The Literary Heroine Blog Party ~ 2015

I joined in this fabulous blog party a couple years ago and had so much fun! (And incidentally, it's where I "met" Hamlette, who is simply the coolest person ever! :) I was unable to participate last year, but this year is a different story. So here I am! Ready to make the rounds and see what everyone else has to share. {Although, nothing like getting involved on the very last day of the party! :/ I blame the snow.}

So! On to the questions, shall we? {There are several of them, and you know how I tend to get wordy, so beware the lengthiness of this post! Ye have been warned. Also! I did refer back to some of my answers from last time, so....}

1. Introduce yourself! Divulge your life's vision, likes, dislikes, aspirations, or something completely random!

I'm Kara. I'm a reader. (Obviously.) I moved back to my home state within the last year, after living 3000 miles away. And let me just say that the last year has been full of change! So it's made for a very interesting life. I'm happy to be back though, and closer to my mother who's health isn't that great. And I'm slowly finding my new normal. Which is good. :)

2. What, to you, forms the essence of a true heroine?

Someone who has enough quirks to make them feel real, who has a heart full of wonder and joy at the beauty of the world and the people in it, who goes through adversity and comes out stronger on the other side, and who has a story to tell that doesn't ever grow old. {Yes, same answer as before, but I think it bears repeating because it's true!}

3. Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to.

Anne Elliot from Jane Austen's Persuasion

4. Five of your favorite historical novels?

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

5. Out of those five books who is your favorite major character and why? 

I could mention Anne Elliot again, but I'll go with someone different just so you won't get bored with my answers. :) So, John Thornton from North and South it is! I know I gushed about him all during our January read-along, but seriously. This guy is amazing! I just love how steadfast he is. How much he loves Margaret and chooses to love her no matter who or what else may be against it. Margaret's rejection, his mother's scorn of Margaret, nothing will change his mind. He accepts how his heart has changed him and determines to love her always. The man is a swoonworthy hero if ever I saw one! I also love how much time we spend in his head, so that we truly come to know and understand his motivations and his heart. He's awesome! :)

{I know. He's a hero, not a heroine. But I just love him so much!}

6. Out of those five books who is your favorite secondary character and why?

I love Nicholas Higgins from North and South! He's so gruff and set in his ways, but he comes to know Margaret Hale and her family, as well as John Thornton, and he allows these people to help change him. Or at least to change his opinion and how he feels about life as a cotton mill worker. He and Thornton's slow building friendship is one of my very favorite aspects of the story. He's simply a good man.

I love that he takes Boucher's children in. And he's got a great head on his shoulders! I think that's what Mr. Thornton didn't realize about him at first. Nicholas has a very good sense of right and wrong. He also understands people really well. For all his rough talk, he sees what Margaret's heart is when she approaches he and Bessy about bringing them flowers when they first meet. And what he wanted to happen with the union was actually pretty smart. He was seeking ways to get masters and millworkers to work with one another. And he's honest and upright in all he does. You always know where you stand with him. Sometimes a little too well! :D But I think that's what Mr. Thornton finally saw and came to appreciate. {This passage is from my answer during the read-along.}

{Again with a hero. Sorry! Guess I've got North and South still on my brain.}

7. If you were to plan out your dream vacation, where would you travel to - and what would you plan to do there?

England, and I'd love to visit all of the significant Jane Austen spots.

8. What is your favorite time period and culture to read about?

Regency England

9. You have been invited to perform at the local charity concert. Singing, comedy, recitation, tap dancing… what is your act comprised of?

Preferably helping behind the scenes in some way. Not a spotlight sort of gal!

10. If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent? 

Anne Shirley. Not sure I could rock the red hair, but I'd love to attempt to use all the big words she loves! :)

11. Favorite author(s)? 

Impossible to list them all! But here's a few: Jane Austen, Katherine Reay, Erynn Mangum, Julianne Donaldson, Marissa Meyer, Serena Chase, Julie Klassen, Laura Frantz, Lisa McKay, L.M. Montgomery, Jennifer E. Smith, Megan Whalen Turner, Lindsey Leavitt, Melina Marchetta....and many, many more!

12. In which century were most of the books you read written?

The 21st century

13. In your opinion, the ultimate hero in all literature is…

I don't know about ultimate, but Captain Wentworth is definitely a favorite!

14. In your opinion, the most dastardly villain of all literature is... 

Ah.....?????

15. Describe your ideal dwelling place.

My only requirement is to have space for lots and lots of books. :)

16. Sum up your fashion style in a short sentence.

Comfortable

17. Three favorite Non-fiction books?

Love at the Speed of Email by Lisa McKay
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Front of the Class by Brad Cohen

18. Your duties met for the day, how would you choose to spend a carefree summer afternoon?

With a good book, of course! :)

19. Create a verbal sketch of your dream hat - in such a way as will best portray your true character.

Oh goodness, I have no idea. I don't wear hats. Although I admit that I admire them on others. The biggest requirement, I suppose, is that it be comfortable. I am all about wearing comfy things, people! :)

20. Share the most significant event(s) that have marked your life in the past year.

Moving! Trust me when I say that change is never easy and after living away from home for 12 years, moving back again has been a major change.

21. Share the Bible passage(s) that have been most inspiring to you recently.

"There I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor [troubling] to be for her a door of hope and expectation. And she shall sing there..." Hosea 2:15 amp

Updates/Reading/Books/Snow/Etc.

That's an old picture, by the way. It's so snowy and cold around here, I wanted to remind myself of happier climes. Like California where the almond blossoms are in full bloom and glorious!! *sniff sniff* I miss those almond blossoms. :(

Okay! Just a little update for you lovely people. I know your feeds/inboxes have gotten several posts from me this week and I do apologize. All the crazy snow we had last week kept me homebound a lot. Which meant that I had lots of time for reading. I read six books last week, y'all. SIX!!! I was on a role, wouldn't you say? After having been in a reading slump for what felt like years (but which in case of fact, was really only a few months), it was so much awesomeness to fall back into reading again! And that also means I finally got to a few books I've had for review for....well, I refuse to admit how long they've been at my house. So that means review time! But the major ones are all done now, so I'll probably go back to my sluggish posting again. ;)

I trust all of you are doing well and if you're homebound by snow/ice/cold/whatever winter weather you have, I hope you've had some delightful reading time! Meanwhile, I'm off to see how much more I can whittle down my TBR. (Which won't be much because you know that for the six that got taken off of it, probably twenty more got added. ;)

Review: The Daughter of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky

Well, I definitely think I just found another regency England writer who I will enjoy! Because I thoroughly had fun with this book. :) Kind of funny to start with book two of a series than book one, I do realize. But while there may have been a few things that slipped by because I didn't understand the reference, for the most part this story reads very well as a stand-alone.

I admit that Kate wasn't very likeable at first. A little too self-focused and snobbish for my taste. But it wasn't long until slowly she warmed up and started showing her heart. She just couldn't keep it hidden, to my delight! Watching as she learns a deeper understanding of life and how it's so much more than balls and seeking a rich husband is wonderful. The plight of her maid's sister, as well as a couple handsome gentlemen, one of whom's focus is on helping the poor, stimulates her improvement. She grows so much during this story!

I would be remiss not to mention Jon as well. His struggle to figure out exactly where God is leading him is admirable. He's just such a gentleman! I do like my swoonworthy heroes and Jon's pretty great. He and Kate have lovely chemistry, which most certainly helps! Good guy heroes are kind of my favorite. While I really enjoy a "bad guy turns good" story, don't get me wrong, there's just something about a guy who's gentlemanly and kind and just all around pretty awesome. Don't you think?

With mysteries to untangle, balls to attend, birth's to assist, and all sorts of shenanigans, this is a delightful story! And now I'm off to find book one and dive in. :)

** I received a complimentary copy from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review.

Goodreads :: Amazon :: Barnes and Noble

Kate glanced his way again. "Why did you leave the garden party early?"
A ripple of surprise traveled through Jon. He didn't think she would notice his departure. "I wanted to join some friends who were volunteering at a clinic in the East End."
"Isn't that quite a dangerous place?"
"I suppose it can be if you don't know how to take care of yourself."
She lifted one eyebrow. "But you do?"
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he nodded. "I like to think so."

Review: A Thing Of Beauty by Lisa Samson

The synopsis of this one just intrigued me, so I was thrilled to get a copy for review. And it was a really nice, thought-provoking story. It's quirky! Things didn't always happen like I anticipated. But that's the beauty to be found in this book. It's the quiet moments, and the characters, that get their chance to shine. I do love quirky and different characters, and this story has several of those. Which just made me happy because real life is full of people who don't fit in neat little boxes.

That's what I think resonated with me the most. How real Fia felt. The disconnect and the disarray of her life, and the vague ideas of where she wanted to go but the uncertainty of how to get there. I had this idea in my teens that by the time I hit "real adulthood" (whenever that actually is) I'd have life figured out. Ha! ;) And that's what Fia is dealing with. She isn't where she thought she'd be by the time she reached her thirties. And her choices have brought her to a place where she has to deal with them because they're affecting every other part of her life. She can't just ignore them and go on. It's the people she has surrounded herself with as well as a couple new ones, who help her to find her feet and what direction she wants to walk in. Speaking of which, I loved Josia! He was precisely who Fia needed in her life, even if she takes a little while to realize it. And he's just awesome!

This is more of a contemplative story. We spend a great deal of time in Fia's head and there isn't tons of action or romance. But somehow it worked for me. Fia's story is one that I won't forget and I enjoyed the journey to finding her miracles even in the midst of rain! :)

**I received a complimentary copy from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

Goodreads :: Amazon :: Barnes and Noble

"Just knock," he said. But I can't. I'm not sure he'd hear me anyway.
Not even twenty-four hours and he's already living up to his word of making some improvements. I pictured him rolling on a coat of paint. Sure. But this is a tool thing, and tool things mean a lot of work, and we only do a lot of work on things that are important to us.
Maybe this house is important to him.
Or maybe making things beautiful is important to him, and where he is doesn't matter in the least. Or it all matters.
The man is a mystery.