Third time is the charm?

I am about to try and watch Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. It's my third try...I fell asleep the first two times. If it doesn't hold my interest this time, I am D-O-N-E.


I am watching this movie as part of the Everything Austen Challenge hosted by Stephanie at Stephanie's Written Word.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

Meet Bridget Jones -- a 30-something Singleton who is certain she would have all the answers is she could:

a) lose 7 pounds
b) stop smoking
c) develop Inner Poise



This was a reread for me for the Everything Austen Challenge. It was just as much fun the second time around. Having seen the movie, I had the characters firmly in place as Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant. I liked the book better because I liked her self-recriminatiosn as she logged her weight gained and cigarettes smoked - that didn't come across real well in the movie. On the flip side, I have to admit I really missed the line they added to the movie about Hugh Grant loving her granny panties!

Because this was the Everything Austen Challenge, I read the book this time knowing that it referenced Pride and Prejudice, and looking for the parallels. Obviously there was Colin Firth THE Mr. Darcy playing the new Mr. Darcy. There was the story theme of prejudging others - Bridget dismisses Mark Darcy wearing his Christmas sweater handknitted by his mother as arrogant and rude, just as Jane dismissed Mr. Darcy at the dance. And the storyline of the two male leads having a past together that leaves them as enemies with Mr. Darcy actually being the noble gentleman who comes to the aid of the heroine.


Just for the heck of it, let's finish with eye candy....

R-R-R-R-Roadblock

I'm down to my last book for the A-Z Reading Challenge..."R" and it's giving me troubles. I had three R books in my TBR pile, Reading Lolita in Tehran, Revolutionary Road, and The Red Tent. I decided on Reading Lolita in Tehran so I loaned Revolutionary Road to a friend and stuck The Red Tent back in my TBR. Then I started reading Reading Lolita in Tehran and after a chapter or two, it didn't grab me and I put it down. So I went and tried a little bit of The Red Tent and it didn't grab me either. Then I roamed the bookstore and grabbed Anne Rice's Road to Cana, I liked it but it's the second in a series and I decided I wanted to read the first book first so that's been set aside as well. Finally a friend gave me a book by a local author, Resurrection Road and that one left me dry too. I think there are some deep seated psychological issues at work here - fear of challenge completion, R phobia - something has me stumped.

On the other hand, I finally got my first Library Thing Early Reviewers book, Short Girls and I am enjoying it! I also started Nickled and Dimed and that one caught my attention right away too. I've finished a David Baldacci The Whole Truth that I need to review and Diane Mott Davidson's The Dark Tort that was a fun little mystery too. I finished HP6 but haven't seen the movie yet, did see the movie, My Sister's Keeper, about which all I can say is, "hmmm, why would they do that?" And if you've seen it, you know exactly what I mean. I've also made some progress on the Everything Austen challenge by re-reading Bridget Jones' Diary.

I've been absent from blogging due to another college road trip with Bookworm and the normal whirlwind of back to school shopping and such. And, I've probably been spending a bit too much time on FarmTown on Facebook - it is strangely addictive! I have thirteen posts in draft status - time to get off the farm and back to city living!

Sunday with Colin

I spent my entire Sunday other than my hour at Mass, slaving away to complete my second task for the Everything Austen Challenge. I watched the entire six part mini-series from A&E of Pride and Prejudice. The one with Colin Firth. (Just for the record, if I had any technological skills, I would insert my own head into that photo with Colin Firth, but, alas, I have none.) So here's how my day went - I'd watch a 50 minute episode, then, while it was rewinding, I would go to the bathroom, get a snack, check Facebook, and then return to my bed for the next 50 minute episode. Repeat for a total of six episodes and you have my Sunday. I tell you....the things I do for these challenges! And if I didn't have to work today, I'd be ready to do the whole day over again!

When I borrowed the set of VHS tapes from my friend Mary Poppins, she told me that she watched them when her daughter was a baby. She said she would watch them every night over and over again - when she finished one, she'd start the next and then when the series was over, she'd just start it right up again from the beginning. Hmmm, I thought, she may only be "practically perfect" but she is totally crazy. But now I know, if my children instead of being mobile, articulate, demanding pre-teens and teens were instead infants who I could cradle in my arms on the couch all night while I watched Colin Firth, I would do it too. It was so fun to see the story brought to life with such detail and elegance. The words that I confess sometimes seemed awkward to read seemed just right as the characters interacted with each other. The mother and silly sisters were so embarrassing they made me cringe, Jane was so serene, I finally understood how Mr. Darcy could not have truly judged her affections for his friend, everything was magical!

I watched this series as part of the Everything Austen Challenge hosted by Stephanie at Stephanie's Written Word. Next comes the new version movie - the one with Keira Knightley. I hate to be pessimistic but I can't imagine that it could possibly live up to this.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

From Pemberly.com: First published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has consistently been Jane Austen's most popular novel. It portrays life in the genteel rural society of the day, and tells of the initial misunderstandings and later mutual enlightenment between Elizabeth Bennet (whose liveliness and quick wit have often attracted readers) and the haughty Darcy. The title Pride and Prejudice refers (among other things) to the ways in which Elizabeth and Darcy first view each other.

I am the last woman in the world to read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Because I have waited to be the last one, everything that could possibly be said about the book has already been said. The website Pemberly.com referenced above is a perfect example - it takes apart the book bit by bit, has maps of the locations, the entire text online all with link after link to explore more. Did I do all that? No. I just read the book and enjoyed the story. Apparently at some point in my life, I had picked up the book and started it because the beginning was vaguely familiar. But I know I didn't finish because I didn't know how it ends and I kept reading this time because I really wanted to know! It's tempting to pick up another, different Jane Austen to read if only to finally be able to put them on as "read" at Library Thing - it's so embarrassing to be an Austen illiterate. But that's not how I mapped out my challenge and I want to stick with my original plan. So I get the pleasure of watching the Pride and Prejudice movies next and seeing the story come to life

I read this book as part of the Everything Austen Challenge hosted by Stephanie at Stephanie's Written Word.

Everything Austen Challenge

As I have ventured into the world of book challenges, I've discovered some gaps in my reading history. One of the biggest seems to be that I have never read anything (not a page!) by Jane Austen. I did see the movie Clueless which I know is based on something Austen but that is as close I have gotten to the author that everyone else seems to love. So when I saw the Everything Austen challenge, I decided it was a sign that I should put my toe into the pool. You can read all about the challenge here at Stephanie's Written Word.

I have decided to focus on one book, Pride and Prejudice. I chose this one because my DD Bookworm owns both the book and the new movie and because the zombie book intrigues me! So here is my list...I'm excited to begin!

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (the book)
2. Pride and Prejudice BBC version (movie)
3. Pride and Prejudice 2005 version (movie)
4. Bride and Prejudice (movie)
5. Bridget Jone's Diary
6. Pride, Prejudice & Zombies by Sean Grahame-Smith
(book)