Lovely Blog Party: Would You Rather...

Would you rather wear a ball gown for a formal first date, or would you prefer an active first date?

- Ballgown for a formal first date!

Would you rather have to matchmake for someone, or have someone matchmake for you?

- Hmmm...I'm not particularly fond of matchmaking in any sense, but maybe try and matchmake someone.

Would you rather be serenaded or be the one that has to do the serenading?

- Neither! Both are absolute cringe!

Would you rather receive flowers and chocolates or chocolates and a teddy bear as tokens of affection?

- Flowers and chocolates always.

Would you rather wear a veil or a flower crown on your wedding day?

- Flower crown

Would you rather receive a romantic poem or have to write and gift a romantic poem?

- That's about as bad as the serenading (have you picked up that I'm not particularly romantic?!). I guess receive one.

Would you rather cook a meal for your date, or have your date cook for you?

- I can't cook so here's to hoping that my date can at least boil water!

Would you rather watch a chick-flick or an action film as your date-night movie?

- Unless it's Ever After, then action movie all the way.

Would you rather dance in the rain, or stargaze together?

- Dancing in the rain! 

The Give Thanks for Books Tag 2021

Olivia and Eva both tagged me for this seasonal tag back in November, but as I was in a rather dark place at the time I never really got around to doing it. Now that I'm in a semi better state of mind, I finally got all of my books in order for the tag!

The Sunshine Blogger Award

The Maidens of Green Gables tagged me for The Sunshine Blogger Award way back in November!

Thank you Katherine and Grace!

Lovely Blog Party 2022

Cordy's annual Lovely Blog Party is back!

I'm not sure what I'm going to be writing about, but I have an entire month to think on it 💕

 

Goodreads Reviews: Mermaids: The Myths, Legends & Lore

Mermaids: The Myths, Legends, and Lore by Skye Alexander

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading Fairies I was interested in the other mythological study books by Skye Alexander. Her Mermaids book was just as fascinating and as beautiful as the previous read and I learned so much more about the mermaid mythology, it's beginnings and its history in other cultures.

The book is set up in the similar structure:

Part One - The Siren's Secrets - The general information on mermaids, their varying appearances and their behavior that has been noted down through history.

Part Two - Mermaids from Around the World - All the of the stories and legends of mermaids and marine/human hybrids that range from Ancient times to North America itself.

As with Fairies I never knew that mermaids were so world spread and that every culture has their own legendary take on the beloved sea siren. In the early Church, they were seen as seductresses' and while viewing a naked women was shocking to the uptight Victorians, mermaid portraits were considered acceptable even if they tended to cross the line at times. In most legends, mermaids are seen as vain and insipid. In other legends, mermaids are guides for sea farers and mariners. While mermaids are usually portrayed as beautiful young women, mermen are ugly and old.

The supposed first mermaid legend, the Assyrian goddess/mermaid Atargatis and nymphs, sirens and selkies of Greek mythology.

The mermaids of Zennor, the blue men of the muir and the water fairies of the British Isles.

The French Sirene Melusina and the Italian Sirena.

The Russian and Ukranian Rusalkys.

The African Mami Wata and Yemaya.

The Japanese Kapa and Nuwa, the Chinese Snake Goddess and even Moana herself. And what I listed hardly scratches the surface of the endless information of mermaid myth and lore.

The visual stunning aquamarine aesthetic that's accompanied by beautiful, classic drawings and paintings gives this book a charming and fantastical appeal. All of these little books are so pretty that it's hard not to pick them up and start reading!

West Side Story (2021)

I saw the original West Side Story from 1961 back in 2015 for my college music class and found it to be full of youth, energy and vibrancy, but also tangled with war, sadness and suffering. As you would  expect from a story that's inspired from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. However most of Shakespeare's plays are completely universal and stand the test of time. You can take any of his works and set them in any time period and in any culture and his moral thought still rings true. I had some high hopes for this new remake and as usual Spielberg did not disappoint.

Getting on Board with Il Volo

Has anyone ever heard of these guys?? Il Volo (Italian for 'the flight'), an Italian trio of young operatic voices that were brought together in 2009. I remember watching them on PBS specials all the time and always thought they were super cute boys.