Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

I don't even know about ranking anymore, y'all.  I know the top three and beyond that it's all malarkey.  ⎼ ⎼ ⎼ ⎼ ⎼ #10. Carousel My love for this musical has abated somewhat over the last little while, but I still think it's excellent.  It examines some weighty, complicated issues that most other stories don't have the guts to do (especially nowadays).  When does a person become "irredeemable"?  Does someone who does genuinely bad ⎼ perhaps even abusive ⎼ things still have value as a human being?  Can they "come back" and be welcomed into society and relationships again? There is no one-size-fits-all solution to these situations, but this story contains a dialogue on the concept that is refreshingly open-minded.  #9. Hello, Dolly! This is such a goofy, light-hearted, oversized musical.  It makes me happy, and I think it'd be fun to experience in lots of different adaptations, not just the Barbra Streisand movie tha...

How to Train Your Dragon is a great movie.  I've always liked it; but over my last few viewings of it in recent years, I've been impressed by just how great of a film it is, and how much I really do appreciate it. I re-watched it just the other day, and felt compelled to compile a little list of some of the elements that make this movie unique and successful. ⎼ ⎼ ⎼ ⎼ ⎼ - it's self-aware.  I know the satirical, self-deprecating style of humor present in this movie isn't terribly unusual today, but I think that when it came out, it was one of the first animated offerings to kickstart that new normal.  I could be wrong, but that's my speculation. Regardless, it's adorably wry, witty, and tongue-in-cheek.  It's good-naturedly skeptical, if that makes any sense. "You, sir, are playing a dangerous game!  Keeping this much raw Viking-ness contained . . . There will be consequences!" - that music, tho.  For real.  HAVE YOU...

In an exciting twist, I've been tagged twice for the same thing!  What fun.  Thanks to Hamlette for this second edition!  I had a blast answering her questions, especially the last one. 😉 1. Villain you wish would turn good so you could like him in good conscience? I guess I'll go with Judge Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. He's kind of a fascinating character to me, and he's portrayed with even more depth and moral ambiguity in the original novel than in the Disney version. 2. Hero you don't think is worthy of the title hero? Apparently some people really like Maxim de Winter from Rebecca ?  And I . . . cannot fathom that.  Like, at all.  I have tried and I have failed to see anything in him other than a villain. 3. Heroine who deserved a better ending? Emilia from Salt to the Sea.   But if she had to have the ending she had, I'm grateful Ms. Sepetys wrote it so carefully and compassionately. I turned the l...

Hello, everyone!  Thank you all so much for your feedback when I brought this up as a possibility a while back.  After a decent amount of consideration, I've decided to host a read-along of C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces , to take place from January 3-31, 2020 . We will be taking the book in four segments, reading between five and seven chapters per week.  (They're pretty short chapters, don't worry.)  Here's how I've scheduled it out: January 3-10: Part 1 Chapters 1-7 January 10-17: Part 1 Chapters 8-14 January 17-24: Part 1 Chapters 15-21 January 24-31: Part 2 Chapters 1-4 My plan is to do a recap post each week, sharing some of my own personal highlights as well as a few discussion questions.  Hopefully we can all dialogue in the comments ⎼ or, of course, feel free to create your own posts about the book! This is one of my tip-top favorites of tip-top favorite books, and I'm really excited to experience it with you all.  I hope a l...

I don't often post book reviews on this blog, but lately I read Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl.  It stirred up so many thoughts and feelings that I really wanted to share with you all.  I love discussing things with you, and I'd be especially interested to get your thoughts on this.  So, without further ado, here is my Goodreads review.  (I've added Aesthetically Pleasing Pictures from Pinterest, because why the heck not.)   Mild spoilers throughout. ⎼ ⎼ ⎼ ⎼ ⎼ First of all, I’ll say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.  It’s kind of like a very accessible high fantasy, which is a genre that has a big piece of my heart.  Most (most) of the writing was excellent.  There were several turns of phrase that made me all kinds of happy. More superficially, there were also a few moments where I thought that the humor and/or the storytelling in general were too contrived and derivative.  Occasionally the narrative felt a little scatter...

[If you don't know, Cynthia is a character in Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters .  I have read the book, but only once, so this discussion will be exclusively informed by my multiple viewings of the 1999 mini-series adaptation (which happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time ).  Cynthia is a somewhat complex and somewhat controversial figure: both flirtatious and reserved, both selfish and thoughtful, both reactive and contemplative.] Before we get started, let's recap the plot of the story real quick: Molly Gibson's father decides to remarry after several years of widowhood.  His new wife, also a widow, brings her own daughter (Cynthia) into the union.  All four come together under the same roof after the wedding and must adjust to the initially jarring integration of their lives. The stepsisters bond quickly, but Cynthia is apparently harboring a distressing secret (O_o).  This mystery threatens the reputations and futures of all ...