WWII Events and People (that should be made into films)

The WWII study is still going strong this year. As I've been reading, I've come across several historical events and people that have greatly interested me. Some I've already heard of and others I've just recently come across, but all of them, obviously, were immense in the war effort. I know there are numerous written material on all of them, but it would be fascinating to see these stories in film (or television). I love it when I come across historical events that are just casually mentioned and opens up a new area of research and study.

Inklings Link-Up~February 2021

I wasn't sure all that Heidi was doing if she was going to be able to do Inklings this month, but here it is and I'm happy for that : ) It's been a crazy couple of months with participating in four blog parties and writing a sum total of 15 posts (including the tags). So it's relaxing to get back to some creative writing!

Here are my other Inklings Posts

1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt.

2. Link-back to Heidi's blog in the comments section with a link to you Inklings prompt.

February Prompt

A snow scene in book or film

Muppet Treasure Island

One of my absolute, all time, favorite movies! Actually, I was pretty much raised on the Muppets. I grew up watching all the films (my favorite is still The Great Muppet Caper, followed by Muppet Treasure Island and A Muppet Christmas Carol comes in third) and I've never really grown out of them at all. Of all of the films, Muppet Treasure Island, hands down, has the absolute best soundtrack! It's difficult to have a favorite song, but everytime I watch the film, I'm always singing the songs for the next several days.

LOTR Read-Along: The Two Towers: The Road to Isengard

So by this point in the films, The Two Towers ended after the victory of Helm's Deep and The Return of the King starts with this chapter. It just amazes me how fast this story has gone! What I do enjoy about The Two Towers is that it focuses on relationships and the importance of having that companion, comrade, brothers-in-arms, in your life. Whether in war or peace. 

We Love Pirate's Week - Tag and Giveaway

Hamlette's We 💓Pirate's Week has begun!!!

LOTR Read-Along: The Two Towers: Helm's Deep

The first army v army battle is finally presented in the story in the defending of Helm's Deep. The battle of Helm's Deep was the crux of the whole film and literally took up half the film's screen time. However, in the book it's fairly small scale and seems to do more with the building of relationships than the actual fighting itself. 

LOTR Read-Along: The Two Towers: The King of the Golden Hall

It surprises me that the pace of The Fellowship of the Ring was so slow and laborious in the beginning and yet the pace of The Two Towers can almost match the speed of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli trying to catch up with the Orc pack. We've finally gotten to one of my favorite parts in the movie, arriving in Rohan and the capitol city of Edoras, where the palace of Meduseld and its inhabitants, are all under the power of Saruman. I can hear the epic theme piece playing right now as the Fellowship ride up the hill and Eowyn is on the balcony in her white gown, distraught and afraid, watching them arrive. Such a classic scene!

Agent Carter: Season 2

Season 1 of Agent Carter was such a ride of old fashioned crime solving mixed in with vintage sci-fy action, that of course there needed to be a season 2! While the second installment was good, I don't think the storyline itself was that strong. A great deal of it had to do with scientific discovery of matter, and I was lost most of the time. However, all the characters were on point! Peggy, Jarvis, Daniel and Jack with the addition of several new characters really made the story flow. 

A Walk in the Clouds

When Cordy posted her tag, one of her questions was Would you ever pretend to be a man's fiancée who you've never actually met? A humorous question to be sure, but definitely one to think about. And as I was thinking on my answer, one of my favorite romantic movie came to mind. A Walk in the Clouds starring Keanu Reeves is a rather unknown and underrated film that came right in the middle of the rom-com heyday of the 90's. Now it's as predictable as a film can get and very sappy and overemotional and just an absolute joy to watch. More than an unexpected romance between a man and woman, it also tells the story of a family, their traditions and facing an unknown future.

Happy Valentine's Day

 

A man is not where he lives, but where he loves. (He that truly Loves, dwells not where he lives, but where he Loves.)

 ~Latin proverb

Lovely Blog Party: Lynda Day & Spike Thomson

 

Many people may be unfamiliar with the British program Press Gang that ran from 1989-1993. Sherlock and Doctor Who (revival) creator, Steven Moffet, made his first mark in British television with this little series. Press Gang was wildly successful during its run, as it was one of the first shows geared toward children and young teens; and dealt with the issues of the adult world through the eyes of adolescents who run a junior newspaper, The Junior Gazette. 

Agent Carter: Season 1

After my Marvel movie review marathon last month, I would have thought I would take a break from it. I was wrong. ABC's Agent Carter had been on my radar and watch list for ages. Peggy Carter  was introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger as the headstrong SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve) Agent who was brainy, bold and beautiful. At first meeting, Peggy proved that she could hold her own in a man's world. She was also the only person who could identify with Steve Rogers about constantly being judged on appearances and, of course, eventually became his love interest. 

Valentine's Day Period Drama Blog Party: Dawsey Adams & Juliet Ashton

After reading this book and then viewing the film, I just fell in love with these two. It was a very traditional, old-fashioned relationship. Two people brought together by the after effects of WWII. Both have suffered loss and have endured great loneliness. Both found refuge in the world of books. And it would be books that would unite the two of them. Dawsey and Juliet meeting one another because of an old book of Juliet's that Dawsey randomly picked up is spot on old-timey romance! And through the book and subsequently the Guernsey Literary Society, Juliet and Dawsey would find unexpected love and long awaited happiness.

Valentine's Day Period Drama Blog Party: Kick-off and Tag

Heidi's Valentine's Day Period Drama Blog Party has started! I'm going to be posting about Juliet Ashton and Dawsey Adams from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society They were such a sweet couple and I loved their quiet relationship that developed over the course of time.

Official Trailer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Released less than 20 minutes ago!

The hype is so real right now!

I can't wait to see my boys in action...

 

LOTR Read-Along: The Two Towers: The White Rider

Now with Merry and Pippin in the complete care and safety of Treebeard and the Ents, it's probably time to head back to their three hunters. First can we just take a moment and appreciate Pippin's mad survival skills that got him and Merry to safety in the first place?? I mean seriously, those two didn't need help at all, plus it proves that little 'Fool of a Took,' maybe isn't so foolish. When challenged and your life and the lives of others are in danger, desperation and survival can bring out qualities that you never thought you possessed. Pippin proved this very well and he and his cousin are alive because of it.

I'm Angry, I've Been Crying, Just Hear Me Out

I never thought I would be one of these people who spent all night tossing and turning because of personal problems and then finally get up and write about them, yet here we are. One may find this post filled with sarcasm and frustration so intense it borders on vitriol. The only person who can really benefit from it is me. 

Goodreads Reviews: Cormoran Strike #5 - Troubled Blood

 

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After my initial disappointment with Lethal White, I had high hopes for Troubled Blood. Book five of the Cormoran Strike series exceeded all of my expectations. First, it was a cold case and I'm always up for a good cold case, the farther back the better. Second, the story was very streamlined. It was primarily focused on this one case. While other cases that Strike's agency were working on were brought up, they were just sidelines for the characters of the agency.

In 1974, Doctor Margot Bamborough vanished and was never seen or heard from again. Forty years later, her daughter seeks the help of Cormoran Strike asking him to find the whereabouts of her mother if only to bring peace. As usual, Strike has several suspects. His primary suspect is the famed Essex Butcher who kidnapped, tortured and killed women during that time. However, as Strike and his partner, Robin Ellacott, delve deeper in the Bamborough case, the more they uncover the true madness of mankind.

Meanwhile, Robin is trying to start a new life separated from her husband Matthew. However, it's hard to do when everyone in her life are determined to run it the way they see fit. Even her own family seem to cast judgement on Robin's failed marriage and her demanding job. Strike's father is wanting to initiate contact with his son, but years of distance between the two men has hardened Strike's heart and he wants nothing to do with his biological father or the rest his family.

As Robin and Strike wrestle their own personal demons, they are still wrestling their conflicting feelings with each other. Robin, who has always been the sweet smiling good girl and Strike the hulking reluctant hero with a twisting path are an unlikely duo, yet they bring out both the best and the worst in one another. While everyone else around them can see a potential relationship, their own personal disasters with people and love keep them from at distance from anything beyond work.

I really did enjoy this book. At least I manage to read it in one month instead of 13. My only real problem was there were too many people involved as potential suspects which made the story hard to keep on track. I enjoyed Robin's continual growth as a woman trying to reinvent herself and move on from heartbreak and loss. Robin is so underappreciated by people who refuse to see her as intelligent and capable. Her family aggravated me in many ways as they were constantly looking down on her for her job, and giving in to the rumors that Robin and Strike were in an affair which caused the breakup of her marriage (instead of Matthew's own affair).

Troubled Blood I found to be infinitely better than Lethal White and in spite of its length I found myself going through it rather quickly. I've grown to love both Strike and Robin. Both are flawed and imperfect, but it's those human imperfections in their lives that make them understandable to the reader.

LOTR Read-Along: The Two Towers: Treebeard

Up to this point we've met some good creatures in Middle-Earth and some rather unsavory ones. Besides the primary races, Men, Elves and Dwarves and Tolkien's own original Hobbits. Yet, beyond all those, the other races have been less than savory. Orcs, goblins, Uruk-Hai, the Nazgul. So, when we finally come across a non-human like race that is actually on the side of good, it's almost a relief.

Sunshine Blogger Award

  Thank you Rachel for nominating for the Sunshine Blogger Award!

Sunshine Blogger Award Rules

 
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.

2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.

3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog

1) What is your favorite Period Drama ?

- Ever After

2) Favorite Ice Cream Flavour?

- Chocolate

3) Who inspires you every day?

- My future self that I'm working on

4) Favorite quote ?

- “It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.”― Andre Gide, Autumn Leaves

5) If there was one thing you could own no matter what it cost, what would it be?

- One of the gowns worn by Queen Elizabeth II.

6) Just plain black coffee or coffee with milk?

- I'm not a coffee drinker, but I did put cocoa in a coffee once and it tasted great.

7) Favorite book at the moment?

 

- Not a Swan. I read it a couple of years ago and I plan to reread it soon. It's such an amazing story!

8) Which celebrity would you love to meet?

- Chef Gordan Ramsey!

9) What is your favorite country?

- India

10) Favorite snack?

- Cookies (chocolate chip or Oreos)

11) How is your 2021 so far ?

- Not bad. We're only a few weeks in, lets not jinx it. 

I tag:

Heidi

McKayla

Skye

Carissa 

My Questions:

1.) What book would you want to bring to life?

2.) Are you more of an indoors or outdoors person?

3.) Paris, London, Rome or Prague?

4.) What three fictional characters would you want to be stuck on an elevator with?

5.) What, in your opinion, is the most iconic moment in history?

6.) Would you rather read peoples' minds or be able to communicate with animals?

7.) Frozen yogurt or ice cream?

8.) Favorite TV show at the moment?

9.) Do you have a favorite superhero? If so, who is it and why?

10.) What is one major goal you have for 2021?

11.) Do you love weddings or avoid them at all costs?

Lovely Blog Party Tag

Cordy's Lovely Blog Party started on Monday and will, of course, be going all month long!

Goodreads Reviews: The Bedford Boys

The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-day Sacrifice by Alex Kershaw

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

On D-Day, the beaches of Normandy were stormed and before the end of the week, 22 young men from the small town of Bedford, Virginia gave their lives for the freedom of their country. Most were already serving in the National Guard Outfit when Pearl Harbor was hit. When war came, they would make the backbone of what would become Company A of the 116th Regiment of the 29th Division.

Many of these men were still boys, barely out of high school when they joined the Army. The hard years of the Great Depression trained them from an early age to become soldiers. They left behind families, girlfriends, wives and babies that hadn't even been born. The lively little town of Bedford, Virginia never imagined the price that would be paid in the lives of their young sons, brothers, husbands and fathers.

This story reminds me a great deal of the film The Majestic (2001) and the background story of a little town that lost many of their young men in WWII. Coming from a small town in Virginia, I couldn't possibly imagine that heartbreak that the town of Bedford endured. However, Bedford did endure and honored their fallen sons.

A very good book that not only told the stories of all 22 young men, but also the people of Bedford and life before, during and after the war. The courage of these men and their small town is so utterly admirable. How do you move on when the future of your town is taken away? Yet, Bedford is only one of many small towns across the U.S. that suffered losses of young men and women to war. They mourned and they moved on, but they never forgot.