The Biblio Files: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

February 24, 2016 Nina Penalosa3 Comments

I remember picking up Me Before You by Jojo Moyes at Barnes & Noble sometime last year and thought the plot sounded interesting enough to make note of it and add to my goodreads “to-read” list. It took the trailer of the book’s film adaptation for my interest to pique again, but more on that later!

Me Before You is about a young woman named Louisa Clark who has a zest for zany apparel and doesn’t feel she quite fits in. She’s a waitress at her small hometown’s cafe, but suddenly finds herself in a rut as her boss decides to close shop out of the blue leaving her jobless. The pressure is on to find a new job ASAP as she’s the breadwinner in her family. After a string of unsuccessful gigs the Job Center has found for her, she lands a job as a daytime companion and caretaker for Will Traynor, a 35-year old quadriplegic man who had an extravagant lifestyle before the terrible accident that took his ability to walk away, and he’s pretty much fed up with life. Lou’s main job is to help keep things lively and socialize with Will, except it’s quite a challenge for Lou as his demeanor is ice cold, sarcastic, and condescending. Basically, Will’s a grade A arse. But as tales as old as time, they come to understand one another and bloppity bloop bloop. <— I’m not trying to give the whole story away. You can watch the trailer for that. 😛

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and gobbled it up in two days! After watching the trailer I thought, “Damn, I think that story is going to break my heart. I MUST READ THE BOOK IMMEDIATELY” because I fucking love sad stories. I live for them. Sometimes I just want to have a good cry. I don’t know why, I just do. About a week after I saw the trailer, I went to the local used book store and scored a copy for $2.25!

Me Before You felt like a combination of Beauty & the Beast and The Fault in Our Stars because Lou’s got that small town oddball thing going on and Will comes from a rich family and his attitude is so nasty in the beginning. There’s even one part where Lou finally tells him that he doesn’t need to always be such an arse, and it totally reminded me of the part in Beauty & the Beast where Belle is attending to the Beast’s wound after he rescues her from the wolves and they have that back and forth banter, and Belle eventually puts him in his place by saying “Well if you hadn’t frightened me I wouldn’t have runaway!” I downloaded the audiobook for Me Before You since I had a couple of free credits from Audible (which I thought I cancelled, but alas), and it’s a good thing I downloaded it too because my vision got blurry towards the end — couldn’t make out a damn word through my tears.

I came across the trailer for the movie a few weeks ago and I geeked the hell out over nearly every actor that was cast in the film version.

This was me while watching the trailer:

Aww, it’s Khaleesi looking like a straight up dork.
Oooh, sexy British dude from The Hunger Games.
OMG! Claraaaaa! [from Doctor Who]
TYWIN LANNISTER IS IN THIS MOVIE TOO?
AND MISTER BATES?! [Downton Abbey]

The fact that it was British made me even more excited, because accents! So, if you’re into books that break your heart and inspire you to live boldly, then Me Before You is for… well, you!

PS: Sam Claflin’s eyebrows though. ♥♥♥

the biblio files

The Biblio Files: Operation S.I.N.: Agent Carter

October 1, 2015 Nina Penalosa3 Comments

While I was in Hawaii, I thought I was going to have all this downtime to read. But I was wrong. SO WRONG. It wasn’t until my flight back home that I was able to read volume 3 of Ms. Marvel and Operation S.I.N.: Agent Carter. If you’re down with the badass ladies of Marvel, then you should definitely pick both of these graphic novels up! Operation S.I.N. won’t exactly fill that hole in your heart if you’re missing the Agent Carter tv show with queen Hayley Atwell playing the titular role like somethin’ fierce, but it helps a wee bit.

Operation S.I.N. follows Peggy Carter a few years after the war and she suddenly finds herself lured into a crazy mission led by Howard Stark after an alien energy source is discovered in Russia, and it’s up to the two of them to track down its location. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but there’s a dude that can turn into a bear and a Russian gulag run by Hydra. Hydra, aliens, gulags, and bears, OH MY!

The story takes place in the Marvel comic universe, rather than the cinematic one that most of us (-ahem– me) are used to, so I was slightly taken aback when Peggy says she’s American and not British. It’s an easy detail to get over once you immerse yourself in the story and see that Peggy’s razor sharp wit and overall badassery is still intact. 🙂

I’m trying my best to get into the swing of reading regularly like I used to, but I’ve been finding that I get extremely distracted and lost in my own head lately — specifically when I try to read books with no pictures. Bleh. That’s why I find myself reading graphic novels and comic books more frequently now. Anyhow, I’m hoping to regularly post more book reviews so please bear with me if they happen to sputter randomly.

What books have you been reading — graphic novel or not? Let me know in the comments!

5 fandom friday

5 Fandom Friday (or Tuesday): New Years Fandom Resolutions

January 6, 2015 Nina Penalosa11 Comments

It’s obviously not Friday, but I wasn’t able to do the last 5 Fandom Friday post since I was galavanting around Disneyland. Weeee! Since I’m stuck at home with a case of the sniffles (booo) and a noggin that won’t stop pounding (more booing!), it’s the perfect time for me to catch up. The prompt from last week was to share “fandom” resolutions for 2015. I was a little stumped on coming up with 5 different resolutions relating to the fandom world, but I managed to figure out a few!

So without further ado here are my fandom resolutions for this year:

1. Re-read the Harry Potter series/read more in general

I’ve been meaning to re-read the Harry Potter series for quite some time, and I definitely want to buckle down and get it done this year! If only I knew where the hell I put my copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. RUGH. I feel like I read a lot more in 2014 than I did in 2013, but at the same time I don’t think it was enough. This year I’m going to follow this reading challenge guide by Pop Sugar that my sister sent me on Pinterest. I’m going to kick things off with Steve Brezenoff’s Guy in Real Life.

2. Cosplay at a convention

I stepped out in a femme Han Solo cosplay at SDCC last year for about, what? 3 hours? My friends Megan and Jen worked sooo hard helping me realize the design I had in my head, but when it all came together I didn’t feel completely comfortable or confidant with how I looked (it had absolutely nothing to do with the holster Megan made, or the skirt and vest Jen sewed because all those things turned out rad as hell!). My hair flattened in the humid San Diego weather and the bra I wore (the only neutral colored one I had that wouldn’t show underneath my white top) made my boobs look odd. I don’t even have a picture of me wearing the cosplay, so here’s my Mabel Pines Halloween costume! This year I’d like to revisit the femme Han Solo cosplay or maybe do a retro Snow White or Wonder Woman.

3. Go to more conventions

This might be tricky since conventions can be pricey. Sure, some may have a decent fee to buy a badge, but once you hit the floor and see all the booths with all the amazing geeky knick-knacks, all bets are off! I mean, budget? What budget? No, I’m kidding. I always tend to [barely] stick under my budget.

I have a Sunday badge for SDCC and a pass for Anime Expo (not sure how that’s going to work out travel + money wise since SDCC decided to bump their festivities a week after Anime Expo this year (Tina Belcher groan), but I’d definitely like to check out some cons that are closer to me to cut on some expenses like Big Wow ComicFest in San Jose or Wizard World in Sacramento/San Jose. I would love, love, LOVE to go to the Star Wars Celebration in April and Disney’s D23 Expo in August, but I have a feeling that’s probably not going to happen. wha- wha-whaaaa

4. Look into shows people keep telling me to watch

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I don’t remember what show I had just finished binge watching a year or two ago, but I remember lamenting on Twitter about how I didn’t know what to do with my life since there weren’t any new seasons of whatever to look forward to, and Amanda of Prim and Propah suggested that I watch Arrow…. which I have still not gotten around to watching. Sorry, Amanda! Fast forward to last month, my sister kept telling me I needed to watch Arrow ASAP. And apparently our cousin Nicole watches it too, so because of that they’re both telling me I have to get on it. My sister even showed me a montage of gratuitous workout scenes featuring Stephen Amell to encourage me and oh-mah-gawd… fans self. You can watch it here if you’re curious.

I can’t think of any of the other shows that have pretty huge fandoms that have been suggested to me by friends because I feel like Arrow keeps getting shoved down my metaphorical throat. I’ll get to Arrow eventually. It’s on Netflix, so I have no excuse!

5. Get back into toy photography

8 years ago I was really into taking “artistic” pictures of my toys, particularly my Blythe doll Tigerlily — many have said she’s my little doppelgänger. 🙂

I used to be OBSESSED with Blythe dolls, but then I realized that the money I was spending on doll clothes and accessories could’ve been used to buy clothes and accessories for myself! They’re also a bitch to lug around. Anyhow, by no means did I/do I consider myself a great photographer, but I used to have so much fun taking my toys out while I went on little excursions with my family or friends despite the random weird looks I’d get as I’d shoot away. And I thought I took some pretty cool pictures if I do say so myself! I still take pictures of my toys every now and then and tend to have a couple in my purse at all times, but it’s usually just a quick thing to put on Instagram. I want to actually take the time and do photos the way I used to.

Do you have any fandom resolutions for this year? Let me know in the comments section!

To find out the origins of 5 Fandom Friday, go here. And check out The Nerdy Girlie and SuperSpaceChick to catch up with the latest prompts!

bloop · geek style · out & about

I Heart Instagram Tag

October 7, 2014 Nina Penalosa2 Comments

Kristin over at My Life As A Teacup was tagged to do this I Heart Instagram tag, and I wanted to join in on the fun because I. LOVE. INSTAGRAM. I really do. Also, she didn’t tag anyone in particular and invited anyone who wanted to participate to do so. Instagram is by far my favorite social media site! I definitely utilize it more than Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and Pinterest combined. You could say I’m addicted to it… because that would be entirely accurate.

What’s your Instagram handle? lefancygeek, formerly chezfancypants.

How often do you check Instagram? Ha! When am I not checking Instagram? – picks up phone. opens Instagram app. scroll, scroll, scroll – I told you I’m addicted!

What are your favorite hashtags? There’s too many! I mainly like to look up the ones that have to do with fashion, pets, books, and Disney. I’ll just randomly type whatever into the search engine depending on my mood. But I always make a point to look at #havamalt because it’s the breed of my fur baby Rory, who’s pretty much the star of my Instagram account — I even made up a hashtag for him! #lefancypooch and #lefancypup 🙂

What is your favorite genre of pictures? Books, fashion, food, toys, pets (especially puppies), travel, and Disneyland! Or anything Disney, really. And I love pictures of knickknacks as you can tell from some of my pictures.

How often do you post? At least once or twice a day. Sometimes more.

What’s your favorite filter? Earlybird or Valencia, but sometimes I cheat and go on Afterlight or A Beautiful Mess to edit photos.

iPhone only, purist or rebel? I mix both, but mostly iPhone. Sometimes I use pictures that I’ve taken on my SLR, especially if it’s a photo that was used on my blog.

Three favorite IG accounts currently?

♥ Diana at @ourcitylights — for all things lovely and pink! Diana has impeccable taste in everything — fashion, books, makeup, home decor (she lives in a pink house with a pink kitchen filled with Hello Kitty appliances!).
♥ Nami at @namimscott — for gorgeous LA/NY adventures and an adorable pup named Merlin. He can be found under #mistermerlin. She’s also my Dark Side Sister. – raises light saber in the air –
♥ Amanda at @amandajeannn — for amazing geektastic adventures via Disneyland, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, conventions galore, etc! She’s just an overall lovely geek.

fun fact: They’re all from California. 🙂

If you want to do this for your blog too, then by all means go for it because I’m tagging you. Yes, you! And let me know if you do it because I want to see your wonderful pictures and read your answers 🙂

Cheers,
Nina

PS: Kristin’s Instagram is a great as well, you can find her at @mylifeasateacup.

geek style · out & about · shoppin'

The Second Happiest Place on Earth

March 28, 2014 Nina Penalosa6 Comments

Powell’s City of Books is one of the most magical places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. It is without a doubt the second happiest place on earth — the first being Disneyland (duh), but it definitely gives Disneyland a run for its money. If only they had Dole Whips. *le sigh* Upon entering Powell’s, Caitlin and I were both bright eyed and bushy tailed and extremely overwhelmed. Books upon books upon books and MORE BOOKS! We spent a good two and a half hours in there (Jen joined us a bit later since she had a late start that morning), and I could’ve easily spent the entire day there if my stomach wasn’t telling me to put some food in it. I’ll talk more about food on the blog later, because OMG. *salivating*

Anyhow, I had no idea where to even start as all the literary categories were split into different rooms on various floors (Gold, Rose, Purple, Pearl, etc). At the front of the store there’s a bookshelf featuring their best sellers, and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was in their top 30! This made me quite happy since that’s my “100 item” at my job. Caitlin and I went into the Rare Book room where many books that were printed around the 1800s were beautifully displayed in all their worn-out leather bound glory. We must’ve looked really strange as we opened books and held them close to our faces to inhale the old book smell. I sniffed a book from 1884. It smelled spectacular.

I kept straying away from everything I had on my original booklist, then found myself with at least 10 books. One included a gorgeous copy of Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote that was in fact Tiffany blue. It’s one of my all-time favorite books, but I couldn’t justify buying a book I already had two copies of (I think I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I got a copy that looks like a first edition, but I can’t tell if it actually is or isn’t). Ugh! It was very difficult, but I managed to trim the fat off of my shopping basket.

I walked away with…

Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell
I Don’t Care About Your Band by Julie Klausner
The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
Spirit Animals by Stefanie Iris Weiss
Van Gogh quote card
Unicorn postcard (most beautiful postcard EVER!)
Downton Abbey tea (not pictured, and it was a last minute find at the register)
Powell’s tote

I gave myself a budget of $50, but then I said eff it. BUY ALL THE BOOKS! Carpe diem! Next time I go to Powell’s I’m going to bring some books from my personal library to sell for store credit, that way my bank account won’t be pissed at me. The only problem is that I have a hard time letting go of books. I’ll figure it out when the time comes.