Sunday, January 17, 2021

Lovely Books and Things - 1.17.21

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update


Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)
~*~

HAPPY THINGS:

1. Cozy reading beside a fireplace. Or getting that vibe from Ambience/ASMR: Edwardian Library/Study with Fireplace & Snowfall via YouTube (here).
2. Start of the free Short films at French Film Festival, January 15 to February 15 (here)
3. Browsing open shops in Japan Town mall

~*~


Library: audiobook
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
by V.E. Schwab
Fantasy, Historical, Romance | Published: 2020 | Goodreads

Library:
Heartstopper
volume 1
by Alice Oseman
Graphic Novel, Romance, LGBTQ | Published: 2016 | Goodreads

Freebies: from Free Little Library

The Best American Travel Writing 2000
edted by Bill Bryson
Essays, Travel | Published: 2020 | Goodreads


~*~

AND watched: Netflix
Enola Holmes (2020)
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Screenplay: Jack Thorne
Based on book: The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer
Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter
Action, Adventure, Crime | imdb | my rating: 5

When Enola Holmes-Sherlock's teen sister-discovers her mother missing, she sets off to find her, becoming a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord.

LOVED meeting more of the clever thinking Holmes family members.

AND watched: virtual theatre

Minari (2020)
Director/Writer: Lee Isaac Chung
Stars: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan S. Kim
Drama, Korean American | imdb | my rating: 5

A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s.

TOUCHING moments in this immigrant experience.

~*~

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

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Jane-austenesque 2021

Jane-austenesque 2021
doing things Jane Austen related
* read - watch - listen - craft - puzzle - etc. *


JANUARY: watch
Lady Susan: Facts are Such Horrid Things!
(online zoom storytelling)
Lady Susan adapted by Bettye Dew and performed by members of the Saint Louis Metropolitan Region on December 4, 2020 - the video will be available for 90 days, until March 4, 2021 (here)

Young Filmmakers Contest
Jane Austen themed short films
hosted by JASNA Southwest (here)
Winners:
First place (20+)—Jillian Davis and Yolanda Rodriguez, “Jane Austen Virtual Book Club”
First place (under 20)—Thomas Fitzgerald, “Handsome, Clever and Rich”
Second place (20+)—Lydia Smith, “A Letter to Jane”
Second place (under 20)—Elliot Cagle, “A Certain Step Towards Falling in Love”
Third place (20+)—Courtney Birnbaum, “Morland and Mishaps”
Third place (under 20)—Sajween Khan, “Letters to Cassandra”

FEBRUARY: watch
What a Lady Might Carry in Her Reticule, Part 3:
Coin Purses, Fans, Vinaigrettes (here)

MARCH: watch
Events from Jane Austen & Co.
events are free, but rsvp required for live event (here)

March 16: “I hope white hands”—Wedgwood, Abolition, and the Female Consumer"
Professor Patricia A. Matthew (Montclair State University) will discuss the links between the abolition movement, sugar, and the depiction of Black women in the Regency period.

March 25: “Making No Difference for Colour or Character”:
Representations of Race in Bridgerton and the Regency
This talk will explore some of the most important Black women and men of the Regency era, as well as the ways in which Bridgerton both illuminates and ignores their lives.

APRIL: puzzle haul
Pride and Puzzlement: A Jane Austen Puzzle
A 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle Featuring Literature's Most Beloved Characters and Couples
art by Jaqui Oakley | details

Featuring illustrations and information about Austen’s most famous novels and characters like Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Mr. Knightley from Emma, Elinor and Margaret Dashwood from Sense and Sensibilty, and more, this puzzle, with its accompanying frameable poster, is perfect for both longtime fans and Austen newbies.

Jane Austen Literary Lines
A 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle | details

The Unemployed Philosophers Guild has made this handsome jigsaw puzzle featuring Jane Austen’s works! Each quote is rendered by hand, charmingly filigreed, and ornamented to pleasing effect. You’ll lose yourself for hours in this captivating puzzle – a new way to surround yourself with Jane Austen’s words – her wit, her empathy, and her still-brilliant observations about a party.

The World of Jane Austen
A 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle with 60 Characters and Great Houses to Find
illustrated by Barry Falls, text by John Mullan | details

Piece together the world of Jane Austen, from the rolling hills of Derbyshire, via Hampshire and Lyme Regis, to the golden stone of the Bath skyline. As you immerse yourself in the proposals and balls of nineteenth-century England, why not take a turn around the garden with Mr Knightly, surprise Mr Darcy at Pemberley or escape to the seaside with Anne Elliot? Austen and her real-life contemporaries can be found amongst unforgettable characters from all six of her novels. From whispered intrigues to harmonious weddings, Janeites will delight in the details as they build this 1000-piece puzzle.

MAY: watch
Virtual Jane Con
May 1-2, 2021
hosted by bookhoarding
presentations (here)

JUNE: spotted
A lovely Pride and Prejudice display
at a new cute gift boutique called Perdita on Divisadero (here)


JULY: free virtual visit
Jane Austen on Holiday
presented by Jane Austen's House
see exhibit (here)

Jane in July (here)

AUGUST:
Summer with Jane (here)

SEPTEMBER:
Austen in Autumn (here)

OCTOBER:
Spooky Jane (here)

NOVEMBER: watch
Jane Austen's Influence on Japanese Realist Novels
hosted by Jane Austen & Co. (here)

DECEMBER: watch
Georgiana and Kitty
Christmas at Pemberley
(part three of trilogy)
at Marin Theatre (here)

~*~

* header image source: cover of Austenland by Shannon Hale

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Lovely Books and Things - 1.10.21

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update


Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~


HAPPY THINGS:

1. Energy and motivation to organize closet. Pre-spring cleaning ;-)
2. Surprise lasagne meal with oreo cookies for dessert from friend.
3. Creative plant presentations.

~*~


Bought:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
MinaLima Edition
by J.K. Rowling
YA, Fantasy | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

Excited to see the interactive elements to this new illustrated edition.

Library: audiobook
The Down Days
by Ilze Hugo
Dystopia, South Africa | Published: 2020 | Goodreads


Library:
Artificial Condition
(The Murderbot Diaries #2)
by Martha Wells
SciFi, Novella | Published: 2018 | Goodreads


Freebies: from Free Little Library
Fortunately, the Milk
by Neil Gaiman
illustrated by Skottie Young
Middle Grade, Fantasy | Published: 2013 | Goodreads


~*~

Virtual Author event: hosted by Strand Bookstore
Listen to archive of this and check out their calendar for future free author events (here)
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
by Marie Benedict
Historical, Mystery, Agatha Christie | Published: 2021 | Goodreads


~*~

AND watched: on Netflix
Bridgerton (2020)
Creator: Chris Van Dusen
Based on book by: Julia Quinn
Stars: Phoebe Dynevor, Regé-Jean Page, Nicola Coughlan
Drama, Romance, Regency | imdb | my rating: 5
Wealth, lust, and betrayal set in the backdrop of Regency era England, seen through the eyes of the powerful Bridgerton family.

LOVED the diversity take for this romance. Enjoyed the costumes and soundtrack (especially the Billie Eilish cover)

Someone Great (2019)
Director/Writer: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Stars: Gina Rodriguez, LaKeith Stanfield, Brittany Snow, Alex Moffat
Comedy, Romance | imdb | my rating: 3
After a devastating break up on the eve of her cross-country move, Jenny enjoys one last NYC adventure with her two best pals. Someone Great is a romantic comedy about love, loss, growth and the everlasting bond of female friendship.

CUTE moments and liked the growth spurts for each of the characters.

The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
Director: Frank Coraci
Writers: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler
Stars: Adam Sandler, Terry Crews, Jorge Garcia, Rob Schneider
Action, Adventure, Comedy | imdb | my rating: 5
An outlaw who was raised by Native Americans discovers that he has five half-brothers. Together the men go on a mission to find their wayward, deadbeat dad.

WESTERN tropes with fun and funny bits. And, interesting twists.

AND watched: on DVD
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Director/Screenplay/Story: Wes Anderson
Story/: Hugo Guinness
Inspired by writings by: Stefan Zweig
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric
Adventure, Comedy, Crime | imdb | my rating: 5 | rewatch
A writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.

INSPIRED to rewatch this as I wanted to see the details and whimsy parts.

~*~

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

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Saturday, January 9, 2021

Medieval-a-thon 2021

Medieval-a-thon 2021
hosted by Holly Hearts Books
January 10 to February 10, 2021
details: twitter | instagram | youtube | discord

~*~

I will follow the Seamstress route and try to rise in the nobility ranks from a lowly Prisoner to an enchanting Empress.
Prospects per prompts:

Read a book you are unsure about:
The Betrayal of Trust
by Mystery, Crime, England
Published: 2011
Mystery, Crime, England | Goodreads | my rating: tba | my two-bits: tba


First book to a series:
The Bridal Wreath
(Kristin Lavransdatter #1)
by Sigrid Undset
translated by Charles Archer J.S. Scott
Published: 1987 (first 1920)
Historical, Classic, Scandinavian | Goodreads | my rating: tba | my two-bits: tba


A book embossed or foiling on the cover:
Legacy
by Cayla Kluver
Published: 2011
YA, Fantasy, Romance | Goodreads | my rating: tba | my two-bits: dnf


The last book you bought/borrowed:
Ariel
by Sylvia Plath
Published: 2010 (first 1966)
Poetry, Feminism, American | Goodreads | read: 1/26/21


Prettiest book on your shelf:
Breasts and Eggs
by Mieko Kawakami
translated by Sam Bett, David Boyd
Published: 2020
Literary, Feminism, Japan | Goodreads | my rating: 5
got me thinking: about the female body, children and meaning of life

Other prospects:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
by V.E. Schwab
Fantasy, Historical, Romance, (audio) | Published: 2020 | Goodreads | my rating: tba

Artificial Condition
by Martha Wells
SciFi, Novella | Published: 2018 | Goodreads | my rating: 5
my two-bits: loved the continuation of the mystery of this AI's past
Bad Debts
by Peter Temple
Published: 2005 (first 1996)
Mystery, Australia | Goodreads | my rating: 3
| my two-bits: Fell for the protagonist and his circle of friends more than the story.

A Closed and Common Orbit
by Becky Chambers
Published: 2016
SciFi, Space Opera | Goodreads |my rating: tba | my two-bits: tba


Before the Coffee Gets Cold
by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
translated by Geoffrey Trousselot
Fantasy, Time Travel, Japan, (audio) | Published: 2019 (first 2015) | Goodreads | my rating: 5
got me thinking: the importance of the present
Transcendent Kingdom
by Yaa Gyasi
Contemporary, Africa | Goodreads | my rating: 5
got me thinking: religion, science, depression

The Memory Police
by Yoko Ogawa
translated by Stephen Snyder
Literature, Dystopia, Japan, (audio) | Published: 2019 | Goodreads | my rating: 5
got me thinking: long-term illness, death and dying

Heartstopper
volume 1
by Alice Oseman
Graphic Novel, Romance, LGBTQ | Published: 2016 | Goodreads | my rating: 5
my two-bits: Loved the start of this feel good romance.

Heartstopper
volume 2
by Alice Oseman
Graphic Novel, Romance, LGBTQ | Published: 2019 | Goodreads | my rating: 5

STATUS as of Feb 7: #7 Empress

RESULTS: Completed! Interesting to note that I ended up reading books off the prompts/prospects list.
 
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Images from: Lovelytocu