Period Drama Challenge!!

Over at Old-Fashioned Charm blog they are having a Period Drama challenge. I will be reviewing anywhere from 12-15 period dramas. I love period dramas, and will be combining this will my classics club challenge. My original idea was to watch any film that was based off classic books that I read. So you will get to see my book and then film review.   Here are just a few of the films I will be reviewing for the Period Drama Challenge. I might end up changing these around or adding others instead.

1. Ivanhoe
2. Oliver Twist
3. A Little Princess
4. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
5. Germinal
6. Treasure Island
7. Kidnapped
8. Jane Eyre
9. Wives & Daughters
10. Grapes of Wrath
11. Othello
12. The Prince & the Pauper
13. Lord Jim
14. The Secret Garden
15. Little Women

If you want to join me, click on the button below!

Book Giveaway

I will be doing a  book giveaway for The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini. The edition I have is paperback and brand new.


Rules:

• Address must be in the U.S. (sorry this is due to shipping costs)
• Must be a reader of my blog
• Leave a comment to enter the giveaway
• Winner is drawn on Jan. 31st, decided by random.org

Results of Classic Club Readathon....

This was the end result of the 24 hour Classic Club Readathon for me.

What book(s) did you read during the event?
I read Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

What book(s) did you finish?
My original goal was to either get halfway or finish. I was not able to accomplish this as I was not feeling well. However, I did get to read about 115 pages.

What did you like about our event?
I enjoyed seeing what others were reading and spending time with a good book.

Do you have suggestions for future Readathons through The Classics Club?
Perhaps it should be for the whole weekend

Would you participate in future Readathons?
Yes I would.

Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge

I saw this challenge over at Austenprose blog, and couldn't pass it up for several reasons. I have a lot of Jane Austen's books on my Classic Club readers, and I had already planned on watching ANY movie that is based on books I read from my classic club list. I have seen and own a few movies based on Jane Austen's works, but GASP I have never read any of her books before. Plus I already own most of the books, but just never gotten around to reading them. So good as time as any to start. My challenge for this though will be short, since I am unsure about how my schedule will be for this year. My level of participation will be Neophyte: 1 – 4 selections. I won't but any time constraints on my list, just that I want to have them completed by the end of the year.

• Read & watch Pride and Prejudice (I have the Colin Firth version)
• Read Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange

I think this will be the last of the challenges this year at least for reading. Use the sidebar button to join in on the fun!

Classics Club Readathon Today!

It is The Classics Club Readathon today, here are my answers to a few questions posed over on the Classics Club blog.

Name and Blog: Crafts4others

Snacks and Beverages of Choice: tea, water and perhaps some coffee. I previously didn't think too much about snacks.

Where are you reading from today? at home snuggled with a nice paperback book.

What are your goals for the Readathon?  I hope to either get halfway through or even finish one or two books.

What book(s) are you planning on reading? Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott and perhaps Wives & Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Are you excited? Yes, although I haven't been feeling good today so hopefully that will change soon, so I will be able to accomplish my goals.

If you want to feel out the survery or participate in the readathon follow this link.

New Year and Challenge Update...

Happy New Year everyone! I have decided to change a few things in the Making A Difference Challenge 2013;

• You can include helping friends and family in this challenge, after all they sometimes need it as well as charities.
• Post on your blog on the 15th of the month, you can do the challenge every month or whenever you are able during 2013.
• If you cannot make something or donate money, you can also donate items as well.
• If you are able post a link to the website of the charity you are helping. Look for my post on the Jan. 15th and use Mr.Linky to post your link!

The Cossacks & the Raid Review

This is my latest review for the classics club. The Cossacks and the Raid is the first book by Leo Tolstoy that I have read. Actually, the book consists of two stories and not just one, they are also part of his earlier works. While I didn't dislike either story, at the same time I didn't love them either. The first in the book is The Cossacks, which tells the story of a small village of the everyday life, soldiers lives, and the people of it as well. Since I am not that familiar with the history and different groups that make up Russia, it was a tad confusing trying to figure out the various people (who liked who, what side was fighting against the other). Some parts there was long stretches with no dialogue, which normally do not bother me, but in some areas it was very repetitive. The ending was a let down I thought, as I felt there was more that could be said. The Raid is a very short story (50 pages or so), and in some ways I enjoyed it better than The Cossacks. In the beginning it made you think about courage and war, but mostly focused on a battle and a few soldiers. One character got on my nerves with his attitude. This story was another that did in some ways leave more questions than answers. I hope this isn't a trait of Tolstoy's work, in that the endings seem short, as I have a few of his other works to read. I am going to rate both books 2.5, as I am glad I read them but do not see myself reading them again. I feel that a author does a disservice to the reader when they leave so many things unanswered. Next book to read: Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott