Monday, January 31, 2011

The Heart's Journey Home



Author: Jen Stephens
Genre: Romance, life
Series: I believe it is part of a series called the Harvest Bay series.
Number in series: 1st
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9.5
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 373
Time period: Present
Main characters: Kate, Nathan, Adam
My overall opinion: I have found a new favorite book! I won this one in a giveaway and am SO glad I did! While it took me a little while to read, I would anticipate it every day, looking forward to when I'd get back to it. :) I enjoyed it the whole way through. I think I would love to read more by Jen Stephens and recommend it to anyone who likes a good clean romance!

Double Fault



Author: Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry
Genre: Mystery, adventure
Series: Red Rock Mysteries
Number in series: 7th
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 248
Time period: Present
Main characters: Bryce, Ashley
Exciting events: All that you would expect! ;)
My overall opinion: A good book, exciting, fun. :)

Phantom Writer



Author: Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry
Genre: Mystery, adventure
Series: Red Rock Mysteries
Number in series: Sixth
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 236
Time period: Present
Main characters: Bryce, Ashley
Exciting events: Mysterious writing, being threatened, weird stories
My overall opinion: I didn't like this one as much as most of the others. As you may guess from the title, it had some spooky type stuff in it, which I didn't like. In the end, you figure out how each of the weird things happened and the authors don't try to say that it was supernatural, I still didn't think it was too great.

Escaping the Giant Wave


Author: Peg Kehret
Genre: Adventure
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7
Type: Fiction, children's book
Number of pages: 147
Time period: Present
Main characters: Kyle, BeeBee, Daren
Exciting events: A tsunami!
My overall opinion: A good book. Definitely not one of my favorite EVER books, but there wasn't anything objectionable either. A children's book.

CD: A New Journey



My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5
Singer: Celtic Woman (Chloe Agnew, Orla Fallon, Hayley Westenra, Mairead Nesbitt, Meav Ni Mhaolchatha, and Lisa Kelly).
Type of music: Celtic
List of songs: 
  1. The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun
  2. The Prayer
  3. Newgrange
  4. Over the Rainbow
  5. Granuaile's Dance
  6. The Blessing
  7. Dulaman
  8. Beyond the Sea
  9. The Last Rose of Summer
  10. Caledonia
  11. Lascia Ch'io Pianga
  12. Carrickfergus
  13. Vivaldi's Rain
  14. The Voice
  15. Scarborough Fair
  16. Mo Ghile Mear
My overall opinon: I like Celtic Woman. It is (for those of you who are unfamiliar with it) a group of women. It's quite enjoyable!



Friday, January 28, 2011

The Calling of Emily Evans



Author: Janette Oke
Genre: Life
Series: Women of the West set
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 224
Time period: 1800's
Main characters: Emily, Ross, Shad
Exciting events: Near starvation
My overall opinion: I hadn't read this book for a long time, if ever, but now that I picked it up again, I really enjoyed it!

Movie: Billy the Kid Returns


My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5
Main characters: Roy Rogers
Genre: Western
Series or set: It's on my DVD of "Roy Rogers: 5 Episodes"
Primary actors: Roy Rogers
Length: Little over an hour.
Time period: 1930's
Exciting events: Chases, fights, etc.
Year it came out: 1938
My overall opinion: A good one! Again, some unique fun twists. :)

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Child of the City



Author: Tito Matias
Genre: True story, conversion
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9
Type: Non-fiction
Number of pages: 199
Time period: 1960's
Main characters: Tito, Paul
Exciting events: Several.
My overall opinion: Okay, you probably saw that I gave this book a high rating. It's because I really enjoyed it! Now before you rush out and buy it, let me caution you: this is not a book for kids. Tito lived in Chicago. Chicago is gang-heaven. There are mentions of shootings. As you get into the book, you learn Tito had a really rocky past. Namely, other men forced themselves on him in the wrong way twice. I hope that's clear enough, I don't want to type more explicitly. There is no detail, but you know. I didn't know much (anything?) about gangs prior to reading this book. It was an excellent read, but don't let your 9 year old read it.
EDIT: re-reading, you need more detail. :) It's the story of Tito, a boy of Chicago, who goes to a place called Inner City Impact, and learns about Jesus. He's a great athlete and participates in AWANA. A man named Paul really helps him. He ends up finishing high school in Montana, at a high school my grandma went to. Though I don't think she knew him. So.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Christmas on Jane Street



Author: Billy Romp with Wanda Urbanska
Genre: Life, growing-up
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Type: Non-fiction
Number of pages: 147
Time period: Present
Main characters: Billy, Ellie
Exciting events: It's not really that kind of book...
My overall opinion: A good book. Not my favorite ever, but it had a good moral to it. Nothing bad or objectionable.
Also, I'm linking up with Hannah at Hannah's Hangout for a book love link-up. You can see the button on my sidebar. :) Thanks for hosting, Hannah!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Identical Strangers



Author: Elyse Schein, Paula Bernstein
Genre: ????
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7.5
Type: Non-fiction
Number of pages: 266
Time period: Present
Main characters: Elyse, Paula
Exciting events: Hmmm...
My overall opinion: Well. This is the intriguing story of twins who don't know they're twins until they meet as adults. What a story! There are a few bad words (the f word once, some others occasionally). Overall, a story that makes you (or at least made me) think. If you can find a copy, read it!

Behind the Secret Window



Author: Nelly S. Toll
Genre: Life
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7
Type: Non-fiction
Number of pages: 161
Time period: World War II, 1940's
Main characters: Nelly, her mother, her father, Sewer
Exciting events: Hiding from the Germans.
My overall opinion: While this is not the best book I've ever read, it is interesting. A good look at life during World War II.

White Christmas Pie



Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Genre: Romance, Amish

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 300
Time period: Present
Main characters: Karen, Will, Leroy, Vonda, Mary Jane, Nathan
Exciting events: Buggy crash!
My overall opinion: I bought this one and am not sorry I did! It's definitely worth the time it takes to read it.

Grave Shadows



Author: Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry
Genre: Mystery, adventure
Series: Red Rock Mysteries
Number in series: 5th
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 228
Time period: Present
Main characters: Asley, Bryce
Exciting events: Long bike ride, dying friend (made me cry:(), criminals
My overall opinion: Another good book!

Wild Rescue



Author: Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry
Genre: Mystery, adventure
Series: Red Rock Mysteries
Number in series: 4th
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 240
Time period: Present
Main characters: Bryce, Ashley
Exciting events: Stolen alpacas, bears, mean girls
My overall opinion: I like these books. :) You will too! There is a little bit of boy girl stuff, but mostly it's clean.

Missing Pieces



Author: Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry
Genre: Mystery, adventure
Series: Red Rock Mysteries
Number in series: 3rd
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 206
Time period: Present
Main characters: Ashley, Bryce
Exciting events: Bashed mailboxes, stolen children, more!
My overall opinion: Good book. :)

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Movie: How to Train Your Dragon



My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5
Main characters: Hiccup, Toothless, Stoick the Vast
Genre: Fantasy, adventure, animated
Primary actors: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Gerard Butler, Gobber the Belch 
Based on: a book by Cressida Cowell

Time period: Viking, fantasy
Exciting events: Gigantic angry dragons, mean dragons, mean people, chases, escapes, drowning, fire, etc.
Year it came out: 2010
My overall opinion: Okay, I really enjoyed this. Usually, animated movies aren't my thing, but this one! It was very good! I liked it better than Up, but I didn't like Up very much. This one literally made me laugh out loud several times, which is a very good thing. ;) I recommend it! It's rated PG, for language. Nothing too bad, that I caught. Not something for easily spooked younger siblings to watch, but my 13 yr old sister and I really enjoyed it with Dad. :) I recommend it!

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior



Author: Franklin W. Dixon
Genre: Adventure, mystery
Series: Hardy Boys
Number in series: 43rd
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 178
Time period: Present
Main characters: Joe, Frank
Exciting events: All the normal HB ones. :)
My overall opinion: A good one!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Movie: Brigadoon


My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9
Main characters: Tommy, Fiona, Jeff
Genre: Romance  
Primary actors: Gene Kelly, Cyd Charise, Van Johnson
Time period: 1950's, 1700's
Exciting events: A big chase
Year it came out: 1954
My overall opinion: This is one of my favorite movies. It's unique. It's a Scottish romance in a disappearing town...literally. You want to watch this one. :) 



Just Jane



Author: Nancy Moser
Genre: Life
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5
Type: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 363
Time period: 1800's
Main characters: Jane, Cassandra
Exciting events: Not too many that are exciting but many interesting things.
My overall opinion: Another good read! Thanks for the recommendation, Melody. :) I enjoyed it and I think I will probably read it again. :)

Scarlet



Author: Stephen R. Lawhead
Genre: Adventure
Series: King Raven series
Number in series: Second
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Type: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 449
Time period: 1200
Main characters: Will, Noin, Angharad, Bran, some Barons
Exciting events: Being imprisoned, more exciting events than I can type!
My overall opinion: A good book. :) Very few improper things, a long but interesting read.

Movie: Hands Across the Border



My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5
Main characters: Roy Rogers, Kim, Denvers
Genre: Western
Series or set: On a Roy Rogers, 5 episodes DVD.
Primary actors: Roy Rogers
Time period: 1940's
Exciting events: Classic: cowboy chases, etc. There is a big horse race that's pretty amazing.
Year it came out: 1944
My overall opinion: Mine didn't include "Colorado", just "Hands Across the Border." No, actually, mine included four movies beside HAtB, but I haven't seen them all yet. Oh dear, that makes no sense. What I meant was that mine has five movies on it, including HAtB, but not Colorado. Okay, there we go. :) An interesting thing about this one was that it included a show at the end of dancing, celebration, that kind of thing. Probably 10 minutes! So that was unique. For more Roy Rogers pictures, click here.

Song: The Way He Was Raised

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9
Singer: Josh Turner
Type of music: Country, gospel
Length: 4:39
Lyrics: "He always wore those worn out flip-flops; Spent hours in his daddy's workshop; He loved being on the water; Fishin' with His friends." Let me tell you, the first time I listened, 1/2 way through I was ready to delete it. But as I went on...you've gotta listen. :)
My overall opinion: A great song with a moral. :) Listen the whole way through and then come tell me what you thought. :)


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Stolen Secrets



Author: Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry
Genre: Adventure, mystery
Series: Red Rock Mysteries
Number in series: Second
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Type: Fiction, mystery
Number of pages: 198
Time period: Present
Main characters: Ashley, Bryce
Exciting events: Silly, it's a mystery! You have to read it to find out. :)
My overall opinion: Another fun and recommended book!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Haunted Waters



Author: Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry
Genre: Adventure, mystery
Series: Red Rock Mysteries
Number in series: First
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 202
Time period: Present
Main characters: Bryce, Ashley, Dylan, Sam
Exciting events: Dozens! Chases, escapes, fights...
My overall opinion: Pretty good book! I enjoyed it. There is some very slight boy girl stuff, but over-all, it was an enticing mystery that was impossible to put down. :)

Friday, January 14, 2011

Tenth Stone



Author: Bodie and Brock Thoene
Genre: Historical fiction
Series: The A. D. Chronicles
Number in series: 10
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9
Type: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 256 of story, but with the study guide at the end it's about 325.
Time period: Jesus' time/Bible times
Main characters: Daniel, Cantor, Lily, Jesus
Exciting events: Kidnapping and more
My overall opinion: I love these books. This one was a re-telling of the Prodigal Son! It was very interesting.

Instead of Three Wishes



Author: Megan Whalen Turner
Genre: Fantasy
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 132
Time period: Fantasy
Main characters: None.
Exciting events: Nightmares, elven kings, going through pictures, much more!
My overall opinion: It was okay. There was a ghost story which I don't generally endorse, and some other things that could have been left out. However, there was no bad language or inuendos, so that was good. It's a collection of short stories.  In a sentence: it was okay, I may read it again if I'm desperate, but I don't want to own it.

Movie: The Bells of Rosarita



My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5
Main characters: Roy Rogers, Sue Farnham, Gabby
Genre: Western
Series or set: It's on a DVD called Roy Rogers: 5 Episodes. So...I'm not sure what to put here.
Primary actors: Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Gabby Hayes
Time period: 1940's
Exciting events: A land-hungry man, a desperate woman, a handsome actor...:)
Year it came out: Out in 1945
My overall opinion: This was a pretty good one. I'm a fan of any Roy Rogers movies anyway, but this one was very good and I recommend it. :)

Hood



Author: Stephen R. Lawhead

Genre: Adventure
Series: King Raven Triology
Number in series: First
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Type: Historical fiction
Number of pages:  472
Time period: 1200, maybe?
Main characters: Bran, Merian, Iwan, Angharad
Exciting events: A mysterious gigantic bird, being hunted by warriors, nearly dying, escapes, captures, much more!
My overall opinion: A unique re-telling of Robin Hood! It's...different. You have to read it to understand. A few slightly inappropriate things, but overall it was a good book. Any boy is sure to enjoy it, and girls will too. :)

Keeper of the Light



Author: Patty Metzer

Genre: Romance, life
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9.5
Type: Fiction
Number of pages:  367
Time period: 1700's
Main characters: Kaytra, Colin, Lydia
Exciting events: Many! :)
My overall opinion: This is one of the best books I've read in a long time! I highly recommend it to everyone. Well, not little kids, but you get the idea. :) It's a really unique, sweet story!

Big book giveaway!

Hey, everyone!

Just wanted you all to hear about the big book giveaway going on at Legacy of a Writer. She's giving away a lot of books! But hurry, they all end tonight, January 14.

Click here for your chance to win two books! Either Texas Roads and A Path Less Traveled by Cathy Bryant, Somewhere to Belong and More Than Words by Judith Miller, The Edge of Light and Promise of Morning by Ann Shorey, or McKenzie and Kaydie by Penny Zeller. So go enter!

Then click here to enter to win Surrender the Wind by Rita Gerlach.

Click here to enter to win Singing Winds by Linda Strawn.

And then, click here to win Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar.

And here to enter in the giveaway for The Heart's Journey Home by Jen Stephens.

Good luck!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

I Was Awarded!

My very first blogging award! This is terribly exciting. Thank you, Kait! For the rest of you...Kait runs a couple of delightful book blogs. I was awarded on her blog called Reviews by Jane. Check it out! She also blogs with a friend on Book Ponderings.

The great time has come. :) Here is the award!

Ta-da! Yes, I'm a little happy. :) Thanks again, Kait!

Now. I'm supposed to share seven things about myself with you! So...here goes!
  1. I love reading. Especially anything Jane Austen. :)
  2. I do enjoy watching movies too, especially anything Jane Austen.
  3. I have a camera and a photography blog. View my profile to find it. :) I named my camera CaMera.
  4. I also have an Mp3 player named LaMera. I like her a lot.
  5. I love listening to music, especially Katherine Jenkins, Susan Boyle, Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Turner, Celtic Woman, Enya, and a variety of movie soundtracks.
  6. I think I want the Emma 2009 soundtrack. Now I need to save my money and buy it! :)
  7. I think I'm rambling. Do you agree? ;) On a side note...I love smilies. :)
Okay. Now I get to choose up to 15 other bloggers who I feel deserve this award! So...I'm going to go with my nine followers. First, thank you all for following me! I love followers and your comments really make my day. :) Before you post the award on YOUR blog, follow these rules:

  1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
  2. Share 7 things about yourself.
  3. Award fifteen recently discovered great bloggers.
  4. Contact the named bloggers and tell them they're awarded!
Here we go! I realize I didn't do 15, but I think that 12 will be enough this time. :)
  1. Elegance of Fashion
  2. Old Fashioned Charm
  3. Rather Bookish
  4. Regency Delight
  5. An Old-Fashioned Girl
  6. Book Ponderings
  7. Reviews by Jane
  8. Libri
  9. Content in Christ
  10. Inspire
  11. Jane and Elizabeth
  12. Jessica's Blog
  13. That's all!

Movie: America's Test Kitchen



My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7.5
Genre: How-to, cooking
Series or set: America's Test Kitchen
Number in series: Season 9, Disc 3.
Primary actors: Christopher Kimball, Julia C. Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Adam Ried
Time period: Present
Year it came out: 2009
My overall opinion: This was fun. :) A cool thing was that in each episode, they would compare a bunch of cooking utensils, as in, they might get 15 sets of measuring cups and figure out which was best. Or rice cookers, scales, etc. :)

Movie: Emma



My rating on a 1-10 scale: 10
Genre: Romance
Primary actors: Romola Garai, Johnny Lee Miller, Michael Gambon
Based on: Emma by Jane Austen
Time period: 1800's
Quote(s): There are many quotable lines in here, but I'm unable to recall any at the moment. :(
Year it came out: 2009
My overall opinion: My rating shows...I love this movie! Saw it three times in a row. :) It's definitely worth every minute you spend watching it. About four hours long! But it's so totally worth it. You're guaranteed to love it if you enjoy reading Jane Austen's book and/or watching the movies of them. :) This one follows the book quite closely. Highly recommended! Oh, also, the soundtrack? I don't have the CD, but I LOVE the music! SO beautiful. :)

Love that scene, and the dance music. :)
And finally, two banners made by Elegance of Fashion:


Make sure you check her blog out! :)

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Another book giveaway!

Yes, another book giveaway! This one is at Book Ponderings.



Click here to enter this giveaway!

50th Post!

That's right! This is my 50th post! I'd offer a giveaway, maybe, but I already told you: when I have 25 followers, there'll be a book giveaway! Tell your blogging friends about Austenitis, and let's have this giveaway! :)

Movie: A Christmas Carol


My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Main characters: Scrooge, The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, Future, Bob Cratchit
Genre: Life, classic
Primary actors: Patrick Stewart
Based on: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Time period: 1800's
Exciting events: Many travels, walking through walls, etc.
Quote(s): God bless us, every one! I was wondering if you'd like Mr. Marley's name removed from the sign, outside. No, time will erase it at no cost to us. He'll be about as merry as a graveyard on a wet Sunday.
Year it came out: 1999
My overall opinion: This is a good movie! It sticks fairly closely to the book, but there are some differences.

Love's Secret Storm


Author: Leonora Pruner

Genre: Romance

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7.5
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 262
Time period: 1800's
Main characters: Meg, Charles, Will
Exciting events: Many!
My overall opinion: This book was okay, I didn't love it. There were some things about it I didn't like, but I'm not going to say what because it'd give away some of the story. :)

Taste of Home's Casserole Cookbook



Author: Ummm...it's a TOH publication.

Genre: How-to, cooking
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8
Type: Cookbook
Number of pages: 317
Time period: None
Main characters: Chicken, beef, seafood, vegetables
Exciting events: None
My overall opinion: Whoever heard of a cookbook with exciting events, or a time period? Actually, there are some time period cookbooks. ANYWAY, this is a pretty great cookbook. It has recipes for pretty much every imaginable casserole. Recommended!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

A Conspiracy of Kings



Author: Megan Whalen Turner
Genre: Fantasy, adventure
Series: I don't think it's in a series, but it may be. I haven't read the potential preceding books.
Number in series: Fourth, IF it's in the series. I don't know! Okay, according to Wikipedia it's in The Queen's Thief series.
My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5
Type: Fiction
Number of pages: 313
Time period: Fantasy, Byzantine
Main characters: Sophos, Eugenides, the Queen of Eddis, the magus
Exciting events: Sword fights, escapes, and more.
My overall opinion: A fun read! It sounds long, but is worth the time. I wish I'd read the books earlier in the series first, but didn't miss them too much, still was able to understand the story. It is a fantastical story, in a fantastical time, but similar to Byzantium, which is why we have the confusion about time period up there. :)