The Ultimate Book Bash: C. S. Lewis Day

AAAAHHHH! It's the final day of The Ultimate Book Bash! A wrap-up post will be coming later, but for now...

Let's learn about C. S. Lewis.

His real name was Clive Staples Lewis, and he was born on November 29, 1898, in Ireland. (I'm glad  my middle name isn't Staples. The only thing that might be worse would be Scissors. ;P) His family knew him as Jack. As a child, Jack always loved the animals in stories like Beatrix Potter. In 1916, he got to go to University College, in England. It was there that he met Yeats. In 1917, he became an officer in the British Army, and served on the front lines in France.

In early 1918, he was wounded and two of his friends were killed. Back when he was 15, he decided to be an atheist. However, as time went by, the books that he read and the friends that he made (including J. R. R. Tolkien) influenced him back.

In Jack's later life, he met Joy Gresham, also a convert from atheism to Christianity. She had two young sons, David and Douglas. (Incidentally, Douglas Gresham hosted for Focus on the Family, on their tapes of The Chronicles of Narnia.) Joy and Jack were married in 1956, but sadly, Joy died from cancer in 1960. David and Douglas had been adopted by Jack, and he raised them as his own.

He had blood poisoning, because of inflamed kidneys, in 1961, and died on November 22, 1963.

The Ultimate Book Bash: Final Post

Well. Here we are. Is it happy or sad? I don't know. :) But here we are anyway! So without further sentiment, let's go.

Firstly, the tag. I was delighted with how many people did it! Thanks to each of you. Make sure you check them out! I found lots of new books to read. :)
Tags

Austenitis (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Beautiful Blank Pages (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)
Regency Delight ~ Jane Austen Etc (here)
Rather Bookish (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Beloved Graceful (here)
Elegance of Fashion (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
But when a young lady is to be a heroine (Part 1 -- let me know when you get more up, Mel!)
Miss Georgiana Darcy (Part 1, Part 2)
A Most Beguiling Accomplishment (here)
Legacy of a Writer (here)

And then we have giveaways.  Three are still open, so go ahead and enter!

Giveaways (There's still time to enter!)

• Pearl in the Sand - Tessa Afshar
• A Reluctant Queen - Joan Wolf
• Janette Oke's/Silas Marner

Authors. Each day, as you should know, I featured an author. Below, you can find all the posts for each author/the author's books.
Author Days:

J. R. R. Tolkien

• Biography
• His Books
• The Movies
• Spotlight: Legolas

Jane Austen

• Biography
• Her Books
• The Movies
• Spotlight: Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy

L. M. Montgomery

• Biography
• Her Books
• The Movies
• Spotlight: Anne Shirley

C. S. Lewis

• Biography
• His Books
• The Movies
• Spotlight: Lucy Pevensie

And that is the end. Goodness. How sad. It does sound awful, doesn't it? We'll have to do it again sometime. Currently I'm considering doing another thing similar to this...but musicals. As in, Sound of Music. Yes, really. That idea is still in the egg stage. ;)

But wait! Before you hit that exit button...there's another event happening soon! Those of you who are observant may have noticed the new button on the left. Miss Elizabeth Bennet is having a Period Drama Week, similar in some ways to the Jane Austen Week that she had not so very long ago. :) She has lots of cool buttons (making it nearly impossible to decide which to use) and a tag. Go here to learn more about it, and here to see the questions and/or leave a suggestion. Or just click the button below!

The Ultimate Book Bash Tag! Part 3!

Welcome to this third part of my Ultimate Book Bash Tag! I hope that all of you who are reading, and/or doing the tag yourself are having as much fun as I am. :)

I have already answered the first 20 questions in two previous posts, so we'll begin with #21 here.

21. Name two books we wouldn't have expected you to enjoy. The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson and The Cat of Bubastes by G. A. Henty.

22. Name three books that have good movies to go with them. Only three? Goodness. Well, Pride and Prejudice of course. The 1995 version.

And then... The Scarlet Pimpernel, 1982 version.

And The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The 2005 version. :) Interesting, all those have multiple versions!

23. Any books coming out soon that you're looking forward to? Yes! There are quite a few, but I'll just name the three I'm on blog tours for. They are Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland by Roseanna M. White (coming in December), Hailee by Penny Zeller (September!), and The Heart's Lullaby by Jen Stephens (early next year). I'm really looking forward to all of them. :) I'm adding a picture of the Annapolis cover because I love it right now. :) Just look at that dress.... *sigh*

24. Name two authors you'd like to talk to. Only TWO?!?!?!? Oh my word. Ummm...this is impossible. I would have loved to meet Jane Austen. And then a living author...ha, I will cheat and say Alex and Brett Harris, who wrote Do Hard Things. Awesome book.

25. Science fiction or a fairy tale? Fairy tale. I love those. :) Especially Cinderella.

26. A classic book you haven't read is...? To Kill a Mocking-bird by Lee Harper. It's very famous, and I rather consider it a classic. I haven't read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy yet either.

27. Shakespeare or George Bernard Shaw (who wrote Pygmalion)? While Pygmalion is all I've read by Shaw, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Shakespeare I find hard to read (at least in the original), and overall his stories aren't ones I love. Incidentally, there are a few there too that I haven't read. Those would be classics.

28. Name a movie (or two) where it's actually better than the book. Princess Bride. That's easy. A second one...hmmm. I know, I know, it's optional. My Fair Lady (the movie) is better than Pygmalion (the book). IMHO.

29. Where is your favorite place to read? My bed. :) I spend at least two hours a day in bed reading. :) However, the couches and the van (when going places) are also excellent spots for reading. :)

30. What are your favorite quotes from books? There are so many! First, one from Pride and Prejudice. "A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, love to matrimony in a moment." ~Mr. Darcy. Ouch. But in a way...it's true? :P

Next, a quote from Princess Bride. Which is a very strange book, but has some good quotes. Or rather, humorous ones. "Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning." That's by William Goldman.

Finally, another Jane Austen quote. She's SO quotable. This one is from Emma. "Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way." Interesting how that one is also true...

31. What book would you most like see made into a movie? I am lucky because so many of my favorite books already are great movies! I would like to see the Anne of Green Gables series done. There are movies out there now, and if you view them as un-connected to the books, they're fine. But they stray by the second and third ones. Very annoying.

32. What book character do you identify the most with? I think Jo March. Maybe. Or Elizabeth Bennet, sometimes. That's hard. My friends probably know better about me than I do. :)

And so we come to the end! That was fun. :) But take heart, the Ultimate Book Bash isn't done yet! We've still got more to come!

The Ultimate Book Bash: L. M. Montgomery Day

Welcome back, everyone! After today, it will be the last day of our Ultimate Book Bash! A bittersweet thought, personally. ;) But take heart...we've still got giveaways, tag answers, and of course, author days to come! Just a reminder, today is for L. M. Montgomery (author of Anne of Green Gables and more) and tomorrow we'll be celebrating C. S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia and more). So, shall we begin?

Lucy Maud Montgomery (I love that name...and wonder why she went by her initials) was born on November 30, 1874, and was generally called Maud by her family. She was born on Prince Edward Island, the same place where so many of her books take place. When she was almost two, her mother died. Her grieving father gave her grandparents custody, and when she was seven, she went to live with them. They were very strict, and Maud's life was hard.

In 1897, she accepted the proposal of Ed Simpson, simply because of the love and protection he would give her. However, in 1898, she broke off their engagement. Her first book (and most famous), Anne of Green Gables, was published in 1908. Three years later, she finally married a man named Ewan Macdonald, a minister.

She died in 1942, and continued writing right up to her death.

The Ultimate Book Bash: Jane Austen Day

Welcome! Can you believe we're already to the third day of the Ultimate Book Bash? I do hope you're all having fun. :) I'm lovin' it as you post the tag!

As you no doubt noticed from the title, today is Jane Austen Day! This should be fun. :)

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775. To put that in perspective,that the same year that the Revolutionary War really began. Jane had six brothers, and one sister, to whom she was very close. When she was seven, she and Cassandra (her sister) caught typhus and Jane nearly died. I know I'm really glad she didn't!

As early as age 11, she may have begun writing, keeping mostly to poems, stories, and plays for her family. Much of her life was devoted to writing, but we'll cover her books in a later post. :) In December of 1795, Tom Lefroy came into her life. He is often known as her special man. It is interesting to note that they were only together for one month, since his family sent him away at the end of January. Jane never saw him again.

In 1800, Jane and her family moved to Bath. Her dislike of Bath is rather well known. In 1802, Jane received her only offer of marriage. She accepted, but the following morning, broke it off. Her father died in 1805, and her brother moved her mother and family to Chawton in 1809. Her first book, Sense and Sensibilty was not published until 1811. Interestingly, Mansfield Park, published in 1814, made the most money.

Jane Austen died on July 18, 1817. She was 41. Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were both published after her death.

Keep watching for more Jane Austen posts!

The Ultimate Book Bash: J. R. R. Tolkien Day

So. Last night I was thinking about the Book Bash and turning over an idea I've had for a while about really posting a whole bunch during the UBB. And I decided...well, it was like this. I thought to myself "You know what? We're just going to do this. I'm going to post six times a day for a week. I can do that." Yes I can. And here we go. Each day, Tuesday through Friday, will be for a specific author. Today's: J. R. R. Tolkien. If you have anything to post that has to do with him, now would be a great time. :)

Wednesday: Jane Austen (just for all you Austenites. :)
Thursday: L. M. Montgomery
Friday: C. S. Lewis

Feel free to post anything to do with the author on that day on your blog! And have fun!

Now, right here is our first post today about Tolkien.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892. He had one younger brother. In 1911, the census shows that he was going to school in Edgbaston (that's in England). That summer, he went on holiday to Switzerland, and there, he got his ideas for Bilbo's journey across the Misty Mountains. When he was 16, he had met Edith Mary Bratt, who he later married. There are some humorous stories from this time period in Tolkien's life, which you can read on Wikipedia. :)

Finally, he married Edith. Sometime after mid-1915, he entered the army. In 1916, he got trench fever, a disease carried by lice. After he returned from fighting there in World War I, he started working with Oxford English Dictionary. Right before World War II, the government considered Tolkien to be a code-breaker, and he entertained hopes of becoming one. However, the government didn't need him after all.

He had four children: John, Michael, Christopher (who did much work with his books after his death), and Priscilla.

The Lord of the Rings was published in 1954 and 1955. Various other books were published, with help from his son, after his death, including The Silmarillion.

He died at the age of 81 in 1973. His wife had died a few years earlier.

So ends our first Tolkien post! More coming!

The Ultimate Book Bash Tag! Post 2!

I do hope you're all having as much fun as me...between giveaways, author interviews, and of course, this tag, I'm keeping busy. :)

I already completed the first 10 questions, so we're making progress here!

11. Hardcover or softcover? I usually prefer softcover, but not a flimsy paperback type. I can't stand dust-jackets on books. One of my unusual quirks. :P :)

12. Louisa May Alcott or Lucy Maud Montgomery? Name your favorite book by the author you chose. Ouch. Ummm...this is hard. Probably Alcott. No, Montgomery. It's a total toss-up. Ah! I will use a random number generator and have it choose a number between 1 and 20. Evens is Alcott, odds is Montgomery. The answer is...4! That's Alcott. Okay, I love Little Women. I know a few people who don't like it just because so many people do, but I find it one of those stories that I can (and have) read hundreds of times. :)

13. Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte? Name your favorite book by the author you chose. Jane Austen. Though I enjoy Bronte, Austen is better. I absolutely adore Pride and Prejudice. (nobody sees that I'm adding this note...Emma is a close second)

14. Would you rather read historical fiction about the sinking of the Titanic or the Civil War? Like I said before, I find both fiction and non-fiction accounts about tragedies very interesting but sad. So the Titanic is what I'd read about.

15. What's your favorite classic? Why? Pride and Prejudice. Aren't I boring? I love Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. I love Jane Austen's writing style. I love the wicked characters and the annoying ones, because they're annoying. It's just one awesome book.

16. Little Women or A Little Princess? Little Women.

17. What's your favorite time period to read about? The 1800's. I've read tons of books from then, both written then, and written about that time. I find it engrossing!

18. G. A. Henty, J. R. R. Tolkien, or Charles Dickens? What's your favorite book or series by the author you chose? J. R. R. Tolkien. While I enjoy all these authors (sometimes), Tolkien is definitely my favorite. I love the Lord of the Rings series.

19. Ivanhoe or Ben-Hur? Ben-Hur. I don't love either of these books, but Ben-Hur is easier and more intersting to me. (though, incidentally, the movies are both great)

20. Name three books everyone should read. But there are so many! Other than the Bible, there's Pride and Prejudice. Because once you read it, you hear it referenced all the time. Little Women, because it's such a classic. And it's a toss-up between The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia series. But one and both of those. :)

More coming soon!

The Ultimate Book Bash Tag! Post 1!

Hey, everyone!

Are you all ready for the Ultimate Book Bash tag questions? Hopefully you have yours filled out already. :) I'm looking forward to reading your answers! Make sure you leave me a link so I get you put into the wrap-up post!

Now, on to ME answering the questions. :)

1. Name three books you love. As I said before, the Bible is a given. I also love Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, and Head in the Clouds by Karen Witemeyer. Wow, those three are all very different!

2. Name two books you enjoy, but most people probably haven't heard of. Ummm....Keeper of the Light by Patty Metzer, and Livvie's Song by Sharlene MacLaren. You really need to read both of those. :)

3. Name three series you love. The Love Comes Softly eight book series by Janette Oke, The Chronicles of Narnia seven book series by C. S. Lewis, Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Anne of Green Gables eight book series by L. M. Montgomery. Whoops, four. Sorry, can't narrow it down. **(don't the ones in the picture below make your mouth water? Glossy hard-covers...heaven. :)**

4. Name three authors you love. Jane Austen. Bodie Thoene. Grace Livingston Hill.

5. How about three adventures or mysteries? Once again, I've gotta mention The Scarlet Pimpernel, one of the best mystery/adventures ever. Then Murder on the Oriental Express is a classic Agatha Christie mystery, and then The Lightkeeper's Daugher by Colleen Coble (it was an awesome romance/mystery).

6. Three non-fiction. I just finished enjoying Miracles on the Water by Tom Nagorski. Then Triangle by David VonDrehle, and The Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad. Yes, I tend to find tragedies very interesting though sad to read about.

7. Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys? Which book in your favorite set is your favorite? That's hard, because I enjoy both of them, despite their predictability. What a word! Ummm...I think Hardy Boys at the moment. The Disappearing Floor. It's exciting. :)

8. Narnia or Harry Potter? Name your favorite from the series you like best. Narnia all the way. Though I know a few people who enjoy HP, I haven't read any of the books or seen the movies. But I must say that they really don't appeal to me. Now Narnia, I love it! I'm a huge fan. My favorite is The Silver Chair, but The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a close second.

9. A cookbook or how-to-sew book? Cookbook. I love reading cookbooks, specifically ones from Taste of Home. The Baking Book is my favorite.

10. Historical fiction or fantasy? Name three books you like from the genre you chose. Why did I make these questions so hard? I love both of those. Today I'm in the mood for historical fiction. I enjoyed Jewel of Persia by Roseanna M. White, Coronation of Glory by Deborah Meroff, and Hood by Stephen Lawhead. Those are, respectively, about Esther (from the Bible), Lady Jane Grey (from King Henry VIII's time), and Robin Hood.

I think I'm going to split these questions up into at least three posts. And this is the end of the first one! Remember, I've reviewed most of the books I mention here! Not all, but many. So if they wet your curiosity, by all means, look them up! By author might be easiest, or ask me for other particulars. Or I could just find the post for you. :)

Welcome!

To The Ultimate Book Bash! I'm hoping you all have tons of fun this week. :)

In a few hours, I'll be publishing part one of my answers to the super tag, and just so y'all know...I'm looking forward to reading yours too! Make sure you stop by and leave a link so that I include you in the wrap-up post. :)

Coming this week (and even today!) -- author interview(s) (at least one!), giveaways from me (if any of you have any, now would be a great time to post them!) and of course, the tag.

Thanks to everyone who participates! Oh, and I noticed I'm up to 65 followers! I never dreamed Austenitis would be so popular! Thanks, everyone!

Additional Book Bash Questions!

I know, you already thought there were plenty of questions. :) But here are a few more you can add, suggested by Mel from But when a young lady is to be a heroine. A very fun blog, by the way. :) {{Click on the button below to check it out!}}



30. What are your favorite quotes from books?

31. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?

32. What book character do you identify the most with?

Have fun, and good luck with answering all these questions! I'm finding it hard myself. :)

The Ultimate Book Bash Tag to Fill Out!!

I'm putting these up ahead of time so you have plenty of time to answer them on your blog! Please publish during the Book Bash itself, between August 22 and 26.

Before we really begin, I just want to mention: I know most of you are Christians and love the Bible. I'm pretty much considering that as a given. SO if you would like, you can say at the beginning of whatever question you'd put it under that you consider it a given. Then list three other books. Make sense? That's what I'll do. :)

1. Name three books you love.
2. Name two books you enjoy, but that most people probably haven't heard of.
3. Name three series you love.
4. Name three authors you love!
5. How about three adventures or mysteries?
6. Three non-fiction?
7. Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys? Which book in your favorite set is your favorite?
8. Narnia or Harry Potter? Name your favorite from the series you like best.
9. A cookbook or a how-to-sew book?
10. Historical fiction or fantasy? Name three books you like from the genre you chose.
11. Hardcover or softcover?
12. Louisa May Alcott or Lucy Maud Montgomery? Name your favorite book by the author you chose.
13. Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte? Name your favorite book by the author you chose.
14. Would you rather read historical fiction about the sinking of the Titanic, or the Civil War?
15. What's your favorite classic? Why?
16. Little Women or A Little Princess?
17. What's your favorite time period to read about?
18. G. A. Henty, J. R. R. Tolkien, or Charles Dickens? What's your favorite book or series by the author you chose?
19. Ivanhoe or Ben-Hur?
20. Name three books everyone should read.
21. Name two books we wouldn't have expected you to enjoy.
22. Name three books that have good movies to go with them.
23. Any books coming out soon that you're looking forward to?
24. Name two authors you'd like to talk to.
25. Science fiction or a fairy tale?
26. A classic book you haven't read is...?
27. Shakespeare or George Bernard Shaw (who wrote Pygmalion)?
28. Name a movie (or two) where it's actually better than the book.
29. Where is your favorite place to read?
30. ---

There you have it, folks! Copy and paste those questions to your blog to answer! I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Remember not to publish them until between August 22 and 26! Also, got a suggestion for the blank? Leave a comment with it! If I get enough comments with other good questions to add, I may go up to 35 or 40 questions...if I add more, I'll mention it in a post to y'all. :) Finally, include lots of pictures!

The Ultimate Book Bash!

Yes, you read right! We are going to have an Ultimate Book Bash!

August 22-26, all kinds of awesome festivities will be going on here! And best of all, you can participate!

Tomorrow, I'll be posting the tag for you to fill out. It's fairly large, so feel free to split it into several posts. If you fill out the tag and leave me a link, I'll put it into a special post at the end! But please, don't publish the tag until sometime between August 22 and 26!

During the Book Bash, I will be hosting an author or two, and I will be giving away several books to a couple of lucky winners! If you have a book to give away or an author to interview, now would be a great time! I will advertise your giveaway here. :)

Finally, my apologies for not having a real button. I have trouble with button making. ;) So just post the above picture on your blog, in your post, on your sidebar, or wherever, but make sure you link to me! Thanks so much!

Would You Participate...

in an Ultimate Book Bash here on Austenitis? It would consist of several giveaways, a 30 question book tag, possibly an author interview...and what you would do would be fill out the tag and leave me a link. :) And of course, enter the giveaways if you want. Here's a tentative picture/button...that is, it's a picture. That I intend to use as a button. Sort of. SO would you do it? More info coming. I'll put up a poll to answer on. :)