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Friday, October 28, 2011

ff #8

Following Fridays
 


It's been a while since I have done this.  Love this week's question, so I thought I would hop along!

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a great way to meet new blogger friends. This weeks question is:

Q: If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?

I would invite Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice over for some witty conversation.  Of course the table would have to be laid out with several different dishes, because she would expect nothing less.  Though, the whole pheasant, peacock or trout would not be on my table.  It would be a wonderful chance to come up with three or four force-bites, mains with appropriate sides, and desserts, all in their appropriate rounds/courses.  I think one of them, in honor of fall, would be a nice Drunken Chicken with Wildrice Stuffing.  I would have to make a Sherry Cake for one of the desserts, with Fresh Berries to accompany that cake.  Of course, lighting would be candles only, and there would be several wines!  Then we need to make sure that there is an even number of people, so that conversation would flow... Sounds like I have a party to plan!

Book Blogger Hop


Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy for Books. It's a great way to meet new people and friends around the blogworld!


Q - “What is your favorite Halloween costume?

I remember one year my best friend's family just got a new washer and dryer, so we took the boxes and decorated them as 'people'.  I put fabric around the base to form a dress, took LOTS of yellow yarn to make big fat Braids, and we painted most of the boxes!  Cut out the requisite arm holes...so I could hold my Pumpkin, and eyes/mouth holes to (kind of) see where I was going!  However, it was a 'one person to the door' kind of thing...as I was so square!

If I could choose one, I would have to do an Elizabethan Court costume.  I think it would be fabulous (and very heavy) to wear something like that!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

review - Caroline Bingley

Title by Author: Caroline Bingley by Jennifer Becton
Series (if applicable): Personages of Pride & Prejudice
Publisher: Whiteley Press
Publication Date: October 1, 2011
Page Count:  262 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Blurb:
When Charles Bingley and Mr. Darcy made proposals of marriage to the Bennet sisters at the end of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Caroline Bingley was both distressed by her brother's choice of bride and humiliated by Mr. Darcy's rejection of her. And she made her objections known.

Now banished from her brother's household, Caroline must return to her mother's home in the north of England until she can make amends with both Bennet sisters. Desperate though Caroline may be to return to polite company, she absolutely refuses to apologize to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and instead, she seeks an alternative route back into society in the form of Mr. William Charlton, heir to a barony.

Review:

While I absolutely loved Charlotte Collins by Jennifer Becton, I enjoyed Caroline Bingley’s story.  Jennifer stayed true to Caroline’s character from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.   You still wanted to smack Caroline and tell her to grow up, but she has to find her own way, and Ms. Becton did a very nice job.  I picked up the extended version (the one that contained not only Caroline’s story, but that of Charlotte Collins and a few deleted scenes from Caroline’s story) and wondered why these ‘deleted scenes’ were not included in the original story, as they would have greatly added to the story; not only to have given more depth to the characters, especially Rosemary Pickersgill, but to also ‘explain’ things a little more.

You get a sense, every once in a while, that Caroline is struggling with herself.  She is trying to figure out how to get out of her predicament without having to apologize to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, even though she is already Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy.  Caroline felt she did no wrong, so why should she apologize.  The scene in the book with Caroline and Elizabeth Darcy was well done.  I absolutely loved, though, the horse-riding scene.  Knowing that Ms. Becton is an avid horse rider, this must have been fun for her to write!

I felt that some of the characters could have been more fleshed out.  Mr. Rushton was a character who could have had more time on the pages, and to see his feelings grow for the irksome Miss Bingley would have been appreciated.  Many times throughout the story, I wondered if Mrs. Pickersgill would become the love interest of Mr. Rushton, that would have set Caroline on her ear!  Mrs. Pickersgill was an interesting character, and I was waiting for her to walk out on her employment of Miss Bingley.  I thought that the section in the deleted scene, ‘Mr Darcy Explains All’ would have shown more of Mrs. Pickersgill’s fortitude and why she did stay as a companion to Caroline.

While the story was enjoyable, it didn’t have that same ‘palpitation’ that Charlotte Collins did between Charlotte and Mr. Basford.  There were also a few words choices that shocked this reader’s sensibilities in this story.  It almost seemed if the writing style was relaxed a bit after having written Absolute Liabilities (which, admittedly, this reader has not been able to get in to).  Don’t get me wrong, it was a pleasant story, and I am glad that Jennifer Becton had Caroline Bingley keep her true personality and not to have changed instantly when things did not go her way.  It is always nice to see a continuation of Pride and Prejudice that keeps true to Jane Austen’s characters.  Though, this one lacked the tone that was seen in Charlotte Collins, which could have been written by Jane herself!

Favorite Quote:

“Indeed, therefore it is fortunate that you are not the type of woman with whom such men fall in love.  Your attempts at pretense and accomplishments are so very blatant.  Your machinations so transparent.  Most gentlemen would be put off by you and lured by a woman of more subtle arts.”

Rating: 4 Stars
Tag: regency, Jane Austen continuation, romance

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Know Me Better #4

"Know Me Better" is a new weekly meme hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer. Each week five questions are asked as a way for your readers to get to know you better. Want to play along? It's easy! Just click the link above to take you over to the host's page. From there, copy and paste the meme image into your blog along with the meme code. Link back to the host and you're done.

If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose?
Queen Elizabeth I, but she would have to be in a good mood.
Chocolate or Vanilla?

I am not a plain vanilla fan, but I am allergic to most chocolates... :(  Can I say Caramel?
What do you do in your free time? 

Read - I love reading! (thus this blog!)  I also like to crochet.  Just finished two afghans for two children, and working on the third for the third... Did that make any sense?
What movie are you looking forward to this year?
Since I don't pay a whole lot of attention to movie, since we don't have tv, I would have to say Anonymous would be what I am looking forward to... back to that whole Queen Elizabeth thing!
Spontaneity or Planning Ahead?
Since we feel like whenever we make plans, Someone is laughing, we fly by the seat of our pants a lot... like selling EVERYTHING and moving to England for a year!  I sure do miss that corner bar we sold!  Personally, I don't think I could plan my way out of a paper bag!  Spontaneity is the way I roll!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Know Me Better #3

"Know Me Better" is a new weekly meme hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer. Each week five questions are asked as a way for your readers to get to know you better. Want to play along? It's easy! Just click the link above to take you over to the host's page. From there, copy and paste the meme image into your blog along with the meme code. Link back to the host and you're done.

This week's questions:
If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?
The past, definitely.  Kind of like Tarot cards...I don't want to know anything about the future!  'When' would I go?  Several places, as historical fiction is one of my favorite genres...as long as I can stuff my pockets with hand sanitizer!  Would love to see the court of Queen Elizabeth, live in Jane Austen's time...all with one caveat...I would have to be nobility, as I don't make deals with peasants...or want to be one!

Nickname?
None that I want to share.  My family has one for me...but anyone else who uses it does so knowing that they will be hurt in some fashion.  I even cringe when my family does use it (childhood family...not the beautiful one I have created!)

What was your favorite children's book?
First one, off the top of my head would be Edith and Mr. Bear of the Lonely Doll series.  Next...Ten Apples Up On Top!

If you were a super hero what would your kryptonite be?
At the moment... brownies.  I have a batch in the fridge that I tell myself not to eat...and I do anyway.  Most people who don't want to eat something throw it out... I am even powerless to do that!

Hot or Cold?
Neither... I feel miserable in the heat and the cold, even though bundled, just goes straight to my core and I can't stop shaking!  If I could find someplace that is temperate ALL year, with varying skies, gets no hotter than 80, but no cooler than 60... I would be a happy duck...oh...and NO humidity!
But if I really had to choose...I would go with cold... you can always wear lots of layers...can only take off so many in polite society!

Would love to hear your answers!  These are great questions... looking forward to more!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

top ten - Covers and Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists! Each week we will post a new Top Ten list  that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists.
Top Ten Books That Whose Titles Or Covers Made Me Buy It

Covers
The Camper Van Cookbook by Martin Dorey

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

The Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Entwined by Heather Dixon

The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen
Titles
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Definitely Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos



The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie



Hissy Fit by Mark Kay Andrews

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco
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