Showing posts with label Book Kaleidoscope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Kaleidoscope. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

2014 Book Kaleidoscope- Day 5

The theme today for the Book Kaleidoscope is my top five books. I hate it when I have to rate my top books. I feel sorry for the ones I left out! I feel like they need mentioning too! And, as always, I somehow cheat on my list... today is no exception. ;) Links take you to my reviews if I wrote one. So in no particular order... enjoy! :)
  1. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell- A very Pride and Prejudice like story with strong memorable characters and a moving pollen. 
  2. Our Mutual Friend and Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens- Both great Dickens works with the standard unforgettable characters that only he can create. :)
  3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett- This was a modern classic for me. The characters and the plot line moved me. 
  4. Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machem- A great piece of non-fiction work that is just as true today as it was when it was written over ninety years ago. 
  5. Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland Bainton- A truly magnificent biography of Martin Luther that was captivating throughout. 
So yeah I got six in there but I'm sure nobody will notice. ;)

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Monday, December 29, 2014

2014 Book Kaleidoscope- Day 4

Today for the Book Kaleidoscope I have a freebie theme! I'm going to go with top five heroines! :) So here you are in no particular order.

  1. Amy Dorrit from Charles Dickens's Little Dorrit
  2. Bella Wilfer and Lizzie Hexam from Charles Dickens's Our Mutual Friend
  3. Margaret Hale from Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South
  4. Mary Poppins from P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins series- A re-read this year but I love this eccentric nanny! 
  5. Agnes Grey from Anne Bronte's Agnes Grey
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Sunday, December 28, 2014

2014 Book Kaleidoscope: Day 3

Today the theme for the Book Kaleidoscope is my five favorite book covers of the year. These again won't be in any particular order except the first one is probably my favorite. :)

1) The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien- This cover just conveys such epicness! The soldier looking off into the distance with the battle behind him and the mist is so perfect! :)


2) The Book of Lost Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien- I love the simple setting of telling a story that this cover evokes.

3) Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens- The cover is simple but I love how it captures the theme of the story... money. 

4) Marry Poppins by P.L. Travers- A Re-read for this year but I still love the cover. :)

5) The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling- Another re-read for this year. I have always loved these covers for this series and was kind of oblivious until searching images for this post that there were other covers out there. :)



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Friday, December 26, 2014

2014 Book Kaleidoscope- Day 2

The theme for today for the Book Kaleidoscope is the Top Five Most Memorable Quotes. I'm really bad at keeping track of quotes though oftentimes I will photograph especially memorable ones but I don't always get that done. Therefore there could be great quotes from these books that I missed. :(

1) This is a great quote from Hugh Binning's book Christian Love. “Self-love is the greatest enemy to true Christian love, and pride is the fountain of self-love” “He whose sins are covered by God’s free love cannot think it hard to spread the garment of his love over his brother’s sins” “Humility makes a man compare himself with the best that he may find how bad he himself is, but pride measures by the worst, that it may hide a man from his own imperfections”



2) I love so many quotes from John Bunyan's book Prayer but out of my gracious heart I'm only giving you one. ;)




3) This quote from Roland Bainton's book Here I Stand was especially touching for me with the recent passing of my grandfather. Martin Luther uttered these words after his daughter died. "How strange it is to know that she is at peace and all is well and yet to be so sorrowful!" 


4) Henry V (by Shakespeare of course) has two of my favorite passages in literature. I was familiar with these long before I read it and actually reading them has just increased my love for them. :)
This is Henry V's famous Crispin's Day speech
What's he that wishes so?     
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;     
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow     
To do our country loss; and if to live,     
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.     
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.     
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,     
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;     
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;     
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.     
But if it be a sin to covet honour,     
I am the most offending soul alive.    
 No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.     
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour     
As one man more methinks would share from me     
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!     
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,     
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,     
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,     
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;     
We would not die in that man's company     
That fears his fellowship to die with us.     
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.     
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,     
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,     
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.     
He that shall live this day, and see old age,     
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,     
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'     
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,     
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'     
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,     
But he'll remember, with advantages,     
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,    
Familiar in his mouth as household words-     
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,     
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-     
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.     
This story shall the good man teach his son;     
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,     
From this day to the ending of the world,     
But we in it shall be remembered-     
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;     
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me     
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,     
This day shall gentle his condition;     
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed     
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,     
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks     
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

This one is the chorus to the first act of Henry V
O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend 
The brightest heaven of invention, 
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act 
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene! 
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself, 
Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels, 
Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire 
Crouch for employment. But pardon, and gentles all, 
The flat unraised spirits that have dared 
On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth 
So great an object: can this cockpit hold 
The vasty fields of France? or may we cram 
Within this wooden O the very casques 
That did affright the air at Agincourt? 
O, pardon! since a crooked figure may 
Attest in little place a million; 
And let us, ciphers to this great accompt, 
On your imaginary forces work. 
Suppose within the girdle of these walls 
Are now confined two mighty monarchies, 
Whose high upreared and abutting fronts 
The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder: 
Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts; 
Into a thousand parts divide on man, 
And make imaginary puissance; 
Think when we talk of horses, that you see them 
Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving earth; 
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings, 
Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times, 
Turning the accomplishment of many years 
Into an hour-glass: for the which supply, 
Admit me Chorus to this history; 
Who prologue-like your humble patience pray, 
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.

5) Finally, this dialogue from Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame cracks me up. :)
 (Frollo trying to convince Gringoire to help rescue Esmeralda) "What then? Why, she will go into your clothes and you will remain in hers. You may get hanged, perhaps, but she will be saved."
Gringoire scratched his ear with a very serious air. "Well," said he, "There is an idea that would never have come into my head of itself."
(Frollo) "Well, Gringoire, What say you to the plan?"
"I say master that I shall not be hanged perhaps, but that I shall be hanged indubitably.


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Thursday, December 25, 2014

2014 Book Kaleidoscope- Day 1

Fanda from Fanda Classiclit is hosting the 2014 Book Kaleidoscope. This is a way of summing up the year of reading. :)
There are five days with different prompts for each. For this first day the prompt is Top Five boyfriends/girlfriends.
Well first off... awkward! Secondly... hmmm. I really don't have crushes from literature and I suppose I'm more an Elinor Dashwood in that I would say I "esteem them" and all of the Marianne Dashwoods throw their hands up in despair at such tame and unromantic language but there you are. :) So here are the men I "esteem" in no particular order.
Mr. Harding from Anthony Trollope's The Warden

  1. Arthur Clennam from Charles Dickens Little Dorrit- Always taking an active interest in other people. :)
  2. Mr. Harding from Anthony Trollope's The Warden- This man is so kind hearted and so considerate of others it really wrenches the heart sometimes. 
  3. John Harmon and Mr. Boffin from Charles Dickens Our Mutual Friend- You'd have to read the book to really get how great of characters they are. I can't really explain it without spoilers. :(
  4. John Thornton from Elizabeth Gakell's North and South- Proud but disciplined, he's a man of integrity and with a soft heart you don't expect. 
  5. All of the men from Jeff Shaara's God's and Generals- There's so many and I don't recall all of their names but I highly respected them all. I guess specifically Jackson and Lee. :)


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