Saturday, February 19, 2011

Book Blogger Hop - Friday, Feb. 18



The Book Blog Hop is hosted each week by Jennifer at Crazy for Books....I haven't hopped in a few weeks so I'm glad to have a lazy Saturday morning this week to spend hopping around the blogosphere :)


In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! 

This week's question:
What book(s) would you most like to see made  into a movie?

My Answer:

This is a difficult question for me because I do not usually like the movies of books I've enjoyed.  Once those characters hit the screen I think my imagination is insulted if the movie version doesn't match what my brain conjured up while I was actually reading the book.   There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, and I am pleased as punch when a movie lives up to my expectations.  But, as a rule, I don't usually wish for a book to be ruined by a movie :(

For the purposes of this week's book blog hop I'll pretend that Hollywood would do the right thing, make all the right decisions, not cut corners and big important chunks, keep the author close to the project, and hire the appropriate actors to play character roles instead of making those decisions based on who will bring in the most moola...



South of Broad by Pat Conroy, the audiobook I'm listening to right now, is a sweeping saga set in South Carolina that spans generations with a group of friends, includes a psycho killer from two of the friends' past at one point and the group's trek to San Francisco to bring home a friend who is in deep trouble.  Authentic scenery  and Southern accents would be vital for this movie adaption and actors, but done right, it might even be the next The Big Chill.


HOPPING TIME :)

Thursday, February 17, 2011

A Washing Machine That Works...The Continuing Saga




The Head of My Household and I are arguing over a washing machine.
:/

Yes, I know.
Quite entertaining, no doubt.

You may or may not recall previous bouts of washing machine drama.
We have lots of drama in this house...even the appliances have drama.

Right now, we both agree that we need a new washer.
Unfortunately that's all we agree on.

HE realized we needed a new washer when HE was searching for towels and underwear. 
HE realized what I've been telling him for months...but only once it affected him personally...in a very personal way.
HE would rather not spend very much money on replacing the washer.

OY!

I have known for months that we needed a new washer.
I DO NOT want the most newfangled washing machine alive on the planet today.
I simply want a washing machine that's big enough and tough enough to handle our family's laundry.
We don't need no fragile washing machines in our house.
No sir!

HE only sees the price tag.
I see the pile of laundry.
HE wants me to agree with him...but HE wants me to think that it was MY decision to agree with HIM.

Good Grief...I'm exasperated just typing this up.

So far, neither of us is budging...and the laundry is piling up.
To be continued...


Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Wordless (Almost) Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday is hosted over at Beth Fish Reads...

I just can't seem to figure out the "wordless" part :/



Do you ever wish you were a cat?

That's toilet paper in the tree with Uh-Oh by the way.
;)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Favorite Love Stories




Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This week the list theme is

"Top Ten Favorite Love Stories"


1.  Stephanie Plum and Joe Morelli - Four to Score by Janet Evanovich


How can anyone not see that these two need to be together.  They've known each other since they were little kids and have grown up in The Burg passing in and out of one another's lives, sometimes positively and sometimes not so positively.  They both have a fear of commitment while at the same time wanting to have a settled but also passionate life.  They both drive each other nuts but would die if anything happened to the other...
Sounds perfect to me :)


2.  Anita Blake and Jean Claude - The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton


A completely make-believe paranormal romance...but a hot one.  Anita and Jean Claude live their own lives and their relationship is certainly not all a bed of roses.  Jean Claude could have any woman in the world...or even every woman in the world if he so chose.  He could destroy Anita with a hand twitch...but she has him wrapped around her heart.  Anita is no wimpy little girl herself.  She battles the best and the worst of the paranormal world and has survived her own honest share of violence.  How can you resist a relationship where the deep connection these two feel is based on the knowledge that Anita would never die waiting for Jean Claude to save her.  She would simply save herself.




3.  Dracula and Mina Harker - Dracula by Bram Stoker


Yes, I admit that the original Bram Stoker's Dracula never intended to focus on a romantic relationship between Mina and Dracula and yes, I have allowed myself to be caught up in such a possible interpretation.  Mina is a woman before her time; and Dracula is a man (sorta) who has nothing to lose and knows that a woman of Mina's intelligence and spirit must be honored, cherished, and even set free.  Oh my...I feel faint.


4. Rhett and Scarlett - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell


I'm a Southerner.  What in heaven's name did you expect??  My favorite scene is where Rhett picks Scarlett up and carries her up the stairs...with her kicking and struggling all the way...well, most of the way...Yowza!  Scarlett is also a woman before her own time but is afraid to be that real woman...she hides behind the facade of the Southern Belle...but Rhett sees through that and calls her on it.  Scarlett needs Rhett and he needs her...if only they had both realized it at the same time.



5.  Bill and Sookie - Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris


I know that they don't stay together for long...but I think they'll end up together again someday.  Bill had to let Sookie go...so she could grow and find her own identity in the paranormal world.  The scene where Sookie comes to Bill after her grandmother's funeral is one of the most touching scenes EVER...I've read it again and again. 
Yes, I realize I'm a basket case.



6.  Robin Hood and Maid Marian


These two have the opposite relationship of Rhett and Scarlett.  As good of a man as Robin Hood is, he still enjoys being known for his deeds and having a way with the ladies.  Maid Marian sees through all of that and challenges Robin to grow up and be a man, making no bones about the fact that she's had enough of chivalrous idiots and useless tradition.  Stunned at first, Robin follows her like a lost puppy and is happy to oblige Marian's need for him to become a man.



7.  Jo and Professor Baehr - Little Women by Lousia May Alcott


A very patient and gentle man to match but not feel the need to "break" the feisty gung ho nature of Louisa May Alcott's heroine.   Still another example of a man who honors the independence of the woman he chooses to spend his life with.  The Professor is older than Jo and that makes so much sense to me...Jo was always wiser than those her own age and needed someone who could meet her halfway in an intelligent conversation that may not have anything to do with running a household, darning socks, or bearing offspring.  I don't think that it was a coincidence that The Professor was not American by birth. 


8.  Father Tim and Cynthia - Mitford series by Jan Karon


These two have just about the simplest love imaginable...they simply love; they simply trust; and they enjoy each other's company.  When you get tired of all the vampire craziness and the female or male protangonists who can't make up their minds about who the best mate is...you can always count on Father Tim and Cynthia to save you a place at the table for a quiet peaceful dinner...not boring, mind you...there are plenty of crazy things happening in Mitford and amongst their extended families.  But Father Tim and Cynthia weather it together with an honesty that just makes you feel dang good. 


I'm late posting tonight's Top 10 because I have searched and searched for #9 and #10...I've even cheated and skimmed a few other Top Ten lists...it didn't help.
:(
So, I guess this week, I'll only have 8 Top Ten Favorite Love Stories.
But, Man, are they good ones or what??
;)

Monday, February 14, 2011

Feb. 14, 2011 Things I Love


Things I Love
The Valentine's Day Edition ;)


1.  My family, home, husband and children

2.  CoCo Madmemoiselle by Chanel

3.  My buddy Uh-Oh

4.  mint tea

5.  home grown tomatoes

6.  Milk Duds

7. cashmere sweaters

8.  a clean house

9.  sleeping in

10.  my first cup of coffee in the morning

11.  books

12. a perfectly cooked filet

13.  Brighton jewelry, shoes and accessories

14.  a stack of GRADED papers

15. Students who do their work on time and don't try to offer 800 excuses as to why they can't get it turned in on time.

16.  having the menu for the week all planned out

17.  having all three of my girls happy at the same time

18.  a single scoop of Baskin Robbins chocolate chip ice cream on a sugar cone

19.  my Cusinart food processor

20.  my Kitchenaid mixer

:):):):):

Happy Valentines Day, everybody!!