It's Monday! New Job.... New Life!

I had a pretty good first week at my new job and while I definitely felt overwhelmed, I'm enjoying learning about what it is really like to be a nurse.

Finished this week

• Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

Currently Reading

• Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (re-read) (audiobook)
• Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransom (re-read)- I was reading this aloud to my brother but he has lost enthusiasm for the book (which boggles my mind!) so I decided to go on without him. 
• The Valley of Vision- Almost done!

Coming Soon! 

• How Green was My Valley by Richard Lewellyn 

Book Reviews posted this week- Hopefully more soon... I'm frightfully behind on my book reviews

• Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

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Ultimate Harry Potter Tag

I wasn't actually tagged in this but me being me and me being a tag stealer I stole this tag from over at Jmill Wanders. I love Harry Potter so I couldn't resist. ;)

1. Favorite Book- It used to always say Order of the Phoenix but sometimes that one really annoys me because you have teenager love stuff in there and you know me and teenager love stuff. ;) There is a beautiful magic to The Sorceror's Stone due it to it being the first of them and the one that introduced it all. I love them all really. :)
2. Least Favorite Book- As I said, I love them all. :)
3. Favorite Movie- Third maybe? I like the first, second and third and then the books get so long that they start leaving out so much from them in the movies. :( 
4. Least Favorite Movie- I think the fourth. Four, five and six though all make me unhappy in different ways. I feel like the fourth leaves out huge amounts though and changes things... like Krum. :(
5. Favorite Quote- Curiosity is not a sin... but we should exercise caution... yes indeed. Goblet of Fire
6. Favorite Weasly- The twins! Fred and George are amazing and hilarious! 
7. Favorite female character- Luna Lovegood. She's so wonderfully quirky. :)
8. Favorite Villain- Umbridge! And Bellatrix Lestrange creeps me out so much! Helena Bonham-Carter plays her so creepily well in the films. 
9. Favorite male character- Remus Lupin 
10. Favorite Professor- I'm torn between Professor McGonagall and Professor Lupin but since I picked Lupin for the previous question I'll go with McGonagall for this one. :)
11. Is there any character you felt differently about in the movies vs. the books- I really felt like they did not do Ginny quite right and they severely underused Tonks!!! 
12. Is there a movie you prefer instead of the book- Ha! No! 
13. Richard Harris or Michael Gambon as Dumbledore- They're both good. We get so much more of Michael Gambon that it is harder to judge. I can't chose. :)
14. The top thing (person or event) which wasn't included in the movie that annoyed you the most- Ha! Ask my siblings and they will tell you that I scarcely stop talking during the movies because most of the time I'm saying some variation of "that wasn't in the book" or "They left this part out of the movie that was in the book". So yeah... a lot of things annoy me. I think though that so many of the memories and their significance are left out of the Half Blood Prince and that's just dumb. In the fourth I feel like chunks are thrown out all over the place and in the fifth too! 
15. If you could remake any of the Potter movies, which would it be- The fourth. As I said, it annoys me the most. That long hair on Ron needed to go. 
16. Which house was your first gut feeling you'd be part of- Hufflepuff :)
17. Which house were you actually sorted into on Pottermore (or other online sorting quiz?)- Hufflepuff... serendipitous is it not? ;)
18. Which class would be your favorite- Defense against the dark arts and I think potions would be pretty cool. I made the mistake of mentioning that to my Chemistry major brother though and he said that potions was basically chemistry.... suddenly all of potions' allure was gone. ;)
19. Which spell do you think would be the most useful to learn- Accio would always be useful! I'm pretty lazy. Once I'm in the recliner... I'm not getting up! ;)
20. Which character do you think at Hogwarts you'd instantly become best friends with- Luna! Awkward crazy people unite! ;)
21. If you could own one of the three hallows which would it be- The invisibility cloak! 
22. Is there any aspect of the books you'd want to change- As I said above, less teenage romance stuff... besides that... no. :)
23. Favorite marauder- Lupin :)
24. If you could bring one character back to life who would it be- SPOILERS!!!!!! Fred Weasley without a doubt! 
25. Hallows or Horcruxes- Hallows... duh! 

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Book Review- Gone With the Wind

I'm sorry it took me so long to get this review up... I wanted to watch the movie before reviewing it.
So, at long last I've read Margaret Mitchell's classic novel of the War Between the States and the Reconstruction that followed: Gone With the Wind. It was quite a book I must say and I'm not sure what to think of it but I'll try my best to put my thoughts as coherently as possible into this post.
First off, I was reading this for a read-a-long hosted by The Pursuit of Happiness, which lasted approximately from May to August.... obviously I got done a little early. I finished listening to Little Women on the way up to Michigan over Memorial Day Weekend so all I had for the way back was Gone With the Wind. So even though I still had at least three fourths of it left, by the time I reached home I had finished it!  I'm a really fast reader and, for a reason I still cannot quite grasp, I found it oddly gripping.

Let's start with the characters... because I think Gone With the Wind is all about the characters.
Scarlett- Do not like her and never did throughout the story. She's despicable. I'll say she is determined and a strong female character but despicable.
Rhett Butler- Despicable but I actually like him better than Scarlette. I'm not quite sure how I feel about him as a whole. He did make me laugh often enough.
Ashley Wilkes- Sorry but I think he was a weak man in some respects. He never should have admitted to Scarlette he had feelings for her.... and on that note I don't see how someone as smart as he seems to be could like her over Melanie... or like her at all actually. Throughout the book you can see that though he is faithful physically to his wife he is unfaithful emotionally... which isn't a good thing either. I just wish I had seen more strength in his character.
Melanie Wilkes- Besides the fact that sometimes she is ridiculously naive Melanie is a sweet, kind and unselfish women and easily the best character in the story.
I read that Margaret Mitchell said the book was about survival and I can definitely see that. Scarlett did everything to survive.... everything bad. I also felt that Scarlett didn't know a good thing when she had it. She and Rhett were horribly perfect for each other and she realized that far too late. A lot of the time, she just didn't get things!

I watched the movie and I thought it was pretty good. I'm a stickler for accuracy and they did a fairly good job with that but they still left out chunks here and there and zipped through it very fast... though I guess four hours isn't what you would think of when you think of as fast. I felt they made Scarlett is more likable in the movie... they leave out parts that make her look worse. I thought the casting was great though. Clark Gable was perfect as Rhett Butler.

Gone with the Wind is a good novel and interesting but I would disagree in saying it's one of the greatest books in literature. Maybe I'll change my mind on that someday but I have a hard time liking a story that has an unlikable protagonist. :)

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Period Drama Tag

I'm not a period drama blogger (as I'm sure you've noticed) but I love watching period dramas and I love reading period drama bloggers. So I'm doing this tag. :)

What is your favorite Austen book?

Pride and Prejudice! I'm cliche that way but I can't help it! It's the best! I love them all though so much. :) Probably my second favorites are Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and Mansfield Park. 

One Austen movie you dislike the most

There's two tied for the dislike intensely position in my book. In fact I refer to them as the evil versions. They would be the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice and the 2007 version of Mansfield Park. I'm a book purist, which is sometimes not all it is cut out to be. I also don't tolerate too much mushiness in my stories. 

Favorite Dresses

I'd have to say I love all of Lizzie Bennet's dresses and all of Molly Gipson's dresses so I'll share one of each of them. :) 

  

Least favorite hairstyle

I'm going to agree with everyone I think in saying Lady Harriet's. It's ghastly! 

Favorite Austen book film adaptation 

Pride and Prejudice 1995 without a doubt. It has great actors, witty script (which is really all thanks to Austen), beautiful scenery and costumes and stays very true to the book. I can ask for no more. :)

Favorite Downtown Abbey character

So I'm one of the few people in the world who hasn't seen Downton Abbey. Maybe someday I'll get around to it. My mom watches it and likes it. :) I know she said her favorite character died. Not sure who that was and I didn't ask because I don't want spoilers but I'm sure all of you avid fans know. 

Favorite BBC Show

Doctor Who! It isn't period drama but it's my favorite BBC show! I also love The Adventure of Merlin. When I get around to watching more of Call the Midwife I'm sure I can add that to the list too. 

Favorite Austen Heroine

Lizzy Bennet, Anne Elliot and Fanny Price. :)

One BBC you watched which you disliked very much

I haven't watched any BBC period dramas I disliked. There were some that were meh but I didn't dislike any. I haven't seen as many as some have though. 

Colin Firth or Matthew Macfayden

As Mr. Darcy? Colin Firth! Matthew Macfayden was simply not meant for that role. He does however do a fine job as Arthur Clenham in Little Dorrit. :)

Jane Austen, Margaret Mitchell or Lucy Maud Montgomery?

I love them all but obviously I can't help but go with Jane Austen. She is my favorite author for her wit, wisdom, enduring characters and strong morals. I really have never had a complaint with Austen on anything in her books... except maybe Edward Ferras.... sometimes he aggravates me. 

Which Charlotte? Claudie Blakley or Lucy Scott?

I prefer the 1995 version so Lucy Scott but I don't recall having any real problem with Claudie Blakley as Charlotte... just stupid writing on the part of the screenwriters. 

So that was fun! 

Random fact that I found out when writing this post... Hayley Attwell (from Captain America  and Agent Carter) plays Mary Crawford in the 2007 version of Mansfield Park! I didn't realize that! I actually thought she did a good job as Mary Crawford. :)

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It's Monday! I'm an RN!

It's official! I took the NCLEX last week, passed and now have my own license number and the coveted title of an RN! :) Today I'm starting my first nursing job! I'm so incredibly grateful to God for all he has done for me in getting me to this point. :)
Saturday I finally started watching Call the Midwife with my little sister. We're loving it! Unfortunately she's gone on a mission trip this week so I'm going to have to wait for her to get back before we can continue on watching it.
So on to reading!

Finished this week

• none

Currently Reading

• Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens
• Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransom (re-read)
• The Valley of Vision 

Coming Soon

• How Green was My Valley by Richard Lewellyn
• Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

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Sisterhood Blogger Award

Thank you to Bethany and Becca from the blog Clever Bunnies for nominating me for the Sisterhood Blogger Award! :)

Rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site (duly done above)
• Put the award logo on your blog (observe it to the right)
• Answer the the questions sent to you (duly done below)
• Make up ten new questions for you nominees to answer (duly done below)
• Nominate ten blogs (Duly done below) 

Now for answering Bethany and Becca's questions. :)

1. If you were stranded on an island with a box, what would you want to be in that box? Food, water and the Bible- because man cannot live on bread alone. ;)
2. Do you like to go camping and if so, where do you prefer to sleep (tent, camper, cabin, under the stars etc)? Growing up my family didn't really go camping but a few years ago my younger brother got a tent and since then I've camped a couple times down at the river/wooded area that run through my parents property. However every time we do that there's a storm and we end up having to go home halfway through the night. :(
3. What's the craziest thing you've ever cooked/baked? I'm not sure. Maybe my greek yogurt biscuits. :) They were rather on the unconventional side but delicious nonetheless. :)
4. What's the last movie you saw in theaters? Avengers: Age of Ultron :)
5. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would you chose? A dog :)
6. Favorite flavor to combine with chocolate? There are so many good ones! I think maybe caramel or coffee. :)
7. If you were zapped back in time, where would you hope to end up and what one thing would you want with you? The victorian era I think... Jane Austen time period. ;) I'd want a copy of Pride and Prejudice so Jane Austen herself could autograph it. ;)
8. Do you sing along to the radio? I don't listen to the radio a lot... but when I do... yes. :)
9. Do you have any nicknames? I so what are they? I know I've mentioned them in a post before but here goes again. :) The main ones are- LoLo and Legalois (Like Legolas from LOTR... technically I know it should be legOlois but I always spell it with an A because otherwise it just looks like I love legos). ;)
10. You are all alone in your house and you hear a strange noise, what do you do? This happens to me all the time. I have variations of checking the door to make sure it's locked, creeping around the house to make sure no one is there or staying sitting comfortably in a recliner and shouting out to the house "if there's anyone there I'm armed". Thank goodness no one's ever taken me up on that threat. ;)

My questions for my nominees are:

1. Do you have any nicknames?
2. Favorite movie?
3. Favorite book? 
4. Favorite TV show?
5. How many siblings do you have? 
6. How many kids would you like to have? OR If you already have kids... How many kids do you have and do you want more?
7. What is your favorite activity to do with your family?
8. What is your current school status?
9. Dream vacation (if money was no object)?
10. Do you like tea? (just cause) ;)

I'll tag: Olivia (Meanwhile in Rivendellw), Selah (Bibliophile's Style), Julie (Smiling Shelves), Lianne (Eclectic Tales), Ashley (A-Z), Heidi (Along the Brandywine), Sophie (Ravens and Writing Desks), Katrina (Chased by my Imagination), Katherine (I Wish I Lived in a Library) and Holly (Nut Free Nerd).
If you want to join in on this and I didn't tag you just hop along! :)

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Top Ten Theme Songs

I saw this over at Meanwhile in Rivendell and being a tag stealer and a theme song lover I stole it. No regrets. ;) To make it simpler, I'm excluding themes from actual musicals. They are in no particular order.

Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

Duh! That music is so good! Howard Shore created a masterpiece when he wrote that music. The shire theme always just makes me feel at home. :)

Doctor Who

Because Doctor Who! What else matters? ;) I love the theme music, the tenth and eleventh doctor's themes and all of the companions themes but especially Clara's. 

Jurassic Park

I could listen to it's theme music all day long! I can't get enough of it. :)

Indian Jones

So much fun! So much action! So much Harrison Ford! ;)

Star Wars

John Williams' greatest masterpiece. :)

Harry Potter

I really feel John Williams' music really captures the magic (no pun intended) of the books. :)

Leverage

Because Leverage! And once again... what else matters? ;) Such a fun theme. :) 

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

I grew up with this movie and I grew up with that music. The opening sequence with the lady embroidering and the music playing was a favorite. :)

Little Dorrit (2008)

I think when trying to get me to watch this miniseries my cousins raved just as much about the music as the actual show. Now I know why. :)

Lorna Doone

A magnificent soundtrack.  The "love theme" is one of my favorite musical pieces ever! It actually makes me emotional... which you all know doesn't really happen to me often. It's at 7:37 in this video and you should definitely listen to it. :)

So I reached ten and realized there are so many more I want to include!!!!

So honorable mentions! 

• Pirates of the Caribbean
• North and South (2004)
• Wives and Daughters
• The Scarlet Pimpernel
• The Chronicles of Narnia (LWW) (2005)
• Gods and Generals 
• The Sea Hawk
• Robin Hood (1938)
• Charade

I love listening to soundtracks from movies and TV shows. :) 

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Top Ten Books I'd Love to see as Movies/TV Shows

Fun topic for Top Ten Tuesday this week!

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien- Now I know what you're thinking.... Lois, this has already been made into movies, good movies too. I agree on both points. However, I think it could be better and I was just thinking recently that I could see The Lord of the Rings being a very good TV show. Thoughts?
2. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien- I actually don't see potential in The Silmarllion being made into a movie but I think there's a lot of potential for The Children of Hurin to be made into one as it's just one story, it's shorter and it would be pretty cool on screen with a dragon and all! Plus, I love the book. :)
3. Redwall series by Brian Jacques- I know there was the animated TV series which was meh but I'd love to see a well done TV series done of these books that wasn't really childish. 
4. The Wizard of Oz series by L. Frank Baum- I love the Oz series, I read and re-read those books countless times growing up and I'll be honest... I'm not a big fan of the Judy Garland film... part of it is I'm not a fan of Judy Garland. There are definitely some parts I do like of the film and I do watch it but's it's just not my favorite. I'd love to see a movie or TV series of all the stories that a little more closely follows the books, capturing the quirkiness and fun of the stories.
5. Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz- There's already been a film version of Koontz's other book Odd Thomas so I think it's time to make another of his books into a film and Life Expectancy is one of my favorites and I think it would be an interesting film. :)
6. The Binding of the Blades series by L.B. Graham- One of my favorite fantasy series. I think it would be great on screen! :)
7. Coronation of Glory: The Story of Lady Jane Grey by Deborah Meroff- I love this book and I think it's high time a GOOD movie was made about Lady Jane Grey! 
8. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen- I know there have been three versions made of Mansfield Park so far but none of them are great. They need to make a GREAT one!!!!!
9. Leave it to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse- There have been movies or TV series made of many of Wodehouse's other books but not this one yet. This one NEEDS to be made! It is my favorite of his books and I think it would be hilarious on screen! 
10. Armadale by Wilkie Collins- I just read this recently and I think it would be fascinating as a movie. :)

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It's Monday! NCLEX!

Years of school have lead up to this moment. Sure I passed nursing school but I don't get that coveted RN title until I pass the NCLEX. Today I'm taking it. No pressure... ;)
Oh, and I got the job I really wanted working on a med-surg floor! Of course that's contingent on my passing the NCLEX. Again... no pressure.... ;)
I'm sorry I didn't get an It's Monday post done last week but with being out of town it just didn't happen. So this is an accumulation of the past couple weeks. :) I'll have reviews out for the books I've finished hopefully soon but I've been busy with studying so I haven't gotten them done yet except my Little Women review as I needed it done by the end of May.

Finished in the last two weeks

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (re-read) (audiobook)- Long car trips are great for audiobooks! READ MY BOOK REVIEW HERE. 
• Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell- About nine weeks too early for the read-a-long but I got done with Little Women on the way up to Michigan so I read Gone With the Wind on the way back and finished it just a couple hours after getting home. That book was gripping for reasons that still confuse me. It's a complicated book. Full review hopefully coming soon once I have more time. 
• Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard (re-read)- It was fun to re-read this. It's a classic boy and dog story. 

Currently Reading

• The Valley of Vision
• Swallows and Amazons (re-read)

Coming Soon

• Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens
• How Green is My Valley by Richard Lewellyn 

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Birthday Month Reading Challenges- June

We have reached June and we are at the half way point!!! Get excited! If you're behind don't worry! You still have time to catch up. :)
Here are the birthdays for June! Be sure to check out a more complete list HERE.

• Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Maurice Sendak
• Pearl S. Buck
• Erich Maria Remarque
• John F. MacArthur
• Mercedes Lackey
• Esther Forbes
• Brian Jacques
• Walter Farley
• Thomas Hardy
• George Orwell
• Peter Spier
• Robert Kraus
• Eric Carle
• Johanna Spyri

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