The Sapphires is an Australian movie that's recently been released in the US. Before I left for Australia, my cable provider was promoting it was an On Demand choice for movie night. Elizabeth contacted me about the movie, and about the controversy regarding the US movie poster (at left). I asked her to write a review, and she did. I hope it makes you curious to see the movie. Here is Elizabeth's review: Sarah invited … Continue reading The Sapphires: A Guest Movie Review by Elizabeth →
In honor of Charlotte Bronte's birthday (April 21, 1816), I present you with a Jane Eyre film and television adaptation round up. Of course there are many adaptations I haven't listed here. Interestingly, none of the adaptations I've seen or heard of seem very off the wall. While Pride and Prejudice seems to adapt well to different times and places, poor Jane is firmly regulated to the Victorian Age, except in adaptations that use her … Continue reading Jane Eyre Round-Up: A Guest Review by CarrieS →
The Magic Mirror is a lovely, unusual romance loosely based on the fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. It is creative, tender, and lyrical. What it lacks in grand passion it makes up for in the maturity displayed by its characters. Magic Mirror deals with several stories that overlap. In one, Gretchen, a dwarf with average-sized parents, hears a story of a farm where several dwarfs live and work together. Tired of the … Continue reading The Magic Mirror and the Seventh Dwarf by Tia Nevitt →
The Woman Reader is both too much and too little of a good thing. Belinda Jack takes on the monumental task of telling “A story never told before: the complete history of women's reading and the controversies it has inspired” (quote taken from book jacket). The book beings with prehistory and proceeds through the modern day. My feeling about The Woman Reader that it while it has great scope and ambition, it is too academic … Continue reading The Woman Reader by Belinda Jack: A Guest Review by CarrieS →
If I try to explain this book, I kind of sound like I'm on something rather exceptional, but this book really rocked my world. If you ask me about it in person, I'll gesture with my hands and make Good Book Noise™ and try to explain how much this book changed the way I view things. I converted from Episcopalianism to Judaism 13 years ago, but this book, which I read about 12 years ago, … Continue reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal – $1.99 →
Many readers of Smart Bitches have mentioned Catherine Asaro as science fiction romance author to check out. She certainly seems like a nifty person – more accurately, she sounds like a very improbable romance heroine. Among other things, she's a former professional dancer, has a Masters in Physics and a PhD in Chemical Physics from Harvard, she's won two Nebula Awards for her fiction, and she just composed a bunch of music for a CD … Continue reading Skyfall by Catherine Asaro: A Guest Review by CarrieS →
I was loaned an XCOM MiFi unit for use in Australia, in exchange for a review. I know a lot of you travel for work or conferences, sometimes internationally, and we've all groused about the highway robbery that is hotel in-room internet in some locations. I knew the hotel WiFi where I was going to be in Sydney was rather expensive, and wanted to explore other options. After contacting XCOM, I was shipped a MiFi, … Continue reading Review: XCOM WiFi for International Travel →
Kristy sent me the following Book Rant, and it was too fun not to share. I love it when I get thoughtful, funny rants and recommendations in my inbox – it reminds me daily that I'm not alone in having Very Strong Reactions to books! And now, meet Kristy, who has a book she'd like to tell you about: There and Now by Linda Lael Miller. If you'd like to read along at home, this book … Continue reading Book Rant: There and Now by Linda Lael Miller →
It's the end of summer, and time for therapeutic movie watching. Either the kids are still out of school and driving you bonkers, or they are back in school and you are madly filling out backpacks full of forms, or you are in your cubicle lamenting the days when you actually had a real summer vacation, or, you are on a yacht with a billionaire playboy pirate sheik, in which case, we all hate you. … Continue reading Prides and Prejudices: A Movie Review Collection by Carrie S. →
This guest entry from CarrieS is in honor of Charlotte Bronte's birthday, which was last weekend, 21 April. OK, Bitches, this is it. In honor of Charlotte Brontë's birthday (April 21, 1816), it's time to fulfill my long-time goal of establishing what I believe may be a universal truth: You cannot passionately, deeply, own-multiple-copies-of, take-to-a-desert-island-as-your-one-book, love both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Love one, hate the other. That's the deal. You may appreciate the quality … Continue reading Jane Eyre Vs Wuthering Heights Smackdown - A Guest Entry by CarrieS →
DocTurtle has returned with Chapters 1 and 2 of The Iron Duke. Want to read along for future chapters? You can get a copy at Goodreads, Amazon, BN, Sony, or Kobo. Chapter 1: Cool Britannia! This book begins with a bang…particularly if by “bang” we mean a hand grenade filled with tiny bits of exposition. There’s a lot of ground to cover in seventeen pages, but Meljean Brook runs the route with a solid pace, and she takes time to … Continue reading DocTurtle: The Iron Duke, Ch. 1-2 →
