Thursday, March 14

All Pride & Prejudice....All the time....Carole's Top 5

Soooo I recently went on a Pride & Prejudice bender. I watched all the ones I could get my hands on. Ones I couldn't, I watched some clips so I could remember which was which and etc. I haven't done a P&P movie marathon since I was a wee little thing. 

Now, I love all of them. They all have their own sparkle and shine, but here is my list! (Please note - I am not counting any adaptions that are put in modern times or weird situations like P&P Zombies...which I still need to watch that someday)

5. Pride And Prejudice (1980)



Sadly, I placed this one here. I struggled with watching this back in the day. Not sure if I even finished it or did I just forget? Who knows. I recently just watched some clips to try and spark my memory. 

I will admit that I remember this being very, very close to the book. I did some reading and people agree that this is the closet to the books. But omg....so 80s. The acting is okay. The cast is okay.

Maybe someday I'll track down the full version to re-watch. Maybe being older I will like this better. 

4. Pride and Prejudice (1967)


I didn't watch this until probably 2012 or 2013. It was one that was hard to locate since it never made it to home video. I barely remember this one and, to my delight, I was able to find all the episodes on YouTube. 

I did really like this and it gives play feels. Simple transitions and simple backgrounds. I enjoyed the Lizzie and Darcy. However, I struggled to like the Mr. Bingley. He seemed to be missing that easy charm. I am bummed they cut one of the sisters, Mary. Boo. She is my third favorite Bennet sister. 

Oooo I did love the fact we got to see more of the Bingleys and their POVs. That was nice.

Very fun and very old school. Def worth a watch. However, I will place this in 4th place. 

3. Pride and Prejudice (1995)




I'm sure I'll get a lot of slack for this one being lower on the list. This seems to be a favorite amongst the community. 

I adore the Darcy here, but he isn't my favorite Darcy amongst all four of these fellas. The cast is amazing and they all do a great job. However, I struggle with the Lizzie here. She seems...bored (?) for the majority of the film. It's hard to pinpoint, but she just doesn't feel like Lizzie-esque to me. I'm sure there is a riot outside my window with this opinion. *hides in the basement*

The costumes are great and I loved the music in this one. I did like that it is pretty faithful to the original story so bonus points there. 

2. Pride And Prejudice (1940)


Another controversial placement! Many put this much lower on the list, but this was my first P&P movie so it holds a special place in my heart. It is under-appreciated! 

Love, love, love the Darcy and Lizzie. This Lizzie is my 2nd favorite and this Darcy takes first place in my heart. I love them. I love the cast. Darcy's 2nd proposal at the end always makes my heart thump. Awwwwww. *swoons*

This is def 1940s vibe, so be warned. I would LOVE to see this colored so I can enjoy the costumes and etc more. 

1. Pride And Prejudice (2005)



Annnnnnnnnnd number 1 is this version. I can watch this over and over and over again. I watched this twice in March. The cast is amazing. The script fun. The costumes fun. The scenes....beautiful. I loved it all. Simply the best of the best in my opinion. 

The Darcy is my 2nd favorite and the Lizzie my first favorite. They have great chemistry. Whenever they are scene together you can feel the chemistry...the hate...the desire....the misunderstanding. All beautifully done. 

So yes, I can gush on this version all day. Def my favorite. 


~~~~*~~~~


Which of the P&Ps are your faves? 


Wednesday, March 13

Audiobook Review: Threads of Magic by Monica Fairview


Author: Monica Fairview
Narrator: Jennifer M. Dixon
Title: Threads of Magic
Series: Mr. Darcy's Magic #2
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Romance, P&P Variation, Retellings
Format: Audiobook
Published: January 25, 2022
Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 
In a magical Regency England, two powerful magicians strive to find a balance between love and duty as they confront enemies who might well be their closest friends.

Elizabeth Bennet may be a heroine, but by defying some of the most powerful mages in England, she has made enemies who will stop at nothing to embroil her in scandal.

So when she is accused of endangering the Royal Mages through her reckless actions, she no longer knows who to trust. Even the gentleman she loves is taking their side. It seems the only person who believes her is the captive French mage who is imprisoned in the cellar at Netherfield.

Meanwhile, Fitzwilliam Darcy is willing to fight to the death to defend Elizabeth, if only she would stop getting herself into trouble. Why does she always have to break the rules? And why does even her sister Jane cause him so many problems?

Join us in this magical Jane Austen Regency variation. Set mostly in Meryton, with familiar beloved characters from Pride and Prejudice, you will once again be captivated by Elizabeth and Darcy as they struggle to find true love against the backdrop of England’s war with Napoleon.




Review:
This is book 2 of the series. Finally decided to jump in. 

We continue with Lizzie and Darcy. They survived the last battle but the war keeps going on. Lizzie and Darcy are trying to balance duty and their love. They are partners mages, but also a married couple. When events happen, Lizzie finds herself being blamed for them. Rumors spread and now very few people trust her. She will have to try and figure out how to find out the truth before her enemies finally destroy her for good. 

I wanted to slap everyone (except for Lizzie and dear Jane)!!!!!!!!!! I especially wanted to kick Darcy in the face. JUST communicate. TALK TO LIZZIE DARN YOU!

I felt very frustrated with this one. I truly don't understand why everyone blamed her so easily. Damn rich folks. Even though she saved all of them in the last battle and she is a wonderful mage, they still look down their noses at her. Damn aholes. 

Hopefully with the conclusion of this one everyone will stop jumping on the Blame-Lizzie Train. We'll see how book 3 goes. Yes, I plan on reading the next one. 

OOooOO! Jane is here! I loved getting to see her more. She, and the rest of the Bennetts, were barely seen in book 1 so it was lovely to finally see Jane and Bingley start falling for each other (no spoiler here...we all know they are soulmates). 

The narrator was good. I really enjoyed her voices. I hope she does the third book.

All-in-all, I didn't like this one nearly as much as book 1. I found myself SO annoyed SO many times. Yes, I get why Lizzie might be slightly sus, but Darcy should've communicated and talked to her. It's like all his character growth from book 1 went away for a while. Yes, he finally opens his eyes, but I wanted to kick him. I hope book 3 is way better and not so Blame-Lizzie-for-everything-damn-the-proof. I'll give this 3 stars. It would've been 2 stars, but with Jane and Bingley finally meeting....and the last scene at the Ball....I was content.

One Word Summary: Frustrating







Challenge(s):
- Audiobook #13
- Romance Reading Challenge #9 (Blue dress on cover) 

Tuesday, March 12

Book Review: Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage



Author: Zoje Stage
Title: Baby Teeth
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Format: ebook
Pages: 314
Published: August 9, 2018
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library


Summary: 
Sweetness can be deceptive.

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

From blazing new talent Zoje Stage, Baby Teeth is a story about a perfect-looking family, and a darling little girl who wants nothing more than to kill her mother.



Review:
Yayyy book club book. My friend has been wanting us to read this for a while, but she kept putting it on the backburner. She finally decided it was time for us to check this out. 

Here we have a family that looks perfect. A dad with a great job. A mom who decided to stay home and take care of their child. However, things are not what they seem. Their little girl, Hanna, hasn't uttered a word since she was a baby, but is extremely smart. Hanna doesn't want to go to school so she keeps finding ways to get expelled and stay home. She doesn't want her mother, Suzette, around anymore. Suzette is plain exhausted, but things are looking dark as it seems Hanna has plans to get rid of her. 

This was pretty dark. Hanna has her dad tricked and blinded to her true intent. She doesn't want to go to school and she doesn't want her mom around. Along with her side kick...aka imaginary friend....or not? Who knows....she plans to get rid of her mom for good so she can have her father to herself. 

Suzette isn't perfect, but I felt so bad for her. She didn't deserve to have a monster of a child or a husband who doesn't believe her. So cliche that the man doesn't believe their wife but it made me chuckle when Suzette called that out when talking to the therapist. 

This was intense and I had no idea what was going to happen. Hanna was a monster and oddly smart for her age. I still don't understand WHY Hanna hated Suzette so much. I don't think Suzette did anything terrible. Sure, she isn't winning Mother of the Year anytime soon but she wasn't abusive or evil or mean? But Hanna does seem to have some mental illness issues and can't really see reality for what it is. She thinks Suzette is a witch and evil, etc.

I went down a path on reddit and Goodreads to see what others thought of the book. It seems to be truly divided. Some like this a lot...some hate it with a burning passion. It's very interesting, honestly, reading the reviews/thoughts. 

This book was weird but good. I really enjoyed it but it does get dark in some spots so be aware of that. 

Th ending? Mmmm. I have gone back and forth with my feelings on it. It wasn't as satisfying as I wanted it be. It was good, don't get me wrong, but I have so many questions. 

All-in-all, this was a weird read, but I enjoyed it. I think it is a very good book for book club. I have SO many things to say that I couldn't here (avoiding all spoilers) and I have SO many questions for the girls when meet up. 4 stars from me.

One word summary: Weird






Challenge(s):
- Cloak and Dagger - #8
- Library Love #7



Monday, March 11

Blodeuedd's Review: Tastes like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

By: Nisha Sharma

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani, Fajer al.Kaisi

Series: If Shakespeare Were an Auntie, Book 2

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins

Release date: 11-28-23

Publisher: HarperAudio

Contemporary romance/storytel.fi



So I listened to this cos my audio site told me that a certain narrator I like was narrating, well that was not the case.  Hey, audible said the same now..weird. But I am glad I picked it anyway. Because I did like book 1.

In this one we have Bobbi who is a wedding planner etc. She truly dislikes a certain Benjamin after he said all the wrong things at a certain time. She is not looking for love, she is just trying to put together the best wedding ever for her bestie.

Benjamin is not looking for love either. He is busy with his restaurant, and works too much.

But this dang wedding keeps putting them together. Someone is also trying to sabotage the wedding.

They were fun together. When they finally got over their hostility towards each other. But they have some stuff to work through.

And the aunties are back! Gotta love the aunties.


Soneela is awesome, I always loves her narration. If it is romance, or fantasy, she is great at it. 

The male narrator was new to me but he did well with his chapters.




Bobbi Kaur is determined to plan a celebration to remember for her best friend’s wedding. But she has two problems that are getting in her way:

1. The egotistical, and irritatingly sexy, chef Benjamin “Bunty” Padda is supposed to help her with the menu since he’s the groom’s best friend, and

2. Someone is trying to sabotage the wedding.

With aspirations of taking over her family’s event planning business, Bobbi knows that one misstep in managing the Kareena Mann and Prem Verma (#Vermann) party, along with the other weddings on her plate, will only give her uncle another reason not to promote her. That means Kareena’s big day and Bobbi's future career are on the line.

Bunty will do anything for his best friend, even though he has his hands full in finding a new location for his next restaurant while also playing mediator between his brother and father, the celebrated Naan King. When Prem asks Bunty to help with the wedding menu, he agrees, especially since it puts him in close proximity to the delicious Bobbi Kaur. When a mystery shaadi saboteur starts leaving threatening notes, and cancelling cake orders, Bunty and Bobbi have no choice but to call a truce and face the volatile attraction they have for each other.

Through masquerade fundraisers and a joint bachelor-bachelorette trip to Vegas, this chef and wedding planner explore their growing connection all while trying to plan a wedding at Messina Vineyards in a time crunch. But once the shaadi saboteur is caught and the wedding is over, will their love story have a happily ever after?

With the return of the meddling aunties (who are scary good at finding information) and a lot of hilarity and hijinks, Bobbi and Bunty’s romance is an event you don’t want to miss.