TV/MOVIE and BOOK suggestions, please!

[aimeekitty]

TV AND MOVIE SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!
hook me up with some suggestions for your favorite. Doesn't matter whether it's Chinese or Korean or Japanese or whatever. (must have subtitles)

Also open to BBC and Bollywood suggestions. <3

Prefer romantic or action stuff, don't mind drama as long as it's not drama for drama-sake. If everyone dies at the end, it better have been a really good trip to get to that point. Extra points for pretty costumes, total adorableness or tragic heroes.

BOOK SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!
I'd like to read some more fiction lately. Maybe recommend your favorite sci/fi, fantasy or fairy-tale book? Young Adult stuff is fair game, too. I used to read Star Wars books back in highschool and liked some of them... (but haven't read any for years...) and I've enjoyed the New!Who! Audio books I've listened to so far. I also like stuff like Robin Mckinley's retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and I love the book of Howl's Moving Castle. I love Jane Austen and I love The Count of Monte Cristo. I love Sherlock Holmes. I'm enjoying reading Ella Enchanted right now. I liked Dune, but not the sequels... I didn't really care for the Sookie Stackhouse books or Laurel K. Hamilton's stuff. Don't really like the Pern books either.
I tend to enjoy stuff with really strong character development and I particularly like uplifting stories of coming of age, or a character who has a very strong character arc (ie like Kirk going from a kid in the middle of nowhere to being a StarFleet captain.)

EDIT: feel free to keep making recs, I'm going to make a list. <3
For my Dragoncon books, I'm going to start with Stardust and finish up Ella Enchanted since that's what they had at the library. I put holds though on several books you guys rec'd

Please see previous post for Dragoncon schedule.

Comments

[ashbet]

I'm kind of useless for TV recommendations, but I can offer up some books!

Terri Windling, "The Wood Wife"
Emma Bull, "War for the Oaks"
Mark Helprin, "Winter's Tale" (strange book but gorgeous use of language, and it's surpassingly romantic -- one of my all-time favorites!)

I'm a big fan of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series (first two books have been released as an anthology, "Cordelia's Honor") . . . seems like hard sci-fi at first, but it is ALL about the character development. And she writes movingly about love and sacrifice and honor, while keeping some things tongue-in-cheek and injecting warmth and humor into the difficult situations she puts her characters through. I seriously cannot recommend this enough. It WILL make you cry sometimes, though!

-- A <3

[merrycalliope.livejournal.com]

Russian Ark! Russian+subtitles, filmed entirely in The Hermitage Museum in a single take and full of the most gorgeous costumes imaginable. It's swoony-delish!

[binsybaby.livejournal.com]

Ooo I'll be keeping an eye on this entry 'cause I've been looking for the same stuff lately! Mostly cute romance movies
Ever since I saw and loved LOVELY COMPLEX the movie I've been wondering if other countries harbored adorable movies as well

[lberghol.livejournal.com]

You already mentioned you've read Howl's Moving Castle, but I'm going to go ahead and reccomend anything by Dianne Wynne Jones as AWESOME SAUCE..I've recently been catching up on some titles of hers that I missed the first time around (including the sequel to Howl: "The House of Many Ways")

My favorites of hers would have to be the Dalemark Quartet, and the Chrestomanci series. You might enjoy Deep Secret as an avid Con goer ;)

Some other series I've really enjoyed in the past have been The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix, and despite the fact that it is HUGE and BIG and slow to start, I really ended up enjoying Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.....

I've been trying to get back into reading myself so I've had books on the brain lately ;)

[desertrosecout.livejournal.com]

I don't watch a lot of movies or tv, I am usually too busy. But...my favorite author/series is Sherrilyn Kenyon - Dark Hunter series....I absolutely love them and always look forward to the next one :o) Susan

[singingraisin.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you've seen Lost in Austen yet, but that one's great. For being essentially a Mary Sue about the P&P miniseries, it's really delightful. Let me know if you'd want some company to watch this, because I would not mind seeing it again.

For books, I adore Neil Gaiman's short story collections (Smoke and Mirrors and Fragile Things) and recently read The Graveyard Book which made for very good "bedtime" sort of reading. I also recently started on the Inkheart books, the first of which anyway is pretty good, and will make you want to read more, as it's loaded with references. I doubt it, but if you've never read The Princess Bride, that's one of my favorite books. And I'm not sure if you've read all of Jane Austen, but Northanger Abbey is a pretty easy read and is just a very fun book.

Beyond that... I'll let you know if I think of anything. (I'm on the hunt for stuff reminiscent of Count of Monte Cristo which I also really loved.)

[icepearls.livejournal.com]

BBC's Coupling!

[calalillith.livejournal.com]

*glomps Ashbet*

I **LOVE** The Wood Wife! <3 ..will have to look at the others you mention!

I recommend Kushiel's Dart -- Jacqueline Carey is *incredible.* The Kusheline trilogies are set in a fantasy world that references 'real world' history, but not in the usual way fantasy touches on history. Wonderful, wonderful books. Cannot summon the brain power to wax eloquently about them.

[singingraisin.livejournal.com]

Yes! I will second Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It took me a while to finish, but it's fun. It's kind of Austen-y alternate history fantasy... I've never read anything else like it.

[starlollie.livejournal.com]

TV= Merlin, Ledgend of the seeker, I assume you watch The Tudors.

[merrycalliope.livejournal.com]

As far as books you might like Gloriana by Michael Moorcock and The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson. :)

[revassez.livejournal.com]

I third Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I also recommend Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series, but only if you really want to spend a long time reading. They are an excellent set of fantasy novels.

[claidissa.livejournal.com]

Haha, I have no idea if you know about any of these or all of them.

TV:
How I Met Your Mother. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_I_met_your_mother)
Pushing Daisies. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushing_daisies)
Spaced (BBC) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced)
Casanova (BBC) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casanova_(2005_TV_serial)) (Written by RTD, starring David Tennant!)

Movies:
Paprika (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851578/)
Memento (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/)
Memoirs of a Geisha (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397535/)

Books:
Sabriel by Garth Nix (http://books.google.com/books?id=ugSPY6Gi_Y4C&dq=Sabriel&source=gbs_navlinks_s)
Stardust by Neil Gaiman (http://books.google.com/books?id=DI23qrE63OEC&dq=Stardust&source=gbs_navlinks_s)
Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones (http://books.google.com/books?id=Z8qDw1M478oC&dq=Castle+in+the+Air&source=gbs_navlinks_s) (the Howl's Moving Castle sequel)
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (http://books.google.com/books?id=SatOPgAACAAJ&dq=Good+Omens&ei=QEOcStzGEpi-lASuyuSBAQ)

[lberghol.livejournal.com]

I know! It's so.."other"...but towards the end I couldn't get enough of it..I have her "sequel" collection of fairytales sitting on my bedside table once I finish my current book..

[roxyk630.livejournal.com]

Can concur with anything Dianne Wynn Jones.

You said Howl's. LOVE that book.

GoodReads

[jadewik.livejournal.com]

If you're looking for books to read, you can always get people to sign up for a GoodReads account-- where you can put books on a "read" list and a "to read" list... and see what your friends are reading. They also have book give-aways. I really enjoy the site.... they also allow you to rate books... so you can friend people and then see what your friends read and how well they liked it. It's really a fun site.

http://www.goodreads.com

As for books I'd recommend....
*Vampirates by Justin Somper (YA, Unfinished Series)
*Illusion by Paula Volsky (Fantasy-- French Revolution-esque, long, but good)
*Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn (Fantasy-- cute, happy ending... one of my all-time favourites)
*A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin (Fantasy, Unfinished Series... long, but good... but unfinished)
*Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella (Fiction-- cute, predictable, but fun read)

[fanbot.livejournal.com]

I have recently enjoyed 3 books by Joey W. Hill. The books have a strong destiny romance thread. They are full of well written "adult" action as well. "The Vampire Queen's Servant" "Mark of the Vampire Queen" and "Mermaid's Kiss." "Mermaid's Kiss" has a great tragic hero.

Have you read Jim Butcher's Dresden Files? I adore this series. 11 books and going strong. I work in a book store and 99% of the folks I've turned on to it love it. (There is always that 1 ya know?) There's action, humor, magic, intrigue, angels, vampires, pixies... everything!
"Storm Front" is the first.

[roxyk630.livejournal.com]

The Bartameus Trilogy (Amulet of the Samarkand-YA but good stuff!).
Um... I'm a huge Austen Fan. Emma's been good so far, tho P&P is a personal fave.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Anything Agatha Christie (cuz she's AWESOME).

Shows/Movies.
It's COMPLETELY silly... if you can find it... Tampopo
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/

In this humorous paean to the joys of food, the main story is about trucker Goro who rides into town like a modern Shane to help Tampopo set up the perfect fast-food noodle restaurant. Woven into this main story are a number of smaller stories about the importance of food, ranging from a gangster who mixes hot sex with food to an old lady terrorizing a shopkeeper by compulsive squeezing of his wares. (courtesy of IMDB).

There's this great scene with hobo's singing about food and ... yeah. It's TOTALLY random and silly... but it's cute and good.
And it'll make you want to eat Ramen.

[gab.livejournal.com]

My favorite TV series has to be Detective Conan/Case Closed. The first season of Veronica Mars is also stellar. Arrested Development is really funny.

Books... I loved the first Emily the Strange novel, though. I just finished Treasure Island and that was also awesome. :) Have you read Goose Girl or Princess Academy by Shannon Hale? Really good YA fantasy there. Ender's Game is my favorite sci fi book... uhhmmm... yeah!

[jadewik.livejournal.com]

Oooh! Those are good books too. Goose Girl is, I thought, really good-- it's an adaptation of the Brother's Grimm fairy tale. I didn't really like Princess Academy as well as I liked Goose Girl, but it was still a fun read.

[feisty-fantasy.livejournal.com]

merlin is pretty good :) being repeated on bbc3 at the moment in the uk :) x

[taperkat.livejournal.com]

Sci Fi - The Seafort Saga by David Feintuch. They're somewhat difficult to find in a normal store - he's been dead + they're out of print, but they are, by far, my favorite sci fi series. EVER.

for interesting Star Trek books, Uhura's Song is by far and away the best I ever read. Easy to find used. :o)

[asatira.livejournal.com]

I recently re-read The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue. The premise behind it a different look at the fairy changling by looking at the human child that is stolen away and the changling that takes his place. It is a very personal story that looks at the two boys' lives, and that makes for a nice change in a fantasy novel. It's also very low key in the magic, which is kind of the point. May be worth a look.

[thehornedgod.livejournal.com]

Thirding Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, that's what I was going to say, and DWJ is lovely too. I liked a lot of her books, but Power of Three seems to have left the sharpest impression on my mind.

[iamchubbybunny.livejournal.com]

Pride & Prejudice and Zombies.

haven't actually read it msyelf yet, but hear it's awesome haha... Theyre also coming out with Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters later in Sept... must get my hands on that.

I'm really behind the times, but the Golden Compass books were really great- just read those a few months ago.

The Eragon series is actually alright- the first book being the weakest, but I just finished the third and i really enjoyed it :0 I am a dragon nerd.

Also, as a kid, I really enjoyed Anne McCaffrey's Dragon books. SUPER NERD. A good start for that is the Harper's Trilogy. It starts with a book called "Dragonsinger". It's so... formula. But there are tiny dragons so who gives a crap haha.

Uhmm... what else.... I want recommendations for stuff, too Lol... I will continue reading this post!