The Winchester North Star

Top Ten Fictional Families We are going to kick off August with my favorite families from fiction! To make the list, the family must be completely intact, meaning there is a married (and alive) couple, and at least one child. You won't find any orphans or widows here. Personally, it brings me a lot of joy to see healthy families portrayed in fiction, whether in a book or a film. If you enjoy that, too, read on! Be on the lookout for some SPOILERS as well! ~ Number Ten ~ Dunbroch Family Brave                                    There don't seem to be a whole lot of intact families within Disney films, especially those revolving around princesses. However, what I liked so much about this movie was how it explored the relationship between Merida and the rest of her family. She's obviously very close to her father, loves her mother, and has that perfect hate/ love balance with her triplet brothers, juts like all siblings do. As the oldest of three myself, I relate to her on a ba

House Special: July 2020 So we are sliding back into the normality of House Specials. The past two or so have all been geared towards a theme or fandom, but I'm taking it back to the good ol' days of utter randomness. Here's your ten characters for the month, with some SPOILERS. Enjoy! ~ Number Ten ~ Natasha Romanoff The Avengers House: Slytherin Aka, the Black Widow herself, part of the original six of the Avengers Team. This one is a little obvious, as she is a spy and assassin. She is calm, collected, charming, and cunning, everything that makes a Slytherin a Slytherin. She has trouble letting people in, for fear they will leave or use her. However, she is fiercely protective of her newfound family and incredibly loyal. She also always adheres to her own code, to what she believes is right.  ~ Number Nine ~ Regina Mills Once Upon a Time House: Gryffindor I initially wanted to lump our favorite evil queen in with the Slytherins, b

Top Ten Soundtracks Music. What would our favorite movies, shows, games, etc. be without it. Probably not as good. The background music to any of these can literally make or break them. With that said, I have chosen my ten favorite soundtracks from movies, shows, games, etc. The rule here is that, while a theme may be great (like Avengers ), the soundtrack as a whole has to be good, no exceptions. To hear my favorite pieces from each soundtrack, click the link after each pick. There will be some light SPOILERS ahead. Listen on! ~ Number Ten ~ Dinosaur by James Newton Howard                                    This hidden gem of a Disney movie might be only as good as it is because it's backed by a fantastic track. Howard reflects the prehistoric era very well, and gives it some incredibly dark music, as well as some of the most uplifting I have ever heard. Some of the opening tracks mirror the finale track, which I really love. It makes the prefect music san

Top Ten Book Series As a follow up to a previous post, where I laid down my favorite standalone books, today I will give you my favorite series. Sometimes one book juts isn't enough. You need a whole series to delve into a world. This list will not include duoligies or trilogies. Basically, any series with four or more books is up for this list. There will be some SPOILERS linked to each series, so tread carefully. Read on! ~ Number Ten ~ Temeraire  by Naomi Novik Historical fiction? Check. Compelling characters? Check. Dragons? Double check. As I have said in previous posts, this series takes place during the Napolean Wars but with war dragons. What's more is that these dragons have all kinds of personalities and can talk. And it's normal for that world! Naomi Novik does a brilliant job of re- imagining society around it, and putting a lot of thought into the dynamics of aerial combat. These are all good sized books and there's a total of nine.  ~

Top Ten Standalone Movies With so many streaming services and movies at our fingertips, it can be hard to decide what to watch next, especially something that's not part of a series or franchise. Today, I'm giving you a list of my ten favorite movies that aren't linked in any way to trilogies, franchises, or series. Note that these will all be live action, as there are too many animated movies to include. There will also be SPOILERS ahead as well, so bear that in mind. So, grab your popcorn and enjoy the show.  ~ Number Ten ~ The Dark Tower (2017)                                    Based off Stephen King books by the same name and lead by the fantastic Idris Elba, this wasn't the biggest hit of 2017. And that's a shame. Dark Tower is a sci- fi fantasy journey and a classic use of good vs. evil. It features an original plot, great acting, and plenty of action scenes that will leave your mind reeling. If that's not enough, it also has a