A Bookish Chat with Belle

Today I have the very great pleasure of introducing my esteemed friend and patroness, Miss Martha--er, I mean Elsie-- er, I mean Isabella.   Or Belle, as I like to call her.  (Well, actually I like to call her "my child" but that's beside the point.)  We are continuing our Bookish Interview series after a brief lapse, and Belle has kindly consented to be the featured bookworm for July.

~Welcome to the podium at Yet Another Period Drama Blog, Belle!  Have some tea and a muffin to calm your nerves and tell us a little bit about yourself.  Name, general age-ish (feel free to be as vague as you like), last movie you watched (and enjoyed), least favorite food, favorite kind of summer activity, and what got you started blogging.  Ready, steady, go!

Hello Amy Dashwood's (aka Amy's) followers! My name is Isabella, but you can call mee Belle or Bella :) I am fifteen and can't believe it :P My life is just passing by SOOO fast! Oh yes if any of you would like to give me a gift I would like some time, literally! :D The last movie I watched was the Hulk, super random I know. :D Least favorite food would probably be Sushi though I can eat some, most of it gets to my stomach so I try to avoid it :) Favorite kind of summer activity would be either swimming, jumping on the trampling, or going out with friends :) I knew very little about blogging until one of my dearest friends started her blog and invited me over to check it out. I fell in love with reading it and decided I wanted to start one as well. I was rather young at the time so I started off a blog with my sisters, then when I turned fourteen started my own. Though I used to be very frequent with blogging I still love it and wish I could post more! But alas I also have life to attend to, which is not near as fun as blogging, but it has to be done ;)

~Okay!  So now that we know a little bit more about you, let’s ask some bookish questions.  Tell us about three books that you loved when you were little-- that is, under ten or so.

Absolutely.

Three books that I enjoyed when I was younger...humm...well I read a lot of random books, like kid devotionals and stuff like that, to be honest I liked to look at the pictures mostly :D

Adam Raccoon 
Random Bible rhyming books :)
Random Tea Party books that came with tea party sets :)

~Oooh, I always loved books about tea parties... still do, in fact.  :D  Which of your favorite books would you like to see made into a movie?

Well for sure Andrew Klavan's books, (which by the way are going to be mentioned a lot in this post :P) the ones I have read that is, such as Nightmare City (more like a Doctor Who episode :D) and The Homelander Series, and a book my friend wrote called The Lost World. But to be completely honest most of my favorite books HAVE been made into movies!

What is your favorite genre to read now? (historical fiction, mysteries, sci-fi, whatever)
I'm really liking action actually, now I definitely do love a good romance but most of the time I prefer an action book with a little romance, then a romance book with a little action :) I'm weird like that ;) I do also enjoy a good sci-fi, historical fiction and mysteries too :) For instance I am in the middle of an amazingly fun series by Andrew Klavan called The Homelander series and it is everything I enjoy! It's an action packed book, with a romance, mystery and fun. I was actually very surprised at how a book with just words could be so action packed and on the edge of your seat feeling, but it was! I highly recommend it ;)

What are some of your favorite quotes about books?

This isn't a quote at all, but it's very true I think :)

~What did you most recently finish reading?  Would you recommend it?

Well I am in the middle of a couple series but like I said I highly recommend Andrew Klavan's The Homelander series.


~What was the longest book you ever read?  Would you recommend that? :D

Oh gosh, I try to stay away from long books...just kidding I am not that person :D I do enjoy a long book, though most books I read are either series or shorter books, so I guess The Homelander series :)

I also recommend Nightmare City, also by Andrew Klavan.  I mainly love that book because it reminds me of a Doctor Who episode. :P Yes, I am a Doctor Who geek, I admit.  :D


~Quick!  First inspirational/funny quote from a book, off the top of your head! 

Life is like riding a bike. In order to keep your balance you must keep moving.

~What is the best book you bought over the last year?

To be completely truthful I never really buy books, not that I don't want to but that most of my books are either given to me, or I rent them from our local library.Sso unfortunately I don't really have a lot of books that I have bought, but more rented or passed down, which happens a lot in our family :) But I can say one of the best books given to me was from one of my best friends AND she wrote it herself! How awesome is that! It is now on Amazon, btw! Here's the link!

(YES.  People, go check out my sister Molly's first novel!!!)

~What would be your response to someone who told you she never read books?

I would think she has no life...:D jk. I would actually think she does have a life but she might be too busy to read books (which I personally think is absolute poppycock but to each his own :D).  And besides, these days you can read books on a kindle or watch the movies. :) (I feel like an old grandma, *shaky voice* "In my days children actually read books, books made out of cardboard and paper!" :D)

~If you were going to be stuck in an airport for three days and could only bring three books with you (and no other source of entertainment), what three books would you choose?

Let's see... probably three of the Homelander series, one because he has to survive and I would probably have to do that at an airport, and two they are just enjoyable and pass the time when I'm bored. (Ok it might sound like I am being a complete fangirl about these books, but I will be honest I love them to death and they are one of the best most recent books I have read, so yeah. :))

~Who are your top three favorite authors?

Andrew Klavan, DUH! :)
Suzanne Collins
J. K. Rowling
Charles Dickens
Sorry, there are just so many! :D

~(I see not the great Jane Austen  in this list... we are no longer friends.  :P  All right, all right, kidding...) What is the best book-to-movie adaptation you’ve ever seen?

Eeesh, well I would say one of the Jane Austen movies but I haven't read a lot of the books yet, I only ask my younger sister about them, (she's a reader :)) so I guess Hunger Games, Catching Fire because that is one of the few book-to-movie adaptations I've read. :D

~All right, all right, you invoked The Name in your last answer... I'll let ya slide.  Quick, name a book you love that begins with C (“the” does not count. :D).

(My first thought was Cat in the Hat but I haven't read that, I know "WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY CHILDHOOD!!! :D) I'm going to just say (Hunger Games) Catching Fire. :D Sorry Amy!!!

~Bahahahaha... s'okay, I still love you.  :D And now... recommend six titles for the lovely readers of this blog.  Any titles.  Six of ‘em.  Do it.  Now.  (No, I’m not bossy.)

Amy, you are that bossy. "No rush" :D JK. (inside joke everyone sorry about that :))

The Last Thing I Remember
The Long Way Home
The Truth Of The Matter
The Final Hour (all of which are a series, sorry I was trying to think of six titles :D)
Nightmare City

Yeah, I'm a little lazy when it comes to picking titles. :P

Thank you so much, Amy, for having me post on your blog! I enjoyed it immensely! And sorry for all my naming-one-book-all-the-time-thing I just haven't read a TON of books recently, my bad! :D But you have inspired me to read more! :)

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Thanks so much for joining us, Belle!  I enjoyed reading your answers immensely, and your pictures (especially the random ones :D) were a splendid addition.  Belle and I are great friends and I am so happy to have her as a guest here... she's a tremendously fun person and does a killer imitation of Martha Mahinsky.  Also, she understands the importance of obeying her father.  (sorry guys... inside joke again...) Everyone, don't forget to visit Belle's lovely blog here!  And don't forget to check out my sister's book, either... not that I'm hinting or anything.

(Also don't forget to submit your nominations for the August I'd Like to Share, right over here, if you haven't already.)

A Bookish Chat With Molly

-Welcome to the podium at Yet Another Period Drama Blog, Molly!  Have some tea and a muffin to calm your nerves and tell us a little bit about yourself.  Name, general age-ish (feel free to be as vague as you like), favorite place to go in summer, least favorite household chore, favorite kind of jewelry, and what got you started blogging.  Ready, steady, go!

Thank you very much for the tea! It’s a good thing I’m not agitated, because if I had butter on the muffins it would get on my cuffs. Hmm, I’m not wearing cuffs.

Moving on. Anyway, I go by Molly in the blogging world. I'd prefer not to give my real name, if you don't mind. I am fourteen years of age, (and in seven months I’ll be old enough to see Les Mis! Whoop!) I love going many places in the summer, it would be hard to pick one. I do like the beach, though steep beaches and big waves make me nervous. My favorite type of jewelry is probably a necklace, though one day I hope to wear a ring. (Whoo! Miss Hale!) Sweeping is probably my least favorite, but I don’t care much for cleaning bathrooms or sorting laundry to be washed. I started blogging with my sister Anne-girl two years ago, I believe. Before that, I had fun reading blogs, and I wanted to start one of my own, and when Anne-girl suggested it, I was all for it! And here I am now! :D

-Okay!  So now that we know a little bit more about you, let’s ask some bookish questions.  Tell us about three books that you loved when you were little-- that is, under ten or so.

Wow, was I really under ten only around five years ago? Yeesh. Let’s see, three books I loved….. “Addy Saves the Day," "Molly Saves the Day," and "Kaya's Escape." All three wee exciting and I loved American Girl!

-Ooooh, I loved all of those too-- Samantha Saves the Day was another favorite of mine.  Those Saves the Day books were the BEST.  Which of your favorite books would you like to see made into a movie? (preferably list one that hasn’t already been made into a movie :D)

Just one?! Probably The Mysterious Benedict Society. As long as someone with good authority on the books was there to oversee it and make sure hate movie people didn’t get anything wrong. :D I don’t know if that is my favorite book that I’d like to see as a movie, but I do love that book and would want to see the movie if they made one.


-I know you love to read history books, sometimes for writing research and sometimes just for fun.  What’s your favorite era to read about?

Mmm, that’s hard! Perhaps the Civil War era, though I also love WWII and the Revolutionary War time period!


-What are some of your favorite quotes about books?

I don’t know if actually know of any off the top of my head…. well, here are a few I liked!
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” (Heehee, Henry Tilney!)

“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”

“A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.”

(This one is technically more about bookstores, but I liked it.) “The smallest bookstore still contains more ideas of worth than have been presented in the entire history of television.”

“TV.  If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six.  Open your child's imagination.  Open a book.”

-Loved all of those-- especially that last one, as I hadn't heard it before! What did you most recently finish reading?  Would you recommend it?

"The Adventure of the Norwood Builder." Yes, I would! I felt so bad for Sherlock when it looked like he wasn’t going to be able to solve the case!


-Did you discover any good new authors in the last year?  Which of their books did you like best?

Does Jane Austen count? Miss Dashwood read me most of P&P, though we started waaay back in 2013, I believe, and right now I'm reading Northanger Abbey for school. Of the two, probably NA is my favorite.

-Um.  My child.  Jane Austen ALWAYS counts.  Good answers there, by the way.  :D Now, quick!  First inspirational/funny quote from a book, off the top of your head! 

Well, I had to think a few moments, but here is one. “Life is pain, anyone who says differently is selling something.” :P Actually, before I thought of that one, I thought of the quote where Mr. Bennet says to Mrs. Bennet that she might die before he does, but I wasn’t sure if that was in the book.


-It is.  :D What is the best book you bought over the last year?

Hmm, I’m not sure if I’ve actually bought any books over that last year. I should buy one, though. Well, last summer, I bought a book called Chasing Jupiter for Anne-girl's birthday, and that was a very good book, though I didn't buy it for me.

-What would be your response to someone who told you she never read books?

I hope I would try to be polite, but probably I would be thinking something like; “WHAT??!!”


-If you were going to be stuck in an airport for three days and could only bring three books with you (and no other source of entertainment), what three books would you choose?

The Complete Series of Sherlock Holmes, The Princess Bride, and my Bible.


-Who are your top three favorite authors?

Actually, I don’t know if I have a favorite author or authors, but here are three whose books I really enjoy!

• Anne-girl
• Trenton Lee Stewart
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

-If you could have a fictional side character over for tea in the nearish future, who would you choose and why?

Dr. John Watson. I’d love to talk to him about Sherlock Holmes. :D


-Quick, name a book you love that begins with S.

Well, I actually had to think for a while over the days I worked on this, but probably The Scarlet Pimpernel. That counts, right?

-Absolutely. :D And now... recommend six titles for the lovely readers of this blog.  Any titles.  Six of ‘em.  Do it.  Now.  (No, I’m not bossy.)

• A Tale of Two Cities
• Northanger Abbey (I’m not done this yet, but it’s very good!)
• The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
• The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Pridoner's Dilemma
• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
• The Singing Tree

***

Thanks so much for joining us today, Molly!  Molly is my sister, by the way, peeps, and she's a fabulous one.  She's a bookworm, obviously (I like to think she takes after her older sister), a writer, an Emma Approved fangirl, a drama queen (like all her sisters... ahem) and an all-around fun person.  And she does a killer imitation of Dolly from Saving Mr. Banks.  :D You can check out her blog at To Write Something Worth Reading.

A Bookish Chat with Maribeth

~Welcome to the podium at Yet Another Period Drama Blog, Maribeth!  Have some tea and a biscuit to calm your nerves and tell us a little bit about yourself.  Name, general age-ish (feel free to be as vague as you like), favorite type of weather, least favorite color, favorite way to relax in the evenings, and what got you started blogging.  Ready, steady, go!

Ah, thank you for the tea and biscuit, that’s quite delightful. And thank you for asking me for this interview--I’m quite honored!

My real name is Maribeth, although I do go by the pseudonym “The Patriette” on Tumblr, just so ya know. I’m 22 years old, making me older than every Jane Austen heroine except Anne Elliot. I love cool, crisp autumn afternoons and dislike chartreuse. Currently, my favorite ways to relax in the evenings are to write Superman fanfiction OR watch Sherlock--though one could argue that the latter isn’t at all relaxing and never will be.

My initial reason for blogging is a little embarrassing because my behavior at that time is a now a source of consternation for me . . . but here goes. I started my blog in order to support my preferred presidential candidate in late 2011, and unfortunately my enthusiasm for “the cause” got out of hand. In spite of this I learned a lot from the experience, and by the time the election was over I was happily blogging about my own life and interests. Now I don’t talk about politics AT ALL and for that we are all eternally grateful. It’s NOT your stereotypical stay-at-home-daughter blog devoted solely to arts-and-crafts and one’s singlehood, but hopefully it’s funny, fun, and an encouragement to others.

~And it totally is.  People, go check out her blog!  So now that we know a little bit more about you, let’s ask some bookish questions.  Tell us about three books that you loved when you were little-- that is, under ten or so.  

Hmm. Well, my favorite book when I was really little was Go, Dog, Go! It was a Dr. Seuss book and my dad read it to me over and over again. When I was a little older two of my favorites were Sarah, Plain and Tall and an abridged version of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne.

~Ooh, I had Go, Dog, Go! memorized when I was a wee young thing.  :D  You are, I believe, a writer as well as a reader.  What genre of book do you write?  Tell us a little about it.  

I always feel a little sheepish when I’m asked about my book’s genre. I’ll tell them something like, “Well, it’s science fiction--but it’s not like Star Trek, it’s more like Star Wars, but without the monsters.” And then they look at me like I’ve lost my mind, hee-hee! Actually, the genre is called “space opera,” which, according to Wikipedia, “is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space.”

My story, to be brief, is about two young people--a soldier and a princess--who fight against the political and moral decay in their galaxy. There’s a big prophecy that revolves around the princess (and maybe around the soldier? But I shall not give away too many spoilers . . .) and there’s an allegorical High Emperor who represents Jesus, and plenty of battles. So far I have complete drafts of the first two books; the third book is in pre-production.

~If you could recommend just one biography to someone, what would it be?

Hmm . . . I’m torn between biographies of Anne Boleyn and Raoul Wallenberg . . . but I think I’m going to recommend Wallenberg: Missing Hero by Kati Marton, only because some of the situations in any Anne Boleyn biographies may be a bit heavy for younger readers. Either character is well-worth researching, though. Wallenberg was a hero of the Holocaust who was, interestingly enough, inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, while Queen Anne is probably the most maligned heroine of the Reformation.

~I remember being quite pleased when I first visited your blog and found you were a fellow Anne Boleyn fan... now I want to check out that biography!  :D What are some of your favorite quotes about books?

“Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity.”--G.K. Chesterton

“Books! People never really stop loving books. 51st century. By now you’ve got holovids, direct-to-brain downloads, fiction mist, but you need the smell. The smell of books, Donna--deep breath!”--the Tenth Doctor

“My mind is my weapon . . . and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”--Game of Thrones (which I have NOT read, but I saw this quote on Pinterest and absolutely loved it)

And even though this is more about storytelling in general, my all-time-favorite quote about literature is this one from G.K. Chesterton: “Fairy tales are more than true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be defeated.”

~What did you most recently finish reading?  Would you recommend it?

I just finished The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which, in my opinion, is the finest of the Sherlock Holmes novels. YES, I would definitely recommend it! You’d have to read at least A Study In Scarlet first in order to get the necessary background about Holmes and Dr. Watson, so it’s not really a stand-alone. The mystery, however, was brilliantly told and Sherlock and John were especially heroic.

~Did you discover any good new authors in the last year?  Which of their books did you like best?

I discovered Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and have thoroughly enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes stories. I also discovered N.D. Wilson and his philosophical/theological masterpiece, Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl.

~Quick!  First inspirational quote from a book, off the top of your head!

“Remember that all worlds draw to an end, and that noble death is a treasure which no one is too poor to buy.”--from C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle.

~What is your favorite period in history to read about?

World War II. It’s fascinated me since I was little, thanks to my dad’s interest in it, and many of my historical heroes come from that time period (like King George VI & Queen Elizabeth, Raoul Wallenberg, Corrie ten Boom, Douglas MacArthur, and Winston Churchill).

~What would be your response to someone who told you she never read books?

“What is it like in your funny little brain? It must be so boring.”

~GIVE THE GIRL POINTS FOR A SHERLOCK QUOTE.  *high five*  If you were going to be stuck in an airport for three days and could only bring three books with you (and no other source of entertainment), what three books would you choose?

The idea of being stuck in an airport for three days and with only three books is enough to send shivers of horror up my spine. I’d take my Bible, of course . . . and then I’d take Les Miserables and probably one of the Lord of the Rings books. I’m a fast reader so I’d need to take some books I know I couldn’t possibly finish in three days.

~What is the best children’s book you’ve read (not reread) in the last few months?  We all know there’s no shame in reading good children’s literature-- come on, spill.

None. Honestly and truthfully. Sorry!

~If you could have a fictional side character over for tea in the nearish future, who would you choose and why?

As of March 2014, I’d have to say John Watson. I think we’d get on splendidly, and I reckon he could teach me a thing or two about having patience with difficult personalities. Ahem.

~Quick, name a book you love that begins with B.

The Borrowed House by Hilda van Stockum. (I know the book title technically begins with “The,” but they stick the “The” at the end of most book indexes, don’t they? Borrowed House, The.) It’s a World War II novel about a German girl living in Holland, which gives it an interesting perspective, and the characters are so vivid!

~And now... recommend six titles for the lovely readers of this blog.  Any titles.  Six of ‘em.  Do it.  Now.  (No, I’m not bossy.)

The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton-Porter (One of my favorite books ever! Set post-World War I, about a young soldier who finds a new life purpose on the coast of California. I’ve read this one several times and my mom read it aloud to our entire family last summer.)

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (my new favorite book in the Anne series)

The Giver by Lois Lowry (another of our family’s favorites about a dystopian community where the government runs everyone’s lives)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (a delightful epistolary novel set in post-World War II, but not recommended for younger readers)

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (probably my favorite of the Narnia books)

Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England’s Tragic Queen by Joanna Denny (ah-ha, got my chance to put in a plug for this one! Not for younger readers, but it’s the best biography of my heroine I’ve read so far.)

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Thanks so much for joining us today, Maribeth!  Isn't she fabulously fun, peeps?  You can go check out her blog here-- if you're fond of a good witty read about great books, great movies, great musicals and great fictional characters, you're in for a real treat!

A Bookish Chat With Anne-girl

The next installment in our Bookish Chat series is none other than my very own sister, Anne-girl of Scribblings of My Pen.

Welcome to the podium at Yet Another Period Drama Blog, Anne-girl!  Have some coffee and chocolate to calm your nerves and tell us a little bit about yourself.  Name, general age-ish (feel free to be as vague as you like), favorite type of weather, least favorite color, favorite way to relax in the evenings, and what got you started blogging.  Ready, steady, go!

My name is Carolyn, but I go by Anne-girl, and I am of the age in which one dances in the gazebo with telegraph boys {though I’ve never found one to dance with me}. I like sunny skies and mild temperatures. I enjoy a good thunderstorm of an evening but other than that I’ve not much given to inclement weather. Though I do enjoy a nice strong wind in the early fall. I loathe pea green. Lark Rise to Candleford is my favorite evening activity but I’m sure that will change when we start Sherlock! I started blogging when I was thirteen because you blogged and I wanted to do it too. But that blog withered and died on the vine. I started Scribblings in November of 2011 because I loved Rachel’s Inkpen Authoress and was writing my first book. My first posts were blatant {and not very good} copies of her posts but over the two years that followed I’ve found my niche talking about my beloved Selkin and Story Structure and doing the Les Amis series.

People, seriously, you need to go check out her Les Amis series.  It's epic.  
So, now that we know a little bit more about you (well, okay, the adoring PUBLIC knows a little more about you-- I already know everything about you because I am your seestah), let’s ask some bookish questions.  Tell us about three books that you loved when you were little-- that is, under ten or so.

The Four Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright was perhaps my favorite book back then. I also really really loved the American Girl “world” books. I’ve always been addicted to other cultures *grin* and I guess if I could only pick one other it would be Great Illustrated Classics The Three Musketeers because of all the fun we had with it.


Ooooooh, yes, I shall always have fond memories surrounding the 3M.  "This is D'artagnan!"  :D  You are, I believe, a writer as well as a reader. No kidding!  I can’t imagine where I got that idea, but I think you may have mentioned it to me at some time, or maybe I found something of yours lying around... anyways, if someone big and importantly authoritative came to you and told you you could never write anything again, what would your response be?  (This is meant to be a little twist on the run-of-the-mill “why do you write” question.)

Make up stories in my head. I did it for eleven years {I first remember doing it at the age of three} without feeling the need to write. I would miss writing terribly but I would add a wing to my mind palace and store the stories there. I would memorize poetry to give myself the ability of reciting reams and reams of stuff and I would turn myself into a story teller. I would be like the bards of old traveling around in a little beat up car with Les Mis CDs in my Hello Kitty boom box and tell stories at libraries and children's parties. I love words, I really do, and I love putting them down and honing them but all I NEED are stories. So I would survive. I would cry and always feel like someone I loved had died but I would survive.

And no that is not a scenario that I have had planned out for a long time complete with a plan for developing my memory. Whatever would give you that idea? I’m not paranoid. Not paranoid at all.

What genre of book do you write?  Tell us a little about it.

I write Christian Adventure. It’s really a lot like High Fantasy {Tolkien, Sanderson, George R. R. Martin} but without the magic. Or you could could compare it to Literary Political Fiction {Les Mis, The Way We Live Now, Anna Karenina, but without the icky stuff}. Or with swashbuckling Fantasy of Manners {The Prisoner of Zenda, The Princess Bride, Three Musketeers} or coming of age {Johnny Tremain, The Bronze Bow}. It doesn’t really fit in any particular genre but it’s meant to be exciting and “feels” filled but thought provoking. Obviously I have a really really long way to go but cultures, politics, and adventure all fascinate me and what is writing unless it’s about what you love?


Excellent rhetorical question there.  :D What is your favorite history book (not a textbook)?  Tell us a wee bit about it.

I’m quite fond of Rebecca Fraser’s History of Britain but the one I love the most perhaps is the HUGE book simply called History found in our YA nonfiction section. I’ve read it several times but I never seem to glean everything. I just love love love the dips into different cultures and stories it gives. Just a taste of this and a taste of that. I’m not really patient enough to read a history book on every topic that interests me and if I really want to know about something I can look further into it. This book gives an overview of just about everything. I have no idea where it’s from or who wrote it though. Sorry.

What are some of your favorite quotes about books?

I never remember or collect quotes about things. Only quotes from movies and books. There is of course the essential “I cannot live without books” but there is always Henry Tilney to the rescue. Say it with me, girls!

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid”


What did you most recently finish reading?  Would you recommend it?

Tuck by Stephen R. Lawhead.  You would not like it sister dear I do not think. But anyone who likes a good thick medieval politics story would like this. I read the whole King Raven trilogy awhile ago. The first one, Hood was rubbish. Inappropriate in places, and with a mysticism that I didn’t care for. But it did have great character development. The middle one Scarlet was exciting and well written with a wonderful protagonist but a little more violent than I like. Tuck is the best of the lot with nothing worse as far as content goes than Caroline Arless’s favorite word. It’s a novelization of the real Robin Hood {who originated as a Welsh rebel lord not an outlaw in Nottingham} and though Median is annoying the other characters are lovable and relatable {especially Friar Aethelfrith fondly known as Tuck}.

Did you discover any good new authors in the last year?  Which of their books did you like best?

I’m quite enjoying Lemony Snicket right now. I’m about five years older than I should have started the series but it does not dampen my enjoyment of the series one bit. Jack talked about them so much that I just had to try them and though the first one was a bit contrived by the fifth one I knew I had struck gold. My favorite in his Series of Unfortunate Events so far has been The Vile Village. I just really like seeing the Baudelaires strike off on their own and not go back to that insufferable Poe. Though The Ersatz Elevator was almost as good.

I also enjoyed Sarah Sundin’s Wings of Glory series and the first two Wings of the Nightingale books. I’d have to say I liked With Every Letter best. I don’t normally enjoy historical romance but these are just so good! The characters are entirely unrealistic as far as looks go but other than that they are wonderful stories about WWII and the people who fought it.

But the best discover of this past year has been Monster by Miriam Neal. Just go read it. You won’t regret it.


Quick!  First funny quote from a book, off the top of your head!  {{ You can go look it up to make sure you have it right, if you like.}}

“Cornflakes. Cold noodles,” said Rush. “BLO-OD! BLO-OD!”
~Then There Were Five by Elizabeth Enright

What would be your response to someone who told you she never read books?

I would smile comfortingly and then back slowly away. Then I would go disinfect myself. It would not do to catch whatever disease has impaired there persons judgement and taste.


What are your thoughts on the subject of e-readers?

Bor-ing. But good for beta reading. Someday when I am rich I will get one so that I don’t have to use the computer for beta reading. But then when I’m rich I’ll get my own computer so I won’t have to wangle computer time so never mind. I was also going to say that Kindle books are cheaper but I use kindle cloud {which doesn’t need a kindle} and again when I have my own laptop I wouldn’t need to wangle the computer time to finally reread Monster.

If you could write a note to a future reader in one of your top ten favorite books, what would you write and why would you choose that particular book?

I would pick Pilgrim’s Progress and I would beg them to memorize Hopeful’s conversion or at least to read it over and over again. It would say that is the single most comforting passage of literature outside of the Bible. I would tell them to drag it out whenever they are fearful and to pair it with Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentess. I would tell them to keep praying for God’s revelation because it is hard to see and easy to lose sight of. And I would also advise them to buy the audio drama because Steve Eager does a killer Mr. Moneylove.


What is the best children’s book you’ve read (not reread) in the last few months?  We all know there’s no shame in reading good children’s literature-- come on, spill.

See my paragraph about Lemony Snicket.

If you could have a fictional side character over for tea in the nearish future, who would you choose and why?

Herbert Pocket. I’m rather half in love with him.


Quick, name a book you love that begins with L.

Lorna Doone.  It was badly written but I loved it. John Ridd is awesome and the Doone Valley is awesome and there is so much history and politics wrapped up in it. I really really like it.

And now... recommend six titles for the lovely readers of this blog.  Any titles.  Six of ‘em.  Do it.  Now.  (No, I’m not bossy.)

Ok, these are the six books that have affected and changed me the most.

~Carry On Mr. Bowditch
~Pilgrim's Progress
~Stepping Heavenward
~The Shadow Things
~Les Miserables
~Great Expectations

And I’m going to cheat and add Johnny Tremain because it was the first book I fell in love with.

Cheater, cheater.  

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Huge round of applause to Anne-girl for her fabulous answers and for taking the time to stop by!  Go read Johnny Tremain, peoples, and check out Anne's blog.  Biased sister though I may be, I do believe her Legend of Honesty is destined for greatness.  So go follow her blog before she publishes the book, and then you can say you Knew Her Back When.  And don't forget to stay tuned in March for our next guest speaker!

A Bookish Chat with Melody

Today ushers in the first installment in the Bookish Chat series, which I mentioned back in... December, I think.  This will be a monthly feature in which I interview someone of my acquaintance who is Into Books, so to speak, and hopefully we shall all learn and profit from the experience.  Take out your notebooks, children.

Our first guest speaker will be Melody of Regency Delight, whom I may have mentioned a time or two on this blog before.  I would tell you a bit about her, but actually she's going to do that herself, so I shall let her take it from here. *hands microphone*

Welcome to the podium at Yet Another Period Drama Blog, Melody! Have some tea to calm your nerves and tell us a little bit about yourself. Name, general age-ish (feel free to be as vague as you like), hobbies, least favorite type of shoe, favorite flavor of ice cream, and how you started blogging. Ready, steady, go!

Goodness, mentioning podiums to me will make me nervous! Can we just pretend we’re having a nice, cozy chat in my living room? I shall gladly accept the tea, however. Thank you.  I believe you just told everybody my name, but it’s Melody. As Elizabeth Bennet would say, “I am not one and twenty,” but how much less than that is up to you to imagine. When I have extra time you may find me writing long emails (or even real letters), sewing (I’m currently in the extremely early stages of a Regency Dress Project… we’ll see how that goes), pretending I can play the piano, enjoying a good period drama or, of course, a book. I’m also a bit too skilled at wasting time, which could include anything from staring out the window daydreaming to scrolling aimlessly through Pinterest.

Least favorite type of shoe? To wear, or to see? To wear—anything that hurts. To see—anything that makes you cringe just to look at it because you KNOW it must be hurting.

I don’t have a favorite flavor of ice cream, but when I was younger I would have said cookies and cream. So let’s just go with that.

I started blogging like most people—went to blogger.com and clicked on the button to create a new blog.  ;)

Ahem, forgive my sarcasm. I started blogging mainly so that I could have a place to talk about Jane Austen. I was running out of ‘real-life’ resources for this. And before I knew it I had all sorts of delightful (online) Janeite acquaintances, and I was starting to learn just how many fish were in my sea, haha. The sea of the Jane Austen fandom, you know. Because it’s big.

~Okay! So now that we know a little bit more about you (well, okay, the adoring PUBLIC knows a little more about you-- I already know everything about you because I am your best friend), let’s ask some bookish questions. Tell us about three books that you loved when you were little-- that is, under ten or so. 

If you know everything about me, why don’t you answer these questions FOR me? Hmmm? Betcha couldn’t. ;) (She'd do it better than anybody else, though.)

For some reason the first book I thought of is Pepper’s Journal: A Kitten’s First Year by Stuart J. Murphy. It’s a picture book, and it was supposed to have been designed to teach children about calendars, but I just loved looking at the pictures and reading all the journal entries that the girl made about her new cat. When we got a kitten (I was six at the time) I even tried to follow suit, but the journaling didn’t last very long. Somehow real-life cats don’t seem to be as easy to write about.

Surprisingly, I'm actually having trouble answering this, even though I did love books as a little girl.  I guess being the youngest in my family, once I lost interest in certain books they were only to be forgotten with no siblings to pass them on to.  But let's see here... well, I loved Beverly Cleary's Ramona series, in particular Ramona's World and Ramona Forever, though I'm not sure at what age I liked which ones.  And just for a bit of Young Reader Trivia (about myself, that is) the first book I ever remember reading all by myself (with no one to help when I got stuck, you know, and not counting things like Bob Books) was Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman . For some reason I remember that quite clearly. And then afterwards yelling up the stairs “MOMMY, I read this WHOLE THING by MYSELF!” Heehee.

~Oooh, I loved Are You My Mother? when I was little too. :D Anyone who knows you even a little bit will know that you are a big fan of Jane Austen. (Well, duh.) Which book of Jane Austen’s would you recommend to a newbie fan, and why?

Definitely Pride and Prejudice. It’s the brightest and most sparkling, it’s the easiest to read, I think the characters are the most identifiable of any of her books, and you don’t have to be accustomed to Jane Austen’s wit to find it as funny as you’re supposed to. (You do, however, need to have a proper sense of humor. If you don’t… well, I doubt you and Miss Austen will travel far together.)

However, this may vary from person to person. In certain cases I may recommend other books first, if I can tell one of the others would be more of a favorite. For instance, if they prefer a more romantic and emotional story, Persuasion is what I’d put into their hands. It’s also the shortest. ;)

~What is your favorite biography? Tell us a wee bit about it.

Ooooh. Um… I don’t really think I have a favorite biography. See, with biographies and most nonfiction, I tend to poke through them rather than read the things in the entirety. This may shock you (ha), but I’ve looked at more biographies of Jane Austen than anyone else… and I can’t pinpoint a favorite. None of them have really swept me off my feet. I tend to prefer books that include her biography but also have other interesting stuff. 

Hey, isn’t dodging questions a normal part of interviews?

~Oh, indeed it is.  You should run for office, m'dear.  ...KIDDING.  Okay, so I’m well aware that you, like me, are fond of quotes, and the more bookish the better. What are some of your favorite quotes about books?

Eeheeeee. :D *clears throat*

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” ~Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey

“The pleasure of reading is always doubled when shared with a friend.” ~J.C. Gress

“Never judge a book by its movie.”

" ‘Oh! it is only a novel!’ replies the young lady…in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humor are conveyed to the world in the best chosen language.” ~Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

(I know there are many others I adore, but my memory is not cooperating. :P)

~What did you most recently finish reading? Would you recommend it?

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay. I finished it within four days and that’s quite rare for me, because I’m not a fast reader so it takes quite a bit of time. ;) Would I recommend it? To the readers of this blog, yes. Because anybody bookish will connect with this book in several ways; it’s simply spilling over with classic literature quotes and references, some other books I know of or have even read, also some period dramas and… that’s just fun. (The main character is a bookworm, obviously. Also a writer! This is not particularly a JA spin-off as it may sound; it’s set in present day.) I mean, the book starts with a dedication worded the same way as Anne Shirley’s in the second movie… how cool is that? (It, cough, ends with a quote from P&P05 but… that was the only reference to that movie so I can overlook it. :P) I should probably write an actual review instead of rambling like this, but anyway, though there were some things I didn’t like, overall I enjoyed it muchly (storyline is good too) although some of the themes are Not Suitable for Young Readers.

~Did you discover any good new authors in the last year? Which of their books did you like best?

Hmmm… there were only a few books I’d read by authors I hadn’t read yet and I wasn’t particularly thrilled with any of them, although I did enjoy With Every Letter and On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin… overall. Although some of the attraction-kissy-nonsense kind of disgusted me although it didn’t go as far as some Christian romance novels I’ve tried to read. :P I did do some serious eye-rolling, though.

~Quick! First funny quote from a book, off the top of your head!

“Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail.”

~A Christmas Carol

~What are your thoughts on the subject of e-readers?

While they can probably have some particular uses, for the most part I’m against them. Real books are some of the best things in the world and I hate to have wonderful things replaced. By modern nonsense. Folks, if I’d lived at the turn of the century I probably would have been one of those people against “progress.” :P Some things back then were an improvement I’ll grant you, but now… we’re advanced enough already, thank you. You can stop now. New does not mean better.

~What would be your response to someone who told you she never read books?

Something like this, I would imagine.

~In what part of your library would you be most likely to be found?

Depends on the occasion… I might wander around, or if I need to wait a while and have a new book I want to read I might just find a random chair somewhere and settle down. And, cough, sometimes if I’m waiting for a family member and don’t have anything particular to do I’ll go get on one of the computers. I know, horrid, right? “Maybe I have a new EMAIL!” :P

~What is the best nonfiction book you’ve read in the last few months? Tell us a tiny bit about it.

Like I said, when I read nonfiction I tend to just poke through them… so I guess that will have to count. Well, it was awfully fun reading The Making of Pride and Prejudice. Which is a book about, fancy this, the making of Pride and Prejudice. The 1995 miniseries, that is. :) It has a lot of interesting information behind it along with just fun facts.

~If you could have a fictional side character over for tea in the nearish future, who would you choose and why?

Yikes! That’s a hard choice! But on a whim, I’ll say Philippa Gordon from Anne of the Island. Just because she’s a girl so I’d feel more comfortable with her, she’s likely to have some interesting clothes to admire, know her way with teacups and of course the most important thing—she’s hilarious and would be a most excellent conversationalist.

~Quick, name a book you love that begins with N.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. What? That’s the first thing I thought of!

~Somehow I knew you'd pick that one.  Heehee.  (The letter was chosen at random, by the way.) And now... recommend six titles for the lovely readers of this blog. Any titles. Six of ‘em. Do it. Now. (No, I’m not bossy.)

Six? SIX? Don’t you know what you’re tempting me to do when you say that??? Okay, okay. I won’t do it. I shall conquer this. :D

(If any of you figure out what’s going on here, I’ll be very proud of you.)

Emma by Jane Austen

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

The Luckiest Girl by Beverly Cleary

The Anne series by L.M. Montgomery (and if that’s cheating, then Anne of Green Gables—and they can figure out the rest for themselves.)

Henry Tilney’s Diary by Amanda Grange

There, three classic, three non-classic.

Thank you very much for hosting me, dearling! I’m honored to be able to start it out and I look 

forward to reading future bookish chats. Goodbye, everyone! *mock-princess/celebrity wave*

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Thank YOU, Melody, for participating in this little interview!  Our friendship was, I believe, cemented at the very beginning by our shared love of good books-- as P.G. Wodehouse said, "There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature."  We owe a lot to our bookshelves.  :D  If you'd like to read more of Melody's writings, do please check out her blog-- Regency Delight (Jane Austen, &c.).

We'll have a new bookish interview guest in February, so do stick around!