Cinema Saturday: Speculation

I adore this version of Emma. :)

Have a lovely weekend!

Wonderland Wednesdays: Stories About Sisters

Here are 5 of my favorite stories about sisters! Read any/all of them? :)

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Little Women has always been one of my favorite books! The 4 march sisters pretty much parallel me and mine, making it relatable as well as enjoyable. :) <3

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I recently read this one and- though it wouldn't appear to- it has a really sweet sister-relationships theme. The 3 sisters in this story are very close and trust each other completely- super encouraging and cute. 

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These 2 sisters are definitely "real life" sisters- very relatable! ;P Ariana and Beatrice have lots of opposites and differences of opinion- and your typical older sister wanting to lead little sister but little sister wanting to grow up and do things herself. In the end they learn how to "meet in the middle" and stay close through their changing lives.

~*~

It's been a while since I read this one, but I remember really enjoying it and that it was super sweet and touching! Again, lots of opposites and learning to cope with each others different personalities. It was unique in that it wasn't the cliche beautiful/spoiled younger sister and plain/sensible older sister who can't stand each other. Glenna was a literary breath of fresh air- pretty, but sweet. ;) Lots of growth and learning here.

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And of course-

Gotta have some Jane Austen! (and Pride and Prejudice was too obvious. ;)) I've always loved this sister story! However...I'll admit...*deep breath* I did enjoy the (BBC 2008) movie better than the book. *gasp* Yes, I know- it's bad! 

But, there it is. :P

These girls portrayals of Elinor and Marianne are so great and accurate! Again, very relatable. ;)

~*~

Have a very wonderful Wednesday!

Cinema Saturday: Captain Haddock

Yes. I know. Another blog tag. However, I have to have something to post when the reviews are coming in a little bit slower! So, random screencaps/quotes from movies I like, and other such randomosities are a fun way to use up a sliver of my free time and to keep my blog in your face. O:-)

Enjoy!

Wonderland Wednesdays*: 5 Strange Books

I've always randomly had a liking for strange books; now, by strange books I don't mean stories of fantasy, magic, mysticism and all that- I mean strange as in different, random, out of the blue, works of genius that make you stop, think and ponder things anew through a series of unbelievable and strange events that are ridiculous in their simplicity, yet profound to those of us who somehow relate to them. :P Here are 5 that I particularly enjoy:

I'll bet you saw this one coming! ;)

Alice in Wonderland will always be one of my all-time favorite books. I've read it countless times and enjoy each new visit as much as I did the first time.

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."
"I don't much care where –"
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go.” 

 

This is what I'm talking about. The best word to describe this book is random. It's wonderful! 

“Remember, lad," said the newt, "If it's going to be tommorow, it might as well be today. And if it is today, it could have been yesterday. If it was yesterday, then you're over and done with it, and can write your own book. Think about that.” 

(Yes, all of these are YA books. ;))

James and the Giant Peach is such an adventure! Lots of fun characters and crazy happenings! Gotta love it. 

Random tidbit: my favorite illustrations in this book are the ones of the cloud men. :)

“The walls were wet and sticky, and peach juice was dripping from the ceiling. James opened his mouth and caught some of it on his tongue. It tasted delicious.” (What to do when you find yourself inside a giant peach? Taste it, by all means. :))

After Alice in Wonderland, this really must be one of the most brilliant works of literature ever. It doesn't get much more strange than this. (But don't watch the movie- it's rubbish!)

“Once upon a time," he said out loud to the darkness. He said these words because they were the best, the most powerful words that he knew and just the saying of them comforted him.” 

~*~

“Fairy tales dont tell you that dragons are real, but that they can be defeated!” 

More pictures than words, Hugo is a delightful tale that captures your attention and finds a little place in your heart to call it's own, and- I should tell you- once it's there, it doesn't really ever leave. (Once again, don't bother with the movie; the book is far more beautiful- reading the pictures is part of what makes it so wonderful anyway.)

“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.” 

If you have never read a strange story, I hope one of these classics catches your eye - I know you'll fall in love with at least one, if you give them a try!

"Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures."

*For those of you who may still be wondering what Wonderland Wednesdays is, it's a new series of blog posts I'm doing, posting 5 random things on Wednesdays. I think it's going to be fun. ;)

A jolly Wednesday to you!

A Rumored Engagement

I have discovered that no matter who wrote it or what the plot is, the Regency selection of these "Love Inspired Historical" books never fail to captivate me and make me laugh!
A Rumored Engagement is a sweet story of sacrifice, commitment, trust, and family. It has a nice semi-unique plot (I'm sure there are other novels with similar plots, but Lily George was able to bring a fresh and new style to it) that flows steadily -there really were absolutely no slow or boring parts. The characters were very realistic and not all "dolled-up" to be more appealing. The heroine has uncooperative hair and bitterness issues, and the hero starts out as an irresponsible drunk! :P Their gradual transformations through the story were also realistic and inspiring to witness. 
Susannahs' sisters were sweet characters with a fun relationship, and -once again- the hero has an epic butler. 
I felt myself waiting towards the end for some type of catastrophe to break out and cause confusion that leads to your proverbial heart-to-heart-conversation scene right in the last chapters, (NOT that that is a bad thing; I'm sure if more books did not have those that more books would be boring, however...it can get a bit old and loses the intrigue because you come to anticipate it after a while.) but I was pleasantly surprised! The story went through and ended with no earth-shattering break-ups and was really sweet and unique in it's non-eventful-ness. :)
Overall this story was sweet, inspiring, clean, and a regency must-read.

The only thing that I found questionable in this book was that in the beginning of the story the hero obviously has no spiritual life, and then near the end he suddenly does... It was almost more as if he just realized he'd "had God all along" and just hadn't been willing to recognize His presence in his life or further his relationship with Him until this time. There was no admission of sins or apparent change of heart. And it was pretty sudden too- almost like he was doing it for the heroine's sake. This was not a huge part of the book, so but for this part I still enjoyed the story - but we are given the gift of salvation and a relationship with Christ by believing that He died for our sins on the cross (and admitting to and repenting of those sins in our lives). This is also a small book, so perhaps the author just didn't take the time to explain it in detail. Just don't want any confusion. ;) 

Happy reading!

A Most Unsuitable Match

This was a lovely story. I don't read many stories set in this era, but when I do read them I always end up enjoying them. This was my first Stephanie Grace Whitson and I really enjoyed her style! It wasn't very fast, but was easy-going, full of plot, and had some deep themes. Very interesting and quite delightful! 
This book hosts a wide variety of characters of all different social classes and situations. I found that I (and a few other people I've discussed the book with as well) related better to and was drawn more to the hero of the story, rather than the heroine; Fannie was great! but a bit more shallow than Samuel; he seemed more real somehow, if that makes sense. But, like I said, Fannie was also great and I liked her even more by the end. 
There were lots of twists and turns in this story and a few times I caught myself wondering "is this going to end up how I'm thinking? Or is it all going to change on me?!" (I will say, I was very satisfied with the ending - even if it was slightly rushed.)
Rich, clean, and inspiring, A Most Unsuitable Match is actually quite a catch for all historical fiction lovers. I highly recommend it, and am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Sincerely,

Guilty As Charged

*slowly raises hand and lowers eyes* Why yes. Yes I do.

It's one of the most important factors that goes into my decision on whether or not we can be friends. :)

:) :) :) :) :)

 Every time! ^_^ 

What are some strange/nerdy things/habits you do when reading? :) 

The Silent Governess

There are no words. (Now watch me prattle on in typical fangirl fashion. ;) Yes, I just used the word 'prattle'.)
The Silent Governess is such a treasure! It has everything a historical fiction fan could want! Mystery, suspense, contention, suspicion, some humor, light (clean) romance, family, friends, loyalty, betrayal- lots of unexpected plot twists and discoveries!  
Trust and the value of family are the major themes in this story, and they are proved over and over to our confused and searching heroine (and hero).
This book was brim full of fun and lovable characters (at least, you think so. >:)) and I especially loved reading about Olivia's young charges- Audrey and Andrew. 
There really isn't too much you can say about this story without giving something away...so go read it for yourself! It's incredible and totally worth your time. I found myself drawing out the last chapters over as many hours as I could, to keep it in my life- knowing I'll always wish I could read it for the first time again. (Which makes me REALLY glad her books are so long! :D)
I'm really looking forward to reading more from Julie Klassen! How can one author continue to completely surprise her readers with each and every new and unique plot?! I'm not sure, but I've been told it's true that she does, so I can't wait to see for myself.

Sincerely,

WINNER (Pride and Persistence)

I'm excited to announce the winner of Pride and Persistence 
from last weeks giveaway!

Nicole D. (betta_grl@hotmail.com)

Congratulations!!!!!!

I'm sure you will really enjoy this Pride and Prejudice variation- it's hilarious and also touching! 

Thank you, to all those who participated in this giveaway, for 

entering- keep a lookout for other giveaways here on the 

blog, and also be sure and pick up a copy of 

Pride and Persistence for yourself! :)

Thanks to Jeanna, as well, for taking the time for the 

interview and giveaway alike! It was a pleasure having you

here.

Sincerely,

The Castle in the Sea

Ok guys...I'm not even going to try and be nice... this book was an utter waste of my time. :P
I would try and be lenient if it had just not been my style, or there were some minor flaws. But, no. 
The plot was totally cliche, and there was nothing to make it unique or bearable.
The characters had NO depth at all.
The era/setting was so confusing; I read somewhere it was meant to be set in the 1980's or thereabouts, but some of the characters/costumes seemed straight out of the 1600s!?
The "surprise plot twists" in this story were so monotone and predictable. (I really couldn't believe the heroine hadn't figured out who the bad guy was early on- he was clearly insane and up to no good. :P) 
For being such a small book, the story was drawn out and really slow, until the end- where everything was wrapped up super fast and was kind of confusing...and (spoiler?) nearly everyone died; and for those who survived there was no epilogue or follow up. It just ended.

Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Unless you like confusing, creepy, culturally-messed-up, cliches. (Oh, and don't be confused by the cover- this book had zilch romance. Zilch.) 
Yeeaaaa....

Moving on,

Bookish Humor

Smile ~ it's contagious!

What to Read Next?!

I read a lot of great books last year(2013)! Here's a list of my favorites, with snippet-reviews on why! Maybe you'll find something that interests you and enjoy it as much as I did! :D

It's (not that) Complicated is one of my favorite non-fiction books ever! It was so much fun. (And I have a hard time reading NF, so that's saying something!) very insightful and easy to understand; there were quite a few laughs throughout, as well. ;)

The Traitor's Smile is the sequel to "The Pale Assassin", and I enjoyed TTS a whole lot more. I felt like the story moved much faster in the second book, and the amount of fiction vs non-fiction was well balanced, keeping the non-fiction more interesting. ;) Suspenseful, clean, and intricate- this became one of my favorite YA historical fiction novels.

The Destiny trilogy was my first Sci-Fi series, and I really enjoyed it! There was a lot of intricate plot twists and the story was intense, start to finish.

The Gabon Virus was incredible. My first medical suspense and my first adult fiction novel by Paul McCusker. This story was so intense and the chapters were so short, I found myself reading for hours without even realizing it. (I wouldn't recommend this for a younger audience- there was quite a bit of death. ;P)

Frederica was one of my favorite Georgette Heyers! It has tons of sweet characters and loads of comedy!

I'm a bit of a Tudor fiction fan, and Sandra Byrd is one of my all-time FAVORITE Tudor authors! Her stories are always inspiring, rich, and Christ-centered.

Another regency comedy, The Weaver Takes a Wife had me laughing so hard there were tears on my face! I have the pleasure of being acquainted with author Sheri Cobb South, and I've enjoyed getting to discuss her stories with her.

A Change of Fortune was one of my first Christian historical fiction novels. Jen Turano has an incredible and fast sense of wit and I hadn't laughed so often during one book ever before. This novel (and the rest of the series) was so charming, and I'm really looking forward to A Match of Wits, releasing in July! :D

I don't usually read much Western fiction, but this one was recommended to me by my sister, and I highly enjoyed it! It was sweet, clean, funny, and encouraging.

Each of these charming novels by Julianne Donaldson took me about 2 days to read. I laughed, I cried (unashamedly!), and fell in love with these stories! I wish I could read them again for the first time and experience them again. They were SO good! The plots and characters are so deep and beautiful. (I will warn, Blackmoore has more of a serious aura about it- whereas Edenbrooke has lots of laughs- so be prepared to shed sad/frustrated tears as well as happy ones. :P) 

This was my first novel set in this era and I enjoyed it so much! It had a more slow going feel to it, but it was never boring. A great weekend read. Very sweet. :)

Absolutely hilarious. I laughed from start to finish. Great characters and loads of wit!

and, last but not least:

You can never get enough of Heyers novels! This was another of my favorites from Georgette. Lovable characters, hilarious situations, and a sweet ending made for a perfect regency. ;)

Happy reading!!!!