In Which I discuss books, music, and movies

Okay, so it has been a little bit. And, sadly, this post is not going to be a review. It is going to be.... miscellaneous? I'm really not sure what to call it.

First, I would like to start out by telling you guys how UNBELIEVABLY EXCITED I AM. Why am I excited? Only because three books I have been looking forward to are coming out soon! Yes, you heard that right.... THREE NEW BOOKS.

Books

Here they are (in order of date being published):

September 2, 2014

This is the newest installment in the comfy, cozy, Father Tim Mitford series. I am looking forward to catching up with Father Tim, Cynthia, Dooley, and the rest of my "old friends." 

Synopsis:

While glad to be at home in Mitford, something is definitely missing: a pulpit. But when he’s offered one, he decides he doesn’t want it. Maybe he’s lost his passion.

His adopted son, Dooley, wrestles with his own passion—for the beautiful and gifted Lace Turner, and his vision to become a successful country vet. Dooley’s brother, Sammy, still enraged by his mother’s abandonment, destroys one of Father Tim’s prized possessions. And Hope Murphy, owner of Happy Endings bookstore, struggles with the potential loss of her unborn child and her hard-won business.

All this as Wanda’s Feel Good Café opens, a romance catches fire through an Internet word game, their former mayor hatches a reelection campaign to throw the bums out, and the weekly Muse poses a probing inquiry: Does Mitford still take care of its own?

Millions of fans will applaud the chance to spend time, once more, in the often comic and utterly human presence of Jan Karon’s characters. Indeed, they have never been more sympathetic, bighearted, and engaging.

October 20, 2014, obviously

I am actually REALLY excited about this one; I am not sure I can even wait.... I might explode. This book is going to be much different than my usual literary tastes, but.... it sounds awesome. And Jennifer Freitag is awesome. Here blog is awesome. Therefore, I am hoping this book is awesome as well. I read her first book, the Shadow Things, and really liked it. I can't wait to see how her skills have been even more fine toned in this upcoming novel. (To read snippets, details, etc. go to her blog and click on the Plenilune tag.)

Synopsis:

The fate of Plenilune hangs on the election of the Overlord, for which Rupert de la Mare and his brother are the only contenders, but when Rupert’s unwilling bride-to-be uncovers his plot to murder his brother, the conflict explodes into civil war. To assure the minds of the lord-electors of Plenilune that he has some capacity for humanity, Rupert de la Mare has been asked to woo and win a lady before he can become the Overlord, and he will do it—even if he has to kidnap her. 

En route to Naples to catch a suitor, Margaret Coventry was not expecting a suitor to catch her.

November 5, 2014

I love Rachel Heffington's first novel Fly Away Home, and I am really excited for Anon, Sir, Anon. It is an old fashioned British murder mystery, quirky villagers and all! So I am really excited about it. :)

Synopsis:

In coming to Whistlecreig, Genevieve Langley expected to find an ailing uncle in need of gentle care. In reality, her charge is a cantankerous Shakespearean actor with a penchant for fencing and an affinity for placing impossible bets.

When a body shows up in a field near Whistlecreig Manor and Vivi is the only one to recognize the victim, she is unceremoniously baptized into the art of crime-solving: a field in which first impressions are seldom lasting and personal interest knocks at the front door.

Set against the russet backdrop of a Northamptonshire fog, Anon, Sir, Anon cuts a cozy path to a chilling crime.

Music

The Civil Wars (especially Poison & Wine)

Tenth Avenue North (especially... everything. :))

Clair de Lune by Debussy

Pride & Prejudice Soundtrack 2005 (especially Daydreams)

Collide by Howie Day (especially the Anne and Gilbert version. Go look it up on YouTube. I think you are going to like it!)

Movie(s)

Dead Poets Society: So I watched this last night, and it was... interesting. It was different than I thought it would be. It was thought provoking, and it was rather tough. I may have a more coherent review later, but then again, maybe not. Some ideas and impressions just stick in my brain, half-formed, only really felt, not easily expressed. This is why I have difficulty in English class. They love for you to dissect, describe, and pretty much rip an idea to shreds. Which, I am sure, is a good exercise, but hard to put into practice. My head is full of half-formed, baby thoughts, too fragile or too rough to behold in the harsh light of day. That sounds rather silly, but that really is how it is. Do you all ever have that kind of thought? (Or thoughts?)

So I have a confession to make: I have never liked poetry. I really actually hate it. I know, shame on me. For three consecutive years my English teachers have taken a unit to introduce students to good poetry, teach them how to appreciate it, analyze it, dissect it, and altogether absorb it. And I was having none of that. I was sure after each unit that I would never want to read poetry on my own. But, now I kind of do. Because, if I only had ever read books through what the school assigns, I daresay I would think I disliked reading....

So what poems/poets/books do you guys recommend (especially for a beginner! Especially for someone who has disliked poetry in the past...) I have no idea where to begin, and I'm hoping for some recommendations. Also, if anyone has some good tips on how to read/understand/really digest poetry, I am all ears. Thanks in advance! :)

At Home in Mitford

I recently started hearing quite a bit about the Mitford series from several people. I wasn't really into any book, so I thought I'd try it out.... and I'm so glad I did! Mitford,to paraphrase the author Jan Karon, is a series written to give the readers an extended family, a secure and homey place to go. And it does. Father Tim is a dear. He is sweet, kind, reserved, serious, and at times, humorous. A little confusing, right? Well, he is complex in that he can be adventuresome, silly, and outgoing, while at other times being the opposite of adventuresome, reserved, and serious. Got it? You will if you read the books, don't worry.

At the beginning of the book, Father Tim is a little Episcopalian preacher in the small town of Mitford, which is located in the mountains of North Carolina. He keeps himself busy by going on his rounds, dealing with his well meaning but rather pushy secretary Emma, and reading and cooking at home. He loves his peace and quiet and his house is a bachelor's paradise. But soon, his peace and quiet is turned upside down when a huge black dog befriends him, a mischievous boy Dooley is left in his care, and a new, outgoing, and attractive new neighbor moves in next door! There are many lovable characters and fun surprises in the book At Home in Mitford.
I have also read the second book in the Mitford series, A Light in the Window. Tons of surprises come then too, proving that life in a small town is anything but boring!

Since I've enjoyed these books so much, I thought I'd take the time to answer the Reader's Guide questions; I hope you enjoy!

The Mitford Years Book I: At Home in Mitford
1. What role does Barnabas play in Father Tim’s life? What other characters seem to invade Father Tim’s
already busy life, only later to prove enriching elements? Are there any that are a permanent drag on his
spirits? How does Father Tim come to terms with them?
  Barnabas, Father Tim's new dog, plays a big role in Fr.'s new life. Fr. is starting to think maybe he's hit a dry spell, feeling rather dull and boring. Suddenly, a dog comes bounding into his life, providing Father Tim with exactly what he needs: a companion. Father Tim now has someone to read to, talk to, walk with, and sleep with. He is a God send, to say the least.
              
2. Dooley appears on the scene untamed and uninvited. What is it that finally makes Father Tim and
Dooley aware that they need each other? How does Dooley contribute to Father Tim’s life? Have you had
“Dooleys” in your own life?
Father Tim is not exactly thrilled he is left with a boy to take care of, especially a rambunctious boy like Dooley. But I believe Dooley's flaws are just what make Father Tim love him. And Dooley finds in Father Tim a mentor and friend, both things that he desperately needed and hadn't necessarily had up to that point. I can't think of the exact moment, but those feelings developed slowly throughout the book.
                 
3. Choose two of your group members to read the dialogue between Dooley and Puny in the middle of
Chapter Seven — the scene where they first meet. How does the dialect differ in your part of the country?
Try reading a brief part of a Dooley speech in the dialect of your own region.
  Weeeeeellll this will be tricky because y'all can't hear me. So, let me say that I do not have a southern accent, but a Midwest one, so Dooley's speech sounds extremely different when I say it.

4. Which characters did you dislike at first, only to later come to appreciate or at least understand them?
What characters in the book react that way to someone new?
I was iffy about Dooley at first. He was sweet, but crude and rough around the edges. He truly was a diamond in the rough though, and I realize that now. Another character that I disliked at first, and at times still do, is Father Tim's neighbor Cynthia Coppersmith. She was nice and funny and outgoing at times, but at others she seemed to be pushy and overbearing and overly sensitive. I understand her now, for the most part, but she surprises and angers me at times.

5. Compare Miss Sadie and Miss Rose. They are very different characters, but both make a powerful contribution to the books. What makes them such vivid characters? What would Mitford be like without them? What unique contributions do they make?
 Miss Sadie is a doll! She is the oldest of Father Tim's parishioners, and she is caring, old-fashioned, and a wonderful story teller to boot! She provides Father Tim with guidance, which he needs on occasion, as he's usually the one having to give guidance to others, and she reveals surprises and love at every turn. Miss Rose is quite a character as well, but in a different way. Miss Rose has a disease, which has its ups and downs. She can be mean and cantankerous  then happy and silly. She is almost like a child in some ways. She and her husband, "Uncle Billy"  live in a decrepit mansion on Main Street and are quite the pair.

6. Priests seldom have people they can confide in. Who are Father Tim’s confidants? What secrets does he
entrust to them? What role does prayer play in giving Father Tim a chance to truly vent his feelings?
Father Tim has several confidants, thankfully. His bishop, Stuart councils and consoles him, an old preacher Absalom Greer is great for discussions and answers, and his oldest friends in Mitford, the vet and his wife, Marge, can be counted on for a sympathetic ear and some homemade dinner anytime. Not to mention Miss Sadie, who I talked about above.

7. “Mitford takes care of its own,” says Mayor Cunningham. How does this happen in the book? Is this
limited only to small towns? What other types of communities can it take place in?
There are so many occasions in which this happens! Uncle Billy and Rose are greatly helped along by the town of Mitford, as is Homeless Hobbes and just about everybody you can think of. Mitford is a close knit, loving community, rather like a family. They may bicker and fight with each other, but the minute an outsider threatens them, or anyone is in trouble, they can be counted on to stick together. I don't think this is limited to small towns. It's easier to see and happens often in "small towns," but if you look closely, this sentiment could be said of any town, big or small.

                

If you made it all the way to the end, congratulations! You win 1,000 Madd Rose points! Have any of you ever read a Mitford book, if so, what did you think of it? Do you think you might look into it now that you've read this? TTFN! As Tigger says :)