Speaking of Books

If anyone wants to buy me a Christmas present...



I want this

and this

and this

and this

Oh and especially this!!

Aren't these absolutely gorgeous? They are from Anthropologie.
I am so in love with these.
*swoon*

~Jane

***EDIT: They also sell these at Amazon.com!! Gasp! For cheaper! And free shipping!

Reading is a hobby!

Some of you have been admitting that you are slow at reading books and that you think it's a sad or bad thing. I disagree. I think of reading as a hobby and as you can see, a hobby is...

Hob-by

1. An activity or interest pursued
for pleasure or relaxation and not
as a main occupation.

It should never be a drudgery! I know that sometimes we have to read books that aren't quite to our taste like some books for school but most of the reading we do is for the pure pleasure of reading and getting transported to another time or place. The important thing is not how long or short of a time it took you to read but whether you enjoyed it or not. You should read what you want and enjoy it at whatever pace you read!

Some people read 30 books a year, some only read 3 or even 1. Me, I'm a voracious reader. If I'm not reading a book I feel....well, I'm always reading so I don't know how I feel when I'm not reading! But, I just love to read and I will stay up all hours and read, read, read to the detriment of my sleep and health! Now, my sister Marg doesn't read near as many books as I but that does not mean that she doesn't enjoy books or reading as much. She enjoys reading every bit as much as I do!

The lovely thing about books is that they will always be there for you to read. They wont expire, die or fade away over time. So, when you get to them, whether it's tomorrow or years from now, they will be there waiting for you to pick them up and get lost in their pages.

Reading is not a chore or a test with a time limit, it's a hobby! It's a joy!

Happy reading!
Love, Jane

'Tis the season...

...to read Little Women again! As most of you readers know, it's my tradition to read Little Women every year. I always read the first chapter "Playing Pilgrims" on Thanksgiving night.

So, any of you that what to join me, please do! And I would love to know how you are coming along, what your favorite parts are and everything else. Leave comments! ;) My sister Aimee is going to read it at the same time. Yay!

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving day!

Love,

Jane

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Every once in awhile I love to wander through the children's section in the library and randomly pick up some books I've never heard of that sound interesting and take them home and be surprised.
My most recent find was 'The Mysterious Benedict Society' by Trenton Lee Stewart.
It was a fun read, kept you curious until the end and you came to love all the quirky characters and I was quite sad to leave them by the end. But I wont give too much away as to keep it a mystery. ;)

Currently I'm reading through the Lemony Snicket books, Little Dorrit, Mansfield Park, and a lovely book of Keat's poetry.

What are you reading?

A Bad Beginning

Just to let you know, I just finished the first book in the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. It is called The Bad Beginning. The Bad Beginning is a great beginning! :) Cannot wait to read more. I love the movie with Jim Carey in it.

On to The Reptile Room!

I also started Bleak House! Yay! I love it already. This is actually my first Charles Dickens novel. I have read The Christmas Carol and it is lovely but Bleak House is the first long novel of his I have ever read. So excited! I love the way he writes. He describes things so well with so much detail without the story getting bogged down and lost. The story moves along quite nicely. In my opionion anyway. :) I must say though, that I have always loved long descriptive books.

I will let you know how I get on.
What you are you all reading at the moment?
Have a lovely day.
Jane

Past, Present and Future

Books I got to read this Summer:

Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
Freddy and the Popinjay by Walter R. Brooks
The Sackett Brand by Louis L'Amour
The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper
The Tutors First Love by George MacDonald


What I'm reading right now:

Wulf the Saxon by G.A. Henty
The Musician's Quest by George MacDonald

Next on the reading list:

Bleak House by Charles Dickens (Thank you Lizzie for the birthday gift!!!!)
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (also from Lizzie.. :))
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien (I want to read these again. I haven't read them since the movies came out. My sister is reading The Hobbit to me and my sister Aimee. So good!)

What's on your list of "To Read"'? Hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Summer!
Love,
Jane
P.S. Don't you want a library like one of the ones above??

Oh you Words.

Fun. I guess we use the word "series" a lot. :) Click on picture to view larger. Wordle your blog!

~Jane

Summer Reading

Hello! It seems like it's been ages since I last blogged about what I'm reading...probably because everything I'm currently reading is in a series and I tend to feel like the book hasn't ended until the series has...but I thought I'd let you in on my thoughts so far. ;)

One series I'm currently thoroughly enjoying is the Carolina Cousins by Michael Phillips. This is the sequel series to the Shenandoah Sisters which is another amazing series! I'm now on the last book and I absolutely love them. I love Michael Phillips writing...whenever I read his books I feel like I am taking a journey with the characters and learning important life lessons right alongside them. I love his style and courageous depth. :)

Next I'm hoping to start some classics. I have yet to finish an entire Dickens novel, a goal I'd like to reach this summer, and I've been dying to delve into some Bronte. There's also a couple Jane Austen novels I have yet to read, (I know, shocking...right?) and some fantasy books I want to read.
Here's a list of my ideas: (which have the liberty to change at any given moment...haha)

~Villette by Charlotte Bronte

~Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

~Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

~Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

~Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

~Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

~Emma by Jane Austen

~Eragon by Christopher Paolini

~Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I'm sure there are tons more I can't think of right now that I've been wanting to read but those are a few. :) I'm also reading Ivanhoe which I'm really loving. It's taking me awhile to get through though. But I'll finish it soon.
Hope you all are having a great summer so far and enjoying some great summer reading! Tell us what your currently reading or want to read...we'd love to know!

~Elizabeth

A Summer Reading List

Summer Reading by Gesh"247 on Polyvore.com

For the Romantic in you:

Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery
Jane Austen (My favorite is Sense and Sensibility)
The Highlander's Last Song by George MacDonald


For the Adventure Seeker:
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Robbie Taggart: Highland Sailor by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien



Good Ol' Westerns:
The Sackett series by Louis L'Amour

For a good laugh:
Leave it to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse
Jeeves and Wooster series by P.G. Wodehouse
All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herriot



Read out loud with the kids:
the Narnia series by C.S. Louis
Hank the Cowdog series by John R. Erickson
Freddy the pig series by Walter R. Brooks

For a good long read:
The Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter.
This book is one of my favorite books of all time. It's a wonderful telling of the story of William Wallace in Scotland. He is a true hero in my book. It also has a wonderful romance woven in and out of the story.

For some Crafty Inspiration:
Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts
Fabricate
Weekend Sewing

I am currently reading Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (perfect Summer reading!) and Freddy and the Popinjay by W.R. Brooks for some laughs and lighthearted fun! :)

What are your favorite Summer reads? What books can you currently not put down?

Now grab a glass of cool water, find a shady spot and dive into your favorite book!
Love, Jane

This is for you Titmoss.... :)

I just finished reading To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. I LOVED it. It's a sometimes sad, sometimes scary, sometimes shocking, sometimes funny and always heartfelt book about the men and women, white and black living in a small town in Alabama in the 1930's. It deals with prejudice, government, education and family.... all (and here's the best part) from the eyes of a 6 year-old girl named Jean-Louis (she prefers Scout though, OK?). It covers about 2 years of her and her 11 year-old brothers (Jem) lives. A very moving and lovely book.

It was made into a movie in 1962 starring Gregory Peck as Scout and Jem's father, Atticus. As Gregory Peck is one of my favorite actors (Roman Holiday *happy sigh*) I will try to rent it soon and let you all know how I liked it.


Have any of you read the book or seen the movie? If so, did you like it?

Keep reading.... :)
Genevieve

The Adventures of Robin Hood

For as long as I can remember, Robin Hood has been my favorite hero. It all started with Disney's animated film, I think. After seeing that, I was a goner. I had entered the era of life where one discovers heroes, I made myself a bow and arrow from twigs and string and demanded to be Robin Hood while my poor friends had to be Maid Marian. (don't worry...I think they preferred it!)

Watching the BBC Robin Hood drama lately I felt like pulling out my old copy of The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Greene. I was given this beautifully bound and illustrated book one year for Christmas along with the First Knight soundtrack and a few other Medieval lovelies. (I've always loved this era, which I think I inherit from my dad)
I just love how Robin Hood was so willing to give up everything he had to fight for justice and help the poor. I find him a bit of an inspiration.

And how can you help but love his Merry Men?

I love reading this book, it's written as a collection of adventures so it doesn't flow like a novel. But I find that nice as one could just read one tale before bed. :)

The Old Man and the Sea

I just listened to this book on cassette and I loved it. It was so well done! It was read by Frank Muller. Has anyone read this book? It's a short novel; it only took about 3 hours to listen to.

After reading it I really want to see the movie again. I'm not sure if I've seen the whole thing or not. I only remember certain parts of it. There's the one with Spencer Tracy and then there was another one made in 1990 with Anthony Quinn. Has anyone seen either of these movies?


Next on my list of books I want to read: For Whom the Bell Tolls, also by Hemmingway


Love, Jane

Books I read...

......while recuperating from a car accident I was in last August. Broke my knee and such so I did a LOT of sitting around reading! Thanks for keeping me company my own Lizzie!

Keep reading!
Genevieve

Just keep reading, reading, reading.....

I have been very negligent in my attentions to this blog and I hope to rectify the situation presently!

Even though I haven't been posting, I have been reading! Lots and lots! Let's see, since I last wrote I have finished Little Women. I love that book more and more each time I read it. :)Other books I have started and finished since then:
The Fisherman's Lady and The Marquis' Secret. Both by George MacDonald. So very good! These books are edited by Michael Phillips so that they are easier to read (and find!). If you have never read any of MacDonald's books I highly recommend these. Beautiful sweeping stories set in Scotland in the early 19th century.


Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
Lando by Louis L'Amour
and Mojave Crossing by Louis L'Amour (I guess I was on a western kick! Gotta have some good westerns!)


Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (for the second time)
We watched the old BBC version of it the other day and it made me want to read the book again. I LOVE this book. It is my favorite Austen book. Ah! Read it! I KNOW you'll love it! :)


I'm also listening to Mansfield Park by Jane Austen on audio cassette. I drive a lot for my job so I'm in the car a lot. My truck only has a tape deck so I've been getting books on tape from the library. This version is read by Margaret O'Brien. I am very impressed with her reading style. Lovely!

I am also listening to a book on CD called The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. Very exciting!
Please share what you have been reading lately!
Have a lovely day!
Jane

Crochet Me

Alright, this isn't exactly a "reading" book...but it is a book all the same so I thought it had a right to be on our book blog. ;) I just wanted to tell you about this brilliant book, Crochet Me. It's full of the cutest crochet patterns I've ever seen! I was lucky enough to happen upon it at the library and have already started making a cardigan.
So far the directions are clear and the pictures are so beautiful and inspiring! I feel like I've been given the crochet instructions for Anthropologie clothes! :)
So, if your a crocheter, I thought you might like to know about it. ;) Just don't rush out to the library if you live in the same town as me as I will be needing it for awhile. ;)

~Lizzie