When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited, while he struggles to remain indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.
I first read this book back in high school for my grade 11 english course. It was the assigned book for our independent study essay so at the time I just read it and didn’t think much of it. When the 2005 movie came out, I decided it was time to re-read it; that time around, I absolutely enjoyed it, understood it better and was pretty much ecstatic to check out Austen’s other works. It’s been a while since I’ve re-read it and after reading a number of Georgette Heyer’s novels, I decided to go back to it.
As you noticed, the title of this post is “commentary” rather than “review” because I’m not formally reviewing this novel like other books. I am instead just commenting on a few things I noticed during my re-read this time around. Contains some spoilers!
I actually posted an entry like this a week ago but decided to update the entry =P I hope everyone’s January has been going well; mine has been all right so far, minus the inconsistent cold outside (very weird for a January) and both my laptop and my ancient desktop crashing within a span of three weeks ;_; So it might be a while before I get around to some of the later comments I’ve received recently (still navigating through this other CPU; am trying to be careful this time)–sorry about that!
But anyways, on to the happier stuff: what has been going on here at my website lately?
01. The biggest news is that it looks like I’m going to be acquiring another domain (!!!) It’s a long story concerning another domain that belongs to my dad. He’s no longer using it so I’ve been thinking that instead of just closing it and discontinuing the pay (since they’re both under my account with my hosting company anyways), I’d just change the domain url and use it myself.
The question now is what am I going to do with it?
I’ve been thinking for some time about separating some of the content in this website and establishing a more professional website for myself. However, I’m not entirely sure what else will be going there other than my photoblog, Through Caffeinated Lens. I still have weeks to decide and I still have to back-up all the content there and here so it should be clearer in a while (that’s the fun part). I’ll keep you all posted on that!
02. Been posting quite a bit lately, particularly in terms of book review but I’ve also posted some fun stuff recently. For example, if you’re interested in diving into the fantasy genre, I’ve listed out a number of books to get you started. And if things have been pretty blah on your end lately or the weather has been dark, snowy or rainy (like it has been on my end), I’ve suggested a number of books that would brighten the day.
03. On the writing front, I’ve writing daily (offline) more or less, which is great. I’ve posted an entry yesterday about my ‘tools of the trade’ (with pictures!) if you’re interested in checking that out and weighing in. I’m planning on participating in Script Frenzy in April (this is me!); it’s been years since I’ve participated in that event.
That’s pretty much it for this post, which to be honest was just a way of putting down my ideas about this domain issue *blushes* What do you guys think? Hope you all have a wonderful week and weekend! =)
Sylvester: or the Wicked Uncle By: Georgette Heyer
Sylvester, the Duke of Salford, is a polished bachelor who has stringent requirements for his future wife—she must be wellborn, intelligent, elegant and attractive. And of course she must be able to present herself well in high society. But when he is encouraged to consider Phoebe Marlow as a bride, Sylvester is taken aback by the coltish woman who seems to resent him…
When Phoebe runs away, circumstances find the two striking up an unusual friendship. Phoebe discovers that the duke isn’t the villain she first thought. And Sylvester stumbles upon something he never dared hope for…
So I was in a bit of a slump last weekend for a variety of reasons and I needed something to pick me up (it’s what inspired me to come up with my theme for this week’s Top Ten). So naturally I turned to Georgette Heyer’s books, which I’ve said in many other reviews are light-hearted, fun, and capable of dispelling the darkest of moods away. Sylvester has been sitting in my eReader for a while now so I decided to read it over the other two Heyer books. Contains mild spoilers!
I was reading an article on social networks for writers when the topic of writing tools came to mind. Participating in National Novel Writing Month really made me realise how writers use different tools to get through the writing process. Some use particular programs such as yWriter and Scrivener to get the job done.
As for me, well, I’m a little more old school, so I’ve been using the following as part of my writing process (feel free to click on the images to make them larger and to read the additional captions):
#1 – NOTEBOOKS
It’s faster to write a draft directly on to word processor (so I’ve learned during NaNoWriMo), but if given a choice, I’d still opt to write my first draft on paper. I have first drafts to maybe three or four novels sitting in my closet in stacks, waiting to be revised (if ever -_-;). I actually did this too with my MA thesis so it’s really my thing. There’s just something about writing it down by pen; I feel like I’m more in control, if that makes any sense whatsoever. In the photo above are my Moleskin notebooks, which I’ve been using to write my shorter fragments/short stories. Sure, Moleskins are a bit more pricey than regular notebooks but when I write in these notebooks, I really feel like a writer. Is that strange?
TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
After an astonished moment the Duchess said: ‘Dearest, are you roasting me? You can’t in all seriousness be asking me to choose for you!’
- Chapter 2, Sylvester: or The Wicked Uncle by Georgete Heyer
Just started another Georgette Heyer novel today =P I actually started reading the other day; was in a bit of a slump and I needed a pick me up so I read the first chapter. I’m only on chapter two but the feel so far of the novel is quite different. I’m looking forward to reading more, especially after hearing wonderful things about the book from GoodReads!
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!
This week’s topic: Books for a Rainy/Snowy/Blah Day
This week’s TTT is actually a freebie and I was mulling over for a while as to what to discuss for this week’s list. In the end, I chose this particular topic because it’s just so glum outside today (and feeling so-not-a-Canadian-winter at all). The following books are a selection of light-hearted with (I hope!) not-too-stressful plots to check out during days like those:
01. Winifred Watson’s Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day — I read this book a year and some ago and it is just the most delightful story. It’s light-hearted, zany, hilarious and fun, the story taking place in the course of a day as Miss Pettigrew ends up embroiled in the complicated and busy life of Miss LaFosse. There was a movie adaptation that was made a few years ago starring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams, which was equally fun and lovely.
02. Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows’s The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (review) — I mentioned this book in a previous TTT but this book was just a wonderous read. Although written in correspondence-style, the authors really brought the characters to life, making the overall story completely memorable. It was like making a whole new batch of friends, really.
03. Georgette Heyer’s The Reluctant Widow (review) — It was difficult to choose just one book by Heyer because I’ve enjoyed all of her novels so far (and any/all of them are totally worth picking up during those blah days) but I chose The Reluctant Widow because it’s an interesting mix of mystery/Gothic satire/family insanity/romance. The characters were interesting and I found myself laughing out loud at a lot of the craziness that ensued through this novel (which, when you read the synopsis, you’d immediately realise that a lot of craziness with follow).
04. Marie Philipps’s Gods Behaving Badly — There’s a lot of books out there about the Greek gods in our day and age. I found this one particularly amusing because of Philipps’ ability of matching them up with the occupations out there today. There were some really funny moments in this novel, which is always a bonus.
05. Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey (review) — I chose NA over Austen’s other books because’s the plot is fairly straightforward and it’s fairly light-hearted. Catherine is a young, amusing and imaginative heroine (not to mention relatable with her love of reading) and Mr. Tilney is a kindly, charming and hilarious hero. I personally adored all of their scenes together. Plus, the ITV adaptation was all sorts of fun.
06. Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary — Another amusing book to dispel away the slumps. Yes, we’ve all experienced some of the troubles that Bridget Jones expressed throughout the book–whether it be weight issues or guy issues–but it’s always amusing to read the way she expresses these issues as they come. You really root for her, that everything will turn out well in the end. I also like the way the novel was set up: diary format, starting from January to December.
07. Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — If you’re going through a bad day, it certainly can’t be worse than Arthur Dent’s. If you think you’re the most miserable person in the universe, you haven’t met Marvin. I love Douglas Adams’s narrative and the amusing way he describes situations. A lot of it’s quotable, which is also fun.
08. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (review) — As I stated in my review/commentary, it feels like coming home. There’s just something so familiar and homely about Middle Earth; maybe that’s just me, but the adventure’s something you could curl up in your favourite seat and read about all afternoon.
09. Stephen Clarke’s A Year in the Merde (review) — It’s been a few years since I’ve read this book but I remember being amused by this book. For those who are into armchair travelling (the actual term always escapes me =x), this book is about a Englishman who finds himself across the Channel and living in France. It was amusing to read his escapades and struggles in adapting to the French lifestyle and is overall quite a light read.
10. Lindsey Davis’s The Silver Pigs (review) — Okay, it’s a murder mystery novel set in Ancient Rome but it’s still a great read during those blah and/or rainy days because of Marcus Didius Falco’s narrative. Really =D
And that’s my list for this week! What is your TTT for this week?
While transporting the remains of the Master, an evil Time Lord, the Doctor suffers a TARDIS malfunction and ends up in San Francisco in 1999. The Master escapes and assumes a bodily form, the Doctor regenerates, and with the help of an attractive heart surgeon the Doctor must locate and defeat the Master before the turn of the millennium at midnight.
- source
So, as I mentioned some time ago, I became a huge fan of Doctor Who last year. I haven’t really delved back to classic Who very much yet (pretty much been watching the revival series) aside from the special “The Five Doctors” and clips here and there but I was keen to check out the 1996 movie. Paul McGann is a fantastic actor (loved him in 1998′s Our Mutual Friend) and I’ve been hearing from the fandom at how unfortunate that he only got a movie. Well, I finally got around to watching it!
Spoilers if you have not watched the movie and/or not familiar with the fandom!
'It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to.' - Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
