Angieville

Sometimes it's hard for me to get going on a Monday morning. So if you could do with a little kick start to your day as well, click on over here and listen to Greg Wise (a.k.a. Willoughby from Sense & Sensibility) read the pivotal scene from Persuasion , in which Anne Elliot reads Captain Wentworth's letter . I think my favorite part is when he pauses and says in that perfectly modulated voice, "I can listen no longer in silence." Yeah. That should do the trick this Monday morning. Thank goodness for Jane Austen. What would the world be like without her? Thanks so much to Diana for the link!

When we got to talking about film adaptations yesterday, I knew today's Retro Friday post would have to be about one book, and one book only-- 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. I owe the discovery of this wonderful book to DH , before he was DH, in fact. He gave the movie to me for my birthday--the first birthday I had after we started dating. Along with the Old Friends Simon & Garfunkel box set and a kiss. At the time we were living in different cities and meeting up somewhere in the middle for our "dates." So I drove home that night and watched the movie all by myself. I cried. Twice. I laughed and laughed and laughed. And I went out and bought the book immediately. I was on my way to London for a study abroad program and so it was a going away gift of sorts. He's particularly good with gifts, as you can tell. It is without a doubt my very favorite memoir and the movie adaptation starring Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins is pretty much my favorite mov...