A Wrinkle In Time

  I first read Madeleine L'Engle's novel, A Wrinkle In Time back in August.  I really, really enjoyed it.  In fact, I loved it.  Blatantly 'Christian' fantasy annoys me sometimes, but this book didn't.  A few weeks ago when looking something up, no, I don't remember what it was, I discovered that a film version is in progress to be released in 2018.  I immediately looked it up feeling a bit suspicious and defensive because, "Really?  Who are they going to have?  Are they going to mess it up?"  Well I was agreeably surprised!

Storm Reid ~ Margaret 'Meg' Murry

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Chris Pine ~ Dr. Alexander 'Alex' Murry

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Gugu Mbatha-Raw ~ Dr. Kate Murry

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Levi Miller ~ Calvin O'Keefe

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Deric McCabe ~ Charles Wallace Murry

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Reese Witherspoon ~ Mrs. Whatsit

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Oprah Winfrey ~ Mrs. Which

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Mindy Kaling ~ Mrs. Who

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  So like I said, I was agreeably surprised!  I really, really like Chris Pine, I've seen him in Princess Diaries 2 and in clips from the new Star Trek movies.  By the way, he makes a smashing Captain Kirk.  And though I haven't seen Gugu Mbatha-Raw in anything yet, I hear she is an amazing actress.  And Reese is pretty good too.  So I am looking forward to it!  

  Oh! and one of the 'Three Wombats' from Ant-man is going to be in it too.  Which speaking of Marvel, Mum, Melody and I are planning to watch the New Year in with Captain America: The Civil War!!  Netflix now has it and it will be my first Marvel MCU film.  Well, I've seen clips from some of the other films, but this will be the first one I have seen all the way through!  I'm really looking forward to it!!

Movies I Watched In November 2016

Titles with nothing before them I watched for the first time.

Titles with ** before them are re-watches.

Titles with # before them I watched with my little siblings.

Full House Take 2 ~ 2012 ~ 7 eps

WOWO!!  They are FINALLY talking to each other!  And Go Dong!  Love that boy!  And oh my goodness, there is heartache ahead for our boys!

Leverage ~ 2 eps

Oh this is a good show!  Hardison and Parker are still my favorites, but the others three are magnificent too!

The K2 ~ 2016 ~ 4 eps

Well, so far it's a good drama.  Well for one thing it's Ji Chang Wook.

** Star Trek~ The Original Series

Galileo Seven & The Trouble With Tribbles 

 Oh how I love this crew!  We watched The Trouble with Tribbles as a family for Thanksgiving Day movie night.  It was the first time the little kids had seen any ST and they absolutely adored it.  I think it was my 3rd time watching this ep.  I love it!  And Galileo Seven and "You are a very stubborn man Mr. Spock!"  "Yes, Captain."

** The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ~ 2006

Netflix got this movie, so I sat down and re-watched it one Friday night.  James McAvoy is great!  HE makes the perfect Mr. Tumnus and I love the way he (James) interacts with Georgie.  Melody and I think that, had they included Fattly Bolger in the movies, James McAvoy should have played him.  He would have made a perfect Hobbit.

Books I Read In November 2016

Titles that have nothing before them are books that I read for the first time.

Titles with this ** before them, are books that I re-read.

 Titles with # before them, are books that I read out loud to my little siblings.

Titles in ( ), are books borrowed from the Library.

  And while November's list isn't being posted on the last day of December, it's close to the last day!

** Aunt Crete's Emancipation ~ Grace Livingston Hill

** Cloudy Jewel ~ Grace Livingston Hill

** They Loved To Laugh ~ Kathryn Worth

Sapphire Ice ~ Hallee Bridgeman

Greater Then Rubies ~ Hallee Bridgeman

Christmas Diamond ~ Hallee Bridgeman

 Christmas Star Sapphire ~ Hallee Bridgeman

# ** The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ~ J.R.R. Tolkien *

An Infamous Army ~ Georgette Heyer

Eragon ~ Christopher Paolini *

** These Old Shades ~ Georgette Heyer

(The Hunger Games) ~ Suzanne Collins *

(The Ruins of Gorlan) ~ John Flanagan *

** In My Father's House ~ Ann Rinaldi

* So TTT, we were reading it to my little siblings and it is so much fun to see their reactions.

* Eragon was definitely interesting.  I plan to read the rest of the series, but it didn't captivate me like most fantasy dragon stories do.

* The Hunger Games.  I read it on Thanksgiving Day and boy! it sure is a good book for making you thankful!  She is an amazing author and..wow!  It was really just an amazing story.  And guess which team I am?

* I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the Ranger's Apprentice series.  Love Halt!  He is the best!

 

Seriously?

  Seriously?  Can this year get any worse?  You know I really shouldn't ask that.  Cause then it might. 

  Guys, Debbie Reynolds just passed away.  Like not even a few hours ago.  She was at her son's house discussing funeral arrangements, when she collapsed.  I can't believe it!  Now I have never seen Debbie in anything, except for clips from Singin' in the Rain, but I knew her name, not only as an actress, but also as the mother of Carrie Fisher.  It's devastating!

  God, please be with their family as they do through this very hard time.  Losing two people they love in less then 48 hours.  

  Rest In Peace Debbie and Carrie.  You will both be sorely missed. 

The Book Sacrifice Tag

  I was tagged by my very good friend Keturah, for The Book Sacrifice Tag.  When I first saw the title I went, "Okay, sounds a little weird"....then I read the post and immediately said, "I'm going to love this!!"

 

  #1: An Over-Hyped Book

  Situation: You are in a bookstore when the zombies attack.  Over the loudspeakers you hear the military announce that over-hyped books are the zombies' only weakness.  What over-hyped book will you chuck at the zombies?

 

  Well this one is quite easy for me.  Anyone of the Twilight books!  Now I have never read the Twilight series, but I know people who have and I know the Twilight story, and it's over-hyped.  And not only are they so popular that I would be able to find them in pretty much any bookstore, also every time I am in a Thrift Store (which is where I do my book shopping usually) I run across 2 in. thick, hardcover copies of the Twilight series and they look like pretty efficient weapons. 

 

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  #2: A Sequel

  Situation: You are caught in a torrential downpour and you're probably the type who melts when you get wet.  What sequel are you willing to use as an umbrella to protect yourself.

 

  First off, what do you think I'm made of?  Sugar Cookie dough?  Or at least, that's what I would tell my Grandpa when he would say I shouldn't be out in the rain!  I love the rain!  But if I was trying to protect a fancy hairdo or my makeup.....I would use either of the sequels in Beverly Lewis' Annie's People series.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a lot of Beverly Lewis' novels and she is one of the only Amish fiction authors I have read who actually accurately portrays the Amish.  And yes, I know what I'm talking about, I once lived among the Amish.  And while I think she did a good job of portraying the story that she wanted to, it was just really weird!  Like really weird!

 

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   #3: A Classic

  Situation: You're in English class and your professor won't stop going on about a classic that "revolutionized literature".  Personally you think the classic is garbage and you decide to express your opinion by hurling the book at his head.  What classic is that?

 

  Another easy one.  Gone With the Wind.  Now this is another book that I haven't read.  But I know a lot of people who have, one of those being my older sister whose opinion of literature I trust, and it has been described to me (and knowing the story as well as I do I agree with this description) as "A waste of 4 hours".  Plus in book format it's a pretty hefty book!  I might give the professor a concussion and that would effectually shut him up...at least for a little while!

 

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   #4: A Least Favorite Book

  Situation: You're hanging out at a bookstore (where else would you be?) when global warming somehow manages to to turn the whole world into a frozen wasteland.  Naturally, your only hope of survival is to burn a book.  Which book would you not regret tossing into the fire?

 

  Beg pardon, but how does global warming turn the world into a FROZEN wasteland?  Anyway, the book/s I wouldn't mind tossing into the flames would be Jody Hedlund's An Uncertain Choice and it's sequels, A Daring Sacrifice  and For Love & Honor.  I read the first book all the way and skimmed the other two ( my sister's ARC's, the last book isn't out yet), and what I found the most annoying, is that the female's have such modern idea's and attitudes.  Plus the men are too crude in front of ladies.  At least for men who are supposed to be medieval knights.  Now they do have gorgeous covers, like really gorgeous ones.  My favorite is For Love & Honor.  So I would throw them in the fire and be content that, even if I had no use for them where enjoyment was concerned, at least they were useful for keeping me warm!

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 Now one of the girls who did this tag thought it was too short, so they added a question.  I agree, so I am using that extra question.

  #5: A Series

  Situation: There's a flooded stream you have to cross on your quest and you can't get your feet wet.  Which series (oh yeah, btw, you brought your whole bookshelf and also probably local library with you) will you use as stepping stones?

  Another easily answered question!  The Elsie Dinsmore series.  I enjoy the first few books, but by the time Martha Finley reached book 9 or so (and she only ever wrote past 1 because all her readers wanted more) she had run out of plot ideas and so the books are basically them traveling all over the U.S. and telling the stories of the historical sites they visit.  SOOOOOOOO BOOOOOORRRINNGGGGG!!!!!!  If these books were supposed to be history books, all right, but they aren't, they are supposed to be historical romance novels!  And I would totally find a way to transport my bookshelves and the local library with me on a quest!!

  Now I am going to tag, MovieCritic, my good friend Andie, my twin sister Tazzie (just do it in the comment,s sis), my older sister Melody (I don't usually tag Mel, but I know she would do this tag!) and HopeAnn.

Rest In Peace Your Worship

  This afternoon I received very sad news.  Carrie Fisher, or as most people know her, Princess Leia Organa, passed away.  It was very sad for my whole family.  We all love Star Wars (though over half of the family only saw the first movie last Saturday).  She was an amazing actress and we will miss her so very much.  Rest In Peace Carrie.

A Very Merry Tag

  I borrowed this Tag from Lois Johnson over at You, Me and A Cup of Tea.

Does it snow where you live around Christmas?
  Yes.  Usually.  Though this year it can't decide whether to stay or not. 
 eta: It has finally come to stay!


Do you get a real tree or a fake tree?
  We don't get a tree.  Our house is far to small, but if we did, I would want a real one.


What is your favorite Christmas movie?
  The Mistle-tones!  I used to watch it every year on December 15th with one of my older sisters.  When she moved out last year, I watched it instead with a good friend.  Sadly we weren't able to do it this year because NETFLIX TOOK IT DOWN!!!!  I am still wailing over that!


Where in the world would you like to spend Christmas the most?
  In a farmhouse in the Vermont hills, or in Ireland. 


Which fictional/literary character would you like to spend Christmas with the most?
   I think Christmas on the Flying U Ranch or with the 12 Princesses of Ituria would be a lot of fun.

What is your favorite Christmas song?
  Traditional carol?  O Holy Night.  Contemporary song?  This Is Christmas, Christmas Secrets, Winter Wonderland and Baby Please Come Home.  My favorite versions of the last two named songs are from above mentioned Favorite Christmas Movie but since I can't find them any where now, I linked to my second favorite versions.


What is you Favorite Christmas Book/Story (besides, ya know, THE story)?
  Oh! that's a tough one.  Probably Grace Livingston Hill's The Substitute Guest.  Or her Astra.

Which do you prefer: multicolored lights or white lights?
   White lights.

What time period/decade would you most like to spend Christmas in?
  It's a hard race between the Regency period, Victorian era and the 1930's.


Which period drama has the best Christmas scene/episode?
  Of all the ones I have watched, Emma 2009 with Romola Garai.

May your day be full of Love and Peace this Christmas Day.

Hello Everyone!

  Hey guys!  I know it has been a while since I last posted.  Life has been a bit crazy.  Okay, life is always crazy, but crazier then normal!  So here is a small update.

  Writing:
  I didn't finish NaNo.  I was sick the first week (I had around 4,000 words) and I wasn't able to write for a few days, then I had to help Mum prepare for a craft, and that set me back even further.  But NaNo at least gave me the motivation to write the story.  I now have close to 17,000 words done. 

  Watching:
  Over the last little while (being all of November and what has currently passed of December) I have re-watch The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, I've seen a few more episodes of Leverage, some Star Trek: The Original Series.  We like to watch something as a family on Thanksgiving Day and this year we watched the ST: TOS episode, The Trouble With Tribbles.  It is a lot of fun.  Melody and I also finished watching the kdrama Full House Take 2.  I loved the way that one ended!  And I've been watching Christmas music of course.  Melody doesn't like most Christmas chick-flicks, but I made her sit down and watch White Christmas with me.  Now she is going to make me watch a Bollywood movie that I don't find very interesting.  See, I told her that she had to watch White Christmas and then I would watch something of her choice that I didn't particularly like.  I've also watched a few episodes of a BBC kids series, Chuggington and Irish Netflix Original series, Puffin Rock with my little siblings.  Both are adorable shows.

  Listening:
  Christmas music of course!  Celtic Thunder, Celtic Woman, Oonagh, Steven Curtis Chapman, Kutless, Third Day, Blackmore's Night, Mandisa, Mark Schultz, Amy Grant, Downhere and a whole bunch more!!  Also, Melody has introduced the family to a Swedish power metal band called Sabaton.  I really like there music.  Their songs are about different battles (from the Scottish Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 to World War II battles).  The below songs are a few of my favorites.

  No Bullets Fly: The story of German pilot Franz Stigler who, instead of shooting down a crippled B-17, escorted it back to safe territory.  After the war, the B-17's pilot, Charlie Brown, got in touch with Stigler, and the two were close friends until their deaths in 2008.

  Night Witches: About the female Russian fighter pilots of World War II.  They were amazing.

  Knitting/Crocheting:

  Scarfs, mitts afghans.  That sort of thing.

  And we have gotten quite a bit of snow....but it keeps melting!  Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because then it is going slowly into the ground, but it is kinda disappointing when you want heaps of snow!!

A Haircut

  I have always had long hair.  Like really long.  And it is also very thick.  I've been wanting to cut it for a really long time and earlier this week, Mum finally said yes!  It's not super short now, but it is certainly shorter then it used to be!!  I'm loving it!!

This is the before picture.

And the after.