Lovely Books and Things - 12.29.19

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~
HAPPY THINGS:

1. Receiving a handcrafted gift

2. Being a glutton at Christmas feast

3. Decorating cookies at the Ugly Sweater Christmas Tea Party at Crown & Crumpet

~*~
Library:

Becoming
by Michelle Obama
-Memoir | Goodreads

Talking to Strangers:
What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know
by Malcolm Gladwell
-Psychology | Goodreads

Lost and Wanted
by Nell Freudenberger
-Literary | Goodreads

AND watched: in theatre

Knives Out (2019)
Director/Writer: Rian Johnson
Stars: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas
-Comedy, Crime, Drama | imdb | my rating: 5
A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.

LOVED the jokes.

~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Happy Christmas 2019

HUG, LAUGH, EAT, REPEAT
~*~
* image source: vintage card (here)

Lovely Books and Things - 12.22.19

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~
HAPPY THINGS:

1. Warm, cozy and colorful scarves for the season

2. Pannetone - yummy

3. Santa sighting


~*~
Library:

Conviction
by Denise Mina
-Mystery, Thriller | Goodreads
FOR Reese's Book Club December read.

All This Could Be Yours
by Jami Attenberg
-Literary | Goodreads
PART of the Tournament of Books 2020 short list.


AND watched: in theatre

Thousand Pieces of Gold (1990)
Director: Nancy Kelly
Screenplay: Anne Makepeace
Based on book by: Ruthanne Lum McCunn
Stars: Rosalind Chao, Chris Cooper, Michael Paul Chan
-Romance, Western | imdb | my rating: 5
In 1880's China, young Lalu is sold into marriage by her impoverished father. Rather than becoming a bride, Lalu ends up in an Idaho gold-mining town, the property of a saloon owner who renames her China Polly and plans to sell her as entertainment for the locals. Refusing to become a whore, Lalu ultimately finds her own way in this strange country filled with white demons.

LOVED Lalu's independent spirit and how she held true.

The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and Comcast NBCUniversal hosted a special screening at the Roxie Theater as to celebrate the 4K restoration of Asian American film, Thousand Pieces of Gold. This special screening included the San Francisco premiere of the newly restored film and Q&A with Director Nancy Kelly and Producer Kenji Yamamoto.


Listening: Refinery29 Holiday music play list (here)

Liking this one: Christmas Valentine



~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper

The Shortest Day
by Susan Cooper
So the shortest day came, and the year died,

And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world

Came people singing, dancing,

To drive the dark away.

They lighted candles in the winter trees;

They hung their homes with evergreen;

They burned beseeching fires all night long

To keep the year alive,

And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake

They shouted, revelling.

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them

Echoing behind us – Listen!!

All the long echoes sing the same delight,

This shortest day,

As promise wakens in the sleeping land:

They carol, feast, give thanks,

And dearly love their friends,

And hope for peace.

And so do we, here, now,

This year and every year.

Welcome Yule!!

~*~
* image source: yuletide

The Shortest Day
by Susan Cooper
-Children, Poetry | Goodreads

National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day 2019

Happy National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day!
PUT on your ugly sweater and snuggle with a cozy book next to a warm fire. Egg nog on the side table is optional ;-)

I am cracking this one open...

A Noël Killing
by M.L. Longworth
-Mystery, Cozy, Christmas, France | Goodreads
Christmastime in the south of France is as beautiful as ever, but when a shady local businessman drops dead in the middle of the festivities, Verlaque and Bonnet must solve the case while keeping the holiday spirit alive

Antoine Verlaque, examining magistrate for the beautiful town of Aix-en-Provence, doesn't like Christmas. The decorations appear in the shops far too early, festive tourists swarm the streets, and his beloved Cours Mirabeau is lined with chalets selling what he regards as tacky trinkets. But his wife and partner Marine Bonnet is determined to make this a Christmas they can both enjoy, beginning with the carol sing at the Cathedral Saint Sauveur, a beautiful service in a packed church.

Just as the holiday cheer is in full swing, a man is poisoned, sending the community into a tailspin. The list of suspects, Verlaque and Bonnet quickly discover, almost fills the church itself, from the visiting vendors at the Christmas fair to the victim’s unhappy wife and his disgruntled business partner. In A Noël Killing, with the help of an ever-watchful young woman named France, the pair must solve the murder while the spirit of the season attempts to warm Verlaque’s stubborn heart.


~*~
* image source: spock and kirk

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where The Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens

Published: 2018
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Genre: Historical, Mystery
Hardback: 384
Rating: 5
Goodreads
Website

First sentence(s):
Marsh is not swamp.

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. She's barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark.

But Kya is not what they say. Abandoned at age ten, she has survived on her own in the marsh that she calls home. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life lessons from the land, learning from the false signals of fireflies the real way of this world. But while she could have lived in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world--until the unthinkable happens.

My two-bits:

Love how this captured the beauty of the marsh and its inhabitants.

The metaphors, poetry and mystery were engaging.

~*~
* part of Reese's Book Club 2019 (here)

* part of ibc book club (here)

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey

Waiting for Tom Hanks
by Kerry Winfrey

Published: 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Cozy
Paperback: 259
Rating: 5
Goodreads
Website

Waiting for Tom Hanks series:
Waiting for Tom Hanks
Not Like the Movies - release: July 7, 2020

First sentence(s):
I just thought I would've met Tom Hanks by now.

Zombie sighting:
"Because," Drew puts his hands on my feet and rubs them. "God, your feet are cold. I have to be on Good Morning USA to talk about the zombie movie I have coming out this week. We actually made it two years ago, but it took forever to find distribution and... this is boring. You don't care."
-chapter 18, page 201

Can a romcom-obssessed romantic finally experience the meet-cute she always dreamed of or will reality never compare to fiction, in this charming debut adult novel from Kerry Winfrey.

Annie Cassidy dreams of being the next Nora Ephron. She spends her days writing screenplays, rewatching Sleepless in Seattle, and waiting for her movie-perfect meet-cute. If she could just find her own Tom Hanks—a man who’s sweet, sensitive, and possibly owns a houseboat—her problems would disappear and her life would be perfect. But Tom Hanks is nowhere in sight.

When a movie starts filming in her neighborhood and Annie gets a job on set, it seems like a sign. Then Annie meets the lead actor, Drew Danforth, a cocky prankster who couldn’t be less like Tom Hanks if he tried. Their meet-cute is more of a meet-fail, but soon Annie finds herself sharing some classic rom-com moments with Drew. Her Tom Hanks can’t be an actor who’s leaving town in a matter of days...can he?

My two-bits:

Super cozy and cute romance that touches on all the Ephron-like tropes. Got my fill of chuckles and "ouch" moments.

Happy Birthday Jane Austen!

Happy 244th Birthday, Jane!
Going to flip through this newbie...

Dress in the Age of Jane Austen:
Regency Fashion
by Hilary Davidson
-History, Fashion, Jane Austen | Goodreads
Just released: November 2019
This lively book reveals the clothing and fashion of the world depicted in Jane Austen’s beloved books, focusing on the long Regency between the years 1795 and 1825. During this period, accelerated change saw Britain’s turbulent entry into the modern age, and clothing reflected these transformations. Starting with the intimate perspective of clothing the self, Dress in the Age of Jane Austen moves outward through the social and cultural spheres of home, village, countryside, and cities, and into the wider national and global realms, exploring the varied ways people dressed to inhabit these environments. Jane Austen’s famously observant fictional writings, as well as her letters, provide the entry point for examining the Regency age’s rich complexity of fashion, dress, and textiles for men and women in their contemporary contexts.

Lavishly illustrated with paintings, drawings, historic garments, and fashion plates—including many previously unpublished images—this authoritative yet accessible book will help readers visualize the external selves of Austen’s immortal characters as clearly as she wrote of their internal ones. The result is an enhanced understanding of Austen’s work and time, and also of the history of one of Britain’s most distinctive fashion eras.

~*~
* image source: jane austen shadow box

Lovely Books and Things - 12.15.19

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~
HAPPY THINGS:

1. Christmas Cards

2. Running holiday related errands

3. Checking out the various Christmas Tree lights around town

Christmas Tree
Castro district, San Francisco
~*~
Library:

Waiting for Tom Hanks
by Kerry Winfrey
-Romance, Cozy | Goodreads

We Met in December
by Rosie Curtis
-Romance, Christmas | Goodreads

AND watched: in theatre

63 Up (2019)
Director: Michael Apted
-Documentary | imdb | my rating: 5
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

1917 (2019)
Director/Writer: Sam Mendes
Writer: Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Stars: Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong
-Drama, War | imdb | my rating: 5
Two young British privates during the First World War are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of the soldier's brothers, from walking straight into a deadly trap.

Christmas Tree
Macy's, San Francisco
~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

The Clergyman's Wife by Molly Greeley

The Clergyman's Wife
by Molly Greeley

Published: December 2019
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Historial, Romance, Jane Austen theme
Paperback: 304
Rating: 5
Excerpt
Goodreads
Website

First sentence(s):
Mr. Collins walks like a man who has never become comfortable with his height: his shoulders hunched, his neck thrust forward.

Charlotte Collins, nee Lucas, is the respectable wife of Hunsford’s vicar, and sees to her duties by rote: keeping house, caring for their adorable daughter, visiting parishioners, and patiently tolerating the lectures of her awkward husband and his condescending patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Intelligent, pragmatic, and anxious to escape the shame of spinsterhood, Charlotte chose this life, an inevitable one so socially acceptable that its quietness threatens to overwhelm her. Then she makes the acquaintance of Mr. Travis, a local farmer and tenant of Lady Catherine.

In Mr. Travis’ company, Charlotte feels appreciated, heard, and seen. For the first time in her life, Charlotte begins to understand emotional intimacy and its effect on the heart—and how breakable that heart can be. With her sensible nature confronted, and her own future about to take a turn, Charlotte must now question the role of love and passion in a woman’s life, and whether they truly matter for a clergyman’s wife.

My two-bits:

Loved how this story took a slight turn from what I was expecting. Although, most of the story is telling of the times for women's lives.

I liked getting Charlotte's perspective and introspection of her past and present situations in regards to her relationships and love life.

It was a treat to see bits of Darcy and his Elizabeth.

~*~
* Part of blog tour (schedule)

Blog All About It: Twinkle

~*~
* image source: Santa Claus

* part of the Blog All About It Challenge (here)

Happy Release: The Clergyman's Wife by Molly Greeley

The Clergyman's Wife
A Pride and Prejudice Novel
by Molly Greeley
-Historical, Romance, Jane Austen related | Goodreads
Release date: December 3, 2019
Charlotte Collins, nee Lucas, is the respectable wife of Hunsford’s vicar, and sees to her duties by rote: keeping house, caring for their adorable daughter, visiting parishioners, and patiently tolerating the lectures of her awkward husband and his condescending patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Intelligent, pragmatic, and anxious to escape the shame of spinsterhood, Charlotte chose this life, an inevitable one so socially acceptable that its quietness threatens to overwhelm her. Then she makes the acquaintance of Mr. Travis, a local farmer and tenant of Lady Catherine..

In Mr. Travis’ company, Charlotte feels appreciated, heard, and seen. For the first time in her life, Charlotte begins to understand emotional intimacy and its effect on the heart—and how breakable that heart can be. With her sensible nature confronted, and her own future about to take a turn, Charlotte must now question the role of love and passion in a woman’s life, and whether they truly matter for a clergyman’s wife.

Excerpt:

Prologue


Autumn

Mr. Collins walks like a man who has never become comfortable with his height: his shoulders hunched, his neck thrust forward. His legs cross great stretches of ground with a single stride. I see him as I pass the bedroom window, and for a moment I am arrested, my lungs squeezing painfully under my ribs, the pads of my fingers pressed against the cool glass. The next moment, I am moving down the stairs, holding my hem above my ankles. When I push open the front door and step out into the lane, I raise my eyes and find Mr. Collins only a few feet distant.

Mr. Collins sees me and lifts his hat. His brow is damp with the exertion of walking and his expression is one of mingled anticipation and wariness. Seeing it, the tightness in my chest dissipates. Later, when I have time to reflect, I will perhaps wonder how it is possible to simultaneously want something so much and so little, but in the moment before Mr. Collins speaks, as I step toward him through the fallen leaves, I am awash in calm.

On the morning of my wedding, my mother dismisses the maid and helps me to dress herself. Lady Lucas is not a woman prone to excessive displays of emotion, but this morning her eyes are damp and her fingers tremble as she smooths the sleeves of my gown. It is only my best muslin, though newly trimmed at the bodice with lace from one of my mother’s old evening dresses. My father went to town the other day, returning with a few cupped hothouse roses, only just bloomed, to tuck into my hair this morning. He offered them to me, his face pink and pleased, and they were so lovely, so evocative of life and warmth even as winter grayed and chilled the landscape outside, that even my mother did not complain about the expense.

“Very pretty,” my mother says now, and I feel my breath catch and hold behind my breastbone. I cannot recall having heard those particular words from her since I was a small child. I look at my reflection in the glass and there see the same faults—nose too large, chin too sharp, eyes too close together—that I have heard my mother bemoan since it became apparent, when I was about fourteen, that my looks were not going to improve as I grew older. But the flowers in my hair make me appear younger, I think, than my twenty-seven years; I look like a bride. And when I look into my mother’s face now, I find nothing but sincerity.

My mother blinks too quickly and turns away from me. “We should go down,” she says. She makes for the door, then pauses, turning slowly to face me again. “I wish you every happiness,” she says, sounding as though she is speaking around something lodged in her throat. “You have made a very eligible match.” I nod, feeling my own throat close off in response, a sensation of helpless choking.

~*~
The Clergyman's Wife Blog Tour schedule:

December 2: From Pemberly to Milton: Guest post

December 3: Vesper's Place: Review

December 3: vvb32reads: Spotlight/excerpt

December 4: My Jane Austen Book Club: Guest post

December 4: Confessions of a Book Addict: Excerpt, Guest post

December 5: More Agreeably Engaged: Excerpt, Guest post

December 5: Babblings of a Bookworm: Excerpt

December 6: Laura's Reviews: Review

December 7: Scuffed Slippers and Wormy Books: Review, Excerpt

December 8: My Vices and Weaknesses: Excerpt, Guest post

December 9: Living Read Girl: Review

December 10: The Calico Critic: Excerpt

December 11: Austenesque Reviews: Review

December 12: So Little Time...: Excerpt, Guest post, giveaway

December 13: cozynookbks: Review

December 14: My Love for Jane Austen: Guest post, Giveaway

December 14: vvb32reads: Review

Lovely Books and Things - 12.1.19

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~
HAPPY THINGS:

1. Christmas card preparations

2. Starting out the holiday season with a musical performance, A Winter Gift by Legends of the Celtic Harp

3. Embarcadero Center Lighting Ceremony and Fireworks - view from behind the ice skating show was spectacular

~*~
Bought:

The Blood Strand
(Faroes #1)
by Chris Ould
-Mystery, Faroe Islands, Denmark | Goodreads
FOR my face-to-face group, Foreign Mystery Book Club.

The Testaments
by Margaret Atwood
-Dystopia, Feminism | Goodreads
WANT to catch up with this dystopia world.


Author event:

Green Apple Books in the Park hosted Liska Jacobs: In Conversation with Rita Bullwinkel.

The Worst Kind of Want
by Liska Jacobs
-Literary, Italy | Goodreads

Belly Up
by Rita Bullwinkel
-SciFi, Fantasy, Short Stories | Goodreads

For Review:

The Clergyman's Wife
A Pride and Prejudice Novel
by Molly Greeley
-Historical, Romance, Jane Austen-theme
courtesy of tour -Thanks! | Goodreads


Oh by gosh by jolly… It's time for mistletoe and holly...
(from song Mistletoe And Holly by Frank Sinatra)
~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Rabbit rabbit: Beastars

Beastars
tv series, season 2 (11 episodes)
based on manga by: Paru Itagaki
-Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Japanese | Goodreads | imdb | my rating: 5
The story takes place in a world of modern, civilized, anthropomorphic animals with a cultural divide between the carnivores and herbivores. The series takes its name from the in-universe rank of Beastar, an individual of great talent, service, and notoriety. Legoshi, a large gray wolf, is a timid and quiet student of Cherryton Academy where he lives in a dorm with several other carnivorous students including his outgoing Labrador friend, Jack. As a member of the school's drama club, Legoshi works as a stagehand and supports the actors of the club headed by the star pupil Louis, a red deer. Out of nowhere, Tem the alpaca is brutally murdered and devoured in the night setting a wave of unease and distrust between the herbivore and carnivore students. At the same time, Legoshi has a fateful encounter with Haru, a small dwarf rabbit, and begins developing complex feelings for her.

My two-bits:
After watching the first 7 episodes, I am hooked.

Mind bending thoughts of diversity, bullying, love, etc. are tackled.

Loving the relationship development between the wolf and rabbit.

~*~
* Legosi and Haru image from Netflix site. FYI this anime is schedule to stream on Netflix soon.

* a new meme: first of the month with something rabbit themed (rabbit rabbit)

The Best American Food Writing 2018 edited by Ruth Reichl

The Best American Food Writing 2018
edited by Ruth Reichl

Published: 2018
Publisher: Mariner Books
Genre: Essays, Food
Paperback: 320
Goodreads

includes:

Revenge of the Lunch Lady by Jane Black
New York, Chicago, Detroit, Portland? Making the Case for a New American Pizza city by Karen Brooks
Christina Tossi Has a Cookie by Mary H.K. Choi *
I've worked in Food for Twenty Years, Now You Finally Care About Female Chefs? by Amanda Cohen *
Secrets in the Sauce by Lauren Collins
On the Iberico Trail by John T. Edge
Is Dinner for Two Worth $1,000? By Jonathan Gold *
How Driscoll's Reinvented the Straberry by Dana Goodyear
Temples of the Seasons by Alex Halberstadt
The Struggle of "Eating Well" When You're Poor by Marissa Higgins *
The NBA's Secret Sandwich Addiction by Baxter Holmes *
The White Lies of Craft Culture by Lauren Michele Jackson
Where's the Beef? By Beth Kowitt
In Good Hands by Francis Lam
To Wash or Not to Wash? By Harold McGee
Born in the USA: The Rise and Triumph of Asian-American Cuisine by Ligaya Mishan *
Who Owns Uncle Ben? By Shane Mitchell
Georgetown One Stop by John O'Connor
The Country Sausage That's Going to Town by Chris Offutt
The Teenage Whaler's Tale by Julia O'Malley
The Mad Cheese Scientist Fighting to Save the Dairy Industry by Clint Rainey
The Joy of Reading About Cooking by Tejal Rao
Oysters: A Love Story by Tejal Rao
Mario Batali and the Appetites of Men by Helen Rosner
Pawhuska or Bust: A Journe to the Heart of Pioneer Woman Country by Khushbu Shah
The World's Last Great Undiscovered Cuisine by Anya Von Bremzen
After Oranges by Wyatt Williams

“Food writing is stepping out,” legendary food writer Ruth Reichl declares at the start of this, the inaugural edition of Best American Food Writing. “It’s about time…Food is, in a very real sense, redesigning the world.” Indeed, the twenty-eight pieces in this volume touch on every pillar of society: from the sense memories that connect a family through food, to the scientific tinkering that gives us new snacks to share, to the intersections of culinary culture with some of our most significant political issues. At times a celebration, at times a critique, at times a wondrous reverie, the Best American Food Writing 2018 is brimming with delights both circumspect and sensuous. Dig in!

My two-bits:
I read the stories with "*" to create some hype for the food feasting brought on by Thanksgiving which definitely satisfied the craving.

I plan to read more later for stories on history, experiences and fun food facts.

~*~
* part of monthly theme: SciFi, Supper, Love, Sex and Marriage

Blog All About It: Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

~*~
* image source: vintage thanksgiving

* part of the Blog All About It Challenge (here)

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
by Becky Chambers

Published: 2014
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Genre: SciFi, Space Opera
Paperback: 518
Rating: 5
Goodreads
Website

Wayfarers series:
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
A Closed and Common Orbit
Record of a Spaceborn Few

First sentence(s):
As she woke up in the pod, she remembered three things.

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

My two-bits:
Loved this spaceship crew. Loved learning about living in the future with its diverse alien cultures and interactions.

Reminded of tv past scifi shows Farscape and Firefly.

~*~
* monthly theme: SciFi, Supper, Love, Sex and Marriage

The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman

The Marriage of Opposites
by Alice Hoffman
narrated by
Gloria Reuben
Tina Benko
Santino Fontana

Published: 2015
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Genre: Historical, Romance, Art, Jewish, France
Hardback: 371
Rating: 4
Goodreads
Website

First sentence(s):
I always left my window open at night, despite the warnings I'd been given.

Growing up on idyllic St. Thomas in the early 1800s, Rachel dreams of life in faraway Paris. Rachel's mother, a pillar of their small refugee community of Jews who escaped the Inquisition, has never forgiven her daughter for being a difficult girl who refuses to live by the rules. Growing up, Rachel's salvation is their maid Adelle's belief in her strengths, and her deep, life-long friendship with Jestine, Adelle's daughter. But Rachel's life is not her own. She is married off to a widower with three children to save her father's business. When her husband dies suddenly and his handsome, much younger nephew, Fréderick, arrives from France to settle the estate, Rachel seizes her own life story, beginning a defiant, passionate love affair that sparks a scandal that affects all of her family, including her favorite son, who will become one of the greatest artists of France.

My two-bits:
Oh, the frustrations of struggles with family and love in a culture trying to maintain its traditions.

~*~
* listened to audio version

* part of monthly theme: SciFi, Supper, Love, Sex and Marriage

* part of ibc book club (here)

The Watsons by Jane Austen and Rose Servitova

The Watsons
by Jane Austen and Rose Servitova

Published: October 2019
Publisher: Wooster Publishing
Genre: Historical, Romance, Jane Austen theme
Paperback: 256
Rating: 4
Goodreads

First sentence(s):
The first winter assembly in the town of Dorking in Surrey was to be held on Tuesday, October 13th and it was generally expected to be a very good one.

The Watsons by Jane Austen & Rose Servitova is the tale of four sisters as they seek security, love and happiness in a world where the most important decisions affecting their lives, are not always theirs to make. It is a book about relationships, freedom and personal empowerment.

After a fourteen year absence, Emma Watson, presumed heiress, is returned penniless to her family. As she becomes reacquainted with her sisters, she sees how their future prospects hinge on the health of their clergyman father and the humour of their brothers.

At the first ball of the season, Emma draws the attention of the party from Osborne Castle thus unleashing a series of events which see Emma’s choices clashing with those around her and the fall-out which occurs as a result. How does she appease the wrong she has committed in others’ eyes without creating a greater one in her own?

My two-bits:
Dirty dancing (well kinda - two dances with the same dude), witty dialogue, urgent letters and creepy stalking vibe creates some action and tension in this regency themed piece.

Also, looking for love (and independence) versus looking for appropriate matches plays heavy in this story.

Within is an amusing discussion on lady authors.

If this story reflected some of Jane's life, I can see why it would have been hard to write.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of tour (see schedule here)

Happy Release: The Watsons by Jane Austen and Rose Servitova

The Watsons
by Jane Austen and Rose Servitova
-Historical, Romance | Goodreads
Release date: October 20, 2019
#Janeite Blog Tour
#The Watsons
Can she honour her family and stay true to herself?

Emma Watson returns to her family home after fourteen years with her wealthy and indulgent aunt. Now more refined than her siblings, Emma is shocked by her sisters’ flagrant and desperate attempts to ensnare a husband. To the surprise of the neighbourhood, Emma immediately attracts the attention of eligible suitors – notably the socially awkward Lord Osborne, heir to Osborne Castle – who could provide her with a home and high status if she is left with neither after her father’s death. Soon Emma finds herself navigating a world of unfamiliar social mores, making missteps that could affect the rest of her life. How can she make amends for the wrongs she is seen to have committed without betraying her own sense of what is right?

Jane Austen commenced writing The Watsons over two hundred years ago, putting it aside unfinished, never to return and complete it. Now, Rose Servitova, author of acclaimed humour title, The Longbourn Letters: The Correspondence between Mr Collins and Mr Bennet has finished Austen’s manuscript in a manner true to Austen’s style and wit.

About the author:
Irish author Rose Servitova is an award-winning humor writer, event manager, and job coach for people with special needs. Her debut novel, The Longbourn Letters – The Correspondence between Mr. Collins & Mr. Bennet, described as a ‘literary triumph’, has received international acclaim since its publication in 2017. Rose enjoys talking at literary events, drinking tea and walking on Irish country roads. She lives in County Limerick with her husband, two young children, and three indifferent cats. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

THE WATSONS BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

November 18 My Jane Austen Book Club (Interview)
November 18 Austenprose—A Jane Austen Blog (Review)
November 19 The Lit Bitch (Excerpt)
November 20 Austenesque Reviews (Review)
November 20 vvb32 Reads (Review)
November 21 All Things Austen (Review)
November 22 My Love for Jane Austen (Spotlight)
November 25 From Pemberley to Milton (Excerpt)
November 25 Diary of an Eccentric (Interview)
November 26 So Little Time… (Excerpt)
November 27 Impressions in Ink (Review)
November 27 Babblings of a Bookworm (Spotlight)
November 28 More Agreeably Engaged (Review)
November 29 My Vices and Weaknesses (Excerpt)
November 29 The Fiction Addiction (Review)

Lovely Books and Things - 11.17.19

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

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HAPPY THINGS:

1. Date night with the gal pals ;-)

2. Making plans for holiday craft projects in December

3. Diving into the scifi world of the Wayfarers series (image source: fan art of space crew in book one by sebasp)

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Library:

Christmas Shopaholic
by Sophie Kinsella
-Romance, Chick-lit, Christmas | Goodreads
GATHERING up a holiday reading tbr pile.

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
by Sonali Dev
-Romance, Retelling, Jane Austen-theme | Goodreads
ALSO, gearing up for Jane Austen's birthday next month!


FYI: Review posts theme for this month: SciFi, Supper, Love, Sex and Marriage


AND watched: in theatre

Last Christmas (2019)
Director: Paul Feig
Writers: Emma Thompson, Greg Wise, Bryony Kimmings
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding
-Comedy, Drama, Romance, Holiday | imdb | my rating: 4
Kate is a young woman subscribed to bad decisions. Her last date with disaster? That of having accepted to work as Santa's elf for a department store. However, she meets Tom there. Her life takes a new turn. For Kate, it seems too good to be true.

SCROOGE theme vs. rom-com sweetness.
Loved the George Michael and Wham songs incorporated into the film.

The Report (2019)
Director/Writer: Scott Z. Burns
Stars: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm
-Drama, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 4
Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.

CAPTURES this bit of CIA history in a riveting way.

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* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)