Just found out about this contest via Twitter and wanted to pass it along. I have to have that action figure. I’ve wanted one for ages!

The Book Girl: Jane Austen Week Grand Prize:

Today is the first day of my Jane Austen week and I’m very excited. I have read a lot of great books in preparation for this weeks reviews. Plus, I have lots of fun giveaways planned.

There will be something you can win everyday, but today’s the day for the Grand Prize listing.

All contests will be open until midnight on Saturday 9/25.

Comments from all posts will be gathered for the grand prize. Extra ways to earn entries are to post a facebook or blog post about the book girl’s Austen week, or tweet about the contest. (Please put link to post or tweet in separate comment)

Make sure to come back everyday for the Jane Austen and Austen inspired reviews and giveaways!!

Here is the GRAND PRIZE:

Jane Austen Action Figure

Pride & Prejudice DVD/Book

Assorted Jane Austen buttons and stickers

I Love Mr. Darcy coffee mug

Good luck, everyone. And if any of you win that action figure, let me know so I can give you my snail mail…because you will be sending it to me, right? Right! :)

In t-minus 30 seconds, “Twilight” is opening in theaters all over this good land and I won’t be in any one of them to experience it. It goes without saying…I am heartbroken. I’ve been looking forward to this day for a while now and I’m a little bummed that millions of snotty-nosed teenage girls are about to file into their theater seats, while I’m stuck at home simply blogging about it and living vicariously through them. *deep sigh* Such is life, I suppose.

I’m 30 years old, my husband works nights, and I have a 10 year old that has school tomorrow. It’s not like I’m going to drag him to the theater. And no amount of begging on my part could make my husband call in tonight. So I guess this means that I’ll have to get up early enough to catch it in the morning.

I suppose that works out fine though, because I can’t think of anything more horrific than a theater full of screaming teenage girls who spazz out every time Rob Pattinson flashes a crooked smile. I wouldn’t be able to hear the damned thing and that would just piss me off. So yes, going to see the movie all by myself sounds like a plan. Just me, my overpriced popcorn, and Edward Cullen…er…Rob Pattinson…I mean Edward Cullen. Good lord, but isn’t the man just too handsome for words? Oh yes, that’s just lovely.

Seeing as this is a music post, I wanted to include some songs that remind me of the first two novels in the series – Twilight and New Moon. Twilight is more about falling in love, not wanting to kill your girlfriend, and hating yourself for being a bloodsucker. I had a hard time with that one. The second one deals with broken hearts, loss, obsession, and finding love again. It was a piece of cake. I’m a very moody sort of girl, so heartbreak and pain are right up my alley. I should warn you now, if you haven’t read the books, there are some definite spoilers below the songs. So be careful when reading the cuts.

As always: Listen…enjoy…download…purchase…wash…rinse…repeat. And go see “Twilight”!!!

You know the rules:

- DO NOT STREAM!
- Right Click/Save Target As.
- Files will stay up for 24 hours and then they’re gone forever. Please delete these from your computer. Don’t want the “Music Nazis” after you do ya?
- If you like the music, purchase the CDs! Keep the music flowing people.
- A bloody “thank you” would be nice.

Right. Learn it. Know it. Live it.

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Fergie – Clumsy / Purchase CD
This is obviously about Bella, because she’s always tripping over herself and falling – danger magnet and all, especially when Edward comes around and “dazzles” her. What a lucky little bitch.

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Kate Nash – Pumpkin Soup / Purchase CD
In Twilight, Edward can’t decide whether he wants to love Bella or straight up murder her. So like any man, he lashes out and ignores her, trying to push her away. And like any girl, Bella is only more infatuated by this behavior and can’t stop thinking about him. This song reminds me of the scene in Twilight where the two are in biology and Edward decides that he doesn’t want to have her lunch after all and he tries to strike up a conversation.

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Kelly Clarkson – Can I Have A Kiss / Purchase CD
Bella just wants a kiss, Edward. She also wants to do wonderful, dirty things with your cold, dead body and you will be forever defending your honor and 100 year old virginity against her. Just thought I’d give you a warning. BTW: I totally have a music video in my head for this song. Why? Because I have way too much time on my hands. Kelly Clarkson, give me a ring. It’s awesome.

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A Fine Frenzy – Ashes And Wine / Purchase CD
One of my favorite scenes from the series is in New Moon when Bella is standing on the cliffs in La Push, staring down at the raging waters below, and hearing Edward’s voice in her head begging her not to jump. She would do just about anything to hear his voice one more time and to just wash away this pain that she feels from his leaving her. I hear this song every single time I read that part of the book.

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Automatic Loveletter – Hush / Purchase CD
In New Moon, Edward starts to distance himself from Bella as he resolves himself to the fact that he’s going to have to leave her for her own safety. He wants her to have a normal, human life without the danger he and his family brings by being with her. Well, he didn’t have to do anything and he certainly didn’t have to leave at all, but he’s so pig-headed that he thought he did. But that’s beside the point. This song is very New Moon, pre-breakup.

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Jann Arden – Cherry Popsicle / Purchase CD
After Edward leaves Bella, she’s completely devastated and basically moves through life like a zombie. She doesn’t feel anything and she doesn’t know how to live without him and she realizes that every aspect of her life revolved around his being with her. It’s a very unhealthy sort of obsession that’s completely taken over her life and she honestly believes that when he left, he took every part of her. This is an excellent song for this part of her life. I also think it’s a little funny that the name of the song is “Cherry Popsicle” because Edward is cold because he’s dead and all…and the red in “cherry” represents blood, which vampires crave. So “Cherry Popsicle” is basically what Edward is. He’s a cherry popsicle! *giggles to self them stops* Yeah, so I’m the only one who got that. Whatever. Moving on. BTW: You fan girls better leave my nickname for Edward alone.

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Lifehouse – Broken / Purchase CD
My good friend Riika knew I was going to do this post, so she sent me this song. It’s perfect for New Moon when Edward and Bella are apart.

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StarSailor-Some of Us / Purchase CD
The first time I heard this song, I immediately thought of Jacob Black. The second time I heard it, I thought of Edward Cullen. And the third time, I decided that the first part of the song was about Jacob and the last was about Edward and the way they both feel about Bella. Honestly, it could go either way. Anyway, over the course of New Moon, Jacob evolves from a close family friend to a love interest for Bella. He’s there for her after Edward leaves and he breathes life into her again. In Jacob, Bella has a very healthy alternative that won’t take her away from her father and won’t result in her becoming a vampire. But poor Jacob doesn’t stand a chance against Edward, who does make his way back into Bella’s life at the end of New Moon. That doesn’t stop him from pushing his advances on Bella and trying to convince her, right up to the very end, that she should choose him. I may be Team Edward, but I can definitely appreciate Jacob and the very healthy relationship he has with Bella. He’s the big mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows of the series. He’s warm and sweet in every way and he makes Bella feel good about herself. And he’s good for the soul…even if he is a pushy pest at times.

I’ve been calling around all afternoon trying to find out if there were going to be any “Twilight” parties at any of the local theaters and no-one is holding one. That is just…well…*sputters*….inexcusable and shocking. What the hell, Savannah? Get with it already! I mean, this is the biggest thing since sliced bread and no-one…not one theater or radio station is having ANYTHING to celebrate it? I’m just beside myself with the suck-ass of it all.

If you live in Savannah and hear about a party, please let me know. I’d like to cover it for the paper.

*hobbles off, grumbling under her breath* <—I hurt my ankle. Pity me.

That’s how long it took me to read all 1,061 pages of both Twilight and New Moon. That’s every single word and sentence…no skipping. I literally could not put them down.

I was reading them as I was waiting for my son to get off the bus. I took the books to the bathroom with me and read them on the toilet until I felt my ass falling asleep. I had prepared a big Crock Pot of homemade beef stew yesterday morning knowing that I wouldn’t be making dinner…so the family served themselves as I lay the couch absorbed in every syllable. I think the only time I took a break was to take a 10 minute shower or get something to eat. And to be completely honest with you, I don’t remember eating anything other than a bowl of soup and a tuna sandwich all day. I may have had a couple glasses of tea in there somewhere. All I know is that I’m extremely parched right now, so I obviously didn’t get enough to drink. Twilight has caused me to be dehydrated. How sad. Oh, I did pass out from exhaustion for an hour and a half, but I’m counting that in with the 12 hours.

My husband is now sure that I’m some freak of nature. He says he’s never seen someone go through 100-150 pages in an hour’s time, but I think he’s forgetting about all the power Harry Potter marathon readings I’ve done in the past. What can I say, I’m Wonder Woman. :)

Back to the books, I have to say, I really enjoyed Twilight out of the two. And that’s not to take anything away from New Moon though, because it’s equally awesome, but I think the innocence of first love in the first book, however forbidden it may be, really touched me. With every page, you can see how easy it is for Bella Swan to fall in love with this wonderfully beautiful, dangerous vampire. And just speaking for myself, it’s incredibly easy to fall in love with him yourself. He’s the epitome of the bad boy. He’s every father’s worst nightmare and every teenage girl (and in my case, 30 year old woman’s) dream come true. The fact that he can never decide whether he wants to eat her or love her is his biggest endearing quality. I mean, how perfect is that?

As for New Moon, I’m going to admit that the first half of the damned book depressed the living shit out of me…but in a good way. I was openly sobbing through the first few chapters, feeling Bella’s heartbreak and depression. It was very moving and you could feel your heart being ripped right out of your chest right along with her.

And I know there’s a lot of you fangirls out there who hate Jacob Black, and I just want to say to you…PFFTTT! *sticks tongue out* He’s awesome. Immature and very persistent, but still awesome. And you know what? He’s one of Bella’s best friends in the truest sense of the word. Yeah, they don’t exactly end things in New Moon on a high note, but he’s always had Bella’s best interests at heart and you can’t begrudge him that. So stop hating already. Jacob’s a good guy. He’ll never hold a candle to Edward. Bella knows it, he knows it, Edward knows it. Just remember, he was there for her through the worst, and if it hadn’t been him, she may have went completely over the edge…or worse. Edward fans should be thanking him.

And I really don’t want to spoil anything for those of you who haven’t read the book yet, but I have to get this next part out. So, just be aware of spoilers and all that.

What the hell, man? I was waiting for Bella to just let Edward have it and she never did. How can one girl be so besotted that she can’t defend herself against the guy who literally ripped her heart into a million tiny pieces and then just walked away? She was simply way too forgiving of his treatment of her. And yes, I know the noble reasons he had in his heart and mind when he did it and how hard it was for him too, but still, it would’ve been nice to have seen her give him the full scale of what she went through while he was gone. It was horrible and depressing and I don’t think he knows how bad it really was. Maybe I’m the one who isn’t so forgiving, because it certainly wouldn’t have went down as easily as Bella made it. Sure, my heart would’ve burst with the happiness of having him back, but I would’ve let him have it before all was forgiven. I’m just a different woman, I guess. Still, it was wonderful to see them back together, even if there was a weird ease to it.

So, I guess these next questions are really for everyone who’s read the books. What do you think of the first two? Favorite scenes? Favorite quotes? Let’s discuss.

Oh and BTW…strong>Must.Get.Hands.On.Next.Two.Books.In.Series.Will.Certainly.Die.If.I.Do.Not.Do.This.Today!!!

Okay, so here’s the deal about Twilight. Until like ten or so months ago, I had never even heard of the series. The only reason I even knew about it was because I had read on ONTD that Robert Pattinson, who played Cedric Diggory, in “Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire” was going to be starring in the movie adaption. It was a blip and I forgot about it.

Flash forward to two weeks ago. Breaking Dawn, the last book in the series, had just been released in August and and the official trailer was hitting the internet. There was a lot of hype surrounding the movie and book and teenage girls were going nuts and every time I turned on the television and passed by MTV or any of the entertainment channels, it was “Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!!!”. The world was going Twilight crazy and I was completely oblivious to it. It had never even registered on my radar, which is really odd, because I’m usually one of the first people to know about “the next big thing”. I was miffed by my obliviousness to the apparent awesomeness of it all.

Before I continue, there’s a few things you need to understand about me.

• First off, I don’t like being oblivious to anything. I like being in the know. And the fact that this thing had exploded into the world’s biggest thing ever and I wasn’t aware of it kind of ticked me off.
• Second, I don’t like hype. I’ve said that a million times and I’ll say it again…I don’t like hype. If everyone is going on and on and on about something, I’ll avoid it like the plague. I want to be aware of the next big thing, but I don’t necessarily want to be a part of it. I like to wait for everyone to calm down before I get into it. It’s what I do with everything. It’s just who I am.
• Third, when I finally get into something, I really get into it. I have to know everything about it until there’s nothing left to know. And while I’ll get really into something, I never become completely obsessed with it. Or maybe I do and no-one bothers to tells me.
• And fourth, and most importantly…because I’m going to bring it back up in a second, I love vampires. I adore them. I think the entire vampire myth is very alluring and sensual and complicated. Is there anything more awesome than a good vampire/human love story? All of that angst and passion and death…it’s all so very delicious. I have a gazillion books in my closet along those themes. Romanticism aside, I think the entire myth is very fascinating. If I could ever be a monster, I’d be a vampire. Who wouldn’t want to live forever? The whole human blood thing is a little tricky, but I can always work around that.

So anyways, I’m seeing everyone talk about “Twilight” and I did a quick Wikipedia search and read up on the books, trying to get a feel for why it was so popular. I saw the word “vampire” and my ears perked up and I literally heard a “ding ding ding” in my brain. I had to know more! Something like five hours later (I’m not joking here either!!!), I’d watched all the teaser trailers online. I’d found all the fan art on Deviant and had favorited half of it. I’d read a million quotes and was desperately scouring the internet for movie stills, magazine articles, and scans of the cast. I had turned into this crazy, obsessive “Twilight” fan. It was scary.

It was like I couldn’t get enough. I was like a woman stranded in the desert, without water and food for days, who stumbles across a buffet and can’t get enough to drink and eat. There just wasn’t enough to fill me. I had to have more. It was like every nerve in my body was fired up and that I had to get my hands on these books and watch this movie or I was going to die. Dramatic, I know, but I’m not even joking you about how I felt. With the snap of a finger, I had turned from an oblivious 30 year old mom in Savannah into a hormonal 14 year old Edward Cullen loving Twilighter. And this was without reading a single page of an actual novel. I totally understood why teenage girls and 30′something moms like me were going crazy over these books. I got it. And I was right there with them. Stephenie Meyer, you’re a clever little minx. Did you sprinkle your stories with magic dust and heroin? Because seriously…addictive doesn’t even begin to describe what your brilliant mind has created.

My addiction had even spread into my real life. Last Thursday morning, as I was lying in bed with my head tucked in my husband’s arm, I started talking about the books and the movie about how they were totally consuming my thoughts. I warned my husband of the impending Cullen explosion that I was about to lay on him and how it was probably in his best interest to go ahead and read up on the books, because I was undoubtedly going to be talking his head off about it nonstop between now and November 21st, when the movie comes out. I love him enough to give him warning about these sorts of things.

We got on the subject of vampires, on how much I adore them, and how it really wasn’t fair that I couldn’t have my own Edward Cullen. An hour later, I had openly admitted to my husband that I was having very naughty thoughts about a fictional vampire and how I would love more than anything for him to leap out of the books and into my bed. We were debating the merits of vampires and the proper ways of destroying them. He informed me that he was “old school” and that vampires absolutely do turn into bats and that they can die only by direct sunlight. He accused me of being one of those newfangled newbs who went against the idea of bats and sunlight and that I was wrong in my assumption that vampires could go out in the sunlight and that you could kill them by beheading. And oh yeah…vampires don’t sparkle or dazzle. *audible shock* Blasphemy!!! He ended our very heated and entertaining discussion with a pat on the head and by telling me that I was the most grown up 14 year old girl that he knew, and that no matter how old I got, I would always be a teenager. Then he rolled over and passed out, leaving me to stew and daydream about Edward Cullen. Unbeknown to my husband, my evil plan was working and I was slowly pulling him into the world of Twilight, just like I had done with Doctor Who and Harry Potter. If I’m going down into this lovely, addictive world of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, then I’m taking everyone I know with me…including all of you. It’s really for your own good.

I was talking to Riika last week and she brought up Twilight and the fact that, just like me, the entire series had went right past her and that she wasn’t aware of it until recently. She said that once she started reading, it was like she couldn’t get enough and went through the books one after another. She had went through the same exact thing I found myself in now. She told me about the draft for Midnight Sun on Stephenie Meyer’s site, which I’ve read two times since. And she finally took pity on my poor soul and ordered the first two books from Amazon, which should have arrived by Monday.

So, I waited with baited breath all weekend, knowing that on Monday, I would have my precious books in my hands and delve even deeper into this crazy world of vampires and humans. The United States Postal Service had other ideas though and the books didn’t show up until this morning. I’m telling you, I died a little inside every day that passed that these books didn’t show up. Every day, twice a day, I’ve walked in, opened my PO BOX, in hopes that today would be the day that I would find the little yellow pickup slip, or what I love to refer to as “The Golden Ticket”. Every day I harassed the postal lady about looking in the back, just to make sure there wasn’t a package with my name on it. It got to the point to where she would see me walk in, watch me open my box, see the disappointed look on my face, and immediately tell me that “Sorry dear, there’s nothing here for you in the back. Maybe tomorrow”. Even she was feeling my pain. If I’ve learned anything in my adult life, it’s that you always rely on a government agency to be unreliable.

Well this morning, I got my Golden Ticket and the postal lady was waiting for me, box in hand and a big smile on her face. I ran out of the post office with my precious and I nearly fell down the steps in my haste to get back home, rip it open, and begin reading. But before I did, I had to run online and write this painfully long post about my obsessive love for Edward Cullen and all things Twilight and OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG TWILIGHT TWILIGHT TWILIGHT TWILIGHT!!!!

*head explodes from the ecstasy of it all*

So…how’s your morning going? :)

Warning: Doctor Who spoilers below. Proceed with caution, fellow Who fans.

Have I ever mentioned my insane obsession with “Doctor Who” here on the blog? If not, I just want to get it out of the way and do it now.

I love “Doctor Who”. I love everything about the show. I love the cheesy costumes…the mildly annoying companions *coughs in Donna Noble’s general direction*…the sonic screwdriver…the Tardis…Rose Tyler/Tenth Doctor Lurve…and just about anything and everything associated with the show. If it’s related to Doctor Who, then I’m all about it. Most of my Saturday and Sunday afternoons are spent on the couch with my son watching back to back episodes. While I think the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) was fantastic, you just can’t beat the Tenth (David Tennant). And my favorite companion? That would be Rose Tyler, who packed on enough eyeliner and lumpy mascara to paint an elephant’s tit, God bless her. She’s the only one who seemed to have a real chemistry with the Doctor.

Oh, I’d like to mention that there’s a red phone booth outside of Six Pence Pub in Savannah, and every time I pass it, I think to myself, “Gosh, wouldn’t it be swell if the Doctor were to pop out of there?”. I’m just itching to spray paint that bad boy blue. Yes, I’m a weird fan girl. Sue me. I know this had absolutely nothing to do with this post, but I wanted to post this picture, so there.

So anyways, being the super-duper fan that I am, I’ve been dying for the final two episodes of the season to air over here in the States. I mean…hello, Rose Tyler was back and if that doesn’t get you excited, then you’re just not a fan. All that was left unsaid between her and the Doctor has been lingering over the last few series and it has eaten me alive over whether he’d finally be able to finish his sentence. Every time I watch “Doomsday”, I cry like a little baby. The first time I saw it, I actually sobbed for like an hour. It was a little pathetic. It was emotional, damnit!

Well, BBC America is always months behind the BBC and I always have to resort to YouTubing anything that comes out there and on ITV. I promised myself that I was going to be a good girl and wait for them to come out here. No spoilers for me. Nope. Gonna resist the urge. I can do it.*drums fingers on knee impatiently*

Fine…so I cheated a bit and found “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End” online a couple weeks ago and watched them not once, not twice, but three times. They were great. A bit jumbled up in some places, like they were trying to fit everything in and close all these loose ends up at one time, but altogether entertaining.

But the best part? Well, I won’t spoil it for those of you who have far better willpower than I do, but I will say this…it’s brilliant and lovely and nothing at all like I expected it to be and everything I had hoped it would. And yes, it made me cry…and smile…and maybe just a little sad for the Doctor. After you watch the video, you’ll see what I mean.

Here’s the video. If you watch it, then leave a comment. I want to know what you think. If you decide not to watch the video, well, let me know in December what you think, because that’s how long you’re going to have to wait until it airs here.

Videos under the cut.

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And the fangirl train just keeps rolling along. Just when I was ready for bed, I stumbled across the official trailer for “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” and felt compelled to blog about it.

Today was a good day. :)

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