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I stumbled on The Rage of Paris, a movie from 1938, by accident when one movie I was watching on Amazon Prime ended and this one started. I ended up loving it and also fell in love with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. who I had never heard of before this movie.
Where had I been? He was so handsome and charming in this movie, which made me want to look up more information about him. I also now want to find more movies starring him. I feel a Winter or Spring of Douglas Fairbanks Jr. coming up
“Douglas Fairbanks Jr. must have been famous back in the day because his name is even in the title of the movie on Amazon,” I said to myself.
I later asked my mom and dad about him and they assured me he was very famous, but, Mom said, “That was way before my time, just so we are clear here.”
Mom and Dad were, incidentally, born in 1944. Fairbanks Jr. started his career much earlier.
Before we learn about him, though, I’ll share about the movie, which starts with the main character, Nicole de Cortillion, (Danielle Darrieux) a French woman in New York City, who is desperately looking for a job. There is a hilarious mixup where she asks the head of a modeling agency for work and he suggests a job with a photographer who wants female models who will model with drapes on – and nothing else. The photographer is impatient and wants the job done fast, she’s told.
Nicole is horrified and says she won’t do it, but when another model comes in and says she will, Nicole doesn’t want to lose the job and while the model and the head of the agency are chatting, she snatches the address from the top of the desk.
The only problem is that she’s grabbed the wrong address. The address she has is for a man simply looking for some proof photographs for an advertising campaign that doesn’t involve scantily clad women.
The man is Jim Trevor (Fairbanks) who is beyond confused when he walks into his office after a meeting and finds Nicole stripping to prepare for the photos.
It is one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever seen in a movie because it’s clear he doesn’t have any idea what she’s doing and both wants to stop her and not stop her. He tries to ask what she’s doing and she asks where his camera is. A very funny exchange occurs during which Jim starts to think this woman is looking for a quick buck in a very solicitous way.
I found a clip for you of the witty exchange:
Back at her apartment, her landlady says she’s kicking her out for not paying rent. Her neighbor, Gloria, (Helen Broderick) having it though and tells the landlady that she will cover her rent. She then brings Nicole into her apartment and tells her she wishes they could marry rich men and not have to worry about bills anymore. That’s when an idea strikes Gloria. She has a friend who is employed as a maitre’d at a famous hotel. Maybe he would give Nicole a job. They head to the hotel, but the man – Mike (Mischa Auer) – says he can’t give her a job because soon he’s going to open his own restaurant. All he needs is $3,000 to get the restaurant.
Another idea strikes Gloria when she sees all the women dancing with the wealthy men in the dining room. What if they have Nicole seduce a millionaire and marry him? Then she won’t have to find a job and she can also give money to Gloria and Mike. Gloria talks Mike into the scheme. They’ll rent a room at the hotel with his help. Gloria will pretend to be Nicole’s aunt and together they will set their eyes on millionaire Bill Duncan. If Nicole can convince him to marry her they’ve got it made.
All is going well until Nicole, Gloria, and Bill attend an opera and run into Bill’s friend – none other than Jim Trevor.
The scene where they recognize each other across two balconies is comedy gold.
I absolutely could not stop laughing.
I’ve left a clip of it that I found on YouTube here for you:
Nicole does her best to hide from Jim Trevors but it doesn’t work and when he gets her alone later in the evening he tells her she needs to tell Bill Duncan the truth – which is that she isn’t a rich baroness from Paris – but instead a poor girl trying to swindle him into marrying her.
She promises she’ll tell Bill Duncan but she double crosses Jim in a very funny scene that leaves Jim steaming and more determined than ever to make her tell the truth. The rest of the movie is him doing just this.
The Rage of Paris did well at the box office in 1938 and was nominated for two Venice Film Festival Awards, winning in the category of Special Recommendation.
I had never heard of either of these actors when I started the movie.
For some background on Douglas Fairbanks Jr. – his father, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., was one of cinema’s first icons, noted for swashbuckling adventure films as The Mark of Zorro, Robin Hood, and The Thief of Bagdad. Fairbanks had small roles in his father’s films American Aristocracy (1916) and The Three Musketeers (1921). Fairbanks Jr.’s mother was Anna Beth Sully, the daughter of wealthy industrialist Daniel J. Sully.
His parents divorced when he was nine and he lived part-time with his mother in France, New York, London, and California.
Fairbanks started acting at the age of 13 when he was given a contract simply because he was the son of a famous actor. The film he first starred in flopped, though, and he returned to Paris to continue his studies. He returned to Hollywood at the age of 14 and became a camera assistant at what he called “starvation wages.”
His father didn’t want him to get into acting at such a young age, but instead wanted him to continue his education.
He worked steadily from 1921 to 1956 but he took a break during World War II to become a highly decorated officer by serving in the U.S. Navy as a reserve officer. He was a part of many, many missions including one where he was part of a recruitment of 180 officers and 300 enlisted men for the “Beach Jumpers” program. This program was aimed at simulating amphibious landings with a limited force, operating miles from the actual landing but using deception to make the enemy believe it was the actual landing place.
I don’t like using Wikipedia as a source anymore for a variety of reasons, but according to their page on Fairbanks, “For his planning the diversion-deception operations and his part in the amphibious assault on Southern France, Lieutenant Commander Fairbanks was awarded the United States Navy’s Legion of Merit with bronze V (for valor), the Italian War Cross for Military Valor, the French Légion d’honneur and the Croix de Guerre with Palm, and the British Distinguished Service Cross.
Fairbanks was also awarded the Silver Star for valor displayed while serving on PT boats and in 1942, made an Officer of the National Order of the Southern Cross, conferred by the Brazilian government. . . . Fairbanks stayed in the US Naval Reserve after the war, and ultimately retired as a captain in 1954. In 1982, Fairbanks was awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit for his contribution to the relief of the needy in occupied Germany.”
He returned to acting after the war and starred in many “swashbuckling movies” as well as British films and television since he moved back to the UK after the war and stayed there for many years before moving to Florida (is it just me or do a lot of Brits move to Florida?).
As for his co-star, Darrieux, this was her first American film. She was a star in France before World War II. She started acting at the age of 14.
She continued acting during World War II and the German occupation of France, which was something she was frowned upon for. Later, though, it was believed she’d been threatened by the head of the only studio in operation at the time – owned by a German who threatened to have her brother deported if she didn’t perform.
Darrieux had a lengthy film career in France, the United States, and Britain, and starred in Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1955), whose theme of uninhibited sexuality led to its being proscribed by Catholic censors in the United States. She then played a supporting role in her last American film, United Artists’ epic Alexander the Great (1956) starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom.
She acted from 1931 to 2002.
Later in her career she became involved in musical theater and even performed concerts in the 1960s. She passed away at the age of 100 in 2017. What a full life!
According to a blog dedicated to Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Darrieux’s life was tough at times, even if it was full, especially while filming The Rage of Paris.
“Fairbanks remembers working with Darrieux fondly,” Elizabeth from the blog Douglasfairbanksjr.wordpress.com. “Unfortunately at the time, she was a victim of physical abuse at the hands of her husband. Filming had to be postponed for a short while as she recovered from a black eye given to her by her husband.”
The blogger goes on to say that Darrieux’s overbearing husband kept her from socializing too much with others on set. Thankfully, not long after the premiere of The Rage of Paris, Darrieux left her husband.
Fairbanks wrote in his memoir, “I’ve always hoped she was consoled by the fact that the picture turned out well and proved very popular.”
I also agree with the author of the blog who said she felt The Rage of Paris “contains one of the best on-screen chemistries and one of the best romantic build-ups on film.”
The chemistry between Darrieux and Fairbanks Jr. was incredible and I was sad to read that they only made one film together. If they were only going to make one film together, though, I’m glad it was this one.
So, tell me, have you seen this film or any of Douglas Fairbanks Jr.’s other films? How about Darrieux? Have you seen any other films by her? And should I have a Douglas Fairbanks Jr. marathon for myself this winter?
For my husband, part of October and much of November were filled with rehearsals for a radio play version of It’s A Wonderful Life with the local community theater group.
The play is like a play within a play. The characters are all supposed to be radio stars from the days when radio was big who are performing a play for their listeners. This helps the local actors because they can read from the script instead of memorizing lines (which is more time consuming for people who are also working full time) and it also is fun because the viewer gets to imagine what it was like to record radio specials back in the day.
Last summer The Husband (my blog nickname for my husband, who has a real name that most people in my area know since he is the editor of the local newspaper), performed in The War of the Worlds, another radio play, and had a lot of fun.
That play was his first time really acting and he had a smaller part. This time around he had to do voices for 13 different characters with the main ones being – the angel Joseph, Uncle Billy, and Mr. Potter. At one point he even had to talk to himself, changing voices back and forth.
He knocked every character he played out of the park, and I am not just saying that because I am his wife. He really did an amazing job and I’m so happy because I know how hard he worked trying to figure out how he would perform each voice. I’m also proud of him because he isn’t someone who usually puts himself out there in a creative way. For the most part he is like me – an introvert except when working for the paper when it is like we are playing the part of an extrovert.
The play had a cast of eight people all doing a few characters each, except for the woman who was performing the sound effects.
My parents, the kids and I went to the Sunday afternoon showing, and really enjoyed it.
I got teary-eyed more than once. The young man playing George Bailey’s character was fantastic and even sounded like Jimmy Stewart.
I’m sure almost everyone reading this post is familiar with the story of It’s A Wonderful Life. A quick summary: George Bailey always does everything right and for everyone else but every time he thinks he’s going to be able to pursue his own goals in life, something knocks him back – whether it be the sudden death of his father or a run on the building and loan company he ends up running after his father dies.
Before long all the hard luck really beats him down and he contemplates suicide. That plan is stopped by an angel named Clarence who then leads George down a path of seeing what the lives of everyone around him would be like if he wasn’t there anymore.
The movie is based on a short story written in 1939 by Philip Van Doren Stern, a well-respected author from the 1930s, 40s and 50s who was best known for books he wrote about The Civil War. According to the site Unremembered History, Stern tried to sell the short story but no one would pick it up so he printed up 200 Christmas card books and mailed them to friends and family.
“The card book and story somehow caught the attention of RKO Pictures producer David Hempstead who showed it to actor Cary Grant’s agent,” the site states. “In April 1944, RKO bought the rights but failed to create a satisfactory script. Grant went on to make another Christmas movie “The Bishop’s Wife.’ However, another acclaimed Hollywood heavyweight, Frank Capra, who already had three Best Directing Oscars to his name, liked the idea. RKO was happy to unload the rights.
“The story itself is slight, in the sense, it’s short,” Capri said referring to Stern’s book. “But not slight in content.”
A lot was added to the movie to flesh it out, of course, but the basis for it all was the story.
It turns out that Stern was born in Wyalusing, Pa., which is the town I went to high school in and where my husband works at the paper.
Philip Van Doren Stern
The Husband’s boss, the publisher of the newspaper, published a column this past week about that connection.
According to him, it isn’t clear when Stern’s family moved from Wyalusing but it was confirmed through his daughter a few years ago when the paper contacted her, that he was born in the tiny town along the banks of the Susquehanna. So, it’s possible his connection to the small town may have given him some inspiration for the short story, which was called The Greatest Gift.
Stern’s father was a traveling salesman who came from Virgina to Wyalusing with his family. How he ended up in Wyalusing, since his wife was from New Jersey and there was no known connection to any other families in the town, is unknown.
According to local writer and actor Wes Skillings, Stern was born in Wyalusing because his family was renting a house there after his mother worked as a nurse for many years in Philadelphia. Skillings suggests in the information that was printed in the play program that Stern’s mother may have cared for patients who were originally from Wyalusing and formed a bond with the area. Wanting her son to be born somewhere safe and among people she knew, they moved to Wyalusing while she was pregnant.
Sometime after Stern was born, though, the family moved to New Jersey.
Wyalusing is a very small town with a population of 610 people.
If you blink driving through town, you will completely miss the business district. The town’s main attraction is an overlook just outside its border, which provides an amazing view of the Susquehanna River and a place known locally as French Azilum.
The site was meant to be the new home for French Queen Marie Antoinette. She was killed before she could arrive there, but her servants and other noblemen fleeing the guillotine helped settle the area by founding a village of about 250 people. Many returned to France 10 years later after Napoleon Bonaparte granted repatriation rights to those who had fled to escape persecution. Some stayed and settled the area.
There is no evidence that Bedford Falls, the name of the town in The Greatest Gift and It’s A Wonderful Life is based on Wyalusing. The movie version of Bedford Falls is actually modeled after Seneca Falls, N.Y. which is in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. Director Frank Capra drove through Seneca Falls on his way back from New York City while coping out shooting locations for the movie.
But, as Skillings wrote, “Bedford Falls may not be Wyalusing, but without Wyalusing there would be no Bedford Falls.”
I wasn’t a fan of It’s A Wonderful Life when I was younger. I had seen several parodies of the movie and figured it was cliché, sappy, and silly. Several years ago, I watched it all the way through and realized it was much more than a simple Christmas movie. There are so many brilliant, emotional, profound scenes in it.
There are the fun scenes – George and Mary so involved in dancing that they don’t notice the gym floor has opened and they are about to fall into the swimming pool. The scene where Mary tries to run away from George, who is about to kiss her, and finds out he’s standing on her robe and now she has to hide in a prickly rose bush with no clothes on.
Then there is the scene where George tells Mary he doesn’t want to stay in Bedford Falls. He’s going to leave and there is nothing she can do about it. In the next few seconds, though, he’s kissing her and they are crying and we all know George isn’t going anywhere.
That scene was made even more emotional by the fact this was Jimmy Stewart’s first movie since returning from World War II and his emotions were raw, right at the surface. His emotional state is on display again when he’s sitting in the bar late in the move after a number of setbacks and he breaks down, asking God for help.
Jimmy wasn’t supposed to break down that way, but he did so organically – still shattered by all he’d seen during the war.
There are many messages in this story written so long ago. First there is a message about facing life’s disappointments with a healthy dose of gratitude mixed in. Life won’t always go the way we want it to. We need to be grateful for what is right in our life.
Another lesson is that tragedy and heartache will strike but what ultimately matters is the people we surround ourselves with. We may not have all the material items, wealth, or prestige we want, but what we do have — the love of our family and friends — is much more important.
At its core, though, is another, poignant message in the movie about our worth, value, and importance to the people around us.
We may feel small and insignificant, like a failure, or invisible, but the lack of our presence can create a monumental, life-changing ripple effect for those we love, beyond what we can imagine.
There are circumstances beyond our control that could remove us from the lives of our loved ones, but if the situation is in our control the best thing we can do is recognize that our worth is not dependent on our success or the opinion of others but on the love others have for us. The love that God has for us.
No matter what circumstance or location inspired The Greatest Gift, Stern’s message lives on through our choice to embrace the belief that he had – that each life is worthy, that serving others is what makes life rich, and that how much love we have will always mean more than how much money we have.
*This post is also part of the Comfy, Cozy Christmas Link Up for 2024. If you have a Christmas/holiday post you would like to share you can find the link HERE or at the top of the page here on my blog.
(Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.)
This week we have a freebie post so now that we are in December, I thought I’d share some book ideas to get you into the Christmas or holiday feels.
Did I just write “feels”? Oh my … I did. Let us overlook that and carry on . . .
I’m starting with this one because this is one I read or read parts of each year now. It’s a favorite Christmas book for me. As my sister-in-law said last night when we were chatting, reading a Jan Karon book is like walking into a warm hug and this book is no different. It’s heartwarming, even though there are some tough topics in it, especially about Father Tim (he’s an Episcopalian priest) as he grapples with his past relationship with his late father.
Description: Millions of Americans have found Mitford to be a favorite home-away-from-home, and countless readers have long wondered what Christmas in Mitford would be like. The eighth Mitford novel provides a glimpse, offering a meditation on the best of all presents: the gift of one’s heart.
Since he was a boy, Father Tim has lived what he calls “the life of the mind” and has never really learned to savor the work of his hands. When he finds a derelict nativity scene that has suffered the indignities of time and neglect, he imagines the excitement in the eyes of his wife, Cynthia, and decides to undertake the daunting task of restoring it. As Father Tim begins his journey, readers are given a seat at Mitford’s holiday table and treated to a magical tale about the true Christmas spirit.
I am actually reading this one right now and am enjoying it.
Description: In this heartwarming Christmas story, widowed Vera Swanson is feeling lonely until young Fiona Albright knocks on her door needing help. With Fiona’s mother seriously ill, Fiona asks Vera to make a special Christmas quilt for her. Vera gathers a group of women, including an artist, a chatty empty nester, and a retired therapist, to fulfill the request. Along the way, Vera discovers the joy of friendship and the warmth of a new “family” during the holiday season.
I have not read this one, but have heard good things about Lynn’s work.
Decription: For the first time in her privileged life, Adelaide Forsythe won’t be swept up in it. She couldn’t be happier about the prospect of a quieter Christmas. That’s not to say her transition from Miss to Mrs. has been without challenge. Though she doesn’t regret marrying for love instead of wealth, she can barely light the hearth or cook more than burnt toast. She feels woefully unprepared to run her own household. Then, on the first Sunday of Advent, winter winds bring change through two unlikely means: a young orphan boy, hiding near Adelaide’s front steps, and a seasoned housekeeper who seems too good to be true. The boy, Jack, claims he isn’t an orphan at all and is desperate to reunite his family. Adelaide and her husband Howard work tirelessly to solve the riddle of Jack’s story, while Adelaide’s new endeavors open her eyes to a world beyond her past experience—and all the challenge and possibility it holds. As Christmas approaches, small glimmers of wonder light the way toward the answers Adaleide seeks and the most miraculous gift of all.
Description: The younger son of Ivy Hill’s family, Richard Brockwell, hasn’t been home for Christmas for years. He prefers to live in the London townhouse, far away from everyone. His mother threatens to stop funding his carefree life–unless he comes home for Christmas. Out of options, he sets out for Ivy Hill, planning to be back on a coach bound for London and his unencumbered bachelor life as soon as the festivities are over. But Christmas in the country presents unforeseen surprises, including encounters with an orphaned apprentice, the first love he disappointed years ago, and Arabella Awdry, a young lady who is far more appealing than he recalled . . . and determined to have nothing to do with him.
(have not read all of these, but have read A Christmas Carol and I did enjoy it.)
Description: This selection of Dickens’s Christmas writings confirms his lasting influence upon our idea of the Christmas spirit: that Christmas is a time for celebration, charity, and memory.
In addition to the beloved A Christmas Carol, this volume includes such festive works as “Christmas Festivities,” “The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton,” “A Christmas Tree,” “The Seven Poor Travellers,” The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain, and a Christmas episode from Master Humphrey’s Clock. Beyond the holly and the ivy, Charles Dickens’ writings show readers his references to societal issues in nineteenth century England that revolve around Christmas. Dickens explores issues, which relate to class and memory in order to achieve deeper meaning and human qualities for the characters he creates.
(I read a couple of these stories from a book similar to this last year and did enjoy them! I hope to read more from it this year. I think I actually listened to a couple too on Audible.)
Delight lovers of classics with this timeless treasury! From Twain’s missive—penned as “Santa Claus” to his 3-year-old daughter—to charming fireside moments, this Christmas collection features 23 nostalgic tales from Alcott, Dickens, Stowe, Twain, Montgomery, and Howells, along with the poetry of Cook, Rossetti, Thackeray, Kilmer, Longfellow, and Coleridge. Includes a presentation page for personalized gifting.
(Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs turned me on to these types of books last year. There are various versions of these books, all with different novellas collected into one volume. I had to hunt for these books as they are not all in print anymore, with many of them only available on used sites. I tracked this one down on Thriftbooks. I read two of the novellas last year and I’m going to read a couple more this December. I am not a huge romance reader but these are very light and sweet.)
Description: This collection of five holiday-themed Regency romances includes all-new stories by award-winning and bestselling authors Edith Layton, Emma Jensen, Sandra Heath, Barbara Metzger, and Carla Kelly. Celebrate the joys of Christmas in Regency England with five new stories by some of the most beloved Regency authors of all time. Ringing in the season with fireside warmth, holiday wishes, and Yuletide romance, these stories capture the essence of Christmas. A sparkling collection sure to delight readers all year round, with warmth, cheer, and love.
Description: Two heartwarming Yuletide tales in one volume! In Finding Father Christmas, Miranda’s search for her dad leads her to England where a family welcomes her. Should she reveal her true identity and destroy their idyllic image of her parent? And in Engaging Father Christmas, Miranda plans to accept Ian’s proposal—but the Whitcomb matriarch withholds her blessing.
Description: Curl up with this Yuletide duo! In All Is Calm, special ops agent Brendan and murder witness Lauren seek refuge at Bluebird Ranch. Can they catch the killer? And in All Is Bright, Delilah is deliberately run off the road. Sheriff Tom Bourne is determined to protect her. Will he save her from her shadowy attacker?
(I have watched the movie this is based on but have not read the book.)
Description: Imagine a Victorian England village in the Cotswolds where very little out of the ordinary ever happens . . . except at Christmas time.
This year, Edward Haddington, a lowly candle maker, is visited by a mysterious angel. That angel silently imparts a precious gift—a gift that’s bungled and subsequently lost. The candle maker and his wife, Bea, struggle to find the gift.
And when they do, they have to make a difficult choice. Who among their community is most in need of a Christmas miracle?
(I have not read this one yet but I’ve wanted to read one by Shiloh so I might try to squeeze it in this year.)
Description: It’s the most wonderful time of the year–for everyone except Starr Lewis.
As if going home for the holidays jobless and single wasn’t bad enough, she’s dragged into a holiday season full of activities leading up to her sister’s uber-romantic Christmas Eve wedding–to Starr’s ex-boyfriend. But when her brother’s best friend, Waylon Emmerson, attends their family Thanksgiving, she starts to wonder if maybe coming home for Christmas isn’t so bad after all.
As Starr finds the perfect distraction in helping Waylon make over his late mother’s Christmas shop, the most wonderful time of the year works its magic and the spark between them grows. But with the holidays fast approaching, Starr must decide what she wants out of life after the gifts are unwrapped and the ornaments are put away–to go back to New York City or to open her heart to a love that will last beyond Christmas Day?
Have you read any of these books? Or are you reading anything Christmas-related this year? Let me know in the comments.
*This post is also part of the Comfy, Cozy Christmas Link Up for 2024. If you have a Christmas/holiday post you would like to share you can find the link HERE or at the top of the page here on my blog.
From now until January 2nd, Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and I will be sharing all of our cozy holiday posts, about movies, gift guides, baking, books, and other surprises we may have in our stockings!
We would love for you to join in with us and share your holiday posts here as well!
These posts can be about movies, about books, about what you are doing and baking, etc. As long as it is holiday related.
It doesn’t have to be just Christmas, just seasonal from any walk of life, culture, or faith that happens between now and January 2nd is welcome! And now, let the festivities commence!!
You can find the link to our Christmas posts under the header Comfy, Cozy Christmas 2024 at the top of my main page.
Welcome to my Sunday Morning Chat where I ramble about what’s been going on in my world, whatthe rest of the familyand I have been reading, watching, listening to, andwhat I’ve been writing.
The Christmas spirit is already on its way, even though I wasn’t sure I was ready for it. Yesterday the kids decorated the tree, and we chose some Christmas movies to watch later in the month – they didn’t seem to watch them yesterday so I watched The Man Who Invented A Christmas again to get in the Christmas mood.
While we decorated The Husband was performing in a radio play of It’s A Wonderful Life, which we will see the second showing of today.
He’s been rehearsing for the play for the last couple of months and been having a blast. We didn’t go last night because he had to go two hours early and we didn’t want to wait while he got ready, but today we will go with my dad to see it. I thought it was too cold for my mom to come out so I suggested she stay home. We are supposed to have a high of 26 today and yesterday we had a windchill of 13 so I doubt today will be any better.
Last week we had a nice, small Thanksgiving with my parents. My sister-in-law has been facing some health issues so she and my brother stayed home. She is improving but traveling was not really in her best interest this year.
The Husband and I made dinner and took it there. After dinner, we played charades at the urging of Little Miss (who enjoys playing games) and watched part of a movie together. On Friday it was grocery pick-up time for me and yesterday it was staying inside keeping the fire going to cut down on the heating oil costs because it was so cold outside.
This upcoming week I only have one event which I may or may not go to, depending on how we feel and how much we want to brave the cold.
What I/we’ve been Reading
I am reading quite slowly right now so I am still reading Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood and also A Quilt for Christmas by Melody Carlson, which I started yesterday and was pulled right into.
I think I’ll finish A Quilt for Christmas this week since it is very short and cozy at 171 pages long.
Death to Marlow is moving along briskly as well, but I read that mainly at night.
I have borrowed Christy by Catherine Marshall from Libby again since I ran out of time to read it before it had to be returned, but I have a feeling it will go back again – not because it isn’t good. I am enjoying it very much, but I like taking my time with it. I am going to look for a used copy of it to read over the winter.
I am also reading and listening to The Hound of The Baskerville’s by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with The Boy for British Literature.
This past week I finished The Secret of the Wooden Lady by Carolyn Keene and left a review HERE.
After I finish the two books mentioned above, and continue Christy, I hope to read Lynn Austin’s Christmas book The Wish Book Christmas and Toni Shiloh’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas. I’m not a huge romance fan so I’ll see if I make it through Shiloh’s book. I know she’s a good writer so if I do set t aside it won’t be because of that. It’s just because some romances aren’t my “thing.”
Little Miss and I have been reading And Then There Were Five by Elizabeth Enright at night. Last Sunday she read Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets for three straight hours at my parents, taking breaks only for some lunch, a snack of whip cream, and getting a drink. This week she hasn’t read as much but instead we’ve been listening to The Greatest Christmas Pageant ever and then started Caddie Woodlawn again the other night because it’s a favorite of hers.
The Boy is reading The Hound of the Baskerville’s with me, as I mentioned above.
The Husband is reading, but he’s at the play as I am writing this and I might forget to ask him before I hit publish so if I do, I’ll i
Once again this year Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and I are going to be sharing Christmas-themed posts in a link up that you can find at a link at the top of my page. Up there where it says, Home, About, My Books, etc. etc. The link is on a page and you can add your Christmas-themed links from now to January 2!
Erin does such a good job with the graphics for these events. This year she featured our pets in the graphic. It’s so cute and … well, comfy and cozy. Ha!
What We’ve Been Watching
Last week I watched a lot of Murder She Wrote. I write about the show from time to time but I really haven’t seen a lot of the episodes so it’s been interesting to watch through them and either giggle at some of the silliness or get wrapped up in the mysteries – which actually hold together pretty well.
I also watched some of my farmer show on YouTube – Just A Few Acres Farm. One video was just him riding on a tractor with no other sounds and it was seriously the most relaxing thing I’ve seen in a while. I did write some and build the fire while watching but it was very calming somehow. My Sunday morning routine is watching the sermon online with The Husband and then watching Just A Few Acres to try to ease into my day.
Later in the week I watched a show called Now Hear This With Scott Yoo and yesterday I watched a documentary on Leonardo Da Vinci.
Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.
It feels like forever since I released a Gladwynn book but here I am about to release the third book in the series – Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree.
The book will be released in early 2025 and today I thought I’d share an excerpt to wet your appetite for the next installment.
If you have not read either of the first two books, no worries, this excerpt won’t provide any spoilers for you.
If you would like to read the other two books in the series you can find them here (they are on sale this weekend for Black Friday and Cyber Monday!):
“Who caters this event is a decision to be made by the board, Richard, not you.”
Gladwynn Grant tried her best to focus on the task at hand – setting up food for a taste testing for the Harksdale Chamber of Commerce’s fundraiser – but the sharpness of the woman’s tone startled her, causing her to turn around quickly.
Gladwynn had offered to help her friend Abbie Mendoza for the afternoon, with them both hoping that Brewed Awakening, Gladwynn’s favorite coffee shop and Abbie’s place of employment, would be able to land the catering job for the upcoming event.
Neither of them had expected a verbal argument to break out between two of the board members before the tasting had even begun. Gladwynn cast Abbie a questioning look and received a brief wince and shrug in return.
An awkward hush fell over the small gathering in the sunroom at the Harksdale Country Club. Gladwynn turned away again, deciding to keep her back to the drama and instead focus on the job of setting out homemade eclairs on silver trays.
A man’s voice, deep and clearly irritated, responded to the woman’s comment. “That’s all well and good but the board isn’t making the decisions it needs to and this event is right around the corner.”
“We’re here to make a decision today, aren’t we?”
“Yes, with a business I didn’t even recommend.”
Another deep voice: “Richard, don’t be rude to our guests. We are hosting tastings with the businesses you recommended as well.”
“And those businesses can offer us much more than this mom-and-pop coffee shop ever could,” Richard spat.
“It’s actually just a mom coffee shop now.” Abbie offered. A quick glance from Gladwynn showed that Abbie, with her red-blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, was timidly smiling. “Marylou’s husband passed away four years ago.”
Gladwynn turned in time to see the man, who must be Richard, whipping his head around to look at Abbie, staring her down with wide, dark brown eyes as if he wasn’t sure who she was or why she had been speaking to him.
Gladwynn coughed gently. “I don’t want to interrupt, but we do have some samples set up here for you all so if nothing else comes of this meeting today, at least you can enjoy some refreshments.”
The woman who had introduced herself earlier as Beatrice Baxter, the director of the chamber, lifted her chin and turned away from Richard. Her previously tense expression relaxed, and a forced smile replaced it. “Yes, of course. Thank you so much. We can continue our conversation later,” she shot Richard a quick look that Gladwynn could only describe as a warning, “In private.”
A small huff came from Richard as he pulled his shoulders back sharply and straightened them into a tense posture. Beatrice walked quickly past him to the front of the room.
Serving food samples to potential clients wasn’t Gladwynn’s regular job or forte. Her regular job was as a newspaper reporter for the Brookstone Beacon – the newspaper of the small town she now lived in. She was here on this day as a favor to Abbie after Abbie’s co-worker had come down with a cold.
The owner of Brewed Awakening, Marylou Landry, had stayed behind to watch the shop. She’d been nervous about even applying to cater for the event since Harksdale’s residents were usually accustomed to more fine dining than what Brewed Awakening – a laid back, down to earth café and coffee shop – offered.
Harksdale was a small village made up mainly of expensive cabins, inns, and resorts. Located near state game lands, it was nestled in the middle of trees and hills in the proverbial middle of nowhere. Many of its wealthy residents traveled from more urban areas and cities and then lived in Harksdale only on weekends or during the summer.
For more than 100 years Harksdale had been known by locals as a haven to the more “well-to-do folks”.
Gladwynn offered her broadest smile to each person as they approached the table. Glancing to her right she saw Abbie doing the same, though a little more tentatively. Richard’s outburst and biting comment about Brewed Awakening had clearly shaken her.
Gladwynn knew that landing the catering job would be a huge boon to Marylou. She also knew that Abbie wanted to do the best she could for her beloved employer. Gladwynn couldn’t blame her. Brewed Awakening had become one of her favorite places to visit since she’d moved to Brookstone to live with her grandmother almost a year and a half ago. A cozy, down-to-earth coffee shop with a bookstore attached to it? Yes, please, and thank you.
There were seven board members, and five volunteers present at the event, but Beatrice has explained it would be the board who would make the final decision on who would cater the event. The volunteers were simply there for input.
Conversations blended together among the people in the room, creating a soft hum.
Gladwynn noticed Richard and Beatrice sat as far away from each other as possible. Richard was scowling more and more with each bite he took.
Richard had arrived late, after the introductions of the other board members had been made, his face flushed. By then, Abbie had been detailing what food the group would be sampling and offering each of the attendants’ sheets to not only show the menu but to allow them to mark down any potential substitutes they might want later.
It was during the final set up that Richard had begun the aggressive conversation with Beatrice. Gladwynn hadn’t heard his question or comment, only Beatrice’s response.
This is a link-up where we not only allow you to share your past posts but we encourage it. So share away!
I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Little Miss and I made pumpkin pies last night and today The Husband and I made the rest of dinner to take over to my parents and give them a break from cooking for once.
The Husband woke up very early to put the turkey in and I made the mashed potatoes. The Husband also made sweet potatoes like his grandfather used to make – baked in the oven with brown sugar on top.
I’m so glad you are here and participating in our weekly link-up of family-friendly, fun, educational, interesting, crafty, fashionable, and whatever else posts. I hope you’ll tell your followers about our post (feel free to copy and paste the graphic) and visit the blogs in the link-up.
Now it is your turn to link up your favorite posts. They can be fashion, lifestyle, DIY, food, etc. All we ask is that they be family-friendly. You can link up posts from last week or even from years ago. You can share up to three links each week.
We are always looking for additional hosts so let us know if you want to help out and we are also looking for more links from fashion bloggers so let your fashion bloggers know!
The Secret of the Wooden Lady is the 27th book in the original Nancy Drew series written by – uh, “Carolyn Keene.” Of course, most readers of Nancy Drew know there were a number of people who wrote Nancy Drew, including Mildred Benson and about 27 other authors.
This is the eighth book of the original series I have read and at first, I wasn’t sure I liked it as much as a couple others.
It seemed a little discombobulated and was a little slow in the middle of the book after starting off with a bang (not a literal bang this time).
Most of the book took place on an old clipper that an elderly sea captain wants to buy, but can’t because the original title can’t be found. In addition to the deed being lost, the captain has been experiencing some weird events involving thefts on the ship as well as seeing what he fears might be ghostly figures.
Nancy knows about what Captain Easterly is dealing with because he knows her father, Attorney Carson Drew, — described in the book as tall and handsome — and Captain Easterly has written him a letter.
Carson wants to help the old man find out what is going on and invites Nancy to go with him to Boston and look for the title and find out if someone is prowling around on the clipper at night.
Nancy is excited about having another mystery to solve and while she waits for the next day when she and her dad will leave, she gets a call from her friend Bess. While she and Bess are on the phone, Bess says she hears someone in the house. Her parents aren’t home and she’s nervous. Suddenly the line goes dead and Nancy, appropriately, freaks out and runs to her car to go see what’s happened to Bess.
She tried to call the police before she left, but the lines were busy. This was the 1930s so I suppose that is a plausible situation.
I was freaking out for Bess when I read this part. It was late at night and I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed and when I read the part about the phone going dead I was like, “Oh my gosh! What happened to Bess!”
My daughter was very confused until I explained to her it was a character in the book I was reading.
You will have to read the book to find out what happened to Bess, but it is a bit of a spoiler to say that Bess and her cousin, and Nancy’s other friend, George, are invited up to Boston by Carson Drew when he has to leave the city to find out more information about the title and doesn’t want to leave Nancy alone. That’s pretty nice of him since he usually he doesn’t seem too worried about his daughter investigating things alone.
It doesn’t take too long for the girls to learn that what happened to Bess and her family might be related to what is happening aboard the clipper – The Bonny Scot.
Before Nancy had left for Boston she went to a dance with Ned Nickerson, by the way. Ned is her “boyfriend” but he’s not necessarily called that. He is the young man who clearly cares for her but she’s always too busy solving crimes. Ned is sad she’s running off to Boston because he was hoping to take her out again before he has to go off to his summer camp job.
Luckily, it turns out that Ned’s camp isn’t too far from Boston, so we end up with Ned and two of his friends – apparent love interests of Bess and George that might have been mentioned in previous books I haven’t read yet – arriving to help out with the mystery as well.
Like I said above, the middle of this book was a little slow but then things picked back up again and the girls were thrown into more dangerous situations than the characters on a CW show, which is saying a lot.
As always, the book is simply written with more “telling” paragraphs that move the reader along at a fairly fast and furious pace, but these books were originally written for younger readers so that is understandable.
While I liked this one, The Case of the Whistling Bagpipes remains my favorite of the ones I’ve read so far.
You can read reviews of three of the other books I’ve read here:
