Running - Week 4

Welcome to four-mile week. I have no idea how this is going to go, as my body has not been too happy about all this running lately, but I've come too far to quit now. So without further ado, running - week four:

Day 22 - Huh, amazingly enough, running today was not so bad. The gap from two miles to three miles felt like we added an extra two miles, but the gap from three miles to four miles felt like maybe and extra 0.2 miles . . . weird. It was a nice morning run today (yes, for all of you who know me, I voluntarily got up early and went running . . . what is wrong with me?). It was nice to not have to avoid other people or cars though. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Day 23 - I ate Chinese buffet for lunch today . . . for those of you interested in my experiments, it seems that running with a tummy full of Chinese food is easier than running with a tummy full of Indian food, just an observation ;) One of the fortune cookies at lunch today said that Chinese food makes you healthier, somehow I think the running is doing that more than gorging myself on Chinese doughnuts, but I'll take it :)

Day 24 - Ouch, today I have very stiff heels (Achilles' tendons?) and knees. I still can't break the fourty minute mark (ten-minute miles) :( I'm definitely ready to be done running. In the interest of sharing my full experience with you, I will also tell you that I'm starting to get very sore under my arms from my sports bra . . . lovely huh? I can do this . . . only six more days of running.

Day 25 - Oofda. We got up early and ran (out of the door before six am, this is not normal for me at all). There were a few sprinkles here and there, but the rain held off until we were done running, thankfully. My heels (not the Achilles' tendon it seems, but a tendon or muscle a little further forward in my foot . . . I'm thinking a bursa sac), are really sore and my knees aren't that happy either. I'm very ready to be done with this (still) . . . only five more days.

Day 26 - I ran very fast today. My husband was trying to improve his time, but for some reason I just felt like I couldn't let him get away from me, so I ran very quickly to try and keep up. I know that is not part of the rules, but I was worried about getting lost . . . silly, I know. We cut over two minutes off our time from yesterday :) I still dislike running, it's such a mental game to push myself, not an enjoyable puzzle (where pushing is sometimes required) like rock climbing was.

Day 27 - I know you are probably sick of hearing this now, but I am so ready to be done running . . . that is all. (Not really, we ran in the afternoon today . . .I took the day off from work as we have to travel to my brother's rehearsal dinner tonight. We have our last two long runs (four and five miles) out of town, so this should be interesting). Wish us luck!

Day 28 - Hooray for less hills :) Today we ran through a big cemetery in Milwaukee (where we were staying with friends so we could go to my brother's wedding this weekend). It was drizzly and cool out but that is so much easier to run in that hot, humid weather. We deviated a little bit from the map as the cemetery "roads" don't have names, but the route was still about four miles. It was not a fast run today, but we (amazingly) made it through our four miles a day week :)

Day 29 - As much as I wish the month was an even four 7-day weeks, it's not, so Day 29 shall live in infamy as our 5-mile day . . . yikes! And the verdict? Whew . . . we made it! We took some advice from the great teacher (I'm not talking about Jesus this time, I'm talking about Yoda): "Do or do not, there is no try". Five miles really didn't feel that much longer than four miles, surprisingly. Also, where we ran today had few hills which makes running so much easier. Only one mile left to run this month!!! :)

Day 30 - Finally, this month's challenge is over. We chose a flat, relatively straight 0.5 mile route to run out and back on, and we both pushed ourselves very hard. Instead of going for distance like we had for the rest of the month, today was all about speed. I've never run a mile that fast in my life, so I'm pretty happy about it. My husband was hoping to get his mile time under seven minutes, but I'm still really proud of how he did and that he committed to this month's insane challenge with me :)

Week Four Running Chart

Mile Times

Heart Rates

I'm so glad this month is over. I keep thinking that my hardest month is over now, but we'll see if that's really the case. I did rock climbing first as I thought it would be the hardest one (at the time I was considering a jogging month, but nothing this intense), but then then the cake challenge came around and that was extremely stressful (sometimes) and very time-consuming. After those were over, reading novels was a great,  relaxing month, but I have to say this running thing has been the biggest challenge so far. Not that the cakes were easy, or that I'd want to go back and do that again, but I am so glad this running is over. As you can see from my extremely nerdy charts, my mile times stayed pretty consistent (with the exception of the last day) and my heart rate decreased a little over the month . . . I think that is a good sign. So I'm back in shape again, what can I do next month to ruin it? ;)

Running - Week 3

Alright, I thought that two miles was a fine enough distance to run, but I’ve made the crazy challenge for myself and have to try and run three miles every day this week, so we’ll see if I can do it or not . . .it’s going to be tough.

Day 15 – Whew, I don’t know if I can do that again . . .three miles is hard! It was both windy and humid today, I feel so icky now. It was such a busy weekend, I just want to rest.

Day 16 – Whew again. I ran faster today, but it was still very windy. I’ve decided three miles is just too long, I don’t know how long I can keep this up. My knees, hips, and ankles were all not happy with me at the start of the run today . . .this is not a good sign.

Day 17 – Today I took it a little bit slower. My legs were very tight. I think I’ve reached point where my body is telling me I need to take a break. Well TOO BAD body, you have a lot of running to do yet! I really don’t understand why anyone does this for fun; I did not enjoy it today at all. My legs finally loosened up after about 2.75 miles . . .that figures. Another thing that made today more difficult was that my shoe came untied after about a mile and a half. I probably should have stopped to tie it, but that is against my strict unwritten rule that “Thou shalt not stop”. What have I gotten myself into?

Day 18 – So while I ran today I managed to rant to my husband for the entire time (trust me, with the nonsense that was going on at work, you would be ranting too). Usually I’m very against talking while I run, but this was something I definitely had to get out, so rant I did. Of course this made my time much slower (the slowest mile time yet), but it made running go by much faster. Kind of backwards, but it’s true. Although “pounding the pavement” (and ranting) helped me to get some of my frustrations out, I am still not convinced I could ever be a real runner.

Day 19 – (To the tune of “Singin’ in the Rain”) I’m running in the rain, just running in the rain, not a glorious feeling, but I’m moving again. I’m wet and I’m cold, but I’ll be home soon. Just running, running in the rain! J

My lovely fuzz puff :) 

Day 20 – Oof . . .I am so stiff today. My husband and I must have looked like really old people hobbling along as we began our run because we were both very stiff. It definitely took a while to loosen up. Also, I felt like the robins were either teasing me or encouraging me along . . . there were a lot of them on the path, and they always seemed to be just a little ways ahead of me. Also, I think I was carrying and extra five pounds in my tummy today from all of the good (and exotic) food at the work potluck. Unfortunately, that food (or acid reflux or something) started bothering my stomach at about mile 1.5 . . . after that, running was pretty miserable. I felt like I was just limping home (but I wasn’t really limping), it just took so much effort not to stop. Other than the utter disappointment I would feel about not completing a daily challenge after I’ve made it this far, today was the first day I think I would have felt much better if I had not run . . .I hope I feel better tomorrow! In other news, the fuzz puffs (dandelions gone to seed) were out in abundance today. My husband picked one for me as we ran to make me feel better J I’ve included a picture of it with this post.

Day 21 – Ugh, my tummy is still not happy this morning, but running was a little easier today than it was yesterday. I ran by myself for most of the run as my husband ran much faster than I did today. This was a morning run, and it was a little cooler out, but it was pretty nice running weather. I’m proud of myself for running this many days in a row, but I am so ready to be done running! I did have an interesting Bible thought while I was running today as the verse about “running the race before you” popped into my head ("Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." Hebrews 12:1-2a). I realized that I really focus too much on this earth and the temporal things around me instead of on heaven and on my ultimate prize, and I think this distracts me and makes me “run” (figuratively speaking about running my race of faith and life) slower . . .I need to work on that. Additionally, in my search for that Bible reference, I also found another fitting verse, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air." (1 Corinthians 9:24-26). And I hope that one day I will be able to say with the Apostle Paul (2 Timothy 4:7) "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

I can’t believe that I made it through three mile week. That is pretty amazing to me. Unfortunately, that jump from two miles to three miles was really rough, so I don’t know what to expect next week. I’m a little worried that my body is just going to break down and I’m not going to be able to finish it, but I’m young, I can do it . . .right? 

Running - Week 2

First of all, I will apologize again for being so behind on my writing. I promise you, I’m writing my current entries in Word format and will be able to post them much quicker, I just needed to get these running blogs written first. Things have been crazy around here, I just switched positions at work so that’s been hectic and time-consuming, and blog writing has just been lower on my priority list than many other things . . .sorry. Anyways, without further ado, week two of my running challenge.

Neat statue at the entrance to the cemetery

Day 8 – Well, today was our first day of two mile running, and amazingly, it was a really nice run, the closest to enjoying running that I’ve ever come. We were both well “fueled” for our run thanks to a nice couple from church who invited us over for Easter dinner. Happy Easter everyone! There were fewer hills on this run, and we had lower humidity and cooler temperatures . . .what a nice day.

Day 9 – Today we reversed yesterday’s route per our usual protocol. It was very windy, and that made today’s run much more difficult. We managed to cut a bunch of time off of our total, mostly thanks in part to my husband pushing me to run a little faster today. One odd thing though: after all of that running, all of me was warm with the exception of my wrists . . .weird.

Day 10 – Brr, it was cold outside today, only about 40 F. I put on extra layers to keep warm. I was really rather tired today too, and I did not want to go running, but of course I did anyways. I’m one third of the way done with the month now (but who’s counting) ;)

Beautiful cemetery tower

Day 11 – Church run today! And by that I mean that we had to be up at church because I had a meeting and then later we had choir practice, so in between those two events, we went for a run around our church’s neighborhood. We had a rather funny incident when we were finishing up our run and we were sprinting to the church doors just as another couple we are in choir with was approaching. Usually choir practice is at 7:00, but it was pushed back to 7:30 and we finished running about 7:10. This other couple looks at us with alarm and says, “Did you think there was choir at 7:00 tonight too?” because they thought there was no choir but then realized there was and thought that they were late, and perhaps we were late too . . .oops. Overall, it was not a bad run though; it was a nice area to go running in.

Day 12 – Running was definitely more of an effort today than usual, perhaps because I knew I had so much to get done at home that I didn’t want to take the time to go. We have a busy weekend ahead of us that I need to get ready for. Anyways, running through the cemetery today was my favorite part of the run. It’s always peaceful there, with no traffic and usually some nice sunbeams in the sky or off the beautiful memorial thing . . .I took some pictures so you can all see how pretty it is. These were taken a little too early in the day to really capture the sunbeams, but it is still a lovely place for a run.

Day 13 – It was very windy again today, and I think attributed to our slower run times. I was planning on today’s run being a morning run, and getting up to go before work in the morning, but I stayed up too late last night making cakes . . .hmm,  now doesn’t that sound familiar? ;) The run today was just okay.

Day 14 – Today we went running in Illinois. We were visiting some friends there for the weekend, so we took a little time out of our visit to go running around their neighborhood. He is a Vicar (practice Pastor) at a local church and the congregation has let them rent this very nice house in a lovely golf course community. It was a good place to run. I am sure going to miss this two mile distance . . .that is long enough! The weather was rather pleasant today; spring is back J

Any Latin scholars out there care to translate this for me? 

Well folks, there you have it, we managed to run two miles every day for a week. We squeezed it in even when we were super busy, or out of town, and I’m pretty proud that we managed to make it this far considering how much of a non-runner I was before. Not saying that I’m a runner now, but I think my heart is getting in better shape. Below you will find my chart of mile times and heart rates for this week . . .I wonder what next week will turn out like?

Week Two Running Chart

Running - Week 1

Welcome to my month of running. Let me start out by describing my running plan. First of all, my husband has decided he will run with me, so I'll have a running buddy :) He is not allowed to let me hold him back though, so if he wants to go faster or, on the off chance that I'm feeling very ambitious, I want to go faster, we don't have to stay together while running, but it's nice to have that motivator to get started. Secondly, this is the website that I will be using to map my routes: Running Routes. It's a pretty cool site, you should check it out. It allows you to plot your course on a map and it shows the elevation changes along the route . . .neat stuff. For this first week, I will be running one mile a day, and then add one mile each subsequent week (so week two will be two miles a day, week three will be three miles a day, etc.). Finally, each run will be timed and my heart rate after the run will also be recorded (as I'm more interested in getting my heart healthy than becoming a sprinter), and being the nerdy scientist that I am, I'll plot these values on a graph when I'm all done . . .sounds like fun right? :)

So, now that you know "the plan", here is my summary of how each day of week one turned out:

Day 1 - My arms felt a little like jelly today, my calves got sore from a big uphill run right in the beginning, and my throat is sore from running so hard. But the good news is that I finished my first mile in under 10 minutes, so I met my goal for today :)

Day 2 - Today we ran the same route as yesterday, just in the reverse direction. I think we will switch off every day just so we don't get bored with the same route after a week. This direction had a more difficult beginning, but I found the second half easier (it began with a long gradual incline and ended with the steep slope that we ran up yesterday). My throat is still sore, my legs are a little sore, but not too bad. 

Day 3 - This original direction seems much easier than the reverse route. Also, today I found a way to exhale (making my cheeks a little puffy) that is a bit easier on my throat . . .yay :)

Day 4 - Today was a tough run . . .I am not looking forward to doubling, etc. the distance! My legs are not as sore today though, and I felt better after the run, and I'm not so tired . . .hooray. 

Day 5 - Not much groundbreaking today, I just noted that this route is getting much easier in the cardio aspect. I still breathe heavily, but it doesn't hurt so badly anymore. 

Day 6 - Ugh, back to the harder direction again. I didn't have much to eat today so I didn't feel like I had the "fuel" in me to go anywhere. I took it a little "easier" today, meaning I didn't push myself as much, but of course I still find it hard since I don't like running, but my time is okay :) 

Day 7 - Sadness, this is our last day of one mile week :( I didn't get under the 9 minute mark like I wanted to, but there was a stiff headwind on the last half of the run, so that didn't help. 

Here are my times and heart rates for this week, just so you can see how out of shape I was, at least in terms of cardio exercise:

(Note: My Day 1 heart rate was taken after about 1 minute because I almost forgot . . .oops)

So, readers, are any of you avid runners? Any tips or comments for what I should or should not be doing? Are you ready for week 2?

p.s. A few notes on some updates to my blog format. First of all, that little G+ icon on the top right is something you can press if you want to recommend my blog to the world. It's kind of equivalent to the Facebook "Like" button. Secondly, if you would like to receive my blogs via e-mail so you don't have to remember to check my page (although it is nice if you do because I love seeing "page views" in my blog stats), just enter your e-mail address in the "Follow By Email" box, and you will be notified whenever I've put up a new post. And finally, for those of you from other countries who would like to read my blog in your native language, you can select that language from the "Translate" section on the right hand side and my blog will be instantly translated for you . . .how cool is that? I will not vouch for the accuracy of the Google translate feature though ;) 

The End of Novel Reading and April Reveal

My last day of novel reading is here, and I finished my last novel last night . . .oops. I was so close to the end I just had to read a little bit longer and finish it :) That being said, I'm going to "cheat" a little bit today. Since my original plan was to read for 45 minutes a day and blog for 15 and I ended up reading for the whole hour every day (and obviously not blogging at all which is why I'm so behind), tonight I'm not going to read a novel, and I probably won't read for the full hour, but I think it's justified. So, what will I be reading instead? This: Archaeological Study Bible. Some friends were reading it, and since I've always liked history, I thought this would be a really great way to keep reading, get closer to God, and learn some history all at the same time. My husband and I finished our two-year read though the entire Bible at the end of last year, so it is about time to start over anyways :) This time, instead of reading it in order, Genesis to Revelation, we are going to try to follow a chronological reading list and go though it that way. Last time, I read out loud and afterwards he read the notes from his study Bible about what we had just read, so this time, he will read the text, and I will read the archaeological notes. This should be very interesting, enriching, and informative . . .I'm looking forward to it.

Now that my novel reading is done with, what do you think is up next for me? Any guesses? (if you already know, shhh) ;) Well, here is how I look at it. I got in good shape in January after all of that rock climbing, and then proceeded to undo all of my good work by eating cake every day and sitting around reading books. Looks like it's time for me to get in shape again! Unlike rock climbing, the activity I've chosen for this month is not something I enjoy doing. It is an activity enjoyed by millions of people every year, and the only equipment needed is a good pair of shoes and the open road . . .you guessed it: running. So, lace up your running shoes, stretch out those legs, and get ready, the first week is one mile, every day. Let's do this!

Sisterhood Everlasting - Part 3

Sigh, this book makes me want to cry. Everyone is SO heart-broken. I'm very glad that Bridget is getting to spend this time with Bailey though, I think it will convince her to keep her baby (because when she first found out she was pregnant, she wanted nothing to do with it). The interaction between the two is interesting, and I think it is a healing experience for both of them as they both lost their mothers. Carmen on the other hand, is just being stupid with the whole Jones and wedding idea . . .snap out of it Carmen! Lena is the one I relate to the most, I always have. If I could pick one of the girls of the Sisterhood to be, it would be Lena, although I really related to Tibby's relationship with the Bailey of the first book too. As for Lena, when will she finally get to be with Kostos? They are so meant for each other, it's ridiculous.

After so much pain and heart-ache, it seems the loose ends are finally all coming together. Tibby and Brian had bought a farm and all the girls (and Kostos) are invited there at a set date. Before that, Carmen (who is an actress now) hops a train down south for an important audition, and on the way there she meets a nice family and becomes really attached to them. She finally relaxes about acting and decides not to marry Jones :) Lena and Kostos, after exchanging letters, travel back and forth across the Atlantic just to find each other . . .finally. Bee has grown very fond of Bailey and loves that she has her own little place on Brian and Tibby's farm (each girl has her own little house). I'm glad that Bee will be able to stay with Bailey.

Everything is revealed now: Tibby died of Huntington's Disease, she didn't commit suicide, thank goodness. I don't really know anything about Huntington's Disease, and not much is talked about it in the book. I'm sad that Tibby's plan didn't work out exactly like she had wanted and she missed out on the last few things to do. I am so relieved though that everything worked out alright. Bee told Eric about the baby and they will live on the farm with Brian and Bailey. Carmen too is going to move to the farm, and hopefully Lena and Kostos will as well. I wish that there was a little bit more detail about Carmen's story; did she end up with the guy from the train or not? But other than that, I can be at peace now, knowing what happened to each of the girls (and that Lena and Kostos are finally together). :)

The End

So, what did you think? I really liked this book; it made me laugh, it made me cry, and it gave me closure about four girls that I felt so close to. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes that sort of thing :) Stay tuned for one final day of March, and the April reveal. 

Sisterhood Everlasting - Part 2

I was so shocked by the death of Tibby, I didn't really know what to do. That was not something I was expecting in this book. But, I must keep reading, and hopefully things will get better.

All of the girls are trying to deal with the grief of losing Tibby, each in their own way. Bridget runs away, Carmen hides at home, and Lena calls Kostos. I'm glad Kostos is back on the scene, even if it is just to help Lena clean up the mess in Greece. This time is really hard for all of them.

Side note: I've been enjoying this month of reading a lot, and it has been sooooo much easier than baking a cake every day, but when I have a migraine and want to sleep (like I did while I was reading today), it's a chore. I can't quit though!

Back to the story: Each girl is searching for distractions and answers; they are all so confused and lost because of Tibby's death. Lena agrees to work on selling her grandparents house in Greece. Carmen dives head first into wedding planning (none of the girls really like her fiance, Jones, though). Bee becomes a nomad and finally ends up in Australia with Brian, and Bailey. Yes, I know what you're thinking (if you've read the other books), Bailey is a little girl that Tibby befriends in the first book and she ends up dying, so how can she be in this book too? Well, here's another shocker, Brian and Tibby had a daughter, and they named her Bailey after that same little girl. Whew, another thing I didn't see coming. And if that wasn't enough . . .guess what . . .Bee is pregnant. How many major adult issues will the girls have to deal with all at once??? I just want it to be all better for them, I sure hope this book has a happy ending.

p.s. There seems to be some confusion over what month this challenge is for . . .Novel Reading is the March challenge, I'm just really behind on my blogging. Have no fear, faithful readers, I am working on getting caught up. Be prepared for multiple posts a day :)

Sisterhood Everlasting - Part 1

Okay, I am so excited to get into this book, you have no idea. My parents were kind and bought this book for me off my Amazon wish list over a year ago for my birthday, and there it sat on my bedside stand until now. How could I have waited so long to catch up with and find out what happens to these four wonderful girls with whom I feel I shared so much of my childhood? I guess maybe it's a girl thing, but when I read the original series of four books, I felt so connected to the characters and saw bits and pieces of myself and my friends in each of them . . .it was great. So, if you haven't read the original four books yet, go here: Sisterhood books, order them, and read them, now. I know, I know, they might not be for you, in that case, go right ahead and read my summary posts of their lives, 10 years later, but if you haven't read them yet and you want to, make sure you do that before you read my posts, as I don't want to spoil the ending for you.

That being said, I haven't actually read the original four books in quite some time, and I know there are probably things I like and don't like about them as well, but I do have fond memories of reading them, so that's what I'm going to go on here. If you haven't guessed yet, "Sisterhood Everlasting" is a sequel to the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series, a tale of what happens to the girls and the people that they know, ten years down the road. I've grown up since then, and so have they, so it was really nice to have some closure. Like "A Tale of Two Cities" and "The Help", the Sisterhood books were made into movies, but the first book became the first movie, and books two through four were crammed into the second movie, so many of the details were missed. As far as I know, there are no plans for a "Sisterhood Everlasting" movie, but I'm okay with that . . . I'd like to leave them just as they are in my memory.

This book isn't divided into chapters like the others were, so I'm not quite sure how I'm going do divide up these posts, but I'll try to keep them from getting too long. To begin with, it seems like these four friends, Lena, Bridget, Carmen, and Tibby have drifted apart. This makes me sad because it rings so true to life. Growing up just gets in the way of those awesome childhood friendships we thought would last forever. I'm still friends with the girls I was friends with back then, but time and distance have come between us . . .life happened. I'm hoping that somehow, throughout this book, these four girls can get back together and make me believe that it is possible in real life too.

One thing I like about this book is the quotes that are used to divide each section (instead of chapter markings), they are insightful and nice . . .a very good addition. They quietly add something to the book without being in the way. Getting into the story, it looks like what I had hoped for will happen: Tibby has planned a get together for the girls in Greece, a place very special to them and a big part of their history (Lena's family is from Greece and the four girls spent quite a bit of time there together). The time can't go fast enough until they can all be together again!

Now, if you don't want me to spoil the story for you, stop reading right here. If you want me to drop the bomb on you though, continue.

The girls get to Greece and look for Tibby, who they were supposed to meet there. They search and search and can't find her . . .this is worse than when they lost the travelling pants. Yes, way worse than that. You know why? Tibby died. I don't know if I can go on without Tibby.

The Help - Movie Review

Okay, for all of you who have been feeling left out and not able to relate to my posts because you had no idea what I was talking about or you aren't big on reading, then this post is the one you've been waiting for. "The Help" was made into a major motion picture starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer. So hopefully some of you will have seen it and can leave your feelings about it in the comments section :) Here's a link to the trailer in case you want a little preview of it: "The Help" trailer

My thoughts are as follows:

• I noticed quite a few differences between the book and the movie, but the overall story was definitely told.
• It seems like the movie was "niced up" to make it a little more PC for audiences (I wish it would have been more true to the book in this instance).
• Skeeter's hair was almost always perfect ringlets, not the frizzy mess that was talked about so frequently . . .maybe I'm putting too much stock in the main character's hair?? I had issues with the main girl's hair in "A Tale of Two Cities" too.
• Skeeter's mom was much more supportive of her in the movie than in the book. In the video she figures out that Skeeter is the author of the book and stands up to Hilly about it. It was nice to see, but frankly, it didn't happen, so it felt a little fake. 
• A big shocker that I thought was a really sad choice, but in the movie, Stewart never proposes. As much as I was disappointed by what Stewart does, I still wanted to see it. 
• One thing I think the movie got exactly right was the characters of Minny and Abilieen . . .they were just like I had pictured them :) 
• Celia's eccentricities were played down quite a bit (especially the risque nature of her ball gown, although that might just be my being calloused by the fashions en vogue today). There was also no mention of the "holding tonic" that she drank and at the end of the movie, she is a phenomenal cook. What? I liked that the family still needed Minny to cook for them, oh well. 
• Celia's miscarriage was also downplayed, which I guess is a little more understandable as that could be a really touchy and disturbing scene for many people. The mean Doctor was not called, and Celia was able to bury her babies in the backyard, which gave a nicer sense of closure than the raw nature of the book. 
• Henry (the colored man who worked at the restaurant and talked to Aibileen on the bus) was not in the book at all. There was a man on the bus, but he wasn't named. Henry was actually my husband's favorite character in the movie, and I have to agree that he was a very nice addition . . .I liked him too.
• Another character that stood out more in the movie and was much more memorable on screen than in the book was Hilly's mom . . .she was really funny :) 
• Stewart's parents were completely left out of the movie. I can understand this because it would have added quite a few scenes and another dynamic that would have made the movie much longer. Overall, I think that was a good choice by the screenwriters. 

So, which did I like better, the book or the movie? I would have to say that I did like the book better as it felt more real than the movie did, but honestly, both were good. It was a new subject matter and I felt like I learned a little bit and was still entertained, so I would recommend checking it out. Now, readers, what did you think? Book or movie? Any favorite characters or favorite moments? My main takeaway from "The Help" was just that I wish there was more equality and less prejudice in this world. No matter where you live or who you know, if we could just all treat other people more like we would want them to treat us, the quality of life in this world would improve drastically. 

The Help - Part 7

Chapter 31

• The white ladies of Jackson are starting to piece together who's who in Skeeter's book . . .this could be trouble if Hilly doesn't step in soon and try and convince them otherwise.

Chapter 32

• Leroy threatens Minny, things are not very safe for Minny at home anymore. 
• Miss Hilly FINALLY finishes reading the book

Chapter 33

• Hilly shows up, all angry, and threatens to tell Skeeter's mom (who is thankfully in remission from her cancer), but doesn't. Oh Hilly, for how awful you are, the worst you could do was threaten to tell her mom on her?
• Things are looking up for Skeeter who gets a job offer from the publisher in New York City.

Chapter 34

• Skeeter realizes there is really nothing left for her to stick around for in Jackson, so she takes the job in NYC. Abileen gets fired (mostly due to Miss Hilly's lies), but will write the Miss Myrna column for the paper now that Skeeter moved away. 

The End

Overall, I think it was a good book, I'm really looking forward to seeing how it is portrayed in the movie. My grammar might be suffering a bit from reading this book, but it was a fun change from "A Tale of Two Cities". I'm so glad that I've been reading, even if it means less sleeping time . . .it's been so nice to have time set aside for this; I wish I could read every day. 

The racial issues in this book were a little eye opening for me as I've never really dealt with anything like that. It's so sad to see how ignorant and prejudiced people are, I really wish everyone could just get along. As the famous song says: "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight; Jesus loves the little children of the world." If only we could all look past the outward appearance and learn to love what is inside instead . . .can we all try and do that? Thanks. 

The Help - Part 6

Chapter 26

• Ew . . .okay, major spoiler alert here: Minny baked her own poop into a chocolate custard pie and Hilly ate two slices. Gross. Minny did this to get back at Hilly for spreading lies about her and preventing her from getting a new job. Hilly is mean, but I think Minny over-reacted a bit.
• Miss Celia is thankfully getting back to being herself . . .she got out in the yard and chopped down the tree that she hates. I'm glad to see this, I think she's a pretty okay lady, but she was trying way too hard to fit in with Miss Hilly and the "in-crowd".

Chapter 27

• The wait is over, Skeeter finally finds out the truth about what happened to Constantine. Constantine had a daughter who was born with lighter skin and was sent north for her safety. She came back to visit Constantine and made kind of a scene with Skeeter's mom's friends and Skeeter's mom fired Constantine over it. Constantine went to live in the north with her daughter and died soon afterwards. 
• Skeeter's book is finished and mailed to the publisher . . .the waiting game begins. The pie incident was included as "insurance" that whenever anyone tried to speculate where this took place, Hilly would be sure to lie and say it wasn't Jackson, just so no one would find out she was the one who ate the pie. 

Chapter 28

• Skeeter's mom isn't doing so well . . .she has decided her stomach cancer won't kill her though.
• Stewart proposes to Skeeter but when she is honest with him and tells him about the book he leaves and doesn't come back (although he does promise not to tell anyone, so that's good at least, but I really had higher hopes for him). 
• On a happier note, the book will be published :) 

Chapter 29

• Aibileen's church quietly recognized her and Skeeter by signing the book and presenting it to Aibileen . . .I thought that was a really nice gesture.
• Miss Lefolt (Elizabeth) is one of the first white women to buy the book after it get reviewed on TV. Uh oh, Celia knows about the pie, what will happen???

Chapter 30

• The white ladies are all reading the book now, the repercussions can't be far behind. 
• Celia and Mr. Johnny have a talk with Minny and tell her that she can keep her job forever if she wants. Celia told Mr. Johnny about how Minny helped her with the miscarriage and they are both very grateful to her. Leroy (Minny's husband) senses something's up (he is a bad man). 

Okay, wow, I love chocolate custard pie, but that was a nasty story. I'm also really sad that Stewart didn't stand behind Skeeter, but I guess it makes the book a little more realistic because there is not always a fairy tale ending in real life. I'm worried about what is going to happen to the people involved in the book (especially the colored ladies) because I think people are going to figure it out despite Hilly's "insurance". We'll see I guess.

The Help - Part 5

Chapter 21

• Skeeter is depressed after breaking up with Stewart. Hilly won't give her back the Jim Crow law book until Skeeter finally prints the stupid "bathroom initiative" in the Junior League newsletter. 

Chapter 22

• Hilly is really mad at Skeeter for her "typo" in the newsletter. Instead of having people drop off their used coats for the coat drive, Skeeter told people to drop off their used toilets for the initiative and so Hilly's "yard of the year" is covered with a ton of used toilets . . .haha. Serves her right. 
• Trouble is a-brewin' with Hilly, and Aibileen warns Skeeter about it. 

Chapter 23

• Uh oh, the lie about Minny working for Miss Celia has come out . . .things look like they are going to get bad before they get any better. 

Chapter 24

• This chapter contained a weird incident where Miss Celia beat up a creepy peeping Tom . . .he was gross. I'm rather proud of her for that. 
• It seems that Celia doesn't understand the dress code for the upcoming Junior League benefit and ends up looking like a hussy (in the eyes of some of the other ladies anyways).  
• Minny is feeling that both she and Celia are doomed as soon as Hilly has anything to say about it. 

Chapter 25

• Oh Celia. She made such a mess of herself at the Benefit. She got really drunk and made a huge scene and puked in front of everyone. Hilly starts a rumor about Celia that she is a compulsive liar. 
• There is more talk of Minny's pie and what Hilly has to do with it. Hopefully that is explained soon.

Well now that the benefit is over, I have a feeling things are all going to be concluded soon. The benefit felt like the climax of the novel, so now we just have to wait and see where the chips fall, so to speak. I'm getting anxious to finish the book so I can watch the movie. I can't wait to see what Hollywood thinks these ladies look like. Any guesses?

The Help - Part 4

Chapter 16

• Yule May (Miss Hilly's maid) is considering talking to Skeeter for the book, but she's not sure yet. 

Chapter 17

• Very funny incident with a rooster that came into the house to cool off because it was soooooo hot outside. 
• Minny sees Miss Celia drinking some brown liquid (sneaking around trying to hide it from Minny) and believes that she is an alcoholic and that is why she never leaves the house. 
• Minny accuses Miss Celia of this, and Miss Celia fires her, but Aibileen convinces Minny to try and get her job back. 

Chapter 18

• It turns out that thankfully, Miss Celia isn't an alcoholic. The brown stuff she was drinking is "catch tonic" to keep her from miscarrying her baby (which she just did). It was a pretty traumatic scene with a lot of blood. Minny calls the Doctor who is very mean. This was Miss Celia's fourth miscarriage, and she doesn't want to tell Mr. Johnny about it. The poor girl seems very scared and unsure of what to do, I can't even imagine being in her situation. 

Chapter 19

• Yule May had agreed to help Skeeter, but Miss Hilly had her thrown in jail for stealing a cheap ring from Hilly to help pay for her sons' college education. Yule May asked Hilly if she could borrow the money but Hilly wouldn't let her, she said it was for her own good so she could learn to earn things . . .Hilly is so mean. 

Chapter 20

• Skeeter and her parents have dinner with Stewart's family. Skeeter finds out more about Stewart's ex-fiancee and she and Stewart end up breaking up because he won't talk to her about it. Sad day. :( 

Things are not going the way that I had hoped they would. I'm really mad at Hilly for being so mean, and the whole situation with Miss Celia and the miscarriages is pretty difficult. Also, I'm sad that Skeeter and Stewart broke up, I thought they were good for each other. I hope things start to turn around in the next few chapters. 

The Help - Part 3

Chapter 11

• Skeeter finally gets the opportunity to start interviewing Aibileen . . .it doesn't go well (Abilieen is so nervous she throws up), how will they get past this?
• Solution: Aibileen writes down her memoirs and reads them to Skeeter and then Skeeter takes notes on what she hears, it seems to work much better.

Chapter 12

• Skeeter is sneaking around a lot now to get to these interviews, and I'm really worried she is going to get caught and hurt. Minny has agreed to be interviewed now, but two maids is a far cry from the twelve maids that Skeeter needs to interview. 

Chapter 13

• So remember that guy that Miss Hilly set Skeeter up with who was a total sot on their first date and really rude to her? Well, he came and apologized and Skeeter is now kind of dating him. He seems okay, he was just really not ready to start dating before (just like he told Hilly). Skeeter seems to like him quite a bit. 
• Uh oh, Skeeter accidentally left her bag (the one that contained all of her interview notes and a Jim Crow law pamphlet she found at the library) at one of the Junior League meetings and Hilly has it!
• Hilly has gone through Skeeter's bag but luckily didn't see the interview notes. Hilly is on to her though, she won't give the Jim Crow law pamphlet back, and she seems really mad at Skeeter.

Chapter 14

• An important black man, Medgar Evers is shot by the KKK in his front yard in front of his family. How awful. The black people in town are very scared and the white people don't really do anything to help. 

Chapter 15

• Skeeter talks to Hilly and it seems that everything is smoothed over now between them . . .we'll see if that lasts.

Okay, there's another five chapters. Things are really heating up in Mississippi. I'm getting very worried that Skeeter is going to be in big trouble, and it's only a matter of "when", not "if" someone finds out I think. We'll have to wait and see. 

The Help - Part 2

Chapter 6

• Miss Skeeter gets a job writing a house cleaning advice column (Miss Myrna column) in the local newspaper. She has to ask Aibileen about what sort of advice to give because Skeeter doesn't really know anything about cleaning. 
• While talking to Aibileen, Skeeter discovers that Constantine was fired, she didn't quit. This gives Skeeter a new writing idea. 

Chapter 7

• Aibileen works on potty training Mae Mobley, but her progress is halted when Miss Leefolt gets furious over Mae Mobley trying to use Aibileen's separate bathroom. 
• A colored boy was beaten blind for using an unmarked bathroom that his assailants claim was for whites only. This story makes me so sad, it's just unthinkable that people could be so mean to someone over such a small matter. It really makes me question how much good there really is left in this world :( 
• Skeeter really wants to write a book about the households of the South from the point of view of the colored help, but Aibileen warns her of how dangerous it could be for everyone involved. 

Chapter 8

• Skeeter receives encouragement to write her book from a Harper & Row publisher in New York. She first contacted her to get a job, but the lady told her she needed more experience. This book, and writing about something that no one else has written about before, might just be what she needs.
• Skeeter's mom gets some newfangled contraption that makes her hair smooth and shiny . . .just in time for her date with the guy that Miss Hilly has been trying for months to set her up with. 

Chapter 9

• The date goes HORRIBLY. The guy (Stewart) gets really drunk and says he is not ready to start dating again (he had been engaged a few months before this but she broke it off). 
• Aibileen contacts Miss Skeeter and agrees to help her with the book because she is sick of Miss Hilly.

Chapter 10

• Minny meets Mr. Johnny. And lo and behold, he isn't upset that she is there. In fact, he is very glad because he's been eating much better (Miss Celia is an awful cook and Minny is one of the best cooks in town). Funny. 

Five more chapters down. These women are turning out to be real characters (literally). They all have unique personalities, and I think I'm going to enjoy getting to know them. Do you have a favorite character yet? 

The Help - Part 1

In case you are just tuning in, I just finished reading "A Tale of Two Cities" and now I'm on to book number 2 for my novel reading month. The next book I've decided to read is one that I've been hearing/seeing a lot of good things about and therefore, I'm very curious to learn more . . .the book is: "The Help". I'm hoping that many more of you will have read this one and will have comments for me :)

This is quite a switch from "A Tale of Two Cities" to say the least. Not only am I switching settings, the style of writing in this book is very different . . .the "Southern drawl" is going to take a bit of getting used to.

Chapter 1

• We are introduced to Aibileen, the colored help of young Miss Leefolt. Aibileen does all the housework, and also raises Miss Leefolt's daughter, Mae Mobley (what a strange name). Miss Leefolt has a friend named Miss Skeeter who appears to be sympathetic to Aibileen instead of apathetic, like the other white women. 

Chapter 2

• The Leefolts build a separate "colored bathroom" that Aibileen has to use. Segregation is prevalent and the whites are afraid they will catch some dangerous diseases by sharing a bathroom with their colored help. 
• Aibileen tries to help her friend Minny find a job after she is fired from  her previous position.

Chapter 3

• Minny gets a job working for Miss Celia. Aibileen slyly helped her get this job, because no one else will hire Minny after what Miss Hilly (Minny's previous employer) is telling all the ladies in town about Minny.
• While working for Miss Celia, Minny has the funny experience of trying to clean a giant stuffed bear, this was a very humorous section. I like Minny . . .she has spunk.

Chapter 4

• Minny is working in secret for Miss Celia because Miss Celia doesn't want her husband (Mr. Johnny) to know that she needs any help with the housework. This seems strange to me . . .there's something fishy going on here. Do you think Minny will get caught?

Chapter 5

• We learn that Miss Skeeter was raised by her colored maid Constantine and they were very good friends. It turns out that Constantine's father was a white man, but Constantine doesn't really look like it. There are many secrets surrounding why Constantine doesn't work for Miss Skeeter's family anymore. 
• Skeeter wants to be a writer, but her mother wants her to get married, like all the other girls her age. Skeeter was one of the only girls in her circle of friends not to drop out of college to get married, but to continue through graduation. Which path do you think Skeeter will take? 

Well, so far so good. The first few chapters have just been an introduction to the characters and the situation in Mississippi regarding racial tensions. I think I'm finally starting to get used to how this book is written. So, how many of you have read this book or seen the movie?

A Tale of Two Cities Movie Review

This is the version of the movie that I rented from the library: Masterpiece Theatre - A Tale of Two Cities.

• The first thing I noticed about this movie was that it was not following the book in the order it was written, but in chronological order. This is okay, but one of the big surprises at the end of the book is the first thing that the viewer is presented with in the movie (Dr. Manette denounces the Evremonde family in a letter he writes while imprisoned in the Bastille). 
• Lucie is unfortunately was not as pretty as I had pictured her in my head. I'm pretty certain she is supposed to have blond hair, not strawberry-blond curls, but on well. 
• The opening words of the book "It was the best of times, it was the worst of time, etc." are spoken by Mr. Carton when Mr. Stryver tells him about the French Revolution.
• Madame Defarge & Sydney Carton's true characters are much easier to see early on. 
• The son of Lucie & Charles was not mentioned, nor was the fact that both children loved Mr. Carton.
• The ending was not quite as complete as the book, and I was disappointed at the omission of the descendant of Charles & Lucie who was named Sydney and how he had a wonderful reputation and learned about the brave things his namesake had done. 
• Overall it was a pretty good rendition, but as is almost always the case, the book was better :) 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my journey through "A Tale of Two Cities" . . .how has your reading been going? 

A Tale of Two Cities - Part 10

Chapter 11

• Dr. Manette is going to try and help Charles, but the situation looks very bleak. Mr. Carton is very involved in the situation (observing and helping Lucie mainly). When Lucie faints, he kisses her, and says "A life you love" . . .what do you think that meant? I have no idea. Perhaps he was saying that was his gift to her?

Chapter 12

• It seems Dr. M. has gone a little crazy again, mostly because of his grief over not being able to save Charles like he so desperately wants to. 
• Mr. Carton does a little reconnaissance and discovers that Madame Defarge is the sister of the peasant family that was so mistreated by the Marquis and his brother (the mistreatment that lead Dr. M. to denounce all the Evremonde family). This explains why she is so eager for revenge on Charles, Lucie, and little Lucie. 
• Mr. Carton arranges his escape with Mr. Lorry, but I feel he didn't tell Mr. Lorry the real story.

Chapter 13

• Mr. Carton visits Charles in prison and gets him to switch some clothes with him, then knocks him out and has him carried out of the prison pretending that the man leaving is Mr. Carton (with the help of John Barsad in exchange for Mr. Carton keeping his secret). 
• There is a brave little seamstress who is scheduled to be executed with Charles . . .she realizes that Mr. Carton has switched places with Charles, but she won't tell anyone.
• The Manette family (& Mr. Lorry) heads out of town, WITH Charles. 

Chapter 14

• Miss Pross and Madame Defarge have a showdown. Madame Defarge accidentally gets shot in the scuffle and dies!!! (Miss Pross is deaf because of the shot, but at least she saved the Manettes). 
• Miss Pross and Mr. Cruncher (Jerry) get away on a cart following the Manette family.
• I have finished my reading time for today (~1 hour), but I have to finish . . .I have to know how this ends)!

 Chapter 15

• More Biblical references here, and interestingly enough, Sydney Carton dies in the place of Charles Darnay at 3 in the afternoon, about the same time that Jesus died on the cross . . .was Dickens trying to make some connections there? I'm not saying Sydney Carton is anywhere close to Jesus, but it is interesting how Sydney showed a much more religious side of himself in the days before his death. 
• I'm SO happy that it ended like I thought it should. Who knew Sydney would be the hero?!?
• The Ganache Queen was right about the first and last paragraphs of the book . . .they are very good. Perhaps Dickens has been restored to my good graces :) 

Well, it had a relatively happy ending . . .who would have thought, after all the tumult and bloodshed of this book. Did you enjoy the story? I rented the movie from the library, so I'll let you know how the film portrayal is. Any closing thoughts on "A Tale of Two Cities"? I can't believe I didn't know anything about the characters or plot line of this story before . . .I feel a little more cultured now, and I always feel good after making it through a classic. Good stuff :) 

A Tale of Two Cities - Part 9

Chapter 6

• I'm really starting to get into this book now, but I fear the ending won't be a happy one (and I really only like happy endings). 
• This chapter is at least a happy oasis in the story, Charles has been set free thanks to Dr. Manette and is safely at their Paris home with his family.

Chapter 7

• I knew it . . .the Defarges accused Charles of something, and back to prison he goes :( 

Chapter 8

• Finally, we get to meet Miss Pross' brother Solomon (she claims he was the only man good enough to marry Lucie, although the reader is told that he is really a good-for-nothing). 
• Mr. Cruncher (Jerry) was brought to Paris to assist Mr. Lorry and he recognizes Solomon and Mr. Carton . . .who knew he was going to show up! . . .ID's Solomon as John Barsad, one of the men who falsely accused Charles in the beginning of the book.
• As it turns out, John Barsad is still working with Cly (the man who had that riotous funeral back in England . . .the "Bailey Spy"). Jerry knows Cly isn't dead because he tried to grave rob his casket and found that Cly wasn't in it. Mr. Carton is shrewd and can use this information against John Barsad (ooo, blackmail) . . .he has a plan. 

Chapter 9

• I fear I might know what Mr. Carton's grand plan is, that he will try and pass himself off as Charles to get Charles freed to be with his family. I didn't like Mr. Carton before, but now I kind of do, he seems very smart. 
• Mr. Carton buys some chemicals that are dangerous when mixed . . .I wonder what they could be (I really should know this). 
• Mr. Carton quotes the Bible, John 11:25-26 (KJV): "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." That makes me like him even more :)
• It is claimed that Dr. M. has denounced Charles in a letter that he wrote while he was imprisoned in the Bastille (what Defarge was searching for after the storming of the Bastille . . .I guess he found what he was looking for after all). :S

Chapter 10

• Dr. Manette's letter denounce everyone in the Marquis' family for horrible treatment of a peasant family when Charles was only 2 years old. 
• Because of this, Charles is sentenced to death :(

Oh no! What is going to happen now? I can only imagine what Dr. M. was feeling at this time, I'm sure he didn't regret denouncing the Marquis and his brother as they truly had done horrible things, but that he denounced all the Evremonde (Charles' true last name) family, he is surely regretting now. How this will hurt his precious daughter . . .what would you do if you were in Dr. M.'s shoes? 

A Tale of Two Cities - Part 8

Chapter 1

• Charles goes to France and is immediately arrested because he is an aristocratic emigrant . . .not a surprise. The fact that Defarge is in charge and knows Dr. Manette and Charles' relationship to him might help, but for now it looks pretty bleak.
• Charles realizes that he shouldn't have come to France . . .DUH. He is now in solitary confinement (or "in secret" as they call it) and it sounds like he is going a little crazy, not unlike his dear father-in-law, Dr. Manette.
• This is the first chapter that I've read that I actually talked about what was going on in this book to my husband. I wasn't that into it before I guess, but now Charles is just being stupid and I had to talk about it to somebody!

Chapter 2

• Patriots in Paris begin murdering the prisoners. Dr. M. and Lucie (and little Lucie and Miss Pross) come to Paris searching for Charles. Dr. M. is a hero since he was unjustly imprisoned in the Bastille all those years ago, so he has some leverage and goes to see if he can help Charles. 

Chapter 3

• The Defarges visit Mr. Lorry and Lucie . . .this was a very dark scene, very foreboding. It is becoming apparent that Madame Defarge does not have any sympathy for Lucie's situation. Dr. M. visits Charles who is okay, but still imprisoned.

Chapter 4

• The times are bad in France, many people are dying (especially by their new favorite tool, the guillotine). About one year has passed, and Dr. Manette is safe, but Charles is still in prison. 

Chapter 5

• Lucie sees the citizens of Paris dance the Carmagnole. It is described as a sort of scary death dance in the book. You can see a video of it here: Carmagnole Dance (you have to skip ahead to 1:25 to see them start dancing, but it doesn't look scary to me). Personally, I doubt the had the May Pole thing while dancing through the streets of Paris, so I'm sure what Dickens was describing was a bit different, but that was the only video I could find . . .sorry. 
• Charles will have his trial tomorrow.

Things are getting much more serious in this book now. I have hope that Dr. M. will be able to get Charles freed, but then what . . .there is a lot more book to go, what could be in store for our fool-hardy hero and his beloved family? 

A Tale of Two Cities - Part 7

Chapter 21

• Fast forward through Charles and Lucie's early years of marriage: They have a daughter (Little Lucie) and a son, and interestingly, the kids both love Mr. Carton. The boy dies, but he is brave and his death isn't a completely sad event. 
• The storming of the Bastille takes places in France lead by the Defarges. Madame Defarge gets a little crazy and beheads the man in charge of the Bastille with an axe. 
• Monsieur Defarge searches the Bastille for 105 North Tower (the place where Dr. Manette was unjustly imprisoned for a very long time), but it doesn't seem that he finds what he is looking for after tearing the place apart. 

Chapter 22

• I can't get Les Mis music out of my head after the Revolution has started. "Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men, it is the music of a people who will not be slaves again . . ." (See a great version of it here: "Do You Hear The People Sing"). 
• Another thought . . .mobs are scary! Not quite a riot, but they captured and killed a man who had been apathetic to their starvation (he said, "let them eat grass") . . .gross.

Chapter 23

• The residents of the town of the Marquis set his chateau on fire. There is similar unrest and burning throughout the countryside of France.

Chapter 24

• I was confronted with more things I had no idea what Dickens was talking about again. First of all, Sardanapalus, who or what is that? The book talks of the French upper-class as having Sardanapalus's luxury . . .so who is Sardanapalus? Answer: supposedly the last king of Assyria who was world-renown for his life of luxury and self-indulgence. Well, that answers that question. Next, what is a lodestone? It is stated that Charles is drawn to Paris as to a lodestone rock. A lodestone is a naturally magnetic stone that was used as a primitive compass . . .cool huh? 
• Charles is determined to go to Paris . . .this can't go well, but he must go to protect his servant who worked at the Marquis chateau who who has now been thrown into prison.

Thus ends the second section of "A Tale of Two Cities". What do you think is going to happen next? 

A Tale of Two Cities - Part 6

Chapter 16

• Now that the Marquis is dead, Charles Darnay is the new Marquis. He doesn't want this role which is why he emigrated to England, and the Defarges hope he stays in England as the nobility will suffer in the impending Revolution. 
• A spy visits the Defarge's wine shop . . .Madame Defarge keeps kitting (recording things).

Chapter 17

• It's the night before Lucie's wedding to Charles, and she spends a last night alone with her father. They have a really close relationship, but I think it's weird that she creeps into his room at night and kisses him on the lips. (George Bailey kisses his mom on the lips before he goes off to talk to his future wife in "It's A Wonderful Life" too . . .am I strange for thinking that's weird? Did that happen a lot more often back then?)

Chapter 18

• I was really worried that something would happen before Lucie and Charles could go through with the wedding, but I'm happy to announce that they successfully got married! It is apparent that Dr. Manette was affected by Charles' admission of his true name though (Darnay is similar to his mother's last name . . .he adopted it so he wouldn't be tied to the Marquis' family that he was trying to escape). 
• Dr. Manette lapses back into shoe-making :( 

Chapter 19

• Dr. Manette miraculously recovers after nine days, during which time Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross had no idea what to do to help him. 
• Dr. Manette doesn't remember anything he did during those days, but Mr. Lorry talks him through it and convinces him it is for the best to destroy the shoe-making equipment to try and help Dr. M from going back to it again. It's strange how attached Dr. M is to it, almost like an addiction, he has to keep it around "just in case", even though he knows that it is bad for him. 
• Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross destroy the shoe-making supplies while Dr. Manette joins Lucie and Charles on the second leg of their honeymoon.

Chapter 20

• Mr. Carton visits and asks to be able to freely come and go at the Manette residence. Charles agrees but doesn't like the idea. Lucie tells Charles to be nice to Mr. Carton, but won't say why. I'm glad Charles trusts her enough to comply. 

I'm so glad that the wedding went off without a hitch (hmm, that doesn't seem like quite the right phrasing considering getting married is referred to as getting "hitched" . . .oh well). Now at least Charles and Lucie have each other, no matter what else happens. I'm very curious as to what Charles' family secrets are though . . .any predictions? 

A Tale of Two Cities - Part 5

Chapter 11

• Uh oh, two guys are after Lucie now. Mr. Darnay is a bit shady, but I definitely like him better than Mr. Stryver. Should we turn this into a "Twilight-esque" battle? "Team Darnay" vs. "Team Stryver"? Who would you root for?

Chapter 12

• Whew, I'm glad Mr. Lorry talked Mr. Stryver out of trying to marry Lucie. Mr. Lorry seems to know what's what, and he did a good job standing up for Lucie. I'm a little afraid Mr. Stryver will try and do something mean with all the power and influence he has now . . .I sure hope not. 

Chapter 13

• Wow, I did not expect perfect honesty and a declaration of love for Lucie from Mr. Carton, of all people. It reminds me (dare I say) of when Mr. Darcy proclaims his love for Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. It's nice to know that Lucie will have someone to help her in the future . . .I have a feeling she'll need it.

Chapter 14

• Riotous funeral procession of the Bailey Spy, Roger Cly (The Bailey is the courthouse). The man who died was one of the men who was accusing Darnay during his trial at the beginning of the book. 
• Jerry Cruncher (the messenger man) is weirdly nervous about his wife "flopping" aka praying against him, even though she says she is praying for him.
• I'm really disliking Jerry Cruncher now too. He treats his wife horribly! I feel so bad for her. It seems Jerry is a grave robber of sorts? It is too bad that young Jerry (his son) looks up to him so much. 

Chapter 15

• OOO! Madame Defarge's kitting is a code . . .how cool. I can't wait to watch the movie to see how they depict her recording things in her knitting.
• I guess the man who murdered the Marquis is the father of the boy the Marquis killed with his carriage, not a big surprise there. The father is hanged for his crime, and the "Jacques" meet to discuss it.

The book went along so regularly for many chapters, and then BAM, three chapters in a row of declarations of love for Lucie. It seems kind of odd, but now we know the true feelings of some more of the characters. What I am most interested in is finding out what Madame Defarge's kitting code is all about. What strikes you as the most interesting thing in these chapters? 

A Tale of Two Cities - Part 4

Chapter 6

• Mr. Lorry goes to visit the Manettes. Miss Pross (the "wild red woman", I'm glad she showed up again) reminds me of Dixon, the maid of the Hale family in "North and South", a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell. If you haven't read that . . .you should. It's similar to "Pride and Prejudice", I think, but it is so good. And then, go watch the BBC miniseries: North and South, one of my favorites :) 
• Both Mr. Carton and Mr. Darnay come to visit as well . . .this is starting to get interesting. 

Chapter 7

• Very sleepy again tonight, and I can't say this chapter helped keep me awake. I was very confused by the whole "Monseigneur" thing, I don't know enough French to know how that title is different from "Monsieur" . . .anybody know? 
• Ooo . . .the Marquis seems like a horrible man. He ran over a child with his carriage and tries to pay off the father to appease him. Obviously this Marquis guy has no kids or cares very little for his "subjects". 
• Defarge tried to calm the father down so the Marquis gave him some money too, but the money was thrown back into the carriage, but we don't know who threw it, Defarge disappears, and Madame Defarge finally is described as "looking" instead of "seeing nothing" as she was described before. 
• "Time and tide waited for no man . . .", that line sounds familiar, I didn't know it came from here. 

Chapter 8

• This chapter describes the utter poverty in the town where the Marquis lives. It seems that there was a "spectre" (a man perhaps) under that Marquis' coach . . .what in the world? 
• The Marquis says he is expecting "Charles", I hope Mr. Charles Darnay is not who he is referring to . . .I would not want him associating with such an awful  man.

Chapter 9

• Alas, it is Charles Darnay that shows up. It turns out he is the nephew of the Marquis. 
• The  Marquis is murdered in his bed . . .by whom? The "spectre" perhaps? The scene of this night was very detailed, but I'm not entirely certain what happened. 

Chapter 10

• Yay, finally a love story :) I've been waiting to figure out who the "good guys" are and looking for someone to relate to. This is more my kind of plot now :) 

In just a few short chapters, a lot has happened. The book is finally starting to be interesting to me, but I must say I'm an still pretty confused as to what is going on. Anyone else feel the same way? Anything you'd like to see me write more or less about? 

A Tale of Two Cities - Part 3

Book 2 ("A Tale of Two Cities" is divided into 3 smaller books and the chapter numbers start over again here)

Chapter 1

• The times are described as the "triumphant perfection of inconvenience" . . .does that sound familiar to you? It seems like an apt description for our time as well. 
• I can honestly say I've never heard of anyone who thought that the A.D. in 1780 A.D. stood for "Anna Dominoes" before. I don't know who he thought she was or why she was so important, but I find that pretty funny. Mr. Dickens has a sense of humor after all.

Chapter 2

• Wow, the description of the punishment for treason was really gruesome. I don't want to record all of what was listed, but there was parts about ripping insides out and burning them and chopping heads off, ick, it really sounds awful. 
• The Manettes (Dr. Manette seems to have recovered his sound mind) are at this trial for some reason, the accused is a 25 year old man. They are there as witnesses against him . . .hmm.

Chapter 3

• The trial takes place, and the prisoner, Mr. Darnay, is acquitted because one of the lawyers,  Mr. Carton, has a striking resemblance to him. Hooray for reasonable doubt. I don't know much about these people yet, but if Miss Manette wants to see Mr. Darnay not harmed, then I feel that this is a good thing. 
• I just realized that the messenger named Jerry who delivered Mr. Lorry's message during that strange stagecoach incident is the same man who is the messenger for Mr. Lorry at the trial. I didn't think we'd hear from him again. 

Chapter 4

• Perhaps it is too soon in the book to decide to dislike to someone, but I don't like or trust Mr. Carton. Sure, he managed to get Mr. Darnay acquitted, but he hates Mr. Darnay and seems jealous that Lucie (Miss Manette) pitied Mr. Darnay and paid no attention to him. I hope he doesn't cause any trouble.

Chapter 5

• "Botheration" . . .what a fun word.
• I can't quite make out Mr. Carton or what is going on with him . . .he seems like a very strange man.

Readers, any feedback on these next five chapters? When I sat down to read "A Tale of Two Cities", other than the opening line, I hadn't even the vaguest idea of characters or plot line of this story . . .are you in the same boat? Did you have to read this in school perhaps? Let me know!

A Tale of Two Cities - Part 2

Chapter 1

• Although I thought I got into the "Classical" mindset while reading the preface, I'm finding that I have to read each sentence twice quite often to fully grasp what Dickens is saying. Sentences were much more complex back then. 
• I liked his interesting comparison as Fate being a Woodsman and Death being a Farmer . . .those two things are not usually personified.
• My friend really likes the first and last sentences of the book (the famous "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, etc.), but I really like the last paragraph of the first chapter. The stage is set for the characters, and now they all must continue "along the roads that lay before them" . . .an interesting take on life.

Chapter 2

• Curious incident occurs with a stage coach . . .the suspense is building. I'm realizing how much I've missed reading and how many details, details that your eye easily overlooks in a movie, are brought to your attention in the book. It really helps paint a mind-picture, which I like.

Chapter 3

• My eyes are getting very heavy by this time. I am really tired from all that cake making, working all day, and having a 3 hour long meeting after that. I need to remember to start reading earlier at night. 
• Wow . . .has this man that they are talking about really been buried alive for 18 years? That sounds so scary. And how in the world does an unassuming banker get involved in something like that?

Chapter 4

• Mr. Lorry has breakfast and meets up with Miss Manette. I enjoyed the funny encounter with the "wild-looking" red woman. Mr. Lorry says, "I really think this must be a man!". I can only imagine what she looks like. It seems she is going to France with them too, I look forward to reading more about her. 

Chapter 5

• This was kind of a gross chapter that described how the common people were using any means possible to drink some wine that had spilled in the street. I know alcohol kills germs, but still . . .gross.  I think it is foreshadowing all of the blood that will soon be flowing in the streets of Paris. This impromptu party will soon be over. 
• I do feel sorry for the poor people of Saint Antoine though. The book describes them as prematurely aging because they are all so hungry. I can't imagine living like that and feel very blessed when I think of all the things I have and that I've never known hunger like that. 
• Monsieur Defarge is introduced . . .I don't really understand why everyone is called Jacques though . . .some kind of inside joke?
• It turns out that Defarge is keeping Miss Manette's father secured in an upper room . . .he has kind of gone crazy and lives along making shoes. What will become of him? I'm glad he has been reunited with his daughter at least. 
• Madame Defarge is introduced as well . . .she is described as always knitting and seeing nothing, but she always seems to know what's going on. Perhaps she just has very good ears? She seems like an interesting character, I wonder what her role is in this story. 

Well, there you have it readers, the first five chapters. You're going to go and start reading now so you can answer some of my questions for me, right? :) 

A Tale of Two Cities - Part 1

A Tale of Two Cities

The book I've decided to start with is "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. The only reason I picked this one first is that my friend (the Ganache Queen) lent it to me a while ago and I feel I should read it so I can finally give it back to her. Since having to read "Great Expectations" in high school, I really have had no desire to read anything else that Dickens wrote, but she says this is her favorite book, so I will trust her and try to read it. I know that when I was reading the book that is now my favorite ("Jane Eyre") I almost put it down halfway through because I was so bored . . .classics will do that to you. But by the time I got to the end, I was crying while I read the ending, so I'm very glad I persevered. Hopefully this one won't be quite the same, but I won't hold my breath.

To start with, I skipped the introduction, because if you haven't read the book before, the writer is fairly certain to have included plenty of spoilers in it. I did read the preface however, and was confronted with many questions. First of all, who is this Lord John Russell that the book is dedicated to? Answer: A man who was an English Liberal politician and served two terms as the Prime Minister of the UK in the middle of the 19th century. His home, Pembroke Lodge, is interestingly only about 4 miles from where I lived when I studied abroad in England :) Dickens dedicated the book to him, "In remembrance of many public services and private kindnesses" . . .it really makes me wonder what happened between them, because I think someone has to be pretty special to you for you to dedicate a book to them, especially one as epic as "A Tale of Two Cities".

Dickens also refers to "Mr. Carlyle's wonderful book" . . .I had no idea what book that was, so I looked it up. It was "The French Revolution" written by Thomas Carlyle, published in 1837. I guess Dickens used it as a reference for much of the information in his book. At any rate, hearing all of this about the French Revolution started the Les Miserables music playing in my mind and reading the language of the preface got me into the "classical" mindset. I guess it's time to dive into the book. 

March Reveal

First of all, let me apologize to my readers for being so behind in my blog writing. I've been so busy lately and while I've been keeping up with my tasks, I haven't been very good at keeping you informed and up to date. That being said, if you paid attention to my last Cake Madness post, you have probably already guessed what my challenge is for the month of March :)

After being so exhausted from the rock climbing and time-consuming cake baking, I decided I really needed something a little easier and a little more "for me" this month. If you had known me before I went to college, you would have known how much I love reading. I have always been a book-worm. My mom has told me that one of my favorite phrases as a child was "Read Mommy, read". That being said, I wanted to get back into it, and set aside some time every day, 45 minutes to an hour, to sit down and read a book. Preferably one from my growing collection on my bedside stand.

Initially I wanted to read for 45 minutes and blog for 15 so I didn't get so behind, but as you know, that didn't happen (sorry again). So I generally have been reading for about an hour each day. Now that you know what I've been up to, let me dive and and fill in the details for you. If you haven't read the books, I'll warn you I might talk about plot details (spoilers) so be aware of that. But if you have read the book, or seen the movie, or would like to read the book now and comment on what I've been reading, please do. Or maybe you'd like to read a different book and fill me in on what you are reading too, that would be great. At the end of every book I read (as applicable) I plan to watch the movie and do a brief movie review as well, I think that will be fun.

So, here we go!

Cake Madness - Cake Survey Results

Since the vast majority of my cakes ended up at my workplace and I left out a comment jar every day, I thought it would be fitting to let my coworkers vote on their favorite cakes at the end of the month. Here are the Survey Sheets that I made to remind them of each cake:

I asked people to cast a vote for their favorites in taste and appearance (there are only 21 cakes since the weekend cakes were not included in this survey):

 The adorable Dragon Cake won Best in Show for Appearance, not too much of a surprise there :) The scrollwork mint chocolate cake was a close second though.

In the taste category, we have a tie - the Boston Cream Pie "Cake" is evenly matched with the Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake (although I feel the Mousse Cake had the unfair advantage of being fresher in everyone's memory). 

Thank you to everyone who voted. Here's one more look at the most memorable cakes of the Month of Cake Madness:

The lovable Dragon Cake

"Heaven in a bowl" Boston Cream Pie Cake

Extravagant Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

And the final comments on this month:

• I never got to taste or see any of your famous cakes so I was thrilled to see these pictures. You are so talented - how cool. Those look absolutely awesome. I hope you had fun doing it. 
• I see I missed a lot of good ones there. Congratulations for making it through the month.
• I love the blog and am willing to be a sponsor/tester any time . . .
• Thank you again for doing this! It made the month of February much more fun this winter. It was very hard to pick my favorites. (This type of reaction is exactly what I was going for with this cake challenge . . .I'm so glad I made someone's dreary winter a little bit happier) :) 
• Now we all have to wean ourselves of the cake-a-day diet. Seriously though good job! And do you do wedding cakes? :P (To the anonymous comment-er:  Sure, I'd make a wedding cake, I'm so glad you have that much faith in my cake baking skills). 
• Choosing perfection among perfection is very difficult.
• Thanks so much for the month long treat. Can you recommend a good addiction counseling service?
• Turn into a 60 or 90 day challenge :) 
• I only tasted ~ 2/3 of them, but all were good - some great!
• All in all - wonderful job :) 
• Thanks for the great cakes
• Great job on all the cakes!
• So what is your next challenge?

Good question . . . I think this final comment about Cake Madness month might be the perfect lead-in to my March Challenge :

• It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . .