Period Drama Tag

Once again I must apologise for my long absence. The reason is the season (wow, I'm a poet today). At this time of year I identify a lot with bears as I too feel an urge to go into hibernation for the winter.

Hamlette tagged me with a period drama tag, and that was just the enticement I needed to get out from my blogging hibernation, at least for long enough to write this post;)


1. What's your favorite Period Drama movie? 

The Young Victoria, no doubt! That is  such a sweet and beautiful movie with brilliant actors!
                      


2. What's your favorite Period Drama series? 

Emma (2009)! I love every minute of it!

                     


3. Which Period Drama do you dislike the most?

I really didn't like the 1986 version of Northanger Abbey. It was just disturbing and all wrong.

4. Anne of Green Gables or Little Dorrit? 

Anne, of course! (I haven't actually watched Little Dorrit, but even if I had my answer would remain the same)

                       


5. Your favorite Period Drama dresses? 

Now, this ones a little harder... The list is very long, but I shall try to confine myself to a few:)

Emma (2009)

Agent Carter

The Young Victoria

Cinderella

6. Who's your favorite Period Drama character? (Okay, pick at least five) 

1. Elizabeth Bennet - do I really need an explanation?

                             

2. Peggy Carter - she is just perfection - independent, strong and with a wardrobe to die for.
                                   

3. Henry Tilney - he is sweet and funny and perfect in every way.

                    

4. Anne Shirley - imaginative, dreamy and my fictional bosom friend

                            

(I know the question said to pick 5, but my brain short circuited and I simply can not think of a fifth one)

7. If you could join a royal ball, which dress would you wear? (Pick a Period Drama dress) 

This was so hard! But in the end I went with this dreamy Cinderella dress (from an adaption of Cinderella no less).
                           


8. What's your favorite Jane Austen movie? 

As we're talking strictly of movies, I'm gonna go with Sense & Sensibility (1995). I've always loved how subtly they're incorporating all the humour. And the casting was brilliant!

                     

9. Downton Abbey or Call the Midwife? 

I don't particularly care for Downton Abbey and I haven't watched Call The Midwife, so I'll say neither.


10. Sybil Crawley, Jenny Lee, Emma Woodhouse or Marian of Knighton?

I don't know Sybil Crawley and Jenny Lee, and I like the 2 remaining almost equally. But for the sake of choosing one (and because I recently watched Emma) I'll go with Emma Woodhouse.

                     

11. Which couples of a Period Drama do you like the most? (Pick at least four) 

Margaret & Mr Thornton - what can I say to express the perfection that is this couple? I think what I like the most about them is that as they grow to really know each other love grows as well.
                                   

Anne & Gilbert - no 2 persons were ever as destined for another as Anne and Gilbert. And though it took Anne a while to realise that, Gilbert were always there for her.

                       

Emma & Mr Knightley - what I particularly like about Emma and Mr Knightley is that they've known each other forever and thus have a deep understanding and respect for each other. And then they realise they are in love, and I just can't properly articulate how much I love them as a couple.

                            

Queen Victoria & Albert - another couple where the key words are patience and longing. Their whole courtship was so sweet and innocent. And the length of it made it  all the more fulfilling when they finally got married.

                      


12. And last, which Period Drama villain do you like the most?

The villains I like are usually the ones who are kind of in a grey area, but if I should pick one who is definitely a villain it must be Sir Guy of Gisborne from BBC's Robin Hood. 
                               
This was fun!
Nothing beats reminiscing about period dramas:)

Anne Of Green Gables Tag

As you may have noticed from the button, these days Miss Evie is hosting an Anne Of Green Gables Week at Over The Hills.          

10 days dedicated to Anne can only be great as we all know;)

To kick the week off Evie has made this delightful tag, and here are my answers:                

1. How did you get introduced to Anne of Green Gables?

Originally my mother showed me first part of the movie, but for some strange reason I didn't like it and therefore didn't finish it.
A few years later, however, one of our friends gave me the book, and now I loved it! (And I also love the movie today)


2. Are you more like Anne or Diana? Why?

Definitely Anne! If in doubt I refer to the banner at the bottom of my blog;)
No seriously, I, like Anne, have a very vivid imagination, I love dreaming me away to far off places and create dramatic stories in my head. And I like using big words too:) 

                                

3. If Rachel Lynde called your hair as red as carrots how would you react? 

I would politely ask her if she needed new glasses, as my hair is obviously not red but blond;)


4. Gilbert or Morgan Harris? 

Gilbert!

                                 

5. Honest opinion on the third Anne film. 

It should never have been made!
There was plenty of source material for a sequel, so I don't understand why anyone would throw it away and simply make up a new plot.
 

6. Have you seen the New Anne film? 

No, but I just watched the trailer, and despite Gilbert looking all wrong, I think it could be fun to watch.


7. What in your own words is a Kindred Spirit?

A Kindred Spirit is when another persons thoughts are in sync with your own, and when there are thoughts you can't properly express in words, they still know exactly what you mean.

                     

8.  Movie Gilbert or Green Gables Fables Gilbert?

I haven't watched Green Gables Fables, but I don't think anyone can compare with movie Gilbert.


9.  Does anyone know where we can watch Road to Avonlea online?

No, sadly not.

10. Favourite book cover? 

This one:

                                


11. The Films or The Books?

The books, always the books!
The films may be good, but they're not very true to the books (except the first one), and what I love about the books are all the little vignettes of Anne's everyday life and adventures:)

Inkling Explorations And A Lady's Dress

It's time for the monthly Inkling Explorations!

This month's theme is: a description of a lady's dress in literature.

Luckily for me, Heidi allowed entries written in September, so without further ado here is a lovely little scene from Anne Of Green Gables:  

"Anne took the dress and looked at it in reverent silence. Oh, how pretty it was—a lovely soft brown gloria with all the gloss of silk; a skirt with dainty frills and shirrings; a waist elaborately pintucked in the most fashionable way, with a little ruffle of filmy lace at the neck. But the sleeves—they were the crowning glory! Long elbow cuffs, and above them two beautiful puffs divided by rows of shirring and bows of brown-silk ribbon."

For more descriptions of frills, ruffles and finery, don't forget to visit the link-up on Heidi's blog.

Inkling Explorations And Roses

                  

It's June, which means a new Inkling Explorations theme.

It's a good one this time!!
The theme is: Roses in books or films.

As Heidi herself mentions, the Anne Of Green Gables series mentions roses quite a lot, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the scene I've chosen comes from one of those books.

More precisely, it comes from Anne's House Of Dreams, and it's the scene where Owen Ford proposes to Leslie.

                  

"This house was builded and consecrated by love," said Owen. "Such houses, MUST exert an influence over those who live in them. And this garden—it is over sixty years old and the history of a thousand hopes and joys is written in its blossoms. Some of those flowers were actually set out by the schoolmaster's bride, and she has been dead for thirty years. Yet they bloom on every summer. Look at those red roses, Leslie—how they queen it over everything else!"

"I love the red roses," said Leslie. "Anne likes the pink ones best, and Gilbert likes the white. But I want the crimson ones. They satisfy some craving in me as no other flower does."

"These roses are very late—they bloom after all the others have gone—and they hold all the warmth and soul of the summer come to fruition," said Owen, plucking some of the glowing, half-opened buds.

"The rose is the flower of love—the world has acclaimed it so for centuries. The pink roses are love hopeful and expectant—the white roses are love dead or forsaken—but the red roses—ah, Leslie, what are the red roses?"

"Love triumphant," said Leslie in a low voice.

"Yes—love triumphant and perfect. Leslie, you know—you understand. I have loved you from the first. And I KNOW you love me—I don't need to ask you. But I want to hear you say it—my darling—my darling!"

Leslie said something in a very low and tremulous voice. Their hands and lips met; it was life's supreme moment for them and as they stood there in the old garden, with its many years of love and delight and sorrow and glory, he crowned her shining hair with the red, red rose of a love triumphant.

Isn't it a sweet scene? Apart from the whole proposal part, I remember that 14 year old me was thrilled to learn about the language of roses, when I read this for the first time.

Would you like to read about more rose related scenes?
Then be sure to pop over at Heidi's blog and read the other participants' entries.

The Lucy Maud Montgomery Tag

This week Eva has a lot of L. M. Montgomery themed posts on her blog. One of the first was a L. M. Montgomery themed tag so how could I ever resist filling it out?

Here are my answers 

How did you first discover LMM’s books?

A friend of the family gave me Anne of Green Gables when I was 14, and I've been hooked ever since.
                                            

What’s your favorite LMM book? 

That's a really hard question! I think Anne Of The Island. I really love all the adventures she has with all her friends while at university. Also this is the book she realises what everyone else have known since book one; that she and Gilbert belongs together.


What’s your least favorite LMM book?

Emily's quest. I just found the plot a bit messy and there were way too many strange occurrences.


Who is your favorite character in allllll of LMM’s works?

Do you even know what you are asking of me? How can I choose? I'll go with the obvious choice and say Anne Shirley.

                         

What couple is your favorite?

Definitely Anne and Gilbert.

                         

What is your favorite quote from LMM (either a quote from one of her books, or from her personal life)?

There are so many to choose from... but this passage from Anne Of Avonlea has always been a favourite of mine:

“Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps . . . perhaps . . . love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.” 


How many LMM books have you read?

I have read all the Anne books and all the Emily books, so that makes 11.


Which LMM book would you most like to see made into a movie?

Rilla Of Ingleside!! It is such a moving story that would make a great movie. 

                                              

Have you found a kindred spirit?

Yes, I think I have:-)

For much more LMM related goodness, don't forget to pop over at Eva's blog, the party goes on until Sunday.

My favourite rereads

When I have read a book, it will almost always fit into one of 3 categories:
1. The book was good/bad, and now I can say I have read it, but I will never open it again.
2. I enjoyed reading this, and I'll probably read it again eventually.
3. Those books that can be reread an indefinite amount of times and never lose their charm - even though I know every detail of the plot.

As you might guess, not many books makes it into category 3 - but the few that does......need I say more?

This is some of the books that I have read so many times, that I won't even try to count it.

The Mysterious Island
This one is actually the first classic I ever read, and it will always have a special place in my heart. It's a story about 5 men who strand on a desolate island, and start up a new life. I have a weakness for cast away stories, where the characters must start from scratch, so this one is an obvious favourite. And then later on mysterious things starts to happen on the island (hence the title), so there's excitement and tension. And for the hardcore Jules Verne fan, there is the unexpected but welcome references to some of his other books. So there's nothing bad to say about this book, and I'll admit I have sometimes started reading it, even though I had only just finished it. You can't do that with many books.

Settlers in Canada

Another great book from the time when the only classics I read, was the ones I could find in my parents collection. This is a story about a family from England, who loses their fortune, and then emigrate to Canada to start a new life. Again, I love stories about people who have to start over. The story is exciting and full of drama, and there is a wide range of different characters and personalities. Nothing more to say - it's just a great book.

Anne of Green Gables
Ever since I read this the first time, I was hooked. One book wasn't enough - I had to read all 8 of them. The story about orphan Anne Shirley with the vivid imagination, who makes friends everywhere, and gets in all kinds of mischief, is just a masterpiece. I love the way L.M. Montgomery turns an ordinary life, in an ordinary village into an adventure. How she portrays all the little vignettes and anecdotes, that makes a life. I simply can't express how much I love these books. I always end up reading it at least once a year - sometimes the entire series, and sometimes only the first few books. But if it's possible I enjoy it even more every time I read it anew. Lovely...just lovely.

Little Women
This is another book that I truly, truly love. The touching story about the 4 sisters who struggle to be good and selfless. It is quite obvious that the book was meant to educate young women - it is full of lessons on how to be good, but luckily not in a patronizing way. The characterizations are beautifully done, and the story is heartfelt and true. And this book is unique in another way to me - it's the only book to date, that makes me cry every single time I read it (which is quite a feat, for I don't do crying). 




Pride and Prejudice
That this one is at the bottom of the list, doesn't mean it's my least favourite. It's just the newest addition to my list, and the only one I actually still remember how many times I've read (5 or 6 times I think - it's a little blurry). But it's a classic, that can't be read to many times. I admit my approach to this one is a bit different. I don't normally read it from start to end, rather I reread my favourite passages, which ends up in me reading almost the entire book - though a little backwards. I love how every time I read it, I notice new details in the story, new nuances to the characters, and understand the story better.



This is a few of those books I can always read, if anything else fails. And I often find that I miss the stories if I haven't read them in a while - as I'm starting to do now as I write of them. It's such a hard choice now: should I start reading one of my new projects, or just reread an old beloved favourite?