Hallowe'en Party

Even though this episode of Poirot first aired during the summer, I think this is a good time to share my thoughts! It's a Halloween-themed mystery...

Series XI, "Hallowe'en Party"

Synopsis from the PBS Masterpiece website: "I saw a murder once...I did! I did!" boasts a clumsy, disliked girl at a Halloween party. For this, she is ridiculed and dismissed. But before the party's end, she is dead, snuffed out in an apple-bobbing tub. Party guest Ariadne Oliver — never again to consume another apple — summons her old friend Hercule Poirot for help and the gallant sleuth is only too happy to oblige. With the dubious help of the grisly old village witch and the wildly speculative mystery writer Oliver, Poirot must investigate old sins and discover the connections between a years-old stabbing, a Russian au pair, and a forgery to unmask a dangerous killer, all before another corpse surfaces. Adapted by Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) and based on the novel by Agatha Christie, Hallowe'en Party stars David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, Zoë Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver, and Deborah Findlay (Cranford).

My Review:

Hallowe'en Party is a creepy murder story, replete with relationship issues and tragedies. If you're looking for a fun-but-scary movie to watch this Halloween, this approximately 90 min.-long episode is probably not the ticket. However, if you're looking for an intriguing murder mystery with some serious overtones, then perhaps you should give this a try for Halloween or any other time of the year!

David Suchet plays the part of Hercule Poirot marvelously. Extremely intelligent and a touch proud, he is also understanding and gentle, with remarkable insight into motivations. It's a pleasure to watch him put all the pieces together and ultimately share his Halloween story of a puzzle solved, which begins (of course!) with the line, "It was a dark and stormy night..."

What is unique about this Halloween-themed movie is that Poirot views horrific or macabre stories at Halloween as missing the point. He claims that Halloween is a time to honor the dead and light a candle for them, rather than glorify the gruesome. Whatever our thoughts on Halloween, it's refreshing to watch a movie that steps away from the idea that gory deaths are entertaining, and rather reminds the viewer that violence and suffering are issues to be contemplated with much gravity and not "mockery," as Poirot puts it.

So while the Halloween theme of the movie may make you want to grab some candy, Poirot also gives the viewer some food for thought to chew on when all is said and done.

In Other Halloween News...

I'm off to a Halloween party with friends this evening, dressed up as Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean (in a Disney dress, not her pirate regalia - a little bit of "fancy" can be fun!). May you all stay safe and have an enjoyable Halloween night with friends and/or family! If you're wearing a costume or going trick-or-treating (etc.), I'd love to hear about your plans!

Fall Friday: More Fun to Come!

Despite the fact that fall is just flying by like a leaf on the wind, there's still some fall fun in store in the blogosphere! Here's a peek at some upcoming attractions:

Book Swap!

Only two more Contentment Reading Challenge update posts left! We've had two book swaps this year, and I've enjoyed hearing the positive responses to these events. So how 'bout one more go-around? Stop by on Wednesday (November 2nd) next week for another book swap! Start preparing your lists - one for books you're willing to swap and another one for books you're looking for - and I'll see you then!

The New and Improved BB

Just to recap, I post weekly on a blog called The Borrowed Book. It's an awesome place for writers and readers alike to gather and find writing tips, book spotlights and other book news, author interviews, giveaways, and more! I'd really, really love to see more visitors over there, especially as we're working on some new features and a new look. Interaction is what makes blogging so much fun, and it would mean a lot to me if you'd pop in every now and again to see what we've got going on!

Author Elizabeth Ludwig's new feature is called "Field Trip Fridays." She is uber talented, and her videos are both informative and interesting. Check out her first Field Trip Friday post and see if you don't agree with me!

As for me, I post on Mondays, and my new feature is called "Where the Past Meets the Present." I even made a nifty button to celebrate! ;)

These posts will include anything from comparison posts between classics and modern books (or reviews of classics), to intriguing historical facts-sharing that writers can incorporate in their stories, to writing advice garnered from reading classic literature. The ambiguous title allows me a little wiggle room, which I hope will translate into more creative posts that will be helpful and enjoyable to readers and writers alike! I'll also continue to post some books reviews/spotlights off and on, as well. So come on over and visit us at the BB!

Fall Friday: Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland with my Shakespeare class, and we had an absolute blast! I loved it so much - from chatting in the car during the 4-5 hour drive (one way), to seeing two superb plays, to enjoying the sunshine and lovely fall colors in the quaint town of Ashland!

Since we did get to see nature's beautiful fall display, I thought it would be fitting to share some of my pictures from the trip with you today:

Walking down an Ashland street - what a gorgeous view!

Off to the park!

A pretty pond complete with ducks!

Pretty pond = photo opp! Short people in front - meaning that's me in the black. ;)

The courtyard in front of two of the theatres, I believe. We got to see a play in the Angus Bowmer theatre, and another one in the New Theatre. It would be so neat to see a play on the Elizabethan (outdoor) stage, but alas, summer is over!

Plays of the day - Friday, October 14th!

Thursday night we saw Measure for Measure (one of Shakespeare's darker comedies). It was a modern version that still used the Shakespearean script - complete with fabulous props/sets, Latin American music, and great acting! On Friday we saw Julius Caesar, which was powerful and quite intense! I'm glad I didn't see either of these when I was younger, as both included some mature themes. But the acting and the whole productions - wow!!

Hope ya'll are enjoying the fall! ;)

Fall Friday

More than textbooks and homework, fall semester at college inevitably means a new year of dorm life. Where else but a girls' college dorm would you...

• Get ready for an 8:00 or 9:00 AM class to the sounds of Air 1 playing in the hall bathroom?

• Eat chips and salsa on a Tuesday night listening to others' testimonies?

• Hear a knock at your door, call "Come in," and are offered a chocolate cake ball?

• Do a work-out video (played on your laptop) with your roommate?

• Get startled out of your homework-induced coma by the sounds of a fire alarm (set off by popcorn burnt in the microwave)?

• Go to bed to the tune of slamming doors and conversations filtering in through your open window?

• Meet a bunch of wonderful girls, make great new friends, and have an opportunity to learn more about communication and cooperation through living with other people (both similar to and different from you)?

I realize that a lot of the blessings of dorm life I've experienced have to do with the fact that I go to an amazing Christian school called Corban University. =) I love it here! There are some challenges to living in a dorm, for sure, but overall it's a fun and memorable experience - one that will be over all too quickly. So for now, I'll take the burnt popcorn incidents with the chocolate cake balls. Here's to the fall semester of my senior year!!

Fall Friday

To steal an idea from You've Got Mail, I'd love to send ya'll a bouquet of sharpened pencils to celebrate the beginning of autumn! As it is, I hope this post will still help you get into a celebratory mood, even without the pencils. ;)

Why are we celebrating? Well, besides it being a new season (not quite officially yet, but soon!), it's also time to "hit the books." For me and all you other students out there, that can refer to textbooks and the like. But for all of us who are Christian fiction fans, there are some great books releasing this fall!!!

I "dolled up" a bit (ie: put on my fancy hat and my nice green shirt!) to do a photo shoot with Emma (on the cover of Julie Lessman's A Heart Revealed). Don't we look spiffy? ;)

I'm definitely not fancy in this picture (and I missed the top part of my head...), but I just had to share my excited face with you - my copy of Torrent arrived on Wednesday from Amazon.com!!! (Can you tell that I'm super excited to read the conclusion to this fantastic series???)

So are you ready to "hit the books"? This fall I hope to do some book discussions (including discussions of the two books pictured above!) and share plenty of reviews with you! I say, "Bring it on!!!"

What books have been pouring into your mailbox lately? Or what books are you most looking forward to reading later this fall?

Fall Friday

Well, it is Friday and it is still fall, so it makes sense to have another "Fall Friday" post today. As far as having something brilliant to say on the subject, though, I might be found a bit lacking. ;)

Reading is a great past time. And reading and fall somehow go hand-in-hand, right? I mean, it's delightful to think about colorful fall leaves, the last remnants of warmth before winter, and enjoying it all while reading an engaging book, right?

Right.

So, today I'm going to talk about books. Due to my interest in the "Love Finds You" book series recently (click HERE to see the main reason why), I found myself browsing Christianbook.com to see if the upcoming "Love Finds You" books were listed with their covers. And guess what I found? Beautiful, fabulous covers! Want to see?


These are just a couple of examples of the "Love Finds You" books coming out next year (April 2011 for these two). Aren't they lovely? I absolutely adore the Prince Edward Island cover--it reminds me of Anne of Green Gables and is so beautifully done!

Just thought I would get you all to share in my excitement. ;) What are you reading right now? I'm reading Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander, and soon I hope to be reading Hatteras Girl by Alice Wisler and maybe Nightingale by Susan May Warren (if it comes in the mail soon!).

*blissful sigh*

I love books!

Fall Friday (Movies and a Giveaway!)

Part of our family's fall festivities is to watch our favorite Halloween movies. And no, they are not Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Friday the 13th! I got to watch two of the following three with my parents when they came up to visit me. =)

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Disney animated short about the story of Ichabod Crane is a classic! It is narrated by Bing Crosby, and the songs and clever telling of the story are so much fun. The superstitious nature of Ichabod Crane provides for a lot of laughs, but I can't say I blame him for being nervous with talk of the Headless Horseman! ;)

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Who doesn't love this one? There's just something so sweet about Linus, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the whole Peanuts gang. I love all of the main Charlie Brown holiday movies, and this one has a lot of interesting story lines. This is another classic!

Here are several clips from the movie that I found on YouTube:



Halloween Haunts

I loved Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald Duck, and all the original Disney characters as a child. This collection has three stories: one starring Mickey, Goofy, and Donald as ghost-busters; another starring Pluto and a bunch of cats; and the last starring Donald and his nephews. Lots of laughs in this one, too!

Now, I'm not saying I recommend these movies for everyone. Yes, they are all animated, but I know parents have to be careful when choosing what they should allow their young children to watch. However, I will say that I've watched these ones for years and I continue to enjoy them immensely. In my opinion, they sure beat any type of scary movie! ;)

Earlier in this post I mentioned that I watched two of the three of these recently. Leave a comment with your guess as to which one I didn't watch this year, and I'll draw a name out of those who guess correctly. The winner will receive my gently used copy of In Every Heartbeat! (You must leave your e-mail address in your comment and you must have a U.S. mailing address.) The winner will be announced Halloween night!

(The Legend of Sleepy Hollow picture is from this site, and the Halloween Haunts picture is from this site.)

Fall Friday (Recipes and Giveaways!)

Good ol' fall with its good ol' food! Not just candy, but a whole harvest of apples, pumpkins, and other treats! I'm so thankful we have all sorts of food to enjoy, even if I am a rather picky eater.

The poll I had up this week was just to give you a "taste" of what was to come. For those of you who are curious about the final results of the poll, here they are:

• Roasted pumpkin seeds (2--16%)
• Caramel apples (5--41%)
• Candy Corn (2--16%)
• Pumpkin pie (3--25%)

There were 12 votes total, and the winner was caramel apples! My roomie was disappointed that pumpkin pie was not the favorite, but either way it was fun to get your input! I love apples and apple cider, and if I was more of a fan of caramel, I'm sure I'd agree with ya'll, too. ;)

Anyway, I'm excited to announce an exciting fall giveaway today! Last spring I gave away a Walmart gift card during "Food Week," with extra entries given for those who shared recipes. It was so fun to do a sort of recipe exchange then, and I think it would be great now to do a fall-themed recipe exchange (especially now that I have more followers, which hopefully means more recipes!).

This time there will be two winners!!! The giveaway is for Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington or The Vigilante's Bride. Both are my gently used copies of the books. Click HERE to read my review of the former, and click HERE to read my review of the latter.


Here are the rules for the giveaway:

• You must leave a comment which includes your e-mail address and a fall recipe.
  
• You must have a U.S. or Canadian mailing address.
• Also, please let me know which book you want to win! (Pick only one, please!)
• The giveaway will be open though Wednesday, October 20. Winners will be announced on Thursday, October 21.

As a college student who eats her meals at the cafeteria most of the time, I'm looking forward to talking about recipes and home-cooked food! The cafeteria here isn't bad at all, but with Thanksgiving approaching, a home-cooked meal sounds delightful. I'd love to hear any fall food stories you would like to share, as well!

Help yourself to some of my store-bought candy corn as you search for a recipe. ;)

P.S. I have a plentiful TBR stack, so in order to cut back I'll offer my copy of Out on a Limb by Rachelle McCalla (a "Love Inspired Suspense" book) to the first person who can correctly guess what my vote would have been on this week's poll!

(Just to clarify, it's really hard to keep the "Love Inspired" books in pristine condition, so even though I didn't even read that much of the book, it's not in perfect condition anymore. I blame it mostly on those silly price stickers that don't want to come off nice and neat! But hey, it's a free book, right?) ;)

So don't wait any longer--dig into the giveaway feast!

Fall Friday

Childhood memories of fall . . . trips to the pumpkin patch, wandering through a corn maze, and going on hayrides. There's something delightful about seeing the bright orange and white pumpkins dotting the greenery. There's something heart-warming about sitting on poky hay bales and laughing in the slight fall breeze. There's something beautiful about enjoying the harvest with loved ones. And these are some of the main reasons I love fall!

Last year was difficult for me. For someone who loves fall and spending time with family, it was hard being away at school, missing out on all of our wonderful traditions back at home.

But my parents and my sister came to visit me in the middle of the season last year, and we created a new tradition. We decided to go to the HarvestFest at E.Z. Orchards here in Salem--and we had a lovely time! It wasn't exactly the same as our experiences at home, but it was something new that I thoroughly enjoyed. One of my favorite parts (besides the overall atmosphere) was listening to the bluegrass band while sitting on hay bales. (Bluegrass music is so beautiful to me, and I'm so excited to be celebrating it later this month with a couple of wonderful and talented guests!)

Now, I'm away from home for another fall. But my parents are coming up to visit me this weekend, and we're planning on heading back to E.Z. Orchards and making more fall traditions and memories together. The love of family doesn't change, no matter where you are, and the season of fall can be delightful even while away from home. I'm so thankful for God's blessings of people to love and His creation to enjoy!

This would be a great note to end this post on, but I thought it would also be good to talk once again about autumn in the seasons of humility--because that's what season I'm in right now. This week has been fraught with emotional turmoil for me. I've cried about so many different things, and I've been having such a poor attitude.

And then Wednesday it really hit me--almost all of the things I've been upset about are due to my own lack of humility. I haven't been trusting in God about my future . . . I haven't wanted to hear criticism or obey my parents . . . I've worried more about how grades would make me look than about what I've been learning. I'm at the very beginning of my poem once again, looking at my broken dreams littered on the ground like dead leaves. I keep wanting my own way, rather than God's way.

It hurts. It's not easy to let go and to trust God. But I've seen the fruits of my pride and my selfishness, and I long for a proper perspective again--an eternal perspective. I need to reorder my priorities, putting God first and seeking His will, because He truly does know what is best. He can see what I can't, and while it's hard, following Him is always rewarding in ways that I could never begin to imagine and are far better than any of my own dreams.

So I encourage you to turn to your Friend and realize that He truly loves you and has a purpose for you. We must trust in His timing and in His plan--something I'm learning the hard way right now, but something I'm very glad to be learning, as well.

In that regard, I'll probably be posting less often for the foreseeable future, posting only on the scheduled days (in the "Normal Weekly Schedule" in the sidebar) except for reviews or special events ("Sightseeing by the Seasons" off and on and the "Bluegrass Festival Weekend," for example). I have been rather obsessive about my blog recently, and I need to remember to seek God first and use the time and blessings He has given me wisely (which includes taking full advantage of the great education I am getting). I appreciate your understanding, and I'm so thankful for all of you!

Well, I'm off this three-day weekend (Friday is "Study Day" for our school, so no classes!) to make more fall memories with my parents and to take time to think and re-order my priorities. May the Lord bless you as you walk with Him! I'll leave you with this thought, something that wise Solomon discovered and something I need so desperately to remember:

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
~ Ecclesiastes 12:13

Fall Friday

Fall is officially here, now that it is near the end of September. But when do you personally recognize that fall is here (or almost here)?

Perhaps it is something you feel in the air--the hint of cold, and the longing for warm fires and warm colors. Perhaps it is the smell of woodsmoke or pumpkin candles. Perhaps it is the the return of Halloween decorations. (Oh wait--that happens in summer!)

I'm sure it's a combination of various senses for me. But there is one specific thing that really stands out in my mind. My first "taste" of fall is a sip of Clendenen's apple cider. Clendenen's Cider Works is in Fortuna, California, about 40 minutes or so from where I live. I'm so, so happy that they start selling the apple cider in August, so that I was able to have some before I left for school!

There is nothing quite like this apple cider. Truly, it is so sweet and flavorful that nothing really compares to it!

One of the hard things about being away from home during the fall is missing out on all the fun fall traditions I usually share with my family. I miss Fortuna's Apple Harvest Festival, specifically at Clendenen's, where they have hay rides through the orchard, apple tasting, a barbecue, music, and (of course!) apple cider.

But we also have some new traditions now. My parents and my sister will be coming up to visit me in October, and I'm sure we'll go to another Harvest Festival here in Oregon like the one we went to last year. So fun! I'll have to share more about that later!

If you would like to learn more about Clendenen's Cider works, click HERE. If you ever get to Humboldt County in Northern California in the fall, be sure and stop by there! Your mouth will thank you.

What is that first "taste" of fall for you? Is it a special event, a family tradition, or a nice cold glass of freshly made apple cider?