Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

Saturday, 27 August 2011

Tag; The Ultimate Book Bash -Part 2

I am so sorry for the delay in posting this 2nd part of The Ultimate Book Bash Tag. Unfortunately as I said in my earlier post I broke my laptop and was therefore unable to post/comment/look at anything for the past few days.

But that is all over now and here I have part 2 of this awesome tag. And even though The Book Bash is technically over you can still head over and check out Charity U's wonderful blog Austenitis.



What's your favorite time period to read about? 
I don't really have a favourite period, I love to read books which are all set during different time periods. However I have noticed I read a lot of novels from the Regency period- but when I think about it, it's not my favourite.

G. A. Henty, J. R. R. Tolkien, or Charles Dickens? What's your favorite book or series by the author you chose?
Charles Dickens! absolutely, I have this new found respect for him now that I am re-reading Great Expectations (my favourite Dickens' book). He, in my eyes is the master of words, I don't know how he does it- he is amazing.

Ivanhoe or Ben-Hur?
Well, I haven't actually read either but I plan to read Ivanhoe.

Name three books everyone should read.
1. The Bible, of course
2. City On Our Knees by Toby Mac. This book was so uplifting, I loved it! The book is a collection of short stories from different people whom God has used to change the world.
3.Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I just have to throw it in here. It's one of those novels that tends to fall between the cracks (in this case the cracks are Pride & Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility). Oh, it's my favourite novel.
and just because...
Love Comes Softly Series, because too many people I know have only seen the films and every book in this series is better than any of the films! Its just that simple. I won't go into detail because I will go on forever and just get mad and frustrated. But I do have to say one thing in favour of the films is Logan Bartholomew's portrayal of Willie LaHaye it was just...well he was Willie- enough said.


Name two books we wouldn't have expected you to enjoy.
1. Star Wars. I have shocked quite a few people with that revelation.
2. Darwin Strikes Back by Thomas Woodward. As a Christian who is studying Ecology at University- a course which is filled with loads of Evolution, I feel it is so important to read as many books which support Intelligent Design/Creationism as possible.

Name three books that have good movies to go with them.
1.North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Thanks to Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe's performances in the 2004 BBC mini-series the film was a hit! Although I do prefer the book, I don't think a film could be made any better than this one.  
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Despite Christian Bale's performance of Laurie being so entirely wrong - I loved the 1994 version.
3. Emma by Jane Austen. I really didn't want to mention this one simply because I think it has received rather too much attention, but that's not to say that it doesn't deserve it because it most certainly does. It stays quite true to the novel and the actors are brilliant.

Any books coming out soon that you're looking forward to?
Not that I can think of at the moment, although I am always pleased to see new Janette Oke or Tracie Peterson books.

Name two authors you'd like to talk to.
1. Janette Oke. I love Janette's novels so much that I collect everything I see her name attached to. Her novels gave me such peace and enjoyment during some really tough times. I would love to be able to thank her for that.
2. Jane Austen. Two words "Jane Austen", really what more can I say.

Science fiction or a fairy tale?
Science fiction definitely however I still enjoy reading the odd fairy tale.

A classic book you haven't read is...?
There are actually quite a few, I'm sorry to say, but I am working on it. I just bought George Eliot's Silas Marner which I plan to read for the first time shortly.

Shakespeare or George Bernard Shaw (who wrote Pygmalion)?
Shakespeare...although I tend to read mainly his Sonnets.



Name a movie (or two) where it's actually better than the book.
The Notebook. I love Nicholas Sparks, he is a great author but I must admit I did enjoy the film (fast forwarding a few scenes) much more than the novel.
Lorna Doone. When I first read R.D Blackmore's classic I enjoyed it, but after watching this film I went back and re-read it and I found it... I don't know...lacking, maybe, in some respects. But then again I love this movie so much that it may have clouded my judgement.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. I read the book after seeing the film so I don't know whether that has anything to do with it. But I was a little disappointed with the book, I thought the film was much better.



Where is your favorite place to read?
Mostly I enjoy reading in the privacy of my own bedroom, but I'm really not fussed most of the time. That's what I love about books, they are like portable time-travelling devices, it doesn't matter where you are.

What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke. I have heard that it is in-development, but whether its going ahead or not is anyones guess. But I would love to see it!
Jane Austen's Lady Susan would also be great.
And one/all of The Heirs of Acadia Series T.Davis Bunn & Isabella Bunn. I love this series, particularly the historical aspect. I think these novels would make great movie if (and that's a big "if") they were made right.

What book character do you identify the most with?
There are quite a few that I identify with but all for different reasons. Identify with Catherine Morland of Northanger Abbey and I am a lot like Molly Gibson of Wives and Daughters at times. I identify with Meg March from Little Women (although I can be just as headstrong as Jo)


What are your favorite quotes from books?
I am going to limit myself to 3 because otherwise this will be the longest post in the history of posts if I list all my favourites.

"But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way"
- Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey
"Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts."
- Charles Dickens' Great Expectations

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
- The Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8




Tuesday, 23 August 2011

Tag; The Ultimate Book Bash -Part 1

Charity U over at Austenitis is having "The Ultimate Book Bash!" in addition to the special posts she will be having during the week she has compiled a list of questions for us to answer as a tag.

I have decided to split this tag into two parts because otherwise it would be quite a long post. The second part will be posted a little later on in the week.




*Note: The Bible is pretty much a given for most of the answers, okay. It's the book I love the most, I read the most and it contains the greatest love story ever told. It's amazing. So even though I haven't included it below, keep this in mind- its my favourite book :)


Name three books you love.
1. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
2. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
3. A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke

Name two books you enjoy, but that most people probably haven't heard of.
1. Watership Down by Richard Adams. I love this novel, it was my favourite when I was 13 and is the inspiration behind my love of rabbits and also one of the main reasons as to why I chose the University course I am doing at the moment.
2. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. This was another book that I read when I was younger which I really loved. I have only ever met one person who had heard of it and they were in their mid-forties.

Name three series you love.
1. The Love Comes Softly Series- Janette Oke
2. The Song of Acadia Series- Janette Oke and T.Davis Bunn
3. The Little House Series- Laura Ingalls Wilder

Name three authors you love!
1. Jane Austen
2. Janette Oke
3. Thomas Hardy

How about three adventures or mysteries? 
1. Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
2. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Ohh and I liked The Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne and I am about to start reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island which I am quite excited about.

Three non-fiction?
1.  James Dean by George Perry
2. Lady Jane Grey: A Tutor Mystery by Eric Ives
3. Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides
Ghost Soldiers made me cry so many times, it was a really hard one to read in particular parts but it was so rewarding. The book details the account of the World War II's greatest rescue mission, where a small unit of soldiers undertake a raid on a Japanese prison camp where American POW's (prisoners of war) are been held in Cabanatuan in the Philippines.

Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys? Which book in your favorite set is your favorite?
I haven't read any books from either of these sets. I suppose I have never really been interested in them.

Narnia or Harry Potter? Name your favorite from the series you like best.
Neither I'm not interested in either or these series.

A cookbook or a how-to-sew book?
A how-to-sew book, although I would most likely get more use out of a cookbook because I cook more often than I sew :(

Historical fiction or fantasy? Name three books you like from the genre you chose.
Historical fiction...no doubt about it! It is really hard for me to name only three because I read a lot of novels from this genre and I have so many favourites, so I am just going to list the first three that pop into my head :)
1. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
love, love, love this book :)
2. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
*cries*
3.  aaaand... To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Hardcover or softcover?
Hmm, it all depends. I prefer hardcovers to look at, they seem so special and old but I think softcovers are easier to carry with you, generally they aren't as heavy or as awkward to read.

Louisa May Alcott or Lucy Maud Montgomery? Name your favorite book by the author you chose.
I love them both but I definitely have to go with Louisa May Alcott. Little Women and Good Wives were always favourites of mine!

Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte? Name your favorite book by the author you chose.
Jane Austen, without a doubt! and Northanger Abbey of course :)

Would you rather read historical fiction about the sinking of the Titanic, or the Civil War?
The Civil War, I love reading historical fiction set in War times.

What's your favorite classic? Why?
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. It is my favourite for many reasons but particularly because I think it is so cleverly written and the characters are great.

Little Women or A Little Princess?
Little Women, it has always been a favourite of mine!



I hope you enjoyed reading my answers and please be sure to check out Charity U's blog Austenitis for her special posts throughout the week. And don't forget to check back here for Part 2 later in the week.

Love Mel xx