Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

To close out the year, I thought I'd share some of my favorite quotes from the new-to-me books I read in 2019.  Out of context, yes, but sometimes I find that more fun. 😉 "Atticus?" "Ma'am?" "I think I love you very much." ⎼ Go Set a Watchman , Harper Lee "Well done," he said. "It is no easy thing to wake up unexpectedly in the company of a mountain lion, and things might have gone ill if you had panicked." ⎼ The Naming , Alison Croggon God has no agenda other than your highest good in His kingdom. ⎼ For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards , Jen Hatmaker "I had not thought, my husband, that I had been so dear to you." "Aye, but you were," he spoke as evenly as she. ⎼ The Mistress of Husaby, Sigrid Undset "Answer me a riddle, Sybel: What has set you free?" ⎼ The Forgotten Beasts of Eld , Patricia A. McKillip ...

Let the wrap-ups begin! #10.   The Lion King (2019) While there were definitely some lackluster elements to this remake, the visuals were gorgeous and it's worth the watch for Timon & Pumbaa alone. #9.   Unicorn Store (2017) Doesn't this just give you safe, happy, snuggly feelings?? *SPOILERS!* Personally, I think the movie could have been more compelling as a unique coming-of-age story if Samuel L. Jackson's character had turned out to be a con-man.  I think that would have made it more cohesive and less jarring than the magical realism direction it ended up taking.  Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  The colors are very happy, and I really liked the humor.  #8.   The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996) It feels like I don't find that many genuinely new-to-me period dramas, so I was happy to discover this one.  I thought it a good adaptation of the book.  It portrayed the domestic ab...

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Emma by Jane Austen Six Characters in Search of an Author by Pirandello Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov Punishment by Tagore King Lear by William Shakespeare Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

All Hamlette ever has to say are the words Christmas, movie, and tag in the same sentence and I'm there.   And, to make it even better, Katie actually tagged me!  Thanks, friends. ♥  Be sure to check out Hamlette's post for a full run-down on the deets of the tag.  #1. A Partridge in a Pear Tree ⎼ movie that involves agriculture Skylark , from the Sarah, Plain and Tall trilogy.  (Which, by the by, is something we should be talking about more.)  In this installment, in particular, the Whittings have to navigate the challenges of cultivating that wild land Out West.  And it's fairly stirring, what.  There are Meaningful Themes about needing to etch your name in the land to survive. The land, the land, the land. #2. Turtledoves ⎼ movie about a long-lasting relationship October Baby features a couple long-lasting relationships: Hannah and her lifelong best friend, Hannah and her dad . . . Fabulous movie, by the way. ♥ #3...

#THROWBACK. Y'all remember when I did this a couple years ago?  I've been planning, off and on, to do a winter edition ever since.  Maybe one day we'll actually get around to all four seasons. Pretty straightforward: a little list of books that, to me, seem particularly ideal for a snowy day.  (A lot of them are fantasy because apparently winter just seems like the time to read fantasy, to me?) The Books of Pellinor   by Alison Croggon I'm still hoping to review these at some point, but I'm not entirely sure how/if I'll do so.  Maybe a video?  I dunno.  Anyway, this is a fantastic young adult fantasy quartet that I'd definitely recommend if you're suffering from The Lord of the Rings hangover.  The first book, especially, has quite a bit of Tolkien-"borrowing" ( ahem ) and isn't paced super well, but the characters suck you in so strongly.  As the series grows, it really comes into its own and ends up being a perfectly ...