The Hobbit: The Franchise That’s Finally Over Viewing Party

November 24, 2014 by Caitlin

The final chapter of The Hobbit/Lord of The Rings is FINALLY here, and we’re excited for it to end. So excited, in fact, that we’ll be re-watching the first two Hobbit movies back to back, followed by a bonus viewing of The Fellowship of The Ring! Gluttons for punishment or Tolkien – you decide! Follow us on Twitter for all the nasty hobbitses fun! When: Monday, Dec. 1, 9:00 a.m. PT; 12:00 p.m. ET Where: Living room couch, of course What: Live […]

Categories: Adaptations • Tags: J. R. R. Tolkien, Lord of The Rings, Martin Freeman, My Precious, The Hobbit

Mockingjay, Part 1; Or, The Reason Why We Should Stop Splitting Movies

November 24, 2014 by Caitlin

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 debuted last weekend… and that’s almost the best thing I can say about it. Alright, maybe that’s a tad harsh. Sure, as a fan of the book I was pleased to see my favorite scenes faithfully adapted, but let’s be honest – there was no reason that needed to be split in two movies. Do you think the good outweighed the bad? I hashed out the pros and cons below. Pro: Jennifer Lawrence. Duh. If you’re not drinking the J-Law […]

Categories: Adaptations • Tags: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Mockingjay, Natalie Dormer, Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

Team Buttercup: The Great Cats of YA Fiction

November 22, 2014 by Erin

In honor of Buttercup Everdeen, that magnificent cat who had the balls to hiss at Katniss and the resilience to survive the District 12 firebombing – but, in true cat fashion, still can’t resist a good game of flashlight chase – I have here a list of my favorite kitty companions in young adult and children’s literature. These cats prove that the best sidekick to accompany a young character on his or her fictional journey is graceful, intelligent, tough, irritable, […]

Categories: Best Of • Tags: buttercup, crazy cat lady, Mockingjay, The Hunger Games, YA

A Revolution without Drinking is Hardly One Worth Having

November 20, 2014 by Caitlin

What to read: Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins What to drink: Hush Moonshine, or maybe actual moonshine if you want to keep the theme going The highly anticipated third installment of the Hunger Games series drops tonight, which has many young fans eagerly snapping up tickets, braiding their hair and waiting for that first glimpse of Katniss’ super serious face. I, unlike many of these young fans, will be seeing Mockingjay, Part 1 on it’s wide release tomorrow, and instead will be celebrating […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: Katniss Everdeen, Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

New and Slightly Improved Fifty Shades of Grey Trailer!

November 14, 2014 by Erin

From the film’s official YouTube channel: A lot of the same from the first teaser trailer that came out in July, but a bit sleeker and less cringe-worthy, right? It definitely didn’t cause as much uncontrollable giggling on my part. And there is some new material – more red room of pain, a few glimpses of secondary characters, a closing shot of that white wine Christian is always being so snobby about. Plus we get to see Ana working at […]

Categories: Adaptations • Tags: Fifty Shades of Grey, mr grey will see you now, white wine snobbery

First Insurgent Trailer is Out Now!

November 14, 2014 by Caitlin

All we can say is…. That. HAIR. We the good people of Ladies On The Shelf have some pretty mixed feelings about the Divergent series (see our discussion posts here and here). I’m thinking that the latest installment, due out March 20, 2015, is going to be another pile of YA ridiculousness, complete with serious sexual tension (hey, can we get some more Theo James up in this trailer??), angst, poor communication skills and a whole lot of CGI action. […]

Categories: Adaptations • Tags: book versus movie, divergent, insurgent, Theo James' eyebrows, Veronica Roth, young adult

“Call me Ishmael” and Other Favorite First Lines in Literature

November 14, 2014 by Erin

Happy birthday, Moby-Dick! On this day in 1851, Herman Melville’s classic novel was first published in the United States. Even if you’ve never read the book, odds are you’re still somewhat familiar with Captain Ahab’s maniacal hunt for the albino sperm whale that ate his leg. You’re probably also familiar with the first sentence, because it’s one of the most well known in the literature world: “Call me Ishmael.” That’s a damn fine opening, especially for a novel that otherwise […]

Categories: Best Of • Tags: famous first lines, herman melville, literature love, moby dick, top 5

Book Crafts

November 10, 2014 by Ladies On The Shelf

It *might* be a crime to deface a book. But, admittedly, some books are just not that good. And then there are those that are so mass produced that some are bound to end up in a trashcan anyway, and then what do you do with those extra copies? Books, besides being art in and of themselves, happen to make great source material for art – and sure give new meaning to “recycle, reduce, reuse.” Book crafts are a totally different and […]

Categories: Literary Style • Tags: arts and crafts, book crafts, Pinterest, recycle