Wednesday, March 21, 2018

~The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society~

For this day in the Write About Your Writing-Week, I am going to write about a favorite book of me.

                                 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I am in half of the first part with all the letters, and I love it already. Name one person who cannot love this book and I will be so surprised I will fall of my chair. I believe my older sister bought it...yes, I think so, and I thought I'd read it. And how glad I am that I did! It is an English version, and as you know I'm Dutch, so I first thought it'd be hard to read because I have never read a book in English. But it was surprisingly easy to read. I read it like I would read any Dutch book, which is a bit weird, you know? That you just read the English and understand everything(isn't your mind an extraordinary thing?). Well, anyway, I strongly suggest you read it if you haven't yet.

Some things I love:

First of all: the book cover. The book cover of our version is the picture above, and isn't it a beautiful cover? I really love the book cover, and by the way: the book is easy to read. Not the heavy thick books like Gone with the Wind, and not those new ones whose pages are completely white and clean and you have to push hard to make the pages straight. I like somewhat older books more. They always have this smell(that's weird, but true. I think).

Second: The title. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Say it out loud or whisper it to yourself. It has this swing about it(that also sounds weird, maybe I'm in a weird mood) that makes it, despite the length of it, easy to say. I don't know...it's just a really good title.

Third: The writing. The writing is fabulous. If I read this book before The Cake Flavored Book Tag I would have put it in the ''carrot cake: a book with great writing''-question. The writing of this book is really good.

Fourth: The characters. The characters are all unique and special on their own way and I can imagine them all in my head writing those letters and with what they're writing and the scenarios they describe in the letters are so clear in my head. I love all of the characters.

Some things I do not like:

Well, I haven't read the book totally, but thusfar there is nothing that I do not like.

Characters:

Character I like most: Uhm...I'm doubting between Juliet, Dawsey, Elizabeth...but I really like Isola too, and Mrs Maugery and...just everyone! I do not have a favourite character yet. Maybe when I finished the book completely. (Doubt it, but well...)

Character I dislike most: This is somewhat easier than the first one. Mark Reynolds, I think. I don't know, but there's something about him...I like him less of all the characters, I think. Oh wait, what am I saying? Miss Adelaide of course! How can she dislike all those Guernsey people? And the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, how can you disapprove of something like that? I just don't get Miss Adelaide. So, she is the character I like least, yes.


So far my review of the book I barely started(half of the letters, how slow am I? Usually very quick, but I have just begun reading this book last night and then we were already going to watch a movie, so I layed it down again, regretfully), but I recommend to anyone and everyone. Oh, maybe I would have included this book to that question if I read it earlier. Ah, well, I couldn't have known, right? And then one thing I am so excited for...

They are going to make a movie of this book!!(imagine thousands of exclamation marks behind those two) How great is that! I hope it will be out soon, so I don't have to wait too long for it.



Friday, March 16, 2018

~Write about your writing-week~

''Oh, a writing week, really?"
Yes, really, a writing week. I have never held a blog party or a week about a certain subject, so this will be my first. It's ''Write About Your Writing-Week''. Next week: the 18th of March until the 24th of March. If you want to, you can participate: all you have to do is write a post. About whatever you want, as long as it has something to do with writing. Write about your writing(like the week is called), your stories, your characters, or make a tag if you wish, or write about someone else's writing (with that I mean the writing in books), introduce everyone to what you write. (Okay, I think I tried to explain it enough now :))










So, if you like, participate. It's no obligation, of course. Just my first (try for a) writing-week.


Wednesday, March 14, 2018

~A mini review: Scorpion and Poldark~

We're watching this serie on Netflix called Scorpion, and I am enjoying it a lot. Even though we are only on season 2, I am going to make a review. A mini-review.


Walter O'Brien.


(Oh yeah, the series is based on the life of Walter O'Brien) Walter is sometimes a bit mean to the others, he has a hard time expressing his feelings because he has a very high IQ, which means a low EQ. Sometimes I don't like what he does, I feel like he could be nicer or caring, but then I remember that he is that way. And at the same time, he also cares. He keeps a box with stuff from the people he cares about. Although I sometimes don't like the way he acts(like the time he was mean to Sylvester and the other time when he was mean to Toby), I like him.


Paige Dineen.

Paige is, like Cabe refers to it, the glue that holds Scorpion together. She tries to teach everyone how to be more ''human'' and nicer towards other people. She is a very sweet, caring person and she really loves her son Ralph. I like her. She also speaks to Walter when he's not being nice, to convince him to say things a different way. She believes in Scorpion, she understands them more than the usual people do, because she interacts with them more and she also has a genius son.


Tobias Curtis.

Toby is Walters best friend (I think?). He usually sees when people are having trouble with something(well, he is a psychiatrist, so he notices) and does his best to help them with the thing. He really wants to not disappoint Walter and tries to prove that he is not just the ''mindreader'' of the group. I also really like him.


Happy Quinn.


 I also like her (Don't worry, there are also people I do not like). She is sometimes a bit rough, but actually cares a lot. She's not scared quickly, but at the same time she also is scared when it comes to somewhat more emotional matters (like her father).


Sylvester Dodd.

(Sylvester is in the middle) Sylvester is scared of a lot. Really a LOT. But he can be very brave too. I like him too, though he's not my favourite of everyone. He sometimes has to do things he doesn't want to do, but he does them anyway. Also, he can be pretty stubborn and he is a very caring person. And he collects all things of Super Fun Guy.


Cabe Gallo.

He is a former FBI-agent, and now works for Homeland Security. He is quite brave, he is always the one who does the dangerous things(or Walter) and he believes in his team blindly. He knows they can fix things and I think he sees Walter a bit as a son.


Megan O'Brien.

Megan is Walters sister, she has the disease of MS. She is really sweet and she really believes in Walter and the things he is capable of, and she also believes that he is not a robot. She always looked out for Walter and understood him, and she was the person who could help him talk to his parents better. I liked her.


Ralph Dineen.

Ralph is a bit of a little Walter. He likes to be around the Scorpion team more than being on school. Sometimes he tries to change himself in order to belong more. He is pretty brave for such a small kid and, despite of his young age, an important member of Scorpion. They all like Ralph a lot and so now and then he actually saved their lives.


There is Drew, Ralphs father. I do not like him(nobody does, except for of course Paige and Ralph) and Miss Cooper(who is okay, but not my favourite). Also Miss Molina(I do not like her either), and some other recurring characters like Happys dad(like him), Walters parents(uhm, the mom is okay, but I don't really like the dad), Cabes ex-wife(I didn't like her either)...and that was all. As for the Poldark part:




Ross Poldark: Hmm, I like him more than I did in season 2 and 1, but still not really really like him. I mean, he still doesn't see what Demelza does for him and I don't think he appreciates her as much as she deserves(that's why she did what she did). He doesn't notice things like that(no spoilers, so I'm vague) and is sometimes a bit mean. Also terribly stubborn. He goes off refusing things he should accept in order to be able to help the poor.


Demelza Poldark: She is still the same. Tries to help, loves her family and her friends, all that. She knows more than Ross believes, and she certainly predicted well about the thing with Ross and Sir Basset and George. Even though Ross was not the best husband at a lot of times, she shouldn't have done what she did.


George Warleggan: Well, he is also the same mean guy. And even though I do not like him, I did feel sorry for him at some points. Later on, he did things which totally let me forget all my ''sorry'' feelings about his situation, but then there was this other thing which made me feel sorry for him again. He is always second with everything. Second after his arch enemy, Ross. He should let go of that rancour, that's my advice to him. And stop being influenced by his uncle.

Elizabeth Warleggan: At first it seemed like she was becoming just like George, but that was not the deal anymore later. She still cares about the poor, and still wants to have a happy family. Though she did things that weren't good, she is a bit more likeable now. Not that I really like her suddenly, but I do not dislike her that much anymore. Sometimes, I feel sorry for her too.
Btw: I will only put pictures in of the new characters.

Morwenna Chynoweth: I refuse to call her...by that particular name, because...well, if you have seen season 3, you know why. I like Morwenna, she is very sweet and a good friend to Geoffrey Charles and she didn't deserve all the things that happened to her. She deserved better, much better and I felt so so sorry for her.

Drake Carne: Same deal with him. He deserved much more and I really felt sorry for him. As Elizabeth already mentioned: the boy can't help that he is family of Ross, can he? Just because he is related to Ross Poldark, he gets punished by George and his bully servant Tom Harry. While he can't help that his sister got married to Ross. I like him, and he is also a good friend to Geoffrey Charles. Oh, yeah, he is Demelza's brother.

Geoffrey Charles: Now that he is older, I have more of an opinion of him. He is kind towards the poor, doesn't think low of them, he is very stubborn and proud of his Poldark name. He likes Morwenna and Drake a lot, and he is a good friend to them. It's a shame that he isn't somewhat older, then he could have done more for Drake and Morwenna and all the other poor people.

Aunt Agatha: She is the Trenwith Poldark who is almost a hundred years. She knows a lot, more than you'd think. She has a huge fondness of Verity, Ross and Geoffrey Charles and I liked her.

Osborne Whitworth: And this man...this man I really do NOT like! I dislike him more than Ross, more than George, more than Elizabeth, more than Hugh Armitage, more than anyone who was ever on the show Poldark. I won't speak of him again, for he didn't even deserve to be named in this list(or have a picture putten in).


Sam Carne: Also one of Demelza's brothers. He is a likeable character, he is very believing and tries to reform everyone in Cornwall, including his family. He loves his family a lot, and tries to prevent them from coming into trouble or getting hurt. When Drake did get hurt, he was furious. Never saw him more mad before.


Dwight Enys: Dwight is a good friend and husband, but after he returned from war he had a bit of a trauma. The things that happened there kept playing in his head and he kept wondering why it is he that had been saved, and not others. He still loves Caroline, but he was just afraid to tell her about everything, that's why he was a bit harsh to her sometimes. I like him, more than I like Ross(or had I already said that before, in another Poldark post?).

Caroline Enys: She is a loving wife and a caring friend, plus she cares for the poor. I like her character, she is not my favourite but I still like her.

Emma Tregirls: I could not find a good picture of her, so none. Since she only appeared in a few episodes, I do not know her that well. She is a bit rough sometimes and...well, the total opposite of who Sam is. We will probably see more of her in season 4, so that I can have a real opinion of her.

Tholly: He hates injustice and rich people who take advantage of the poor and punish them thinking that it will do no harm and that they can just go on with no punishment theirselves. He is kind of the replacement for Jud, I guess.


Prudie: She was a bit different. I don't know, there was something different. Maybe with Jud away? I don't really have anything to say, she is the same but a bit different.


Hugh Armitage: And last, Hugh, whom I thought was kind and respectful and loyal until he took a fancy to someone in particular and that fancy grew into love and he shouldn't have. I mean, you can't just decide not to fall in love of course, but he could have held it to himself and not show it so obviously. He could have refrained himself from telling that particular person who he fell in love with. He could have done that. But no, he had to tell, he had to show. He caused me to groan whenever he appeared on the show. By the way, he is Sir Falmouth' nephew, and he is also losing his sight and would be completely blind in six months.


Then, of course, there are people who I did not mention yet. Verity, but she had only appeared a few times. Zacky Martin: he is still the kind character who I like. Captain Henshaw: I liked him a lot. That what happened shouldn't have happened. All I shall say about that matter.


Now, I shall say my goodbyes and publish this post before I might say too much about things. Which I wouldn't do because I would erase them as soon as I wrote them. Though I was tempted to let the words stay here on this post for ever. Or, for ever, I could erase them whenever I would want to. But now, I was saying goodbye, wasn't I?



Just because there should be something in here that was actually happy and funny ;)











Tuesday, March 6, 2018

~Cake Flavored Book Tag~

The Cake Flavored Book Tag, doesn't that sound great to do? Well, anyway, Rachel tagged me for this. And I've been waiting until someone tagged me, so that I can know really do the tag. Thanks, Rachel! On to the tag...(and just for fun I'm doing movies/series also, if it's alright)



Chocolate Cake: A dark book you absolutely love.
Because why not show pictures of the cakes and make everyone hungry?

A dark book...a dark book...Hmm, I do not know exactly about this one. With dark you mean mysterious? Okay, well, I choose...The Mysterium series, I guess, by Julian Sedgwick. I think that is under the category ''dark''. As for the movie/serie answer: a dark serie is absolutely Sherlock, but I do not absolutely love it. Though it will be my answer.


Vanilla Cake: A light read.

A light read that you actually like, right? Because those sappy and predictable novels are not books I like, yet they are light reads. But for one I like: Stella Street series by Elizabeth Honey? Because they are very easy to read through, you don't skip(at least I don't) and I enjoy the series a lot. The movie/serie is probably When Calls the Heart.


Red Velvet: A book that gave you mixed emotions.

The Book Thief. It gave me mixed emotions for sure. Every time I read it, even though I know the book and have read it before. The movie/serie is a bit harder...The Help maybe? It was sad, but also nice and funny at other times.

Cheesecake: A book you would recommend to anyone.

Because you would recommend cheesecake to everyone. I agree with Rachel. Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin, definitely a must-read for everyone! It's great! And also John Flanagans Ranger's Apprentice series and Brotherband series. They're even better! A movie/serie I would recommend forever is Robin Hood BBC of course.

Coffee Cake: A book you did not finish.

Why coffee cake for a book you did not finish? You finish the coffee cake, right? Because it is delicious. Like coffee ice cream. Have you ever tasted cappucino ice cream, it's so good! Okay, I was busy with answering the question, not rambling about coffee cake. Keep to the point. A book I did not finish was...let me think...Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. I didn't finish that one, I have to say I just wasn't that interested in it. A movie/serie we didn't finish...a lot of them, actually. Uhm...to name just one: Full House. But I wanted to watch it further, yet my family didn't, so we didn't. Outnumbered :)

Carrot Cake: A book with great writing.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. The writing really gives you a ''family feeling'', if you know what I'm talking about. So, I do consider it great writing, even though it maybe wasn't supposed to be a book like The Penderwicks, but other great writing. A movie/serie with great lines. Gilmore Girls? Because it definitely has great lines in there.

Tiramisu: A book that left you wanting more.
Well, that's easy. Brotherband by John Flanagan. With every new book I read, I want to read the next more and more. Movie/serie would probably be...Tangled? Because I really wanted to see more of that movie.

Cupcakes: A series with 4+ books.

Conspiracy 365 by Gabrielle Lord. It has more than twelve books, so it definitely counts. A serie with more than 4 seasons is...When Calls the Heart, and also Gilmore Girls, but I already answered a question with those two, so...ah, yes, The Waltons of course.


Fruit Cake: A book that wasn't what you anticipated.

For the worse or for the better? For the worse I'd say...the Dr. Quinn series by Dorothy Laudan. I don't like the movie series that much, and I was hoping that the book series would be nicer, but it is just like the movie, only less exaggerated acting. I found it boring to read. For the better it would probably be Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury. I normally don't read Karen Kingsbury books, but my older sister lent it and I had nothing to read, so I read that one and I actually liked it. By the way, the movie is very different from the books and not really the best. You should read the book, not watch the movie. For the worse concerning movies/series: Ice Age 5 and for the better...Cars 3. After Cars 2(which was rather a disappointment after number 1) I didn't expect that much of Cars 3, but it was way better than I expected. It, at least, had a story behind it like the first. And also the series Scorpion was better than I thought. I enjoy it more than I anticipated.


Lamington: Favorite Australian book.

Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan(he's Australian, so). Brotherband is also written by him, but I already answered that (officially) for another one. An Australian movie/serie...I don't know...The only Australian movie I ever watched was Australia, and it wasn't really my favorite. Just the only one :D


As for the answers, I am now done. As for the people who are tagged, you're tagged if you're one of my followers. If I follow you, then you're tagged (Lazy, lazy, I know, but I want to get this post done and if I put down everyone I follow, it's a lot of work). Thanks again for tagging me, Rachel!