New Background!

Winter is (supposedly, sorta) over. Maybe. Maybe not. But I'm tired of my winter background, and have returned to using Julia's beautiful ones! I had the (delectable) Creamy Latte background before for several months -- now, Toffee Wrapper. All from her Chocolate Series! I highly recommend that you go to "I Love It!" Blog Designs and choose your own new blog background. My favorite posts are the Chocolate Series one, the Aqua one, and, of course, the Jane Austen one. Check it out!

 P.S. Julia -- if you read this...when are more coming? I looked for Christmas ones there, awhile back, but never saw any... :( Can't wait to see what other brilliant and delightful ideas you'll come up with!

Birthday: Cynthia Voigt

Cynthia Voigt

 

Birth: February 25, 1942

It’s her 70th birthday!

You know her because – she wrote several books, including Dicey's Song and Jackaroo. The latter is a favorite of mine!

Cover Focus: The Blue Enchantress

The Blue Enchantress by M. L. Tyndall

Book blurb from goodreads.com : “Get swept away in a high-tide of romance and adventure from acclaimed author M. L. Tyndall. Attempting to forget about a painful past, Hope Westcott plunges into Charles Towne society trying to find love and acceptance. Captain Nathaniel Masonis determined to build his shipping business and doesn’t need a romantic entanglement—especially with a woman like Hope. When Hope’s adventure-seeking puts her freedom—and her life—in jeopardy, will Nathaniel turn his back or follow God’s voice and sacrifice everything to save her?”

Why I like this cover: I love the title, I love the cover. You would expect the girl to be wearing blue though, don’t you think? I’ll start with her. J Just look at that dress! It’s beautiful. Most of it is obviously the yellow material, as an overskirt and the bodice. But there’s a lot of lace! All down the front of the bodice, on the sleeves, and around the neck. I would guess there’s some at the bottom of the skirt as well. And then there’s the orange belt/girdle/whatever-you-call-it around her waist. And don’t you love those little yellow bows in the lace on the front? Did you notice her hair? Those gold blowing hairs…delightful. She’s a very pretty girl. The sky is an unusual color, kind of yellow-orange. And the boat…what a delightful one! Not even the water is blue – but yellow, to go with the rest. Finally, I do love the cursive font in the title. This is one of my favorite covers. I can’t wait to read the book someday!

The Last Jihad

Author: Joel Rosenberg

Genre: Adventure (it would technically be called suspense or political thriller or something like that)

Series: The first in this Jihad series that you’ve heard me say many times that I’ve read out of order.

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 334

Time period: Present or near future

My overall opinion: This book was definitely one of the best in the series. The action is quite literally heart-pounding and extremely exciting. This is an amazing book and I highly recommend it. This is the one where Rosenberg “forecasted” 9/11 – he wrote the book before 9/11, but some of the events are strangely similar. Great book.

Journeying through Middle Earth {Guest Post by Jemimah C.}

Journeys and adventures begin right when you step out through the door. The moment you put your foot on the road, you can be swept off to lands you never dreamed of exploring and worlds you never knew existed. Along the way, you might see new faces, meet different people, and perhaps you'll even catch some glimpses of other kinds of creatures as well. Journeys aren't always safe and jolly. There's bound to be some danger, some point of excitement. As one quote says:

"It's a dangerous business...going out of your door. You step onto the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." (The Fellowship of the Ring)

But some journeys are worth taking. And some of them can even change your life.

Years ago, I started out on a journey. It was a journey that took me through the land of Middle Earth—a fantasy world created by an illustrious British author by the name of J.R.R. Tolkien. My journey began when I saw an epic story set in Middle Earth play before my very eyes. That was the moment I stepped through the door into a new world; that was the road to a grand and thrilling adventure.

To put it simply, I watched The Lord of the Rings, a movie trilogy based on a three-book fantasy series by Tolkien. I had never seen a film trilogy so well made and full of grandeur...I knew I wanted more. So I took the road down and deeper into the story of The Lord of the Rings. I read the book trilogy, including some of Tolkien's other works, and even books inspired by the novels and the films. And in this post, I want to share with you some of the books and movies on The Lord of the Rings that I enjoyed reading and watching. I definitely recommend them to you!

Books

Although it's not exactly part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien stands a prequel to LOTR. It will explain a good deal of things that appear in the trilogy, so you wouldn't want to miss reading it. It's quite intriguing and fascinating.

Three of my favorite books, all belonging to one trilogy. J.R.R. Tolkien is indeed a master of fantasy! The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King are such entrancing reads. They are enjoyable to read over and over again.

Sometime a year ago, I decided to pick up a few books on LOTR that were lying on our bookshelves and read them. One of them was Finding God in The Lord of the Rings by Kurt Bruner & Jim Ware. It explains the spiritual side of LOTR. Thoroughly interesting and compelling. A must read for all Tolkien and LOTR fans.

Like the preceding book, these two inspirational books by Sarah Arthur, Walking With Bilbo and Walking With Frodo, also discuss the spiritual side of LOTR. They will take you on a daily devotional "journey" through The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the Bible. I learned many great, valuable lessons from these two books. I'm sure you will, too.

Before I proceed to the movie portion (which we are ostensibly nearing to), I'll share about these two movie guides first. They are accompaniments to the New Line Cinema film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. One is the LOTR: Official Movie Guide, while the other is the LOTR: The Making of the Movie Trilogy; both are written by Brian Sibley. If you want to learn more about the movies—the filming, the costumes, the characters, the actors, the places, etc.—here are two highly interesting movie guides.

Thus we end the book portion. There are many other written works on The Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth that I am sure are good to read. I myself have a lot to read yet.

Movies

Now we come to the start of it all...the reason why I first started to love LOTR. As I said, it all began when I watched three films. And they are:

The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

The Two Towers (2002)

The Return of the King (2003)

Three outstanding, superb, epic movies produced by New Line Cinema. That's what they are! Although they still differ slightly from the initial stories from the books, the movies remain quite accurate and loyal to them, unlike so many films that have been made. As a matter of fact, if you'd ask me, the movies were almost better than the books. But I still believe that books are better. At least I think so. But nevertheless, my family enjoys watching the movie trilogy repeatedly. We often schedule annual movie marathons for it.

Is anyone else excited for December 14, 2012? 'Cause I am exceedingly excited for that day! I've been anticipating the release of The Hobbit ever since I heard they were pushing through with the filming of LOTR's prequel. When the announcement trailer came out, I had to watch it several times before I believed it was real. As I watched the various scenes come out on the YouTube trailer, I was literally screaming my lungs out...or my head off. Because, LOTR fans, we're in for another delectable adventure through Middle Earth!

So you see, adventures in Middle Earth are often fun and thrilling, exhilarating and exciting. Who can't help but journey there and back again.

Speaking of "there and back again," I'll be back with a few more guest posts here on Austenitis. Don't forget to watch out for them!

Have you read/watched any books/movies on J.R.R. Tolkien or The Lord of the Rings? Which is your favorite? Do you have any LOTR-inspired books to recommend?

{Images via Google Images}

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About the writer: Lady Jemimah C. is a self-confessed elf maiden who resides in the polychromatic woods of Rivendell in Middle Earth. She delights in books and libraries, and is an avid fan of The Lord of the Rings. She is a fervent writer with a heart made of paper and iridescent ink-filled veins. Also a photography enthusiast, an aspiring thespian, an imaginative dreamer, a time traveler, an explorer. And foremost, she is a daughter of the King of kings and a servant of God. Her writer's corner, her "hobbit hole" is known to the world as Beautiful Blank Pages, her blog.

Nicholas Nickleby

Author: Charles Dickens

Genre: Life

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 969

Time period: 1800’s

My overall opinion: I am exceedingly proud of myself – I read this whole book! 969 pages is a lot to read. Especially when it’s not riveting. The story was an interesting one…Dickens always has SO many subplots, not to mention strange characters! They even have strange names, like Smike and Squeers. I’m glad it read it, if only so I can say I did. J

Birthday: George Washington

George Washington

Birth: February 22, 1732

Death: December 14, 1799

It’s his 280th birthday!

You know him because – he was the first President of the United States of America! Also a famous Revolutionary War general.

CD: Rejoice

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Singer: Katherine Jenkins

Type of music: Soprano, classical (maybe?)

List of songs:

1.       Rejoice

2.       I (Who Have Nothing)

3.       Sancta Maria

4.       Secret Love

5.       Le Cose Che Sei Per Me (The Things You Are to Me)

6.       How Do You Leave the One You Love?

7.       Requiem for a Soldier

8.       Somewhere

9.       Shout in Silence

10.   Be Still My Soul

11.   Kiss from a Rose

12.   I Will Pray for You

13.   Viva Tonight

My overall opinion: I have really enjoyed this CD since I received it for Christmas. Especially the title track is beautiful, and the rest are also wonderful. #3 always reminds me of Charlotte Church’s version. #’s 6, 11, and 12 are stunning as well.

The Honor Girl

Author: Grace Livingston Hill

Genre: Life, romance

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: About 180

Time period: Early 1900’s

My overall opinion: This book doesn’t have as much romance as some of GLH’s, and is definitely one that stands out from the others. As usual, it was sweet and fun.

Birthday: Charlotte Church

Charlotte Church

 

Birth: February 21, 1986

It’s her 26th birthday!

You know her because – she’s a wonderful singer, in her older albums. Be warned that the newer ones aren’t as good.

That's one of the good CD's. :)

Please Vote!

Remember my letter to Jane Eyre from Lady Catherine? Entered in the Period Drama Advice Column Tournament?


 

Well, all the entries have been collected and the voting has begun! Click here to go to Elegance of Fashion, read the other entries, and vote for your favorite! Please do vote, whether or not it's for me. See y'all over there!

 

And to the other contestants...good luck! I loved your letters. :)

Just My Type

Author: Simon Garfield

Genre: I have no idea. The subtitle is A Book About Fonts.

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Non-fiction

Number of pages: 356

My overall opinion: This was a pretty interesting book! I first saw it on goodreads and was pleasantly surprised when Mom spotted it at the library and picked it up for me. It was remarkable. Pretty much a history of fonts, giving the actual history of some individual fonts, explaining our associations with some fonts, etc. It wasn’t riveting, but good. 

Safely Home

Author: Randy Alcorn

Genre: Christianity, faith, evangelism

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 401

Time period: 1990’s, future

My overall opinion: A good and interesting book concerning the persecution of Christians in China. Very heart-moving. Recommended.

Birthday: Mary I

Mary I (also known as Bloody Mary)

 

Birth: February 18, 1516

Death: November 17, 1558

It’s her 496th birthday!

You know her because – she’s one of the famous English queens, known for killing over 300 people who weren’t Catholic.

Birthday: Janette Oke

Janette Oke

Birth: February 18, 1935

It’s her 77th birthday!

You know her because – she wrote many books, including the Love Comes Softly series, and many stand-alone books. One person she co-authored with is Davis Bunn.

Spotlight: Frodo and Sam

Hi there! This is Alyianna, with the first of my two guest posts. This one is a Spotlight on Frodo and Sam - my two favourite characters in The Lord of the Rings...indeed, any book or movie.

The two  hobbits Frodo and Sam were played by Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, respectively.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor...though I do not know the way."

Frodo Baggins volunteered to take the One Ring on the perilous road to Mordor. He would destroy It at Mount Doom.

"Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me."

Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's faithful gardener, went along with his Master on this dangerous road, helping his friend all the long way.

Sam: "I made a promise, Mr. Frodo, a promise. 'Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.' And I don't mean to, I don't mean to."

Even though Frodo and Sam were from different classes of hobbits (Sam from a working class, Frodo from the higher class), they became the closest of friends.

Sam was there for his friend...from the times when Frodo struggled with the power of the Ring to the times when Frodo repaid his friendship. He went even as far to battle a huge spider and storm into an orc tower just to save his Master and friend.

But when Frodo came back, he realized that he could never go back to his old life.

There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same; for I shall not be the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?

You can't leave!

I tried to save the Shire, Sam, and it has been saved, but not for me.

You cannot be always torn in two. You will have to be one and whole, for many years.

I must leave, must cross the sea;
The love you gave is all I take with me.

- "Use Well the Days" by Annie Lennox

Cover Focus: Leaving

Leaving by Karen Kingsbury

Book blurb from Google books : The Bailey Flanigan series begins with Bailey leaving Bloomington for the adventure of a lifetime. She has won an audition for the ensemble of a Broadway musical in New York City. She's determined to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but is she really ready to leave family and friends for the loneliness of the city? And what of Cody? His disappearance has her worried about their future and praying that their love can survive.In order to be closer to his mother in jail, Cody takes a coaching job in a small community outside Indianapolis. New friends, distance, and circumstances expose cracks in his relationship with Bailey Flanigan. Love, loneliness, big opportunities, and even bigger decisions highlight the first book in the new Bailey Flanigan series that features members of the popular Baxter family and finally completes the Bailey Flanigan/Cody Coleman story.

Read my review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2012/02/leaving.html  It was good. :)

Why I like this cover: I’ll admit that at first glance, it wasn’t really a cover that grabbed me much. But now that I’ve read it, and looked at the cover a few more times, I really like it. It goes perfectly with the book. Love it when a cover does that. J The girl, whose name is Bailey, looks so happy! I don’t have the faintest idea what she’s looking at, but I love that she has just that touch of eye makeup. Such nice blue eyes. And her eyebrows are arched so prettily. And her lips have such the faintest gloss of lipstick. Just right. J I love her brown curls. Brown curls are so romantic. Unfortunately, I’m a blond, and that really wasn’t anything you were looking to know. So let’s get back to the cover. That plum colored shirt even sounds appealing! And don’t you love that little white hat? It goes perfectly with her, both the personality and the cover in general. The background too is pretty cool. All the blue, but obviously in a big city. And the loopy yellow font…I have a thing for loopy fonts. The whole cover is just as delightful as the book inside!

Guest Blogger: Alyianna

Dear blogging friends,

Please help me welcome Alyianna! She's going to be doing several guest post in the coming days (including one tomorrow!) and we're starting with this little interview. Enjoy getting to know her, and make sure you check out her blog(s!)! :)

You have a blog...what's it about? Actually...I have three blogs. ;) The first one, Scribbles of a Catholic Teen, is my main blog, where I do daily posts (Saint of the Day, an article [usually about animals], a minute meditation, and comics) besides updates about me. I also write about things that I like (e.g. Lord of the Rings, music). Then there is my Middle Earth blog - Password to Middle Earth. Here I have news for the upcoming Hobbit film, random LOTR things I find (such as Behind the Scenes videos), What Happened On This Day In Middle Earth, and more. Finally, the latest blog I started is Alyianna's Reviews - where I do reviews on books, movies, music, etc. I actually got inspired to start this blog by Austenitis. :)

Oh, I didn't know that! I'm honored. :) And I need to check out a few more of your blogs! Since this blog is all about Austen in particular, and book in general, what are some of your favorite books? Sadly, I haven't read anything Austen...yet. But Pride and Prejudice is on my list of books to read when I have a moment away from school. My favourite book trilogy is, as you have probably already guessed, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, which I am a complete fanatic of. I also enjoy The Chronicles of Narnia, the Edge Chronicles, the John Paul II High books, etc. etc. etc.

How about a few favorite movies? This is repetitive...but again, The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia (not the BBC movies). I also love classic Disney movies.

Finally, please give us a direct link to your blogs.
Scribbles of a Catholic Teen: http://catholicteen15.blogspot.com/
Password to Middle Earth: http://passwordtomiddlearthalaw.blogspot.com/
Alyianna's Reviews: http://alyiannasreviews.blogspot.com/

Back to Charity. Thanks for coming, Alyianna! I can't wait to read your guest posts.