Regarding Paddington

(Sorry for the delay in posting this, I got very wrapped up in some books that I was reading and it kind of cut into my writing time... You understand, right?)

"What do you think of the movie Ella Enchanted?" my friend, Nikki, asked me. We'd only been friends for a few weeks. This was a test that I needed to pass in order to cement our friendship.

I didn't pass, but it's okay, we're still friends.

"Okay," I said, sighing a long, low sigh. "The thing is: I love the movie Ella Enchanted. I love Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy and goofy musical numbers and untalented fairies and the modern-medieval clash. But, I watched the movie before I ever read the book! And I loved it so much. I watched it 1000 times. And then, by the time I read the book, I honestly didn't enjoy the book that much because I was like: 'wait, what the heck, where's dancing Hugh Dancy?' You know?"

"Nooooo," Nikki objected, "I used to like the movie too but then I read the book and I love it so much and the movie is just not the book."

"No, I know! It's like: have you ever seen Howl's Moving Castle?"

"Oh my gosh yes I love that movie!"

"Yeah, but have you ever read the book? Because..."


I don't always think "the book is better." I mean, don't get me wrong, I love books, but, sometimes...

• I loved the show Pretty Little Liars but when I read the books all I could think was, "How did this garbage ever become a show in the first place?"
• I really enjoyed the movie This is Where I Leave You but the book was written in first person and I did not particularly enjoy hanging out in the main character's thoughts.
• I enjoyed Me and Earl and the Dying Girl pretty equally as both a book and a movie.
• I was disappointed that Howl's Moving Castle deviated from the book (in 1000 large and tireless ways) but I enjoyed it pretty well (I just really wish that they didn't call it Howl's Moving Castle. Call it something else.)
• I love the movie Pride and Prejudice just as well as I love the book.

There are a lot of instances where I think, "if you judge the book and movie as separate things, you could be able to enjoy them both." 

I think, though, that it's a little bit more challenging when the books that you're converting into movies are children's books. For one thing, some children's books are simply too short to make into a full length movie. That's why they had to add a bunch of junk into Where the Wild Things Are, The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Polar Express. (When I told my mom the premise of this blogpost, she kept harping on Polar Express. I think it has her royally ticked off. I'm guessing she had to watch it one too many times as an elementary school teacher. Personally? I really enjoy Polar Express. Tom Hanks could make a full length movie of my most embarrassing moment from middle school and I'd probably still like it.)

Additionally, people are so emotionally attached to the stories that they loved in childhood. It makes it difficult for continuations or remakes to meet their expectations. It makes it difficult for continuations or remakes to do anything other than disappoint them, honestly. (Like, I'm sorry, but, did you hear that they're going to make a Nancy Drew TV show where Nancy Drew is an adult? Like a fifteen years later sort of thing? Because I'm not even giving that nonsense a chance, honestly. How dare they.)

I got started thinking about the whole turning children's books into movies issue recently because Paddington 2 just came out.

I didn't grow up reading Paddington. My knowledge of him was perfunctory. I'm not sure how you would feel about the Paddington films if you grew up loving Paddington bear. But, I started by reading A Bear Called Paddington and watching the first film.

Michael Bond's A Bear Called Paddington is fantastic. It's pleasant and charming and full of lovely watercolor illustrations. It's written episodically rather than in a long narration. Like, if you were trying to describe the plot, you would just say, "This polite, but clumsy, bear moves in with a family and strange things happen." It's just a bunch of short stories about a lovely little bear. Paddington makes a mess of himself eating a sticky bun. Paddington floods the bathroom. Paddington gets lost. Paddington makes a mess of a storefront window. And so on and so forth. Michael Bond's second installment of Paddington, More About Paddington, has a similar setup. It's a catalog of incidents.

While some movies can be formed by pulling pretty directly from the book, Paddington, probably, could not. It would feel strange and aimless without some sort of overarching conflict pushing the narration forward. So, some changes were necessary in order to translate the story into film. 

In the books, Paddington finds his home with the Browns right away. While, in the movie, Paddington meets the Browns early on, Mr. Brown and Judy were both, initially, reluctant to have Paddington stay with them whereas Mrs. Brown and Jon are both in favor of it. In the first movie, staying with the Browns is supposed to be a temporary solution. Paddington is supposed to find somewhere else to go. This gives the film a direction--a goal, a plot--but it also necessitates a change in the characters. Mr. Brown becomes distant and overly cautious. Judy's delight is replaced with disinterest and annoyance. Mrs. Brown becomes flightier and more passionate. 

Some of the mishaps that strung the book together--Paddington making a mess of hismelf when he was trying to eat a sticky bun and Paddington flooding the bathroom--make their way into the film. For the most part, though, the storyline is new. The first film features Nicole Kidman as a taxidermist intent on catching and stuffing our quirky little bear friend. (This premise is extra disturbing because Paddington, ou know, talks. And thinks. And wears a litle red hat.)

In the second film, Paddington is an estblished member of the Brown household. He is intent on buying a pop-up book of London to send his aunt for her birthday, but while working towards this goal, he is framed for stealing the book. He and the Browns set out to prove his innocence. 

The overarching plots in both films are things that I cannot imagine Michael Bond ever writing. A woman intent on killing and stuffing Paddington? Paddington being sent to prison and befriending criminals? 

I'm not sure how someone who grew up loving the Paddington stories would feel about the Paddington films. The films deviate from the books a lot. These deviations, though, make the story translate onto film a little bit better. The characters are given an opportunity for development, flaws to overcome. New villianous characters are introduced to create plots that might appeal to multiple generations. 

As someone who only read the Paddington books recently, though, I definitely enjoyed the movies. While a lot of the anecdotes and incidents that happen in the books don't happen in the films, the characters are carried over. Paddington still has an affinity for marmalade. He still gives people hard stares. He's still amicable and well-mannered. The neighborhood is still filled with colorful characters--the grumpy next door neighbor, the friendly antique store owner.

The best thing, though, is that the imagination carries over. There's a scene in the second film, when Paddington is looking through the pop-up book, where the character walks through the pop-up book. As we were leaving the theater, my mom said that this was her favorite part of the movie. I definitely agree with her. This was my favorite part of both films: the imagination that was depicted. 

Kindred Spirits + Cupcakes

Heyo friends! Are you ready to bake again?

In general, there won't be two Cook Your Way Through YA blogposts this close together, but this is a special circumstance, because I really only covered one of the stories in Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell the other day. And there's ANOTHER ENTIRE STORY in that and it's delightful and deserves to be talked about.

The book Almost Midnight is tiny and sparkly and filled with adorable illustrations.

The first section of the book is the short story "Midnights" which I featured in the post that kicked off the new direcion for my blog. The second section is "Kindred Spirits." In "Kindred Spirits," our adorable main character, Elena, spends a few days hanging out in line in anticipation of the release of The Force Awakens. The line is only three people long, it's cold, and there's a code of conduct they must abide by, so parts of the experience is kind of...miserable...for Elena, and not exactly what she'd been imagining. But, she's resolved. The read is fun and funny and charming. 

At one point, a local cupcake shop brings them a batch of Star Wars themed cupcakes in exchange for a social media post. So, for today's "Cook Your Way" I thought we'd make some Star Wars cupcakes. 

They're going to be these BA Death Star cupcakes with filling that tells you whether you're good or evil. Jedi or Sith. Resistance or First Order. 

Quick aside for nerdy cookbook recommendations! 

Nerdy Nummies Cookbook by Rosanna Pasino is full of cool and creative nerd-based baked goods. Some are sciencey, some are mathy, some are videogamesy. The start of the book has a handful of base recipes (chocolate cake, white cake, cookies, etc.) and the rest o the book modifies these recipes, or shows you how to decorate them to get a nerdy result. I used the chocolate cake recipe at the start of the book with some personal modifications for the base of the cupcakes that are featured in this blogpost.

Star Wars Cookbook: Wookie Cookies and Other Galactic Recipes by Robin Davis

This book features all sorts of recipes from breakfast foods to desserts, all Star Wars themed, so if you want to have an all-day Star Wars marathon, you can cater the whole day. 

We'll start with a chocolate cupcake base. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 1/3 cups of all purpose flour
• 2/3 cups of Dutch Cocoa Powder (and to make it extra good, add in a tablespoon of Black Onyx Cocoa Powder)
• 1 1/2 tsps of baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt (I forgot to take a picture of it, but, like, don't forget it, okay?)
• 1 1/3 cups of sugar
• 2/3s cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 can of pumpkin
• 2 tsps vanilla
• 1/3 cup water

Throw all of your dry ingredients in a bowl.

Mix it up and make it pretty.

Stir in your can of pumpkin, water, and vanilla. 

Fill your cupcake pan with cupcake liners and your cupcake liners with cupcake batter. I usually fill them about 2/3s full.

Bake those suckers at 325(F) for about 20-23 minutes. Check with a knife or a wooden pick or whatever utensil you have handy to make sure they've baked through. 

When they're fresh out of the oven, press a spoon into them to create a little divet. Then, let them cool. 

In the meantime, we're going to make some frosting! Here's what you'll need:

• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

A couple quick things before we get started. First, I've halved this recipe. When I made the cupcakes, I used he full recipe, but it wound up being way more than I needed. 

Second, the cupcake base is vegan. The frosting is not. If you want to make the whole thing vegan, you can substitute coconut oil for butter and almond or coconut milk for the milk. You might need to use more vegetable shortening and less coonut oil. Like, instead of 1/4 cup vegetable shortening and 1/4 cup coconut oil, you could do 1/4 cup + 1-1 1/2 tbsp vegetable shortening and 1 1/2-2 tbsp coconut oil.

Okay! Now let's make some frosting. Start by mixing together your shortening, butter, milk, and vanilla. Then, mix in the powdered sugar slowly. 

And that's it. Like, that's literally it. You just mix those four ingredients together and then boom. You've got some frosting. 

It works best if you use room temperature butter. But, if you're like me and are constantly forgeting to get your butter out of your fridge before you need it, don't panic. 

Cut your butter into chunks, set them on a plate, and then set that on top of your oven as your cupcakes are baking. The top of the oven will heat up enough to soften the butter, but not too hot to melt it.

Okay, now let's get down to decorating.

Okay! So, we'll be using the butter cream frosting we just made, red and blue food coloring, gray fondant, and black food-pens. 

Separate your frosting into two bowls. With your food coloring, dye half of the frosting blue and half red. 

Fill your cupcake craters with frosting. 

Roll out your gray fondant and, with a cookie cutter, cut out circles of fondant that are the size of the top of the cupcakes. With a black food pen, draw death stars!

Once you have drawn your death stars, use them to cover your cupcakes. 

Now, they're ready to serve. 

Oh, good, I'm a Jedi. 

2017 Favs

Hey-o Friends!

So, 2017 has finally come to its end. According to Goodreads (do y'all want to follow me on Goodreads? You can. Here's a link.) I read 164 books last year! O.o Let's not expect that from me again in 2018 because, like, dang. Since this is a bookish blog, I thought we'd go through some of my favorite books that I read in 2017. But why stop there? I mentioned before that I'm running two webcomics now (shameless self promotion: check me out on tapas!) so I thought I would also talk about some of my favorite comics/webcomics that I read this last year. And WHY STOP THERE? I'll throw in a few of my other favorite things as well. 

We'll start with books, though. In no particular order...

Books

• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is about two misfit teenagers who meet on the bus. It's Omaha in the 80's. They bond over music and comicbooks. It is all things good and honest and perfect.
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is about a freshman in college who's dealing with social anxiety, adjusting to life on campus, and her concerns for her family. She writes fanfiction and falls in love and it's so wonderful, you guys, so wonderful.
• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell is about a guy who is hired to review work emails that get flagged for content for a newpaper. He starts to really enjoy the exchange of emails between two friends--a journalist and an editor--and then he finds himself falling for one of them. 
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell is about a young magician in his last year of school, prophesied to save the world of mages. While trying to defeat the "humdrum" (who's going around, consuming magic), he also has to team up with his nemesis/vampire roommate to try and avenge the roommate's mother's death.

Okay, so, I almost didn't include these because they're all re-reads and I initially felt like... "Well, maybe I should only include books that were new to me in 2017..." but then I thought, "Nah, I'll talk about whatever I wanna talk about." And I always want to talk about Rainbow Rowell. She's lovely and funny and has amazing hair. I'm so in love with her and with everything she's ever written. 

Last year, I re-read Eleanor & Park, Attachments, and Fangirl while taking copious notes of places the characters visited so that I'd be able to go on a Rainbow Rowell inspired tour of Omaha. (Which I did. It was amazing. Let me know if you'd like a tour guide blog post because maybe in 2018 I'll be able to wrangle a few friends into going.) Then, I re-read Carry On in October/Novemberish and I think I was more in love with it this time than I had been last time. 

Anyway, if you're only going to read one book ever in your life time, it should be Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell because it is beautiful and heartfelt and precious and it will make you believe in love again. 

Rainbow's books are amazing because her writing style is so natural and casual, her characters are hellsa relatable, her language is funny and insightful, and even though the bulk of her books are realistic fiction (Carry On and Landline as our exceptions) they're still all magic. 

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater is about a group of friends--three afluent private school boys, one hard-working scholarship kid from the trailer park, and a public school girl being raised by a house ful of psychics--who are on a quest to find a sleeping, Welsh king who will bestow upon them a wish upon waking up. ...That didn't make it sound as cool it is, but, you guys, it's SO COOL. 

Okay, so, shout out to my friend Morgan for LITERALLY SAVING ME HERE. 

I'm not going to get into the details, but, something stressful and jarring and startling happened when I was in the midst of reading TRC and it really impacted me. I carried it around with me for along time and maybe I still do to some extent. At the time, I was halfway through The Dream Thieves. The writing and world building is beautiful and engaging. The characters are lovable--I mean gritty and witty and interesting and hopeful and wonderful lovable--and the relationships between them are perfect: people who mean so much to one another and are fumbling around, misunderstanding, hurting, irritating, and trying to make amends with one another. There's magic and the desire to be known, to be understood. In short: the whole series is everything you want in life. 

But I was going to call it quits midway through Dream Thieves because every time I tried to read it, I got really...sad. 

Then, I went to get coffee with a couple of my friends. I was explaining to them that I was going to bail on TRC (and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, and basically anything that was beautiful language and not constant banter/people making out because I couldn't handle existing) and my friend Morgan looked at me with wide-eyed horror. 

"No!" she gasped. "You just have to do it. You just have to finish it. It shouldn't be making you sad, that's probably something else. Just read it. It's my favorite thing." 

I put that in quotes but, let's be honest, I didn't record the exchange so idk what she really said. The point is: she was adamant that I finish reading TRC. And here's the thing about my friend Morgan: I love her. She's one of my favorite people. She's in the top tier of humanity. I'd do, like, anything she asked me to. So, I finished the series. 

AND OMG I AM SO GLAD THAT I DID. 

It's been nearly a year and I'm not even slightly over it. My affection for TRC has made me more understanding of people on the internet. I mean: I spend my freetime surfing Pinterest for Raven Cycle fanart. I periodically text my friends TRC jokes and headcannons. I wrote fanfiction people. Copious amounts of fanfiction. 

  I found these white sunglasses and texted two of my friends this picture of me pretending to be Joseph Kavinsky. (BTW: Joseph Kavinsky is the worst, and Pinterest really needs to stop putting Kavinsky/Ronan fanart on my dash. Life's too short for that nonsense.)

Anyway, the point is, TRC is totally worthy of obsessing over it, so read it now and you can understand more of my tweets. 

The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black is about the world post...vampire apocalypse? In the world Holly Black imagines, vampires don't lurk around in shadows, they star in reality TV shows and have YouTube channels. There are "Coldtowns" set up to protect humans. "The Coldest Girl" takes a little road trip with her ex-boyfriend, a vampire, and two human teens eager to be bitten, to a Coldtown. She and her ex have both been bitten and her plan is to wait out the infection without feeding on anyone, thus becoming human again. 

Anyway, I'm not too into vampire lore, but I like books like Carry On and The Coldest Girl in Coldtown where they take vampires and modify and re-imagine what it means to be one. Coldest Girl does have the "guy who's been alive for centuries" and "girl who is a literal teenager" folly, though, so if that trope bothers you (which like I'm here with you) it'll probably keep bothering you here. 

BUT this book deserves some props for diversity in race, orientation, and gender identities. Are your vampire books too white + hetero for you? Read Coldest Girl. 

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell is a non-fiction piece that looks at everyone's favorite revolutionary Frenchman as well as Sarah Vowell's personal experiences visiting a variety of landmarks. Sarah Vowell is witty and cool and this is an awesome trip to take with her. (I also read Assassination Vacation by her this year and it is also very, very good.)

And, lbh, if you liked Hamilton you'll probably like this book. Just listen to some hip-hop as you read it. 

You Can't Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson is funny, interesting, and informative. If you've ever been called out on a microaggression and then gotten really defensive, shouting, "BUT I'M NOT A RACIST,"

then you probably (definitely) need to read this book. In a series of humorous essays, Phoebe Robinson discusses her experiences as a black woman. She's funny and friendly and uses a casual narration that feels approachable. I was grateful for having read it because she addressed some microaggressions that I hadn't been aware of, and she explained the cultural connotations of them, so I learne a lot while reading it.

Pro-tip: Phoebe Robinson reads the audiobook and it's soooo good you guys.

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan is soo good that I sat down and devoured the thing in one setting. The main character, like the author, is a lesbian of Persian decent (so, +2 for your Own Voices challenge). In the book, she falls hard for a pretty, popular girl, new to her school. But, as this girl gives her a lot of mixed signals that result in hurt and confusion, the main character starts to draw closer to a friend from childhood.

Parts of it are real, and raw, and gritty. Parts are heartwarming and delightful. Parts are funny. Parts are heartbreaking. The entire thing is phenomenal. 

YOU GUYS: Trevor Noah's memoir Born a Crime is SO GOOD. Like, if I wasn't in love with Trevor Noah before I started reading it (which I was. Hey, Trev, if you're reading this: we should date. I'm very cute and charming once I get past the "socially anxious unwilling to speak" thing) I would have been after I finished it. It had me awestruck, intrigued, dumbfounded, and entertained. I mean, you guys, THIS BOOK. There isn't a sentence in it that is anything less than amazing. 

A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee was recommended to me by my friend Hebah and one thing I can guarantee about books recommended by my friend Hebah is this: it's gonna be good. Gentleman's Guide is this really endearing historical fiction piece about a road trip that a guy, his best friend, and his younger sister take in the year before he's supposed to start working for his father. Our main character is a mess: he's in love with his best friend and, while he has no trouble handling his feelings for/interest in other people, he doesn't handle his feelings for his friend particularly well. There are pirates, alchemy, and a slew of bad decisions. It's well written with colorful and engaging dialogue. I liked it so well, I ordered it off of Amazon as soon as I returned my copy to the library. 

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli is about a closeted, gay high school boy with a You've Got Mail style secret penpal. The novel starts off with Simon getting blackmailed by a peer who discovers his secret. The narrative voice is casual, engaging, and honest. The characters are lovable. The plot is easy to get lost in. Oh! And! It's about to be a movie. 

I have to give another shout out here. I was going to bail on Simon after the first couple of pages because I didn't know how well I'd be able to handle the blackmail/bullying that was going on, but my friend Anna insisted that I had to finish it. ("If your friends told you to jump of a bridge would you do it?" Idk, dude, but it sounds like I might.) So anyway! Anna: thanks for encouraging me to read this because I really, really, really enjoyed it. 

Sabrina Benaim's book of poetry, Depression & Other Magic Tricks, is the kind of book that makes you feel understood. Also, Sabrina Benaim is the love of my life. If you ever meet her, please give her my number. 

It's a book of poetry, so, I dont know how effective giving you a brief summary would be. Instead, watch this video of her poem "Reasons." It isn't in the book, it's just very good.

Anyway, you should get her book because it's brilliant, but you should also check out videos of her spoken word on YouTube because it's so good you guys. Look for "First Date," "Explaining My Depression to My Mother," "Glass House," and "The Loneliest Sweet Potato." 

Comics

(Also in no particular order...)

Check Please! by Ngozi Ukazu is the cutest comic about hockey you'll ever read. It's full of friendship, baking, personal struggles and growth, love, and joy. My friend Nikki recommended it to me and I cannot even begin to express how much joy it's given me. The updates are irregular but generally about once a month. There wasn't an update for almost two months recently and I was about to lose my mind, but then, there were three updates in rapid succession and let me just say it was well worth the wait. 

Okay, I mentioned before my undying adoration for Rainbow Rowell, right? Well! She's writing comics now! And not just ANY comics. She's writing a continuation of the first comics I ever loved: Runaways. 

I'm here for good artwork, ragamuffin crews, chubby girls getting love, and all the feelings that can be felt. Runaways comes out on the second Wednesday of every month. Special shout out to my local comic book store for always saving me a copy. 

Mondo Mango/The Kao

Mando Mango is a slice of life style webcomic about the artist. His artwork is amazing, he's funny and insightful. You can follow him on tapas or webtoons. You should also check him out on patreon. 

Jem and the Holograms by Kelly Thompson. It's so enjoyable I can hardly stand it. The artwork is awesome (for the most part, there are a few issues with artwork that bothered me...), the characters are lovable. They're brightly colored and fun. I loved the different types of people that are featured--there's such a variety of races, body types, and sexual orientations represented. 

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman is an absolutely adorable comic about two high school boys who become friends and fall in love. It updates on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of every month on tapas. It reads like a hug.

Patsy Walker A.K.A. HELLCAT! by Kate Leth. Okay, so, this comic is SERIOUSLY good. I love the artwork and the characters. Like a truly good hero, our heroine here likes to solve the root causes of crime, rather than just the crime itself. She doesn't default to violence or shows of force. This series champions friendship and allows people to be themselves. It's absolutely wonderful. 

Other Things!

Hidden Figures is so wonderful. I think I watched it three or four times this year. After the first time, my coworker asked me what my favorite part was and I literally couldn't pick one. It's all so amazing. The soundtrack is awesome, the costuming is beautiful, and the actors are phenomenal. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I really wish this series wasn't tainted by the producers' apathy towards Johnny Depp's domestic abuse. But, alas. I love Fantastic Beasts for a lot of reasons. I love the 1920s, the styles, the acting. I love the core four characters and the adorable slew of beasts. 

There is a moment in The Space Between Us when Asa Butterfield (who was born on Mars) sees a horse for the first time and I would spend $14 to watch just that scene for 2 1/5 hours in a theater. 

Nothing Much to Do and Lovely Little Losers, two Shakespeare-inspired webseries by The Candle Makers. They're earnest and lovely. My friend Nikki recommended it and I BINGE WATCHED both of them. I periodically text her about them (because I have SO MANY thoughts and feelings about it). Several episodes feature songs performed by Reuben Hudson an he's a. adorable and b. really talented. So I bought a bunch of them off of bandcamp. 

It's so good. You should watch it. Then I can text you with my surplus of thoughts/feelings regarding them, too.

All right, friends! There you have it: my favorites list from 2017. 

YOU should comment below letting me know what YOUR favorite books, comics, movies, and other things from 2017 were.