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.

LOTR Read-Along: The Two Towers: The Uruk-Hai

 

We pick up with Merry and Pippin who have been taken hostage by a grouping of Orcs, goblins and the Uruk-Hai. Told primarily from Pippin's POV, both Hobbits face unimaginable abuse at the hands of Sarumon's monsters. However, in typical practical Hobbit fashion, both of them are calm and collected, scared yes, but oddly enough, not panicking. With Merry fading in and out of consciousness, Pippin must rely on his wits to get both of them out. Something he does remarkably well.

LOTR Read-Along: The Two Towers: The Riders of Rohan

Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli now dubbed 'the three hunters,' are racing the clock to find Merry and Pippin. Running, running and running. Across miles and miles and wildlands and rivers. Very little rest, food or sleep. As they continue to gain up on the orc pack, the three hunters cross path with Rider's of Rohan. Led by Eomer, Third Marshall of the Riddermark, these are highly skilled and lethal soldiers who secure the borders of the kingdom of Rohan. 

Carrying a Legacy: Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson

This had been the original (and only) post that I was going to do for Thunderbird Queen's MCU Blogathon. And then I had the crazy idea of reviewing the final six MCU films I hadn't seen. That's six reviews in one month! However I did and I'm rather proud too! The blogathon was suppose to go till the 31st, but I guess they decided to end it early (hence why I don't have the blogathon button on any of my posts). However, I keep to my promises. I said I was going to write about Sam and Bucky and seeing as I love both of them and I can't wait till The Falcon and Winter Soldier, this is a post idea I can't let pass by.

Captain Marvel

 

If there was ever a movie to cause so much controversy, it was Marvel's first female centered film. Due to Brie Larson's rather negative, feminist and sexist comments prior to the film's release, a great deal of strife ensued from many rabid Marvel fans. While I myself found Brie Larson's statements to be extremely annoying, I began to notice that the fans started to take on a "Crucify Brie Larson," campaign for no other reason than they just didn't like her or the film. Fans were determined to find fault and problems with both Brie Larson and Captain Marvel. Even clear into Endgame, people were sill hating on Brie and her character.

Ant-Man and The Wasp

So, Ant-Man and The Wasp is very scientific, techy and rather confusing. First I had totally forgotten where we were in the Marvel timeline and then when I finally figured that out, everything was nothing short of quantum this and quantum that (Scott got tired of this too). The movie itself was good, but it was just a little too much into the outer rim ideology for me to understand. That being said, the characters were excellent as always (LUIS!!!) and they more than made up for this very complex storyline.