How We Hype is a twice-monthly feature on Hypable where we tell you what we’re doing in fandom over the weekend!
Attending Fan Expo Canada – Katie Awad
This weekend I’ll be at Canada’s biggest pop culture convention for four days of fun and fandom! I’ll be going to as many celebrity panels as I can, and hopefully not breaking the bank with all the shopping I’ll probably be doing (and hopefully I can snag some free stuff).
While I myself won’t be cosplaying, I’m super excited to see what everyone else will be wearing! There are always some amazing outfits and cosplay groups at Fan Expo Canada. It’s sure to be the craziest year yet, especially for Potter fans, since among the celeb guests are the Phelps twins, Tom Felton, and none other than the Weasley King himself, Rupert Grint. I promise I’ll take lots of pictures!
Checking out the National Book Festival – Brittany Lovely
My college friends may believe that I am heading to Washington, D.C. to visit them and relive the glory days of day drinking, final exams, and gossip about how many of our classmates are getting married. Well, they are only half correct. I am planning to attend the 15th Annual Library of Congress National Book Festival.
All day Saturday, September 5, authors, poets, and illustrators will gather to celebrate the anniversary of when Thomas Jefferson’s personal library was acquired by the library of Congress. I can only hope that one day a book festival will be held in my honor when a poor little library takes on my collection of YA novels and multiple printings of The Complete Sherlock Holmes collection.
Until then, I am looking forward to seeing authors Libba Bray (Lair of Dreams) and Michael Buckley (Undertow), and cartoonist Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine).
But while books festivals are important, my main priority this weekend is focusing all my energy on my fantasy football league’s draft on Sunday. As I have said every year for the past six years, “This time will be different.”
Reading ‘Queen of Shadows’ – Laura Byrne Cristiano
Sarah J. Maas has just released the next book in her YA Throne of Glass high fantasy series. Queen of Shadows is book four in the ongoing series of six planned novels. There is also a compilation of short stories that are a prequel to the series, that are available under the name of The Assassin’s Blade.
Related: Queen of Shadows book review: Kings reap the monsters they sow
Queen of Shadows follows the continuing story of Celaena Sardothien, the King of Adarlan’s champion (A.K.A. official assign). When we last left Celena, she was struggling to navigate the murky waters of the responsibilities and allegiances of her past. She was coming to grips with her fae heritage and what her heritage might mean if she were to fully embrace it.
As the official description states, in the latest novel, Celena, “at last has returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past … She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.”
Playing catch-up on ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘Gotham’ – Kristen Kranz
Like so many others out there, sometimes I find my TV viewing schedule to be more intense than I can handle. This past spring was one of those times. I just couldn’t keep up with all the shows I love, especially with all the great new ones that I couldn’t stop watching.
So, this weekend, I’m hoping to play a little catch-up and get ready for the fall season to start. With 10 or so episodes of both The Vampire Diaries and Gotham to watch from last season, it’s safe to say this weekend is pretty much spoken for.
Reading ‘Bombshells’ – Karen Rought
I picked up the first issue of Bombshells the other day, and I’ve fallen in love. It’s a comic developed from the concept of the DC Collectibles statues of retro superheroines. The first issue features Batwoman, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman in the 1940s, fighting the war on and off the battlefield.
Plus, this series doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a feminist triumph. Batwoman is in a relationship with another woman (who’s part of the GCPD, no less!), they play baseball a la A League of Their Own, and each one of them is a complete badass in their own right (like there was ever any doubt). It ended on a killer cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to get my hands on issue #2.
Watching ‘Ricki and the Flash’ – Selina Wilken
Full disclosure: I tried very hard to find a good picture of Sebastian Stan for this article. Oh well! I guess Queen Meryl will do.
In all seriousness, I’ve wanted to watch Ricki and the Flash ever since the first trailer was released. I adore Diablo Cody, and will watch anything Meryl Streep is in, so I was delighted when I found out that I wouldn’t have to wait six months for this one to be released in Denmark (thanks again, Inside Out).
All I know about Ricki and the Flash is that Meryl Streep plays a rock star who makes out with Rick Springfield, and Streep’s real-life daughter Mamie Gummer also plays her daughter in the movie. Add a dash of Sebastian Stan, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s a recipe for a damn good movie!