The Campy Silly Genius that is Oscar Wilde

As a big fan of Oscar Wilde, I am game to read any and everything I can by him. The irony, though, is that I had no idea he had written a story called THE CANTERVILLE GHOST. Last weekend, my friend came over and we watched the movie version (with Patrick Stewart). The movie is silly and quite ridiculous, but yet fun. Of course I had to read the book after we watched the movie. And the story is just as silly and ridiculous, but yet fun to read. Oscar Wilde simply has a way of telling a story that makes me want to read everything he's ever written! So on to the next book by Wilde!!

Movie title is not the novel title

Jane Austen never fails to entertain! In excited anticipation of the movie LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP that is, apparently, based on LADY SUSAN, I eagerly purchased a copy on my Kindle and read the whole book in the matter of the length of one whole movie! LOL. My disappointment, though, comes in the fact that Jane Austen does have a novel called LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP this is NOT the same as LADY SUSAN in any shape, form, or fashion.

OK. In a few ways: both novels are epistolary (written in the form of letters back and forth). Both are comedic in nature, although I personally enjoy LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP, the novel, more than LADY SUSAN. Both novels are about the absurdity of relationships between men and women, especially in relation to marriage, in Victorian times. 

I have been checking the local theaters in eager anticipation of finding an opportunity to go see this new movie version of LADY SUSAN, but none of our local theaters are showing it, unfortunately. I must say, though, that I am very disappointed in the fact that whoever chose the title of this particular film chose to use the title of another of Jane Austen's novels even though this movie is so very much NOT that novel. How confusing for non-readers!!! And how very frustrating for those of use who love and revere Jane Austen's works!!!

It is especially refreshing with both LADY SUSAN and LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP to see such a wonderful comedic side of Jane Austen. Her more popular novels tend more towards the serious and harsh reality of romance and, while they are wonderful novels in their own right, simply do not have the ability to hold my attention as these two novels do. I readily admit that I love a good romance, but what I enjoy even more is a romance full of ridiculously comedic elements, as is the case with both LADY SUSAN and LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP.

If you have never read either of these novels, they are both fairly quick reads and well worth reading! Just know as you begin reading them that Jane Austen went for a campy-silly quality with these romances...which I love, but I know a lot of folks don't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MaSK3POHI0

Austen, Jane. Lady Susan. Kindle. Amazon. Web. 28 May 2016.
Deb, Janeite. "All I Want for Christmas Is...[anything Jane Austen, please!]." Jane Austen in   
     Vermont. Wordpress, 23 Nov. 2009. Web. 28 May 2016.
Love and Friendship Official Trailer 2016. Perf. Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevingy. Love and
     Friendship. Youtube, 23 Mar. 2016. Web. 28 May 2016.

What some women want most

Whew. I finally finished it! I very graciously received an advance copy of Lisa Scottoline's newest book, MOST WANTED, with a request to read it and share my thoughts. Unfortunately, the end of the semester was busier than anticipated and I have only just this week been able to read it. 

One of the things that distracted me quite a bit while reading

MOST WANTED is the gorgeous front cover. I spent a lot of time pretending I was touching (tickling) the feet of a real baby. 

Anyway, I struggled a bit with the plot of MOST WANTED because to my mind, it doesn't matter how a baby is conceived--a baby is a baby--a person--and very much loved. "A person is a person, no matter how small," you know! (Dr. Seuss) Please understand that this is coming from someone who has suffered the loss of a baby through stillbirth and two subsequent miscarriages as well as the loss of the possibility of any more children of her own body. 

I understand Christine's desperate desire in this story to have a child of her own. If it had come down to it, I would have done WHATEVER necessary in order to have a baby of my own. My sister and I even at one talked about her being a surrogate if it came to that. Infertility and difficulty for couples having babies is a very serious and real issue in our world today and, as it does for Christine and Marcus, it not only causes problems for the two of them simply because Marcus is infertile, but it stresses them as a couple (their marriage). I once read that many couples divorce/separate/part ways before/during/after struggling with infertility and/or after the loss of a baby. Lisa Scottoline handles these issues with tender reality. She doesn't hide it or try to make the marriage troubles more--or less--for Marcus and Christine.

I do feel that the ending is too "happily-ever-afterish," but for the most part, the reality of dealing with infertility is portrayed well in MOST WANTED. 

Unfortunately, I didn't LOVE this book, but the good news is that I didn't dislike it, either. It was worth reading, but I probably won't recommend it much. It is a GOOD book and worth reading if you decide to give MOST WANTED by Lisa Scottoline a chance.

Scottoline, Lisa. Most Wanted. New York: St. Martin's, 2016. Print.

I'm glad I gave this one a 2nd chance

In all seriousness, even though I am marking this book as Read, I'm really only halfway through. I LOVED Me Before You, but I just cannot get into AFTER YOU. It has not caught nor does it hold my interest in the slightest. It simply is not at all the way I imagined the story to continue. I would much rather have my imagining of the continuing story than read the rest of this book.

I felt the same way when SCARLET came out (the attempted sequel to GONE WITH THE WIND). Margaret Mitchell's masterpiece has a wonderful open-ended ending that I LOVE because I get to imagine what happened to Rhett and Scarlet. All the hype over SCARLET was NOT worth my time. I didn't make it through that book either.

**OK. I finally finished it. And I'm glad I did. AFTER YOU is in no way even close to the

awesomeness of ME BEFORE YOU, but by the time I read the last word, I no longer greatly disliked it. The worst part of the story, for me, is how Lily shows up at Louisa's door and that Louisa feels an instant responsibility for the girl--even though there is NO REAL REASON for her to do so. I suppose, though, that in grief, we look for any and every reason to hang on to the person we love[d] and to feel ANY connection with that person, no matter how insignificant or tenuous that connection might be.

So as I read the book, I fell more in love with Louisa. What I really love about AFTER YOU is how Moyes demonstrates the truth that just because a few years have gone by, that does not mean that the grieving can or does "get over" losing a loved one. Everyone struggles and deals with grief in his/her own time and in his/her own way. There is no one "right"--or wrong--way to grieve. What is important is to surround ourselves with friends, family, and loved ones who are still available--and to let those friends, family, and loved ones be there for us (don't push them away). 

My heart went out to Louisa as she struggled to do what she felt was best for HER, in spite of the fact that she had a number of people telling her something different. I have struggled with this very thing over the past 17 years and it is very difficult. I don't want to hurt anyone by "ignoring" his/her advice, but ultimately, I have to do what is right for me--what I know in my heart-of-hearts, in my very soul, is best for me--even if it alienates others.

I have lost close friends because I went a different direction than they advised. Yes, that breaks my heart, but at the same time, I KNOW that I did the right thing--for me.

And like Louisa, I have also made some fairly stupid decisions, but my God has everything under His control and if something is in His will, somehow or another, He usually gives me the "kick in the pants" that I need in order for me to see that He has opened--or closed--a particular door. 

So while I struggled with AFTER YOU at first, I am very glad I read it. The book is a wonderful demonstration of the living dealing with life after the death of a much loved one and it is REAL in that regards. Sometimes it does pay to plow through a book that we don't like at first.....

No. Just No.

Christen Meade, please don't hate me for what I'm about to say....

I picked up PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES by Seth Grahame-Smith only because a student recommended it to me. In fact, she was so excited for me to read it, she brought a copy for me to borrow. Since I love it when others read books that I recommend, I felt that I owed it to her to read a book she so obviously loved. 

I have to tell you that I'd heard about this book years ago when it was first released. I scoffed at such a thing and wondered how in the world anyone would even want to read it. Then I learned that they were making a movie!!! We discussed the movie among ourselves in my department at school and my co-worker and I (she more than me because she LOVES Mr. Darcy) were teased mercilessly about how we were going to be forced to watch the movie. We both vehemently protested. And we both meant it.

In spite of all that, I allowed myself to be talked into reading it....and let me tell you, I wish I had more power and control to say No. I have no idea if the story is meant to be a dark comedy or not. Whether it is or not, I found the so-called humorous scenes ridiculous rather than funny. I posted a bunch of such ridiculous lines/scenes on facebook simply because I didn't want to be the only one having to read such atrocities.

For those of you who love this book, I'm sorry, but I DON'T. This story is simply AWFUL and I was right when I had no desire whatsoever to read it. (Please don't hate or be mad at me, Christen!!!)

Works Cited

Shen, Jean. "Series 1: Healing of Wounds of the Bride and Growing Intimacy with the Lord." Invitation to His Garden. Prophetic Art. Web. 6 Sept. 2014. <http://www.jbrushwork.com/html/paintings.html>.

From Dislike to Like

First of all, it normally doesn't take me a whole month and then some to read a book like this. I honestly began Jessica Knoll's LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE absolutely hating the main character, TifAni. She is, in the first few chapters of the novel, a true first-rate biddy. I disliked her character so much, I honestly wondered if I would ever finish reading the book. She is raunchy, rude, disrespectful, and obviously marrying Luke for all the wrong reasons. 

So what brought me back to the book, ultimately, so I finished it? 
     1. I hate leaving books unfinished. I've only done that a few times in my life and it always makes me feel bad when I do.
     2. A very good friend told me that I need to keep reading because it does get better. Her words kept resounding in my head whenever I looked at the book and I knew I would finish reading it. 
     3. I knew that at the center of the story, TifAni had been gang-raped. I had read an article prior to my ever even purchasing the book where Jessica Knoll discussed the fact that the book was, in part, based on her real-life experience of having been gang-raped in high school. As much as I couldn't stand TifAni in the beginning, I wondered if she had come to the place of being such a biddy because she had never dealt with or coped with what had happened to her.

I will tell you honestly that LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE is NOT an easy book to read. The language can be offensive at times--as a Christian, I just cringe at foul language--and the descriptions of sexual acts are detailed enough to make me blush furiously even though I read the book when I was alone. So if you choose to read it, just go in with your eyes wide open.

I do not regret finishing this book at all. While TifAni never really "redeems" herself as a biddy character for me, I did come to a place of understanding TifAni--as much as is possible for someone who has never been through the same experience. What I do understand, completely, is "that moving on doesn't mean never talking about it, never crying about it" (336). 

Trauma of any kind changes a person. The world around us has difficulty dealing with our trauma, but what the world around us doesn't seem to understand is that dealing with our trauma is a thousand times more difficult for us---the ones personally affected by the trauma. Just because I smile, laugh, sing, and live a life of joy as much as I am able does not mean that I have gotten over or will ever get over my trauma of losing 3 babies as well as the trauma of almost dying. It is a daily CHOICE to move forward and live life to the best of my ability, doing the best I can with each day, each difficulty, as it comes.

So thank you, Jessica Knoll, for writing a book that brings such a truth into the light and opens the door for conversations to happen as a result.....