The Fireside

2012 is coming to a close. With that, I'm going to list my favorite movies of the year, in no order that I've seen. There are some great ones I've yet to see, however.

As you may very well know by now, I love to read. It was in the past 5-10 years however, that I not only became interested in reading  but books . This blog post is my write-up on books (hardcover, paperback and ebooks). 

    " There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say, Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round - apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that - as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it! "

Kobo, my preferred and recommended ereader of choice, has a boxing week special on. To see the deals, head to http://www.kobobooks.com/boxingweeksale As far as ereaders go, I hear that they are the best. Those, as well as Amazon's depending on what you're after. There are many others too, such as the Nook by Barnes & Noble. Depending on the compatibility of your ereader, epub is most likely the best file format to use. I'll provide a post-holiday update post January, which will an entire post dedicated to both Christmas and New Year's. For now, a very quick update on what I wrote last night... Still working away, still writing away. I did about 1700 words last night. I'm not sure if that's considered alot, but I covered quite a bit within that chapter I wrote. Sometime soon, who knows, I may proof it and do some minor editing to expand it (not on purpose for word or page count, of course, but for better flow). I had this chapter and the events it cov...

I saw these funny images online I want to share with you. I thought they were funny...entitled 'geek piss offs'. In which the quotes are mixed up and do not matches the characters / actors pictured.

My review from Goodreads....

It was announced today that The Walking Dead  will get a 4th season. Expect it to begin airing in October 2013 sometime. Season 3 has yet to finish, so that's great news. The current season will return in February with new episodes, finishing up the second half of the season. 

'tis the season!  For the next two weeks, I'll be off of work. I'm all caught up on my TV shows: the Dexter season finale was this past Sunday. Boardwalk Empire is finished for now. Walking Dead returns in Feb. Game of Thrones comes back in March. Mad Men will be 2013 sometime. I have a couple movies to see (Argo , Les Miserables and Django Unchained ). I'm at the tail end of The Eye of the World (less than 200 pages left to read, will most likely finish on or by Saturday.) So what am I to do over the holidays? When I'm not with family and friends for gatherings, out to movies, or the like, I will be writing. And I don't mean blog posts, I mean immersing myself in, and creating more of, Kalvel.  First up is 'The Gameplan'. Well, I have mentioned before that my series will be five Volumes. With possibly a sixth, if I need it. Well, I'm going to form an outline of what I want to happen in which book, and to who. Example: "I wan...

Tonight is the season 7 finale of Dexter  on Showtime. The name of the episode is "Surprise, Motherfucker!" (yes, that famous Doakes line)

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit". That sentence has been iconic for quite a few decades now, since 1937. 

...and I Mean early , as release dates could change, and some more 'quiet' / festival / limited releases may crop up. But for now, here are the films of 2013 that I'm interested in seeing...most likely at the theatre but if word of mouth isn't too good, I'll Netflix.

Just yesterday, the soundtrack for the first of three Hobbit film just came out. Pictured above, is the special edition, which features some extended tracks, as well as six bonus tracks. The cover is different, and you get more liner notes. In short, you get 'more'. This  is the release I recommend for film score fans, as well as those who loved the Lord of the Rings  soundtracks (for those who own the Complete Recordings of LotR , the special edition is a no-brainer). You can get it on both CD and itunes. No doubt sales will be strong for both the special edition and regular, but hopefully with enough (strong) sales, the soundtracks for Part 2  and Part 3  will also receive the special edition treatment. Keep reading for some more (film) soundtracks I recommend.

The Holidays are coming. I'm off work from Dec. 21 - Jan. 7. During that time will be spend reading (I hope to finish reading The Eye of the World  [ The Wheel of Time  Book 1] by 2013), watch a few Christmas movies, and see some family and friends. This Sunday is the season finale of Dexter. Walking Dead  comes back in Feb. Game of Thrones and Mad Men , I'm awaiting their new seasons to begin.  So I'm what am I going to do lots of? I'm going to write up a storm.  Earlier today I began 'fleshing out' a province I created in the world where my series will take place. Late last week I came up with the name, where it will be located, and the climate. Earlier today I came up with some wildlife. Some traditional, some fantasy, and some that could be an alternate universe version of some of the animals we have on our planet...or had *wink*. My 'personal' goal is to have five more chapters written by 2013. As of now, I'd say I'm abo...

There was no new episode of Walking Dead  this week...and won't be until Feb. 10. During the lowatus, I recommend that you start reading the comics if you haven't already, as they are quite good. They come in a variety of formats, but the most cost-effective is this guy here: There are currently two of those big books. Format goes like this: single issue trade (6 issues) Hardcover (12 issues, or 2 trades) Omnibus (24 issues, or 2 hardcovers) Compendium (48 issues, or 2 Omnibus). The Hardcover and Omnibus are nice hardcover design, whereas the Compendium & trades are paperback. I myself get the Hardcover. 

One month until The Wheel of Time  makes its final turn.... What was, what will be, and what is may yet fall under the Shadow.

I have a book I can recommend to readers of adventure / fantasy, which may double as a Christmas suggestion. If you liked Narnia , The Hobbit , or other tales as a kid (though not just for  kids...), read further for one to check out, that goes with the winter season.

The GoodReads Choice Awards for 2012 have been announced. Here are some winners of note.

I am finished my Christmas shopping. To which I have to say.... It's definitely a great thing to be able to do: get the shopping with over before December. OK, I finished on December 3, not Nov. 30 but it was quite close indeed! I understand some people need a Christmas bonus, or have to go week, pay by pa. Anyway, this is my winter / Christmas post....

Get ready for A Storm of Swords  to begin....

Tonight at 9PM is the season finale of Boardwalk Empire , titled 'Margate Sands'. The last two episodes were quite good...with last week's being the best episode yet. We'll have to see how it will unfold, and what will happen next year because.... ...some time ago Boardwalk got renewed for a fourth season! I had forgotten to post the news here, but there ya go! Maybe a 5th will happen if ratings are for ssn 4 are strong enough...so you know what to do. Make them ratings count! 

On my reading list, I'm currently reading The Eye of the World , the first book in The Wheel of Time series. I am halfway through the book, and this is not a 'review' but more of my thoughts so far.

At least in this commercial, anyway. Some may find it cheesy, silly or stupid, but as a longtime fan of Christmas Vacation , it's great to see Chevy Chase back in the role...only if for a few seconds. Too bad that he left Community ...maybe we can get another (good) Griswolds film ( Reunion Vacation ?), or even a TV series?