July EstellaGram :: Week Three

July is almost gone! Yikes! But I do like August. There's a special day that happens near the end that I always look forward to. ;) So here I am with week three of my EstellaGram pictures. (Week one here and week two here.) I've really enjoyed the challenge of finding books to fit each day's theme! I hope you've been enjoying getting a glimpse at my eclectic bookshelves.

Which leads to my question for you! Yes, I have a question for you. Are you enjoying seeing my bookish pictures? I'm trying to decide if I should attempt a second month or not. So I'm hoping y'all will help me out. Yea or nay for instagramming my bookishness for the month of August? Come on. Just a quick yes or no is all I need! Pretty please? With chocolate on top? Thank you bunches!! :D

Now on to the pictures:

Day 15 - Novella

{Love getting to read from Lia's perspective! Excellent series.}

Day 16 - Tweet

{Screenshot of my excitement over Barefoot Summer! I had it all pretty with Instagram but couldn't find it, and it was too much trouble to figure it all out. So this is what you get.}

Day 17 - Sharp

{This series is so cute and funny!}

Day 18 - Penguin

{YES, I know it's not a penguin. But I couldn't find a penguin (or even a book published by Penguin). So I used a bird. Chickens and penguins are both birds, aren't they? Kind of anyway? Besides, that's a cute cover and you know it.}

Day 19 - Meaningful

{This book. Oh my goodness this book! It is beyond amazing!! Everyone should read it. It is simply that good.}

Day 20 - Dense

{Dense things do not float, yes?}

Day 21 - Readalong

{I was going to read this one with a group, but I still haven't even read the first chapter. :/ I've heard great things about it though! Does that count for anything?}

Review: Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance

Goodreads :: Amazon

Fields’ Rule #1: Don’t fall for the enemy.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She’s busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she’s sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either.

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her “nothing amazing,” it’s no loss for Berry. She’ll forget him in no time. She’s more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother’s death.

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can’t Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes? 

As any regular reader knows, I am a big fan of Jane Austen and have read several sequels and re-tellings. So when I heard about this one a few months ago, I was eagerly awaiting my chance to read it! I pulled it up on my Kindle screen, started in, and realized pretty quickly that it was going to be a fast-paced ride with rapid-fire conversations and never a dull moment. It wasn't as awesome as I was hoping, but that's not to say I didn't like it. Because I did enjoy myself! Very much. :)

First and foremost? Berry is pretty awesome. Raised by her father, she's integrated herself into his private eye world because there was no other choice really. What else does a man do with his only child when he's going to be away from home all kinds of hours of the day and night? If your answer is 'find a baby-sitter', then sit back down! Because of course he's not going to do that. ;) Thus she tags along and learns the ropes pretty quickly, so that by the time she's a teen, she can handle herself very well on stakeouts and also has a healthy dose of cynicism about men and relationships. She talks (and thinks!) a mile a minute. She's always trying to plan ahead and figure out what the other person is going to do. She's agile and small, which comes in handy when tailing someone. Basically, she's excellent at her "job" and only has two good friends, Mary Chris and Jason. Mary Chris is sweet and smart, with the ability to build all kinds of great spy gadgets for Berry to use. The gadgets are cool! I can definitely admit that. ;) And Jason is the requisite good guy friend.

Then enters Tanner and Drew. These two boys cause lots of mayhem and chaos in Berry's life. They refuse to leave her alone and she's not entirely sure which one she'd like to keep the closest. (Although she'd very adamantly deny she wants to be close to either one!) The reader can figure out fairly easily who is "Darcy" and who is "Wickham" in this scenario. But we have to wait for Berry to figure this part out. All the little nods to Pride and Prejudice were fun! Ms. Vance did a great job of using the merest outline of the original and setting up her own storyline, then letting the characters have loads of fun the rest of the time. The snarky comments, the action sequences, the mystery always just on the other side of what clues Berry digs up, it's all an entertaining ride.

What didn't work so well for me? Basically, this is the type of story where you have to shut your brain off and just go with the flow. Because reality is nowhere near this town. Normally this is not a problem for me. I like to be entertained! :D But the conversations run so briskly that I couldn't keep up with the transitions of emotions the characters had. I decided they were telling me things without showing me. I wanted more proof that they really felt certain ways or were happy with their own decisions. Not just them saying at the end of the conversation that they would agree with thus and so without any build up of how they were persuaded to agree. Also the pacing felt slightly off. It wasn't easy to connect with any of the characters.

Regardless of some disappointment, I had a great time reading this story! I did not realize that it's possibly going to be part of a series. At least that ending made it seem that way. Not any big cliffhangers or anything, don't worry! But there were several unanswered questions. I'd be interested to see where Ms. Vance can take Berry and the gang in the future. :) Read this one for the diverting entertainment, unique characters, and simply lots of fun! (And isn't that cover awesome?!)

"I know who you are."
"You do?"
He shakes his head, like I've just said something stupid. "Pretty girl with an attitude and a reputation for beating guys up? You might be the one person in this school I don't mind meeting."
My face gets warm. "For the record, I haven't beat anyone up since the sixth grade, and that was only because Mark Holberg hit on my best friend." I don't mention the fact that I got kicked out of my dojo as a result. I never understood that one. What was the point of teaching someone how to take out a knee if you weren't actually allowed to do it?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Endings in Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week is a new topic/discussion that focuses on the bookish side of things.

Top Ten Favorite Beginnings/Endings In Books (talk about books that started or ended just perfectly or with a bang OR you could do specific opening lines or last lines -- however you want to do it!)

 
I haven't ever joined in with this meme before, but I thought this topic sounded like fun. So here I am! And here is my list of books with excellent endings:

1. The Last Battle ~ C.S. Lewis - "All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before." - An excellent ending to an excellent series!

2. Persuasion ~ Jane Austen - "I can listen no longer in silence...You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope." - Such a beautiful letter that precedes such a beautiful scene!

3. Mending Places ~ Denise Hunter - "It won't be easy, this relationship...we'll have things to deal with. I know. There'll be pain and fear and guilt and- Forgiveness. Yes. Forgiveness. It's a good start." - A hard-won forgiveness that mends a tattered relationship and gives them the courage to continue on. An awe-inspiring moment!

4. The Thief ~ Megan Whalen Turner - A surprising ending (that I refuse to spoil, sorry) which turned what I thought was a mediocre read into an awesome read! Which then leads to three more awesome stories! (And more besides hopefully.)

5. Wounded Healer ~ Donna Fleisher - "Chris didn't know how to give hugs. Or how to receive them. She never had. But she learned quickly. She simply did what Erin did and held on. Closing her eyes, for that moment, she felt more alive than she had ever felt in her life." - Once you read Chris' story, you will see what a huge milestone that small moment really is!

6. Daddy-Long-Legs ~ Jean Webster - "Doesn't it seem queer for me to belong to some one at last? It seems very, very sweet. And I shall never let you be sorry for a single instant." - Ah Judy. Such a wonderful end to her story. You knew I'd include this one, didn't you? After all my ruminations on how it's my favorite book?

7. There You'll Find Me ~ Jenny B. Jones - "Hold on to it, Finley." Beckett reaches for my string. But it's too late. I let it go." - She's on her way forward again instead of stuck on one place. A significant moment for Finley!

8. The Truth About Forever ~ Sarah Dessen - "But there was only one truth about forever that really mattered, and that was this: it was happening. Right then, as I ran with Wes into that bright sun, and every moment afterwards. Look, there. Now. Now. Now." - I love this story! Macy struggles through so much of it and that finally clarity is wonderful.

9. My Hands Came Away Red ~ Lisa McKay - "There's not going to be a neat point when I can type the last word, hit save, and proclaim, "It's complete."......I can't really have either extreme though....I'm working on a new normal." - That new normal was a formidable and painful journey to reach. But what an incredible story they have to tell!

10. Barefoot Summer ~ Denise Hunter - "Home. That's what it was. It felt like home." - My newest favorite book! Rereading my favorite parts feels like home to me. I love Beckett and Madison's happy ending!

What are some of your favorite endings?

Review: A Room With A View by E.M. Forster

Goodreads :: Amazon

This Edwardian social comedy explores love and prim propriety among an eccentric cast of characters assembled in an Italian pensione and in a corner of Surrey, England.

A charming young Englishwoman, Lucy Honeychurch, faints into the arms of a fellow Britisher when she witnesses a murder in a Florentine piazza. Attracted to this man, George Emerson—who is entirely unsuitable and whose father just may be a Socialist—Lucy is soon at war with the snobbery of her class and her own conflicting desires. Back in England, she is courted by a more acceptable, if stifling, suitor and soon realizes she must make a startling decision that will decide the course of her future: she is forced to choose between convention and passion.

The enduring delight of this tale of romantic intrigue is rooted in Forster’s colorful characters, including outrageous spinsters, pompous clergymen, and outspoken patriots.

I was convinced to try this one by a lovely review from Hamlette several months ago. I am so happy I picked it up! Oh my goodness, the things these characters will think and say! I actually read this very slowly because I was reading it aloud to some others. And let me tell you, it is nearly impossible to read this story out loud without having to stop and giggle every few pages! For being published in 1908, the absurdities of these characters can most definitely be related to and enjoyed today.

Lucy herself is wonderful. She is young and confused and still trying to figure out who she is and what she wants from life. She thinks she knows it one moment and then something will happen or someone will say something and she realizes that maybe she wasn't so sure after all. What person, when they're in their late teens and early twenties, knows exactly what they want out of life? Very few, I'd wager. And her dissatisfaction with even the things she did enjoy (like her piano playing) made a lot of sense to me. So much sense that, like her, I can't explain why. The feelings of frustration at oneself but unable to figure out why or what to do about it? I have totally been there.

So Lucy is great. We see most everything from her perspective, so I'd say this is mainly her story. But Mr. Forster likes to switch POV in the middle of scenes unexpectedly. So we get to hear from the side characters also! This may sound strange or off-putting, but trust me it works. And those side characters? They are a hoot and a half! Miss Lavish, cousin Charlotte, Mr. Beebe, the Misses Alan, Mrs. Honeychurch, Freddy, too many to name them all. Lucy's observations of each one of these characters, and even the small moments we might get in a few of their heads, gracious! There aren't really words to describe how funny and nonsensical they are, with their quirks and ideas and whatnot. The characters, on the whole, are what make this story so much fun!

Then you have Cecil and George, the two men vying for Lucy's affections. Both extreme opposites if there ever was! And poor Lucy has quite a time of it between the two of them. George is pretty reticent, so we don't hear from him as much. But he's never far from people's (and by people I mean Lucy ;) minds. And Cecil! He's an intriguing sort. The reader is never sure exactly where to place him. Or at least I wasn't. By turns ridiculous and sassy and awful and nice, he's a hard man to pin down. For that matter, George isn't really any easier though. He says so very little that you have to read between the lines with him. These two men make for lots of confusion for Lucy and lots of humorous moments for us! :D

Mr. Forster has a unique way of writing. As I said above, he likes to switch POV often, and he has a tendency to ramble on during certain passages. I confess to a few moments of skimming the pages because there was a little too much time spent on one thought of description. But those were very minor moments, which did not lessen my happiness with the story. Also of note, it may seem like a romance, which it is, but Mr. Forster also uses his time to point out the absurdities of these people and the kinds of lives they were living. The romance doesn't really become much of the focus until the second half.

So basically, all that was a really long-winded way of saying that I loved this story! I never knew quite what to expect the characters to say or do and I laughed through so many scenes. The offbeat yet hilarious characters will definitely have me returning for visits. If you get the chance, I recommend reading it! So much fun awaits you. :)

"It is fate that I am here," George persisted, "but you can call it Italy if it makes you less unhappy."

On the cornice of the wardrobe, the hand of an amateur had painted this inscription: Mistrust all enterprises that require new clothes.

"Take an old man's word; there's nothing worse than a muddle in all the world. It is easy to face Death and Fate, and the things that sound so dreadful. It is on my muddles that I look back with horror - on the things that I might have avoided. We can help one another but little. I used to think I could teach young people the whole of life, but I know better now, and all my teaching of George has come down to this: beware of muddle."

Conversation was tedious; she wanted something big, and she believed that it would have come to her on the windswept platform of an electric tram.

Happy Charlotte, who, though greatly troubled over things that did not matter, seemed oblivious to things that did...

"A smell! A true Florentine smell! Every city, let me teach you, has its own smell!" 
"Is it a very nice smell?" said Lucy, who had inherited from her mother a distaste to dirt.
"One doesn't come to Italy for niceness," was the retort; "one comes for life."

I want you to have your own thoughts even when I hold you in my arms....

Quoting

This is just a quick stop in. I have at least two reviews I need to write and for some reason they haven't written themselves. Go figure. I promise they are coming though! :)

So instead, I thought I'd share some bits and pieces of words strung together that create loveliness. I'm a quote person anyway. Perhaps you've noticed that little Goodreads quote box on the sidebar? The number of quotes I've "liked" on Goodreads is atrociously large! There are so many awesome people who can string together a bunch of words and create awe-inspiring sentences and paragraphs. This skill is most certainly an enviable one, I admit. I string together words around here and am satisfied so I post it, then days or weeks later I read it again and wonder what on earth I was thinking! But that's neither here nor there, is it?

Anyway, this was part of a blog post over here. I thought these words absolutely worth sharing.

Life is not easy and it was never intended to be, for a life well-lived will always be overflowing with maddening goodness and breath-taking badness, with easy and hard, and with wondrous beauty and ferocious ugly. And you’ll be tired and weary, you’ll question and fear, you’ll feel confusion and doubt.

I hope you’ll always know that when the world is dark and you’re absolutely unsure of everything, that you’ll find him at the water’s edge. You’ll see his power in the thundering waves that smash upon the shore. You’ll feel him in the salty spray that covers you, in the wind that sweeps up your hair and makes it dance. You’ll marvel in the sunlight and moonlight that sparkles across the water. And that you’ll know in this moment, when you stand before the great big sea, that the creator of the universe is with you. And find his boundless love pouring out in the roaring and crashing and spraying and sparkling.

My darlings, if you dare to live, you’ll often be lonely. If you dare to dream, you’ll have to jump into the unknown and sometimes the unknown will be more like a place where you set up camp and stay for a while, rather than a brief moment or a quick visit. You’ll face opposition in a world full of logic and reason and the masses won’t understand.  And you’ll feel small, oh so small, but, my dear ones,  be brave, be free, be strong.  His love is an ocean.

Favorite Books and Covers of 2013 {so far}

So way back at the beginning of July (you know, eons ago), several bloggers were listing their favorite reads of the first half of 2013. I thought it would be fun to join in, but then never did. Well better late than never, right? So here I am. Giving you my list (picked from the 51 books I've read so far this year). I also decided to add to my criteria. Basically, to earn a spot on this list, the book had to be an excellent read along with having an excellent cover! So let's get to the lovelies, shall we? :)  {As of this moment, these are in no particular order.}

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I know I said these are in no particular order, but I do have to admit something. Barefoot Summer is by far my favorite read of the year! We'll see if the next five months bring a story to rival its place, but for right now? That one takes top honors! :) Cover-wise, all of these are fabulous. But I think Scarlet is my favorite there. What's your favorite read and/or favorite cover of the year so far?

Review: Invisible by Marni Bates

Goodreads :: Amazon

It's not easy being best friends with a celebrity. . .

I'm invisible at my high school and I'm fine with it. It's kind of inevitable with a name like Jane Smith. But when the school newspaper staff insisted that I write a cover story, I decided to find out just how much scandal one geeky girl could uncover. 

Except I never expected to find myself starting a fist-fight, auditioning for the school's Romeo &Juliet musical, running away with a Romeo of my own, befriending the most popular girl in school, or trying to avoid one very cute photographer, who makes it impossible to to be invisible. . .

Jane Smith has survived three years of high school without making a single enemy, all by keeping a low profile. Not even her three best friends, Kenzie, Corey and Isobel, can say the same. But with Corey dating the lead singer from ReadySet and Kenzie in a relationship too, being invisible tends to be lonely. But now she's written an article for her school newspaper that has accidentally snagged the attention of some celebrities. Turns out, people get really upset when their innermost secrets are splashed all over the front page. And new her well-ordered life is being blasted to hell, with results that are wildly unexpected.

I read Ms. Bates YA debut Awkward (my review) last year and absolutely loved it! So I was quite excited when I learned she was planning to make it into a series. I was waiting for the right moment to read this one and oh my goodness, I was not disappointed at all! The hilarity of the first book was continued here and I giggled my way through the story in a matter of hours. In fact, I stayed up way too late to finish it it all in one go. I know it's a great story when I can't put it down. :)

Poor Jane. You know that phrase "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it"? She learns exactly how true that is! Feeling left behind, she decides to make some changes. And boy does that one little decision get the ball rolling downhill and at top speed! Jane is sarcastic, hilarious, friendly, and just a really nice person. She's a great girl, only she doesn't realize it. Her shyness and desire to stay in the background hinders other people from seeing her real self. But she slowly finds her way into accepting herself and her friends for who they are. Her slow emerging into someone that she's not afraid to let others see was well crafted. She doesn't make one decision and suddenly become a whole new person. She's always been that person, she just never knew it.

The guy who pushes her out of her shadows and keeps her on her toes, the girl she thought hated her who ends up helping her out, her best friends who seemingly forget she exists, they each have their spot in Jane's life and they're all great secondary characters. But really, this is Jane's story alone. She has to learn to call the shots in her own life, and to accept the consequences of her own actions, whether bad or good. While there is a little romance here, mostly it's a story of friendship and finding oneself.

Overall, this is a cute and funny story. There were a few moments near the end where I felt things were wrapped up a little too quickly and easily. Especially considering all of Jane's analyzing and worry over some situations. But those were small irritations and mostly I was smiling ridiculously while reading it. A light, quick read that promises lots of laughter and fun! Good for entertainment with not much depth and perfect for the beach. :)

Detention is nothing like The Breakfast Club.

I sat down in my hard plastic chair hoping there would be some group bonding, maybe a little dancing, a few heart-to-heart moments set to eighties music. John Hughes shouldn't have given me such high expectations. I stared at the graffiti carved into my desk, isolated in a room full of slackers, while a bored-looking Spanish teacher focused more on paper grading than on inmate guarding. Most of the kids were either listening to music or texting their friends, probably about the overwhelming lameness that was detention at Smith High School. With nothing better to do with my time, I flicked my iPod onto shuffle and started working on the newspaper story.

There was quite a ruckus in the cafeteria this week.

Ruckus? That was my big opening line?

July EstellaGram :: Week Two

Here we are, halfway through July and more than halfway through the year! It's crazy how fast time is going! I know everybody always says that. But it's so true! :D Anyway, here are my photos from week two. (see previous week here)

Day 8 - Device

{Yup, I use a Kindle.}

Day 9 - Vice

{A vice could make you out of control, yes?}

Day 10 - Damage

{A friend borrowed this book and this is how it looked when I got it back. She apologized profusely, don't worry! She felt terrible. The book is still readable, so all's well.}

Day 11 - Perfect

{No words necessary.}

Day 12 - Edition

{I love this edition of the Narnia series! Definitely a great buy.}

Day 13 - Library

{I felt a little ridiculous standing there taking a picture. But I got it!}

Day 14 - Classic

{What better classic than Anne of Green Gables? I love Anne!}

Bite-Sized Reviews :: Edition Four

Another round of snacky reviews! For more info, see previous editions. :) Now on to the books!

Beauty by Robin McKinley

I can see why this is such a popular book. It's just so cute! Beauty is level-headed (about everything but herself) and unafraid to stand up for what she thinks is right. The Beast is terrible-looking but kind and gentle. He is so patient! I loved how he treated Beauty. Whatever he may have been like once upon a time, he is such a good "man" now. They slowly get to know one another, which I appreciated. For most fairy tales don't really allow their characters that possibility! I loved having a more indepth look at this fairy tale and it did not disappoint in the least. Definitely one to have on the keeper shelf! :)

Rating: A Chocolate Croissant (different than you were expecting but oh so yummy)

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

Bittersweet. That's the first word that comes to mind. But more sweet than bitter! The pain of growing up is not fun. It definitely hurts sometimes! But Amelia is resilient and young. And she's strong. Way stronger than she knows, but she's learning. When you find people you connect with, you want to hold them close. But when you're only 15 and the guy is 21, that's a significant age difference. Chris and Amelia know their reality, but knowing and accepting are different things. Accepting is not easy. This is their journey to reach that goal. Sometimes painful, sometimes awkward, and sometimes cute, their journey feels real and human. Because we all know that growing up is hard, yet everybody has to do it.

Rating: Peanut Brittle (sweet and salty)

The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig

Well! Where to begin? Cons: the drama. Oh the dramatics these people were capable of! No one was truly "good" and most straddled the line between good guy and bad guy with most of their body on the bad guy side. The intentions and actions of the characters made sure none of them were very good role models. Pros: Ms. Willig's writing. Because goodness she's a great writer! She kept me hooked into a story that was going places I didn't really like, but I couldn't stop reading. I had to know what was going to happen next! And the story had lots of twists and turns I wasn't expecting. I also really liked that it has contemporary characters and historical characters, and we get both stories all in one. Her Pink Carnation series is the same and I love that! But overall, I'm not sure I'd really recommend this book. It's sort of like a train wreck, you just can't look away once you come upon it.

Rating: Store-Bought Cookies (they look better than they taste, yet you eat them anyway)

Poet To Work

For the record I did take a poet to work with me on Wednesday! Here's your proof.

I think Emily rather enjoyed wearing yellow and hanging out with me for the day! ;)

Take Your Poet To Work Day

Life-Ruiners ~ 6 {Fictional} Men Who Make Me Swoon

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The lovely Jamie had this great idea last week! She listed 6 fictional men who ruined her life. ;) So guess what? I'm borrowing her idea today! Who doesn't love a good swoon over a fictional man?

These men make my reading experiences so much happier. They're lovely and awesome and really just all around great guys. They aren't perfect, but they realize it and make amends if need be. They're kind and sweet, yet have a fierce protective streak, especially when it comes to their ladies! I've spent many a night dreaming that they could leap off the page into my life and sweep me away. Alas, no such luck. But that just means I get to reread all my favorite scenes with them to my hearts content. :D

In short? I think I'll let them speak for themselves. :)

1)  John Thornton - You knew he'd be mentioned, didn't you? :D I won't add any more to what I said the other day, but suffice it to say he's swoon-worthy!

2)  DJ Neeley - So sweet, so nice, so adorable! He sweeps Bella off her feet from their first meeting and doesn't let her catch her breath again. He has a great family he loves to spend time with, he has a fun sense of humor, he's so obviously (and cutely!) attracted to Bella, he's simply a good man. Definitely a keeper!

3)  Vidanric, The Marquise of Merindar - I admit it, I love that he falls for her first. Mel is so very determined to hate him! But he figures out a way to get around that and allow them to understand one another. He is committed and patient and knows that Mel is worth the wait. Their interactions sizzle and snap with all the attraction they're trying to deny. I love how steadfast he is!

4)  Jack Dominguez - He is such an awesome friend to Maya. Always there when she needs him, supportive yet willing to say the hard stuff if she's in the wrong, he makes her think and change, plus he makes a great cup of coffee. I love, love, love that they start out as simply really great friends! He's funny and sweet and so loving to Maya. *sigh* I need to reread this series again.

5)  Captain Fredrick Wentworth - I just love that he notices Anne when no one else does. Even when he's trying to deny that he still loves her, he can't help but worry and care for her. The way he looks at her when she's unaware in the adaptations! (Especially the 2008 version. *sigh*) He's so good to her. And I love how, near the end, he brightens every time she's in his vicinity and can hardly make himself look away.

6)  Wolf - Every time he and Scarlet are in close proximity, oh my! He had me swooning pretty much from the beginning. I really don't have any words for him other than I loved him to pieces. I loved he and Scarlet together! I'd grin like an idiot every time they had a moment. Ms. Meyer's got her work cut out for her to create someone to top him! (But I bet she'll do it. ;)

It was hard to limit myself to only six! There are so many awesome fictional guys out there. But I had to stop somewhere. Who would you pick?

Chatting About North and South {With Pictures!}

Yes, so I've never made much of a secret around here how very much I love North and South, the mini series starring Daniela Denby-Ashe and *sighs dreamily* Richard Armitage. I've only posted a few pics here and there and only mentioned it a time or ten as my favoritest period drama ever. I'm sure you have no clue about any of that, right? *wink wink*

Right then. I love North and South! There.

Anyway, it really is a fabulous period drama. The love story of course, is sigh-worthy and lovely and wonderful. The cast is pretty much perfect for their roles. (In my humble opinion.) It takes that pride and prejudice theme and totally makes it more awesome! (Nothing against Austen's Pride and Prejudice, mind you. I love that one too. But it comes second to my love of North and South. Sorry.)

So anyway, this is just a chance for me to wax eloquent on this mini series. And post pictures! Because you can't have a post about North and South without pictures of Richard Armitage. It's just not done! :D

But before we get to all that, I wanted to let everyone know that North and South will be showing on the INSP TV channel tonight at 8pm eastern!!!!!! That's worth a few more exclamation points!!!!!! You know I love my exclamation points. !!!!!! So if you get that channel, be sure to tune in.

Unfortunately, I have plans this evening with some family that's here from out of state, so I will be unable to watch it. Thank goodness for DVDs! (And just to make sure you realize how ridiculously nuts over this series I am, here's more proof. I own two copies of the DVDs. One that I watch right now and one for when my first copy inevitably gets too scratched from watching that last scene too many times in a row and it refuses to play for me anymore. That way I don't have to wait for another copy to come in the mail. I can just start watching! Genius plan, yes? ;)

Now then. On to the lovely photos of Richard! And Daniela. And a few other people.

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My favorite scene first, of course! ;)

*sigh* The way he looks at her!

He's smiling! 

I love this scene too. (Oh who am I kidding. I love every scene!)

Every character is wonderful. There's Bessy....

and Nicholas, who is just awesome...

And little Tom (lower left), who is adorable...

then there's Mrs. Thornton, who is just a force to be reckoned with...

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and Mary, who hardly says a word, but her eyes speak volumes.

Can't forget Mr. and Mrs. Hale and Dixon!

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And then there's Fanny. I'm sorry, but this is actually pretty accurate of her character. She's a flibbertigibbet if I ever saw one. ;)

Yeah, you knew I'd end with this one, didn't you?

And this one?

Last one! I promise! ;D