I'm Currently Reading...The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (Part 3)

  Book Three: The Downfall: The Tulliver family really starts going downhill in Book 3.  Tom and Maggie argue with their aunts and uncles for not giving them much help in their time of needed.  Maggie gets angry with Tom for seemingly taking their mother's side against their father - Maggie feels her mother is being petty about her furniture and other items being sold instead of worrying about Mr. Tulliver.  However, Mr. Tulliver begins to slowly recover. 

Tom also finds that Latin and other things he's learned while at school are not very useful for a job where he must make a good amount of money.  Their father tells Tom to sign him name in the bible for what Maggie feels is wicked:


  "Tom entered with his usual saddened evening face, but his eyes fell immediately on the open Bible and the inkstand, and he glanced with a look of anxious surprise at his father, who was saying,–

  "Come, come, you're late; I want you."

  "Is there anything the matter, father?" said Tom.

  "You sit down, all of you," said Mr. Tulliver, peremptorily.

  "And, Tom, sit down here; I've got something for you to write i' the Bible."

some days I can't even trust myself

The photo above I call "hope is the thing with feathers".  You can find it on my deviantART.

Does the size of the photo above look too big for my blog?  What do you guys think?

♥

  I've found myself recently listening to "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men a lot recently:

  It's one of those songs that's kind of Indie in nature, but has just the right sprinkling of strong beats and interesting, lively music too (sort of like "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People).  I guess you could consider this a mini review...I was honestly a little too lazy to write a proper one.  xD  Anyway, you should definitely give it a listen!

"Some days I can't even trust myself
It's killing me to see you this way
'Cause though the truth may vary
This ship will carry
Our bodies safe to shore."

I'm Currently Reading...The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (Part 2)

  Book Two: School-Time: Tom is at Mr. Stelling's school, and isn't enjoying it too much.  He's struggling with Latin and, although he won't admit it, misses Maggie.  I think this is because he feels smarter than her and she's always impressed with him - things that just aren't happening at school.
Back at the Mill, Mr. Tulliver's going at it with Pivart, who is apparently infringing upon the rights of the Tulliver's water supply because of irrigation.  I'm a little unsure about this whole dispute, but the main point is that Wakem (Pivart's lawyer) is thought to be a crook by Mr. Tulliver.  Tom finds out that Wakem's son Philip is coming to school with him and feels a loyalty to his own father against him.  Philip is deformed with a hunchback from an accident at birth and Tom for some reason is suspicious of Philip because of this as well.  The boys don't have the best of a relationship because of these prejudices.  However, Philip is very kind to Tom when Tom hurts his foot, and Maggie, who was visiting at the time, was very grateful to Philip for this.  I sense a budding romance between these two. ;)  Tom and Philip go back to being somewhat enemies though after Tom's foot heals.

  Tom and Maggie don't realize how good their lives have been until Tom's last day of school when he is 17 and Maggie is 13 (approximately - I've noticed that is seems like their ages tend to keep changing because at one point Tom is said to be 15).  Maggie tells him their Father has lost the lawsuit - and has lost the Mill, too.  He has also fallen off his horse and lost his senses, only occasionally recognizing Maggie.  Tom and Maggie set off for home.

  The books seems like it's moving kinda slowly by this point.  It's a bit repetitive (Maggie gets in trouble, Tom is too proud, Tom can't get  along with Philip, Maggie tries to be good to everyone, rinse and repeat).  However, I'm much further ahead in the book since I've written this review, and it seems like it has finally picked up some speed.

Picture from Wikipedia.

You can see it in my eyes, you can read it on my lips.

♥

As you can see, we have a new layout! :D  I wanted to go for a more simpler feel so you could see things easier and so it wasn't so busy. Also, you can now subscribe to the blog by email.  Just use the little form on the left of this page. :) I'm seriously considering removing my "Members" widget from the page, not because I'm ashamed of them (far from it!) but I kind of want to encourage people to subscribe by email instead of the blogger page.  People seem to like this feature and (as Angelyn put it), it's a little more personal. 

Do you guys like the new layout? What is your opinion on subscribing/following?  Do you think I should keep the "Members" Widget?

We forge the chains we wear in life.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

I'd pay to see you frown.

Two Door Cinema Club - "Something Good Can Work" review

  "Something Good Can Work" is a song that drops some electronic beats coupled with very light guitar riffs.  Two Door Cinema Club is a band I recently discovered and, as far as the songs I've listened to, are a pretty clean band whose lyrics are pieced together with great creativity and no curse words.  This song is no exception - one that I interpret as about a girl, who is changing her destiny one step at a time:

"Took a little time to make it a little better,
It's only going out, just one thing and another
You know, you know

Let's make this happen, girl
You gotta show the world that something good can work
And it can work for you
And you know that it will

Let's get this started girl
We're moving up, we're moving up
It's been a lot to change
But you will always get what you want."

   You should give the song, and the band, a try.  As contactmusic.com describes this song, "Every now and again a song comes along which, once heard, feels like it has become ingrained in your skin - and this is one of those tunes."   I think you'll really like it! :)

"Paper Dreams" - a random poem I wrote.

  I found this poem in my drafts on Yahoo, and I apparently wrote it because I can't find it anywhere on the internet.  I actually vaguely remember writing it, but I'd totally forgotten about it.  It was untitled when I found it, but I took the liberty of giving it a name.

Paper Dreams

"Silver moonbeams,
Paper dreams.
Hang like promises,
On a fragile string.
You hold my heart,
In the palm of your hand.
And it runs through your fingers,
Just like sand.
Keeping my heart is

A challenge.
Keeping it safe is 

So, so hard.
No one ever means to break it.
But no one ever does 

At the start."

I don't even know...it's actually not too shabby lol.

I'm Currently Reading...The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (Part 1)

 This is the version I'm reading.

Currently reading: The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

Reason: I really liked Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, and I’d like to study what else she’s written.

  Book One: Boy and Girl: The story begins by describing the Floss, and then Dorlcote Mill, the main scene for the whole story.  I didn’t really consider (for some reason) that George Eliot wrote a lot of provincial novels like this one, but she did - like Adam Bede and Silas Marner.  In my head her literature was more like Charles Dickens or William Makepeace Thackeray and although her later stories that I read were more like that, her writing is much more soft and easy to understand than I thought.  This story, so far, reminds me of Little Women where it has foreshadowing and hefty descriptions of things, but contains a lot of dialogue for most of the book.  

  At the beginning we’re introduced to Mr. And Mrs. Tulliver, who have decided to send Tom (a young lad of 13)  to study at a different school.  Maggie, a high spirited young girl of 9 years old, has missed her brother terribly, and they are very close.  One thing I’ve noticed when reading it is that it seems like Tom does things to purposely get Maggie upset, and then Maggie gets in trouble.  Maggie though is VERY dramatic and impulsive (I mean, she cuts off all of her own hair when her family is talking about how pretty her cousin Lucy’s hair is).  I find them kind of irritating as children, so I hope they get better as they get older.  

    Anyway, Maggie and Tom have lots of adventures while he is home from school, including Maggie’s escape to the Gypsies down the road when Tom is paying more attention to  Lucy and not her.  That was pretty hilarious.  I’m expecting something really bad to happen to one of them in the upcoming chapters.  It’s like Eliot is just hinting at something, enough for you pick up on it but not clearly enough to know what it is.

  This is going to take me awhile to finish I think, even though it is only 500 some pages, because I'm working on a craft swap project on the American Girl Playthings Board, as well as practicing the piano and getting ready for my first year of college (YIKES).

Books, music, sewing: this week.

This week:
♥ I went through the drive through like I owned the place ("I'd like a large, sweet iced tea, please. YES THAT IS ALL.").
♥ I got The Mill on the Floss from the library.  That will have reviews written about it shortly.
♥ I continued to learn "Gypsy Dance" on the piano as well as started on a scene from "Swan Lake".
♥ I finished my swap outfit for the American Girl Outdoor Fun Swap.  Too bad Paypal messed up so I wasn't able to print my label. >____>  Anyway I'll post about it after my partner receives it. :D
♥ I spent a lot of time in my room for no apparent reason.  It was extremely hot up there, since there is only an air conditioner in my sister's room that is supposed to reach my room....it really doesn't very well though.
♥ I ate a bunch of ice cream, cookies, tortilla chips and foods like that this week, also for no apparent reason.
♥ One of the apps I bought a long time ago for my iPod was updated and is now THE BEST APP EVER.  I kid you not.  It's the iHeart Radio app, and you can even access it on your computer by going to the website here.  You can make your own custom radio stations, or just listen to your favorite already made ones.  I've discovered The Alternative Project myself, and it is AMAZING.  It plays songs from all these great bands like Silversun Pickups, Foster the People, Cage the Elephant, Bush, The Offspring, Of Monsters and Men, Green Day, Pearl Jam etc.  I mean, you still have to dodge inappropriate songs on that station like you do every other one, but it plays the genre of music I like. WOOT.  Okay I'm done fangirling about music...for now.
♥ I signed up for my final college class.  Oy.
♥ This list made me sound like a very hipster loner lol.

That is all.  What did YOU do this week?

"Gyspy Dance" + Carmen by Georges Bizet

  I'm learning Gyspy Dance by Georges Bizet on the piano, and I have to say it's a pretty involved piece, full of changing dynamics and lines of eighth notes coupled with sixteenth notes.  From the opera Carmen, Gypsy Dance was composed by Georges Bizet a French composer most popular for his operas.  The song, written to be played by an orchestra, adapts nicely to the piano and is a fast paced tune that definitely puts me in mind of some sort of Gypsy celebration.  You can listen to the song conducted by Andre Kostelanetz below:

I'm Currently Reading...Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens (Part 6)

Chapter the Seventy-Third - Chapter the Last: Soooooo it turns out that Sir Chester is Hugh's father after a fling with a Gyspy woman.  That was unexpected.  Also, Barnaby is not hanged (he's saved by Gabriel) but Hugh and Dennis are.  I'll give the Wikipedia summary of the end:

  "Joe and Dolly are married and become proprietors of the rebuilt Maypole. Edward Chester and Emma are married and go to the West Indies. Miggs tries to get her position back at the Varden household, is rejected, and becomes a jailer at a women's prison. Simon Tappertit, his legs crushed in the riots, becomes a shoe-black. Gashford later commits suicide. Lord George Gordon is held in the Tower and is later judged innocent of inciting the riots. Sir John Chester, now a Member of Parliament, turns out to be the father of Hugh and is killed in a duel by Geoffrey Haredale. Haredale escapes to the continent. Barnaby and his mother live out their years tending a farm at the Maypole Inn."

I'm Currently Reading...Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens (Part 5)

Chapter the Forty-First - Chapter the Seventy-Second:  I've been so busy reading Barnaby Rudge that I havent taken time to give a proper update about reading it.  Obviously all my reading shows how very fond I am of everything that is happening.
I've found the descriptions of the Gordon Riots very haunting, Hugh's character quite hilarious, some of the riot business and talks about the prison a little confusing, but the whole story overall intriguing.  Since a ton has happened since my last update, I'll give a summary of the most important parts:

- Emma does not know where Mr. Haredale is, and Dolly has been staying with her.  It turns out he's been staying at Mrs. Rudge's house.
- Haredale has an encounter with some Protestants, including Sir John and Gashford, and informs everyone that Gashford is basically a cad.
- Mary Rudge is living in a cottage far away with Barnaby.  She is told by a visiting blind man that this same stranger she's been escaping from needs money.  She gives the blind man all she has for the stranger, and says she'll get him the rest.  She and Barnaby flee.
- Barnaby is talked into becoming an advocate of the Protestants.  I hated this part because Barnaby is just so sweet and good and wants to make his mother proud so badly that he thinks joining this group will impress her.
- The "No Popery" group takes a petition to parliament to try and have the rights of the Catholics revoked, but it's rejected.  This causes mayhem.
- The Maypole basically gets destroyed.  The stranger comes and poked around it.
- Mr. Haredale - gasp! - finds Mr. Rudge (OMG HE'S ALIVE) and sends him to jail for the murder of Rueben Haredale.

George Eliot books and piano and that review I haven't written lately

  Firstly, I would like to say I want books for my birthday.  Good, old fashioned, books full of paper.  But I don't know which ones to get exactly...see, I like the thoughts of getting The Mill On the Floss.  Yet I have that book on hold at the library for me, and once I've read a book I don't tend to re-read it that often.  So I don't know if I really need it.  I think I am going to get Adam Bede by George Eliot, because it sounds really interesting to me.

  Oh my gosh, Penguin Classics books just make me drool.  Aren't they perfect?  They always have a wonderful cover and so much extra information inside about the book you're reading.  Anyway, I'm also possibly going to get a biography about George Eliot because I think I'd like to study her in more detail.  I'm also going to get another piano book, because I realized there is a companion book to the Masterwork Classics one, which is pretty detailed and necessary (for me).  I got a little confused about my piano books after I posted about it yesterday, because I wasn't sure how many songs I was supposed to learn a week, and how fast I was supposed to move through level 5.  But I think I pretty much have it figured out now.  I also plan on writing some reviews on the songs I'm learning, and tell you alllll about it. :D

  I have also not forgotten the review I've been writing for Barnaby Rudge!   I've been more busy with music and photography this week that I've only really had extra time to read Barnaby Rudge, not write a review about it.  In all honesty if I had not been kinda lazy, I could have written some of it but I didn't and here we are.  So the next part will be posted soon, don't you worry about it. ;)

My new piano books!

  As you all probably know now, I'm in the process of teaching myself piano.  I finished a Level 4 book a few years back, and got out of practice and got overall board with learning the piano.  But now I think I'm at a point in my life where music and learning to play music well on the piano is important to me.  Therefore, I ordered Level 5 books from Amazon the other day.  And they're here, they're finally here! :D

  I ordered three Alfred's Basic Piano Library books, all Level 5.  One is the basic lesson book, one is a theory book, and the other is a music book that has classic themes for me to learn.

  

  The book below is Alfred's Masterwork Classics, Level 5, which has different themes in it as well as a CD with the music.  It has more difficult songs in it.

  So needless to say I'm pretty thrilled.  Basically my whole morning has been dedicated looking through theses books and starting on the lessons.  You'll definitely be seeing more posts in the future about my journey through them! :)

Sewing for my American Girl Kirsten collection.

  This post requires a bit of a back story before I get into it.  The American Girl Doll line has been in my life since I was a very little girl, probably 2 years old, when I received my very own Bitty Baby.  When I was a kid, I was really into the historical line as well as the modern line, acquiring a doll that looked like me as well as Kirsten Larson and Kit Kittredge.  Obviously I don't still play with dolls like I used to, since I'm 17 years old.  But I do appreciate the American Girl line, where girl power is stressed without  making common day life seem uninteresting and where boys are not portrayed as being the enemy all the time.  I'm also a member of The AG Dollhouse and American Girl Playthings! message boards, which celebrate the American Girl Collection and is a community for collectors all over the world to discuss AG.  So I still collect the American Girl items for Kirsten's collection, and after I finish with that I will probably collect Kit's collection.  Now that you know a little about what I collect and why, we can continue! :)

  A couple of years ago I started sewing an apron for my American Girl Doll Kirsten by hand but for some reason never finished it. So, since I have learned to use the sewing machine, I decided to finish it. It was based off the brown plaid aprons from Kirsten's books:
http://picasaweb.google.com/100726629012....723791117159778
http://picasaweb.google.com/100726629012....723227714061138
It's made out of some old cotton sleep pants of my dad's.  My sister Nina (Wickfield on the board) helped me a ton, which was great.  And I learned a lot from sewing it. Below my Kirsten models it for you:









  This was such a joy to make, and I really hope to sew more items for Kirsten (and possibly Kit, too) in the future.  Right now I'm signed up for a sewing swap (the project for which I've nearly finished) and a craft swap, which I think will hone my crafting skills very well! ;)

Guest Posts

  Hey guys!  Just wanted to say that I've done a couple of guest posts over at some other blogs.



  My guest post Facebook was at the above blog, and I did another guest post today at Aidyl Ewoh's blog called 5 (fun) things to do before the end of summer. :)  And if anyone would ever like to do a guest post here at my blog and/or guest post at their blog, just feel free to email me and I'll see what I can do!  That is all.  As you were. :)

Holga photography tips.

  Lomography is one of my favorite things (which I have mentioned more then once....ahem...), and although I haven't gotten to take pictures with my Holga as much as I'd like, I've gotten some pretty good shots!  Since you voted on the poll that you'd like to see more about photography, below are some of my favorite photos of mine, along with some tips.  You can click them to make them larger. :)

  I'm honestly not even sure how I got this picture.  It wasn't cloudy, and I think I must have just got in the perfect lighting.  Anyway though, the main thing I can suggest with this one is to double or triple expose the film.  How do you double expose a photo?  Take a picture of something (say a tree) then without advancing the film, take another picture.  To triple expose, just take one more photo without advancing the film.  You'll be left with a photograph that has a few images transposed over each other.  Here are some more examples:

 

I'm Currently Reading...Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens (Part 4)

Chapter the Thirty-First – Chapter the Fortieth: Well, Joe signed up for the military and, according to p. 261, bought himself a roll.  I guess it was a celebratory one.  In Chapter the Thirty-First he also tried to get some kind of emotion for himself out of Dolly, who is way too (as Dickens describes it) “coquettish”.  That was a really annoying part, because then she cried after he left.  I was like “Gurrrrl, decide what it is you want.”

 Edward Chester and his father by Phiz.

  Next comes Edward’s misfortunes, which was so expertly described:

“Misfortunes, saith the adage, never come singly. There is little doubt that troubles are exceedingly gregarious in their nature, and flying in flocks, are apt to perch capriciously; crowding on the heads of some poor wights until there is not an inch of room left on their unlucky crowns, and taking no more notice of others who offer as good resting-places for the soles of their feet, than if they had no existence. It may have happened that a flight of troubles brooding over London, and looking out for Joseph Willet, whom they couldn’t find, darted down haphazard on the first young man that caught their fancy, and settled on him instead. However this may be, certain it is that on the very day of Joe’s departure they swarmed about the ears of Edward Chester, and did so buzz and flap their wings, and persecute him, that he was most profoundly wretched.” – Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens, p. 266

  Mr. Chester kicks Edward out of his house, after Edward is trying to talk to him about their problems.

  Problems also arise at the Maypole, when Solomon reports hearing a voice at the graveyard – as he said, “It came upon me all at once that this was the nineteenth of March,” which is apparently the night someone died long ago (probably Reuben Haredale and Mr. Rudge).  John tells everyone to keep this story quiet, but then tells Mr. Haredale so as to show how wise he is.  It's funny how Mr. Haredale mentions that he doesn’t trust Hugh because it looks like he has an evil eye.

  On the way back, Willet and Hugh meet three men – Lord George Gordon, his secretary Mr. Gashford, and John Grueby – who are looking for a place to stay. Lord Gordon was a real person in real life (true story), and had to do with the Gordon Riots that this book portrays (which is coming up shortly).  You can read it about it here.

  We also meet Dennis, another gruff Protestant who is prejudiced against the Catholics.  I actually didn’t care much for the last few chapters of this section that dealt with Lord Gordon, although I did find the history about the Gordon Riots interesting.

Pictures from Google Images.

Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man review

  "Little Lion Man" is a song  by Mumford & Sons from their album Sigh No More.  I really like this song, because I believe it could be a from a girl's perspective about a guy as well as from a guy's perspective about himself or like his brother or someone.  I like to listen to the clean version, because unfortunately the regular version has some swearing (which I found very unnecessary because Mumford & Sons is such a talented band that does not need to resort to cheap language like that).  The instruments in this song are phenomenal, telling a story all of their own.

  Frontman Marcus Mumford comments on the song:

  "It’s a very personal story, so I won’t elaborate upon too much. Suffice to say, it was a situation in my life I wasn’t very happy with or proud of… and sometimes when you can’t describe a feeling with your own words, it’s almost easier to express in a song. And then, when you get asked about the songs, it’s quite difficult to explain. It’s a conundrum — you don’t want to seem self-indulgent explaining yourself; it’s always awkward. Which is weird again, because it’s never awkward actually singing them. I suppose the song should stand on its own and people draw their own interpretation from the words. But for me, personally, it’s the lyrics that I listen to again and again in a song. I place specific importance on them. I can’t write lyrics unless I really feel them and mean them, which can sometimes be quite frustrating — because if you’re not feeling much at the time, you’re stuck." - (From "Countdown: Hottest 100 - 2009", ABC Online)

  These are my favorite lyrics:

"Weep for yourself, my man,
you'll never be what is in your heart.
Weep little lion man,
you're not as brave as you were at the start.
Rate yourself and rake yourself,
take all the courage you have left.
Wasted on fixing all the problems
that you made in your own head."

  Don't we all know someone like this?
  I'd really recommend this song to anybody that likes creative, indie folk music.  I rate it a 5 out of 5 stars. :)

  Also, for what it's worth, if you like Tonight Alive (a band sort of like Paramore), you should listen to this clean cover of "Little Lion Man" by them.  It's not nearly as good as the original, but it's pretty good, too:

I'm Currently Reading...Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens (Part 3)

  Chapter the Twenty-First – Chapter the Thirtieth: The part where Dolly is traveling through the woods and Hugh scares here – oh my gosh, it was so creepy.  He was like, seriously a stalker.  I like this part:

 “ ‘I wish to get back as quickly as I can, and you walk too near me, answered Dolly.’
‘Too near!’ said Hugh, stooping over her so that she could feel his breath upon her forehead. ‘Why too near? You’re always proud to me, mistress.’
‘I am proud to no one. You mistake me,’ answered Dolly. ‘Fall back, if you please, or go on.’
‘Nay, mistress,’ he rejoined, endeavouring to draw her arm through his, ‘I’ll walk with you.’
She released herself and clenching her little hand, struck him with right good will. At this, Maypole Hugh burst into a roar of laughter, and passing his arm about her waist, held her in his strong grasp as easily as if she had been a bird.
‘Ha ha ha! Well done, mistress! Strike again. You shall beat my face, and tear my hair, and pluck my beard up by the roots, and welcome, for the sake of your bright eyes. Strike again, mistress. Do. Ha ha ha! I like it.’”  – Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens, pp.176 - 178

Hugh and Dolly in the woods by Phiz.

  Oh…it seems like pushy guys have always existed.  Anyway, he threatens her and the people she loves so that she doesn’t reveal who has ha harassed her in the woods.  She calls for Joe, who comes to her aid, and doesn’t see Hugh (who has run off).  He asks her who upset her, and she cries and lies about the person.  But she does tell him she lost her letter (from Emma to Edward) and bracelet.  And who does Joe call in to assist him in looking for these things she’s lost? HUGH!  Oh my goodness, I could have died.  Later, Sim and Miggs are talking about Joe.

Sarah Hyland's Style Picspam

    Sarah Hyland plays Haley Dunphy on the show Modern Family, and I've always admired her fashion sense.  Since she's petite (like me)  and looks young for here age (also like me), I often look at the outfit I'm putting on and think, "Is this something Sarah Hyland might be dressed in?"  And a lot of the times, it is! (YAY)  The picture above shows a way to steal her style, and the pictures below give some other ideas.

I'm Currently Reading...Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens (Part 2)

  Chapter the Eleventh – Chapter the Twentieth: The next couple of chapters follow the arrival of Mr. Haredale, as well as the conversation between him and Mr. Chester.  As far as I can tell, the two old men never liked each other (for some reason, which I’m sure will be revealed later).  They do not want Edward (Mr. Chester’s son) to carry on a relationship with Miss Emma Haredale (Mr. Haredale’s niece).  I like both Mr. Chester and Haredale – the former for his humorous creepiness, the latter for his strong, silent personality.  Their personalities are so different, in fact, that it is no wonder they can’t get along.  Hugh also begins to play a larger role in the storyline, and seems to be a bit of a creepy (which is my word today), loser rascal.

Hugh by Phiz.

  

   The next part shows that Joe has taken his only day off to spend with Dolly.  I think this part, concerning the flowers he has brought Dolly, is hilarious:

  “ ‘Well, well!’ said the locksmith. ‘We must be patient, Joe, and bear with old folks’ foibles. How’s the mare, Joe? Does she do the four miles an hour as easily as ever? Ha, ha, ha! Does she, Joe? Eh!—What have we there, Joe—a nosegay!’

  ‘A very poor one, sir—I thought Miss Dolly—’

  ‘No, no,’ said Gabriel, dropping his voice, and shaking his head, ‘not Dolly. Give ’em to her mother, Joe. A great deal better give ’em to her mother. Would you mind giving ’em to Mrs Varden, Joe?’

  ‘Oh no, sir,’ Joe replied, and endeavouring, but not with the greatest possible success, to hide his disappointment. ‘I shall be very glad, I’m sure.’

  ‘That’s right,’ said the locksmith, patting him on the back. ‘It don’t matter who has ’em, Joe?’

  ‘Not a bit, sir.’—Dear heart, how the words stuck in his throat!

  ‘Come in,’ said Gabriel. ‘I have just been called to tea. She’s in the parlour.’

  ‘She,’ thought Joe. ‘Which of ’em I wonder—Mrs or Miss?’ The locksmith settled the doubt as neatly as if it had been expressed aloud, by leading him to the door, and saying, ‘Martha, my dear, here’s young Mr Willet.’

  Now, Mrs Varden, regarding the Maypole as a sort of human mantrap, or decoy for husbands; viewing its proprietor, and all who aided and abetted him, in the light of so many poachers among Christian men; and believing, moreover, that the publicans coupled with sinners in Holy Writ were veritable licensed victuallers; was far from being favourably disposed towards her visitor. Wherefore she was taken faint directly; and being duly presented with the crocuses and snowdrops, divined on further consideration that they were the occasion of the languor which had seized upon her spirits. ‘I’m afraid I couldn’t bear the room another minute,’ said the good lady, ‘if they remained here. Would you excuse my putting them out of window?’

  Joe begged she wouldn’t mention it on any account, and smiled feebly as he saw them deposited on the sill outside. If anybody could have known the pains he had taken to make up that despised and misused bunch of flowers!—“ – Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens, p. 117 -118

  Joe gets caught spending the whole time with the Vardens and Dolly (who he doesn’t get a chance to talk to) – which I’m not sure what he thought would happen, But I  guess he couldn’t woo her in her family’s presence.  He leaves dejected, thinking Dolly doesn’t like him.

  Edward Chester’s character becomes a little more developed in Chapter the Fifteenth.  He tells his father that he loves Miss Haredale, and Chester basically says that Emma is not good enough for Edward.  When I was writing this review, I got a little confused because I was unsure whether Chester really thought Emma was not good enough for Edward (“Ned”, as Mr. Chester calls him), or if it was just because he doesn’t like Mr. Haredale that he does not want them together.  I asked my sister, and as she put it, Chester doesn’t think Emma is enough for Edward because she is Haredale’s niece.

   

  The stranger from the road earlier in the story makes another appearance in the story by following Mary Rudge to her house.  Mary seems to be frightened by the man, and doesn’t seem to know him which means, I think, that the stranger Gabriel has been concerned about being at her house is different from this one.  Later, Dolly delivers a letter from Edward to Emma and is almost stopped by Mr. Haredale.  Had it not been for Dolly’s bravery in not handing over the letter, Haredale would not have been impressed and not let her pass.

 

Dolly and Miss Haredale by Phiz.

   I love the sections about Joe, Dolly, and the Vardens.  The parts with the “stranger” are a little confusing because I wonder if I’m missing some implication somewhere.  But even if I am, the mystery should be unraveled later.  I also semi-like the parts with Mr. Chester and Mr. Haredale. Why only semi?  Well, I like their characters but I find myself losing interest in the passages concerning their storylines.

Pictures from Google Images

I'm Currently Reading...Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens (Part 1)

  This is a new series I'm starting on my blog called "I'm Currently Reading...".  This is kind of self explanatory - I'll post a summary and my thoughts and opinions on the book I'm reading as I read it.  It's a sort of continuing review, until I'm completely done with the book.  Feel free to jump in and read the same book at any time - you can always read the previous parts of the review later after you have read that section.  So, here we go!

This is the version I'm reading.

  Currently reading: Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens.

  Reason: Charles Dickens is one of my favorite authors and my sister suggested I read it.

  Chapter the First – Chapter the Tenth:  I have been reading Barnaby Rude on and off for a few weeks now, and I’ve generally been trying to get library books during the summer because I was saving the books I own to read at my leisure when I’m busy with college this fall.  But I’ve gotten a bunch of books at the beginning of the season, so the fact that I’ve totally gotten into Barnaby Rudge (plus the unforeseen hectic family schedule) has not bothered me that much.  

  The first pages of the book were a little hard for me to get into because it started with a description of the Maypole (an inn), and the a few guys talking there.  We’re introduced to some of the main characters, though – John Willet, the owner of the Maypole, and his son Joseph (commonly known as Joe).  A stranger comes into the inn and is asking about a man and girl who are revealed to be Mr. Geoffrey Haredale and his niece Miss Haredale.  Solomon Daisy, a man at the inn, is instructed by John to tell the mystery surrounding the murder of Mr. Geoffrey Haredale’s older brother, Reuben, and the murder of the steward Mr. Rudge.   The suspected killer (of both Reuben Haredale and Mr. Rudge, I believe) is the missing gardener, who no one has heard from since. I didn’t realize this until later chapters, but this whole story is I think turning out be a big part of the story.

Day 30: A motto or philosophy

  I found this image on Pinterest, and it's the best way to describe what I've thought before (in more or less words) again and again when I'm going through something difficult.  Whenever I think something should have happened that didn't, I stop and think and usually discover that what has happened was for the best.  And even when I don't see the silver lining in the cloud, I know that there is something I don't know, and I can trust in the fact that still whatever happened to me is what should have happened.

  Today is the last day of the 30 day challenge!  Which means it's time to do posts on different subjects.  Please vote on the poll in the sidebar so I can get a good idea of what posts my readers like best.  You can choose more than one answer, and if you pick "Other", I'd love for you to shoot me an e-mail (my e-mail is aidylvice13@yahoo.com) with suggestions for posts!  Heck, even if you didn't pick that option, sending me an e-mail is still okay.  If you don't vote on the poll, I have a few tricks up my sleeve anyway. ;)

Days 28 and 29

Day 28:  A scar you have and its story:
  I have a scar somewhere on my head from where my dad was tickling me as a baby, and I whacked it on the counter.  Yikes. :/

Day 29: Hopes, dreams, and plans you have for the next 365 days 

1. Learn to talk less when it's not necessary to voice my opinion.
2. Be more independent from people (especially boys), and focus on my own needs (spiritually and the like).
3. Practice piano regularly.
4. Read regularly.
5. Volunteer at the library a few times. 
6. Be finished with 2 more college semesters, and have 3 more semesters to go.