Pride & Prejudice: The Last Installment

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR DECEMBER'S GROUP READ! POLL CLOSES TONIGHT!!!!!

Now that November is concluding in a short few hours, I figured I'd give our group read one more plug. :) So here are a few questions for you on this dreary back to work Monday.

1. Did you enjoy P & P? I liked it. It was what I was expecting. A slow read with lots of hidden clues.

2. Are you planning on reading any other books by Jane Austen? I still want to try to read all of her stuff. I think the next one I want to tackle is Sense & Sensibility but who knows. I think I won't venture down the Austen path again until 2010.

3. Who was your favorite character and why? I had a few favorites. I liked Elizabeth as the narrator but she was kind of irritating at times to be a hands down favorite. I liked Jane for her seeing the good in people and her kind attitude. I liked Mrs. Gardiner for her good humor and awesome advice giving. She was a very good mother figure for the Bennet girls, as opposed to their own dim-witted mother.

4. What character did you like the least? Why? I did not care for Lady Catherine for obvious reasons. The woman was INSUFFERABLE. UGH. I probably would have have been as nice as Elizabeth was to her. I did not like Mrs. Bennet or Lydia becaus they were just plain stupid. I did not like Miss Bingley because she was a bitch.

5. Would you fall for Mr. Darcy? I would have given up after he first insulted me. However, that brings up the whole first impressions concept that Lisa and I believe Becky mentioned in their guest posts. Look what Elizabeth would have missed out on if she would have gone on her first impression. Look what Mr. Darcy would have missed out on. However, he was so incredibly rude, he would have to work very hard to win my heart and unless there was a shortage of men around, he would not get a second chance!

Answer these in the comments or on your own blog, I am interested to hear what others have to say. If you have any other questions you'd like to share, leave them in the comments! I love to talk about books. :)

Review: Keeping the Moon

I opened up the other Sarah Dessen book I grabbed from the library last week and polished it off this afternoon. Keeping the Moon is the story of Colie and how she “becomes.”

Colie is a recently thin 15 year old whose mother is Kiki Sparks, fitness guru. Colie’s mom wasn’t always Kiki, the fitness guru. She used to be fat Katherine. However, after many dead-end jobs and multiple moves across the country she scored a job at Lady Fitness, and a new woman was born.

The book begins with Colie being sent to live at her Aunt Mira’s for the summer so her mom could promote her fitness products in Europe. Colie is sure her summer will be miserable.

However, she meets Isabel, Morgan, Norman and her Aunt Mira who change her in more ways than she ever thought possible. Even with her 45 and a half pound weight loss, Colie was still seeing her fat self in the mirror. She kept hearing people calling her thunder thighs, lard ass and thought she was still the fat clumsy girl. These new friends help push her to be more confident and to believe in herself.

This was a quick read and had a good message about believing in yourself. Awessome for a YA read. Many small stories wrapped into the bigger message of having faith in yourself. The well-developed characters make the book.

Review: This Lullaby

This is my first book by Sarah Dessen who has been highly recommended via various blogs and friends facebook statuses.. Great way to find a new read, eh? I was not disappointed.

Remy is a recently graduated high school senior who is counting down the days of her summer break until she heads across country to attend Stanford and leaves her messed up childhood behind. Her mother, famous romance author, Barbara Starr is marrying for the 5th time, 4th legally recognized, and the planning has fallen upon Remy, again. Her brother Chris has found a girlfriend who has changed him and shaped him into an unrecognizable upstanding citizen.

Remy refers to herself as a bitter bitch who doesn’t believe in love. She uses and loses guys. She gives gifts that have no personal meaning and avoids making things messy.

Remy’s world is rocked when she meets Dexter. He shakes up her entire summer break plans and questions her feelings on love. She breaks all of her rules for him and loses some of her tough girl cred. Then in a moment of panic she loses Dexter and moves on.

Or so she thinks. Dexter wants to attempt “being friends” and Remy tries to resist but he says all hurting will be on his side if it doesn’t work. Well does anyone see this ending well? It doesn’t. Especially when Remy starts dating ‘Perfect Paul,’ who likes Dexter’s rival band.

At the end of the summer, Remy heads off to Stanford. Does she leave clean and clear or are there still loose ends? Guess you will have to read this quick and awesome read by Sarah Dessen. ;)

Poll

The Poll is up for the December Group Read. It will be open until 11:59 on November 30th. I will announce the winner Tuesday, December 1st.

If you read Pride & Prejudice and want any more discussion questions, or want to post a review at your site that would be great. If anyone wants to do another guest post for it, I am up for that as well.

Let me know what you want, and I can make another post of discussion questions for P & P.

Happy Black Friday!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is enjoying a nice day with their family and friends. I urge you to make sure you appreciate every moment you have with them and to make sure they know they are loved. If you think, "Oh I'll ask them later," or "I'll call her later," please don't. Just do it. Forever is very short.

Here is the recipe for the Blondie's that I made for my aunt's house today:

1/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white choclate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8x8 inch pan. Combine butter and milk in large saucepan. Place over low heat until butter melts. Remove from heat, add the brown sugar and egg. Stir until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.

I usually let them cool overnight (covered) and then cut them. I made two batches for my Thanksgiving crowd, but usually I only make one batch for a dish to pass. They are EXCELLENT if I do say so myself. Once I pop I need to walk away or I will eat them all. You can substitute the white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips for walnuts or not use as much. I have a sweet tooth. :P

What did you make for Thanksgiving??

Have a great day!!!!!!!

Dont't forget to vote for a book for the December group read.. :)

Review: Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen

The Back Cover: Since its immediate success in 1813 Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy. is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

I found this book to be immensely entertaining, but a little slow going at some parts. I was intrigued by the very first sentence, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in posession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Because my thought was, are you serious???? Because I would think it the opposite, stay away from my money bizaaatch. :) But that might just be me.

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy do NOT start out on the right foot, when she overhears him pretty much calling her ugly. However, they find that they are each others equal in terms of wit and humor. However, a lot of pride and a whole lot of prejudice keep them from understanding each other and acknowledging their true feelings for a good too many pages, where as the reader, I just wanted them to smell the roses already.

I did find parts of the book very predictable and found it very unbelievable how COMPLETELY crazy the two Bennet daughters were and how sensible and mature the other two were. Also not understanding how the father could even stand the mother.

Basically, Elizabeth and Darcy spend a lot of time dancing around each other with their words, misunderstanding others intentions and playing around with the information they are given. However, Darcy does grow up and change, mostly from Elizabeth's complete analysis of his shortcomings.

I guess it is fair to say that I liked the sparring and the one liners they would throw out at each other and at other dimwitted people, but the book went a little to slow and a little too predictable. I guess I had higher expectations.

What did you think of Pride & Prejudice? Have you seen the movie? What other Jane Austen book should I next tackle?

A little squee of excitement..

I was looking through my stats about who comes to the blog and from where (yes you anonymous stalkers) and saw someone and gotten here via a link and I was like hmmm what is that, so I in my stalkerish habits clicked to see what it was.

What it just so happened to be is an article that mentioned my blog and linked to a post that I had written at the end of October about reading goals and how I was not going to fulfill mine this year.

In my giddiness of someone actually READING and then mentioning it in an article made me have to share and be a little attention whorish. :)

And in the spirit of giving, I want to attention whore Lisa's Beef Stew. My husband made it for us on Sunday and it was fabulous! ;)

So now, dear readers attention whore away in the comments (may it be about yourself, personal or a great blogging moment) or if you are feeling giving attention whore someone elses' blog. :)

December Blogger Book Club suggestions..

I have enjoyed reading our first to selections I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass and (still finishing) Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. The first is probably not a book I would have picked to read on my own and the second is one I wanted to discuss with others. :)

So any suggestions for December? Is there a holiday themed book you've always wanted to read? Another classic that is itchy to be read? Or a newer book you've wanted to tackle?

Leave suggestions in the comments until Thursday afternoon and on Friday I will put up a poll for Decembers group read with the winner decided by Monday evening and announced Tuesday, December 1st.

Get suggesting.. :)

2,191 days since my husband ...

Could claim victory over my BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO BUCKS!!!! 6 YEARS OF VICTORY! I am definitely enjoying smelling the roses as the OUT RIGHT BIG TEN CHAMPIONS!!!

THE GAME photo 2009 enjoying the game in our living room





THE game photo 2008 tailgating in Columbus

THE game photo 2007 at The Big House (yes my husband still rocks the Biakabutuka jersey)

THE game photo 2006 tailgating in Columbus

There sadly is not a 2005 photo because I watched it with my dad and he was at MSU tailgating for the MSU / Penn State game

Our first THE game photo 2004

We started dating in 2003 but I was still away at school so we did not watch the 2003 game together. Also known as the last time MEEEECHIGAN beat Ohio State.

GO BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a fabulous rest of the weekend!

Blogger Book Club: Check in!

How is everyone doing on reading Pride & Prejudice?? I am really loving it. It's been much easier to get into than I had thought back when I first attempted it back in July.

I really enjoyed the verbal sparring between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. It makes me feel like I'm in a courtroom drama with the jarring back and forth. It always intrigues me with the way the written language can be twisted and how far it has come since the 1800s when Jane Austen wrote her novels.

I must confess that so far, I have NOT figured out what the hoopla is about how some people 'want to find their own Mr. Darcy." So far, he seems like any other random cocky guy. So you want a guy? Is that what women are saying? I also was QUITE disappointed in how Elizabeth so readily listened to what Wickham had to say about Darcy. I mean, I thought she was smarted than that. Apparently, not.

I did mark one quote that I will share.. "Stupid men, are the only ones worth knowing, after all." Hah.. That made my night when I came across it.

Now for a discussion question..

Two central characters in Austen have her own first name.In Emma: Jane Fairfax is a decorous, talented, beautiful woman.In Pride and Prejudice: Jane Bennet is everything lovely.What do you make of that? Taken from Litlovers.com

Personally, I think Jane is a common name; and while it is interesting that her Jane's were beautiful/loved/talented I don't think it was done PURELY out of selfish reasons. However, it is obvious why Lydia wasn't a Jane nor Mrs. Bennet a Jane, ya know? I think Jane Austen wrote what she knew and she wrote to escape. She had to have been a huge people watcher and a private person and through her novels she got to live.

What are your thoughts on Pride & Prejudice? Have a quote you'd like to share? A question? Let's get a discussion going!

Have a fabulous weekend!