Made-up movies/actors/TV shows for books?

When I sit down to read a book set in contemporary times, whether it be an actual contemporary novel or a paranormal/light fantasy set within our real world, I expect to get the real world.
Maybe I'm alone in this, but whenever I get reading and then the story brings in actors or entertainment which I know doesn't exist, I get pulled out of the reading. Like, yanked. Because suddenly it's not my world anymore. It's something else and I don't know where it is. It doesn't feel genuine.
But characters watch stuff and like actors and read books. So what to do?
These are the things I've found I've liked:

• If the actor/actress/famous person is an integral part of the story (like Airhead by Meg Cabot or The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale) then I don't get as knotted up about it, because clearly they can't use real people.
• The Fault in Our Stars has a book (An Imperial Affliction) and a band (The Hectic Glow) that John Green made up. But while reading it, they seemed to be obscure, and not huge and part of general pop culture. You can't know every book and band in existence, so I read it as if they existed, and in fact looked them up to see if they were real while I was reading. Obscurity in the novel grounds it into the real world.
• Using old TV shows/movies/bands. If an MC's favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz or The Sound of Music, or her father is watching re-runs of Seinfeld then that is something readers will forever know. I know there's pressure to not "date" a book, and these classics will make it not dated.
• Using things that are modern, but will be around for a long time. I read The Outsiders, which was written in the 60s, and it mentions the Beatles and Elvis Presley. Update that to today, and you might mention Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, people who won't be one-hit wonders and specifically date your book (like The Jonas Brothers would). These artists will mark a decade or so with their music. And honestly, with the speed of technology, books set in the real world will be dated a few years after their release anyway. It's okay to mark a book as one written in the 2010s like The Outsiders did with the 60s. If your book makes it that far, people will love it anyway. The key is to not have The Jonas Brothers roll in for a concert, so that people in 2013 would say, "Wow, this is so from 2008!" Specific--bad. General--good. 

How do you feel about made-up titles and people in books? How do you get around the debacle of making your book dated with pop culture?

Best books I read in 2012

I think 2012 was my greatest reading year yet. I read 120 books this year. This post will probably hurt, having to choose some of my favorite, but I chose my top 10 books I read in 2012.

1. Everneath by Brodi Ashton is an amazing paranormal romance based off of the Persephone myth that I devoured. It gave me so many emotions and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel to come out on the 22nd.

2. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I finally got around to reading this classic, and I loved it! Completely deserving of its title. It's also considered one of the first young adult novels. It's certainly the first classic young adult novel.

3. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson is a contemporary novel about Lennie, who's dealing with the death of her sister, a mother who abandoned her, and a new boy in town. I loved the setting and the characters and the depth of this novel. It was absolutely wonderful.

4. Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale. This is a sequel that may just be better than the first. I loved where Miri's journey took her, the politics and personal stakes in this book.

5. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams is a contemporary novel about Kyra, a thirteen-year-old girl in a community that practices polygamy, and is told she's to marry her much older uncle. High stakes and beautiful language with strong characters--this book is a quick recommendation for me.

 6. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I read this along with the nerdfighters and found it worth all of the hoopla around it (which unfortunately I don't always find with classics). So very thought-provoking and amazing.

7. Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. This entire series is amazing--lots of action, strong characters, and moving themes. Recommended in a heartbeat.

8. Endlessly by Kiersten White is the final book in the Paranormalcy trilogy. A perfect ending for Evie and everyone else. Strongly recommend the whole series.

9. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. I think the only thing I could recommend more than reading this play is to watch it, especially the version from the 90s. This was my favorite Shakespeare play we read for my class.

10. American-Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. This year I was introduced to graphic novels, and I am now a huge fan of them. This Printz-winning book was probably my favorite that I read. Funny and meaningful, this is an amazing piece worthy of its award.







Other favorites from 2012: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, Wintergirls and Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred  D. Taylor.

What were some of your favorite books you read in 2012?

Top Ten Books I'm Glad I Picked Up in 2011

First, have you entered my blogiversary giveaway? You should.

Now, here's a list of my top ten books that I'm so glad I picked up this past year.

1. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

 Last year, I entered college and got into this mindset that I was too busy to read. Or, at least read things outside of my classes. I hardly read anything for fun. Then, a girl in one of my classes suggested this book to me. And I'm so glad that I picked it up. I remembered how much I loved reading, and how fun it was to lose yourself in a book. Paranormalcy re-vamped my love for reading with its characters and humor.

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth

I thought I was done with dystopian books for a while. But then I picked up Divergent, and man, I'm glad I did! I remembered how creative people can be and that I really do enjoy a good dystopian novel.

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Before, I was never crazy about contemporary. But Anna and the French Kiss was just too much fun, and this book has made me more open to the genre to show that I can really love any type of book as long as it hooks me.

4. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

This book was so interesting and so intriguing, it had me getting shivers down my spine. I loved the complexity of Mara's character and I'm just so glad I got a chance to read it.

5. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

An awesome, thought-provoking read that made me think so differently about my actions. I loved this book.

6. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

I'm glad I finally picked up the first series by Suzanne Collins, because the themes in her books are rare to find, and I feel that they are so important to read about. Plus, the awesome story doesn't hurt it at all, either.

7. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

This was an awesome book to escape into, and had such a great creep factor.

8. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

 I used to be afraid to read this book because I thought it would be too graphic for me. But I'm glad that I picked it up because it talked about an important and hard issue to bring up, but at the same time, it felt safe.

9. White Cat by Holly Black

I loved the interest in this book, the unique world-building, and the characters. It was a lot of fun to get sucked into this book.

10. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Ah, Wilde. So witty, and yet in this piece, so dark. This was an amazing look into vanity and sin, I'm glad I finally picked it up.

What are some of the books you're glad you picked up during 2011?

I gotta get back to school...

This week has been so crazy! I started school last week, but now I work, go to school, study, eat, and sleep. I forgot how exhausting school can be, although I think most of it has to do with the fact that I'm working 20 hours a week now, on top of taking 15 hours of classes, and then studying.

As I type this now I'm in the library at school because I'm waiting for an English society social to begin later on this evening. The draw of free pizza (and thus one less night to cook a pitiful college meal) is only part of the reason why I'm going (although undoubtedly a large one). I've also decided it might be good to socialize a bit more outside of my apartments. Last year, my freshman year, I had to settle into school, get used to it. Now is when I really want to get involved. And, as so far my plan is to graduate next spring (in 2013) I've been hit with the fact that I don't have much time left in college and these once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

So, whirlwind of a year is upcoming for me! I'm doing my best to keep up with writing, blogging, and reading (outside of class) but if I put study, school, work, and a bit of fun (outside of the computer) ahead of that...you'll have to forgive me.

On a side note: Borders going out of business sale? 70-90% off? I know I should be mourning the loss of the chain as well as the book-lover jobs, but my scrimping college student is doing a bit of a happy dance at the prices these books should be.

(P.S. Did you notice I used a lot of parenthesis in this post? I think I have a love affair with them--don't tell the dashes!)

Novel Films Blogfest

Madeleine from Scribble and Edit is hosting this blogfest, to name all of the works of fiction that you have seen the movie/TV show, and read the original book, play, or comic story.

I've marked the particularly great adaptations in aqua and the particularly awful adaptations in red.

1. Pride and Prejudice (1995 version, of course. Not the 2005 joke)
2. Sense and Sensibility
3. Persuasion
4. Emma
5. Mansfield Park
6. Romeo and Juliet
7. Hamlet
8. Othello
9. The Taming of the Shrew
10. Harry Potter series
11. The Fellowship of the Ring
12. Ella Enchanted
13. Flipped
14. Twilight Series
15. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
16. Wuthering Heights
17. Anne of Green Gables
18. The Wizard of Oz
19. Gone With the Wind
20. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
21. Prince Caspian
22. The Thief Lord
23. Inkheart
24. A Walk to Remember
25. Great Expectations
26. A Christmas Carol
27. Little House on the Prairie
28. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (one and two)
29. The Importance of Being Earnest
30. Lord of the Flies
31. Little Women
32. Charly
33. The Polar Express
34. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
35. Charlotte's Web
36. That Summer/Someone Like You (combined to make How to Deal)
37. My Sister's Keeper
38. The Scarlett Letter
39. To Kill a Mockingbird
40. The Great Gatsby
41. Alice in Wonderland
42. A Series of Unfortunate Events
43. The Bridge to Terebithia
44. Animal Farm
45. The Princess Bride
46. Tuck Everlasting
47. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
48. Peter Pan

There's a lot of books I'm anxiously waiting to become movies. Obviously there's The Hunger Games to look forward to that's in filming right now. And a new Romeo and Juliet is being filmed, which I dare to hope will actually capture their lust, rather than trying to convince people they were actually in love. Several books are in the pre-production stage (The Giver, Uglies, Paranormalcy, Divergent) that I'm crossing my fingers get made, and made well.