The Trouble with Caviezels

I have to share this episode of QAnon Anonymous about Jim Caviezel and his connection to America's most destructive alternative facts. Pun intended, it's simply relevant to this blog's interests. 

Content warning within the podcast for antisemitism, racism, mention of sexual harassment, and homophobia. 

Some of these stories are rather amusing tales from the set of Person of Interest; others are harder to listen to. Jim Caviezel, it seems, is not only not a very good person, but also not a very smart person. I'm chagrined but not surprised, because straight white men are so often disappointing. 

(I know Not All Straight White Men. My dad is one. I'm married to one. I know a great number of you guys are kind, thoughtful, wonderful people. If you're not doing unkind things to people, then you should have nothing to feel defensive about.) 

Not problematic in any way: Taraji P. Henson. In fact, according to The Grio (which I believe is from the same parent company as the NBC television network), she has started a mental health campaign for African-American children called The Unspoken Curriculum. Taraji is as beautiful on this inside as she is on the outside, and she's very beautiful on the outside. 

Taraji, like my unproblematic straight white male fave Jon Bernthal*, is from Washington, D.C., which may soon be our 51st state. (Taxation without representation is problematic, which is why I also support statehood for Puerto Rico, if my fellow Americans in PR want it.) If you want to support students in the arts in DC so they can grow up to be future Tarajis and Jons, you can check out this book:

Sometimes I Have to Be Brave was written by student authors during the quarantine. It's a project of 826DC, a nonprofit company that gives kids in DC schools the tools they need to express themselves in writing. 

If you'd like to learn more about the Indianapolis Sikh community, you can read The Art and Spirit of K.P. Singh. Mr. Singh shares his visual art in this book as well as his writing. He was born in India and has lived in Indianapolis for over 40 years. I saw him on the local news this morning and I like having the opportunity to share something nice and positive after our city had a trauma. 

*He genuinely does seem to be a good guy, just acting and hanging out with this nurse wife Erin and their two sons and a daughter at their ranch in Ojai. I doubt we'll ever catch Jon Bernthal doing anything antisemitic, since he is Jewish. 

P.S. The Night at the Museum trilogy is on Disney+ now, if you want to see Jon as Al Capone. It also has Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart. 

Podcast Episode Rec: 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' on Book Vs. Movie

Content warning: I mention violence and anti-Asian American hate in this post, below the Spotify embed.

As I sadly had to report last time, Jim Caviezel is canceled due to some QAnonsense. But you know who isn't canceled? The lady Ms. Taraji P. Henson. 

You can read my review of Taraji's memoir here. I bought it from Half Price Books, but you could also support your favorite independent bookstore by buying it from BookShop.org. My favorite Bookshop.org destination is Brain Lair Books, which was recently featured in Publishers Weekly. 

Among Taraji's best films is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. The Brad Pitt-Cate Blanchett vehicle (which I've technically seen but didn't observe closely - it was on in the background while I did something) is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 

This week, the Book Vs. Movie podcast (mentioned in the 5 Recommended Podcasts post) compared the movie to the short story. I listen to my podcasts on Spotify. You can find the episode on Spotify here:

Next week's episode is about Ted Chiang's scifi short story "Story of Your Life," which was adapted into the film Arrival starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. Check it out. 

And if you wanted to, you could also buy Ted Chiang's book from Bookshop.org. (There are no affiliate links in this post. Informational only.) The Nebula- and Hugo Award-winning author is Chinese-American. May is Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month, and it's never a bad idea to read more Asian and Asian diaspora writers. 

It's really awful and unfortunate, but hate crimes against Asian-Americans are on the rise. I happen to live in Indianapolis, where last month we had a horrific crime take place that took the lives of four members of the Sikh community. The south side of Indianapolis, in addition to a large South Asian-American community, also has a large number of people who are Chin, an ethnicity from Burma. Many of my Chin neighbors are practicing Christians who didn't feel free to practice their religion in Burma. (Burma is in a humanitarian crisis right now, with many refugees having to flee from the government.)

I strongly favor everything that protects and empowers people of Asian descent, and you know what? Buying and reading fiction really does help, on an individual level. Not only do Asian-American authors need their royalties, but reading fiction also encourages empathy, as readers learn to put ourselves in the shoes of people who aren't exactly like us. 

Of course, I do know that buying and reading diverse authors is not a substitute for addressing systemic racism. I'm not suggesting that it is. I'm suggesting we do both. 

The co-hosts of Book Vs. Movie podcast are one Caucasian and one Latina. Support their podcast, support independent bookstores, support your local Black-owned businesses, protect your Black friends and neighbors*, support your local Asian American-owned businesses, and protect your neighbors of Asian descent - including yourself, if applicable. We're all in Year 2 of this pandemic together, so let's all do our parts and help each other out. 

*If the phrase "Black lives matter" seems controversial to you, do not interact with me in any way. This is a matter of life and death and I don't have to time to explain to people who are behaving in bad faith that human lives do, in fact, have value. 

Favorite Books by Black Authors

I stole this idea from godzilla-reads. Support Black authors and Black-owned independent bookstores. I'm originally from South Bend, Indiana, so I'm biased in favor of Brain Lair Books, owned and operated by an African-American woman.

These are non-affiliate links to pages within this blog. Each page contains a review and further details about the book:

Around the Way Girl by Taraji P. Henson  - nonfiction - memoir/autobiography

Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston - nonfiction - American history/African-American folklore

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - YA fiction

Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. - nonfiction

Hustling 101: Selling Your Talent Without Selling Your Soul by Rebecca Scott - nonfiction

I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillan - contemporary adult fiction

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison - children's nonfiction - biography, picture books

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - fiction

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis


In the comments, please feel free to leave suggestions for other books by Black authors and your favorite Black-owned independent book store.

American author Zora Neale Hurston circa 1930. Public domain.

'Around the Way Girl' by Taraji P. Henson #Memoir #Autobiography

Around the Way Girl by Taraji P. Henson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved Taraji P. Henson anyway (big Person of Interest fan here), but I love her 1000% more after reading how smart, witty, insightful, grounded, and hard-working she is. She's just a really neat person. Yes, she's friends with Mary J. Blige, but she's also really, really real.

This book isn't a literary masterpiece; it's a quick read, organized around several themes such as family and friends rather than a strict chronology. But it's a fun book about a genuinely good person.

I purchased this book with my own funds from Half Price Books (not an affiliate link) and was not obligated in any way to review it.

A Beautiful, Meaningful Nonfiction Book for All Middle-Grade Readers

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Vashti Harrison is a filmmaker as well as a visual artist, which explains why she did such an excellent job of intuiting which events in each woman's life to highlight to make each story compelling.

Every one of the 40 mini-biographies in the beautiful, inspiration book could be made into a film. Some of them have been, Hidden Figures being one recent example.

Harrison's drawings emphasis the contributions to society of these women, but also their personal strength, dignity, and beauty. This book for middle grade readers would make a wonderful addition to any school library, classroom, or children's bookshelf.

I received this book through Amazon's Vine program in exchange for a fair and honest review.

https://amzn.to/43z8ItH - this is an affiliate link

#ReadBlackAuthors 'Hustling 101: Selling Your Talent Without Selling Your Soul'

This book does contain some useful advice, and for that reason, I would recommend it to young people (middle school, high school, and college students especially) who want to know how to make money and/or make the best use of their talents. It is a good beginner's guide to how to take care of yourself as able-bodied adults are generally expected to do.

I would have loved to give this book five stars, but it has a serious editing problem. I noted at least two places in which identical text is repeated on two different pages. It also contains a section of biographies of famous hustlers, and these are edited in a funny way, omitting some of the most well-known accomplishments of the individuals.

I became familiar with Rebecca Scott, who sometimes answers to the nickname Holly Hood, on YouTube. She's an absolutely fascinating woman: a native New Yorker, daughter of an African mom living in America and an Indian-American father, former musician (she still has a wonderful singing voice) and producer, occasionally homeless, physically disabled, deeply intelligent though self-taught, a Christian, a conspiracy theorist, a very kind woman, not perfect (as none of us are) but clearly well-intentioned. I certainly don't agree with everything she believes, but I try to listen to her with an open mind, because she does possess a good deal of wisdom, and a lot of the more practical things she suggests are spot-on.

So I really wanted to like this book, and it does have a practical value, but I do hope the author will come out with another edition that fixes the editing errors. If that happens, I will edit my review to reflect that there is newer edition available.

I purchased this book with my own funds from Amazon.com and was not obligated to review it in any way. As part of Black History Month, I'm making an effort to read and support authors of African descent.

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19132109-hustling-101

Tank Top Tuesday: Taraji P. Henson

Yes, I have stolen the idea of Tank Top Tuesday directly from Dorothy Surrenders. Our illustrious Dorothy Snarker, lesbian-friendly blogger and appreciator of feminine beauty, is only one woman and can't watch everything. Despite her extensive knowledge of popular culture, she's never caught on to Person of Interest, Shoot (that's the ship name of Samantha Groves and Sameen Shaw) or no Shoot. Maybe that'll change if we ever get a spin-off called Shoot's Lesbian Adventures.

I'd be SO on board with that.

I'm also on board with Taraji P. Henson's post-POI projects, including the movie From the Rough, which officially premiered Friday. What's not to love? It's the heartwarming true story of how Dr. Catana Starks, the first African-American woman to coach a men's collegiate golf team, led her rag-tag band of misfits to a championship season. You know, typical sports movie fare. But with Taraji.

And also with Tom Felton - star of yesterday's blog post - best known as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise. 

Taraji is normally too much of a lady to be caught in something as commonplace as a cotton tank top. 

So, in most of these pictures, she's actually wear a dress. 

Tank-style dress, halter top, or any short-sleeved garment, you can tell she has beautiful arms. 

So let's support this lovely and supremely talented actress. Go see her feel-good golf drama.

You know who'd probably love a good golf drama? Jim Caviezel, that's who. 

(See, 'cause he played the title character in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius.)

#ManCandyMonday Tom Felton

Today I'm linking up with the Manday Hotties Blog Hop to bring you the following Tom Felton.

He is so much more than just our favorite Draco Malfoy visual reference.

Is good?

You like?

Good. Then go see Tom's new movie, From the Rough. It also stars the gorgeous Taraji P. Henson.

I don't get paid to say that or anything. I'm just a really big fan of Taraji.

#YABookReview: 'Blood Promise' by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #4)

SPOILER ALERT! Go away and DO NOT READ if you don't want to know what happens in the 4th book in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy novel series, Blood Promise: A Vampire Academy Novel. This post will discuss the plotline of Blood Promise and will include spoilers. You've been warned.

Previous Reviews in This Series:

Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss

Let me just say this: I hate Strigoi!Dimitri. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. But now I have some hope that Strigoi can be brought back to life with some kind of magic. 

In this book, Rose arrives in Dimitri's home country, Russia, and visits his Siberian village. She meets his grandmother, mother, his three sisters and their kids. She also meets a human named Sydney who belongs to a somewhat mysterious society called the Alchemists. She has a gold tattoo made of Moroi blood on her face, and she seems to be aiding Rose on Rose's mission. 

The Alchemists reminded me a little bit of the Talamasca in Anne Rice's novels. The Talamasca are impartial observers, though, while the Alchemists seem to be actively involved. In return for being of service to the Moroi, the get limited dhampir-like powers through their gold tattoos. 

Rose also meets Abe. It took me a little while - but not as long as it took Rose - to realize the brown-skinned, possibly Muslim Abe must be the same person as Ibrahim, Rose's Turkish father. I'm sure Abe Mazur comes back in later volumes. 

Sydney refers to Abe as Zmey, a Russian word that means "snake," but (at least in the book, if not in the actual Russian language) there's a connotation of a wise snake, a trickster that could be either helpful or mischievous, and occasionally outright evil. Sydney explains that the Garden of Eden serpent in the Bible is a Zmey to the Russians. 

Basically, Rose's dad is a Turkish version of Loki. 

Strigoi!Dimitri will be back, alas. Although Rose staked him twice - once with wood and once with silver - she didn't quite get his heart the second time. He's still walking around as an evil Strigoi, and he seems to be out to get Rose. Whether he'll try to kill her next time or try again to turn her into a Strigoi will be the question. I have a feeling it will make for some harrowing reading either way. 

I didn't really enjoy this book as much as feel compelled to read it. I had a feeling it would end badly, like the last one did, but I had to know what happened. It was a tiny bit hopeful. But Christian broke up with Lissa. But I'm also hopeful the two of them will get back together again. They might not, though, because kissing her ex-boyfriend was a real jerk move on her part. 

I checked this book out from my local library. I wasn't solicited or obligated to review it in any way. This review represents my own honest opinion.

Next Up: The King: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward, another library book. 

P.S. If you have movie theater money and need something to do this weekend, please go see and support the movie From the Rough. It opens today. The movie stars Taraji P. Henson as Catana Starks, the first African-American woman to coach a collegiate men's golf team. Tom Felton - Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films - stars as one of her golfers, Edward. It also features the late Michael Clark Duncan. 

No, I am still not over the Person of Interest thing. Yes, I will support Taraji P. Henson in all of her projects. 

P.P.S. This is how Taraji would look as a vampire. 

                                                 Amazon Music: Six Months of Disney+

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Worst. Episode. Ever. ~ in which I am emotionally traumatized by #PersonOfInterest ***SPOILERS***

***SPOILERS***

First, a bit of business: Kelly Walker's $50 giveaway entry form is at this post.

Second, a serious note: November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance, a solemn event for remembering human lives lost to anti-transgender violent. The victims of such violence are almost always trans*women, often people of color, and often sex workers. It's an opportunity to devote ourselves anew to respecting all transgendered people - but especially our trans* sisters - and to continue fighting misogyny, hurtful gender stereotypes, racism, prejudice against sex workers, and all the places where these deadly attitudes intersect. Today we remember that all human lives have value, and that the most vulnerable members of our society need our support.

You don't have to love sex work, but you do have to respect sex workers as your fellow human beings.

***SPOILERS START HERE***

Now on to a more "lighthearted" subject, which is nonetheless ripping my heart in two. Fictional characters are bastards. They have a tendency to die at the most inconvenient times, such as when one gets extremely attached to them. I'm extremely attached to Jocelyn (Joss) Carter on Person of Interest, and here in the middle of Season 3, the writers have killed her off.

Public Domain Image

I probably should be angry, as angry as all those Veronica Roth fans who returned their copies of Allegiant to the bookstore because they were so chagrined by that thing that happens at the end. (Go here if you want the spoiler-y book review.) Maybe I haven't gotten to the anger stage yet; I'm still processing the grief.

Yes, I'm grieving over a TV character. Her death is so sudden, so horrendous, such a betrayal of the loyal audience. It felt like a cheap ratings stunt, a shocker ending designed to get a gasp out of the viewer. Let me tell you a thing about Joss Carter: she was a complete badass. She was a strong, stable police detective, a Gulf War II veteran and former military interrogator, competent and honest in her job. She was a single mom, divorced from a fellow vet - a good man who was loyal to their son and dealing with his PTSD issues. She was a good partner to Lionel Fusco, a good mom, and still not some perfect Mary Sue it was impossible to like.

She was realistically strong, not cartoonishly so. (I can admit it: Sam Shaw is a bit cartoonish at times.) She was everything you wanted a female character on network TV to be.

Joss is played by Taraji P. Henson, an African-American woman. How many successful network TV shows feature an African-American woman as one of four principle characters? Not as many as we would like. We could not afford to lose Taraji from network TV. She's an amazing actor, gifted in both lighthearted comedic scenes and heavy drama. She was a staple of this show, its anchor. She was the moral center, even more so than Harold Finch. This literally will be a different show from here on out.

Creative Commons Image

I don't think I'll like it nearly as much. The other badass women - Root, Zoe Morgan and Shaw - are little comfort. They aren't Joss.

The worst part, though? The kiss. Yep, in the last hours of Joss's life, she finally learned John Reese's real feelings about her. They showed each other their scars; we learned she almost died from a landmine explosion and again when she gave birth to Taylor. My heart leapt; I had visions of John and Joss kissing each other's scars as they slowly undressed one another. He confessed to her that she saved his life; he was going to kill himself before the day they met, when she showed concern for him.

Then he touched her face, very tenderly. Then he leaned in (he's very tall) and kissed her. Joss's beautiful face was even more so afterward. You could see the love reflected in her beautiful eyes. Taraji has such beautiful eyes. CaReese was going to happen! They loved each other, I know it! I was in such a state of bliss - though still worried they were going to kill my beloved Lionel.

Then (Erin typed through her tears) that motherfucker Patrick Simmons shot her in the street, and she died in John's arms, calling for Taylor. Horrible Cloud Atlas flashbacks. The Frobisher-Sixsmith feels all over again.

I loved FourTris, but they weren't my One True Pairing. CaReese was my OTP. She deserved so much better than this. She deserved all the happiness. How is one supposed to take it when half of one's OTP is dead?

Excuse me for crossing fandoms, but I feel like I've been attacked by a dementor. I feel like I'll never be cheerful again. My brain wants to play me a jukebox worth of sad songs, and my infinite sadness playlist wouldn't let me sleep last night. Professor Lupin, can you bring me some chocolate, stat?

No, you can't. J.K. Rowling killed you. Fictional characters are bastards, dying at such inconvenient times. Person of Interest, go to the corner and think about what you've done.

If anything happens to Abbie Mills on Sleepy Hollow, TV, I swear to all the gods...

Pinterest: My Most Popular Pins

Oh How Pinteresting! Wednesday at The Vintage Apple is no more (not that we blame busy women who aren't writers by professional for not having time to blog - not in any way). It's still fun to have a (semi-) Wordless Wednesday post every now and then, so I thought I'd show off some of my most popular Pinterest pins:

#1: Taraji P. Henson



She's gorgeous. It's no wonder this one's been repinned 107 times.

#2: Sagrada Familia



It's true: on my trip to Spain in 1995, my tour group and I visited La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the last stop on our tour that started in Madrid. It was closed - infamously, the architect Gaudi died before his masterwork was completed, and it's almost constantly under construction - and I never got to see the inside.

A photo I took of the outside of Sagrada Familia in 1995

Now I can see it, vicariously, through Pinterest. So can lots of other people. It's been repinned 98 times.

#3: The Divergent Trilogy



Allegiant only came out on October 22 (barring a few leaked copies), but this image of all three hardcovers in Veronica Roth's Divergent Series has already been repinned 84 times.

I'm not surprised that one of my most popular pins has to do with a book series, but I am surprised that it got repinned so many times so quickly.

#4: Joseph Gordon-Levitt reading



You may have seen this image before on my "Hanukkah Hotness" post about JGL. Lots of people have seen it on Pinterest; it's been repinned 78 times.

#5: Taraji again



This one's been repinned 55 times - to a lot of "hair inspiration" boards.

#6: New Moon movie poster



The movie poster for the second movie in the Twilight series has been repinned 53 times. Incidentally, Andrea at Reading Lark book review blog recently reread and reviewed New Moon. You can read her review of the first novel, Twilight, here.

#7: Leaf chair



This clever yet practical piece of design has been repinned 50 times.

#8: You guys just can't get enough Taraji P. Henson



Not that I blame you. This sexy black-and-white pose came from Kala's TheDorkMistress Tumblr blog.

#9: George Clooney reads



Repinned 30 times, this pin first made its appearance in this Blue Monday post.

What are your most popular pins? Do any of them really surprise you?

POI Season One release, Happy B-Day Beyonce, and the best videos you can't see on YouTube

Guess what today is? Yep, the day the Person of Interest season 1 DVD set comes out. BUT I won't be getting it today. Next week, hopefully.



Now we just have to make it 23 more days for the Season 2 premiere. I'll no longer have to sit around thinking, "Oh my god, what is that bitch Root doing to Finch right now?!" I know what I'd be doing to Finch, but that's a whole other story.

Today is also Beyonce's birthday. Happy 31st, Beyonce Giselle Knowles Carter. These are some of my favorite Beyonce videos, all in one convenient playlist.



It's a crime against art that the official music video of "Ring the Alarm" is not posted on YouTube. The other awesome official video you won't see on YouTube, also a crime against art, is "Buddy X" by Neneh Cherry, which she wrote about Lenny Kravitz long before he was our beloved Cinna.

Taraji P. Henson may or may not be a fan of Beyonce; I don't know. What we do know is that she's a fan of Lady Gaga, and a little starstruck by her.



That explains this.

The Return of Blue Monday~Pin-ups and Hotties Read

On Mondays I hook up with Pinning! at A Night Owl Blog/Baxtron{Life}. On Wednesday, it's Oh, How Pinteresting! at The Vintage Apple. I haven't quite gotten over last week's Independence Day pin-ups, so this week's Blue Monday is themed around stylized hotties, with and without books in their hands. 

This is my Hotties Read board on Pinterest. This other board's titled Tattoo, Vintage and Pinup. 



Christian LaBoutin pumps, a dirty martini and cupcakes - aw hell yeah. Stalking the shit out of Kala L.'s Tumblr yields two kinds of rewards: Person of Interest fan stuff, and beautiful images of women of color. If it's pictures of Taraji P. Henson, both at the same time. 

“He Thinks I’m Too Good to be True” by Gil Elvgren, 1947

I adore vintage pulp fiction covers. Derrolyn Anderson's board of nothing but can be found here. 



Yes, we do.

The bait- er, bathing beauty. The bathing beauty. 

What else would a pier be for? 

A bare-chested man with a stack of books and a cup of coffee? Yes, please. 

George Clooney's shirt is on. Sorry. 

What are you pinning this week? 

https://amzn.to/467d0Kj - this is an affiliate link

Taraji P. Henson can't keep her top on

Dorothy Surrenders: best lesbian pop culture blog in the blogiverse? I think so. Whether it's Naked Lady Monday, Tank Top Tuesday, Gender Fuck Friday or My Weekend Crush, Dorothy Snarker always brings the lady hotness, with a good dose of feminist strength. There is, however, one glaring omission from Dorothy Surrenders:

No Taraji P. Henson. 

My fondest hope is that one day Dorothy will catch an episode of Person of Interest, take note of Detective Josselyn Carter's Afghan vet/NYPD Homicide Task Force/single mom badassery and make Taraji her Weekend Crush. This will have to hold me over until that moment.

Is it hot in here, Taraji, or is it just you?

Here and there on the Internet (cough) POI Tumblrs I stalk the shit out of (cough) I hear that some people don't like Detective Josselyn Carter. I do not understand the words in that sentence. This is like saying, "I don't like Wonder Woman" or "I don't like Princess Leia." Makes no sense.

...AND the PETA ad. Sure, I shared it before, but it's always worth seeing again.

POI Tumblrs I like to stalk the shit out of:

http://caviezus.tumblr.com/
http://eyesofwitt.tumblr.com/
http://fuckyouimfinch.tumblr.com/
http://stoppretendingthereisaplot.tumblr.com/

But Most Of All:

http://thedorkmistress.tumblr.com/ - Passionately pro-CaReese
http://thepurplejunkie.tumblr.com/ - Just as passionately pro-Rinch

Mockingjay? Read It. Adored It. Declared It the Best of the Trilogy.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I ever hear someone say that a female novelist can't write a war story, I am going to chuck this book at his or her head. So much pain and passion generated by the folly of war and nation-building is contained in its too-brief 390 pages, Mockingjay is as good an introduction to the grim paradox of war as Slaughterhouse-Five was a generation ago. Yes, it's even darker than the first two books (already quite dark), and yes, young people should read it anyway. Parts of it make the reader yell out, "What?!" but that's precisely the point. Katniss learns to question everything, and so must we. Brava to you, Ms. Collins, for even though a piece of my psyche has been vicariously wounded, I see the reason and the hope behind it. 

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Mockingjay is the best book in the Hunger Games trilogy. It's the best-written, the darkest, the scariest and the most true. Now excuse me while I grieve over the death of two particularly beloved fictional characters. 

Last night, I watched the Person of Interest rerun. It was the episode that introduced the hacker known as Root (dis bitch!!), and it involved a stakeout. I read Mockingjay for a while afterward. Then I went to bed and dreamed about a stakeout conducted by members of PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. You know, the ones who got Taraji P. Henson to pose naked to protest fur fashions - although, in all honesty, Ms. Henson seems to rather enjoy posing naked.

It took me a while to figure out that I dreamed about PETA because I was reading about Peeta Mellark. 

The blog Books and Movies discussed who should play Finnick Odair in Catching Fire recently. I don't have much of an opinion about that - I haven't even seen the Hunger Games movie yet. At this point I care much more about the books than the movies. (P.S. I'm utterly terrified at the idea of a Fifty Shades of Grey movie - I lean toward rooting for Michael Fassbender to get the role, but I also know no actor will ever measure up to my image of Christian Grey.) I don't really like any of the author's, Carrie K.'s, choices. 

I do, however, completely agree with the YouTube commenter who gave me the idea that Michael Emerson could play Beetee. That needs to happen.