, we didn't watch any for a while. And by a while, I mean over two months. Finally, a few days ago, we decided it was time to get back into it. We watched episodes 5-7 of Series 2 one night, and then 8-11 the next. But we knew Rose was leaving in the last one. We didn't know why or how, but we knew she'd be gone. We didn't WANT her to be gone! I adore Rose! I love her oh! so very much, and I don't want her to leave! We didn't want to watch the last two that night anyway, since we'd stayed up far too late as it was, so we thought we'd watch them the next day. We didn't. We put it off for a few days, and then finally decided to rip the bandaid off tonight. I mean, I was legitimately stressing IRL about Rose leaving. "But the Doctor loves her!" I'd protest. "And she loves him! They need to beeee together!"

Nevertheless, tonight I knew it was time. We fretted and made worried noises all through "Army of Ghosts", and then it was on to "Doomsday".

I've never cried so hard at a television show. I've never been so emotionally invested in a television show. Usually, even if a storyline makes me cry, as soon as the program is over, I'm over it too. Not this time. We cried. We made tea. We moaned to our family about how UNEARTHLY SAD it was. We cried some more. It's not fair. It's so sad! It's not FAIR!

And no spoilers, please. I really want to experience this show in as unspoiled a way as possible. I'm aware that there are supposed to be more things that happen with Rose, but I don't know what they are and I want to keep it that way! I'm just...very very sad about Rose leaving. I love her. <333

:[

We watched "The Runaway Bride" and "Smith and Jones" tonight too. And I got sadder every time the Doctor remembered Rose. I also cried again when he said her name at the end of "The Runaway Bride." I got very confused because I was sure my friends had told me that Donna was NOT the Doctor's next companion, but then she didn't go with him and it made sense.

Donna is kind of cool, except she's kind of annoying sometimes, but I could see myself liking her in the future.

I hate Martha. She has stupid hair. And she's not clever except a few occasional ideas she has. She's actually really daft, mostly. I hate her. I also realize my hatred for her is completely unfounded, but I don't care. She's not Rose, and she's trying to replace Rose, therefore I hate her. Rawr.

Sooo, yes. That's my Doctor Who story to date. I loooove this show. I want to marry the Tenth Doctor. 'Nough said.

However, I do want to say something. As I was going through my blog to see if I'd ever written about Doctor Who before, I came across this entry, in which I talk briefly about Doctor Who (Series 1), and then talk a little about what fictional character I relate most to. I didn't have a very good answer, because I mostly just talked about to characters I WANT to relate to. Well, now I have an answer: The fictional character I relate most to is Rose Tyler from Doctor Who. I get her. I'm a lot like her. I understand. That is my answer. Rose Tyler. That's probably why I love her so much. And why I'm so sad at hear leaving.

Sigh.

Goodnight, internets.
Emily <3