Angieville

I put off watching this modern web series adaptation of Pride and Prejudice for a long time. I think they had already aired around 70 or so episodes when I finally caved and watched the first one. At a scant three minutes and twenty seconds, it wasn't enough to hook me per se. But it was enough to whet my appetite. And so I pressed on and met impossibly adorbs Jane, too legit to quit Lydia, sweet as apple pie Bing, slick as a whistle Wicks, and, yes--some 50 odd episodes down the line--Darcy himself. And I have to say . . . I'm rather fond of the lot of them. I may be wildly a teensy bit partial to Lydia (who completely steals the show) and yeah, okay, to Darcy (who is just beautifully awkward). The series actually branches out across several social media forums and includes the abbreviated, but fabulous spin-offs The Lydia Bennet and Pemberly Digital , thereby highlighting the real genius of the adaptation. All signs point to the entire series wrapping up at an even 100 ...

Retro Friday   is a weekly meme hosted here at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time! I include roundups from participating bloggers in my weekly post. It's been around five years since I first ran across Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman . And, honestly, when I think about it, I'm fairly certain I got this recommendation from Stephenie Meyer's website way back in the day. I believe she had it on her list of recommended reads and I picked it up based on that and the fact that it had a Jane Austen angle. It seems like there are so many of those these days, but at the time I hadn't read many. I'm very glad I did pick it up, as this is a perfectly delightful, perfectly quick read that entertains and leaves a grin on your face. I still don't see it around very much, but I'm ha...

I've always been fascinated by the relationships between sisters. I am an only child, though my parents had a baby girl on each side of me, both of whom passed away as infants. I would have been the middle child. The second of three girls. Ever since I can remember, I've wondered what my life would have been like had both of those girls lived longer than a few weeks. Would I have been more laid back as a second child? Would we have shared a room growing up, fought and bickered regularly, or would we have gotten along swimmingly? Would I have been like other middle children? Like Mary Bennet? Like Jo or Beth March? More importantly, would I have had someone to call now that we were all adults, when I needed to talk? To laugh about something one of our parents said or did. To reach out along that connection that made us not only siblings but sisters. And so, in the absence of the real thing, I've found myself gravitating toward especially well-drawn portraits of sisters in li...

Sunday was Mother's Day and it was a very relaxing day indeed. The weather was nice, the lilacs out back were blooming their little purple hearts out, and my boy gave me a plant he'd been secretly growing in his Kindergarten classroom along with the plant journal he'd been keeping on its progress from a seedling to its present robust state. He's sweet the way only a six-year-old boy can be.  DH gave me an armband in which to put my iPod, along with some spiffy in-ear, noise-isolating headphones so that I might properly listen to my carefully crafted playlists while I bike to work and back. I should probably note that in our home, headphones are the gift of kings. Behold, Aaron's headphone rack: He's sweet the way only a dedicated audiophile who loves me can be.  And lastly my sister-in-law Liza surprised me with a small white bag containing this: (front)  (back) She's sweet the way only a sister & kindred spirit can be.  The quote is (famously) fr...

In light of Tuesday's Armitage lovefest post , I thought it only right to point you to this little gem today. I love it so much I want to hug it. It's not long, but it's guaranteed to brighten your day. Thanks to Larissa for the link! Mr. Darcy & Mr. Thornton have a conversation . . .

Mad over at Under the Mad Hat has written a Twitterfied version of Pride and Prejudice . The hilariously talented lady has titled it "Pride and Twitterverse" and it is, in fact, the entire novel as told through a long series of tweets. Those of you on Twitter are guaranteed to find this one particularly funny. My hat off to you, Mad. This is right up there with Emma Thompson's madly witty Golden Globe acceptance speech for her Sense & Sensibility screenplay. In fact, I think I'll go ahead and include that here for your related viewing pleasure. Enjoy! Edited: I've since been informed there is a Facebook P&P as well as the Twitter one. I should have known....So for all you Facebook peeps, knock yourself out! (It really is hilarious).

So I went to see the new Pride & Prejudice film with my cousins tonight. We had to drive up to Salt Lake to see it as it was not released in any theaters "down here." It was well worth the trip. The show was sold out and it became immediately apparent that every person in that dark, cozy theater loved Jane Austen and Pride & Prejudice as much as we did. Together, as an audience, we laughed loudly at Mr. Collins' overwhelming smallness. Together we smiled fondly at Mr. Darcy's stilted attempts to interact with Bennet women besetting him from all sides. Together we recited silently the lines we know so well, hearing the echoes in our heads of other actors, other productions, the voices in our heads the first time we read the book. The result was an almost palpable feeling of camraderie. I laughed more at this film than I have any of the others. And I was sadder to see it end. However much you love Greer Garson or Jennifer Ehle. Whether you prefer Laurence Oli...