kellicrowe

The day I forgot to wear shoes

We go to karate for 1 of the 3 kids almost every night.

They often don't wear shoes in the car

because they just take them off when they get there.

However

there have been several

many times

the kids have forgotten to wear shoes other places.

Like 

church.

Like 

the mall.

David - What do I do?

Me - Just walk around like you DO have on shoes.

Or

Me - How did you not recognize that you were walking on pavement without shoes on?

Alex - I just didn't.

I was taking Max to his first day of gymnastics class.

I got into the car.

Alex ran out to the car with the house phone.

It was the school system about speech therapy.

I went back in the house.

I talked for a few minutes.

We all got back in the car.

Half way to Gymnastics

I look down 

and visually notice I don't have on any shoes.

I had kicked them off when I walked into the house.

Because we don't wear shoes inside.

We do wear them outside, however.

I walked across the paved garage.

I had my feet on the pedals.

And it was a visual cue that let me know I wasn't wearing shoes.

I have tried not to think on this too much.

What I can tell you is this:

1. I might go easier on young people in my house who forget their shoes in the future

2. No matter how cute your mommy outfit is,

    lack of footwear

    really negates the over all effect.

Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll: My favorite P&P follow up book

 

Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife  is a sequel to Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice.  It follows the couple from the  wedding through their first year. (With some courting flash backs).

Summary from the back of the book: "...And every woman will fall madly in love with Mr. Darcy - tall, dark and handsome, a nobleman and a heartthrob whose virility is matched only by his utter devotion to his wife.  Their passion is consuming and idyllic - essentially, they can't keep their hands off each other - through a sweeping tale of adventure and misadventure, human folly and numerous mysteries of parentage.  Hold onto your bonnets! This sexy, epic, hilarious, poignant and romantic sequel to Pride and Prejudice goes far beyond Jane Austen."    

This was the first sequel I ever read and my favorite.  To me, this is what really happens to Elizabeth and Darcy.  It has great language, plot and characterization...I usually am happy if I can get 2 of the 3.  It has been called "Jane Austen meets Dallas"...as if that is a bad thing.  It begins with a criticism from Charlotte Bronte: "Passions are perfectly unknown to [Jane Austen] her." Well, Mrs. Berdoll is very well informed about them. Consider yourself warned.

Language: A

Characterization: A

Plot: A+

Revisit vs. Rehash: A+

Hooked: A+

Nit picky things: A

Wonderful moments: A+

Originality: A

Language: I loved not only the language but the way Linda Berdoll wrote this book.  There is a lot of plot movement through dialogue  - which I enjoy because I experience the action with the characters.  

I also like the way she used long, flowing sentences and then short ones.  It makes the reading so much easier and more enjoyable for me.  Many times a paragraph ended with a 1 word sentence which felt reminiscent of Austen's sardonic flavor.  (Yes, I said it made the reading easier.  I don't mind working for a story, but I find it more enjoyable if the whole thing doesn't feel like work.)

There were plenty of words I didn't know.  Several people who reviewed this book at Amazon.com said Berdoll used words incorrectly.  Well, I am a clever girl and I didn't see it.  I do, however, give writers a bit of space on pushing words to the edges of their meanings.  Any that I looked up didn't strike me as incorrectly used.  

A

Characterization: Linda Berdoll said she was inspired by the

 1995 BBC/A&E Pride and Prejudice movie.(Which is the definitive movie version for me.)  Then she did 4 years of research before writing.  Her characters feel like the originals, to me, with more back story.  The heroes are heroic.  The villains are villainous.  And Mrs. Bennet is Mrs. Bennetie.  Happy thoughts indeed.

One thing that some readers may not like: By giving the characters more of a history (along with a more specific future) some Jane purists might find offense at the less than fairy tale morality attributed to several of the beloved characters.  I have to say, I am pretty conservative in nature and victorian (to a point) in wardrobe.  I wasn't offended because Berdoll never tries to give the characters new actions without consequences.  And really, Jane purists are not going to like this book anyway.

A

Plot: Yes, this IS the book with all the sex in it.  (Mr. &  Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy...actually has more of it and it is talked about for pages in a Harlequin Romance type of way.)  This book doesn't go on and on about it.  It just happens a lot.  But Berdoll tells the reader at the beginning what she is going for.  The back says hold onto you bonnets. They are married.  And you were warned.  In your face, Charlotte Bronte.

Berdoll utilizes all 465 pages to tell a big story.  A lot happens.  Several detailed side stories are created.  Austen has been criticized for being too coincidental and using such a small cast of characters. I say: so.  Berdoll utilizes these mechanisms to carefully weave these side stories into the main one.  

There was one night I read until 4 am because I just had to know what was going to happen next.  It felt believable, gratifying and heart wrenching at times.  Just what a big story should feel like.

The short chapters make it easy to read in small bits (which is great for me...I am almost always interrupted by someone needing something.)  Also, the chapters sometimes go forwards in time and sometimes go back.  Often they tell something you already know about from another character's point of view.  I wouldn't normally think that is a good thing - but it worked well for me.  Maybe it is because I have such a short attention span.

A+

Rehash or revisit: No rehashes of the original Pride and Prejudice.  Scenes are referred to that previously happened, but with new information.  I can not say the same for Berdoll's next book that feels like it is all a big rehash, Days and Nights at Pemberley.

A+

I was hooked by: I was hooked on the first page.  

A+

Nit picky things: Chapter 77 wasn't my favorite.  It belabored a point I accepted but simply didn't want to hear any more about.  

I really didn't get the poem and the character selection for who got the attention of the last paragraph. I understand it.  But really?  Is that the best way to end the book?  Unless you are planning another one. And she did publish a much lesser quality book, Days and Nights at Pemberley, 2 years later.  

A  

Wonderful little moments: The humor.  The writing style..I really like those one word sentences.  The timing of information.  The tasseled pillow.  The letter from Charlotte Lucas to Elizabeth.  Seriously, very very funny.

A+

Originality: I have yet to read any sequel that expands the story as much as this book does.  There are moments in other books that actually feel like watered down scenes from this one.  Complain as they do, it appears some other authors have read this book quite thoroughly.

A 

If it is ok for people to write about Zombies and Vampires within the Pride and Prejudice story, I just find it hard to see how so many people have trouble with the Darcy's having a passionate marriage.  (I do recognize that not everyone wants to read about it). If you are still not sure about this book - spend about 30 minutes at Barnes and Noble.  Scan the first 21 pages.  I think most of the issues surface within those pages that may be a turn off.  It is popular enough that our Barnes and Noble keeps it stocked.  And yes, it is just a few shoulder pads and a bit of hairspray short of being Dallas. Joan Collins as Lady Catherine deBourgh?  I am all anticipation.

I do my best to describe the book without spoiling it.  

Don't read the amazon.com reviews unless you 

want to know what is going to happen.  They are full 

of spoilers. If you have read this book and would like 

to discuss it at all, see the post below this one.

If this book were a movie - It absolutely would be a R due to references about marital passion and talk about indiscretions.  

Next week: Days and Nights at Pemberly by Linda Berdoll.

Discussion of Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife

If you have read the book, I'd love to know what you thought.

Leave a comment.

However...if you haven't read the book...don't read the comments.

It will spoil the story:)

I have 2 very good friends who didn't like it that much.

For me, it is my favorite sequel.

pulling teeth

I was walking by the counter in the kitchen and found this note with a tooth on it.

I didn't even realize David had a loose tooth.

I commented to David about it.

Alex overheard.

Alex said, "Maybe I will pull my loose tooth."

I said, "Don't start anything you can't finish because you know how I am about teeth.

And saliva.

And blood."

About 2 minutes later, I walked through the kitchen again to find a second tooth.

It was just sitting there next to David's note.

I said, "Alex!  You pulled your tooth!"

David said, "Let's see!"

He ran over to look at it and then looked at Alex, disgustedly

and said, "You could have at least washed the thing!"

Apparently, David was unimpressed with Alex's presentation.

I was just impressed that 2 teeth were lost in about 20 minutes without any parental aid at all.

Although, they never really need it.

Which is weird to me, because I think I had a fit for 3 days each time I had a loose tooth.

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange: an interesting "what if"

 

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre is a spin off to Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice.  It follows the couple from the wedding through part of their first year.

Summary from the back of the book: My hand is trembling as I write this letter. My nerves are in tatters and I am so altered that I believe you would not recognize me. The past two months have been a nightmarish whirl of strange and disturbing circumstances, and the future...  I am afraid. If anything happens to me, remember that I love you and that my spirit will always be with you, though we may never see each other again. The world is a cold and frightening place where nothing is as it seems.

Amanda Grange's Mr. Darcy's Diary is my favorite retelling of Pride and Prejudice.  So when I saw that she wrote a sequel, I was intrigued.  When I found that it was from a vampire perspective...I thought: pass.  I picked up the book and was hooked by reading the back cover.  However, for me, there are retellings, sequels and spin offs.  This falls into the category of a "what if" spin off much like Bridget Jones' Diary or Lost in Austen.

Language: A

Characterization: A

Plot: B

Revisit vs. Rehash: A+

Hooked: A+

Nit picky things: B-

Wonderful moments: B+

Originality: A

Language: Lovely.  Not Austen but the writing style is close enough.

A

Characterization: One of the strengths of Amanda Grange's writing in Mr. Darcy's Diary (and in all of her Diary retellings of Austen's work) is that she uses the original characterization and deepens it. She takes you through Darcy's feelings and experiences and explains them in a way that makes his actions seem almost unavoidable.  (An example: In Mr. Darcy's Diary, she lets the reader experience with Darcy the growing desire to know and be with Elizabeth.  His ranting proposal seems like a natural next step for him and the reader.)  In Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, Grange takes those same characteristics and desires of Darcy's and explains then with the fact he is a Vampire.  When you look at his reserve, haughtiness and desire through the lens of a vampire...it works.  And I am not a vampire reading kind of gal.   

A

Plot: As I mentioned, I put this into the category of "spin off."  A fanciful what if of circumstances.  The plot moves along quickly.  I read the book in 2 days.  I did feel a since of anxiety while I read it. Darcy and Elizabeth travel a lot and I kept waiting for all the little trips to be pulled together in meaning more than they were.  And I am not crazy about the ending choice.   But I am weird about endings.

As many questions as the story answered, it left many many more unanswered.  And yet, it was a very interesting read.  Grange makes a good case for Darcy being a Vampire.  Though, I'm not sure Darcy as a Vampire fits into the existing storyline that well.   I just had to suspend certain dis-beliefs and questions like, "Well, what happens to that character now?"  

Having said all that, I liked the book a lot.  I would suggest to check it out form the library or borrow it from a friend. It isn't a read it more than once kind of book for me.  (And I enjoy re-reading good books quite a bit.)

B

Rehash or revisit: No rehashes. Very little revisits, even.  Grange always assumes the reader has read Pride and Prejudice.  I like that.  

A+

I was hooked by: The back cover.  I mean, that was an intriguing letter.  AND, I was at Barnes & Noble 2 days in a row and there was always someone on the isle looking at this book....not wanting to admit that they would consider buying it.

A+

Nit picky things: I would have liked the end to have gone another way.  It felt like we were building toward something more than what we got.  That is probably a bigger deal than "nit picky." But I don't have a category for "slightly big deals that won't keep you from reading the book."

B-

Wonderful little moments: Elizabeth's letters to Jane.  Little touches like the fact the people of Paris put so much garlic on their food.  She included things like this without over explaining them.  She knows we are clever readers.  

B+

Originality: I know, Twilight.  But I haven't read Twilight.  

The Vampyre was written in 1891 by John William Polidori.  It is considered the "progenitor of the romantic vampire genre."  And, guess what, it was written about an English nobleman. 

Still, to apply this idea so well to one of the most beloved of couples in English literature (says all the authority that is me) is pretty clever.  It felt like an omage to both Polidori and Austen. 

A 

When I was in second grade, someone told me that vampire 

bats could suck the blood out of my 

toes and neck when I was asleep.  Having an unusually long neck and a vivid imagination, I proceeded to sleep beneath the safety of a bed sheet with only my face poking out for the next 15 years. Fortunately, I can now select how much bedding I need each night by things 

slightly more practical, like room temperature. 

(However, I still can never ever let my foot hang off the mattress...alligators under the bed, you know.)  

So I think that is why all the hullabaloo over Vampires never appealed to me.  And also 

why I felt a bit anxious while reading the book.  

It sounds like there are a lot of problems with the story.  There are.  But it was good.  Almost like a conversation where someone plays devil's advocate just to make things more interesting.  You all agree that no one thinks the scenario is at all real, but it sure makes for an intriguing chat.  

If this book were a movie - I think it would be a PG13 due to references about marital passion.

Don't confuse this book with Regina Jeffer's next release (Dec. 1 2009) Vampire Darcy's Desire: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation.  

 

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre is a spin off to Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice.  It follows the couple from the wedding through part of their first year.

Summary from the back of the book: My hand is trembling as I write this letter. My nerves are in tatters and I am so altered that I believe you would not recognize me. The past two months have been a nightmarish whirl of strange and disturbing circumstances, and the future...  I am afraid. If anything happens to me, remember that I love you and that my spirit will always be with you, though we may never see each other again. The world is a cold and frightening place where nothing is as it seems.

Amanda Grange's Mr. Darcy's Diary is my favorite retelling of Pride and Prejudice.  So when I saw that she wrote a sequel, I was intrigued.  When I found that it was from a vampire perspective...I thought: pass.  I picked up the book and was hooked by reading the back cover.  However, for me, there are retellings, sequels and spin offs.  This falls into the category of a "what if" spin off much like Bridget Jones' Diary or Lost in Austen.

Language: A

Characterization: A

Plot: B

Revisit vs. Rehash: A+

Hooked: A+

Nit picky things: B-

Wonderful moments: B+

Originality: A

Language: Lovely.  Not Austen but the writing style is close enough.

A

Characterization: One of the strengths of Amanda Grange's writing in Mr. Darcy's Diary (and in all of her Diary retellings of Austen's work) is that she uses the original characterization and deepens it. She takes you through Darcy's feelings and experiences and explains them in a way that makes his actions seem almost unavoidable.  (An example: In Mr. Darcy's Diary, she lets the reader experience with Darcy the growing desire to know and be with Elizabeth.  His ranting proposal seems like a natural next step for him and the reader.)  In Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, Grange takes those same characteristics and desires of Darcy's and explains then with the fact he is a Vampire.  When you look at his reserve, haughtiness and desire through the lens of a vampire...it works.  And I am not a vampire reading kind of gal.   

A

Plot: As I mentioned, I put this into the category of "spin off."  A fanciful what if of circumstances.  The plot moves along quickly.  I read the book in 2 days.  I did feel a since of anxiety while I read it. Darcy and Elizabeth travel a lot and I kept waiting for all the little trips to be pulled together in meaning more than they were.  And I am not crazy about the ending choice.   But I am weird about endings.

As many questions as the story answered, it left many many more unanswered.  And yet, it was a very interesting read.  Grange makes a good case for Darcy being a Vampire.  Though, I'm not sure Darcy as a Vampire fits into the existing storyline that well.   I just had to suspend certain dis-beliefs and questions like, "Well, what happens to that character now?"  

Having said all that, I liked the book a lot.  I would suggest to check it out form the library or borrow it from a friend. It isn't a read it more than once kind of book for me.  (And I enjoy re-reading good books quite a bit.)

B

Rehash or revisit: No rehashes. Very little revisits, even.  Grange always assumes the reader has read Pride and Prejudice.  I like that.  

A+

I was hooked by: The back cover.  I mean, that was an intriguing letter.  AND, I was at Barnes & Noble 2 days in a row and there was always someone on the isle looking at this book....not wanting to admit that they would consider buying it.

A+

Nit picky things: I would have liked the end to have gone another way.  It felt like we were building toward something more than what we got.  That is probably a bigger deal than "nit picky." But I don't have a category for "slightly big deals that won't keep you from reading the book."

B-

Wonderful little moments: Elizabeth's letters to Jane.  Little touches like the fact the people of Paris put so much garlic on their food.  She included things like this without over explaining them.  She knows we are clever readers.  

B+

Originality: I know, Twilight.  But I haven't read Twilight.  

The Vampyre was written in 1891 by John William Polidori.  It is considered the "progenitor of the romantic vampire genre."  And, guess what, it was written about an English nobleman. 

Still, to apply this idea so well to one of the most beloved of couples in English literature (says all the authority that is me) is pretty clever.  It felt like an omage to both Polidori and Austen. 

A 

When I was in second grade, someone told me that vampire 

bats could suck the blood out of my 

toes and neck when I was asleep.  Having an unusually long neck and a vivid imagination, I proceeded to sleep beneath the safety of a bed sheet with only my face poking out for the next 15 years. Fortunately, I can now select how much bedding I need each night by things 

slightly more practical, like room temperature. 

(However, I still can never ever let my foot hang off the mattress...alligators under the bed, you know.)  

So I think that is why all the hullabaloo over Vampires never appealed to me.  And also 

why I felt a bit anxious while reading the book.  

It sounds like there are a lot of problems with the story.  There are.  But it was good.  Almost like a conversation where someone plays devil's advocate just to make things more interesting.  You all agree that no one thinks the scenario is at all real, but it sure makes for an intriguing chat.  

If this book were a movie - I think it would be a PG13 due to references about marital passion.

Don't confuse this book with Regina Jeffer's next release (Dec. 1 2009) Vampire Darcy's Desire: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation.  

 

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre is a spin off to Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice.  It follows the couple from the wedding through part of their first year.

Summary from the back of the book: My hand is trembling as I write this letter. My nerves are in tatters and I am so altered that I believe you would not recognize me. The past two months have been a nightmarish whirl of strange and disturbing circumstances, and the future...  I am afraid. If anything happens to me, remember that I love you and that my spirit will always be with you, though we may never see each other again. The world is a cold and frightening place where nothing is as it seems.

Amanda Grange's Mr. Darcy's Diary is my favorite retelling of Pride and Prejudice.  So when I saw that she wrote a sequel, I was intrigued.  When I found that it was from a vampire perspective...I thought: pass.  I picked up the book and was hooked by reading the back cover.  However, for me, there are retellings, sequels and spin offs.  This falls into the category of a "what if" spin off much like Bridget Jones' Diary or Lost in Austen.

Language: A

Characterization: A

Plot: B

Revisit vs. Rehash: A+

Hooked: A+

Nit picky things: B-

Wonderful moments: B+

Originality: A

Language: Lovely.  Not Austen but the writing style is close enough.

A

Characterization: One of the strengths of Amanda Grange's writing in Mr. Darcy's Diary (and in all of her Diary retellings of Austen's work) is that she uses the original characterization and deepens it. She takes you through Darcy's feelings and experiences and explains them in a way that makes his actions seem almost unavoidable.  (An example: In Mr. Darcy's Diary, she lets the reader experience with Darcy the growing desire to know and be with Elizabeth.  His ranting proposal seems like a natural next step for him and the reader.)  In Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, Grange takes those same characteristics and desires of Darcy's and explains then with the fact he is a Vampire.  When you look at his reserve, haughtiness and desire through the lens of a vampire...it works.  And I am not a vampire reading kind of gal.   

A

Plot: As I mentioned, I put this into the category of "spin off."  A fanciful what if of circumstances.  The plot moves along quickly.  I read the book in 2 days.  I did feel a since of anxiety while I read it. Darcy and Elizabeth travel a lot and I kept waiting for all the little trips to be pulled together in meaning more than they were.  And I am not crazy about the ending choice.   But I am weird about endings.

As many questions as the story answered, it left many many more unanswered.  And yet, it was a very interesting read.  Grange makes a good case for Darcy being a Vampire.  Though, I'm not sure Darcy as a Vampire fits into the existing storyline that well.   I just had to suspend certain dis-beliefs and questions like, "Well, what happens to that character now?"  

Having said all that, I liked the book a lot.  I would suggest to check it out form the library or borrow it from a friend. It isn't a read it more than once kind of book for me.  (And I enjoy re-reading good books quite a bit.)

B

Rehash or revisit: No rehashes. Very little revisits, even.  Grange always assumes the reader has read Pride and Prejudice.  I like that.  

A+

I was hooked by: The back cover.  I mean, that was an intriguing letter.  AND, I was at Barnes & Noble 2 days in a row and there was always someone on the isle looking at this book....not wanting to admit that they would consider buying it.

A+

Nit picky things: I would have liked the end to have gone another way.  It felt like we were building toward something more than what we got.  That is probably a bigger deal than "nit picky." But I don't have a category for "slightly big deals that won't keep you from reading the book."

B-

Wonderful little moments: Elizabeth's letters to Jane.  Little touches like the fact the people of Paris put so much garlic on their food.  She included things like this without over explaining them.  She knows we are clever readers.  

B+

Originality: I know, Twilight.  But I haven't read Twilight.  

The Vampyre was written in 1891 by John William Polidori.  It is considered the "progenitor of the romantic vampire genre."  And, guess what, it was written about an English nobleman. 

Still, to apply this idea so well to one of the most beloved of couples in English literature (says all the authority that is me) is pretty clever.  It felt like an omage to both Polidori and Austen. 

A 

When I was in second grade, someone told me that vampire 

bats could suck the blood out of my 

toes and neck when I was asleep.  Having an unusually long neck and a vivid imagination, I proceeded to sleep beneath the safety of a bed sheet with only my face poking out for the next 15 years. Fortunately, I can now select how much bedding I need each night by things 

slightly more practical, like room temperature. 

(However, I still can never ever let my foot hang off the mattress...alligators under the bed, you know.)  

So I think that is why all the hullabaloo over Vampires never appealed to me.  And also 

why I felt a bit anxious while reading the book.  

It sounds like there are a lot of problems with the story.  There are.  But it was good.  Almost like a conversation where someone plays devil's advocate just to make things more interesting.  You all agree that no one thinks the scenario is at all real, but it sure makes for an intriguing chat.  

If this book were a movie - I think it would be a PG13 due to references about marital passion.

Don't confuse this book with Regina Jeffer's next release (Dec. 1 2009) Vampire Darcy's Desire: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation.  

 

Kid Life Skill: Thinking of Others

This is our second week of thinking of others.

(That sounds funny).

We have found it comes more naturally to some more than others....

even when they share a parents, DNA and the same environment.

Each day we each draw a name out of the bowl

and  do something nice for that person that day.

Older brothers have helped younger ones with video games.

Younger brothers have played games that they really didn't want to without arguing.

Moms have put away laundry for children who normally have to do it themselves.

And John David carried furniture around the house for me.

Alex is the enforcer.  

He checks to make sure everyone has done their good thing each day.

Loop holes like:

"hey, if you draw your own name...you don't have to do anything."

and

"hey - you drew David and David drew you...your nice thing for each other is not to have to do anything!"

were quickly closed up.

I got the idea from Life Skills for Kids.

At our current rate of learning a new skill every two weeks...

Oh.

Best not to do the math.

PS. I am trying to now answer questions left in the comments 

by leaving a comment.

Kid Art Project: Jackson Pollack

Supplies:

The book Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg

(or any info and photos about Jackson Pollack)

washable paint

paint brushes, sponges, sticks

(Those older brushes that are stiff and hardly good for painting anymore are perfect)

plastic containers 

(I used washed out play dough cups)

canvas, paper or wrapping paper

(I spread out wrapping paper white side up and used it)

I read the book to the boys.

We spread out canvas and wrapping paper onto the yard 

(away from the house and cars)

I added a little bit of water to the cups of paint to make it easier to fling.

And then the kiddos flung it.

They wore their bathing suits because we knew they'd get paint on them.

Alex: I like making art.

Max: Look at me, I AM art!

When they were done, I said 

"go for it."

And they did.

Massive

paint

fight.

Oh, one more item needed.

A hose.

No joy in Homeschoolville today....

(LO I did for this month's Two Peas In a Bucket's  garden.)

I have 1 child in tears and 2 pouting.

I promise, all I said was "take out your math books...."

The second week of homeschool is going swell.

You'd think after 7 years, this wouldn't surprise me.

I took David running this morning.

He has to work on running 2.5 miles for his black belt testing.

He usually runs with his Dad.

But this morning, I took him.

After about 1 minute, a pain in my side and my shoes eating my socks...

I remembered

I

don't

run.

Oh, right.

Taking the week off...

to get started on Homeschool lessons

finish all the projects I was supposed to do over the summer

take the kids to the park

and the pool

and finish reading....

Mr. Darcy, Vampire

(I am such a sell out.)

Can't wait to post the pics from our first art lesson on Monday:)

Happy first week of school (at least here)!

Mr. Darcy's Decision by Juliette Shapiro : delightful with big problems

Mr. Darcy's Decision is a sequel to Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice.  It follows the couple from the wedding through their first year.

Summary from the back of the book:

"...While the sharp-tongued duo of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Caroline Bingly criticizes Elizabeth, the new Mrs. Darcy has a happier matter on her mind - the fact that she is carrying the next Darcy heir. But when the sudden and unexpected return of Elizabeth's sister Lydia brings alarming reports of seduction and blackmail that threaten the newlywed's life together, Mr. Darcy is forced to make the most difficult decision of his lifetime..."

This book had the potential of being great.  However, there are plot and character problems that keep it from even being good.  (I should point out that it is liked enough to be available in Kindle version and has gotten 4.5 stars out of 5 by a collected 52 reviewers at Amazon.com.)  I've never written a book - so I feel badly pointing fingers and saying a fellow Jane Austen enthusiast missed the mark.  And yet, here I go... 

Language: B-

Plot: D

Characterization: C

Revisit vs. Rehash: A

Hooked: C+

Nit picky things: B

Wonderful moments: A+

Originality: A

Language: It isn't so much the language, but the writing style that drew 

me in.  Long flowing sentences full of imagery and information really made the book delightful to read initially.  However, I would read about 7 pages and then put it down.  I was always happy to pick it back up again.  But I found until I got to Ch. 7, I really didn't just settle down comfortably into the story.  At Ch. 7, the dialog picks up dramatically. The problem: those long, flowing sentences are exhausting to read after a while.  Plenty of other P&P follow up writes use them, but they break them up with shorter sentences.  Shorter sentences are easy to read. It reminded me of reading Shakespeare.  I love it but it is 

exhausting for me to read a lot in one 

sitting.  It feels more like work than pleasure reading.  And I, as it turns out, 

can be a lazy reader at times.  But mostly, with 3 kids, I am a distracted reader.  

(Hey Typepad...what is with the weird spacing here?  I look like a distracted typist now.)

However, I will say, her writing is worth the effort.  I have line after line of witty dialog underlined because it made me smile when I read it.  I often wished I had someone else in the room reading it too so I could laugh and share the humor with them.  (Being the lone female in a house of 4 guys...yeah, I'm reading these books solo.)

B-

Characterization: It starts off well enough.  I felt like Darcy and Elizabeth were 

recognizable.  Darcy makes 2 decisions that are really out of character with the Darcy I know from Pride and Prejudice, any of the movies or any of the other follow up books I have read.   I have read and bought into some ideas about Darcy that diverge greatly from Jane Austen's original work.  However, each time the author has left me breadcrumbs to follow to get from point A (Austen) to point B (the follow up writer).  I didn't get those breadcrumbs.  There was explanation - but very little and after the fact. 

Mr and Mrs. Bennet, Caroline Bingly and Lady Catherine de Bourgh are all wonderfully portrayed.  It felt like the actors from the BBC/A&E 1995 Pride and Prejudice movie were speaking the lines. 

C

Plot: First, the good part: Shapiro gives the plot a twist involving Wickham that I have 

only seen in Lost In Austen, the mini series. It is clever and interesting. 

Now the bad (which it is hard to be specific without ruining to book):

1. A big relationship issue is reversed.  I can buy that.  EXCEPT the reader doesn't get to experience it. The reader hears about the conflict and resolution as told after the fact in a few paragraphs from one character to another.  It would be hard enough to stomach this change if we got to live through it with the characters involved.  But to not experience it means instead of being led from point A to point B, I go from point A to point unicorn.  

2. With 60 pages left (out of 206), it felt as if Shapiro was rushing to neatly tie up every story line with a cute bow.  People fall into love and marriage quickly.  You can see it coming because if there is an unmarried male and unmarried female in the same room, they are in love by the end of the paragraph. Ok, that might be a bit of hyperbole.  Two paragraphs:)  Other story lines and people find quick and unbelievable resolutions.  Once again, I was reminded of Shakespeare, at then end of a comedy where every mistake and relationship is set right within a few scenes.  I like that in Shakespeare.  But this wasn't a Shakespearean comedy.

3. The Gardeners live at Pemberley.  You learn this on p.6, so I think it is ok to tell you.  Does that seem normal for people who's livelihood is tied to London?  I think one of the things most follow up books have in common is that Elizabeth and Darcy value their privacy.

D

Rehash or revisit: Any mention of the original events and conversations in Pride and Prejudice were done in small doses and spread throughout the book.  A very nice revisit.

A

I was hooked by: Not until Chapter 7.  I read the book 5 months ago and then again last week.  I had the same mark on Ch. 7 as the place where I started looking forward to reading each evening.  (That was 44 pages into the book.)

C+

Nit picky things: I didn't like how she left the story with Elizabeth and Darcy.  I know this is nit picky... but I just didn't care for the final lines about them at all.  I think it was intended to be a version of "they lived happily ever after," but it didn't feel like that to me.

B

Wonderful little moments: There is line after line after line in this book that I highlighted because I felt is was written with such wit and imagery.  All the wonderful little moments added up made this book have so much potential!  

A+

Originality: Whether I liked it or not, there was originality.  The new lines Shapiro 

created for Mrs. Bennet were fantastic.

A

If this book were a movie - I think it would be rated (a mild) PG 13 due to references to marital passion. 

All of the wonderful moments and the great potential with the minor characters couldn't overcome the problems in the plot and with Darcy's character.  Perhaps about 40 more pages could have explained things better.  But as a reader, I felt like I was riding a Tilt A Whirl with some jarring directional changes.  Do I recommend this book?  No.  There are far better follow ups out there.  Would I read something else written by Juliette Shapiro, totally.  She has a clear ability to transport a reader through her writing.  And, if you buy into the star rating system over at Amazon.com, a lot of people like her plot just fine.  

Mr. Darcy's Decision is a sequel to Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice.  It follows the couple from the wedding through their first year.

Summary from the back of the book:

"...While the sharp-tongued duo of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Caroline Bingly criticizes Elizabeth, the new Mrs. Darcy has a happier matter on her mind - the fact that she is carrying the next Darcy heir. But when the sudden and unexpected return of Elizabeth's sister Lydia brings alarming reports of seduction and blackmail that threaten the newlywed's life together, Mr. Darcy is forced to make the most difficult decision of his lifetime..."

This book had the potential of being great.  However, there are plot and character problems that keep it from even being good.  (I should point out that it is liked enough to be available in Kindle version and has gotten 4.5 stars out of 5 by a collected 52 reviewers at Amazon.com.)  I've never written a book - so I feel badly pointing fingers and saying a fellow Jane Austen enthusiast missed the mark.  And yet, here I go... 

Language: B-

Plot: D

Characterization: C

Revisit vs. Rehash: A

Hooked: C+

Nit picky things: B

Wonderful moments: A+

Originality: A

Language: It isn't so much the language, but the writing style that drew 

me in.  Long flowing sentences full of imagery and information really made the book delightful to read initially.  However, I would read about 7 pages and then put it down.  I was always happy to pick it back up again.  But I found until I got to Ch. 7, I really didn't just settle down comfortably into the story.  At Ch. 7, the dialog picks up dramatically. The problem: those long, flowing sentences are exhausting to read after a while.  Plenty of other P&P follow up writes use them, but they break them up with shorter sentences.  Shorter sentences are easy to read. It reminded me of reading Shakespeare.  I love it but it is 

exhausting for me to read a lot in one 

sitting.  It feels more like work than pleasure reading.  And I, as it turns out, 

can be a lazy reader at times.  But mostly, with 3 kids, I am a distracted reader.  

(Hey Typepad...what is with the weird spacing here?  I look like a distracted typist now.)

However, I will say, her writing is worth the effort.  I have line after line of witty dialog underlined because it made me smile when I read it.  I often wished I had someone else in the room reading it too so I could laugh and share the humor with them.  (Being the lone female in a house of 4 guys...yeah, I'm reading these books solo.)

B-

Characterization: It starts off well enough.  I felt like Darcy and Elizabeth were 

recognizable.  Darcy makes 2 decisions that are really out of character with the Darcy I know from Pride and Prejudice, any of the movies or any of the other follow up books I have read.   I have read and bought into some ideas about Darcy that diverge greatly from Jane Austen's original work.  However, each time the author has left me breadcrumbs to follow to get from point A (Austen) to point B (the follow up writer).  I didn't get those breadcrumbs.  There was explanation - but very little and after the fact. 

Mr and Mrs. Bennet, Caroline Bingly and Lady Catherine de Bourgh are all wonderfully portrayed.  It felt like the actors from the BBC/A&E 1995 Pride and Prejudice movie were speaking the lines. 

C

Plot: First, the good part: Shapiro gives the plot a twist involving Wickham that I have 

only seen in Lost In Austen, the mini series. It is clever and interesting. 

Now the bad (which it is hard to be specific without ruining to book):

1. A big relationship issue is reversed.  I can buy that.  EXCEPT the reader doesn't get to experience it. The reader hears about the conflict and resolution as told after the fact in a few paragraphs from one character to another.  It would be hard enough to stomach this change if we got to live through it with the characters involved.  But to not experience it means instead of being led from point A to point B, I go from point A to point unicorn.  

2. With 60 pages left (out of 206), it felt as if Shapiro was rushing to neatly tie up every story line with a cute bow.  People fall into love and marriage quickly.  You can see it coming because if there is an unmarried male and unmarried female in the same room, they are in love by the end of the paragraph. Ok, that might be a bit of hyperbole.  Two paragraphs:)  Other story lines and people find quick and unbelievable resolutions.  Once again, I was reminded of Shakespeare, at then end of a comedy where every mistake and relationship is set right within a few scenes.  I like that in Shakespeare.  But this wasn't a Shakespearean comedy.

3. The Gardeners live at Pemberley.  You learn this on p.6, so I think it is ok to tell you.  Does that seem normal for people who's livelihood is tied to London?  I think one of the things most follow up books have in common is that Elizabeth and Darcy value their privacy.

D

Rehash or revisit: Any mention of the original events and conversations in Pride and Prejudice were done in small doses and spread throughout the book.  A very nice revisit.

A

I was hooked by: Not until Chapter 7.  I read the book 5 months ago and then again last week.  I had the same mark on Ch. 7 as the place where I started looking forward to reading each evening.  (That was 44 pages into the book.)

C+

Nit picky things: I didn't like how she left the story with Elizabeth and Darcy.  I know this is nit picky... but I just didn't care for the final lines about them at all.  I think it was intended to be a version of "they lived happily ever after," but it didn't feel like that to me.

B

Wonderful little moments: There is line after line after line in this book that I highlighted because I felt is was written with such wit and imagery.  All the wonderful little moments added up made this book have so much potential!  

A+

Originality: Whether I liked it or not, there was originality.  The new lines Shapiro 

created for Mrs. Bennet were fantastic.

A

If this book were a movie - I think it would be rated (a mild) PG 13 due to references to marital passion. 

All of the wonderful moments and the great potential with the minor characters couldn't overcome the problems in the plot and with Darcy's character.  Perhaps about 40 more pages could have explained things better.  But as a reader, I felt like I was riding a Tilt A Whirl with some jarring directional changes.  Do I recommend this book?  No.  There are far better follow ups out there.  Would I read something else written by Juliette Shapiro, totally.  She has a clear ability to transport a reader through her writing.  And, if you buy into the star rating system over at Amazon.com, a lot of people like her plot just fine.  

15

15 years ago today:)

I'm teaching a free scrapbooking class at Two Peas:)

This month's theme at Two Peas in a Bucket is Patterned Paper!

Which...I adore.  I like patterned paper far more than a person should.

There will be a series of FREE classes using patterned paper.

This week you can find mine here.

The message board where you can find the thread to chat with us about the class can be found on the Two Peas Education Board here.

Here are 2 LO's I did for the Two Peas Garden this month.

Copyright www.twopeasinabucket.com

LO Copyright www.twopeasinabucket.com

:)happy Tuesday!

Blog quality control

Him: So, how often do you blog about those Pride and Prejudice books?

Me: Once a week.

Him: Oh.

Me: I just haven't been posting much so it seems like it is more often than that.

Him: Hmmm.

Me: You think my blog is getting boring...don't you?

Him: I didn't say that.  Maybe just super focused on that one thing.

:)

OH...but I did pick up Amanda Granger's Vampire Darcy book at Barnes and Noble and flip through it.  Um, I can't believe I'm saying this...but it looks good.