Fictional worlds I wish I could live in [Top 5 Wednesday]

As we get older, we start having a long list of fictional worlds and places that we visited during our readings or the things we watched. Worlds filled with magic, hidden treasures, aliens, monsters, anthropomorphic characters, time-travel and alternate versions of our beloved Earth. They all fascinate us, making we want to go there, participate in the adventures, help with the quests and, of course, see all that beautiful landscapes in front of our very eyes.

Listed below, are the top 5 fictional worlds from books and TV series that I wish I could live or visit, in no particular order.

Harry Potter (Hogwarts)

It's Harry 'Freaking' Potter world, so what can I say more about this? Of course, I don't want to be killed by that guy which everyone doesn't seem to like his name and neither do I want to be a muggle. I want to go to Hogwarts learn how to do magic, fly on a broom and go to Hogsmeade during the weekends (or when I'm skipping classes).

Middle-Earth (The Shire)

Just because it's beautiful and peaceful, at least when there isn't an ongoing world war, caused by a giant flaming eye that wants a beautiful ring collection. I want to have an enormous library and read them quietly while sitting in a hobbit-sized armchair, in a house with a round door.

The fairy tale realm in Once Upon a Time

Like The Shire, it seems a nice place to live or travel to when there isn't an evil queen killing everyone. All the main fairy tale characters live there, and if you consider that in the series you can travel between realms (from Snow White-land to Neverland and to Real World), looks like an exciting choice.

The Doctor Who world

A world where time-travel is possible and you could possibly be a Doctor companion? I can't see why not living in this world. Besides the Daleks, Cybermen, and a ton of others races that want to exterminate (or delete/upgrade) the entire human race. But at least we got the Paternoster Gang!

Grimm (TV series)

Ok, you can be a Grimm and see all that strange creatures that jumped out of children's books, OR you can be a werewolf-ish creature that starts dating a gorgeous foxy lady (literally). Just got to remember to try to be friends with the Grimm guys or you can lose your head (again, literally).

And you? Which fictional worlds to you wish to live in?

Friday Finds #1

Today I'll talk (ok, write) about some books that I discovered during last week, and that I added to my (possible) TBR list. That's because I always add too many books to my 'want to read' shelf on Goodreads, so it's more like an I-Desire-To-Read-Someday list. Let's get to the books:

Hard Magic

Storm Front by Jim Butcher is on my TBR, but I discovered this one and bought it today for my Kindle. I expect to start reading it this weekend and to post my first impressions this next Monday :D
Hard Magic (Grimnoir Chronicles, #1)

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer

A graphic novel about the history of computers. For a comic book fan that works as a software developer, it's a must-read!
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage

Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc.

Just a time-travel YA/NA that I found interesting. Didn't read any reviews yet, but I do want to read some time-travel book anytime soon, so I put this one on my list.
Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. (Time) Travel, Inc. (Butterman Travel series #1)

People of the Wolf (North America's Forgotten Past #1)

A prehistoric fiction! That's new to me as I'd never read anything with that theme.
People of the Wolf (North America's Forgotten Past, #1)

A Court of Thorns and Roses

A new that that's set to be released on May 5th. I love fairy tale retellings and this one seems to be promising.
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)

The Novice (Summoner #1)

One word: Battlemages!
The Novice (Summoner, #1)

It's a Wonderful Death

To be released in October, the premise attracted my attention, mainly because it's different from what I'm seeing in blogs and stores right now.
It's a Wonderful Death
So, that's some of the books that I discovered this week. Of course, there's more, but these 7 books are the ones I found to be the most interesting. And you, which exciting books did you discover this week?

Anime First Impressions: Spring 2015 Part 2

On the past week, I posted the first impressions about Hibike! Euphonium, Kekkai Sensen and Punch Line. Now, it's time to talk about another 3 anime that I'm watching. They aren't something extraordinary, but good enough to have good times.

Shokugeki no Souma

When I was browsing the new anime chart for this season, I got just a little interested in this one but didn't think about watching it. However, after watching the first episode I got really interested, and now, after watching 3 episodes so far, I can say that I'll be watching it. It's about cooking, with some ecchi scenes, but seems that they aren't relying on boobs, as the third episode had only one 'sexy' scene.

Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku

A funny anime about a school where the student clubs fight for points using magic. A mix of some clichés but worth the watch anyway, considering that after 2 episodes I still want more of it.

Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo

I still have mixed feelings about this one. Only watched the first episode, and it seems promising, but I can't talk much without checking at least the 2nd episode.

On a side note, I'm still really anxious about Digimon Adventure Tri.

Friday Reads - April 17th

This week I read a manga and finished a book. I also started an audio-book.

Soul Eater Not Vol. 1

It's a Soul Eater spin-off, with different characters, but set in the same world. You don't need to read Soul Eater to understand this one, as everything is properly explained. I liked it, and I'll be looking forward to the remaining volumes. It's a short manga and I'd recommend it to everyone who appreciates a manga with humor, magic, and cute girls.
Soul Eater NOT!, Vol. 1

Caught Dead Handed

A cozy mystery book that takes place in Salem. The protagonist is a widow that goes back to Salem for a job interview. But things change and she ends up working as a fake call-in psychic, hosting a late night TV show about old movies and series. I'm a great fan of cozies, and magic and cats, so it was a delightful reading experience :) The second book in the series (Tails, you lose) was just released on March 31st.
Caught Dead Handed (Witch City Mystery, #1)

The Nazad Conspiracy (The Scarifyers S01E01)

This is an audio-book by Big Finish, the first in The Scarifyers series. It features a full-cast, so no narrator just reading the text. We've got a voice actor for each character, music, and sound effects. I'll write more about it when I finish this story (or the first 'season').
1. The Nazad Conspiracy - The Scarifyers - Big Finish

Anime First Impressions: Spring 2015 Part 1

The new anime season is here, and I watched 6 of them so far. It seems that this season will be great, and I'll have to put some on my watchlist to watch at another time.

Hibike! Euphonium

Music, School Life, Slice of LiFe - Kyoto Animation (KyoAni) - MAL

By far, this is the one that I loved the most. Being a trumpet/sax player and loving jazz, there's no way I won't watch Hibike! Euphonium. There's drama, music, 'slice of life' moments, and lots of cute brass/woodwind players. BTW, did I mentioned that I really liked the main character playing euphonium, and not a more familiar instrument, like a saxophone? It's good to show people other instruments, and possibly, make they want to play them. Oumae Kumiko, the protagonist, feels very real and plausible, dealing with the daily problems of a recently turned high schooler, like changing her hair and having no one noticing it. A must-watch if you like cute slice-of-life and music anime. Or even if you don't usually like, I think it's worth giving it a try.

Kekkai Sensen

Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Super Power, Vampire, Supernatural, Seinen - Bones - MAL

This one is a combination of various elements that form a very enjoyable mess. For what I know, it's like Baccano (I didn't watch this one yet), and have jazz (again), a protagonist with a unique power, a New York City filled with supernatural beings, and a group of people that try to fight them. With blood-related powers in the form of 'martial arts' as they call it. As I said before, it's a mess, but very funny!

Punch Line

Comedy, Ecchi, Slice of Life, Supernatural - MAPPA - MAL

Another excellent example of an anime full of 'What The Hell is This' moments and a plot that I'm sure the writers were drunk when they created it. But again, it works! A guy was on a bus during a robbery, and a 'magical girl' without magic try (and fail) to rescue everyone. After almost dying, the guy has his body possessed, and now he is just a soul (or a ghost) wandering around. To recover his body, he needs to find a book that may help him, and the book is probably hidden in a room of one of the beautiful girls that live in the same building. To make things worse (or more wtf, if you prefer), if he sees panties and get excited, an asteroid falls on Earth, killing everyone.

Movies watched on March

On March, I watched 3 movies, less than I wanted, but still good. Started the month with a GREAT 40's noir movie, The Big Sleep, and then ended it with 2 new sci-fi films: Gravity and Interstellar.

The Big Sleep

For a long time, I wanted to watch some noir detective films. For those who don't know (all of you, I guess), I love police/detective stories, and the noir setting fascinates me. So I decided to go with this great movie that has Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in the leading roles. And they're incredible together. So amazing that now I want to watch more films with them.
The Big Sleep (1946)

Gravity

The second that I watched was Gravity. After a long time on my watchlist, my girlfriend wanted to watch, so it was finally time to see it. It's good, but I don't have much to say about it. Maybe only that you should watch it if you didn't yet.
Gravity (2013)

Interstellar

The last one was Interstellar. I was eager to watch it, and again, my girlfriend wanted to watch, so we decided go with it! It's a long film, but you don't feel the time passing. Matthew McConaughey is an excellent actor and did an amazing job on this movie and, of course, Anne Hathaway is a wonderful addition. And I must say that the young Murph, portrayed by Mackenzie Foy completely stole my heart.
Interstellar (2014)

March Wrap-up - Books and Comic Books

March was a busy month, but not as busy as February, meaning I've got more time to do the things I enjoy, like reading and watching (movies, series, anime). And it was a month where I gave more attention to my books, so I finished 1 book, read an entire one, and started another.

Finished

I FINALLY finished the second book in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, The Restaurant at the end of the Universe. I paused it many times during this year, and I can't explain why: it's good, funny, entertaining, but I just paid more attention to comic books, series, and anime. The first is better, but this one is great too and I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.


I 'discovered' Seraphina and read it in 2 weeks. That's fast for me because I'm usually busy at work, and with blogs, youtube, and many other things. So thumbs up because a wonderful book made me don't want to drop it for a minute. It's filled with dragons, music, dreams, intrigue, mystery, set in an incredible world. 4.5 stars.


In the comic book world, I finished the first story arc in Gotham Academy, which ended on issue #6. Even if aren't into comics, I recommend that you give it a try because it's funny and you don't need to know anything about Batman, Joker, and the other DC characters. 5 starts.

Not Finished

I read just a little bit of Dragonquest but wasn't really in the mood for that, so this one is paused right now. And I read some of the Pulp Fiction Megapack: read one complete story (Mistress of Snarling Death), and started another, but dropped it because WHAT THE F**K IS THAT? (Fiances for the Devil's Daughter). It's RARE that I drop a book/story, but this one is too much for me. I'll return to this book later but in the next story.

Started

Started reading Caught Dead Handed (With City Mystery #1), a very nice cozy mystery by Carol J. Perry. I just love cozies and they always make me want to read more and more.