Mirkwood Reflections

I managed 6 books in November, while also writing my latest NaNoWriMo novel. I tend to avoid fiction while writing fiction, except for inspiring fiction that I'd like to imitate, such as Gabaldon's work. So, other than the two children's books, the only fiction I read was a Kathy Reichs novel, during a writing slump. Well, and Gabaldon, but that's a given, right? Edward, Hoppy and Joe by Robert Lawson - 11/10/09 Excellent - Childrens One of my favorites from childhood – Edward the rabbit, Hoppy the toad, and Joe the possum have many adventures. My kids ADORED this read-aloud. I had hesitated reading it to them because of its age. It was rather old when *I* read it years ago. But it was very amusing and well-written. I think I shall have to read them more Robert Lawson. Perhaps Ben and Me and Rabbit Hill ? Until It Hurts by Mark Hyman - 11/16/09 Excellent - Non-fiction America's obsession with youth sports and how it harms our kids A review of this new book somewh...

Finally - my October reading list! Only 6 books, but one of them is the longest book I've ever read. And I've been working my way through another of Diana Gabaldon's books on audio, though I didn't finish that yet. Read on.... No Need for Speed: A beginner's guide to the joy of running by John Bingham - 10/12/09 Excellent - Non-fiction [999 Category - Serendipity 1 (revised category)] This couch potato turned back-of-the-pack athlete has uncovered the path to joy, contentment, self-discovery, and life-changing success, all by putting one foot in front of the other. As you may know, I have started jogging this year and I'm certainly not fast. This book was very helpful in setting goals and realizing a healthy approach to one of my new activities. Edmund Bertram's Diary by Amanda Grange - 10/17/09 Good - Romance [999 Category - Becoming Jane] Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, told through the eyes of Edmund Bertram I adore Amanda Grange's di...

Only two books in September!? What in the world? Well, I've been trying to complete The Fiery Cross for a long time (see below), as well as The Count of Monte Cristo, which is 1400+ pages long. I worked on a couple other books too, but didn't finish them. Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella - 09/04/09 Good - Chick Lit [999 Category - Nine and Counting] Lara Lington's great-aunt Sadie has passed on, and even though Lara hadn't known her at all, the funeral disturbs her, and when Great-Aunt Sadie's spirit visits her, Lara's life is turned upside down. I needed something light that I could FINISH, so I picked up Kinsella's new book. It was pretty good. The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon - 09/13/09 Excellent - Historical Fiction [999 Category - Kindred Spirits] Jamie and Claire, along with Brianna and Roger, continue building their lives in pre-Revolution North Carolina. I've been stalled in the middle of The Fiery Cross for months now, but I began listenin...

The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer - 08/05/09 Good - Chick Lit (999 Category - Serendipity) Kat thinks her husband is planning to leave her so she curtails her wild spending and learns to save with the help of a motley group of penny pinchers. I love Strohmeyer's books! She always has a different take on the chick lit formula. Thoroughly entertaining. The Fate of Katherine Carr by Thomas H. Cook - 08/07/09 Good - Mystery (999 Category - Serendipity) When George Gates' young son was murdered, he lost his once-avid taste for mysteries, but he meets a retired police detective whose story of a missing woman piques George's interest. Saw this one at the library on the new book shelf and picked it up based on the cover and title alone. Glad I did. It was compelling and interesting. Everybody's Normal Until You Get to Know Them by John Ortberg - 08/10/09 Excellent - Non-fiction (999 Category - Faith) How do flawed abnormal people such as ourselves master forces that ...

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich 07/06/09 Good - Fiction Rangeman is being sabotaged and Lula witnessed a murder and is being chased by inept hit men. This eagerly awaited installment in the very fu nny Stephanie Plum series took me all of one day to zip through. Hilarious as usual, I could have done with a little more RANGER, but all-in-all, a very satisfying Evanovich. When do es Sixteen come out? Oh yeah, JUNE. 2010. Sigh. Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange 07/07/09 Good - Romance Pride and Prejudice retold from Darcy's perspective, in diary format. I love love love Amanda Grange's Austen hero diaries and this one is no exception. She thinks of much to add to enhance the story but doesn't compromise Austen's characters or plot. Absolutely CANNOT WAIT for Tilney's diary! Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 07/15/09 Good - Classic Victor Frankenstein creates a monster and deals with the consequences. I didn't especially want to read this, but Rolli...

Rollicking Readers Book Club had another great meeting last night! Only a few of our normal crowd was able to be there - seven of us, to be exact. We had a lovely dinner together on the patio. The husband of our hostess grilled chicken and burgers for us. Our book/film of the month was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a little departure from our ordinary reading material, considering our book club was formed to read through all six of Jane Austen's novels. But we completed that task and are pressing on to other classics. Our discussion was held after dinner and was lively and intelligent - lots of great points were brought up. (And I think EVERYONE there had read the book! WTG, ladies!) For the record, I believe that just about everyone agreed that the book wasn't at all what we had imagined it to be. Rather than being gory and filled with gratuitous violence, it was philosophical and thoughtful. I'm glad I read it, especially because I wasn't really looking forward to it...

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - 06/04/09 Excellent - Fiction (999 Category: 9 and Counting) Mariam and Laila are two very different women, brought together by war and cruelty, but they forge an enduring bond. Finally finished this. Had to actually get the novel instead of finishing the audiobook, as audiobooks don't fit well into my life right now. That aside, this was WONDERFUL! Poignant, eye-opening, terrifying, hopeful, and more. I recommend it whole-heartedly, and actually several of my friends have also read it and concur with my assessment. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde - 06/12/09 Excellent - Play (999 Category: Vintage Volumes) Jack and Algernon both pretend to be Ernest Worthing, a fictional wastrel of a younger brother, and both fall in love with women who only will marry someone named Ernest. I've read this before, but read it again for book club. It's a quick, easy, humorous read. LOVE the movie; it's one of my favorites. Wild...

OK, if you're not a vampire fan, skip this post. Yeah, just click the X now. :-) But if you're like me - a Jane Austen fan and intrigued by the Twilight series, you're probably still reading. Therefore, you may be interested in the new book by Amanda Grange, Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. Amanda Grange says, "The idea for the plot of Mr Darcy, Vampyre came to me when I was rereading some of the classic Gothic novels of Jane Austen's era. I was starting to write Henry Tilney's Diary , Henry being the hero of Jane Austen's Gothic novel Northanger Abbey , and I wanted to put myself in the right mood." (Lisa says: I cannot WAIT for Tilney's Diary !!!) "As I read The Mysteries of Udolpho , and as I followed the heroine over the Alps and into Italy, I found myself thinking, What if Lizzy and Darcy went to the continent for their wedding tour? What if they visited a remote castle and then went across the Alps to Italy? And what if, in those far flung location...

Found this meme on my friend Penny 's blog. Each letter is to stand for websites, urls, etc, that you frequent. This should be interesting... A - Agent Query B - Blogger C - Cake Wrecks D - Dressup Me (Suzy goes here) E - Enchanted Serenity of Period Films F - Facebook G - Gmail H - Homeschool Freebie of the Day I - Image search @ Google J - Janet Evanovich K - Keep Vid L - Lego (that'd be my sons) M - Michigan Works! N - Netflix O - Oakland Comm. College Job Postings P - Picasa Q - Query Shark R - Retail Me Not (coupon code site) S - Sparkpeople T - Tracfone U - Upside Down Text V - Voyages of the Artemis (Diana Gabaldon's blog) W - Weather X - Xboxwife Y - Youtube Z - Zazzle (to find fan-made tee's and other items) Now, I better go get some REAL work done! lol

I saw this over at Shelley ’s, and thought it sounded like a great question for all of you: “This can be a quick one. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.” 1. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian 2. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 3. How to Talk so Children will Listen and Listen so Children Will Talk by Faber and Mazlish 4. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini 5. Blessed Child by Ted Dekker 6. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 7. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis 8. Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright 9. Joseph by Joyce Landorf 10. The Family Bed by Tine Thevenin 11. The Hurried Child by David Elkind 12. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 13. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown 14. Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 15. Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella I never include The Bible on these sorts of lists, because I figure that's s...

Because I neglected what I SHOULD have been doing this month (but that's another story), I go t a LOT of reading done this month - 9 books. That's the most in any month so far this year. This included my first book in my C.S. Lewis category, which I'd been procrastinating. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult - 05/02/09 Good - Fiction (999 Category: 9 and Counting) Sterling High School is torn apart by a mass shooting. I'm never quite sure if I like Picoult or not, but this was definitely a compelling read. If y ou like heavy fiction, this may fit y ou well. Deep in the Heart of Trouble by Deeanne Gist - 05/04/09 Good - Inspirational (999 Category: Kindred Spirits) Essie has accepted her spinsterhood, but then Tony Bryant comes to town. But is he too good to be true? This historical Christian novel is a sequel in the edgy Christian fiction category. Realistic people with realistic problems and who don't always make good choices despite being Christians. The Martian C...

Since watching Oklahoma! (1999) this past weekend, I have recommended it to several people and the response is usually something like, "There's a new Oklahoma! ?" Well, 'new' is a relative term, but since the film version most people are familiar with is more than fifty years old, it seems appropriate here. Yep, FIFTY. The Shirley Jones movie came out in 1955, folks. That's been a few years. More than time for a remake, I think. I was already aware of this production since I'd seen a little bit of it on PBS's Great Performances a few years back. At the time, I was put off by the fact that it was NOT a movie adaptation, but rather a filmed stage production. The audience is sometimes visible, even purposefully visible. The sets are typical, although nicely conceived, theater sets - painted backdrops, simple props, etc... At the time, this turned me off and I didn't watch much of the show. (I've read recently that this production was actually fil...

I've been on a kind of musical kick lately, sorta jump-started by watching the High School Musical trilogy. I moved on to Oklahoma (1999) and Hairspray (2007) and probably will keep on going. If you know me, you know I'm nothing if not obsessive. lol So, I went searching for a good list of the best musicals. It was harder to find than one might imagine, but here's a list of the top 100 as chosen by the UK's channel 4. (None of the ones I've mentioned so far are on the list.) That list was not easily copy/pastable, so I found another source for that and here's their introduction to the list: "From the start of the new millenium, UK television channel, channel 4, ran a series of programs which ran through the top 100 of various genres, including films, film stars, war movies and musicals. the program was aired in 2003 and was made up of viewer votes bo...

Mariel suggested this week’s question Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you have run out of things to read? Well, yes, I definitely buy more books than I can read. In the past, I have occasionally tried a moratorium on book-buying, but it doesn't work too well for me. Books are too tempting! I also buy books for my children - probably more than they can (or want to) read. Since I usually buy my books used, at least it isn't a terribly expensive habit.

I finished six books in April, including one really long one. I also listened to most of an audiobook. Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues #3 by Donald Soboll 04/02/09 Good - Childrens (999 Category: Nostalgia) The amazing boy detective solves 10 mysteries. I read all the Encyclopedia Brown books when I was a kid. I read this one aloud to my kids. The 100 Best Worldwide Vacations to Enrich Your Life by Pam Grout 04/13/09 Good - Non-fiction (999 Category: 9 and Counting) 100 Unforgettable possibilities for travel, divided into artsy getaways, volunteer vacations, learning retreats, and wellness escapes I expected more from this book than I got. Seemed very politically correct. But my favorite ideas were: Assington Mill book binding & restoration class, sketchbook class with lewisblehrman.com, a variety of writers workshops, Plein air painting with paintinggypsies.com, research bottle nose dolphins blue-world.org, Italian art arthistoryabroad.com, safari surf school in Costa Rica ...

Picture three very stressed-out ladies at the end of a very long day. What they need is something light-hearted, something humorous, something distracting..... I've tried 3 times to write this review of 17 Again , but I just couldn't seem to move beyond "It's funny! We laughed and laughed. And, by the way, don't take your preteen to see this even if she does have a crush on Zac Efron." But tonight I went again with two other friends and I think one more attempt at this review should bear fruit. There aren't too many movies that I pay full price to see more than once. ( Lord of the Rings comes to mind! lol) Maybe you've heard that the movie is just a rehash of a familiar plot - What would happen if you could go back to your youth and try it again? Movies along these lines are common - Freaky Friday, Big, Peggy Sue Got Married , even Back to the Future and It's a Wonde rful Life . Let's see. Mike O'Donnell had a promising high school basket...

Three quick reviews of forgettable movies... Yes Man had some charming moments and some that had my teenager literally rolling on the floor laughing. But Zooey Deschanel, usually drily exuberant, didn't shine like she did in other films. Carrey was Carrey, so if you usually like him, you'll find this amusing. A couple objectionable scenes prevent me from giving a wholehearted recommendation. Yes Man review at screenit.com Duplex - I'd never heard of this film, despite it being fairly recent. Turns out there was good reas o n. A promising beginning quickly degenerated into not-so-humorou s pratfalls and silly jokes. Eventually the storyline went right where I thought it would. Despite a twist at the end, it left a sour taste in my mouth. Don't waste your time. Duplex review at screenit.com Bedtime Stories - I expected more than the flimsy storyline and flat jokes. Sandler was himself, and that's ok. We expect it. Keri Russell seemed to be trying too hard. The be...

I'd like to go see this movie, but it's not playing in very many cities. I'd have to drive about 90 minutes. Hmmm.... 60 Second Trailer Spot, Widow's Might from John Moore on Vimeo .

Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to… Are you currently reading more than one book? Right you are! If so, how many books are you currently reading? Oh, wow. Um. Six, I guess. Seven if you count what I'm reading to the kids. Some of them more actively than others. Is this normal for you? Definitely. I usually have at least one fiction and one non-fiction read going. Where do you keep your current reads? All over the place? One on the end table, one in the bathroom, the rest stacked either in the library basket or here and there around. What about you? I'd love to hear your answers - blog them, facebook them, or just leave them in the comments!