Snowflake Challenge 2025 - Day 12

[dizzojay]

Challenge #12 Create a Rec Countdown. 

Wow, this one got me thinking!

Okay, so my recs are going to consist of:
5 books
4 films
3 Fanfics
2 songs
1 self-rec

BOOKS

I’ve recently done a 20 books rec meme on Bluesky (yes, I am over there) @janedizzo.bsky.social and so I’m going to rec five of those books:

A Short History of Nearly everything by Bill Bryson.  Love science, but not a scientist?  Then this is for you.

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.  Need I say more?

Blind Faith by Ben Elton.  A thought provoking and brilliant look at the world if the ‘Influencer’ mindset went to it’s ultimate conclusion.

Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist.  A novel about Faeries as they really are – sinister, malevolent little monsters!

Watership Down by Richard Adams.  Because, bunnies… oh, and you’ll cry.

FILMS

The Dish: Australian film set in 1969 and about the moon landing.  Funny, sweet, whimsical and all with a brilliant late-sixties soundtrack.

The Wicker Man: a classic British movie about a community on a remote Scottish island with a sinister secret.

Galaxy Quest: it’s a bit of a legend and there can’t be that many people left who haven’t seen it, but it’s conventions, sci-fi and Alan Rickman – what’s not to like?

The Boat that Rocked:  Another great film set in the 60’s with a great soundtrack, and this time, it’s a brilliant and hilarious look at the Pirate Radio stations.

FANFICS

Here are a few of my favourite yummy J2 goodies:

Royally Complicated by Aythias

Not such a Damsel in Distress by sasha_dragon

The Play Nice Proviso by qblackheart

SONGS

Northern Lights by Renaissance

I'll find my way home by Jon and Vangelis

Two lovely lyrical songs with beautiful melodies and both very evocative of their time

SELF-REC

Bard Day at Black Rock.

I love Supernatural and I love Shakespeare.  And I have mashed up those two wonderful things in this drabble!

 

Comments

[tjs_whatnot]

Look at all this awesome!

*bookmarks*

❤️

[dizzojay]

I hope you find some things here you like!

[sarajayechan]

I've read Watership Down and hooooly shit is it a lot. Those poor bunnies. :c

[jacieleigh]

If you like kitty cats and Watership Downs, and haven't yet read it, I highly recommend Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams.

[sarajayechan]

Ooof, I don't think I could handle kitty cats in that kind of peril. :( Shame, too, because it sounds like an interesting book!

[jacieleigh]

I've honestly not read either book in decades. I wish my parents had given me their copy of Watership Downs, but they donated it *sigh*. I remember buying several copies of Tailchaser's Song in the 80s and giving them as gifts. It is intended for young adults (I think 10+ is recommended), but I'm pretty sure some of the kitties didn't survive their ordeal. *sniffles*

[dizzojay]

Thank you, I'll bear that in mind!

[dizzojay]

I love Watership Down, and you're right, poor bunnies! Especially when you think that if you take away the fictional and drama elements of the story, that really is what life is like for rabbits - it's a brutal and hard existence being everyone's dinner :(

[switchbladeeyes]

Watership Down is one of the few books I’ve read multiple times.

[dizzojay]

I love it so much. I read it for the first time when I was about thirteen and have had a copy ever since! I live about thirty miles from Watership Down and have visited it a couple of times, it's such a beautiful place.

[switchbladeeyes]

Oh, I didn't even know it was a real place! How delightful!

[jacieleigh]

You had me at Douglas Adams!

I'll have to check out some of your other book and movie recs, many thanks for sharing.

[dizzojay]

I hope you find something you enjoy!

[silveradept]

Galaxy Quest is so much fun. What's not to like about it? Tim Allen. But Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman more than make up for it.

[dizzojay]

Yes, it's a shame that Tim Allen has since turned out to be ... not the nicest, but Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman make that movie!

[silveradept]

They absolutely do make up for it and more.

[barbaratp]

The Wicker Man é ótimo, infelizmente só vi a versão remake e nunca tive a oportunidade de assistir ao original. É uma excelente obra.

[dizzojay]

É um filme tão bom. É muito assombroso e ficou comigo muito tempo depois que eu assisti pela primeira vez.
(Espero que isso seja ok, eu usei o Google translate)

[barbaratp]

Você pode falar normalmente em inglês dizzojay, menos chance do Google errar o texto, além de que meu tradutor sempre passar os diários da DW no tradutor automaticamente já que muitos que sigam falam em inglês.

Quanto ao filme, eu adorei ele bastante, mesmo sendo um remake. Quando puder assistir ao original vou conseguir tirar as dúvidas se ambas as obras tem a mesma emoção.

[dizzojay]

Thank you - I didn't want to just assume that you spoke English - we Brits can be a little too good at doing that, and it's kind of embarrassing sometimes!

I'd totally forgotten about the Nicolas Cage remake. If you do get the opportunity to watch the original with Edward Woodward, please do watch it because you will see that it is a hundred times better than the remake! If you can find the directors cut of that one, even better.

[barbaratp]

Vou ver se encontro. Há muitos filmes na minha lista para assistir e me falta tempo e energia para concluir todos *risos*

Realmente eu não falo nem leio inglês, o tradutor é meu enorme salvador u.u

[musyc]

"you have already left kudos here" BUT AO3 LET ME AGAINNNN. I apparently commented on that mashup five years ago, and it's just as hilarious now as it was then. XD

[dizzojay]

Ah, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I certainly enjoyed writing it!