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Top Ten Tuesday -Books Covers with Hats & Architecture

Today’s Topic: Books with [___] On the Cover

Hosted by: That Artsy Reader Girl

Hmm, I struggled a bit this week trying to narrow down my cover theme between hats and architectural details. Then it dawned on me, this is my website and I can do both! And in a closer look at the covers I chose, I noticed many with both hats and the architectural elements. When you think about it,  hats can have a very structural look, much like good architecture does. I do love a good strong line or a gorgeous arch. Both of which draw my eye but also serve to define the spaces around them.

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Top Ten Tuesday – Authors I Haven’t Read, But Want To

Today’s Topic: Authors I Haven’t Read, But Want To

Hosted by: That Artsy Reader Girl

I’m pretty author-loyal and although I do look for books by authors who are new to me, the majority of my reading choices are by authors I know and trust. So finding options for this week’s theme was a challenge. So I was forced to comb through my TBR pile to look for books by authors I’ve not read before. Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday – Authors I Haven’t Read, But Want To”

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Top Ten Tuesday – What’s In a Name?

Today’s Topic: Freebie

Hosted by: That Artsy Reader Girl

As long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by names. As a child I treasured my dog-eared copy of a baby name book that I read over and over.  I love the meaning of names. I love how a name may or may not match a person’s character or personality. And so, for this week’s freebie, I wanted to focus on fictional character names that I either thought were interesting, unique or pretty. Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday – What’s In a Name?”

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Classic Film Review – The Toy Wife (1938) for The Bustles and Bonnets Costume Blogathon

When I heard about The Bustles and Bonnets: Costume Blogathon being hosted by Paul at Silver Screen Classics and Gabriela at Pale Writer, celebrating costume dramas, I couldn’t wait to participate.

In recent years, I’ve developed a particular interest in costume design and have been reading up on various designers. Needless to say, I wracked my brain trying to decide which film I wanted to feature here, until I stumbled across The Toy Wife, a rather unknown pre-Civil War drama.

Based on the French play Froufrou written by Ludovic Halévy and Henri Meilhac, it was adapted for the American screen during the time when Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind was large in the public conscious and in the middle of being filmed.  Warner Brothers’ answer to the popularity of Mitchell’s book was the release of Jezebel starring Bette Davis. MGM too wanted to capitalize on public interest with their own antebellum story and so Froufrou became The Toy Wife.

Set in New Orleans, The Toy Wife is the story of Gilberte Brigard (Luise Ranier), otherwise known as Frou Frou. Having been raised in France, she is finally returning home with her older sister Louise (Barbara O’Neil). Frou Frou is a shallow, silly girl despite the influence of her sensible older sister. Upon her return she meets two men; the dashing Andre Valliare (Robert Young) and George Sartoris (Melvyn Doulas), an upright, responsible man who is the secret desire of Louise’ heart. Continue reading “Classic Film Review – The Toy Wife (1938) for The Bustles and Bonnets Costume Blogathon”

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We Love Detectives Week Spotlight on The Amory Ames Series

When it comes to my entertainment choices, detective stories aren’t always at the top of my list, although I do enjoy them. But when I do choose something in that genre, I generally gravitate to cozy mysteries.

That’s why I was thrilled to discover The Amory Ames Mystery series. Well, I didn’t actually discover it personally, author and book reviewer extraordinaire Rachel McMillan recommended them to me.

Written by Ashley Weaver, the first book of the series was actually her debut novel. I especially love that Weaver was first a librarian before becoming a published author, because who better to write a book than someone who loves and works with them every day? Her Amory Ames series spans seven full length novels and one novella.

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Top Ten Tuesday – Dynamic Duos

Today’s Topic: Dynamic Duos

Hosted by: That Artsy Reader Girl

Ugh, I’m so terrible at remembering names, that when I tried to come up with examples for this week’s list, I really struggled. It’s challenging enough trying to remember the main character’s names in a book without adding in supporting characters who are friends or family.

So, I decided to go a different route. Instead,  this week you get some of my favorite duos from films. Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday – Dynamic Duos”