King Arthur Movie Tristan

It's Sunday and Hurricane Irene has passed us by last night and early this morning. Thankfully she left us unhurt.

We spent the night huddled in our living room with our candles and flashlights ready. We pulled out our air mattress and sleeping bags, made popcorn and watched a movie to try and keep the kids from worrying much. Thankfully, we didn't lose power. We had was lots of rain and strong winds. The storm has passed, now the worry is the flooding.





I did stay up till the wee hours of the morning reading, since I was too nervous about the storm to get much sleep.

The storm scared me, but scary stories don't. I was reading IT as part of Serena and Anna's Stephen King’s IT Read-a-Long. The heavy rains and wind last night made for the perfect setting as I cuddled up and read. Tomorrow I'm posting part one of the read-a-long discussion.

















On a sad note, Weekly Geeks is coming to an end. I will miss it, I did enjoy participating over the years.

This will be the final Weekly Geeks "assignment"...share one of the following on your blog:



* If you knew Dewey - a favorite memory of her, or one of your favorite "events" which was Dewey-inspired.

My favorite Dewey Inspired events were her Read-A-Thon and her Knit-A-Long. She had a knack from creating events that drew bloggers in and created a feeling of community.



When I started this blog in 2007, Dewey was one of the first people to stop by and comment.
It's sad to see her Weekly Geeks come to an end, but nothing lasts forever.











That's all for now, enjoy your Sunday and happy reading.

This week's WG's asks:

Are you familiar with Daniel Pennac's Reader's Bill of Rights?

1. The right to not read.

2. The right to skip pages.

3. The right to not finish.

4. The right to reread.

5. The right to read anything.

6. The right to escapism.

7. The right to read anywhere.

8. The right to browse.

9. The right to read out loud.

10. The right not to defend your tastes.

choose one of these rights and post about it

I do like this Readers Bill of Rights. I stand by all ten of them.

I think my favorite one is #10. The right not to defend your tastes.


I read whatever suits my fancy at the moment and I don't ever feel the need to defend my reading tastes or justify what I am reading. I do know, and love, a few book snobs in real life who kind of shake their heads at me when I tell them I'm reading chic-lit or romance.




I go from romance, to horror to memoirs back to romance and then it's onto the classics. I'll be reading one of Gena Showalter's Lord of the Underworld's paranormal romance books one day then pick up a Regency romance from Georgette Heyer the next day, only to top it off with some amazing poetry by Pablo Neruda before I go to sleep at night.




I also go from reading a fairy tale by the wonderful Hans Christian Andersen to reading a Zombie/Austen Spoof soon after. For me, Stephen King is my comfort read and I like to cozy up with him on cold winter nights.

Edgar Allan Poe comes close second, as I only read him during the Fall season.

When I'm done with my favorite guys, I might just go back and re-read Twilight, that takes us to rule #4. Yes, I am Team Edward and proud of it (another reading taste I don't have to justify).



And every so often, I love to read Philippa Gregory and visit King Henry's Court in Tudor England within the pages of her wonderful novels.


It all really does depend on what mood I'm in.



What about you?
Which of these readers rights do you most relate to?



Enjoy your weekend. I'll be back on Monday with my review of the movie The Help.











*the first photo in this post is actually James Dean reading a magazine, with Elizabeth Taylor laying next to him.

This week WG's asks:

We all have our favorite bookish quotes. Some well known, and some not so well known. This week for our geeky assignment I thought it would be fun for us to share some of those favorites. It can be just one favorite that you'd like to highlight, or a whole list. It can be quotes from books, or quotes about books and reading.

I thought I'd share a few quotes from some of my favorite books today:





Best Intentions by Emily Listfield

The main character Lisa, a mom in her late thirties, describes motherhood in her eyes:

"You have to get up sweetie," I whisper as I run my fingers under the blanket and tickle her, her body at least nominally still mine. The softness of her neck, her arms makes the walls of my heart constrict. No one really tells you how much it is like falling in love over and over, how physical and encompassing it will be. Or that you will never feel completely safe and relaxed again.

Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti


This book is a quirky, sweet love story about Benny and Desiree.

Love makes others into doves,

gazelles, cats, peacocks-but I,

quivering, wet, and transparent-

am your jellyfish.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Captain Wentworth's letter to Anne is among my favorites in literature.

I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own, than when you almost broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant....

What about you? What are some of your favorite bookish quotes?

Enjoy your weekend!

I've been playing along with Weekly Geeks since it first started in 2008. (little know fact, I created a few of the WG buttons for Dewey, like Spock above) It's one of my favorite memes because the prompts are fun and I get to meet other bloggers in the process. When Dewey created WG, she knew what she doing. She was bringing book bloggers together, to discuss one of our passions, books!



This week's WG's asks:

Option 1: Write a post (or leave a comment) with suggestions for future weekly geek topics!

My suggestions would be:

*Favorite Book Quotes/Passages

*Favorite Book to Film Adaptations

*Photos of Your Favorite Reading Spot

*Play Matchmaker and get two of your favorite literary characters together on a date.

Where would they go? What would they do? The characters can be from different books, different genres...etc.

*Fake an interview with your favorite literary character.

*Post a Favorite Poem

*If you could live in any literary world, where would it be?

Option 2: Write a post about your genre prejudices or your genre allergies. (I tend to be allergic to westerns, for example.) Are there genres that you haven't read that you avoid at all costs? Are there genres that you don't take seriously? Would you be willing to try something new?

This is a fun question. I like to read wide variety of genres, and don't usually shy away from anything in particular. But I will say that I'm allergic to Harlequin Romance.


I'm not trying to bash this genre, I do enjoy reading romance and I have read a few HQ's in the past. But, for some reason, the book covers on HQ turn me off.



I'm also slightly allergic to self-help books. But I am willing to make the exception for these if they sound really good.


What about you? What genres are you allergic to?

This WG's asks us to list our favorite authors A-Z. I can never resist creating a list when it comes to bookish things. Some letters have more than one author, it was just too hard to narrow it down.




A. Jane Austen/ Louisa May Alcott

B. Emily Bronte/Ann Brashares/Ray Bradbury

C. Brian Cohen

D. Emily Dickinson

E. J.T. Ellison

F. Donna Fletcher/Helen Fielding

G. Philippa Gregory/Neil Gaiman/Anne George

H. Alice Hoffman/Georgette Heyer/Helen Hollick/Joe Hill/Catherine Ryan Hyde

I.

J. Brenda Joyce

K. Stephen King/Dean Koontz/Barbara Kingslover

L. Wally Lamb/ James Lepore/Emily Listfield

M. Stephenie Meyer/Gabriel García Márquez/Toni Morrison/Margaret Mitchell

N. Edith Nesbit/Pablo Neruda

O.

P. Egar Allan Poe

Q.

R. Anne Rice/Denise K. Rago/J. K. Rowling/Laurie Viera Rigler

S. William Shakespeare/Nicholas Sparks/Gena Showalter/Tatjana Soli/Lisa See/John Shors/Alice Sebold

T. J.R.R. Tolkien/Lao-Tzu

U.

V.

W. Viginia Woolf/Kathleen E. Woodiwiss/H.G. Wells

X.

Y.

Z.



That's my list...do we have any authors in common?




On a different note, Happy Easter!

I'll be spending time with my family, cooking, baking and easter egg painting ;)
What are you up to?

Enjoy your weekend.

First off, I'd like to apologize for being MIA this past week as far as blog hopping goes. As you all know, real life gets in the way and blogging takes the back burner.
I hope to catch up on blog visiting today.



This weeks WG's asks:

Tell us ten things about you with regard to books and reading. Let your imagination run wild!

Here's my list:

10. My favorite genres are historical fiction and horror/thrillers.

9. I like waking up in the wee hours of the morning on the weekend when everyone else in my house is asleep, grabbing my book light and reading in bed for an hour or so.


8. I dog-ear my books, but I also use bookmarks if I have them available.

7. When I was little and most kids were outside playing, I could be found in my bedroom reading.

6. I don't have a Kindle or an e-reader. I'm old fashioned and prefer to be holding a paperback.

5. I have a book autographed by Dean Koontz.

4. Even though I have plenty of books to read, I can never resist grabbing a new one when I see it.

3. I like to read during my lunch hour at work. Now that the weather is nice, I sit in my car and read uninterrupted.

2. I started reading to my children at a young age. I also take them to the library on a regular basis in order to instill a love of reading.


1. I love library book sales. I donate my books to the library too.




Enjoy your Sunday! Do you have any book facts to share about yourself?

This weekly geeks challenge has four parts:



1 - I would like to make you all parents and send you over to Save The Word.org to look at all the words that are either not being used enough or are due for a cull probably within the next couple of years. Adopt a word.

2 – What is your pet peeve word? – the word that makes you grind your teeth with either it’s over use or being used out of context.

3 – What is a word you adore, or a word that you feel is not used enough. Irrespective of meaning or even era it’s a word that you just love.

4 - Lastly what is your opinon on word culling or the rise in "text speak" that's happening now.




I like this week's topic, here are my answers:



1. I adopted the word 'Senticous' which means prickly or thorny.





2. I dislike it when people over use the word 'like'.
"Then I was like....and she was like....and they were like..."


I also dislike it when people say 'duh'. It just irritates me.









3. A few words I like are:

Passionate

Unrequited

Adonis

Incandescent

Serendipity

Trifecta

Voracious

Sweetheart

Bewitch

Romantic




4. I'm guilty as charged when it comes to text-speak. I do it myself since I text everyday. Only because when I'm texting, I'm trying to keep my messages short and to the point.




What about you? What are your thoughts on this topic of words we like and dislike?

Weekly Geeks suggests: On Monday it's Valentines Day here in the US, which means love is in the air! Many of us have been talking about love all month, but I thought it would make a perfect Weekly Geek-ish type assignment to suggest a post that included anything about love that moves you.



I chose favorite couple in books, movies, TV or real life.


I am a big-time sucker for romance, so picking just one favorite romantic film or book couple is virtually impossible for me. But at the top of my favorites is Gone With the Wind.

I like both the film and book, the movie possibly more. I just always love seeing Rhett and Scarlett on screen with their drama and romance. Rhett always knows how to put a spoiled Scarlett in her place, here is one of my favorite scenes when he proposes marriage to her.










Rhett: So, you see I shall have to marry you.

Scarlett: I've never heard of such bad taste.

Rhett: Would you be more convinced if I fell to my knees?

Scarlett: Turn me loose, you varmint, and get out of here!

Rhett: Forgive me for startling you with the impetuosity of my sentiments, my dear Scarlett. I mean, my dear Mrs. Kennedy. But it cannot have escaped your notice that for some time past the friendship I have felt for you has ripened into a deeper feeling. A feeling more beautiful, more pure, more sacred. Dare I name it? Can it be love?


Scarlett: Get up off your knees! I don't like your common jokes!

Rhett: This is an honorable proposal of marriage made at what I consider a most opportune moment. I can't go all my life waiting to catch you between husbands.

Scarlett: You're coarse, and you're conceited. And I think this conversation has gone far enough.






What about you? What's a favorite movie scene/couple of yours?

Weekly Geeks asks:

This week, for a Geeky assignment, how about a picture? A self portrait of sorts. I think it would be fun if you all took a picture of yourself (or have someone help you most likely) reading your current book (so we can see what it is) in your favorite reading spot. Then post it! It can be a Wordless Weekly Geek if you want! Or explanations included if you want that.

I tend to curl up on the futon in my computer room when I want some peace and quiet. This is also where my main bookshelves are. It's a nice reading spot, plus there's a window on the opposite wall which is really nice on rainy days.

I like the sound of rain while I read. My chihuahua Diego does like to cuddle up with me.





I'm currently re-reading Wuthering Heights.








What about you? What's your favorite reading spot?

This week's W.G. asks:


This is the season where we are not only battling to get the gifts we want in time for the big day but it’s also the time where we have to find the perfect hiding place to put said gift.




Some of us might be lucky enough to be able to use the same cubby hole year after year, but as the kids grow older or huddy or wife starts getting more ambitious with their searching so it becomes your mission to find a newer and better hiding place.






But what about those hiding place we use month after month, day after day that are just for those book that you don't want to leave on the bookshelves for the mother-in-law to see or those books that the kids are definately not ready for or even those books that are so near to your heart that you could not bear them being tarnished by the grubby little mitts of friends and family.






Are you using your sock draws as I am for some of my risqué material or do you use the row behind the main row on the bookshelf. Wherever you are hiding your stash of book – tell us?




Find out from your readers as well where they are keeping theirs, you might pick up a tip or two when your latest hiding place is the first place the kids look this weekend.






---------------------------------




As far as Christmas is concerned, I do buy my children books as gifts each year. These are hidden in the basement along with the other presents.



From my own personal stash, I do have one book that I hide year round. It's my personally signed copy of Dean Koontz' The Taking. A few years ago I wrote him a fan letter telling him how much I enjoyed his work, The Taking being my favorite. I also crocheted him a little elephant and sent it with the letter. I didn't expect anything in return, but a few weeks later a package arrived at my doorstep. He wrote back thanking me for the letter and the elephant and included a signed hardcover edition of The Taking. I almost fainted...lol.




Needless to say, the book and the note are kept tucked away in a little plastic bin that I keep on the top shelf in my closet. Ironically enough, I don't need to hide it. My hubby and kids aren't falling over themselves trying to get to the signed book...lol. I just like to know it's tucked away safe and sound.















What about you? Do you have a book stash?

Enjoy your Saturday!

I thought this weeks WG was another interesting topic.
Antique Books

So this week, write a post sharing with us what old antique books you may have on your shelves, and tell us the story behind them. Did you inherit from a relative? Are you a collector of old and rare books? Did you just discover a certain book in a used book store and couldn't pass it up? What's the very oldest book you have? Do you even like old books? Or do they creep you out? Do you read and enjoy your old books, or is it more a "look and don't touch" thing?

I do have some old books on my shelves. I like old books, I feel like I can't get rid of them, they are special in a way. I don't mind reading old books, but it depends. If the copy is a collectable type book, I won't let anyone touch it...lol.



This is my copy of The Last of the Mohicans. This cover is the movie tie-in with Daniel Day-Lewis on it. I love the movie, have yet to read this book. I bought this back when the film was in theaters, I want to say back in 1992 when I was a Freshman in H.S. making this book about 19 years old!





Up next, my Star Trek Voyager books based on the tv series which I loved and watched religiously. I used to read these when my son was a baby around 1996, he's 14 now.











I bought this copy of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men when I was a senior in high school. I randomly picked it up at the store and read it in one day. This book is about 17 years old. It's hard to believe I've kept it all these years, through moving and having children and life in general. I should re-read it!



On the right is a copy of Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors. Its about an Uruguayan Rugby team whose plane crashed and to survive they had to resort to cannibalism. I haven't read this book but my stepfather gave it to me a few years ago. It looks like it's a library copy. The book itself is published in 1974, before I was born. And the price inside reads $10.00, this is a hardcover edition. Hardcovers now are three times as much.





Next I have a copy of Gone With the Wind I picked up at a library sale last year. It reads 'book club edition 1964' on the inside jacket.
It's in really good condition. I wish I knew how old this copy really is. When I saw the cover, I just had to have it. I paid one dollar for it. This is a 'look but don't touch' book.



This is the back cover:








These two books are about 22 years old, officially making these the oldest books I purchased myself. I bought them back in 1988 when I was 12. Well, my mom actually paid for them...lol.
I secretly subscribed myself to an all girls book club through the mail. I forged my moms name on the subscription sheet and circled 'bill me later'. Once the books started to arrive, my mom had a fit! She paid the bill and let me keep the books though.













Last but not least I have The Love Poems of John Donne, which I read cover to cover. This was the first book of poems I purchased.





I also have Hamlet here and Shakespeare in Love, the love poetry of William Shakepseare, a movie tie in. I bought these three books together around 1998 when the movie Shakespeare in Love came out. I love that movie and swooned over Joseph Fiennes playing a young Shakespeare *sigh*. I like this edition, the photos inside are really sweet and are shots from the film. This is definitely another 'look but don't touch' book.

These books aren't that old, maybe 13 years or so.

Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.


Being purged a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes,


being vexe'd a sea nourished with lovers tears,


What is it else? A madness most discreet,


A choking gall and a perserving sweet.


-Romeo and Juliet

Thanks for looking at my old dusty books! What about you? Do you have very old copies of books on your shelves?

Happy Sunday everyone. I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

I thought this past WG's topic was another fun one: Reading from the Decades

So today's Weekly Geeks is about examining a book (or books) which were published in your birth decade. Tell us about a book that came out in the decade you were born which you either loved or hated. Is is relevant to today? Is it a classic, or could it be? Give us a mini-review, or start a discussion about the book or books.

I was born in the 70's, 1976 to be exact. It seems this was a great decade for one of my favorite authors, Stephen King.



I prefer his older work, and below are a few of my favorite Stephen King novels, all published by the master of horror during the 70's.



I do think these books are ageless, they can scare the crap out of you no matter what decade we are in. These are more than just scary stories, there's heart and soul to the characters he creates and I think that is one of the reasons so many people love his work. He also has a way of delving deep into our innermost fears, and making them come to life within his books. A story that stays with me long after I've read it is one of the reasons I enjoy his novels so much.



I think these books can be considered classics. Nobody can tell a good scary story like he does, and I think King really set the standard for writers in the horror genre.








The Dead Zone, 1979 This one is both scary and sad, with a bittersweet love story in the midst of all of it.








Salem's Lot, 1975 This book gave me nightmares, and that's just what I expect when reading a good King novel. If you want a good vampire story, look no further.








The Shining, 1977 This is one of my favorite King novels. The way he made the Overlook Hotel into a menacing, living, entity in this novel had me hooked on every page, and had me sleeping with the lights on.






The Stand, 1978 One of his most famous novels. I haven't read this one yet, but I have it sitting on my shelf. I'll get to it one day.

I believe these stories exist because we sometimes need to create unreal monsters and bogies to stand in for all the things we fear in our real lives: the parent who punches instead of kissing, the auto accident that takes a loved one, the cancer we one day discover living in our own bodies. If such terrible occurences were acts of darkness, they might actually be easier to cope with. But instead of being dark, they have thier own terrible brilliance it seems to me, and none shine so bright as the acts of cruelty we sometimes perpetrate in our own families. To look directly at such brilliance is to be blinded, and so we create any number of filters. The ghost story, the horror story, the uncanny tale-all of these are such filters. The man or woman who insists there are no ghosts is only ignoring the whispers of his or her own heart, and how cruel that seems to me.

-Stephen King

What about you? Have you read Stephen King?