GabrielleMassman

Oh totally, lots of the wars interest me too, muchly. I just said not ALL war stories are created equal. XD The real life ones—ones based on true stories, esp. CLOSELY based on them—are the best.
And about C.S. LEWIS! Now I’m really interested. About his involvement in WWI, I guess?

Have you seen the recent-ish movie Hacksaw Ridge?

Yeah, I’m guessing. We tried watching a series about the ANZACs in WWI, but it was just too real, I couldn’t handle it, and I think my dad ended up finishing it alone. I know the wars were terrible and horrific, and that we should understand that, but I’m blessed to not to have to live through it, and I really don’t want to know just how horrific,…[Read more]

Ack yes, I feel that. I’m bad with the gore/real aspect of war movies (gore in any movies, but obviously with war movies it’s worse) and usually just have to look away. It’s so awful, and yes we’re extremely blessed to not have to live through that stuff.

Hacksaw Ridge is a WWII story, about a young guy who didn’t want to shoot a gun (religious…[Read more]

Sounds good! I like the stories where the character wants to do his part, but doesn’t actually want to kill anyone, or not exactly cut out for being a soldier, so they become a medic.

Is it just a movie, or is there a book?

Me too. Healing instead of hurting.

I don’t know, actually; I seem to remember having heard somewhere that there was a book too, but I couldn’t say for sure.
Aside from the gore (and language, which is also pretty much inevitable in war movies), and a couple things my mom and dad skipped when we watched it, I SERIOUSLY recommend it. Talk about…[Read more]

Zigackly!

Well, I’ll ask my parents if they’ve seen it as well. It sounds like a good movie.

Great. 😀

Whoops, sorry I didn’t reply to this sooner! XD

I have not read anything by Brandon Sanderson. 😛 I haven’t read too many modern fantasy books (if by that you mean books written quite recently). The Ilyon Chronicles is one of the few I have, and I loved that!

At the moment I’m reading C. S. Lewis’ Cosmic Trilogy (only about halfway through the…[Read more]

@emma-flournoy

Yup. ;P And that does sound pretty cool, about comparing his two different stages of style.

Ahh…I dunno. Quite possibly. 😛

Yes. I’m nearly finished reading the first book. My dad was asking about it this morning, like what the ship’s thrusters were, and I’m like “Well, we know as much as the MC, and he was kidnapped, so they’re not telling him. ” Dad said that was how Lewis got away with not explaining it. 😉

Possibly. 😛

@emma-flournoy So, I have finished the first book and read the first chapter of the second. So far so good, but nothing much has happened yet, except an extensive description of the PoV’s journey and his fear he was suddenly going mad, and his brief encounter with an eldil. 🙂

Ohhh…no, I remember that now. Igh.

That’s a sound plan. *claps you on the shoulder* Dads are good for help. 😉 Especially book-ish dads, which yours sounds to be.
And hey, it’s been a nice conversation with you here, despite any strange subject material. 😛

Haha, yeah. I wouldn’t say my dad is especially book-ish, he likes certain books (James Herriot, Master and Commander, Hornblower, Jane Austin, P. G. Wodehouse). And he likes audio books a lot, but I think he just listens to what I listed. 😛

Yes, it has been a good conversation. I’m actually glad you told me about your thoughts on Perelandra…[Read more]

That’s funny, with all those books/authors you mentioned, I’ve watched more screen adaptations of any of ’em than read the books. 😀 All very good. Your dad has good taste.

Heh. Well, that’s good to know. 😛

Ditto. We love All Creatures, and we enjoyed the Jeeves and Wooster series, and I quite liked Master and Commander, and what I’ve seen of Hornblower, I believe I’d like that too. But none of them quite seem like something I’d enjoy reading so much as watching (I’ve read one James Herriot book).

So, it’s official, last night I gave Perelandra to…[Read more]

Oho, I bet you’ll like Hornblower. *gleeful grin* If you like M&C already…
I’ve only read the first Hornblower book and wasn’t impressed, but the mini-series is one of our favoritest things.

Very good. *firm nod* Hope you’ll/they’ll not have a hard time coming to a satisfactory descision, whatever it be. 😉

@emma-flournoy *thinking I’d already replied to this* Yeah, I’d seen a little bit of the mini-series and liked the look of it.

You know what really got me in Perelandra? When he started calling Weston the Un-man. *shudders*

AGH YES, I’d forgotten about that. *shudders with you* Yeah.

I don’t what it was about it, but that was the real deal-breaker for me.

C.r.e.e.p.y.

So, what are you reading now? I’m still in Boxen, but I’m nearly finished, and after that I’m going to read Animal Farm (I know nothing about it – do you know if it’s any good?)

Great.

I just finished Animal Farm last night. It was depressing, and disgusting, but still worth the read. I could tell exactly what was going on the whole time, but the animals were painfully unaware. And in the end, they were no better off than when they started, if not worse!

I KNOW. It’s so painful. *ascends soapbox and yells at the world* COMMUNISM IS HORRID FOR EVERYONE!
What’s ironic is, George Orwell was something of a socialist himself, though not Communist level. Maybe he didn’t realize the hypocrisy in writing something like that, or just didn’t see it the same way. But it’s quite sad.

Maybe he believed in the ideals, but only saw the corruption, so was sending a message to fellow socialists? I don’t know much about all the isms. 😛

Suffice it to say, all the isms are mucho flawed.

I figured that much. 😛

Yup, that’s me. So no, instead I get to sit around and congratulate myself that I’m just a bibliophile and not a writer, and so need not go through the pain of NaNo. XD
*shudder* Seriously, it sounds like a ton o’ work. Are you doing it? Have you done it before?

All right, is Kate participating in NaNo? 😛
Yes I am, yes I have, and yes it is a lot of work, but this year I’m using it as the way to start writing consistently again.One of my good friends is helping me by doing word sprints with me every day and keeping me on track. 😛

No…I don’t know if she’s ever considered it seriously, but I don’t think it’d fit very well with our schedule anyway. We have a cabin rental business which we handle as a family, so I don’t know if the busyness of NaNo would work out quite right. 😛 I dunno though, maybe she’ll try it out sometime.

Ah yes, sprints and accountability are very good. 😀

Ah, fair enough. It is busy. But at the rate I’m going at the moment, I have a week’s wiggle-room up my sleeve, which is nice. 😀

Sweeeeet. I love wiggle-room. And I hate pressure. Naturally.
What genre is your story?

Um, I don’t know what’d you call it. Speculative fiction, but that’s a very wide genre. It’s about some kid superheros (about 11-14 in ages at the beginning) who were implanted with technology in their brains to give them superhuman abilities (super-speed, flying, breathing underwater, things like that) and their fight against villains, great and…[Read more]

Definitely within the genre of speculative fiction. 😀 I don’t know what it would be called specifically either, but it sounds cool.

Yeah, it’s fun to write. It’s actually a rewrite of a previous series I did about 4-5 years ago called the Crimson Angel. It has the same characters, but I’ve added a few more as well.

Ah, rewrites. I know a little about those. From semi-personal experience, ya know. Amazing revamped second drafts and that sorta thing, at least, by the author my sister. 😛 They’re kinda fun. (Aside from all the old stuff that ends up getting cut that I loved. :'( At least it’s semi-made up for with awesome new material.)
And I bet the addition…[Read more]

Very fun. I’m taking several elements from the originals, and just making them better in the rewrites. It was mostly the plots that needed help. 😛

Those stodgy old plots. XD
I just finished the third book of the Mistborn trilogy, and if I wasn’t convinced enough before, it’s now undoubtedly proven: that guy’s strength is SO the plot. Good GRIEF. It’s very, very insane. I don’t know how anyone can think up such twists and un-cliche things. Amazing.

Sounds amazing. And inspiring, at least to a writer. There are only so many plots you can write when you’re rearranging the same 26 letters, and finding a way to twist the cliché is hard.

Yupper dupper.

XD

Have you ever tried writing, or is it definitely 100% not your thing? 😀

That’s true. (Alto clef…where Middle C is on the 3rd line. Or somewhere thereabouts. Not right. *raises eyebrows*) Also do you have to put your fingers further apart for each note? I tried out a friend’s viola once and it sounded slightly off at first because I’m used to the smaller amount of space between violin notes.

Yeah, that’s right, I think it’s middle C. The third line is a C, either way. 😛 And yeah, a little bit farther apart, because the strings are longer. The viola I’m using is my conductor’s old one, and it has tape where the fingerings go, so I just have to put my fingers where the tape is. 😛

Oh yeah, there was tape for the fingerings on the 3/4 violin I first learned on, and it made that part of learning a lot faster.

Yeah, before I got my first full-sized violin, I had to borrow one from the store I purchased it through, because it was taking forever to come. And that one had tape on the fingerboard, so by the time I had my own (many weeks later 😉 ) I didn’t need to put tape on because I had pretty much learned the fingerings.

How long have you been playing…[Read more]

About…3 and a half years. I started in March 2014, along with my oldest sister Elizabeth.
I’m not sorry I did, either. Even if it does get depressing sometimes. 😛

Yeah, it can be hard. I haven’t been learning for quite that long (mid-2015, I think), but I started a whole lot later than most people would, so I was able to learn some of it pretty quickly. I don’t practice as often as I should, though. 😛 Twice a week at least with orchestra and lessons, but still, I should do it more.

Twice a week…that makes me feel a little better about myself. XD I probably don’t even do that much currently though, not with consistency. I don’t have orchestra or lessons either. Being largely self-taught (and YOU-TUBE), I don’t have a whole bunch of accountability. :/
But I used to play it like 6 days a week! I have so plummeted. 😛

XD Yeah, I used to be really consistent too. It’s quite terrible, actually. I need to get back into doing it more, especially now since I’m also learning a second instrument.

Yeah, I need to too.

Maybe we could keep each other accountable? Set a goal to try and practise 30 minutes everyday (or something to that affect)? I’m finding keeping my word-count accountable to someone every day very helpful.

I HAVE, actually. 😀 Not a whole lot by myself, but at least three or four times this week, counting when I practice trios and/or duets with my sisters. We’ve been doing that more than usual this week, and it’s not quite the same as single practice, but I like to think it counts a little. Thanks for checking up. 😉 😀

Oh, good for you! 😀 Yeah, I’ve had a friend come over a couple of times to play duets, and it’s really fun, and very different from doing it with my teacher or on my own. I think it’s not so much proper practice as just playing as well. An instrument should not just sit in its case. 🙂

Exactly. 😉

And happy Thanksgiving, if Aussies celebrate it. 😀

😀 I did some practise this week too (yesterday in fact. It was good). And I’ll be playing tonight at the musician’s rehearsal for our Church Christmas thing (which we’re calling This is Love, after the Paul Baloche song).

It’s not an Australian holiday, but my dad is American, so we celebrate it sometimes. 😉 We’re having a turkey tomorrow night…[Read more]

Good good. 😉

How did your Thanksgiving go? 🙂

*high-five* Inward celebration doesn’t mean you’re any less enthusiastic. 😉

So, have you practiced lately? I imagine you’ve been practicing for your Christmas program. I practiced the other day, but for the most part I haven’t been doing much. :/ We’re really really busy right now. (Classic excuse, I know. But we really are. 😛 )

Uhm… I practise when the musos have our rehearsal, and I’m going to start bringing my violin for the choir rehearsals to play with the songs I’m not singing, so that’ll be about 4 times a week if I understand the schedule correctly. But not much otherwise. 😛

*facepalm* I FORGOT. XD Yes indeed… It’s quite hard for me to imagine what it’s like having Christmas in Summer. Or Spring. Whichever it is over there. 😛

Summer. I love our summer Christmasses, they truly feel Christmassy to me. I have experienced one white Christmas in my life, and I would like to have another, but so long as it’s not too hot or humid, our Christmasses are fine. 🙂

Well, I guess that works. You’d probably find 20 degree Christmases odd. 😀

Guess what? My oldest sister, Elizabeth—the other violin player in our family as of right now—and I have a chance for lessons! It came up sort of unexpectedly… We went to audition to play in the Christmas program of Ohio Christian University (which is only about…[Read more]

Whooo! That’s so exciting! Have you ever taken lessons before, or are you two self-taught? (If so, that is extra impressive, because I would have no idea how one would do that! XD)

Yup. I learned basic music theory when I learned piano, and while I’m not an expert, I know quite a bit, and can sight-read easily. It is quite handy.
I do wish I could fiddle in addition to classical, though, seriously. 😛 I wish I knew how.

Yeah, reading music is a really good skill. But I know what you mean about fiddling. The luthier who restored my violin can’t read a bit of music, but he’s an amazing Irish fiddler. 😀 And one our friends, he can’t read music, but he’s really good on the piano.

Sounds amazing, of course. ;P I have a good musical ear/sense of tune, too, which I’m thankful for as well, but I still can’t make gorgeous harmonies and improvise amazingly like nobody’s business and that sort of thing. Much to my sorrow. I can harmonize and improvise if I work at it, but it’s not second nature or anything.

Yeah, I agree, I would love to be able to do that.
That being said, I did manage to create something of a nice (if repetitive) tune when my brother and I were trying out a violin pick-up my conductor lent to me. 😛

Poor people. 😛 But naturals are always encouraging.

Eheh, yep, I feel ya. It was a very good book, but I know what you’re talking about. *cough* The revenge is sorta the point… 😛 Once you FINISH the book, you’ll see how it plays out to be a good book nonetheless. Thought it’s still not perfect, and it’s NOT as good as Les Miserables, EVER.…[Read more]

😀

Oh, I have no doubt it’s a good book. But I may not always agree with the protagonist’s choices. 😉 Les Mis, though, I actually have lined up to read after Monte Cristo. 😀 It looks like it’s going to be equally as long. XD

Indeed, you most certainly won’t agree. XD
Oh, YAHOO!!! I’m incredibly happy. It’s even a little longer, but SO worth it. Good choice. 😉

It feels like the story is jumping around between characters. I’ve just been reading about Franz and his interesting night on Monte Cristo with Signor Sinbad. Except I think Sinbad is Dantes. Except I’m not certain. XD

Are you on Goodreads?

*snickers* Dantes and his disguises.
Yeah, there’s a fair bit of jumping around, but it’s kinda nice sometimes because you wouldn’t want to ALWAYS be stuck with Dantes’ point of view. XD And there are some other really great characters in there.

No… I hardly even know what Goodreads is. 😛 I mean, I know what it is, but I’m not sure what it’s…[Read more]

XD I guess not, but I want to know his story. Right now I’m hearing more about Luigi Vampa and Teresa.

Goodreas is really cool. It’s a site that you can list all the books you’ve read/want to read. You can rate them, review them, compare your shelves with your friends. You can use it to keep track of how many books you’ve read in a year, and set…[Read more]

Yup. Franz isn’t bad, though he doesn’t get much more main. But Albert has many more large parts to play, and some of ’em are REALLY great. 😉 Do you like (if you’ve met him yet…I can’t remember if he’s come in at this point) Maximilian? He’s pretty sweet too, though has some slightly lovestruck issues. XD

Cool.

Aw, really? I liked him a little better out of the two. But it’s kind of clever how the author uses Franz’ pov to get to know Albert for when we switch to his pov.
No, I haven’t met him yet. I’ll keep an lookout for him. 😉

Well, I think I liked Franz better first too. At the very least he’s more mature than Albert at this point, I think… ;P I don’t remember him too well though, ’cause he wasn’t much of a main character later on. Maybe I liked him better than I thought. 😀
Right though, that’s a good tactic on the author’s part.

Merry Christmas. 😀

I’ve met Maxamillion Morrel now. The author says we have met him before, and I may vaguely remember him, but I remember of M. Morrel’s daughter more than his son.

Merry Christmas! 😀

Ah wow, you have an optimistic approach. XD That’s true…*sniff* But it’s so…sad. It gets sadder. Do you know who Albert’s father is yet?
And I love how much Albert loves his mother.

Oh yeah, quite. Just wait. All your threads will eventually converge and you will be thoroughly disgusted. And/or horrified. I imagine. 😛

lol, yeah, I love how Albert loves her too. And I haven’t made any connections, but I know his father is a count or something. 😛 But is it someone we knew of beforehand?

Well, the fact that Caderousse and his wife just murdered a jeweller so that they could have their cake and eat it too already disgusts me. And I thought he was a nice fellow,…[Read more]

*wiggles eyebrows* Why on earth would I tell you that.

You’ve probably come to it by now…

UGH! Help. Yeah. It’s bad.

I just find it frustrating. I mean, I know the rest of the story probably won’t happen if they did, but in some cases, that would probably be all for the better for the characters. XD

Yeah. 😛

Nope.

I had to make a character list to keep up with all the characters and their relations to each other.

Edmond Dantes: The Count of Monte Cristo himself. Has many alias, including Sinbad the Sailor, Abbe Busoni and Lord Wilmore.
Villefort: The procurer de roi that had Dantes imprisoned; husband of Madame de Villefort; father of Valentine and…[Read more]

Bravo, that’s quite a list! Very comprehensive. I love it. So, you’re not totally in the dark…not about everything. 😛 Isn’t it all just a convoluted mess?! Poor EVERYONE! (Except for…well, some people, who…I find it hard to pity and perhaps don’t deserve it, yet who still are (or will be) in wretched circumstances.)
And yesss the orchard…[Read more]

Haha, I guess not. 😛

Yes, poor everyone. I feel especially bad for Albert for some reason, because M. le Comte didn’t allow Haydee to say she remembered the name of Albert’s father in her backstory.

Well, when I learn it, I’ll let you know.

My least favourite character is probably… Either Villefort of Danglers, since they were meanies to Edmo…[Read more]

Hey, sorry to spam. XD But I’m just really excited about this book. 😀 I just learned that M. le Comte de Morcerf is Fernand (except I knew that already, accidentally finding that out in my research to make my character list – I just didn’t acknowledge it until I found out in the book 😉 ).

Albert wants to duel with Beauchamp because of his…[Read more]

YAAAHHHH YOU’RE COMING TO THE DUEL!!! *uncontrollable flailing* I don’t have time to reply to all the comments tonight, but I shall get to it. But I just wanted to say—THE DUEL! I was going to be asking you if you’d gotten there yet, and I was trying to think of a way to ask it without giving spoilers, in case you weren’t there yet. ;P But…[Read more]

AHHH!!! Now you just made me more excited!!! *big cheesy grin* I kind of hope they duel with swords, but from what Beauchamp said, they’ll probably be using pistols (not as fun, in my opinion 😛 ).

Well hurry up and sleep so you can fangirl with me! XD

I only said sorry as a courtesy, I didn’t really mean it. XD XD

Well, we’ll have to start a…[Read more]

Haha, I was just re-reading some of our conversation about this, and you were asking me if I knew who Albert’s father is yet. And now I do – Fernand! XD It kind of annoys me that Mercedes went to be with him after all, especially since she said she considered him a brother more than anything, but with her lover supposedly dead, and probably no one…[Read more]

That makes a lot of sense too. I think it less likely that’s the case here, because she actually commended my technique and stuff (which made me rather happy. 😛 ), but I suppose it never hurts to make sure even so. And I have problems with staccato. 😛

Yeah. Just ideas, since I have no idea how your technique is. 😉

Yup, and I thank you. 😀

Are you having weekly lessons, or more or less often?

Hopefully twice a month. Every-other-weekly or something along those lines.

Nice. I have mine weekly, but we also don’t pay (it could get too much otherwise). My dad mows my teacher’s lawn for my lessons. XD

Aah! That’s great! Lucky duck. ;P Yeah, the main reason we’ve never done lessons before is because of the cost. SO expensive, not to mention the cost of driving and stuff. BUT, since these are students teaching us (albeit very advanced ones), and not professional violin teachers, we’ve got it for $10 per lesson/person. So, all together, $40 per…[Read more]

$10 a lesson isn’t bad. Usually it would be $30 a lesson if we paid, but Dad does work in kind, so I’m really blessed to be able to have lessons like that. And my teacher’s become a family friend (we have a habit of doing that XD). Sometimes we look after her cats when she goes away. And when my mum was unable to take me to lessons for a time, she…[Read more]

But yeah, my teacher is professional, so it would be more expensive. 😛

I keep being pleasantly surprised to see you’ve replied again, because I keep thinking it must be almost night by now in Australia. 😛 It’s mid-morning over here.

Aw, that’s great. 😀 I love it when your associates become good friends as well.

Let’s see, it’s almost 10 past 8 in the morning now. That post was about 9 hours ago according to KP, so I posted that around 11 last night. Sounds about right. 😛 I usually try and be in bed by then, but sometimes it doesn’t work. XD

Yeah. 😀

XD

I know. Me too.

Well, we shall see, we shall see. Rest assured, I won’t yell at you if you don’t like it as much. XD And yes, by all means, totally. Reading two 12-1400 page sagas right after each other might be a little exhausting. ;P I feel like I should know this, but what does HP stand for?

Exactly. XD

*creepy Gollum voice* Yoouu’ll see.…[Read more]

HP stands for Harry Potter. Tbh, I was hesitant to say it, because I know where some Christians stand about that, but I personally enjoy it (I’ve read two books).

Yeah, and I like brain work! XD

Oh, I understand whatcha mean. 😛 I’m on the other side of where Christians stand on that, but it’s all right, we don’t have to debate it. XD I’m not judging you.

Me too!

Our faces are gonna be sore from all our XDing. XD

Well, so was I, because our parents never allowed us to read/watch it. But two years ago (around Christmastime) I wanted to try , so I could make my own judgement for myself (this, I believe, is one of the things that’s got no clear right or wrong, only one’s convictions). So I borrowed it from my cousin (who’s like ten years younger than me – I…[Read more]

*howls* NOW YOU KNOW!!! BUT…you don’t know everything yet. *howls louder* It’s awful and wonderful at the same time. I mean, it IS wonderful, the way your emotions are being tossed and ripped like a ship in a gale, right? XD It’s masterfully done. Masterfully done. But it’s awful because…yeah. We know.

SO. MUCH. CONFLICT! Wasn’t that scene,…[Read more]

Oh man, it’s crazy! I don’t feel a lot of emotions while reading except enjoyment, but when I think about it throughout the day, I get a short thrill. It’s definitely one of the best works of fiction I’ve ever read.

Yes, it was! Albert, so enraged, facing the count, so calm and collected. I liked this line,

“But Monte Cristo, without rising, and…[Read more]

YES!!! It’s great. *muffled groaning*

Yeah, Albert’s a bit more impulsive than Monte Cristo. Edmond’s undoubtedly impulsive, but he goes about it calmly and coolly (now, at least). Albert has little impulse control. Poor, dear young man. It’s his fault he has little impulse control (and quite probably also his parents’… That’s what happens when…[Read more]

XD

Yeah. 🙁 I wouldn’t consider Albert spoilt like a brat, but being the only child of wealthy parents will probably spoil him a bit. Monte Cristo did show some anger to Morrel when he was questioning him about what was going on.
“Ah, count,” said he, “his father loves him so much!”
“Do not speak to me of that,” said Monte Cristo, with the first…[Read more]

You wouldn’t happen to know if any of the 40-something movie adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo are any good, would you? I’d love to see a movie version of it when I’m finished, but I think it would really irk me to no end if it’s totally convoluted and gives everyone else who hasn’t read it the wrong idea.

My friend said her family just…[Read more]

Albert and Monte Cristo didn’t end up duelling, because Mercedes came and begged Edmond (Yes, she call him Edmond :D) to spare Albert’s life. Then Albert apologised to Monte Cristo, so neither of them had to die. Albert understood why Monte Crsito had to avenge himself like that, but M. le Comte de Morcerf still shamed himself with what he did.…[Read more]

So much sad. :'(
M. de Morcerf, as Monte Cristo said, “just blew his brains out.” after a confrontation where he learned who Monte Cristo really was “Edmond Dantes!” I don’t know if Albert and Mercedes know yet, because he did it right as they left.

Valentine was poisoned, but she’s all right for now. Take that M. D’Avrginy. I told you she didn’t…[Read more]

Eh yes, very much gloominess. :”( Dark is surely the word. Poor Fernand! I don’t sympathize with him really at all or say he ‘s in any right, but I still…pity him!

Monte Cristo…you’re just…you’re wreaking so much havoc! You’re not helping yourself feel any better, you know. Even if you think you are. You’re not, deep down.

Also, I just…[Read more]

Aha! I’d wondered where you’d gone. XD

It’s sad he had to kill himself, but they all seem to believe that it’s better for Albert and Mercedes for him to be dead than to live in disgrace. As Monte Cristo said, “Blood washes out shame.” :'(

I know!! D:

I hadn’t deserted you. XD

Yeah. :”(

You’d think. XD

Yup.

No, he doesn’t.

I don’t mind Tauriel herself too much; she’s not annoying by herself, as a character, to me… But yeah. I know. ;P And I was kinda glad to hear Legolas would be in it, before I watched it, because oooh, that’d be cool! But he turned out less than spectacular. Much better in LotR.
Aghh. Azog’s just…cheesy. Aside from the fact…[Read more]

I Tauriel was an attempt to get an “obligatory female character” into the movie, but bth, I don’t care if most of the cast of LOTR and The Hobbit are male (there are only three major females, and not many more who have been given names that I can think of).
Yeah, I guess Azog was flat. That’s what comes of putting in a character that wasn’t meant…[Read more]

***first sentence*** “I think Tauriel…”

Oh yeah, I totally agree about Tauriel’s role. That’s exactly what I’ve thought too, and I’m with ya on not caring a bit if almost the whole cast is male. I really don’t care (frankly, a lot of the time I find male characters way more compelling), and females should not be obligatory. 😛

Poooor Danglars.

Well, yay for your friend! I think…[Read more]

In that sort of society, meeting mostly men is a little more realistic. Women seem to be more of the stay-at-home type in Middle-earth cultures. Of course there will be women out doing things, like Eowyn, but she wasn’t even supposed to go.

Poooor Danglars, even though I don’t like him very much.

Yeah, I agree. But I also understand her sid…[Read more]

Yup. ‘Tis truth.

That does make sense. And NO! The Screwtape Letters by Andy Serkis?! Of all the insane ironies. 😂 That’s great. I have read it though.

Oops… 😛

Exactly.

Right, I know. As if suicide is honorable.

*scrubs eyes* Such awfulness.

Not BY Andry Serkis, WITH Andy Serkis. He voices Screwtape. It’s an audio drama which was amazing! I haven’t read the book yet, but it’s part of an English course we want to finish this year, so I will.

Wow. I can imagine he’d make an awesome Screwtape. *shudder* I was probably confused because I didn’t think The Screwtape Letters would be made into a drama, since it’s just letters, not actual things happening. Guess they find ways to do everything. ;P

Yeah, they’re amazing! I had never wanted a character to die so much as I did Wormwood’s patient. Because then he would be free of the temptations. And it was sad when he did, but also good (if you know what I mean).

Oh wow, so from the sound of it it sounds like they actually…dramatized the different patients too. Cool. Yes, I know what you mean for sure.

Yeah. There were voices for Screwtape, Wormwood, their patients, and a few other random tempters. A lot of the stuff is Screwtape having a conversation with Woodworm and telling him how to do stuff, with Wormwood asking questions every now and then. I’m guessing they took the letters and turned them into these conversations. Some of them are in…[Read more]

Cool! I’ll definitely have to remember that.

YES.

:”(

😀

Were you reading a digital copy, and that’s how Goodreads could track it?

No. You find the edition you’re reading, or one with the same number of pages, and every day you put in what page number you’re on and it tells you how much is left.

Cool.

Yeah.

D:

Poooor Edward!

Yeah. I liked Maximilian, he’d definitely be a second to Albert and young Edmond, but Albert for some reason had a special place in my heart.

I see what you mean, but I think he was also starting to realise he wasn’t God’s agent for exacting His vengeance, and that really, he should be doing anything at all. And perhaps, he…[Read more]

Yeah…I dunno for sure. But at least he did realize.

“(saying this as if they were real and as we speak Edmond is watching over Albert XD).”
But of course! XD Seriously though, that’s how I always talk/think about characters and books I get really attached to. They’re so REAL, and I just talk about them that way. And I’m almost always imagining…[Read more]

Yeah.

XD
Yeah, I know what you mean. I almost didn’t want to start my next book the next night because I was sad there was no more Monte Cristo (but I did, because I loved reading 😛 ). I would love to know what happens in the characters’ lives afterwards. Franz seemed to disappear near the end, and Danglars, I wonder what he is doing now.
There…[Read more]

There is one exception that I know of, and that is the newest (as far as I’m aware) Asterix comic. One of the original authors is dead (sad 🙁 ), and the other supervised two new people in the writing and illustrating of it. I’ve read it, and I think it keeps the tone and feel of Asterix, if a little different, because different people means…[Read more]

;D