To begin at the beginning...

While browsing for post through The Penslayer's blog archives, I stumbled upon this. While, admittedly, an old posting, I loved the idea. And since it was a quick and fun thing to do, I decided to give it a go! (Although if I have my way there will be a real review up soon on C.S. Lewis' "Till We Have Faces.")

Now on to the fun part: the beginnings of some of my favorite stories:

Till We Have Faces C.S. Lewis: I am old now and have not much to fear from the anger of the gods.

The Fellowship of the Ring J.R.R. Tolkien: When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk excitement in Hobbiton.

The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien: In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

Stepping Heavenward Mrs. E. Prentiss: How dreadfully old I am getting! Sixteen! Well, I don't see as I can help it.

To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee: When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Rose in Bloom Louisa May Alcott: Three young men stood together on a wharf one bright October day awaiting the arrival of an ocean steamer with an impatience which found vent lively skirmish with a small lad, who pervaded the premises like a will-o'-the-wisp and afforded much amusement to the other groups assembled there.

Rebecca Dauphne du Maurier: Last night I dreamt I went to Manderlay again...

The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd: At nI would lie in bed and watch the show, how bees squeezed through the cracks of my bedroom wall and flew circles around the room, making that propeller sound, a high- pitched zzzzz that hummed along my skin.

Plenilune Jennifer Freitag: Margaret Coventry stood on the platform at Leeds with a rain-speckled umbrella folded in one hand and her carpetbag in the other.

Emma Jane Austen: Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.

Voice in the Wind Francine Rivers: The city was silently bloating in the hot sun, rotting like the thousands of bodies that lay where they had fallen in street battles.

And finally, because I am really a three year old on the inside, good ol' Winnie the Pooh...

The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh A.A. Milne: Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.

Happy Valentine's Day

Here are some funny Les Mis Valentine's I wanted to share. I found them on Pinterest!






Now for a more serious one...



Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope you all feel loved and appreciated. (And I wish you a nice amount of chocolates into the bargain.)

Many Happy Returns of the day Miss Austen and Miss Rose

December 16 is here and it is a very special day.... Can anyone guess? It is Miss Jane Austen's birthday! Her 237th, I believe. And, may I humbly add, my own. Today I shall be, as Jane Austen would say, six and ten. (Isn't it funny how they say five and twenty instead of 25?)

So I wish dear Miss Austen many happy returns of the day and without further ado, I am here to share some fun facts about the acclaimed authoress that even some of my fellow Janeites might not know... I hope they prove to be interesting!

- In 1894 George Saintsbury coined the term "Janeite" to describe Austen fans. The term didn't become widely popular though until 1924 when Rudyard Kipling used the word in one of his short stories.

- Under "Manners for Men" which hero do you think fit the bill? Mr Knightley! It says that "The perfect example of a gentleman in Austen's novels is Mr Knightley in Emma. Mr Knightley always acts correctly, as we see when he behaves with condescension towards the poor Mrs and Miss Bates, when he walks and dances so well at the Crown Inn ball and because he also acts as a standard of moral good for Emma."

- During WWI British soldiers suffering from shell shock were advised to read Austen's novels. The hope was that the comforting images of idyllic English society would help speed up their recovery.

- In many television adaptations of Persuasion we see Captain Wentworth, acting for Admiral Croft, asking Anne if she is engaged to Mr Elliot , and whether the Crofts should leave Kellynch. Many readers of Persuasion  may assume this scene is inserted by the film company, but this scene was in fact Austen's original ending to the novel.

- The mother and daughter team of Mrs and Miss Bates is played by real life mother and daughter Phyllida Law and Sophie Thompson, the mother and sister of Emma Thompson.

I didn't know several of those little pocket facts and I found them of note. I got these facts from The Jane Austen Pocket Bible- everything you need to know about Jane and her novels by Holly Ivins.

I have had a very Austen birthday, receiving the beautiful Pride & Prejudice 2005 soundtrack and tickets to see Pride & Prejudice at a theater near me in March. I also received some yummy Downton Abbey tea and I LOVE it!

I also watched the newest installment of Emma Approved today on YouTube. At first I wasn't sure I'd like it, and it is nothing like the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, but I like it now. And I love snarky Knightley. I just don't think you can go wrong with a Knightley, period.

What is your favorite Austen book (if you can choose)? Who would be your swoon worthy hero?

As Austen said to her sister Cassandra, "Adieu, sweet you"

P.S. I found a free font of Jane Austen's handwriting so I decided to write a little bit... Jane and I share a birthday, respectively, the sixteenth of December.
I believe we are what Anne would call “kindred spirits” and what Miss Cornelia would call “the race that knows Joseph.”
-Maddie Rose

Jane Austen  

Thankful Thursday #3

You guys didn't think I forgot about Thankful Thursdays did you? I just had a delayed memory. And homework.... but now I have time and I have a list for last Thursday:
           

• Classical Music: when I come home from school tired or stressed, I love listening to Classical music. And it doesn't distract me when I'doing my homework but want to listen to something. :) I use the classical station on Pandora. I'm especially liking Chopin right now.                                                            '
• the Library: Libraries are magical places where I could come home with an armload of books and not pay a red cent. And that's lovely. I am so glad our library system has been able to brace itself in these difficult times, when many libraries are being closed. (I just got the Mercy Falls series yesterday, so you may see a review on it sometime soon!)                                                                                   
• I am thankful for mints. They calm you, they freshen your breath, and they are a nice little treat. When I was younger I remember I really didn't like them, but it is definitely growing on me.                                    
• The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: They are so funny. I was a bit wary when I heard it was a "modern" adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. I usually do not like modern interpretations. But this was fresh, fun, and I really ended up enjoying it.                                                                                                                                   
• Letters: Getting a letter in the mail is the best feeling. And I just recently received a delightful one. E-mails and text messages are nice, but NOTHING beats good ol' pen and paper!
• I'm thankful my grandmother's getting better. We had a bit of a scare for a while, but she is recovering, and that is definitely something to be thankful for!

A Review of Pride & Prejudice (1995)

This picture doesn't really have anything to do with this post, but it is so cute!

As I am sadly behind on my movie reviews for Old Fashioned Charm's Period Drama Challenge, I have decided it is high time to post another movie review. I have rather been shrinking from posting a review of Pride & Prejudice. not because I have bad things to say about it, but because there is such a decided opinion on which movie is best between die hard Janeites..... and I like them both, for different reasons.

While I share a little of the scorn many Janeites feel for the modern version (2005) of P&P, I like it. (Not in comparison to the book, because it is very different in many ways.) But in and of itself, if not thought of in connection to the book, I think it's a wonderful story.

But, if you are looking for something more akin to the book, and you don't mind watching a (is it a 6 hour movie, in all? I think it is...) Nope, I just checked the back of my DVD case, it says  "approx. 300 min." So it is only 5 hours. ;)

I have only just recently found this version of P&P. While I've known the 2005 version for a long time. But I already love it so much! The story of how I found it is this: (in case anyone cares haha)

I found online a music sheet for some of the wonderful music pieces in P&P '05. I brought these in to my piano teacher to see if I could possibly play them. It was while we were discussing Jane Austen. (because she was an Janeite too, she is such a kindred spirit) She mentioned how much she enjoyed P&P '95 and how she believed it left the '05 version in the dust. Well after that I had to see it! Luckily, she had the boxed set and said she could lend it to me! Needless to say, I finished the whole series in two days. (I would've tried to finish it in one, but school got in the way.;) )

I loved it. The movie was spot on like the book. Well, as spot on as any movie can be, because it's never as perfect as the movie running through your head. Darcy had a wonderful air about him, a fascinating gaze, Colin Firth was wonderful. The first proposal, while not necessarily romantic, and I do NOT think she should have said yes, as indeed, he didn't respect her enough yet; I was still terribly torn up when he was rejected. The look on Darcy's face! The pain she was inflicting! Oh oh oh! Jennifer Ehle was also fabulous in the scene. (She was fabulous in every scene....) I like how she didn't have Elizabeth screaming and shouting to Mr. Darcy about all the wrongs done to her. She simply was icily polite and her words were like sword thrusts, wounding Darcy with every blow. Elizabeth is intelligent and a lady, and she would keep her cool even in the most trying circumstances. (Even if she might cry and rage about it later in private) So that was exactly as I had imagined it.

And Mr. Collins! Oh my gosh, could any one be more Mr. Collins-y? He was a little more slimy then I expected, but really, he pulled it off fabulously. His facial expressions were perfect, his social awkwardness funny but cringe worthy at the same time. (In fact, I always feel rather sorry for him) But I never can feel really sorry for him, because he doesn't see his social awkwardness and he is so like a puffed up little wren parading around as a peacock. (I don't know why I thought of that analogy, but it seems quite true.) Poor Charlotte! But she made her choice, and really, she seems happy to finally be mistress of her own home and not a burden any longer. (I wonder if she ever regretted her choice?)


Jane Bennett was so sweet and demur, and the fact that every man didn't fall in love with her is a wonder to me. Bingly is everything a gentlemen ought to be. He really loves Jane and I am always surprised at him being persuaded out of marrying her. But it all works out, so I can't begrudge him his weak character; for Mr. Darcy's is a formidable character indeed! I don't know if I  could go against his judgment!


Caroline Bingly is a rat! She is a rat subtlety though, so we cannot reprove her. And it's such a shame for I would dearly love to knock her down a peg or two! Elizabeth does not allow herself to be put down though, and I always admire her so much for that! The older sister, Mrs. Hurst, I believe, is awful, but she really only is a carbon copy of Miss Bingly. Whatever Caroline thinks, so it seems does Mrs. Hurst! So I really don't waste my energy despising her.

Mr. Bennett was amusing, and I greatly sympathized with him. It can't be easy living with Mrs. Bennett's "poor nerves!" And we are kindred spirits in that we both love to read. Mrs. Bennett was hysterical! Always flighty and amusing and very exasperating! She and Kitty make a crazy pair! Kitty was always kind of embarrassing though, and I found myself grimacing (enjoying myself, but still grimacing) in many of Kitty's scenes. Mary was hopelessly prim and socially awkward. And her singing at the ball! Oh, someone should have stopped her sooner!

And the ending was highly gratifying. I had been waiting for that kiss since the mini series began! But it was worth it! The double wedding was delicious!

I hope I haven't offended anyone, and I would love to hear your opinions and criticisms below! :)