Category: Film & TV (Page 1 of 3)

INDULGING IN THE STORIES OF HENRY VIII & THE SIX WIVES

January 20, 2024 /

Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.

This is the mnemonic I use to remember the basic history of Henry VIII’s marriages more than 500 years ago.

For this year’s January hibernation, I found The King’s Pleasure A Novel of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. Apparently Wier has already written a book on each of the wives/queens perspectives, and this new book (published in 2023) is from the perspective of Henry.

Henry’s perspective, not surprisingly, does not make him more likeable.

I did thoroughly enjoy Weir’s story even though it contained too many political and religious details for my preference – I’m just here for the romance and marriages! It has me thinking back to the other interpretations of this story I have indulged in over the years.

WHAT I’VE BEEN READING & WATCHING & LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2023

January 29, 2023 /

I use the beginning of the new year to catch up on popular books I missed from the previous year, survey new releases for spring, and to complete my annual quest to watch all the Academy’s best picture nominations. With all of this going on, I already have several recommendations to share:

‘MODERN LOVE’

April 17, 2020 /

Years ago I stumbled across a column in the New York Times, Modern Love. It’s a weekly submission about some aspect of “love,” how people met, how they broke up, but also other aspects of relationships, having kids, etc. I haven’t kept up with this column fully over the years, but I always thoroughly enjoyed these stories, which came from who I thought were regular people. Well, now I realize they are not necessarily regular people, but more on this later…

A Post About a Chair

January 17, 2020 /

This post is from my own archives from a different, older blog. Watching This is Us and Rebecca’s memories of cradling Randall as the sun came up reminded me of savoring my own children in a certain chair.

(From 2014)

I am writing this so I can throw away an old chair.

When I moved to Dallas, Texas after college not knowing a soul in that city, I bought a small chair/loveseat set at Pier One for $500 total – a lot for me at the time, especially for something so itty bitty, but it fit perfectly in my first itty bitty apartment at 17878 Preston Road.

‘THE GOWN’ – FOR FANS OF “THE CROWN”

August 11, 2019 /

I have read so much WWII historical fiction it’s nice to come across more post-WWII historical fiction. Recently I have read a couple of novels set during this time period in New York but just yesterday I finished The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson. I want to thank Aunt Jean for the recommendation; her book club was reading it!

As the title suggests, this book is set in 1947 as Great Britain anticipates the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth) to Lieutenant Phillip Mountbatten.

DEEP FREEZE = TWO BOOKS FINISHED

January 30, 2019 /

Thanks to the Midwest “deep freeze,” I was homebound today and therefore able to finish two books. I’ve mentioned before how I’m a “multi-booker” so I had been reading both simultaneously.

The first book is an acclaimed memoir, and the second is relevant to the 2019 Academy Awards.

A GUIDE TO THE 2019 OSCAR AWARDS – How & where to see all the movies before the awards show

January 27, 2019 /

The 91st Academy Awards will be televised on Sunday, February 24. This gives us a few weeks to watch the movies that will be honored.

Keep reading to find out how to see all the nominees for best picture.

Unless you go to the movie theater regularly, seeing all the films nominated for “best picture” can be a challenge. By the time the nominees are announced, some movies are already out of theaters and may have entered a blackout period where they are not yet available through other providers.

Luckily, this year with some careful planning we can have access to all the movies in time for the awards show. Not many are available for rent yet so you will have to purchase some of them, but keep in mind that $15 is still cheaper than two people going to the theater!

Although the list of nominations is by no means a complete list of all the movies worth seeing from the year, I have found this project a good way to see a diverse group of movies, many of which I would not have seen otherwise.

Below is my guide for how you can see all the movies before Feb. 24. I will be filling in my thoughts about all as I work through the list myself.

WATCHING CONCERTS ON NETFLIX!

January 15, 2019 /

I haven’t made it to any “real” concerts for several months, but I happened across two on Netflix that were well worth my time.

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL SOCIETY

January 12, 2019 /

This book about the German occupation of the island of Guernsey during WWII was published in 2009, but caught my attention as a new movie feature on Netflix. And I’m always looking for additions to my WWII historical fiction reading list.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – A Novel

The novel reads as a series of letters. At first, the letters were a bit confusing as Juilet Ashton corresponds with her publisher and friends. But then, she receives a letter from Guernsey (territory of Great Britain in the channel islands) because her address was inscribed on the inside of a Charles Lamb book that made its way to the island. Juliet begins corresponding with the letter writer (Dawsey Adams) and the other members of his informal literary group called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.

“I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers How delightful if that were true.”
the guernsey literary and potato peel society (2009)

I READ ‘BIRD BOX’

January 7, 2019 /

I had been hearing so much about ‘Bird Box’ (a movie on Netflix) that I was ready to give in and watch it too, but then I happened across a copy of the book at a used book store. I honestly didn’t realize this movie was based on a book until I saw it for sale:

Bird Box: A Novel

Category: Film & TV (Page 1 of 3)

INDULGING IN THE STORIES OF HENRY VIII & THE SIX WIVES

WHAT I’VE BEEN READING & WATCHING & LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2023

‘MODERN LOVE’

A Post About a Chair

‘THE GOWN’ – FOR FANS OF “THE CROWN”

DEEP FREEZE = TWO BOOKS FINISHED

A GUIDE TO THE 2019 OSCAR AWARDS – How & where to see all the movies before the awards show

WATCHING CONCERTS ON NETFLIX!

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL SOCIETY

I READ ‘BIRD BOX’

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