Mirkwood Reflections

Austen adaptations abound! I read this blog post which ranks 21 of them with clever explanations then thought to myself that my own list would look somewhat different. And then someone (yes, you, Austenacious !) asked me HOW my list would shuffle the films. So here I am in the wee hours of the morning, ranking Austen movies instead of sleeping.  Go read that blog post before reading mine because her comments are far more comical than mine could ever dream of being. Plus mine will make more sense if you look at hers first.  Two of the movies on her list I haven't seen -  Austenland , 2013 since it has yet to open in Michigan and  Bride & Prejudice  since Bollywood films make my skin crawl . Then I added one that she left out, which is at the bottom of my list. So, without further ado, I present to you my top twenty Austen film adaptations in reverse order of preference! Ta-dah! 20. Northanger Abbey 1980 - one of THE worst movies I have eve...

I've been neglecting this poor blog! I'll try harder in the future! Just four books in January. I tried hard, but reading time was scarce! I did write 27,000 words on my novel in January though! The Falcon and the Sparrow by M.L. Tyndall - 01/13/09 Good - Inspirational Regency (999 Category: Serendipity – Unplanned books I want to read ) Dominique is hired as a governess to the son of an English admiral but has a hidden agenda as a French spy, a task she is forced into to save her brother's life. I really enjoyed this Christian Regency romance! (Regencies are set at the beginning of the 19th century in England.) Far from your typical sappy Christian novel, this one dealt squarely with issues of faith and morality, rather than presenting a sanitized view of life. Both main characters were believable and likable. Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich - 01/14/09 Good - Fiction (999 Category: Kindred Spirits - Books By Favorite Authors) An FTA has absconded with a magnetometer and ...

Rollicking readers - doesn't that sound intriguing? Rollicking Readers Book Club was started by my friend Darlene and me after we each watched the film Jane Austen Book Club . Despite our mutual dislike of the movie, we felt motivated to start our own club. One Austen work per month was our goal. Finished thus far? Emma , Persuasion , and Pride and Prejudice . Next up is Mansfield Park . Before this I'd only read Pride and Prejudice (which I adore). To be honest, I am finding most of Austen's other works to be a bit stultifying, but the company is great and the stories are romantic. Our meetings also include a viewing of the film version of each book and a lot of sassy conversation, as well as snacks! How can it go wrong? Our original intent was to read all of Austen's works; there are only six. But we're having so much fun, that we've already talked about what to do once we've made it through all of those. We intend to continue with other classics. Nine...

After watching The Jane Austen Book Club (which I really don't recommend), my friend Darlene and I decided we wanted our own Austen club and started one - The Rollicking Readers Club. So far we've read Emma and Persuasion . Pride and Prejudice is our next selection. I am becoming steeped in the world of Jane Austen, so I thought now would be an appropriate time to view Becoming Jane . What a charming movie! The filmmakers, along with some scholars, apparently imagine that Jane Austen had at least one star-crossed love affair. Becoming Jane is the fictionalized account of that love story. No one alive knows for sure what actually happened because much of Jane's correspondence with her sister was destroyed. Family legend includes some details, but they have been passed down orally and have no substantiation. But, whatever the truth, it is a well-told story. Jane is a single woman living with her family around the turn of the 19th century. She falls in love with a pennil...

I had a movie weekend this past weekend! lol So I have a few quick reviews for you.... David and I watched Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey , which I have seen before but he had not. He enjoyed it most triumphantly. :::plays air guitar::: Bill and Ted are killed by two evil Bill and Ted robots sent from the future. They travel to hell and make a deal with the Grim Reaper. If they can win a challenge, they can return to earth and try to save the Princess Babes. Yeah, an odd plot. The first movie is definitely better, so if you found their Excellent Adventure bogus, then you'll think the sequel is non-non-heinous. Dude. ;-) I am just happy to watch a young Keanu. lol The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (Veggie Tales) was playing at a local theatre that offers free kids matinees on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the spring. This had never come to the theatre we usually go to and I really wanted to take the kids to see it. Since we had soccer on Saturday, we skipped church (h...