Let’s get down to business! My top 5 picks for female superheroes on the big and small screen.

# 5 Cat Woman, who is the alter ego of Selina Kyle. She has been portrayed by Halle Berry, Michelle Pfeiffer and soon it will be Anne Hathaway to don the Black leather cat suit, and enchant us with her feminine feline wiles. Cracking her whip and purring into Batman’s ear is a definite highlight of any movie where the two appear together.

#4 Elektra, who is the alter ego of Elektra Natchios. I think Jennifer Garner did a brilliant job in this role. She had us in awe of her weapon control, mainly with the Twin Sai and that read leather is something to behold.

#3 She-Ra, alias Adora, and twin sister to He-man. She is the wielder of the Sword of Protection and is by far a more passive super hero than most. No leather here as far as I can see, but that’s okay, she still has the power of Grayskull to kick some serious robotic booty.

#2 Wonder Woman, alias of Diana Prince. She’s a stunner in her Americanized patriotic garb which consists of a golden belt, the source of her strength and power while away from Paradise Island, bullet-deflecting bracelets and a golden lasso which is unbreakable and forces people to obey and tell the truth when bound with it. This is all added to a red bustier with gold accents and a pair of blue knickers complete with stars and an awesome pair of red boots.

#1 Xena: Worrior Princess, a bad girl gone good. She’s decked out in brown leather and metal armor and attacks with a very Middle Eastern war cry. She knows her way around a sword and can drop an enemy with the push of a pressure point. Her most famous weapon however is the chakram she wears at her hip and uses to take out multiple foes with the flick of a wrist.

I spent most of my life growing up in a single parent home and learned that being a woman isn’t a disadvantage. If anything it was a big advantage, because you were able to be tough like a guy, and yet, do it in high heels. So when I read a book where the main female character can’t stand on her own two feet, I tune out.

An article in February’s Australian Women’s Weekly features some of the nation’s best romance writers, one of which I met for the first time at Supanova last year. Kerri Arthur is quoted as saying -in the 70’s and 80’s- “The fantasy heroines were always falling over, needing to be rescued, and it just irritated the hell out of me.” I have to say I agree, and luckily, for the most part, authors writing speculative fiction novels for both adults and young adults have realized that the era of the ‘weak’ girl is well and truly over.

It is no secret I have a habit of pre-judging books written by men with a female lead, because as the old saying goes, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus… men just don’t always get it. That being said, male authors who have women critique their manuscripts early on, write their girls just as well as a woman could.

Trent Jamieson, in his Death Works trilogy, has his leading lady saving the main man in the first scene. His character Lissa Jones is believable, credible and, best of all, enjoyable. Lissa pulls no punches. If she needs saving, it is only after she has tried every other way to get herself out of the situation. None of this woe is me crap for her.

Daniel Waters surprised the heck out of me with the first book in his Generation Dead series, and his character Phoebe Kendall. She dances to the beat of her own drum and eventually falls in love with a zombie. Her ability to be kind hearted and inclusive was what won me over here. Despite what her critics at school said, she stood by her own morals. That takes strength, guts… and Braiiiins.

Justin Somper has more than just the one kick arse chick in his Vampirates series. Cheng Li and Grace Tempest are two different sides of the same coin. They both have strong morals and Cheng Li is certainly a wily, tough trail blazer in the male dominated world of Pirating; whereas Grace is intelligent but mostly driven by emotion and instinct. Being much younger than Cheng Li, she has a lot yet to learn.

Joss Whedon is a man synonymous with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show. There is no need for any more explanation than that.

It is possible to have a man writing a convincing, and iconic female lead, and though I am not an extreme feminist, I do believe it to be unforgivable crime to make a leading lady weak and helpless when we have been singing ‘Sisters are Doin’ it for Themselves’ for close to thirty years.

I’d love to know of any other male authors you’ve read who write a good strong leading lady.

When you’re moving house or preparing for another book haul, family and supposed ‘friends’ may suggest that donating, trading, selling, or giving away your books would be a great way to make room or lighten your load. Here is a list of completely plausible reasons to keep your books, when NOOOO doesn’t cut it.

#10 You are collecting for the biggest post-apocalyptic library in your hemisphere. When the crap hits the fan, and there are no more romance books left on the black market, where are all the poor, surviving, amnesia suffering, men going to learn how woo a girl again?

#9 You’re preserving the food source and natural habitat for your pet silverfish. Poor old Mr Al Foil, he like to be called Al for short; loves his cozy home. How could anybody deprive him, especially when his son Tin is coming to visit next weekend? PETA may need to be alerted.

#8 You are researching for your memoirs. How on earth are you going to be able to remember the most inspirational books in your life if they aren’t ALL there at your fingertips when you finally get around to writing it?

#7 You don’t get rid of family heirlooms. Each and every work of genius in your book case is to be one day handed down to your children and your grandchildren. What? Twilight IS TO timeless.

#6 It’s financially smart. You’ll only have to replace it when the library hasn’t got it when you want to read it. Not to mention having to pay off the person you bribed to have the book constantly on loan as back up.

#5 Every one of them is on your To Be Read pile. There is an order, and a system. One book missing and the next 6 years are screwed.

#4 Sentimental value. There is a story in every book, and not just the ones written on the pages. Don’t you understand how important these external stories are to me? *Queue sobbing and dramatic music if necessary.*

#3 The pages are all dog eared. Wear and tear really devalues a book. Nobody would want one like that. I only do it when I can’t find a book mark or a random piece of important paper or a coffee mug to mark my place, honest.

#2 Questionable marks on the pages. You know what every single one of them is, and others may think they are something gross. No that is NOT blood, it’s sauce from the brilliant spaghetti Bolognese I made back in 2001. Paul Newman may want a sample of the stain someday so he can extract the recipe. It was that awesome. No; seriously, here do you want a lick?

#1 I read in the toilet. NOBODY wants second hand toilet books. It’s practically illegal to give someone a toilet book. Haven’t you watched Seinfeld?

Valentine’s Day is less than a week away. What are you going to get the one you love, especially if your wallet is a little skinny and your bank account is dwindling?

You can whip up a really nice card yourself rather than pandering to the Hallmark giants. Having trouble thinking of something romantic to put in the card? Find a really nice quote from a book of quotes; you should be able to find one at your local library.

If you don’t have the budget for store bought jewellery, you can make your own for her. Be sure to take notice if she wears mostly gold or silver, then what colour she wears often. You can make a memory wire bracelet, for under $10 if you spend a little more on focal beads and use seed beads as fillers.

Or try this Celtic Heart knot

from TyingItAllTogether with satin ribbon cord, a bead on either side of the heart, and a knot to hold the beads in place. Pass the cut ends carefully through a candle flame to seal them and avoid fraying. This would be great for a bracelet or a necklace.

Rather than buying an expensive bunch of flowers, you can make them with origami or tissue paper. From How to make these, is a tutorial on origami Tulips…

Staying with the origami theme, you can make a heart shaped gift box for whatever you decide to buy or make. This tutorial, thanks to Jo Nakashima, is really pretty and looks simple enough.

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You don’t have to spend a fortune to let someone know you care about them. It really is the thought that counts, and a handmade gift shows you thought hard. As a bonus it will be something nobody else will be given. Good luck!

Happy Valentine’s Day!!