Favorites A to X - Part Six "H-I"

H

Books
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J.K. Rowling) - My favorite of the Harry Potter books, I
especially love Fred and George's dramatic exit from Hogwarts. 

Heart's Blood (Juliet Marillier) - a lovely moody fantasy that's a great take on Beauty and the Beast. 

Heist Society (Ally Carter) - one of my favorite contemporary young adult novels in recent years.  Sort of like a sweet version of Ocean's Eleven for teens. 

The Hero and the Crown (Robin McKinley) - honestly, picking a single favorite Robin McKinley book would be impossible for me.  It changes depending on my mood.  If I want tough, independent girl power then this is the book I turn to.  I like the Disney idea of "princess" don't get me wrong, but sometimes I think we need a few more princesses like smart, stubborn, sword-wielding Aerin in the pop culture mix.

The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova) - no other novel in the world makes historical research look so adventurous and glamorous.

The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (Jaimie Ford) - Another gorgeous historical fiction novel that tells a great young-love story set in the extremely diverse world of Seattle during World War II.  Plus, even though it deals with difficult history it manages to do it with such warmth and hope that it never becomes to difficult to read. 

I

Movies
Incredibles - There isn't a lot of super creative filmmaking going on in mainstream movie making these days, unfortunately, but I think Pixar is an exception.  They always come up with great new ways of dealing with beloved elements and the Incredibles is my favorite example.

Independence Day - there needs to be some special sort of Academy Award for best odd couple buddy comedy, and it needs to go to Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith for Independence Day.  This is exactly what a summer action movie should be.