A Cup of Tea & Biscuits

Day 3:   My Favorite Series (current) Since I'm currently on the track of, and because it is a pretty darned good series, I am going to say the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde . Set in an alternate England, this is every book lover's dream come true, encompassing everything that is literature, British literature specifically, and all that is cool. You go into books, see how a book is constructed and projected to the reader, be read by a reader, drive with Mrs. Havisham, conduct help-groups for characters, jump between books, kill grammasites and mispeling vyrus, mark a minotaur with slapstick, die and be not-dead, trap Supreme Evil Beings in glass jars, make money killing zombies and vampires, travel through time, deal with snarky politicians and curb apocalypses by winning a Croquet Superhoop final, keep dodos as pets, experience mammoth migrations and be friends with neanderthals, meet cloned Shakespeares and Napoleans, bring Hamlet into the real world, be the bellman ...

Day 2: A Book I've Read At Least 3 Times Apparently I have a thing for books by authors who are no longer living. Quite naturally they are all at least a century old. Pro-feminist novels of the time definitely have my attention, but it is the literature that keeps me. North & South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (see my previous review ) is an industrial novel set in the fictional town of Milton, in northern England. The main aspect of this book, and the writing, is the passion in it. The passion for life, or the lack of it. The class and cultural differences of the time are clearly laid out before the reader. There is descriptive power in every word and all of the characters are uniquely defined. It is one of my all time favorite books, so it is no wonder that I've read it more than 3 times. Mr. Thornton is an amazing man and I love this book more for him. The story might drag along for some, but almost every aspect of living in an industrial town is covered. Beginning f...

Day 1: Best Book I Read Last Year Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange This is Persuasion from Captain Fredrick Wentworth's point of view, from the time he first sets foot into Anne Elliot's life as a penniless naval officer, to the acceptance and eventual refusal of his offer of marriage by Anne, his returning as a somewhat wealthy captain of the Navy, and his struggles as he decides to 'settle down'. I'm not very certain if this book deserves the title of 'best book I read last year' but it definitely is one of my favorite in the past 10 months. It is filled with enough detail to stay honest to Miss Austen's narration. I found the beginning most interesting, the initial courtship when Wentworth falls in love with Anne. It is so pure and just. *sigh*

I did this once before, but due to lack of review writing on my part, I thought of redoing the 30 Day Book Challenge on my blog :) It's going to be a month, one book a day, and some amount of description about the book, or something related to it. Day 01 - Best book you read last year Day 02 - A book that you’ve read more than 3 times Day 03 - Your favorite series Day 04 - Favorite book of your favorite series Day 05 - A book that makes you happy Day 06 - A book that makes you sad Day 07 - Most underrated book Day 08 - Most overrated book Day 09 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving Day 10 - Favorite classic book Day 11 - A book you hated Day 12 - A book you used to love but don’t anymore Day 13 - Your favorite writer Day 14 - Favorite book of your favorite writer Day 15 - Favorite male character Day 16 - Favorite female character Day 17 - Favorite quote from your favorite book Day 18 - A book that disappointed you Day 19 - Favorite book turned into a movie Day...

If the reality that I've read nearly 10 Austen spin-offs (I will not take into account the Austen books I have read this year), of which 8 are based on P & P, in 9 months doesn't cement the fact that I am addicted to Jane Austen, and Mr. Darcy is my idea of a perfect gentleman (and my man, of course), then I don't know what will. Though Jules Verne is undoubtedly the one who opened to me the gates of literature, Jane Austen will always be credited as the one who held me, inspired me, and fascinated me. This, not just because she is one of the best authors ever, or the fact that she had strong feminine lead characters - being a feminist I quite naturally like that -, but more because of her way with words, which I am sure all book nerds will agree with. And because I am such an addict and Austen nerd, and because I love the English language and mannerisms of the 19th century, I've always been a bit wary of reading spin-offs. Some have disappointed me hugely, others h...

When I hear the word ' gulag ' I first feel incredulity, horror, pity and then resignation. Natural, don't you think? Imagine bitter cold, working like dogs, probably worse, almost to your death - or at least for the sake of survival, in the middle of nowhere, making the best of what you have, protecting what you own, knowing that all that matters is that you get your day's worth of ration to sustain you for another day. Unimagineable? Not so much, because One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn tells you almost all you need to know about it. This simple, yet vastly informative book, is one in existence that gives an inside view of life in the gulag. Drawn from Solzhenitsyn's own experience at one of this labor camps, it is aimed at chronicling a singe day, from reveille at 5 a.m. to bed time at 10 p.m., in the life of a prisoner. The story mainly concerns Ivan Denisovich Shukov, though parts of it are narrated by an omniscient observer. I...

I haven't watched a lot of musicals, truth be told, but those I have watched I have loved! The Sound of Music, The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Oliver!, Grease, Chicago,and  West Side Story being some that I can recall at this moment. My most recent flirtation with a musical was Jane Austen's Persuasion. Funky, right? :) Anyway, a few days back, I said the words, "reviewing the situation" to someone and it set into motion this particular series of memories and I, being one of those that loves almost anything to do with books, went on a musical spree. Here are some of my favorites. Reviewing the Situation - Oliver Twist Ron Moody, who played Fagin in the 1968 movie, made me love Oliver Twist - which isn't, if you come to think of it, a very endearing read for an eight year old! Be Prepared - The Lion King Jeremy Irons' voice send shivers down my spine whether he's talking or singing, and he deserves due recognition for being the perfect ...