Teko’s Magical Treasure of the Week!
“Teko found the hooded sweatshirt with the Fury of the Venom Legion Winged Crimson Heart logo, which is the Magical Treasure of the Week! Be sure to visit our Gift Shop today. We made a ton of new stuff this week, and we’ll have more new designs soon!”
Teko’s Magical Treasure of the Week!
“Looks like this week’s Magical Treasure is our brand new Ajan Warrior of the Sunrise black t-shirt.”
“Ooh, nice design. I guess this means we’re going to have a new Sunrise page in the Hall of Warriors pretty soon.”
“Yeeeee! I can’t wait. The best part is Shannon-sama donates some of what the Gift Shop makes to benefit the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls! We got lots more gifts in Shannon-sama’s shop too. See ya!”
This is such a fun theme and I'm just participating for the fun of it.
My favorite book is such a predictably girlie book, but I just love the story and all the irony and wit intertwined into the narrative.
Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....
Persuasion by Jane Austen has to be--without a doubt--my favorite, favorite Austen novel. I've only read it twice, but each time was oh-so-magical. Though I will *admit* that it perhaps isn't a book that will "grab" you from page one. It might take some patience and effort, but give it a chapter or two (or three) and you might just find yourself swept up in the story of Anne Elliot.
Sir Walter Eliott, of Kellynch-hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Barnetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs, changed naturally into pity and contempt, as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century--and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed--this was the page at which the favorite volume always opened: Elliot of Kellynch-Hall.
See what I mean about NOT being an opening that will hook you? Long story short...or three reasons why you should read Persuasion despite its verbose, pompous opening....1) It is the story of Anne Elliot. A middle child, a daughter obviously, born into a pompous and atrocious family muddles through the best she can while waiting for her Prince to come. (Okay, she's not really waiting for her Prince to come and rescue her. She's all but given up on love since she's also, at age 27, an "old maid.")
2) Despite coming from a ghastly, horribly obnoxious family, Anne herself is not only intelligent and genuine but she's also thoroughly enjoyable and likable. She has a wit and cleverness about her. She actually sees the world around her. She isn't blind to reality like so many of the other characters.
3) Persuasion is all about second chances. Anne Elliot, a girl who truly deserves good things because her family is so rotten, lost her one chance for love and happiness eight years before our narrative opens. Her heart belonged--then and now--to a young man, a sailor, Frederick Wentworth. But her family and friends deemed him unworthy and unacceptable. And forced into choosing between her family and her love, she chose her family. A decision she regretted from the moment she broke her lover's heart.
When
Persuasion opens the reader learns that hard times have come to the Elliot family--a family mostly known for its arrogance and pride. The family is *forced* into renting their out their estate to an Admiral Croft and his wife. The Elliot family--all but Anne--will reside in Bath year round. Anne, poor Anne, only Anne, will be parceled out as need be between Bath and her father and older sister, Elizabeth, and her younger sister, Mary.
What can I say about Mary? Mary is interesting--and by interesting I mean obnoxious and annoying--in a completely different way than her father, Sir Walter, and her sister, Elizabeth. Mary is married to Charles. Charles Musgrove. Charles and Mary and their two children live on the estate--in a smaller house--as his parents and his sisters. They live in the "great house." Anne's time spent with her sister and her sister's in-laws is interesting to say the least. Mainly because someone has just arrived in the neighborhood. A Captain Wentworth. Captain Frederick Wentworth. Just the sight of him makes her heart skip a beat--or two or three--she loves him like she's always loved him. But he's out of reach. He's now courting--of all people--one of the Musgrove sisters.Love. Requited. Unrequited. Broken hearts. Regret. Jealousy. Disappointment. Frustration. It's all there with just a little more besides.I do not want to spoil this one for anyone. Really. I don't want to. So please, please, please stop reading if you haven't read the novel. I mean it.
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There are just a few scenes--one really big scene--that makes this novel oh-so-magical. That takes it from nice to really really great.I love, love, love the conversation between Anne Elliot and Captain Harville. Their discussion on which sex--which gender--loves most, loves deepest, loves truer is one of the best dialogues ever. Seriously. Mostly because of the heart-felt letter that is the result of Captain Wentworth overhearing that conversation. That letter? The best, most romantic love letter of ALL TIME. Who could not love this guy?
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 forever. 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 a 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. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone I think and plan.
A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith
Review by Emily
from Whimsy Books and Whimsy Daisy
A Walk with Jane Austen is a quiet ride through Jane Austen’s world. This book is not what I expected it to be. It is less about Jane Austen and more about author Lori Smith. It is a soft memoir. Smith’s talented writing weaves countless connections between the life of Jane Austen and her own.
Lori Smith finds herself growing older and unmarried, a position she never expected to find herself in. She tours England to visit the remaining sites of Austen’s world. During this trip, Smith discovers who she is, why we face challenges, and how faith can get us through.
From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. In this engaging, deeply personal and well-researched travelogue, Smith (a PW contributor) journeys to England to soak in the places of Jane Austen's life and writings. The book is sure to ride the wave of Austen-philia that has recently swept through Hollywood and a new generation of Americans, but this is an unusual look at Jane Austen. Readers will learn plenty of biographical details-about Austen's small and intimate circle of family and friends, her candid letters to her sister, her possible loves and losses, her never-married status, her religious feelings, and her untimely death at the age of 41. But it is the author's passionate connection to Jane-the affinity she feels and her imaginings of Austen's inner life-that bring Austen to life in ways no conventional biographer could. Smith's voice swings authentically between the raw, aching vulnerability of a single Christian woman battling a debilitating and mysterious chronic illness and the surges of faith she finds in the grace of a loving God. And yes, she even meets a potential Darcy at the start of her journey. This deliciously uncertain romantic tension holds the book together as Smith weaves her own thoughts, historical research, and fitting references to Austen's novels into a satisfying whole.
Austenland: A Novel by Shannon Hale, (2007) Katherine Kellgren (Narrator)
- If you love Jane Austen novels, this book is for you.
- If you love the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice and think Colin Firth is the BEST EVER Darcy, this book is for you.
- If you enjoy a lighthearted romance that you would not be embarrassed to share with your mother or your daughters, this book is for you.
- If you are currently sewing period dresses for a daughter who has become involved in English Country Dancing and making note of how most of the fullness in Regency style empire waisted skirts is at the back at of the dress to allow for a smooth profile from the front, this book is for you.
Thirty-two year old Jane Hayes feels like she is a loser at love. She has the DVD of the BBC miniseries
Pride and Prejudice which she pulls out when she needs a shot of Mr. Darcy. She longs for the romantic connection of an Elizabeth Bennet-and-Fitzwilliam Darcy sort in her own life.
She is bequeathed a trip to "Jane Austen World" in England, by a great-aunt. Pembrook Park lets the "campers" live and breathe 18th century England, complete with elegant gowns, etiquette and diversions. Jane decides this is her opportunity to purge herself of her Darcy neediness by immersing herself in the fantasy. She is a 21st century person at heart though, so as she becomes accustomed to corsets and dresses that are not conducive to exercise, there is a part of her that holds back. In her heart she knows the "gentlemen" are actors but that does not keep her from wishing for a true romance.
I enjoyed Jane's ability to match the events at Pembrook Park to the plots and characters from Jane Austen's novels. This is an entertaining and fun summer read. No one can "do" Jane Austen.
Austenland is Shannon Hale's curtsy to the master.
I listened to audio version of the book because of my schedule. I enjoyed it but I am also looking forward to going back and actually reading it, which is something I rarely do.
By: Scribe Chronicler of Aventar,
on 3/14/2008
By: pixzlee,
on 2/12/2008
This is such a fun theme and I'm just participating for the fun of it.
By: Camille,
on 6/15/2007
I wonder if this is out over here yet ? Must go and check the OPAC !
The book does not have the biting humor of Bridget Jones (that would have made it a grand slam home run) but it is a fun read.
A friend of mine, who was what I consider an Austen expert in college, just gave me her copy of "Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or Love, Death, and the SATs." She says it's a hoot and a perfect summer read. I guess Jane never gets old!
l-
That sounds like a must read! Thanks!
I read it a few weeks ago and loved it (and posted a review here).
Are you seriously making a period dress? What pattern are you using?
Kelly,
Yes, I am making a period dress. This is the "dry run" version on relatively inexpensive fabric. Once I am sure of the fit, I will acquire some "better" fabric and try it again. The pattern I am making is very authentic, down to the drawstring casing around the neckline (which is apparently how they fit the garments then) because I am apparently a glutton for punishment. I think there was an easier one out there which I can tell you about if you are really interested. I think you have to have done a lot of sewing (I am fairly proficient) to understand the one I am working with. My daughter keeps asking, "How is the dress coming?" It has actually been kinda fun though and has given me a whole new lens to watch Sense and Sensibility and P&P with now.
You are winning prizes yet AGAIN as Best Mother, EVER. I mean, sure, Mom made my wedding dress. But was it aRegency style empire waisted skirt? Noooo...
I can't read to read this book!!!
The library has ONE copy on order, so I've slapped a reservation on it !!
I saw the announcement for this book in Publisher's Marketplace last year, and I've been waiting and waiting ever since! Thanks for reminding me. I know what to do.
I absolutely LOVED reading Austenland. Isn't Shannon Hale just an amazing author??
I'm still fourth in line for the library system's lone copy. Glad to hear it's worth waiting for. Definitely sounds like a fun summer read.
Please post a picture of the dress when you're done. I'd like to see it, and I'm sure my 9.5yo daughter would too...
I will post a photo when the dress is done. The girl was here for the weekend and she tried it on. I still have to finish the hooks etc on the back and put in the hem and get some ribbon for the waist -- but when she tried it on and flipped her hair up -- I have to say, I thought, "Wow, I did it!" She looked like she had stepped out of time! It was amazing.
I've made a period costume for my daughter that was Renaissance (complete with a drawstring-necked underdress and a lined, grommeted, lace-up bodice), and a number of other clothes and costumes, so I'd probably be okay with the fancy pattern. I've done some online research into patterns, but can't figure which one seems most authentic. I've been planning on heading to the fabric store to have a look-see at the Butterick, McCalls and whatnot. Any suggestions would be excellent.