Monday, February 28, 2011

PROUD READING CHALLENGE ADDICT/2011 READING CHALLENGES

Reading Challenge Addict

Finally, I think I've signed up for my last reading challenge for this year. *fingers crossed and willpower armed* LOL!

I've signed up for 20 challenges for 2011 and I'm involved in 4 perpetual challenges.  Each challenge on the list can be clicked to my original post (all posts have sign-up info) on my challenge blog or you can visit my challenge blog HERE.

First of all, I'm a Reading Challenge Addict! I'm signing up for Cheryl (CMash Loves to Read) and Gina's (Hott Books) Reading Challenge Addict challenge under the Out of this World-16+ challenges level.  (Click the button at the top of the post to find out more and for sign up)

2011 Reading Challenges

Alphabet Challenge
What an Animal Reading Challenge IV
Classics Challenge 2011
2011 Fairy Tale Challenge
Monthly Mix-Up Mania Reading Challenge (this one lasts until March of 2013!)
A-Z Mystery Author Challenge
Historical Fiction Challenge 2011
Chunkster Challenge 2011
The Dewey Decimal Challenge
Public Domain E-Book Challenge
Valley of the Kings Reading Challenge 2011
2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge
2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge
2011 Audio Book Challenge
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
GLBT Challenge 2011
Historical Tour De Genre
Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge
2011 Stephen King Challenge
Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011

Perpetual Challenges

Agatha Christie Reading Challenge
The Stephen King-Richard Bachman Perpetual Challenge

I am also the host of the following perpetual challenges.  If you would like more info and/or would like to sign up, visit the dedicated blogs...

The Michener Challenge HERE
101 Fantasy Reading Challenge HERE

Personal Challenges

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (on goodreads)
Reading Deliberately...My Way

So...how's your challenge addiction?

Thursday, February 24, 2011

CAT THURSDAY--HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALICE!

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

First of all, like the new button?  I thought it was time for a new one.  Of course, if you like the old one better, you can still use it.  Second, I just wanted to thank everyone for their terrific comments regarding the sad status of the pets in Egypt.  Hopefully, I was able to get the word out to more people and they will get much deserved help for their cause.

Another very special Cat Thursday this week because it's Alice's birthday! She is four years old today.  We celebrated last night so I could share the pics with you.  She wasn't very happy with the birthday hat...LOL! She had a nice can of Fancy Feast (turkey and giblets) and we gave her three new catnip mice.  So, I will be pampering her all day today...as if she isn't pampered every day already, right?  ;O)


Gabe, Alice (looking happy with that hat on), and Reece
Alice, tasting her treat (lucky the candle wasn't lit!) and Reece, hamming it up!





Tuesday, February 22, 2011

MAILBOX MONDAY (TUESDAY EDITION)

It's Mailbox Monday and this month's host is Library of Clean Reads.

(Please click the titles below the image, if you would like to read book descriptions on goodreads)


Won:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness...from author Roxanne Rhoads/Fang-tastic Books

For review:

Probability Angels by Joseph Devon...from the author

From Paperback Swap:

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
A Mirror for Witches by Esther Forbes

Purchased:
from BOMC2

True Grit by Charles Portis

from other mail-order book clubs:

Of Love and Evil by Anne Rice
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl


BOOK TOUR: THE SECRET LIFE OF EMILY DICKINSON BY JEROME CHARYN

The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn
finished reading on February 21, 2011

My thoughts:
Besides her poetry, I have to admit that I know little about the historical figure of Emily Dickinson.  Though a work of fiction, Charyn has given us some possible insight into what Emily may have been like.  A self-proclaimed 'spinster', it's hard to say if Emily's spinsterhood was brought about by her father's overbearing nature and his selfish desire to keep his family close or due to her own eccentricities, of which we learn in this book she had quite a lot.  Emily runs a constant internal monologue and she seems peculiarly obsessed with men, or should I say sex.  She starts out enamored of the handyman at her boarding school and continues on with a list of various men that she fantasizes about, tries to run off with, asks them to marry her...the list culminates with an endless obsession with the Reverend Charles Wadsworth.  The interesting part of the book is that her writing seems to take a backseat to everything else.  She speaks of her 'scribblings' on scraps of paper, envelopes, and fliers--almost like her brilliant poetry was an afterthought.  Nonetheless, Charyn has constructed an interesting and endearing portrait of Emily Dickinson, however fictional it may be, and I, for one, have been bitten by the bug of wanting to learn more about her.

Excerpt:
Amazon See Inside the Book

Book trailer:



About the author:
Jerome Charyn (born May 13, 1937) is an award-winning American author. With nearly 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life. Michael Chabon calls him “one of the most important writers in American literature.”

New York Newsday hailed Charyn as “a contemporary American Balzac,” and the Los Angeles Times described him as “absolutely unique among American writers.”

Since the 1964 release of Charyn’s first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published 30 novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year. Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture.

Charyn was Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at the American University of Paris until he left teaching in 2009.

In addition to his writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top 10 percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn’s book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, "The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong."

Charyn lives in Paris and New York City.

Blog Tour web site:
http://thesecretlifeofemilydickinson.blogspot.com/

Jerome Charyn's web site:
http://www.jeromecharyn.com/

Jerome Charyn's Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/jerome.charyn

Jerome Charyn's Twitter:
http://twitter.com/jeromecharyn

The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/SecretLifeOfEmilyDickinson

The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson Twitter:
http://twitter.com/EmilySecretLife

W.W. Norton & Company web site:
http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=17221

BookReporter.com's Top Books of 2010 (#52)

Paperback
Price: $14.95
ISBN: 9780393339178
Pages: 352
Release: February 14, 2011

Hardcover
Price: $24.95
ISBN: 9780393068566
Pages: 348
Release: February 22, 2010

Buy the book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

Buy it for Kindle or Nook

Thank you to Nicole at Tribute Books for inviting me to participate on this tour.  I apologize for the late posting.



I received a PDF copy of this book for review from Tribute Books.  I did not receive any monetary compensation and the review is my honest opinion.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

CAT THURSDAY

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

I have a very special Cat Thursday for you today.  Caren at CAT CHAT shared this wonderful guest post by Gwen Cooper regarding the plight of animals in Egypt during the current unrest there.  She has generously allowed me to cross post it here today!

********************

By now, we’re all aware of the current unrest in Egypt. What many don’t realize, however, is the catastrophic toll that unrest is taking on Egypt’s animal population.

Egypt hasn’t traditionally had much in the way of infrastructure when it comes to animal welfare, so there was already a large population of cats and dogs living on the streets. Those cats and dogs are now getting caught up in the tear gas being used against protestors. ESMA (the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals) has retrieved dozens of cats and dogs who were on the brink of death, unable to breathe because of the tear gas and with eyes so swollen they couldn’t see. And even the physical injuries often pale in comparison to the sheer terror these defenseless creatures are being subjected to.

Foreign citizens living in Egypt have been returning to their own countries, forced to abandon their cats and dogs. Pet stores—most stores, in fact—have been closed for days, with nobody checking on the animals trapped inside who are slowly starving to death. The same goes for zoos. The banks are closed, which means ESMA has no access to funds with which to purchase food and medical supplies. Some rescue groups are being forced to feed their rescues a diet of bread soaked in water. Homes are being raided and burned down with defenseless pets inside. The volunteers at ESMA are taking turns guarding their shelter 24 hours a day, as raids and fires are happening in their neighborhood as well.

An influx of dollars is the best immediate thing we can do to help ESMA and the animals they serve. Dollars will actually be more useful than Egyptian pounds right now when it comes to buying food, medicine, and other supplies. Dollars can also be used to hire trained teams to rescue animals from abandoned pet stores, zoos, and homes. Even a small amount of money—say $20—can go a very long way in a situation like this.

Here’s a link to ESMA’s donation page. Please, please give what you can—as I said, even an amount of money so small that you think it couldn’t do any good can save lives now, especially if all of us chip in.

http://esmaegypt.org/blog/how-to-help/

Donations are made through PayPal.

The other thing you can do to help the animals of Egypt is to continue to spread the word about their needs. Link to this post, or ESMA’s donation page, on your own blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, etc. Tell your friends, families, co-workers, veterinarians, rescue groups you may work with, and anybody else you can think of. While the media has finally started to pay attention to this story, any additional awareness we can create will go a long way toward making things better.

I’ve spent the past several days in touch with members of ESMA’s board. They’ve asked me if I truly think readers here will be concerned about the plight of animals all the way in Egypt. I told them that there are many animal lovers here in America, and we all understand that animals aren’t citizens of countries. They’re citizens of our hearts, and our hearts have no borders.

Please do what you can—and God bless!

ABOUT GWEN COOPER-"Author of the 2007 novel "Diary Of A South Beach Party Girl" and the 2009 New York Times Bestselling memoir "Homer's Odyssey." Currently writing my third book, a novel called "Love Saves The Day" for publication in Spring 2012."

I hope you enjoyed today's post.  What is happening in Egypt is terrible and to now find out that the animals are suffering as well...it's heartbreaking.  I'm going to give a little to this cause.  I can't afford much, but every little bit helps.



BOOK REVIEW--CLEOPATRA: A LIFE BY STACY SCHIFF

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
finished reading on February 16, 2011

My thoughts:
I have been too long away from non-fiction so this book was a slow and difficult read for me.  However, it was definitely worth the read.  We all know the story of Cleopatra, a story we've probably been told from novels and/or movies.  Cleopatra was a beautiful seductress who loved and manipulated two great men, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.  But she was so much more.  She was a Ptolemy...from a family who was well known for murdering each other to gain power...yet she was rare in this family in that she actually loved her father.  Her love for her father led to her passionate love of her country and this was most important to her above anything else.  So yes, she did use some feminine wiles to protect and secure her position, but she did so shrewdly and without compromising her honor, at least in her own eyes and the eyes of her subjects.  The Romans' opinion of her was entirely different and not favorable.  Schiff really brings to the fore just how skillful Cleopatra was, whether we know the whole truth or not.  So much of the accounts of Cleopatra's life were written by Roman (and other) philosophers who often did not have good opinions of her either.

I learned things in this book that I previously did not know.  I did not know that Cleopatra had four children.  I knew of Caesarion, her son with Julius Caesar, but did not know that she had three children with Mark Antony, two boys and a girl.  I also did not know that the daughter, Cleopatra Selene, would go on to be a queen in Africa...pretty much following in her mother's footsteps in her rule there.

This is an excellent book for people who enjoy non-fiction and for people who would like to learn more truth behind the legend.  There are rumors that a movie is being made based on this book and that Angelina Jolie may play Cleopatra.  I am rather disappointed by this news, as it is clear from the book that Cleopatra was not a true 'beauty', her seductive ability aside.  Someone less attractive, but capable of sultry gestures and manipulations would be more appropriate, in my opinion.  Like Hollywood cares what I think, right?!

Book description from goodreads:
Her life spanned fewer than 40 years, but she was the last Egyptian pharaoh and one of the most influential women of the age. She married twice, each time to a brother; she poisoned one and waged a war against the other. To this day, the life of Cleopatra VII (69-30 B.C.) intrigues us. This adept biography by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff tells us why it should. The true story of the woman behind the myth.

This book was read in conjunction with a book tour for Crazy Book Tours--book was provided by the tour and was mailed back to the tour organizer.

This book also applies to the following reading challenges:

Monthly Mix-Up Mania
The Dewey Decimal Challenge
Valley of the Kings Reading Challenge
Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

MAILBOX MONDAY (TUESDAY EDITION)

It's Mailbox Monday and this month's host is Library of Clean Reads.

(Please click the titles if you would like to read book descriptions on goodreads)

WON:

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley...won from Historical Tapestry, author signed copy

FOR REVIEW:

To Serve a King by Donna Russo Morin...from the author, signed copy

FROM Bookmooch:

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov



PURCHASED:

(sharing a few more books from my joining of mail order book clubs in December)

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Dead Path by Stephen M. Irwin

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett








(from my monthly library sale...ooooh, the thrills of a bargain)

(from left to righ, each row)

The Charioteer by Mary Renault
Devil's Brood by Sharon Kay Penman
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
Moon by James Herbert
Miracle in Seville by James A. Michener
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
Room by Emma Donoghue
She by H. Rider Haggard
The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes
Unless by Carol Shields
The 5:30 Challenge by Jeanne Besser and Susan Puckett
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau

What goodies came your way over the past week?

Monday, February 14, 2011

RANDOM MAGIC: HE SAID/SHE SAID MUSICAL BLOG HOP

Romance, flirting, mad passion,
melancholy regret and bitter heartbreak…
Find songs that share every nuance of love
from male and female points of view,
on this sweet musical blog hop!

Music is a strong theme in Random Magic -- so strong,
in fact, that one of the celestial characters
Winnie and Henry meet is Efterpe, the Muse of music.

Love is another strong theme in the book, and so in honor of Valentine’s Day,
here’s a fun blog hop to check out, featuring songs about love.


For each stop, you’ll be able to listen to two love songs – one love
song written by (or interpreted by) a man, and one by a woman, to be
fair and give the fellows equal time to wax lyrical or poetic or
happy-go-lucky or broken-hearted or philosophical, and so on…

You are here: #5 of 7: The True Book Addict

(Please note:  you will want to pause the blog's music player
before playing trailers...in mid-left sidebar)


The Haunting (Somewhere In Time) - Kamelot feat. Simone Simons

He said:
Somewhere in time
I will find you and haunt you again
Like the wind sweeps the earth

Song’s commentary on love: Some people believe in reincarnation or
that love can transcend death. Or: Lost loves can be the most memorable.

Lyrics: Song text
Lyrics: Video format


Tabakiera - Kayah feat. Goran Bregović (Music)

She said:
Tuesday has departed somewhere
Behind the window's Thursday morning
Everything is like before
Though nothing is the same

Song’s commentary on love: Everyday objects can take on extraordinary
significance, if they’re connected to a memory. Or: Inner worlds are
as important as exterior worlds (emotions vs. tangible objects), and
quite often they collide.


Shown above: Random Magic book trailer

Random Magic quote:

A woman in white materialized out of the shadows of the far wall,
walked across the bar and put her arm through his. The three rings on
her left hand sparkled.
“Oui, allons-y,” she said sadly, her
voice as gentle as her eyes. “Time to say goodbye.”
Tears welled up in her bright-dark eyes, and her white dress
shimmered, changing to grey, then a vivid shade of blue so dark it was
almost black.

Watch Random Magic trailer - More
Random Magic: Browse

Check out music stop #6 of 7: Take me there

Bonus candy heart! Collect this sweet treat to play
Queen of Hearts tour game: Browse prizes

(If you enjoy a particular music pick, please consider buying the
track to help support the person or group that created it for
everyone’s enjoyment.)

This music hop is part of Random Magic Tour: Vive L’Amour, feel
free to browse other Valentine’s Day special features here
For the impatient, here are all the blogs on the hop:

Menu - vvb32 Reads
#1 of 7: vvb32 Reads
Twitter: @vvb32reads

Twitter: @BooksAtTinas

#3 of 7: Elbit Blog
Twitter: @MeriGreenleaf

Twitter: @MissIrenne


#6 of 7: Fiction Folio
Twitter: @taramq

#7 of 7: The Bookworms


Do you have a favorite love song? Feel free to
share your suggestion in the comments.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

300+ FOLLOWERS (400+ FEED SUBSCRIBERS) GIVEAWAY!

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

It's time...finally! I have the books together and guess what?  It's now five books, instead of four.  That's five books for five winners! I appreciate my followers so much.  I hope my blog continues to be a place you like to visit.  I thank you for your loyalty!

Details about the giveaway and entry are below, but first, let's see what's up for grabs...

Testimony by Anita Shreve (gently used trade paperback)
At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices--those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal--that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellingly explores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.

Tomato Girl by Jane Pupek (gently used ARC trade paperback)
For eleven-year-old Ellie Sanders, her father has always been the rock that she could cling to when her mother's emotional troubles became too frightening. But when he comes under the thrall of the pretty teenager who raises vegetables and tomatoes for sale at the general store that he runs, Ellie sees her security slowly slipping away. Now she must be witness and warden to her mother's gradual slide into madness.

Told from Ellie's point of view, Tomato Girl takes the reader into the soul of a terrified young girl clinging desperately to childhood while being forced into adulthood years before she is ready. To save herself, she creates a secret world, a place in which her mother gets well, her father returns to being the man he was, and the Tomato Girl is banished forever. Tomato Girl marks the debut of a gifted and promising new author who has written a timeless Southern novel.

Fallen by Lauren Kate (gently used hardcover...please note: no slipcover)
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

The Monk by Matthew Lewis (brand new trade paperback)
When Matthew Lewis’s The Monk was published in 1796, readers were shocked by this gripping and horrific novel. Lewis’s story, which drove the House of Commons—of which he was a member—to deem him licentious and perverse, follows the abbot Ambrosio as he is tempted into a world of incest, murder, and torture by a young girl who has concealed herself in his monastery disguised as a boy. As Ambrosio spirals into hell, the reader encounters an array of haunting characters: the innocent virgin, the Bleeding Nun, the Wandering Jew, an evil prioress, and Lucifer himself.

Saturday by Ian McEwan (gently used trade paperback)
"Saturday, February 15, 2003. Henry Perowne is a contented man, a successful neurosurgeon, the devoted husband of Rosalind and the proud father of two grown-up children, one a promising poet, the other a talented blues musician. Unusually, he wakes before dawn, drawn to the window of his bedroom and filled with a growing unease. What troubles him as he looks out at the night sky is the state of the world, the impending war against Iraq, a gathering pessimism since 9/11 and a fear that his city, its openness and diversity, and his happy family life are under threat." "Later, Perowne makes his way to his weekly squash game through London streets filled with hundreds of thousands of anti-war protestors. A minor car accident brings him into a confrontation with Baxter, a fidgety, aggressive young man, on the edge of violence. To Perowne's professional eye, there appears to be something profoundly wrong with him." Towards the end of a day rich in incident, a Saturday filled with thoughts of war and poetry, of music, mortality and love, Baxter appears at the Perowne home during a family reunion, with extraordinary consequences

Contest details and entry guidelines
  • There will be five winners...one book for each winner.
  • US and Canada only...sorry. (International followers--if you have a US address I can ship to, please enter via the form and leave a comment stating that you do)
  • Must be 13 years old or above.
  • Winners will be announced here and I will send an email.  Winners have 48 hours to respond or I will pick new winner(s).
  • Giveway ends on Sunday, March 6th at 11:59pm Central Time.
  • To enter, fill out this FORM (comments are appreciated, but will not count as entries).
Thank you again for following me and for entering the giveaway.  Good luck!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

RANDOM MAGIC TOUR: TOP FIVE UNCONVENTIONAL COUPLES

Tour organization: Lyrika Publicis
Contact the tour: @RandomMagicTour 

Random Magic...many great things can be said about this book, but one thing that really stands out about it is that it is a very unconventional story.  While not a love story, per se, there are some very memorable and unconventional couples in the book. 

Winnie and Henry--Winnie is the wild, adventurous type...bold and brave and not afraid to speak her mind and be loud about it.  Henry is the quiet, reserved type...but persistent in his quest to find his love, Winnie.

Callie and Nevermore--Callie, the muse of writing, is colorful and brilliant.  Nevermore, a shapeshifter, is quiet and brooding.  Together they are a reflection of the combination of sun and shadow in the world.

Lady Jolie Witherspoon and Tony--Lady Witherspoon is elegant, eccentric, and vain.  Tony is far from elegant, but like Lady Witherspoon, he is worldly.  Their long-lasting love for, and admiration of, each other makes for a relationship that works.

In honor of these unconventional couples in Random Magic, I give you my top five unconventional couples in books and movies (and some with a possible music tie-in).  These are not necessarily in any particular order.

1.  Heathcliff and Cathy (Wuthering Heights)--many people have disagreed with me on this, but I view Heathcliff as one of the most romantic figures.  His love for Cathy and her love for him make for a very unconventional couple indeed.  Heathcliff, a foundling, taken in by Cathy's father is treated like a stable boy after the death of Cathy's father.  Cathy is a girl born into privilege.  Heathcliff is a brooding and dark character, while Cathy is wild and whimsical.  Somehow, despite their differences, they fall in love.  Cathy is like the wind and Heathcliff, the rain.  Two elements that often go hand and hand, but are equally tempestuous.  And that is their relationship.  Unfortunately, they are too different, and so are destined to be apart until joined again in death. 

Here is a video of clips from my favorite version of Wuthering Heights starring Ralph Fiennes (so far, my most favorite Heathcliff portrayal) and Juliette Binoche, set to the beautiful song, Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush (there is also a version of this song by Pat Benatar that is a favorite).  Enjoy!




movie version-Eric Bana & Rachel McAdams
 2.  Henry and Clare (The Time Traveler's Wife)--what could be more unconventional than this couple.  Clare has known Henry since she was six years old because they met when he time traveled over the years.  However, Henry 'meets' Clare as an adult...not knowing her before then, even though Clare knows him.  It's all very confusing and if you haven't read the book, you probably wouldn't understand until you do.  Let me just say, READ THE BOOK! Though unconventional, Henry and Clare's is one of the most poignant love stories.  There is also a movie, which was good, but the book is much better (of course).



1997 version-Samantha Morton & Ciaran Hinds
  3.  Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester (Jane Eyre)--Jane Eyre...poor, plain, yet spirited.  Mr. Rochester...rich, arrogant, and brooding.  They are mismatched not only by their classes, but also by their temperaments.  Obstacles beset them and drive them apart, but Jane's spirit and perseverance bring them together again.  Probably one of the most unconventional couples, not only to readers, but even to characters in the book, theirs is probably one of the most enduring love stories.



4.  Jack and Rose (Titanic)--Jack...a Midwestern scrapper who is also a talented artist and poor.  Rose...a privileged, proper, and wealthy girl locked in a loveless engagement.  Chance brings them together and so begins one of the most unconventional love stories, not only because of their different backgrounds, but also because of the backdrop of their story.  Also one of the best, and tragic, love stories of all time.  Who can forget Rose clutching Jack's hands as he dies in the icy water and sinks to his death and Rose stating repeatedly, "I'll never let go."  The movie is almost impossible for me to watch because of this devastatingly sad moment.




Cary Elwes & Robin Wright
 5.  Westley and Buttercup (The Princess Bride)--Westley...humble farm boy.  Buttercup...petulant and uppity.  Yet they fall in love.  But Westley leaves to make his fortune so he can be good enough for Buttercup.  Their romance, unconventional to begin with, becomes even more so when Westley returns as the Dread Pirate Roberts and Buttercup is now a princess bride.  Despite the unconventional love and the obstacles they face, their love survives.  One of the greatest love stories of all time...this we learn from the first moment Westley utters, "as you wish." 

********************
For you...a lovely poem chosen by Random
Magic author, Sasha Soren
Bonus: Sweet treat--Classic Love Poem

“Hymne” by Charles Baudelaire

To the most lovely, the most dear,
The Angel, and the deathless grail
Who fill my heart with radiance clear —
In immortality all hail!
Into my life she flows translated
As saline breezes fill the sky,
And pours into my soul unsated
The taste of what can never die.

Text translations:  Original French, English
Listen online:  Hear this poem
*Poet Charles Baudelaire also appears as a character in

********************
Feel free to play the Queen of Hearts tour game
for Random Magic Tour: Vive L'Amour (Feb. 1-14)
- just collect more candy hearts like the
one above the poem and you might win a sweet prize!
See prizes or Check out sample post

********************

 About Random Magic:

When absent-minded Professor Random misplaces the main character from Alice in Wonderland, young Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice before chaos theory kicks in and the world vanishes. Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan. Such as it is. Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates, Struths, and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, obnoxiously cheerful vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-dimensional cat, and one perpetually inebriated Muse to rescue Alice and save the world by tea time.

View the trailer HERE
Buy it on AMAZON

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Do you have any favorite unconventional couples from books or movies?  If so, who and why?  Feel free to share in the comments.

Check out more romantic fare in the other romantic features on the Random Magic Tour: Vive L’Amour   Browse the full tour schedule HERE.

CAT THURSDAY

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

I wanted to share a Valentine cat pic with you today, but I came across this ADORABLE video on Lolcats and couldn't resist sharing! No worries though...the Valentine pic is below....


HAPPY CATENTINE'S DAY!  ;o)


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