Iceberg Ink Awards 2011

And so Iceberg Ink gets its first year under its belt. The little blog where Chris and I share our wonderful thoughts with you fine folk has grown a bit over that year and picked up some new readers. We also started a Podcast and have been refining what sort of content we want on the site aside from reviews. We hope we've created a place to nerd out a bit. A place to read reviews of the latest books, the not-so-latest books, and even sporadic geekgasm type things.

We'd like to take a moment to thank all our readers for sticking around and making us part of your daily internet travels. It means an awful lot to both of us.

With that said, it is indeed that time where we compile a list of our favourite titles all year. Also, this year Chris will be participating so it won't just be my picks. Each award will be clearly marked as to which of us gave the prize to which person or book. So let's get straight to it shall we?

NOTE: If only one of the two of us has an entry listed for any of the awards, it means that the other person didn't have an award to give in that category.

Example. I (Scott) didn't have a Non-Fiction entry this year, but Chris did.

Best Read of 2011

Scott

THE CRIPPLED GOD - Steven Erikson

This one is easy this year. THE CRIPPLED GOD blew me away. As the first completed ten book fantasy series (take note all you other long fantasy series, this is how it’s done!) this book gave me everything I wanted out of the end of the series, threw a few twists at me, and then proceeded to change the notions I had about the entire series. I recall at different moments laughing, crying (manly tears) and even cheering or pumping my fist in the air. It AFFECTED me, on that level. Absolutely, positively a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Chris

THE REVISIONISTS - Thomas Mullen

After decades of war and strife humanity has finally achieved the utopia it deserves. But time-terrorists, known as hags, are determined to bring down the walls of this perfect society and erect a new one in its place, one where they control the shots. So it’s up to operatives like Troy Wilson to go back in time and preserve the timeline. It’s a job that would break lesser men, as it means standing aside and letting some of humanity worst atrocities play out. But in this case, the ends surely justify the means.

Reading THE REVISIONISTS is like getting suckered into a game of Three Card Monte. You’re so convinced that you’ve got the whole thing figured out that when the dealer flips up the Jack of Clubs you don’t even notice his hand in your pocket. Author Thomas Mullen does a great job distracting readers with a taut and engrossing surface plot, and when he finally shows the tremendous goings on behind the scenes you’ll be kicking yourself for not picking up the hints. It’s a rare novel that can blindside me like, especially since Mullen doesn’t hold back. He puts all the pieces out there on display and leaves you to draw your own conclusions. Passable thrillers are a dime a dozen, extraordinary ones like this should be read as quickly as possible.

Best New Fantasy Novel 2011

Scott

WISE MAN'S FEAR - Patrick Rothfuss

 A tough category since Fantasy is my bread and butter. When I sat down to think about it though, this one easily goes to WISE MAN’S FEAR. The book almost met every one of my expectations for the 2nd book in the series and only suffers from a slight lag in pace in the mid-to-latter section of the book, but even that was not enough to dampen my spirit about it. Lovingly written and brilliantly executed, I was really impressed with this book pretty much throughout, so it snags the top spot.

Chris

THE COLD COMMANDS - Richard Morgan

 The second book in Richard Morgan’s A Land Fit for Heroes trilogy, COMMANDS is really the author rocking his hard boiled sci-fi work under the guise of the fantasy genre. Picking up a couple months after the end of the first book, COMMANDS deals with the continuing invasion by the alien dwenda to reclaim the earth for themselves and rule over all humanity. But the real selling point for this book is the skill and complexity of Morgan when he gets down to his wordsmithing. In his hands the English language is putty, infinitely malleable, oscillating between equals parts gutter pulp and high poetry. Morgan is not afraid to make tough decisions either. His characters are not righteously pure examples of humanity, rather, they display their all to common frailties at every turn. Our heroes make bad decisions based on ego and clumsy thinking and there are bloodly repercussions for their poorly timed hubris. As an added Easter Egg, readers familiar with Morgan’s previous work will recognize deliberate nods to his seminal work in the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy. A fantastic read that I can’t recommend enough.

Best New Sci-Fi Novel 2011

Scott

LEVIATHAN WAKES - James S.A. Corey

Another easy category. LEVIATHAN WAKES, a joint foray into sci-fi by Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck under the pseudonym James S.A. Corey is a completely engrossing, space opera of the highest quality. It had a few minor issues, but not enough to really get upset over. Overall I was fairly floored both by how readable it was and how much I am salivating to read next year’s sequel CALIBAN’S WAR. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better sci-fi debut this past year.

Chris

POCK'S WORLD - Dave Duncan

POCK’S WORLD is about humanity’s struggle to understand itself in the face of ever increasing change. Spread out across the stars, humanity has developed a very rigid definition about what a human being is. In a future where genetic manipulation is commonplace falling outside those descriptions ensures your own death sentence. When contact is lost with the far flung Pock’s World the worst is feared.

Not every book needs to be a home run. As satisfying as belting one over the far wall can be, sometimes there’s just as much poetry in seeing a ground rule double being perfectly executed. That’s pretty much what I feel like when I think about POCK’S WORLD. Author Dave Duncan isn’t interested in creating this elaborate ongoing soap opera that seems to be the standard in any genre work today. Instead, he strips his story down to the bolts, jettisons any unneeded superfluity and just concentrates on telling a simple story well. And he succeeds brilliantly. POCK’S WORLD is like a writing clinic on the craft that aspiring authors would do well to bone up on. You’ll be thinking about this book for days afterwards.

Best Author 2011

Scott

PATRICK LEE (Author of THE BREACH, GHOST COUNTRY & DEEP SKY)

A tough category. Funnily enough I am going to give this to a thriller writer, and not only that but one who is also fairly new to the scene. Patrick Lee, released a couple of thriller books over the last 3 years, the first THE BREACH and the second GHOST COUNTRY were both totally engrossing, action-packed and absolutely clever as can be. The 3rd book (DEEP SKY) just came out and after standing in a long Boxing Day line-up to buy it, I absolutely cannot wait to read it. To have burst onto the scene with books that are so readable, fascinating and ultimately entertaining as hell, this award goes to Patrick. Well done sir! Keep the books coming. I'm not kidding here. If you haven't read these books you absolutely HAVE to. Do yourself a favour and check them out.

Best Short Fiction Story 2011

Scott

THE BUTCHER OF ANDERSON STATION - James S.A. Corey

 This puts James S.A. Corey on the list twice this year, since THE BUTCHER OF ANDERSON STATION was far and away the best short piece I’ve read this year. A fantastic little piece that gives us insight into one of the enigmatic main characters in the Expanse series. It's shortish, and yet it still feels like a piece of an epic universe. Loved it. Well done to the co-author's Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck for getting on our award list twice!

Chris

MILE 81 - Stephen King

 Winner of this category by sheer virtue of the fact that I’m reasonably sure it was the only short fiction I actually read this year. (How’s that for damning with faint praise?) While King might have mellowed in recent years, forgoing his traditional MO of grabbing your heart and squeezing tightly, that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of putting together a good short story. Built around a mysterious abandoned car found at the side of dilapidated road stop, one with a seemingly insatiable appetite for human flesh, MILE 81 doesn’t try to reinvent the short story. Its not here to fill you up with fancy eatings, but rather to whet your appetite for more gore and viscera with a quick taste from the appetizer menu.

“Come on in,” it beckons. “Give us a try.”

MILE 81 is a great way to lose yourself for 20 minutes on the subway or before you go to bed. And frankly, what more were you looking for?

Best Graphic Novel / Comic Book or Series 2011

Scott

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS - Nick Spencer & Carlos Urbano

 DC Comics has slowly, but surely, replaced my go-to comic reads. This past year they re-booted an old title in T.H.U.N.D.E.R AGENTS, and kind of melted my brain. The non-linear storytelling, the twisting turning story itself, Nick Spencer’s phenomenal writing, and even the amazing art by Carlos Urbano all served to impress the hell out of me. I can’t say enough nice things about the series and I’m really glad I took a chance on it.

Chris

BATWOMAN - J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman

 There is no more beautiful looking comic book currently being published than BATWOMAN. Artist and co-writer J.H. Williams III simply blows his competition out of the water.

Frequently choosing to tell the story in elaborate double page spreads, each issue is a gorgeous work of art and sets a new standard when it comes to the craft of sequential storytelling. It’s not enough to read an issue once. The detail and layout demand repeated readings, with each subsequent consumption harvesting a greater appreciation of the finished product in the heart of the reader.

My only complaint is that the double page layout makes for cramped reading on the smaller iPad screen. But if publishers were ever looking for a way to keep enticing readers to purchase physical copies this is the way to do it. This title has become the biggest ‘must read’ in my monthly habit and makes a compelling argument for the power of comic books when you take the time and effort to do it right.

Best Non-Fiction Read 2011

Chris

SUPERGODS - Grant Morrison

I had to negotiate with Scott to add this category. Because SUPERGODS deserves some sort of accolade in any fan’s ‘best of’ list and it feels wrong to simply shoehorn it into another section. Part autobiography, part historical record and part hallucinogenic rambling SUPERGODS may not be the most definitive dissection of the history of comic books, but it may just be the most insightful one. Author Grant Morrison examines his own personal relationship with the four colour funnies through a time of social, political and economic upheaval and compares it to his own growth and development as a writer. The end result is a fascinating analysis that reshapes the reader’s own interactions with comic books and imparts a new depth onto old material.

Best Dialogue 2011

Scott

GHOST STORY - Jim Butcher

When it comes to dialogue, no one does it better than Jim Butcher. Most especially in his Dresden Files series. Harry Dresden can be a smart-ass, he can be sarcastic, he can be loving and emotionally resonant, he can be furiously angry, and he can be poetically heroic. All those things are wrapped up into one in the latest Dresden File GHOST STORY. If you don’t read Butcher or Dresden then I am afraid you are cold and dead inside.

Best Old Book Read of 2011

Scott

BLOOD OATH - Christopher Farnsworth

This is a fairly recent title, but it was published in 2010 and I only read it the first time this year, so here is the category it wins. BLOOD OATH basically took everything I LOVE about thrillers (historical mysteries, action, spies), and added stuff like vampires, werewolves, and effing Cthulu! No honestly, as I stated in my review, adding Lovecraftian minions in ANY way to your narrative triples its value for me. Basically this book fires on every cylinder that I know to exist and then it fires on some space-age futuristic cylinders that are fed by the fires of a thousand dead zombie bodies. This IS entertainment. I got the second one for Christmas and can't wait to get into it!

Chris

DIVING INTO THE WRECK - Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Boss loves wreck diving old abandoned space ships. But one day she discovers an ancient earth warship that shouldn’t exist at all. Putting together a small group Boss explores the wreck, determined to find its hidden secrets. When tragedy strikes and crew members start dying it seems like the cost of getting her answers might be too high by far.

WRECK is a slow, measured book that feels like you’re reading the first half hour of Ridley Scott’s ALIEN, you know, the part before everything goes to shit. Rusch writes space exploration as quiet and languid rather than just jumping in the nearest tin can and cranking everything up to 11. As a result the book is very different from a lot of the other genre offerings out there. Its methodical approach is more interested in looking at the inner workings of the characters that populate its pages than performing dazzling feats of pseudo-science. Like the solitary pursuit of wreck diving itself WRECK has a very contained, almost documentarian feel, a feeling reinforced by the constant monologuing of the book’s lead character. WRECK is what you read when you’re looking to switch it up a bit, a palette cleanser that rewards the reader with a thought out and thoughtful story.

Best Blog of 2011

Scott

CIVILIAN READER

I’m giving the nod this year to CIVILIAN READER. The guy is an absolute machine, pumping out reviews, interviews, contests ect. His content is always current, always interesting, and is a must read on a daily basis.

Runner Up: Amanda’s FLOOR TO CEILING BOOKS has now closed as the blogstress herself has moved on to work for a publisher (ANGRY ROBOT) heading up their YA imprint, STRANGECHEMISTRY. We wish her luck at her new digs, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I will miss her blog, so she gets a mention for Blog of 2011. Go on over and read her VIA the new site as she is always knowledgeable, funny and exciting.

That's it for this year's awards folks. Hope you enjoyed our list here. Perhaps you agree with some choices, and hopefully we might lead you to some new reads as well!

Doctor Who Reminder: Children In Need Special (airs tomorrow in the UK)

 

To our UK readers, don’t forget tomorrow night is this year’s CHILDREN IN NEED special on BBC 1, which will again (as tradition and fans demand) feature a short DOCTOR WHO piece starring Matt Smith. There will also be a trailer for this years upcoming DOCTOR WHO Christmas Special (which I don’t need to tell you I am excited about).

For the rest of the world, I am sure in the coming days the video of both the Children In Need segment story and the trailer will be made available online for your viewing pleasure.

Chris and I will be recording this month’s Podcast tonight and plan to touch on the forthcoming Christmas Special there, so stay tuned for more info, and the second the trailer shows up online I’ll post it here.

Matt Smith with mascot Pudsey

Concert Review: Within Temptation (Sound Academy, Toronto Sept. 7th, 2011)

I did a post a few months back on one of my all-time favourite bands ever, WITHIN TEMPTATION which you can read here if you haven’t done so already. In that post I mentioned I was going to be seeing them live In September. Well I did that last night. Let’s see how it went shall we?

First of all, the entire band was completely on form and nearly blew the roof off the place with awesome.  Every song, every note, every lyric was spot on amazing and I was pretty much in seventh heaven for a few hours.

We arrived somewhat after the door opened and only stood in line for a few minutes outside as the line moved past security. Once inside we noticed that the upstairs was all black curtained off and even downstairs the one end where there is an extra bar was black curtained off. On the best of days Sound Academy (formerly The Docks…which is how most of Toronto usually refers to it) is an odd looking venue. It’s not pretty and while it is functional, it doesn’t have the charm or architecture of a place like Massey Hall or even the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. That said, last night’s show with all the gawdy areas and things blocked off with sweeping long black curtains gave the place a much nicer and effective gothic air and that was really nice to see. If I go to a show where I want to buy merch I’ll usually find the merch table/booth first and buy my things right away as the lineups are always less. To my complete and utter surprise though the merch line curled all the way around the Front Of House (audio booth) and was probably 40 people long. I got in line and after about 15 minutes I was able to buy my shirt and get a beer with my friends.

 In a charming nod to the country the band hails from (The Netherlands) they were selling tall boy cans of local Toronto beer Amsterdam (created by a transplanted Dutchman) which is tasty. So we found ourselves a spot at the back of the crowd and waited, but one of my friends said that the last time she was there they stood right up front to the side of the stage and the view was amazing.

So we moved. To front stage left and I ended up being about 15 feet from the band, and when Sharon came over and sang to us directly, or when Ruud would stand at the edge wailing on his guitar we were like 3 feet from them. I was considerably impressed with our new spot and how incredible the band sounded.

Setlist was as follows:

Mother Maiden (short movie)

Shot In The Dark

In The Middle Of The Night

Faster

Fire And Ice

Ice Queen

Iron

Our Solemn Hour

Sinéad (short movie)

Sinéad

What Have You Done

The Howling

Angels

Memories

Encore:

Deceiver Of Fools

Mother Earth

Encore 2:

Stairway To The Skies

So not only a very respectable mix of the previous albums, whilst still hitting up a number from the latest disc, but we got TWO encores. You read that? TWO. I hope this means we cheered loud and made the band feel very welcome on their second time in Canada ever. They were phenomenal, and the short movies from THE UNFORGIVEN were really well used and not intrusive at all, helping to open the show and then to give us a midway point. Well done on that front.

Sharon’s voice is heavenly. Every note to me was pure perfection. No matter how crashing the guitars are, or thundering the drums and bass are, she can always get above it all and sing her heart out. She is a force to be reckoned with on stage and I was so pleased to have finally gotten to see her live. She’s also absolutely, stunningly gorgeous in person and has an energy that is entirely infectious. If you weren’t jumping and shouting and singing for the opener, you sure were when she came out and got everyone into the concert mood.

I also feel like I ought to mention that Robert and Ruud were both amazing on the guitars and both (it should be noted) play SEVEN string guitars. Holy – shit. And they can totally wail on them. The guitar solo’s were incredible, and the drum’s and keyboards were consistently amazing as well all the way through the show.

I’m still kind of feeling the excitement today more than 12 hours later. The songs are all still rollicking around in my head, and I still have a level of energy inside that wants to escape. Thankfully, I have iTunes open and I’ve been listening to their entire discography today to remind me what an excellent show they put on. A no-holds-barred spectacle of the highest order. The stage may have been simple (in comparison with the elaborate Black Symphony tour) with the phoenix logo from THE UNFORGIVING serving as a backdrop, but the band blasted out the music for nearly two hours to a pleased and excited nearly sell-out crowd.

In the end my ears were happily ringing, I was slightly buzzed from the alcohol, but I wouldn’t have traded last night for the world. It was an experience I won’t soon forget. We left the place at around 11PM and I walked out grinning and clutching my new WITHIN TEMPTATION T-shirt. Yeah, I’m a fanboy, I’m aware.

If you ever get the chance you really have to see them. Barring that, find yourself a copy of the Black Symphony DVD or BluRay so you can at least get a taste of why this was so incredible.

Now, the video we shot on my girlfriends phone (the video on mine sucks) was a little too blown out to post here, so I found someone on YouTube who posted a more decent set of videos. So here's the band performing one of their classics ICE QUEEN. Enjoy!

A tale of two trailers - Green Lantern vs. Thor

A couple trailers for big 2011 comic book movies have hit the net recently.

First up is GREEN LANTERN where unfortunately, if first impressions are any indication, we’re looking at another Ryan Reynolds nudge and wink fest.



Feeling more like THE PROPOSAL than BURIED the trailer opens with some driving rock guitar and Reynold’s hastily extracting himself from a presumed one night stand. Viewers can understandably be forgiven for thinking they’ve wandered into a VAN WILDER blooper reel.

Considering DC’s stated intention that new film properties need to work off the strengths of Christopher Nolan’s hugely successful BATMAN franchise it’s a little puzzling to see that there aren’t any traces of the dark and edgy themes that currently populate the Bat-world. Granted Green Lantern is not Batman and what works for one character won’t necessarily work well for others.

But the trailer feels distinctly like a late 90’s interpretation of a comic book property, good looking pretty boy fronting the cast, straightforward action movie feel, static set pieces and not much in the way of serious character exploration.

The trailer tries to switch up the tone halfway through and present us with a darker take but unfortunately it retreats back to jocular chuckles pretty quickly. And its too late, to be honest, the film’s mood has been set.

But I’m not willing to give up on this film based on two and a half minutes of footage put out half a year before the film’s release date. It helps immensely that GREEN LANETERN is helmed by the immensely capable Martin Campbell, whose resume boasts more successes than stinkers. It’s just too bad that this film has to succeed in spite of its trailer, not because of it.

When you stack the THOR trailer next to the GREEN LANTERN one it becomes quickly apparent that the former demolishes the latter.



Watching the trailer I can’t help but get excited about this movie. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who is better known for his Shakespeare than his Stan Lee, the trailer manages to hit all the right notes.

Where Green Lantern tussles anonymously in the parking lot with muggers, Thor is battling gods and frost giants. Instead of enduring Ryan Reynolds flirtatious posturing THOR treats us to Sir Anthony Hopkins chewing up the scenery. And rather than plodding through the stereotypical origin story paces Thor starts the film already a hero in his own right.

THOR shows us glimpses of forbidden love, fallen gods, epic battles and otherworldly intrigue. Sounds pretty good to me.

It’s a bit unfair to compare these two trailers. Beyond the fact that their source material is rooted in the four colour medium, there are more differences than similarities between the two stories.

But nonetheless comparisons will be made. And sadly, based on these initial offerings, I think that the GREEN LANTERN trailers comes up sadly lacking.

Scott: Anticipation 2011!

2011 is shaping up to be a huge banner year for book releases. In late 2009 I made a post on my old personal blog about titles I looked forward to in 2010, and I certainly got to read them all, with Brandon Sanderson’s THE WAY OF KINGS stealing the gold medal for my favourite book this year. I am not going to speculate who will take the prize in 2011, but from the looks of the 2011 list the contenders have doubled since last year. In that same vein, please stay tuned over the Christmas Holiday’s as we will be posting a list of Awards for Iceberg Ink for the best of 2010.

So, without further ado, in completely random order, I give you:

ANTICIPATION 2011!

LEVIATHAN WAKES (1st book in Expanse series) - James S.A. Corey (pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck)

I’ve not read Daniel Abraham’s The Long Price Quartet, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. That said, the prospect of his foray into Space Opera Sci-Fi has me excited.

THE CRIPPLED GOD (10th Tale Of The Malazan Book Of The Fallen) – Steven Erikson

This is a no-brainer. The final book in Erikson’s epic fantasy series will certainly clock in at over 10,000 pages total when done and will stand as one of the most respected and complex fantasy stories ever told.

THE HEROES – Joe Abercrombie

Still utilizing and fleshing out the world he created for his First Law Trilogy, Abercrombie brings us another standalone volume, this time concerning a bunch of characters that are likely not (considering the man’s style of storytelling) heroes at all. But therein lies my excitement!

THE WISE MAN’S FEAR (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day 2) – Patrick Rothfuss

Delayed, but not as much as other books (*wink wink*) have been, the second volume in Rothfuss’ much lauded Kingkiller series about Kvothe is finally set to drop next spring and personally I can’t wait as the first book (THE NAME OF THE WIND) was one of my faves for 2007.

REPUBLIC OF THIEVES (3rd book in the Gentlemen Bastard Sequence) – Scott Lynch

Oh how delicious the first two books in this series are. Like Ocean’s 11 in a fantasy setting, Lynch’s very realized world of Camorr is both wondrous and dirty. I absolutely fell in love with the first book (THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA), and have been patiently awaiting this volume (delayed due to the passing of the author’s father), so I pleased to see it will be dropping in the spring as well.

BLUE REMEMBERED EARTH (1st book in Poseidon’s Children trilogy) – Alastair Reynolds

Reynolds is one of those Gollancz authors that I came to late, as my sci-fi taste is small compared to fantasy, but his Revelation Space books are some of the best space opera’s I’ve read ever, so I am very excited about this new series and where Reynolds plans to take us next.

FUZZY NATION – John Scalzi

Another new sci-fi guy whose work I discovered this year and devoured. His Old Man’s War series is currently kicking my butt with awesome when I read them, and the thought of him doing a revamp of a previous book has potential to be very fun!

HIS FATHER’S FIST (4th book in The Acts Of Caine series) – Matthew Stover

I can’t say much, cause every other word would be the “f” word, but sufficed to say, this 4th book about foul-mouthed, kickass Caine/Hari is one that will totally be an EFFING pre-order. Nuff Said.

IRON JACKAL (3rd Tales Of The Ketty Jay book) – Chris Wooding

Steampunky airships? Check. Pirates? Check. Rip-roaring, swashbuckling tales of adventure? Check. Chris Wooding’s third Ketty Jay Book. Check!

THE MEASURE OF MAGIC (2nd in The Legends of Shannara duology) – Terry Brooks

The second in a duology about the pre-history of Shannara. I liked the first one well enough, and look forward to see where we go with the second. I am also a bigger fan of his new stuff than I am his old stuff.

SNUFF (39th Discworld novel) – Terry Pratchett

Okay. This guy is a machine, and probably one of the most respected authors in the genre. He also has early onset Alzheimers and continues to push out books (simply amazing man). Add to this the fact that this new 39th Discworld book will be a Night Watch book about Vimes & Co…oh my god, my excitement knows no bounds. This is probably in my top 3 picks I am looking forwards to reading, no question.


THE DRAGON’S PATH (1st in The Dagger & The Coin series) - Daniel Abraham

A new Abraham Fantasy series, which he has gone on record as saying will be more “classically fantasy-like” than his previous series. Definitely one to look out for.

PERCEPLIQUIS (6th book in the Ryria Revelations series) – Michael J. Sullivan

I was privileged enough to have discovered this author’s books this year and haven’t been disappointed by one of them yet, so it is with great impatience that I await the final book in this series, cause I wanna know where it all ends up! Very excited.

THE ALLOY OF LAW (New Mistborn novel) &
THE RITHMATIST (New series for YA) - Brandon Sanderson

Fantasy It-Boy Sanderson can do me no wrong recently and with the recent announcement of not only a new Mistborn novel (with Guns?! Awesome!!), but a new YA series about magic users battling chalk creatures I am even more excited! Can't wait for late 2011 for these.

GHOST STORY (13th book in The Dresden Files series) – Jim Butcher

Last, but certainly not least, ever…If you asked the impartial version of me which book I was looking to most next year, the answer is easy. The twelfth book in this series which came out last year, CHANGES, was such a cliffhanger that you will be hard-pressed not to find me with my nose against the glass of the doors to the bookstore the day this drops in the spring. One of my fave series, and my favourite author ever…yep. This is gonna be good!

Films: The first New Winnie The Pooh movie by Disney in 35 years!

Okay, sometime earlier this year (and this slipped me by) Disney announced they were doing a new big screen WINNIE THE POOH tale. Not only that, but they said that it was not going to be fancy CG, or 3D or even the newish clean-look animation of the last Pooh direct to VHS/DVD release, but a return to the look of the actual drawings in the original A.A. Milne books with that sketched look with watercolours...not to mention this adds to Disney's recent revelation that people REALLY enjoyed the old-school traditional 2D animation (like The Lion King, Little Mermaid ect.) and they decided to re-open that wing of their animation.

I also like Winnie The Pooh as much as I still do The Muppets and Peanuts. It's probably a nostalgia thing.

At any rate, the new film has a trailer that debuted today...and OH MY GOD the animation is GORGEOUS. I absolutely LOVE the look, but then I am a traditional 2D animation fan. I even don't mind the Keane track that plays over the trailer as it adds a bit of a modern weight. I actually can't wait, cause I love me some animated films and this one looks great!

Find some details over here.