Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

Happy turn-of-the-year to you all!  I don't really make New Year's resolutions, but one of my hopes for 2023 is that I will get back into the habit of blogging regularly.  Or, at least, of blogging more regularly than once every three to five months. *ahem*  I certainly can't guarantee that, either to myself or to any of you sweet souls still following this blog, but I can hope it and try to make it happen.  We'll see. At the very least, I can keep up this semi-tradition.  After due deliberation, I've selected the ten best films I watched for the first time in 2022.  ("Best," in this context, meaning "my personal favorite," of course.)  I've also ranked them, but the top five rankings are all pretty arbitrary because I really can't decide where each film should be placed.   Let's dive in! ⸻ #10.   Game Night (2018) A couple's weekly game night with their friends takes a wild turn when a fake murder mystery becomes indistinguishabl...

I had the privilege of being an advance reader for Rachel Kovaciny's latest novel , My Rock and My Refuge , which retells the classic fairytale "Beauty and the Beast" in an Old West mining town.  I genuinely enjoyed it, and for today's stop on the virtual book tour, I'll be sharing my Goodreads review. 😊  Read on, Lizzy! ⸻ Another satisfying installment of the Once Upon a Western fairy tale retellings, My Rock and My Refuge features my favorite love story in the series so far.  It is what we could call swoon-worthy. 😉  Retelling the “Beauty and the Beast” romance can be tricky, but I genuinely loved what the author did with it here.  Definitely the healthiest, most relaxed, most adorable take on the couple I’ve ever encountered.  I won’t say too much here, because I don’t want to spoil the fun of experiencing it firsthand, but I loved how well-adjusted and forthright it was.  There’s no pretense, there’s no melodrama; everyone is pretty upfront abo...

Hello, all!  If you haven't heard, author Rachel Kovaciny has just released the fourth full-length installment in her Once Upon a Western series, which retells fairy tales in the setting of the American Old West.  This new novel is entitled My Rock and My Refuge , and Ms. Kovaciny has been conducting a virtual book tour this week in honor of its release! ⸻ Marta knows she shouldn't feel this way toward Mr. Wendell.  She needs to keep her job as his servant, especially because her family back in Germany depends on the money she and her brother Jakob send home. Although Mr. Wendell's face bears terrible scars, Marta sees past them to his kind and generous heart.  Still, she wonders why he never leaves his big house high in the Colorado mountains. While Marta tries to push away her questions, others are determined to find answers.  Their efforts lead to a fresh tragedy that threatens Marta's hope of finding happiness with Mr. Wendell.  Will Marta fail her fami...

Today, I'm honored to be participating in the cover reveal for the latest installment of Rachel Kovaciny's Once Upon a Western series! OUAW is a collection of clean stand-alone non-magical fairytale retellings set in the Old West. They're oodles of fun, and you should absolutely check them out if you've never read one. My personal favorite of the series, so far, is Dancing and Doughnuts , which is a reimagining of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.  However . . . I gotta say, the more I hear about the newest book, the more excited I become.  I have a feeling it might edge out DaD. 😉 What is this newest book, you ask?  It's Ms. Kovaciny's take on one of the most classic of all fairytales:  Beauty and the Beast!  It's entitled My Rock and My Refuge , and it releases November 8, 2022! And, as you might have guessed, it has a lovely cover: Isn't that the perfect cover for a Western retelling of Beauty and the Beast?  I love it.  Now, you probably want to k...

*scurries into the room distributing sweaters and acorns and fantasy novels*  Hello, hello, hello, and a happy Hobbit Day to you all!  In a shocking and delightful turn of events, the weather where I am actually cooperated and gave us a deliciously crisp first day of fall.  I can taste the metaphorical hibernation coming on the autumn wind, and I am thrilled and enthused about it. In other news, we are in the thick of one of my very favorite weeks of each year:  Rachel's Tolkien Blog Party , which is celebrating its TENTH anniversary! (*emotes quietly*)  Alas, I don't think I'll be able to contribute anything other than my tag answers this time around, but that's okay.  There's always next year, Lord willing — a great comfort for many reasons. 😉 ⸻ 1.  Who first introduced you to Middle-earth? My family.  I don't really remember a time when The Lord of the Rings paraphernalia wasn't scattered about our house.  It was A Big Thing every time on...

more like the Taking No Crap in Imperial Regalia Tag, am I right The lovely Chloe at Movies Meet Their Match tagged me for this, and I'm thrilled she did, because I really wanted to squeeze in one more post before Rachel's Tolkien Blog Party , but have had no time or energy to finalize anything else.  Admittedly, this did take me a while to finish, as well, because I wanted to select options that I genuinely might wear, might genuinely be able to "pull off," etc.  But it was fun, the perfect break from heavier duty posts. 😃  Thanks, Chloe! This tag was originally created by Elizabeth at Autumn Ink , and the rules are simple:  select an outfit that you'd love to wear to each location given, tell us which fictional character you'd bring along with you, and link back to Elizabeth's blog.  Beyond that, you have creative freedom!  Tag people if you so choose, change the locations, whatever strikes your fancy.  I personally opted to use only movie/TV outfi...