Random Ramblings

It’s still busy and I really should be concentrating on what I’m getting paid to do, but I don’t think it will hurt if I take a few minutes here and there as what I’m doing is pretty routine and my mind is once again taking flight.

 

The snobby snob in me can’t help but chuckle at the flogging of the dead horse and the utter ridiculousness that is the FOURTH installment in the 50 Shades phenomenon.    For those who pay attention to such things, I haven’t read the books, will never read the books, haven’t seen the movie, will never see the movie.  I’m annoyed at the fact that so many have read these books and the buzz has been out of this world for, from what I’ve read, is poorly written fan fiction.  There are so many fabulous authors out there who write well written books that will pass by completely unnoticed by the general masses who then read garbage.  To me it’s not unlike Keeping up with the Kardasians winning a Golden Globe for  best acting.  It’s wrong, it’s just wrong.

So I couldn’t help but laugh at the indignation of so many who are discovering that book 1, from Christian Grey’s POV is just one of three and the author has 2 more of the exact same book planned.  Good grief - talk about flogging a dead horse!! 

 

I read some reviews on GoodReads and word is – it’s garbage.  I can’t help but hope the author plummets down to earth where she never should have risen anyway.  I tell you, I am such a bitch some days.

 

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I’ve been designing – sort of – my own calendars for a number of years now through Vista Print.  Every month was a different scene from North and South each and every time the calendar ended in August with “The Train Scene Kiss”.  I brought it into work and as more and more people from work watched and loved it, I began to order more calendars for coworkers – just to share the love.

 

Well people, we have come to the end of an era I’m afraid.  For the first time since 2011, North and South screen caps no longer grace the months.  Nope, I’m figuratively doffing my cap and passing the calendar torch onto Outlander. 

 

 These are a different kind of calendars.  Instead of starting in January, as most do, mine start in September so it’s getting really close to time to order them.  Because we often plan schedules 2 weeks to even a month ahead of the current date, I have 2 of them on my desk, the current month and the next month.  So I’m needing September soon.  A few other people do the same thing and some of these happen to be fellow fans of Outlander.  So I’ve designed the calendar – just have to hit that pay button and the order will be winging its way to VistaPrint.  I just hope Richard/John will forgive for leaving him behind as I move on to Sam/Jamie.  I will love you always John Thornton and at least we have 2013.

 

Bet you all thought you'd never seen the day.

 

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I know I’ve bitched about this before but I will continue to do so until JUSTICE IS SERVED!!  They have a thread again at AAR for freebie or ebook sales.  There are a couple lately for books I would love to get and they are on for a great price at Amazon.  Amazon –dot COM that is!  It’s an entirely different story at Amazon.ca.  And of course it’s through my favourite publisher (not) Harper Collins/Avon. 

Sex, Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson (love her books)

Amazon.com - $1.99

Amazon.ca $8.99

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

Amazon.com - $1.99

Amazon.ca $8.99

Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase

Amazon.com - $1.99

Amazon.ca - $7.99 (squeal of a deal there she said sarcastically)

GRRRrrrrrr

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I received a mood calendar as a gift a while ago and I brought it to work.  I love this calendar and changed it every day to reflect my mood.  Coworkers are starting to check my mood before checking how I am.  Lately it’s mostly been on the negative side of things, but starting Thursday, July 2 (Wednesday is a holiday here in Canada) the calendar mood will be starting to change.  Why you ask?  Well, it’s cause then we will be into the actual month I head once again to RWA – this years in New York, to meet up with my people again.  I think anticipation is even higher this year as I missed last year, mostly because of the depression but also because I had another big project, new bathroom that I had to pay for.  This year I’m getting new siding but that’s not going to stop me from RWA.  There are SO many people I’m looking forward to seeing, but a special shout out to Wendy,SuperLibrarian.  We will be roomies again after several years apart and my first question will be “Wendy, Wendy, Wendy, what do you have against Jon Snow that you are glad he’s dead????” 

 

Mind you I haven’t watched Game of Thrones for a few seasons now, it became just to bloody bloody.  I have tried a couple of times over the other seasons since and then there would come a scene where someone got stabbed in the eye and that was all she wrote.  But from the first season that I was an AVID watcher, Jon and Daenerys and Tyrion were my favourite characters with Jon being #1.  AND THEY KILLED HIM OFF!  As if Ned and Robb and Catelyn all dying wasn’t enough.  As if what’s happened to Sansa and Arya isn’t enough?  I’ve lost track of the little boys.  So did they then have to go and kill of Jon??? Why, Why, Why?

 

 Then I can hardly wait to see Lisabea and Rosie – I hope Rose is going again!!  Of course there are so many other too, but the four of us seem to hang out the most.

Now back to the point – see how I ramble and get off topic?  So now that I will be in countdown mode, my mood will be picking up until I’m up to daily bouncy

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 This has nothing to do with anything to do with romance but it is a real bug-a-boo I have.  I’m on the phone a lot anymore at work.  And I can tell when the person is speaking on a cell phone.  Cell phone reception/quality is TERRIBLE a lot of the times.  I’m constantly adjusting my phone’s volume, calls cut out, they are mumbled and I can’t hear what they are saying, they are calling while in traffic and all I hear is background noise.  A lot of the nurses who call in have been issued cell phones and I think the company they worked for must have ordered the cheapest cell phones they could get.  It makes me so cranky (and then I have to change my mood calendar) whenever I get one of these calls and chance are when I’ve had to ask for the fourth time for them to repeat something that I can’t hear, an impatient tone in my voice may come through – not at the person I’m talking to, but the cheap piece of equipment they are using.  I’m cranky enough as it is since I don’t like talking on the phone, but talking on the phone and not hearing what the other person is saying, well, many of those kinds of calls a day and I really need to de-stress at the end of the day.

Anyway - that's all I have for now

'til later

 

And another one bites the dust!

Thanks to the power of Twitter and with Kwana's (who just celebrated a birthday) tweet, I found us Crusaders another one to add to the Crusade. Maria has just discovered the love that is North and South and Richard Armitage. In Celebration, rather than another video, I thought I'd share my June calendar pic. My team laughed and oohed and aahed when I turned to this months calendar picture.

Our Newest Crusader

Yes, this wonderful story is still being discovered and the lastest one to fall under the spell of North and South is the very talented Nalini Singh. I know she had to wait for quite some time for this one so I Double Delighted that she loved it.
And now she too *g* is wanting to get her own copy.
I haven't watched it for a while myself - but this will be changing Christmas Eve. It's going to be my Christmas Eve treat - four hours of John Thornton and Margaret Hale - *shiver*

And thus - in honour of our newest Crusader - this certainly calls for...........a video

New to me blogger

I'm thrilled when ever I find a new reader blogger. Sometimes I forget to post about new ones - and while I always book mark them, sometimes I'm slow to add them to the side bar. But sometimes the brain is in good working order and I remember.

Say hello to Kaja of Books and Games- the newest blogger I've found! And guess what? She's also a Crusader!

To tide you all over

until Katie's big post tomorrow
and to encourage Lisabea to become a full fledged Crusader! And to whet Carolyn Jean's appetite!

Just because it`s OFFICIALLY over

Doesn`t mean it`s really over!

Kate of Kate Davies Blogs is a Very Recent Crusader! Welcome to the Crusade!!

And Sarai - I know you`ve seen it too. We are watching to see what you think of it too.

And there are others I`m keeping watch out for too!

So - since I haven`t watched it for a while

And for those who have seen it

And for those who are considering watching it

I leave you with another one!




And while I`m in YouTube - while chatting with Katie - who in my generation didn`t swoon over this movieÉ. See - I can multi-task!

This should put a smile on your face

I first saw this video a while ago at Smart Bitches. I was enchanted from the get go and although I hadn't seen that many of the movies, I still loved it.
Since then I've seen a few - North and South being among them (heh heh)
It's my mission to track down and see every one of them - well except for Tess of the D'ubervilles because I saw that one and it made me cry - in a sad way.
But this one is wonderful.
Enjoy



And as a bonus - free with no extra cost to you the reader, is another fun one

A little Birdie told me

That we have another Maybe Crusader who I'm hoping will be turned into a Crusader once she sees North and South.

The Maybe Crusader? Christine so my little birdie tells me, has it in her hot little hands!

And yet another reader at AAR has been smitten with North and South!!

I know I'm going overboard - but other Crusaders will understand

Now that I have sound back I've been enjoying YouTube once more. I found this and adored it. Hopefully others will have patience for my current obsession



And just so you know I do have other things on the go (unlike the kitchen that's not) I'm reading a good book at the moment too.

Nothing wrong with it at all!!!

For Lisabea and all the other fans of Higgins (of which I'm one too!)

These are pictures of our man Higgins from a mini-series he acted in - The Glass Virgin by Catherine Cookson. I've read quite a bit of Catherine Cookson in my day and this was always my favourite book of hers. I saw the mini-series many years ago. Sadly, it doesn't seem to be available to us here on this side of the pond in DVD format although it is available on VHS.

And yes - without giving too much away, he plays the love interest!











******** ETA*******



For all us Crusaders - check out the SB's. They posted a list of all time top romance hero types and check out who made it to number 4!!!

One wonders sometimes

how things can go so terribly, horribly wrong.

You remember my dilemma with the bookcases? Weeeeelllllll it seems things have gotten worse. My sons came over yesterday to put the rest of the stuff together. Brent, the oldest, got here first. He's my Peter Pan son. I love him dearly and in some ways he most like me and in other ways the complete opposite. He got the shelves out of the box, worked on it for about five minutes, got frustrated and flounced down on the couch saying he didn't know why I asked him to help - he hates doing this kind of thing and now I put him in a bad mood.
You see, my sisters call me a quotation mark Draaaaammmmaaa Queen quotation mark. I laugh at them, laugh at myself and admit I might have a wee bit of it in me. Brent, on the other hand beats my drama queen with his Drama King without the ability to laugh at himself. He sulked for the rest of the day. I told him at one point to just go home but he said he was only staying to help with the heavy stuff and then fell asleep.
Ryan arrived not long after and worked on putting the main entertainment shelving unit together. It took him over four hours - working by himself. I offered to help a few times but he just said "out" so out I went and finished reading Creation in Death. I learned that was the best thing to do when Ron was trying to put something together too.
Later on I ordered pizza for the 3 of us. Brent woke up long enough to get pissy because I wasn't ordering it from his favourite pizza place - which I don't really like and is the most expensive.
Ryan finally got it done. It was in two parts and the two of them put it up. Although seeing how large it was I started having those dreadful suspicions again that the measuring thing was going to bite me in the butt again.
They put it against the wall and said "done."
At which point I said "Not exactly".
"There is another one?" Ryan said.
"Um." I answered. "Not one."
"Two???" came his reply.
"Weeeelllll, how about three?" I confessed.
You see - I had two more on either side of the big one the TV sits on and there was still the third bookcase.
"I'm not doing those today!!" came his emphatic answer
"No, no I don't expect you to." I said
It had taken him almost 5 hours to do just the one and I wasn't about to ask him to do the rest. Besides, seeing the one big one there, I don't think two on either side will fit. Those show rooms at Ikea are so much BIGGER than my living room.

So then, with food in his stomach - he somehow managed to get over his pissiness and eat the pizza I wanted, Brent and Ryan worked on setting up the cable and VCR. It was at this point another problem cropped up. You see, the SurroundSound/DVD cable was quite short. It just barely reached on the other stand. This one is higher and the DVD is further away from the television.
It wouldn't reach. I have to go and get a longer cable. This means no North and South. This means no Robin Hood. This means no music real loud (which is how I like it) because the DVD is also a FM radio station. There is a snow storm going on outside.
So - I have boxes upon boxes all over the living room and hall. I have two more entertainment/shelves that probably won't fit. I have a bookcase that won't fit. I have no DVD. And somehow I managed to break the sound on the computer.
I have to have the kitchen cupboards all cleaned out by the day after Christmas. I will have no kitchen for a month starting January 4th.
On the positive though - I did stop at the mall on the way home from work on Friday and got most of my shopping done. Mind you at this point I don't want to give Brent anything except a lump of coal and if we didn't have a snow storm raging, I'd be very tempted to take his gifts back.

February - I can hardly wait till you get here.

'til later

The Great North and South Crusade

Day 4

Special Guest Day

Well, now that I'm completly red faced with embarrasement and wondering why we thought that was a good idea *G* it's time to move onto something else special we have for you. And by the way, we aren't really planning on going to Budapest for vacation. I don't think............we aren't are we?

When Sula, Katiebabs and I tossed about ideas for North and South week, one of the things they suggested was getting one special author’s opinion on this series. I knew she had seen it since she mentioned it on a message board when I asked her if she had.

It might be handy to give a bit of background first for any new visitors. I lost my husband of 31 years a year ago last August after a battle with cancer. I had taken a leave of absence from my job to be his primary caregiver. A week before I was due to go back to work, I received notice that all contracts had been cancelled so there was no job to go back to. I wasn’t in any state emotionally to start looking for a job.
Thank goodness for the friendships I have made on-line. They helped keeping me going. One of the things that helped the very most was the Dreaming of You campaign. As I ‘encouraged’ more and more bloggers to give it a try – and they did and enjoyed it, I could laugh and smile and had a reason to get up in the morning. I know that sound almost overly dramatic, but it’s also so very true.
Then when I went to Dallas this past summer, thanks to Sybil for which I can never say enough thanks, I had an opportunity to meet this author in person and even go out for lunch with her. I blogged about it at the time.

So I sort of reluctantly agreed. I have no problem whatsoever doing favours for people, but I think, like many of us, I hesitate to ask. But I gathered myself together and sent her an email asking if she would be open to helping with The Crusade. She responded within the day in the most gracious of manners. Of course that was expected because she is truly a warm and gracious person.

I asked Katiebabs and Sula for some questions I could ask and along with some of my own sent them off. I wanted to ask tons and tons but then my brain shut down and I couldn’t think of hardly any. This is my first author interview – I’m sure you’ll be able to tell *g*. She responded with her answers and so here we go. I just adore her answers!!

Lisa Kleypas on North and South


Lisa, first off thank you so very much for helping us in our Crusade to get romance readers to see this fascinating series. Now many people may not know this, but I have a tendency to get a wee bit carried away when I’m blown away by something I’ve seen or read that really touches me and I can’t help wanting to share something that deeply touches me. Thankfully Kate and Sula both feel the same way and have joined the Crusade with me.

Now for a few questions.

You’ve seen North and South. Why would you think romance readers would enjoy this?
movie?

LISA K.: Kristie, this is one of the few miniseries I’ve seen that provides a similar experience to reading a great historical romance. Sometimes when a historical book is made into a movie, it seems as if the filmmakers are so concerned with the period trappings, they don’t spend enough time on the characters and their relationships. But North And South has it all . . . beautiful cinematography (remember when we first see Thornton , dressed in black, with all those feathery white bits of cotton floating around him like snowflakes?) . . . wonderful acting and compelling dialogue . . . and most of all it has Richard Armitage!

What made you decide to watch this series and what do you think makes it so special?

LISA K.: I had heard of it before, but I didn’t really know what it was and I hadn’t heard any recommendations, so I disregarded it. Then you mentioned it, and pointed out that Richard Armitage would make a good Derek Craven. Not only was I intrigued by that, but also by the time period, and the fact that it was a romance between a professional man (a mill owner) and a genteel young woman. As you know, that kind of story is right up my alley! When I started watching, I was immediately swept away by the quality of the production. It has a few enjoyable similarities to Pride and Prejudice, but it is also very fresh and different, with a grittier storyline. It’s Pride and Prejudice with a social conscience.

I know you know we kind of now imagine John Thornton aka Richard Armitage as our visual of Derek Craven, one of our most beloved heroes. How would you compare the two characters – other than the fact that one is written and one is on the screen of course?

LISA K.: I was almost flabbergasted by the physical similarities between Derek Craven and Richard Armitage, as well as the wonderful brooding sexiness Armitage gets across.

What I especially love is Armitage’s incredible ability to convey many qualities at once in a single scene. So when Margaret sees Thornton beating a man up, and Thornton realizes she’s seen him behaving so violently, his expression flickers with anger, defensiveness and a touch of resignation, all in quick succession. You know he desperately wants her good opinion, but he knows he’s just blown it, and at the same time he feels justified in his actions. And he’s angry at her for judging him, and he still yearns for her. You can tell that John Thornton has not had much pleasure or gentleness in his life, and that his inner grace of character (the fairness, the concern for his employees) has been hard-won. You can tell that his attraction to Margaret is an unwilling one, and that he is trying with all his might to resist her.

In my mind, that echoes the duality of Derek Craven, who struggles so hard to stay locked in his solitude, even as he is falling hard for Sara Fielding. Although Derek is in many ways a powerful man, he is completely undone by this very innocent woman, and he fears her power over him. I think he knows deep down that if he ever falls in love, it will affect him more than it does most men . . . it could save or destroy him. And because of his past violence and “dirty deeds,” he understands his own potential to harm the woman he loves. I think part of the appeal of “Dreaming Of You” is possibly because of this weird sense of relief that Derek and the reader feel when he eventually succumbs to his love for Sara, and instead of disaster, it becomes a healing experience.

It’s also been suggested that Daniela Denby-Ashe would make a good Sarah. What are your thoughts?

LISA K.: She would be perfect! The big eyes, the round little face, the mixture of strength and vulnerability . . . she would make a great Sara.

Why would a romance reader fall so hard for the love story of John Thornton and Margaret Hale?

LISA K.: It is that delicious storyline of two characters who, because of their reluctant attraction, have to rise above their initial impressions of each other. They have to learn to see the other person for whom he or she truly is. This process of reaching beneath all the defenses and misunderstandings, struggling to reach each other despite all the inner and outer forces that try to keep them apart, is truly romantic. One of my favorite parts of the story is a small but telling detail . . . do you remember when they’ve had a quarrel, and Thornton wants to “part as friends” and asks Margaret to take his hand? And she won’t. Because as gesture like that is “not done” where she comes from, and also she is wary of the physical contact with him and the vaguely sexual threat of their hands touching. BUT . . . later at the big party scene, she does bring herself to take his hand, and I swear you can see little sparks all over the screen. Moments like that are what show the conflict and yearning and pleasure between these two characters.

What did you think of the other parts of the series? The class struggles and the Master worker storyline?

LISA K. : As you know, class struggles are endlessly fascinating to me, and play a part in many of my books. So I loved that aspect of the series! It provided a dark and realistic framework for the love story, and Margaret’s and Thornton’s actions regarding the strike were a wonderful way to illustrate their characters. The way they tried to understand the other’s one’s viewpoint, and the principles that each tried to live by, showed how two people can disagree but at the same time respect their differences.

Now that you’ve seen what the BBC can do, is there any one of your books you would like to see made into a series if wishes were horses and we knew how to ride?

LISA K.: Oh . . . a Wallflower miniseries would be so fun!

This is more of a rhetorical question, but what do you think makes British actors so much more ‘real’ than many American actors?

LISA K.: This has always been a fascinating question to me. I’ve heard it said that American actors work from the inside-out, whereas British actors work from the outside in. And I prefer the latter method, because a British actor starts with his appearance, changes himself to fit the script, and goes deeper and deeper inside to serve the character. Whereas an American is more likely to change the character to suit his own personality. I think the British goal is far less vain, and far more effective.

If you ever get the time would you like to read the book?

LISA K.: I have the book! I had to order it once I saw the DVD. And I am going to read it over the holidays. It will be so fun to see the differences between novel and film.


Finally Katiebabs had a question she wanted me to ask. Here goes: I need to know this- In "Suddenly You", the scene were Jack and Amanda use a bowl of raspberries in a very shocking and erotic way has never been repeated or written in a comparable way that I can think of in any of your books since then. What made you use that scene and were you afraid your fans wouldn't accept it as well as you would imagine? I FOR ONE LOVED IT :)

LISA K.: LOL. Thank you, dear! At the time I wrote “Suddenly You” I was in a process of self-liberation . . . I was really enjoying the last few years of my thirties, because I loved the sense of confidence and sexiness I was feeling as I got older. (I wouldn’t go through my twenties again for anything!). I was also pregnant with my second child, and it was a really happy time for me. So even before I started “Suddenly You,” I knew it was going to be an unusually sexy novel because of the older woman/younger man storyline. And I decided to go for it.

To me, the appeal of such a pairing is that a younger man would tend to be more daring, more playful, and more sexually “out there.” Jack is a unique hero because he is a publisher, he adores books, and he has an imaginative and liberal turn of mind. And in his strong need for connection and intimacy, there is very little he wouldn’t want to try or experience.

So in that love scene, when Jack is trying so hard to reconnect with Amanda, I thought it would be appropriate for him to do something a little shocking. And she enjoys the experience, and to me it shows that she finally trusts him enough to let go of every last inhibition.

I knew that some readers would understand and like the scene, and that others wouldn’t. I will admit that I was surprised by the extremity of both reactions! But that’s the wonderful thing about sex . . . everyone has their own preferences and limits, fantasies and inhibitions. I would never expect all of my readers to like everything that happens in my books. When you think about it, the safest way to go is to make everything plain vanilla and predictable, and make every plot a “crowd-pleaser” . . . but that would be boring for everyone, including me!

Any final thoughts?

LISA K. : Just that I love your passion for sharing books and movies that you enjoy, because sometimes that is the only way that some of us (like me) will discover something really wonderful, like North And South. So thank you to you, Kate and Sula for doing your part to bring romance to all of us!
And a HUGE Thank You to Lisa for taking time out of her busy writing schedule to help with our crusade. I think anyone who has seen this series, while maybe not obsess the way we have, has enjoyed it. Lisa Kleypas has. *huge grin*

The Great North and South Crusade!!

DAY 1

The Pajama Party

We’ve been promising something special this week starting today and – today’s the day. It might not come as a surprise to some of you who drop by and visit that when I get passionate about something, I tend to go a bit overboard.:) The reason is I’ve enjoyed it so much I just want everyone to enjoy it too. I don’t think there will be any raised eyebrows when I say my latest one is the British series North and South. I started hearing about it on the AAR boards and didn’t pay much attention since I thought it was a do over of the US miniseries. But then Sula posted about how much she enjoyed it and many others chimed in agreeing with her. I ordered it, watched it and fell completely and totally in love with the story. Then my partner Katiebabs watched it and experienced the same thing Sula and I and many other did too.The three of us exchanged emails and we all thought it a grand idea to really encourage other romance readers and romance bloggers to see this great series. If you’re a romance reader, especially a historical romance reader which I think many of us are or were at one time, I think you’ll really enjoy this. We tossed around ideas of what to do and one of the ideas we came up with was a 'chat' we thought we would share with everyone.

So one Friday night after trying to figure out what IM to use and with the help of “The Sidekick” we connected. I can’t speak for Katiebabs and Sula, but I was sitting nice and cozy in my jammies with a nice cold beer and settled down for what really felt like a cyberspace pajama party.

So for the next three days, you get to see into our North and South Pajama Party discussion. Part one is here with me posting. Part two is at Sula’s blog and Part three is here with Katiebabs posting.

So sit back and enjoy. We tried to be serious at times but at others descended into girlish silliness.

Kristie(J): Question: So what makes N&S so special that it's grabbed our attention and won't let go? Either of you?

Kristie(J): (The sidekick - you can listen in 'cause we will be after you to watch this too)

KatieBabs: The subtle love story without all the over the top passionate words and touches. When John is watching as Margaret leaves and he says, look back- swoon!

Sula: Also I liked the social clashes (the working class, the nouveau riche, and the elite) and how some of those contrasts are exemplified in the characters of Thornton and Margaret. I mean, she is coming from a rather posh background...or at least some of her family are in the Ton, and now she has been brought down a level, and Thornton, who should be beneath her, is actually above her socially

Kristie(J): That's true - he is above her in some ways and beneath her in others. Like our wonderful Derek -he thinks he is unworthy of her. I do think he came from a better background originally - before his father blew it.

Sula: Yeah, but he had to work his way up from zero

Kristie(J): and yes though, he did raise himself and his family from the ground

KatieBabs: I like the fact that Margaret is strong and outspoken and that is why John loves her

Sula: Yes, I liked that too. She's not afraid to speak her mind even though she's a little naive in some ways.

KatieBabs: She is very caring and understanding, well with John, he rubs her the wrong way though. John was a lot like Derek in most ways. The looks he gives Margaret are much like the ones Derek gives Sara. And whenever someone is critical of Margaret, he defends her.

Sula: true

KatieBabs: He reminds me also of Darcy from P&P

Sula: Yeah, in some ways he is like Darcy, but he's also more emotional I think

Kristie(J): I haven't seen that so I can't really compare them

KatieBabs: OMG you have been deprived!

Kristie(J): I did watch the latest version the other day and there really was no comparison

Sula: Yeah, you really do have to see that one

KatieBabs: No Colin Firth swimming in the lake?

Sula: hehe

Kristie(J): But after watching North and South I don't think I would care for it nearly as much. P&P that is

Sula: I loved how erotic just seeing Thornton's NECK was after going through the entire movie in such conservative clothing

KatieBabs: LMAO!

Kristie(J): Yes!! At the train station when he didn't have his cravat on

KatieBabs: When he took off his neck thingy, that was very sexy.

Sula: Don't you think his starched cravat says something about the way he holds himself? His chin is always up

Kristie(J): I do. It's like he is holding himself back

Sula: Yes, or being held back by convention

KatieBabs: The smoldering looks said it all

Sula: And yeah, the eyes tell the true story. Yowza!

Kristie(J): Another thing I noticed upon many viewings is how he covers his mouth when he is feeling strong emotions, like he is trying to hold himself in somehow. It really starts getting noticeable when you watch it a lot.

Sula: hmm, you're right

Kristie(J): He hardly ever smiles at all!

KatieBabs: he hardly ever smiled unless he was with Margaret

Sula: Did we all swoon over the part where he watches Margaret's carriage drive away and he says, "look back, look back at me"?

KatieBabs: OMG!! I was a puddle on the floor

Sula: Heart-breaking

KatieBabs: That scene... no words!

Kristie(J): Oh me too! You can just feel his pain and longing

Sula: He's so vulnerable

Kristie(J): But yet - he turned his back on Margaret first when she was open to something

Sula: Well...to be fair he did propose to her and got turned down

KatieBabs: He doesn't want to give his heart away

Kristie(J): One thing I'm puzzled over is why she turned him down so rudely

KatieBabs: His proposal was an angry one because he is angry for loving so deeply

Sula: Yeah, I thought she was pretty mean to him

Kristie(J): But I think she was almost afraid of his passion

Sula: Did you watch the extended proposal scene? The one thing that I got out of it was that she was angry that people were assuming that she was chasing after him because he was rich. Again, I think she was upset that SHE (who would normally have been the catch but is now poor because of her father's loss of fortune) is the one that now is looking like a gold digger

KatieBabs: Her parents IMO were so weak

Kristie(J): Yes they both were she was the leader of the family especially after her brother left

KatieBabs: John and Margaret are very strong. Their wills clashed and John's sister was weak and empty headed

Sula: Oh yeah, but funny

Kristie(J): His mother sure was strong though. She would make a frightening mother in law

Sula: I liked his mother. She was a bit of a battle ax, but she really loved him

Kristie(J): Almost too much though. Having two sons who have both been disappointed by women, I would never say I hate them. Especially if they told me they loved them.

KatieBabs: It is funny because John was close with his mother and Margaret was close with her father

Sula: Yes, well I think you can see where John gets his passionate nature from.

Kristie(J): And she did talk him out of going to see Margaret right away after he left the house when Margaret was hurt

KatieBabs: John's emotions were dark

Kristie(J): Yes - like the first time Margaret saw him. He beat that employee up pretty good. I imagine that did frighten Margaret quite a bit.

Sula: He has a lot weighing on him. He's responsible for the factory and for the jobs of everyone and for his mother and sister being kept in style

KatieBabs: But did you see how he changed towards the end of the movie. And when he found out about her brother, his face lit up?

Sula: Yes! "Her brother"

Kristie(J): I loved that part too! Like a light dawned

KatieBabs: His smile!

Sula: Love the change in his whole demeanor when he finds out that the guy she was embracing was her brother

Kristie(J): *swoon*

Sula: Random bit...I like when he's sitting in the cafeteria with the workers. That whole section shows how he's changing and growing

Kristie(J): Oh yes - I like that part too. I thought it interesting that it was Higgins who told him

KatieBabs: Poor Higgins

Sula: Also the interactions between him (Thornton) and the kid

Kristie(J): And how gentle he is with the little boy

KatieBabs: I felt sad for Margaret's friend who had originally asked her to marry him

End of Part 1

And we have a couple of other things planned for after including a Very Special Guest. So – hopefully you get curious and want to see what makes three grown women gush like teenagers. I'd also like to add another link. If you're curious, if you've seen North and South and can't get enough of it, there is a very good discussion also going on another blog - Lights, Camera...History, an excellent blog dedicated to historical books and the movies.

So - Stay Tuned. Part two of the North and South Pajama Party is up tomorrow at Sula's!

'til later