You're the insiduous type - Jane Eyre with a touch of Becky Sharp. A thoroughly dangerous girl.
Day 05 - A book that makes you happy
Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. Reasons this book makes me happy: (1) It's by the lady who wrote The Hundred and One Dalmatians (2) I'm partial to first-person narrators, and Cassandra is among the easiest to identify/sympathize with ever (3) they made a movie out of this with Romola Garai and Rose Byrne (4) the "beautiful" sister and the "plain" sister have a realistic relationship (5) they also, at one point before going to bed, have a Jane Austen vs. Charlotte Brontë discussion.
Also, Stephen. Stephen is the cook's son. He's apparently built like a latter-day Adonis and he's in love with one of the sisters. Guess which sister? (Hint: It's not the pretty one.) Lest you think that's the tackiest bit, they also live in a castle with their eccentric writer father and New Agey stepmother, and the entire family is penniless. Enter rich American neighbors - naturally, a pair of single/unattached brothers. There is ~drama. I was being tongue in cheek earlier but really, this book makes me melt into a puddle of goo. I got Austen vibes from page 1 but you know, Austen has never made me so happy. Thinky, yes. Happy, no. Your mileage may vary.
Stephen's plight tugs at my heartstrings because I always feel bad for the sucker at the other end of the unrequited love storyline, and plus his character is not as wooden as it could have been. In contrast, Cassandra sometimes gets on my nerves not for anything she does but just by virtue of who she is - the plucky heroine with literary ambitions and no marriage prospects who lives in the shadow of her drop-dead gorgeous sister - my knee-jerk reaction is "I don't need another Jo March, thanks." But Cassandra is impossible not to love. She's intelligent; not just book-smart but people-smart, she possesses a kind of emotional acuity that I can only envy, and she is fiercely protective of and generous with her (ever-expanding circle of) loved ones. What's not to love?
This book makes me happy because it's comfortable. The characters, the tropes, the romance, we've seen it all before. (Well, maybe not the scene where they dye the curtains green and wear them as dresses because they've no money for new clothes.) There's the obligatory walking-in-on-the-bath scene, the overheard marriage proposal scene, the rich relative dies and leaves our girls something in his/her will scene. It's fun and funny and well-written and it's a wonderful coming-of-age story, and the strong female protagonist makes a lot of decisions that I'm quite proud of her for, and the romance is affecting without being cloying. *goes to happyplace*
Day 01 - Best book you read last year - Joe Abercrombie, Best Served Cold.
Day 02 - A book that you've read more than 3 times - Garth Nix, Sabriel
Day 03 - Your favorite series - George R.R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire
Day 04 - Favorite book of your favorite series - George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords
Day 05 - A book that makes you happy - Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle
Day 06 - A book that makes you sad
Day 07 - Most underrated book
Day 08 - Most overrated book
Day 09 - A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 10 - Favorite classic book
Day 11 - A book you hated
Day 12 - A book you used to love but don't anymore
Day 13 - Your favorite writer
Day 14 - Favorite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 - Favorite male character
Day 16 - Favorite female character
Day 17 - Favorite quote from your favorite book
Day 18 - A book that disappointed you
Day 19 - Favorite book turned into a movie
Day 20 - Favorite romance book
Day 21 - Favorite book from your childhood
Day 22 - Favorite book you own
Day 23 - A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven't
Day 24 - A book that you wish more people would've read
Day 25 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 - A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 - The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 - Favorite title
Day 29 - A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 - Your favorite book of all time
Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. Reasons this book makes me happy: (1) It's by the lady who wrote The Hundred and One Dalmatians (2) I'm partial to first-person narrators, and Cassandra is among the easiest to identify/sympathize with ever (3) they made a movie out of this with Romola Garai and Rose Byrne (4) the "beautiful" sister and the "plain" sister have a realistic relationship (5) they also, at one point before going to bed, have a Jane Austen vs. Charlotte Brontë discussion.
Also, Stephen. Stephen is the cook's son. He's apparently built like a latter-day Adonis and he's in love with one of the sisters. Guess which sister? (Hint: It's not the pretty one.) Lest you think that's the tackiest bit, they also live in a castle with their eccentric writer father and New Agey stepmother, and the entire family is penniless. Enter rich American neighbors - naturally, a pair of single/unattached brothers. There is ~drama. I was being tongue in cheek earlier but really, this book makes me melt into a puddle of goo. I got Austen vibes from page 1 but you know, Austen has never made me so happy. Thinky, yes. Happy, no. Your mileage may vary.
Stephen's plight tugs at my heartstrings because I always feel bad for the sucker at the other end of the unrequited love storyline, and plus his character is not as wooden as it could have been. In contrast, Cassandra sometimes gets on my nerves not for anything she does but just by virtue of who she is - the plucky heroine with literary ambitions and no marriage prospects who lives in the shadow of her drop-dead gorgeous sister - my knee-jerk reaction is "I don't need another Jo March, thanks." But Cassandra is impossible not to love. She's intelligent; not just book-smart but people-smart, she possesses a kind of emotional acuity that I can only envy, and she is fiercely protective of and generous with her (ever-expanding circle of) loved ones. What's not to love?
This book makes me happy because it's comfortable. The characters, the tropes, the romance, we've seen it all before. (Well, maybe not the scene where they dye the curtains green and wear them as dresses because they've no money for new clothes.) There's the obligatory walking-in-on-the-bath scene, the overheard marriage proposal scene, the rich relative dies and leaves our girls something in his/her will scene. It's fun and funny and well-written and it's a wonderful coming-of-age story, and the strong female protagonist makes a lot of decisions that I'm quite proud of her for, and the romance is affecting without being cloying. *goes to happyplace*
Day 01 - Best book you read last year - Joe Abercrombie, Best Served Cold.
Day 02 - A book that you've read more than 3 times - Garth Nix, Sabriel
Day 03 - Your favorite series - George R.R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire
Day 04 - Favorite book of your favorite series - George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords
Day 05 - A book that makes you happy - Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle
Day 06 - A book that makes you sad
Day 07 - Most underrated book
Day 08 - Most overrated book
Day 09 - A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 10 - Favorite classic book
Day 11 - A book you hated
Day 12 - A book you used to love but don't anymore
Day 13 - Your favorite writer
Day 14 - Favorite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 - Favorite male character
Day 16 - Favorite female character
Day 17 - Favorite quote from your favorite book
Day 18 - A book that disappointed you
Day 19 - Favorite book turned into a movie
Day 20 - Favorite romance book
Day 21 - Favorite book from your childhood
Day 22 - Favorite book you own
Day 23 - A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven't
Day 24 - A book that you wish more people would've read
Day 25 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 - A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 - The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 - Favorite title
Day 29 - A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 - Your favorite book of all time