Wednesday, July 17, 2013

“my misery is reaching epidemic proportions.”

Posted by Staci T

It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritualworld—lead to?
After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware of her magical powers andability to see into the spirit world.

It’s the end of the year, and Gemma’s looking forward to living it up in London. Balls, fancy gowns and dancing with the handsome Simon Middleton beckon. Best of all, it’s time away from Spence Academy—and from the Realms.
But the lure of the enchanted world is strong, and the magic flows freely. Gemma’s visions intensify—visions of three girls dressed in white, suffering horror and menace. Clearly, all is not well in the Realms—or out of them.
Set against the backdrop of Victorian London, a place of shadows and light, in a time of strict morality and barely repressed sensuality, this compelling gothic sequel reveals that inside great beauty can lie a rebel angel…

It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father alaudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds.
The Order—the mysterious group her mother was once part of—is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence’s burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.

the gemma doyle trilogy

“Shall I tell you a story? A new and terrible one? A ghost story? Are you ready? Shall I begin? Once upon a time there were four girls. One was pretty. One was clever. One charming, and one...one was mysterious. But they were all damaged, you see. Something not right about the lot of them. Bad blood. Big dreams. Oh, I left that part out. Sorry, that should have come before. They were all dreamers, these girls. One by one, night after night, the girls came together. And they sinned. Do you know what that sin was? No one? Pippa? Ann? Their sin was that they believed. Believed they could be different. Special. They believed they could change what they were--damaged, unloved. Cast-off things. They would be alive, adored, needed. Necessary. But it wasn't true. This is a ghost story remember? A tragedy. They were misled. Betrayed by their own stupid hopes. Things couldn't be different for them, because they weren't special after all. So life took them, led them, and they went along, you see? They faded before their own eyes, till they were nothing more than living ghosts, haunting each other with what could be. With what can't be. There, now. Isn't that the scariest story you've ever heard?”

“there are no safe choices. only other choices.”

all in all i would have to give this trilogy 3 and half stars with the first two books getting four stars and the last one getting 3 stars...

i enjoyed the time period alot and loved the gothic setting and the spence academy for girls...
it had a cool creepiness that i love in books like this.

it reminded me alot of
"the fallen series"
that we read last fall...

thanks penny for the recommendation...
it was alot of fun:)

bye...
more later...

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

"i play detective. you play lady in distress."

Posted by Staci T

a shy san francisco librarian and a bumbling cop fall in love as they solve a crime involving albinos, dwarves, and the catholic church.

this movie is so much fun and

goldie hawn

is adorable!

i remember when i first saw this movie and i loved her hair:)

cindy, robyn, dallys, penny

you will remember this one:)

nasty deed indeed!

When, unbeknownst to Gloria, a microfilm cassette is left with her by a dying agent, she becomes entangled in a complicated series of events. She's pursued by a dwarf and an albino, and becomes convinced that they are out to kill her. Finally, with the help of San Francisco detective Tony Carlson, she begins to turn the tables on her pursuers. It becomes clear that the nerfarious crew after her are plotting a dastardly deed indeed - to assassinate the Pope as he visits the city to see _The Mikado_. Gloria and Tony must race against time to prevent this terrible crime.

hope you all are having a great summer...

i have been busy, busy, busy and terrible at blogging:(

i have been reading though...

i will do better...

however, i know most of you have been busy also!

so carry on:)

bye...

more later...

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

"my heros have always been cowboys"

Posted by Staci T

"and they still are it seems."

:)

~~~~

the electric horseman

this movie came out when i was in st. george going to college...

it was filmed there so it was really fun to see it then...

it brings back memories:)

it's been on

the turner movie classic network

and

the retro channel

also on netflix

robert redford and jane fonda

"the kind of story that excited them in 1979 was this comedy-western-romance about former rodeo champion sonny steele, hired by a cereal company to be its spokesperson. decked out in a cowboy outfit covered in lights, sonny is supposed to hawk the product during a special las vegas appearance, but when he finds out the champion horse he's riding is being drugged by the corporation, he rides off the stage and into the desert, where he plans to free the horse. hot on his trail is reporter alice "hallie" martin, who catches up with steele on the run, falls in love with him, and aids him in his mission when the evil food conglomerate comes gunning for him."

taken from turner classic movies

i thought he was so gorgeous...

"You're all bent. Are you sick?

Nope. Just bent."

bye...

more later...

for your viewing pleasure:)

the growing boys...

benny blue and baby jack

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

cheeks and toes:)

Posted by Staci T

i cannot get enough of these yummy babes...

they make me excited for every single day!

bye...

more later...

"you're crazy. you oughta be locked up."

Posted by Staci T

The Great Escape

Based on a true story, a group of allied escape artist type prisoners of war are all put in an 'escape proof' camp. Their leader decides to try to take out several hundred escapees all at once. The first half of the film is played for comedy as the prisoners mostly outwit their jailers to dig the escape tunnel. The second half is high adventure as they use boats and trains and planes to get out of occupied Europe.

this is definetly a fun guys movie...

In 1942, the Germans have built what they consider an escape-proof POW camp where they plan to house all the problem POWs, i.e. those that have made multiple escape attempts in the past. What the Germans don't realize is that they've put all the best escape minds in one location. If they can't escape, these POWs believe it is their military duty to make the enemy place as much effort into their confinement as possible to divert them from other war related pursuits. Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Bartlett plans not just a one or two man escape at a time like most escape attempts in the past have been, but a massive escape of two hundred fifty men through a series of tunnels - if one tunnel is found, they can focus on the others. Each escapee will be provided with a complete set of forged documents and standard clothing. With their reputations preceding them, each POW is assigned a specific task in carrying out the plan. Somewhat outside of the plot are Captain Hilts and Flying Officer Ives - who spent their first thirty days in camp in the cooler together - they who are unofficially assigned as the decoys who will make more rudimentary escape attempts. They ask Hilts to make a more serious task of reconnaissance of the local town if he ever does successfully escape, which of course means his recapture to bring the information back into camp and more time in the cooler. Beyond basic logistical problems and the Germans finding out what's going on, they have potential problems in certain POWs who may become liabilities dealing with their own personal issues.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Steve McQueen	...	Hilts 'The Cooler King'
	James Garner	...	Hendley 'The Scrounger'
	Richard Attenborough	...	Bartlett 'Big X'
	James Donald	...	Ramsey 'The SBO'
	Charles Bronson	...	Danny 'Tunnel King'
	Donald Pleasence	...	Blythe 'The Forger'
	James Coburn	...	Sedgwick 'The Manufacturer'