Maybe it's because he always plays these smarmy, douchey characters, but I'm dismayed every time I see he'll be in some big movie to be released.

I find it interesting that Iron Man is on your list because it's the one example that comes to mind of a movie I didn't expect to like that I ended up enjoying (though I've never rewatched it). I usually don't like superhero movies because the characters are so flimsy and uninteresting. But I thought Robert Downey Jr.…

My preference is definitely for paper. I received a Kindle as a gift, but I use it infrequently. I have access to two excellent public library systems and while I do borrow ebooks every now and then, I prefer going to the library and browsing. I also love the physical feel of books, the smell of paper, a layout with a…

Your comment reminded me of the movie The Bling Ring. I didn't watch it, but I remember reading about how the real Bling Ring was more racially diverse: http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/….

I started reading The Prestige after seeing it lauded on Goodreads by a reviewer I follow, but I set it aside after a few chapters in because I got distracted by some other books. Since then, I keep seeing newly released editions of his books at the library—I'm tempted to give him another try, if only because I think…

Ooh, ick, OK. I recently caught a few minutes of Hannibal, which I first saw years ago, on TV. I just had to watch the part where Verger rhapsodizes about disfiguring himself. So disturbing, in the way real-life horror is disturbing.

Me too, I saw Battle Royale years before the Hunger Games came out. I really like both, as well as Running Man, which is such a fun, campy movie. It's kind of like a bottle episode on TV, where you start with this concept (a controlled environment as you pointed out) and see how different authors make use of it.

I read City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett after it was recommended on io9 and loved it. It really reminded me of Zelazny's Amber books, the fantastical setting and notion of gods.

I kept a list of names so I could keep track of the characters! But I really liked the book and resented the shallow comparisons people made between it and the Hunger Games. It's amazing how much Takami is able flesh out all the students as individuals worthy of mention.

I really liked the book but hadn't thought much about it beyond its setting. That's interesting, the comparison to people with autism. It kind of reminds me of the book The Reason I Jump, which I only read a little of, but the kid who wrote it is autistic. Apparently, the discovery of this unique way for him to…

Yeah, I really disliked this book. I thought it was great up until a certain point, and then it's like another story inserted itself into the novel. I stopped reading then. There are just too many other books I want to get to.

Currently working on Memory of Water, by Emmi Itäranta, a YA book about a dystopian future where the military is in control and water is a rationed resource. On my to-read pile are The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, by Leslye Walton (YA magical realism), Katha Pollitt's abortion rights book Pro, and Poi…

Oh my God, this is just like The Road, except with different species.

That's too bad. At least we know George R. R. Martin intends to finish his series. Maybe I'll give Fforde's Nursery Crime or Thursday Next series a try and see if those do anything for me.

I also loved Shades of Grey, which I found out about through the comments section on io9. Its system of colors as a foundation for society is something I'd never encountered before, and I really hope Fforde writes more about the world and how it came to be.

Hmm, I'm a little confused. I looked at the video on YouTube, where I noticed this other video which looks like it predates the one linked in the article. Did a quick scan of comments but couldn't find any information on where the video was taken. This looks like it's a park of some sort? The pew-pew sounds remind me…

Interesting discussion, and you handled the situation better than I would have at 19! I've been thinking recently about Margaret Atwood's book The Robber Bride, in which three woman reminisce about a fourth who was kinda their friend but not really because she also stole or tried to steal their boyfriends/husbands. I…

Yeah, it's similar to the feeling one gets when seemingly everyone else was invited to something you weren't made a part of. At least in my case I could understand my friend's decision. I imagine it must be worse to think of oneself as being part of this circle of friends until one finds out otherwise.

Ha ha, that's totally me, if I ever found myself on a barren patch of dirt. I deleted my Facebook account this year so hopefully there won't be too many of those awkward moments to navigate.

My boss did something similar—City Hall wedding with family and close friends, followed by reception with those people, followed by party at bar downstairs in the same restaurant, I think, that everyone else was invited to go to.