Goodreads Reviews: The Secret Bridge

The Secret Bridge by Amy Le Feuvre

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After the death of her beloved father, young and educated Bridget Channing sets sail to London to live with an uncle she knows very little of. While on the voyage she catches the eye of Godfrey Bullingham, a handsome sailor who is genuinely taken with her. When Bridget gets to London everything in her life goes from bad to worse and she has no home or family to go to. So, when Godfrey gives her an unexpected offer of marriage, Bridget takes a leap of faith that changes her life and give her something she had never thought of before. Faith itself.

However, this is not just Bridget's story. This is also a story of two warring families and their small community. After Bridget comes to this quaint village for safety, she finds herself caught in the middle of a family feud that has been created from secrets and lies. Unbeknownst to Bridget or anyone else, she will the only person who can uncover these secrets and bring the truth to light.

A lovely and endearing story from Lamplighter Collections, which includes an equal amount of romance, mystery and intrigue all wrapped together. There is also a sub-storyline of faith as Bridget comes to terms with her belief in God and what her life has been leading up to. The Secret Bridge is a charming book with a great deal of emotional and spiritual depth and of finding faith in the darkest moments of life.

Avengers: Infinity War

     How does one explain Avengers: Infinity War? They don't. I've tried to wrestle with how to write this movie review without giving anything away! However, I will do my best seeing as Endgame is just around the corner.

     So, to start off. As you watch the films, you'll begin to notice a theme with most of them. Stones. Beautifully lit and powerful gems that may seem to hold some modicum of power, but really don't seem that beg of a deal by the time the movie is done. These stones are found in the following films:

1.) The Tesseract/Space Stone - Captain America/Thor

2.)  The Aether/Reality Stone - Thor: The Dark World

3.) The Time Gem/Time Stone - Dr. Strange 

4.) Power Gem: Guardians of the Galaxy

5.) The Mind Gem - Avengers (Loki's staff)/Avengers: Age of Ultron (Vision's stone)

6.) The Soul Stone - Unknown. Either we've never seen it or it's been everywhere and we've never noticed it at all. Many people believe that it belonged to Heimdall, the Asgardian gatekeeper. 

     As the movies continue, these stones become more and more important and relevant to the overall storyline of the Avengers and they eventually bring everything and everyone together. When all of these Infinity stones are combined, they will make an incredible and unstoppable force of destruction and eventual recreation of the image of whoever controls them (not to different from the Mother Boxes in Justice League).

      In Guardians of the Galaxy, the primary antagonist is Thanos. An alien super-villain intent on destroying planets, killing and enslaving their people and somehow feel like he has done some good. However, Thanos wants more and he won't stop until he gets it. He's tired of taking over mere planets. Now he wants to take over the complete galaxy and knows that the only way he can do so is by finding the six legendary Infinity Stones. Once the stones are combined, Thanos is capable wiping out the whole galaxy, especially Earth and then proceed to recreate his own home, Titan, that was destroyed many years before. 

     When the movies begins, Thanos has gathered most of the stones. Which each gem, he grows more power hungry and maniacal. Soon he finds himself on board an Asgardian freighter ship, picking up right where Thor: Ragnarok left off. He wastes no time in torturing and killing to get his hands on the Tesseract, to create the space stone. Now, he sets his sights on Earth, but has to attempt to take on a powerful magician.

     Dr. Stephan Strange holds the Time Stone and it doesn't take long to realize that he has now become Thanos' number one target. While Stephan is powerful, he knows he cannot fight Thanos alone and he needs to recruit some former, but still famous, heavy hitters. 

     Meanwhile, after the events of Captain America: Civil War the Avengers are still separated. Tony Stark and his fiancee, Pepper Potts are planning a new life together. Yet, Stephan Strange comes to inform Tony that they may need to put their marriage plans on hold. The-Avenger-in-training, Peter Parker is restless in school and desperate to get back into fighting after his introductory breakout in Spiderman: Homecoming; and he manages to get that chance, much to Tony Stark's annoyance.

      Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, Vision and Wanda Maximoff are scattered over different parts of the world. Some are fighting and others are trying to live their lives as normally as possible. Yet war, or threat of war has a strange was of uniting people and when they are threatened by otherworldly powers, they know that they can no longer stay in hiding. However, they must find a place where they can all stand together. 

     In Wakanda, the young Black Panther King T'Challa is ready to open his country's borders as well as preparing the White Wolf or Bucky Barnes for a new life. Bucky has had no sense of real happiness due to the events that were revealed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and now he's ready to fight, just this time on the right side, which is next to his best friend.

     Finally, the Guardians of the Galaxy crew get a shock when Thor hits their ship and soon reveals to them about Thanos and how he plans to annihilate the entire galaxy. And if anyone is going to understand and want to fight, it's the Guardians. Through Thanos and his plan, the Avengers (T'Challa counts as an Avenger) and the Guardians team up together and try to take on Thanos, but there is a cost that is higher than anyone expected.

      And that's about all I can say! I was surprised that there was still a great amount of humor, primarily brought on by Tony Stark and Peter Parker. While there are three or four storylines going on at the same time, it wasn't too hard to keep up with each story. And there is loss. A great deal of loss, but that doesn't mean that they are gone forever. I mean if they were, what's the point of a fourth Avenger's movie? 

     The ability to unite so many storylines and bring together so many characters may have seemed impossible, but it was done very well. Between the early humor and the ending heartbreak, there was one story that has remained consistent, not just in this film, but all the films. The story of good v evil and sacrifice over selfishness. No matter what is thrown at the Avengers, they won't back down or compromise. Even if it meant having to sacrifice friendships and fame to do so. T'Challa opened his home and allowed an alien war to be fought for the sake of protecting humanity. Thor and the Guardians literally go to the ends of the earth to use any means necessary to end Thanos and his work.

     Now, we'll see what Endgame has to hold and if the sacrifices were worth it.

     

Goodreads Reviews: The Last Midwife

The Last Midwife by Sandra Dallas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An incredible, heartbreaking novel that just had me riveted from the first chapter!

In 1880, in the small mining town of Swandyke, Colorado, Gracie Brookins is the only midwife for miles. Known affectionately as 'the sagehen,' Gracie has devoted her life to midwifery. From the time she was ten years old, she has been by the sides of women (some of them still girls) as they bring life into the world. Yet, it's not just birthing babies that compels Gracie in her work. She also befriends, cares for and protects as many women as she can from the oftentimes harsh realities of their marriages to the hard mining men. Many of these men who rarely give any thought to the dignity of their wives.

Gracie has had to make some difficult decisions in her career. From fighting domestic abuse, to performing (or not performing) abortions that may save the mother. Many of these decisions have given Gracie the reputation of being a meddler or troublemaker. Yet, nothing in her life can prepare her for the accusation of the murder of a newborn baby.

Now, Gracie must go through a grueling trial of proving her innocence to the town she has devoted her whole life to. Along the way, Gracie reflects on her lifelong journey in midwifery and finally reveals long hidden secrets that have molded her into the formidable women she has become.

An exceptional book! There was a rawness and intense honesty about the story that was so real and compelling. Sandra Dallas did not shy a way from the arduous hardships that women of that time faced. There are many situations of women dealing with abuse, rape and neglect that would rightfully anger the reader. Yet, Gracie is a wonderful example of a women who will not back down from the unjust treatment of others.

A praiseworthy historical fiction! Since reading this novel, I'll definitely be reading more of Sandra Dallas' works!

My Vintage Books

     I absolutely love vintage books! It's like I'm holding a piece of history in my hands. Usually I find vintage books at the book store I volunteer at or the little lending library at the community center. And I'm just amazed that people will just give up such treasures! I thought I would share my growing collection of lovely vintage finds.

The Original Elsie Dinsmore Collection

by Martha Finley

 This is by far my oldest collection of books. The first book was published in 1867 and was the only novel to outsell Little Women. The books I have are:

Elsie Dinsmore (1868)

Grandmother Elsie (1882)

Elsie's New Relations (1883)

Elsie's Friends at Woodburn (1887)

Christmas with Grandmother Elsie (1888)

~ ~ ~

Tales From Shakespeare 

by Charles and Mary Lamb (1878)

     Remember the book that Juliet Ashton bought for Dawsey Adams in the Guernsey film? (Not the novel, she got him a different book) Well this is the actual book! Tales from Shakespeare was published in 1807 and there was no actual copyright in this book I have, so I could only go for the date on the author's note. 

~ ~ ~

In Spite of All

by Archer Wallace (1944)

     I'm not sure how I came across this book, but it's one of my favorites. It gives the true life accounts of ten people from history who overcame their own personal obstacles and how they changed the world. A wonderful little read! The copyright is cleverly written in Roman Numerals and so I had to look it up online and the Roman Numerals translate into 1944.

~ ~ ~

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew

by C.S. Lewis

     My favorite book from the Narnia series and I managed to get a first edition copy! And you know where I found it?? At the community center lending library! I couldn't believe it! I feel like I've struck gold with this one : )

~ ~ ~

     That's my collection of vintage finds so far and I hope to acquire more as time goes by!

Do you collect vintage books?

If so, what are your favorites?

Downton Abbey 2019

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet!

The Popular Girl (Not)

     I've never been popular.

Not growing up.

And certainly not on social media. 

     Writing this is very much outside of what I usually write and this is a very difficult topic for me to discuss too. So, I'm hoping there is someone out there who can relate to both experiences I've been through and am still going through. 

Growing Up

     I was homeschooled and my only socialization was at my church. Unfortunately I was only one of a few kids that was homeschooled while the other kids in my peer group all went to the same schools. For any homeschooler reading this, you can maybe imagine the difficulty I had in making friends. Homeschooling in the 90's and early millennia still wasn't socially accepted even in the church. Due to the immense alt-right and fundamentalist Christian branch of homeschooling, there was intense stigma connected to homeschooling. 

     So, friendships were very hard to come by. I mean, I had friends, but I was friends with the friends of the popular girls.When I was with these said friends, everything was great, but soon as the popular girl arrived, I was ditched. Did it hurt? Definitely. I spent a good amount of my young middle school/early high school years wondering if there was something wrong with me. 

     My mom always told me that to make friends, I had to be the one to approach people. Except when I did, I normally got treated like trash. And that was just as hurtful. I'm not an outgoing person, so for me to take a risk and leave my comfort zone and actually make an approach to someone, only to have them blatantly ignore me was heartbreaking. 

     By the time I graduated, I gave up on the whole friend thing and simply didn't care. I was pretty, I was smart and I had my own way of doing things. When I worked at the church daycare, I was friendly enough with people, but past experience taught me to never become fully invested. And so I never became close to anyone. Then I started college and suddenly, everyone wants to hang out with me! It was quite a shock to be honest, but college was some of the happiest experiences of my life and even though I'm not really in contact with a lot of those people anymore, I have many great and wonderful memories. 

Social Media

     And through all of that loneliness I endured as a teenager, it was writing that saved me. I started my Xanga site in late 2006 and had it for several years. Having my website helped me in so many ways. I was able to vent my feelings, talk about my passions and discover I had a talent in writing I never knew I had before. After Xanga died out, I got this site and certainly have had no regrets whatsoever. 

     However, like I said on top, I'm certainly not popular on social media either. I'm not writing this to make people feel bad, but it's a truth too. I sometimes wonder how a person can be on Blogger for a few months and boom they have 100 followers in no time; while I have been on Blogger 7 going on 8 years and I'm still under 40 followers. And that's pretty much the same story on Instagram (one girl got to 100 followers and had only 2 posts). I appreciate my followers immensely or anyone who comes by and reads my posts. At the same time, I love interacting with people too. I mean as far as interacting online can go. 

       I've noticed that already knowing someone prior to getting a blog also goes a long way. That person in a sense can promote you and your blog, but unfortunately Blogger or blogging isn't popular out here. I would love to have more followers, but it isn't just followers I want. I want to be able to comment back and forth and give ideas, get ideas and be able to share and enjoy the same likes and dislikes. 

     Maybe I'm just venting...I'm not sure. I don't want to sound petulant or jealous either. Yet there is frustration when you think, "Am I just not a good writer? Is there something wrong with my site?" So one and so forth. Jamie at Through Two Blue Eyes gave me some great advice and said to go to other peoples blogs and comment there (sounds like familiar advice) and when I do, I normally never get a response back. 

     I don't open up easily to people and I normally don't write about my personal issues. Yet, somehow writing about these personal problems on my site gives me sense of relief. These thoughts and experiences of mine are going out into cyberspace and hopefully one person can read this post and say, "Oh yeah! I totally understand!"

     It was never my intention for my site to focus around reviews either. I've just started doing book reviews (which I enjoy immensely!) and of course, I love movie reviewing. Well...maybe a little too much. My reviews sometimes tend to come out looking more like essays than my own general thoughts. However, the writing part is easy. It's all the posters, pictures and graphics that go with the review that are difficult. I'm a very precise person, so all graphics and gifs have to be the same width, size and similar theme or design. If I'm doing character reviews, then all the posters/graphics have to be matching! No exceptions!

     At least with the books reviews I just post a cover of the book and write my review. Books are infinitely easier than movies and that's a truth. And thanks to the 2018 Goodreads Book Challenge, I have plenty of books to review.

       If anyone is reading this, then please let me know if there's something I should be doing differently on my site or even better, relate to me your own experiences of not being popular and how did you cope with it? Or are you popular and do you enjoy where you are at?

Justice League

    "It's about what you believe."

-Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman (2017)

      After the sacrificial death of Superman/Clark Kent in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the world is having a difficult time trying to find something to believe in. The world which was once filled with hope and possible dreams has sunk into despair and rage. However, not everyone has despaired. Bruce Wayne takes it upon himself to solve an ancient mystery concerning the same picture of three boxes spread throughout the world. Back in London, Diana Prince has begun to climb out of her shell and fights the illegal activity.

     Meanwhile in Themyscira (Diana's home), a long trapped up evil breaks through. Steppenwolf, an ancient enemy of the Amazonian has broken free from his imprisonment and begins to wreak havoc. Desperate for help, Diana's mother, Hyppolita sends her daughter a message, knowing that only she has the strength to stop him.

     A little background on Steppenwolf. As Diana explains, Steppenwolf is a god villain whose only purpose is to destroy and recreate everything in his own image. He is able to do this with the use of the Mother Boxes, three boxes that when combined unleash insurmountable power that will wipe out every living being. At one point in time, Steppenwolf almost achieved his goal of complete domination which led to the alliance of the Gods, Amazonians, Atlanteans (people of the seas) and men themselves to defeat him. After they imprisoned Steppenwolf, all three boxes were separated among the Amazonians, Atlanteans and men, to ensure that they would have no chance of coming back together.

     Now that Steppenwolf has escaped and is in search of the Mother boxes. Diana knows full well that it is going to take another alliance of gods and men to stop him. With Superman in the grave, Diana and Bruce gather a team of under-the-radar recruits; of which a couple are less than thrilled to be brought to the forefront of saving the world. 

     Barry Allan/Flash: A genuinely good and lively 20 something guy who truly wants justice. Not for the world though. Just for his dad who has been imprisoned for the murder of Barry's mother. Barry believes his dad to be innocent and is trying to work his way to get into law school so he can prove his father has been wronged. However good Barry's life goals might be, he is stuck in dead end jobs, lives on his own, has no friends and is growing increasingly desperate of where his life is leading him.

     Oh and he got hit by lightening and has super speed which he uses to full advantage to just to humiliate people. Bruce gets wind of Barry and his incredible speed and wastes no time in recruiting him for the league. Barry agrees without a second thought, hoping that this may open the doors he needs to find happiness, fulfillment and above justice for his dead.

     Arthur Curry/Aquaman: Arthur, a giant of a man who is as arrogant as the day is long and would rather swim with fish then takes orders from a guy dressed like a bat. While most of Arthur's life is vague in the story, we know that he is a loner, he has a heart for helping others and gives his opinions freely and openly. It takes a little convincing, but eventually Arthur comes around to aid the Justice League with his extraordinary abilities that extend beyond the water; as well as providing much needed laughs along the way. 

     Victor Stone/Cyborg: After a car accident that rendered him dead, Victor is brought back to life by his own father with the use of one of the hidden mother boxes. Now more machine than man, Victor's life is spent downloading, decoding, translating and a plethora of other add ons that prohibits him from ever entering normal, human socialization. Diana believes that he can reenter society, just a different sort of society. One made of gods and aliens, billionaires and geeks. Victor is the closest source they have to finding all the Mother Boxes which will inevitably lead to Steppenwolf and despite his reservations at first, she assures him that they will not let him crash again.

     Like most superhero films this was just non stop action all the way through. Yet I really did enjoy the film. I'm not by any means a die hard superhero geek or tech/special effects nerd and so whatever qualms the fans may have had, I certainly had none against the story. I really enjoyed the continuing development of Diana's character and how the writer's still managed to make an independent female hero without having to instill 3rd wave feminist rhetoric. Diana was the opposite of modern day feminism. She still maintained her warm, loving motherly character. She adored Barry from the moment she met him, nurtured Victor through his trauma and counseled Bruce when he needed it. For those reasons alone, Diana is my absolute favorite and I find no complaints in her at all.

     The new cast members were great! Jason Mamoa was an unlikely casting choice for the oftentimes joked about Aquaman. Yet, he breathed life into the boring and unsatisfactory Arthur Curry and made him effortlessly cool, charming and dreamy. At first Ezra Miller's Barry Allen annoyed me, but as time went on, I grew to find him very enduring and lovable; just a guy who needed someone to believe in him. Ray Fisher's Victor Stone was solid and he brought a quiet strength to the boisterous group of misfits.

     A really good film, with solid undertones of mercy, justice, moving on from grief and of course hope. Something the world could always need.

Definition of a Lady

"Lady" is a Title that defines an Elegant Gracious Loving Woman who uses Etiquette and Diplomacy in both Public and Private Matters". 
Her Beauty comes from within.
She has a firm bridle on her emotions and conducts herself with wisdom.
She is humble and she is assertive; using discernment and patience in all things.
With her faults and mistakes she rises up in humility and perseverance. She apologizes when realizing a mistake or causing offense. 

She does so because a lady meets each days demands as appropriately as she can with whatever internal and external resources she has available to her on any given day.
She is considerate and loving to her partner and others. 

Neither ascetic nor selfish. She's not opinionated as her evaluations and conclusions are based on facts after careful observations. She is respectful. Intelligent, honest, humorous, down to earth, gentle, delicate yet strong. 

She is forgiving and does not seek ill will in her heart or with her tongue.
She dresses modestly without drawing to much attention to herself and especially not to her feminine charms. She is tactful, strategic and careful. She recognizes the importance of not overworking herself or becoming solely reliant on herself.
She assists the destitute.
She is not afraid of life and wakes up every day to work . She is not self important but rather has a healthy sense of self-esteem. Money and superficiality do not motivate her decisions or treatment of others.

Other embellishments of a ladies character:
She is a servant and serves joyfully yet knows it is from the beauty of her heart not from obligation. She is not pretentious or ostentatious.
She is charismatic and has learned the art of persuasion.
Self-Controlled, Poised, Charming, Accepting of herself and others in a balanced light, Merciful and tactful when dealing with situations that render others or herself in a negative light. Uncompromising with her values, Careful with her choice of words. Soft spoken and slow and clear in her speech. She is willing to not have immediate answers in order to find a proper solution and have sufficient time to analyze and calculate the most productive response. Compassionate and Passionate but reserved in how and where she displays her passion.

She is not promiscuous or unfaithful to her partner, any arrangement they have is not broken through deceit but rather through honesty and with delicacy if it is to change.

She knows she stumbles and is not perfect but perfection isn't her goal, however she works towards being the best possible version of herself that she can be and she knows it is a lifelong endeavor.
She is feminine beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Any female is a woman or will be but being a Lady takes work and it isn't inborn, it is a practice, a fine art and takes focus and consideration.

**Credit: by aspire2Bangel August 18, 2011

Resolutions 2018 and 2019

Happy New Year, everyone!

     2018 was a real banger year for me regarding resolutions! And I was successful with many if not all of them! 

      When 2018 began this were the top resolutions

     Find a job

     Lose weight

     Participate in my first Goodreads reading challenge

     When 2018 ended:

     Now working at a gym. Although it's part time, I'm hoping to advance into a full time position.

      I have lost almost 30 pounds since July! I finally had an intervention with myself after 4th of July when my weight was so bad. I gave up junk food, bought my own food, used portion control and religiously logged everything into My Fitness Pal app; as well as continuing to go to the gym. I am so much happier with this new lifestyle!

     I did the Goodreads Challenge for the primary purpose of finishing all the books I had started and in the end managed to read 50 books! 

      Now with 2019, these are my new goals:

     Continue working at the Y and advance in my position.

     Lose at least 5 more pounds before summer and continue not with dieting but with a healthier lifestyle choices.

     Participate in the 2019 Goodreads Challenge with goal of 55 books.

     Keep a continuous book journal (I got two for Christmas!)

     Read through the whole Bible

     Learn hand lettering and calligraphy 

     Take yoga

     Amp up my gym time 

     There are also resolutions for my site. I posted infinitely more than I did last year, which was great and kept the blogging love alive. Now I'm ready for more goals.

     Have a end of the year post goal of 100+ posts

     Post at least twice every week

     Post two book reviews and two movie reviews every month

     Do a monthly post on famous epileptics

    Share from my Instagram page Spareoom Stories which is where I'm going to post all my fandom graphics, information on my stories and possible future projects. This account will be opening up publicly later this month.

     A pretty good lists of resolutions and for someone with my competition streak, I should be able to complete them all! I'm also going to try using less GIFs and more aesthetics in my posts and on my sidebars too. They just make everything infinitely prettier and simpler! And thanks to Pinterest and We Heart It, I have access to plenty lovely, creative images.  

Have a happy new year everyone!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

The relentless punctuality, the unwearied urgency, of old Time,

 who turns his hour-glass with such a sonorous ring on New-year's Day...

 ~ George William Curtis