A Melodious Sonnet

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Midweek Mix-Up: A River Mouth, and an Impressive Resource List for Writers

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Welcome to this week’s midweek mix-up! I’ve had a full, fun, informative week, and I hope there’s something interesting or useful for you here today. Grab a cup of coffee—or tea, if you so desire—and let’s dig in!

Reading this week:

Confessions of a De-Cluttering Junkie, by Chautona Havig

Confessions of a De-Cluttering Junkie, by Chautona Havig
Progress: Finished

Just a few random thoughts on the book. I loved De-Cluttering Junkie, and I’m beginning to suspect I’d love any of Chautona’s books. Even though this book apparently has no real plot—okay, maybe it’s just that it doesn’t have a “generic” plotline, because it does have introduction, conflict, resolution—it’s both fun and exciting. I suspect it would be more interesting for Moms to read than for me, a teenager, but even so I found it gripping—taking it so far as to prefer reading over watching the scenery when we went sight-seeing with my aunt!

Do You Have Characters Acting Out of Character?

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Recently, I watched a ‘40s film of Pride and Prejudice. Near the middle of the movie, Elizabeth was visiting Mr. and Mrs. Collins. Earlier in the film, hints had been made as to what Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s personality was like, but it wasn’t until now that I actually got to meet her. Her personality was just as bad as it had been portrayed earlier—proud, arrogant, haughty—everything you wouldn’t want to find in a new acquaintance.

Lady Catherine and Elisabeth

Later in the film, she is shown as coming to see Elizabeth, trying to force her to promise never to marry Mr. Darcy. Of course, by this time Elizabeth loves Darcy, even though there will probably never be a way to have that love reciprocated. In the end Elizabeth refuses, and Lady Catherine leaves in an apparent huff.

Midweek Mix-Up: Mud Flats and a POW

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Welcome to this week’s midweek mix-up! I enjoy putting these together, although sometimes life does not allow that to happen. I hope you enjoy them, anyway, when I do get them up!

What I’ve been reading lately:

The Sound of Diamonds, by Rachelle Rea

The Sound of Diamonds, by Rachelle Rea
Progress: Finished.

I ended up mostly enjoying this book. While I didn’t appreciate the romance as much, I loved reading about the time period and seeing all the historical tidbits through the story. I’ll be writing a full review to post on my personal blog soon.

Creating Beautiful Descriptions Using Coffee Table Books

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I was recently flipping through a coffee table book about tigers, studying the different pictures. Interspersed throughout the book were pictures of native people, their ways of life, their religious beliefs, and their surroundings. Not many—the book was mainly about tigers, how they live, and how they’re endangered (I didn’t appreciate most of that last theme, but that’s beside the point). But there were a good number of “other” pictures.

Creating Beautiful Descriptions Using Coffee Table Books

Then it hit me: This would be a fantastic way to research the country a story is set in! This particular book had India, Thailand, and possibly other Southeast Asia countries as well.

Why We Need to Read Poetry — and a Lot of It!

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Last evening, we were discussing poetry as a family. Dad admitted he loves poetry—which is rare for him, since he hardly has time to read anything other than the Bible. We were discussing different poems—some of the more famous ones like The Song of Hiawatha, Paul Revere’s Ride, and Barbara Freitchie. That last one was one we couldn’t quite put a name to, so in the end Mom got one of our poetry books and read it to us while we ate supper!

Why We Need to Read Poetry — and a Lot of It! (picture)

Poems are a needful addition to everyone’s lives. The rhythm, speech, and emotions are sometimes even more beautiful than a fiction novel.

Poems tell stories—stories that gracefully flow in harmonious melody, sometimes sad and sometimes joyfully.