Last Night I Dreamt I went to Manderley again.

     And so begins a fabulous book. I just finished reading this "tale of suspense" that I only just discovered in the past year. The book Rebecca is intriguing as it weaves a tale of tyranny, false pretenses and mystery, all seen through the eyes of the nameless narrator. She has a unique name that is hard to spell, but her name is never revealed. She is simply referred to as Mrs. de Winter.  I love the writing, I love the captivating story. Rebecca is a shadow, Rebecca is gone, through the whole book, but the story revolves around her as if she is still alive, peering over the shoulder of those living in Manderley and putting a touch of herself in pieces and people around the house.

If you are interested in reading this fabulous book (which you definitely should) then don't read any further....I am about to type out the last paragraph of the book just because it is so simply wonderful.

"He drove faster, much faster. We topped the hill before us and saw Lanyon lying in a hollow at our feet. There to the left of us was the silver streak of the river, widening to the estuary at Kerrith six miles away. The road to Manderley lay ahead. There was no moon. The sky above our heads was inky black. But the sky on the horizon was not dark at all. It was shot with crimson, like a splash of blood. And the ashes blew towards us with the salt wind from the sea."

You can get a sense of the way that Daphne Du Maurier  writes. It's pure amazingness.

As long as I am making this a book review of sorts, I would like to warn that there is a bit of foul language in this book, including misuse of Jesus' name in one part by an unfavorable character, which still really irked me. I couldn't believe I was reading it. But apart from that I would really recommend this book as an amazing read.

I'm not sure what I would classify the reading style as, in depth. It was lighter than Jane Eyre, I thought, which for me compared (in depth) to that of Jane Austen's novels. I had originally said that this was just as easy reading as one of L.M. Montgomery's books, but I think it is a little tougher than that. But I think you get the general idea of "deepness". :)

Oh, and go watch the movie too (the 1940 version with Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine). I saw the movie before reading this, and I really liked it, but while reading the book I honestly felt like I was discovering the story for the first time. And then of course there are some changes in the movie from the book (one of which is slightly major).

Books and Things

I wasn't able to sleep. It might have been that I was sick, it might have been that my mind just wouldn't calm down at all. It didn't matter that my body was tired, my mind was bouncing a red rubber ball around  in my skull. It was past two by the time I finally fell asleep. The next night was similar, although I fell asleep a mite faster than the night before. By the time it was the third night, my dad had a plan. And it involved reading Winnie-the-Pooh in my bed before I went to sleep.

I don't know if Winnie-the-Pooh helped, but it did make me happy.
A.A. Milne has the gift f words, and Ernest H. Shepard has the gift of whimsical drawings. There is something entirely comforting about the simple, sweet stories.

So I have begun to read my very own copy of the Complete Collection, and I am rather enjoying it so far.

On a slightly different note, have you ever been reading a used book, or a library book and found something stuck between the pages by a previous reader? There is something so nice about finding evidence of another soul reading and enjoying the words on the pages that you are now enjoying.

Once I was reading a book that I had borrowed from a friend, and in the crease of the pages I found a small pressed flower. She had forgotten all about the flower, but had stuck it there last time she had been reading the story.

While paging through The World of Christopher Robin that I had acquired many months ago from a secondhand store, I found something between the pages. But it wasn't something very sweet and savory. It was a proof-of-purchase for a movie. Yeah, kinda lame, huh? But it made me think about finding better things in books. I've thought before about leaving a notes in books from the library for the next person to find. Maybe I should...  

(P.S. I got a Formspring account. Ask me a >>question<<)

Today is just another day

It's a cloudy day. I feel like doing something Pinteresty.
I am babysitting with my older sister while everyone else is out. She is coloring. Yes, that would be Anna, the one we babysit.
Danish for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and out for supper with our uncle. It's going to be a yummy food day.


Previous read: {Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson}


Currently reading: {Start Here by Alex and Brett Harris}


Next read: {Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand} New York Times Bestselling book & my sister talked on the phone to the guy the book is about


Current music: {Let it Be - The Beatles}

Lovely quote:  I'd rather waltz than just walk through the forest

                    The trees keep the tempo and they swing in time
                    Quartet of crickets chime in for the chorus
                    If I were to pluck on your heart strings
                    Would you strum on mine?

                                   - Plant Life, Owl City

Lovely song: 

(Can you tell I've been loving Owl City lately? I got another CD for my birthday. :) )

Last Week's Latest

A sneak peek from 366 Moments Captured (go check it out):

One fine day I went for a walk. Something about this picture strikes my fancy.

This was in the car on the way to play Ultimate Frisbee and Football with our friends. I'm not normally that sporty, don't worry. ;)

-End of Sneak Peek-

(A cool book I read recently)

(Another super cool book. A.k.a., The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman.)

Dunkin' Donuts trips with a big sister are always the best. Especially when you get a hot chocolate with a shot of espresso. Yum!

Hopefully I will post more soon! But until then, don't forget to enter my fabulous giveaway! (If you haven't already.)