The Greatest Showman Book Tag // Taking a Break From my Break

Hello....

It's mee.....
(You've forgotten me, haven't you?)

I am taking a break from my hiatus (actually that doesn't really make sense because isn't a HIATUS a break? So..... I'm taking a break from my break...?) because I read this really cool tag on Eva's blog, and I had to jump in and steal it!
Things are slowing down a bit with our moving (as in, the work is getting less and less the more we clean up and stuff), so hopefully I can be back to posting regular posts really soon!
In the meanwhile, here we go.

Edit cred: Eva

Rules:
~Answer the Questions
~Tag Whoever You Want

(I think I can do that...)

The Greatest Show: Name a book that's as entertaining as a circus.

Well, nothing comes directly to mind except for Rhett & Link's Book of Mythicality, which was quite fun to read, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you watch their YouTube channel, because that's what it's all about... :)

A Million Dreams: Name a book that's set in a fantastical world.

Well, I don't read a lot of books from that genre, so I'm just going to say The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Last time I read the series, the third book was my favorite.

Come Alive: Name a book that makes you outrageously happy.

I gotta say Lynn Austin's Hidden Places, not because it's a happy book per se, but it always makes me happy when I read this one because I love her writing so much. But I totally agree with Eva about The Blue Castle too. 

The Other Side: Name a book that changed your mind about something.

This book by Jack Klumpenhower, Show Them Jesus. This is probably the most influential book I've ever read in my life, other than the Bible. It's that good. The truths are amazing.

Never Enough: Name a book that you've re-read more than once.

Anne of Green Gables. That book made me so happy during my high school days. I need to read it again. I actually learned a lot about writing from that book, plus Anne's misadventures and Montgomery's writing style always make me smile.

This is Me: Name a book with a character that reminds you of yourself.

I wish I could say Patrick Jane from The Mentalist... but that's a TV Show. I have never met a character more like myself than that guy. But since this is a BOOK tag, I'm going to say Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. He does what is right while (mostly) keeping his mouth shut. He's great.

Re-write the Stars: Name a book with a forbidden romance.

I really love forbidden romance situations, so I wish I knew more books with them, but I don't so I'm going to say Lynn Austin's A Proper Pursuit. Although that one isn't super dramatic the way I like them. #yes i'm cliche sometimes
o

Tightrope: Name a book with an adventurous main character.

 I couldn't possibly name any other book or character than Sage from The False Prince Trilogy. I always admired the strength of that guy, and how he never stops. His cleverness never ends.

From Now On: Name a book with a wonderful family (related or otherwise)

Well, I'm going to go with the 'otherwise' option, and say how much I liked the companionship of the characters in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. They are not family, but they stuck together through the war, and afterward. And they accepted Juliet into their adorable circle of trust and friendship. *sigh* It makes my heart happy. I love that book. (WHO ELSE IS EXCITED FOR THE MOVIE. Let me hear ya!)

There we go. I love book tags. Thanks for letting me steal from you, Eva! :)

I Tag:
Tessa at This Great Adventure (AKA - MY VERY BEST FRIEND WHO NOW HAS A BLOG)
Abbie at Chronicles in Bloom
Mary from Sunshine & Scribblings

Go check out Eva's post here.

It was nice writing a post again for once! I will be back soon, my bloggy friends...

-Amaris

Lovely Blog Party // A Few Couples Who Are Worth Mentioning

Hello, my lovely peeps!!!

Cordy from Any Merry Little Thought is hosting a great blog party for the month of February to celebrate favorite couples! Go take a look at her blog for more info. :)

For my 'couple-related post', I decided to talk about a few of my favorite couples from movies, books, and television shows. Of course, my favorites change all the time, but here is my current list.

This was originally going to be a 'top TEN couples' post, but I realized about halfway through... I don't have 10 favorite couples. I'm a picky person with high standards when it comes to stories and characters. Much less, I don't think I have top ten favorite anything (maybe Owl City songs... I'll have to give that some thought tho).
So because of that, I present to you my top 5 or 6 'mentionable' couples from film and books. What's more, they're not in any order.

Without further ado, I shall begin.

A Few Worthy Couples // February 2018

~*~

~John Thornton & Margaret Hale~

North & South book by Elizabeth Gaskell

Specifically (as I have underlined above), the book version. I really loved these two in the 2004 series, but I loved them even more so when I read the beautiful book by Gaskell. I love it when romance comes from two people that initially hate/severely dislike each other. These two are no exception. And I like the little scenes of these two together in the book that isn't in the series.

~*~

~Drake Carne & Morwenna Chinowyth~

Poldark BBC
o

This couple is a new favorite. I just finished watching season 3 of Poldark (a show not recommended for every audience, I must throw out there) in which these two characters are introduced. And I love them. Both actors do such an amazing job with each other, and the story they are interwoven into is so intriguing. The thing about this couple is that there is so much going on around their story that they have no control over, yet they love each other through it. AND I'M SO MAD THE WAY THINGS TURNED OUT FOR MORWENNA. I MEAN SHE DID IT BECAUSE SHE LOVED DRAKE BUT GOSH.
They're in the middle of making Season 4 right now, and by golly I hope things get better for them then! If I can only wait that long...

By the way, Morwenna looks almost exactly like a friend I know. *shrug* Who knew.

~*~

~Faramir  & Eowyn~

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King book by J.R.R. Tolkien

 

Again, I must stress the book relationship more than the movie relationship as my favorite.
In the book I simply adore these two. I watched the movies first when I was 14, but when I read the books I remember how pleasantly surprised I was by their whole relationship that wasn't even in the movie. I mean, look at this:
"And as they stood so, their hands met and clasped, though they did not know it..."
"...and he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many. And many indeed saw them and the light that shown about them as they came down from the walls and went hand in hand to the House of Healing."
 Just.
Aggh I love it.
Look at me in the eyes through the computer screen and dare to tell me that's not beautiful.

~*~
~Sherlock Holmes & Molly Hooper~
Sherlock BBC Show

o
Again, I must stress this is the show version I speak of.

I realize some might argue that these two aren't even a couple. And sure. They aren't married or anything. They aren't even dating, or purposefully getting to know one another. But are we going to ignore every single time Molly stood by Sherlock when he needed her, even as he was a jerk? Are we going to ignore the fact that Sherlock himself admitted out of this mouth that he needs Molly? Are we going to ignore all that went down between them in Series 4 Episode 3??? NO, my friends!
True, they aren't your conventional couple. But they are one of my favorites, and they deserve a place on my list. *nods decidedly*

~*~
~Philip Carlyle & Anne Wheeler~
The Greatest Showman (2017)

 
This is another new favorite.
I do have some problems with this relationship. Well, not PROBLEMS, exactly, there are just some things about their relationship in the movie I wish were different. For one, their relationship development? It's pretty much non-existent. Other than the fact that Philip holds Anne's hand during that one song but then lets it go when people see him. Then their very next scene together it seems as if too much has progressed that we haven't even seen. It's almost like they cut out a scene where he makes some sort of confession of his love for her. My friend put it: "They met and all of a sudden they were in love".

But hey. *shrug* They're still a great couple. I guess the main reason they are on my list is because of the epic-ness of the scenes they are in together and the songs they share. From 'Re-Write the Stars' to *spoiler* the time when Philip heroically runs into a burning building because he thinks Anne is still inside, to *end of spoiler*  the hospital scene, to the very end. It is blissful to watch.

~*~

~Alan Turing & Joan Clarke~
The Imitation Game (2014)

Here we have a couple from history, as well as from a movie.
*spoiler* True, these two don't end up together because of *ehem* REASONS, but still. *end of spoiler*

I mentioned in my post about this movie that I loved the two actors together. I know the things that happen between them in the movie should be taken with a grain of salt, as it's based on a true story, but the way they are portrayed was what I loved most. I love the way Joan sticks by Alan through almost everything. And she doesn't give a single care about his 'problem'. She's very sensible, and caring. And he loves her two, in spite of his all-consuming work. They love each other, and I love them in this movie.


~*~
Well, there you have it. A few couples for this 'season of love'. Do hop over to Cordy's blog for more fun 'lovely' stuff! :)
Oh, and don't forget to read this post from Natalie. It's everything. :)

I also got tagged awhile ago for that Period Drama tag that's going around... which I hope to post sometime next week. In the meantime, I hope you are all enjoying February!

-Amaris

Four Things I Loved About 'The Greatest Showman'

This year, my birthday movie was 'The Greatest Showman'.  

Keep in mind the opinions you are about to read are coming from a person who 'hates' musicals.
But keep reading and you might not find a lot of hate.
A.k.a. GO WATCH THIS MOVIE IT'S GREEEAT AND BEAUTIFUL AND EXCITING AND lemme finish this post first. Then go.
HEE HEE. #so excite

*cough* Sorry. (for real, amaris. you're 20 now. cut it out)
Ok, ok.

What I loved:
 
1. The Music & Singing

Have you been on YouTube lately? If you haven't, you need to go on there and listen to some of these songs. I personally didn't listen to the songs until I saw the movie because I didn't want to ruin the experience of it. 

If you have been following my blog for awhile, or if you know me personally, you know that I do. not. like. musicals. I personally find them severely annoying.

However.

There have been a select few musicals I have actually, truly, sincerely enjoyed. Broadway's Newsies was one of them. I had the pleasure of seeing the Broadway version in theaters with a couple of friends last year.

The other is The Greatest Showman. I loved the music in this movie. I could listen to it all day. I left the theater humming "What if we rewrite the stars..." and feeling like the musical parts did NOT clog up the story parts (read this post if you're not sure what I mean), so that I couldn't enjoy the characters to their fullest. 

If a musical can do that to me, believe me, it's impressive.

2. The Lead Roles

Out of all the people who worked to make this movie great, the ones that stuck out at me as my favorites were Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Zendaya. I admit I've never seen Jackman or Efron in any other movies before (I was never the 'High School Musical' type), but I have seen Zendaya in Spider-Man.

Whether I've seen them before or not, it's hard to put into words how good I thought each of them were in this movie. I could say 'flawless', 'stunning', 'brilliant'. But somehow, mere words fall short of how great it was to describe me sitting in the theater enjoying the life out of myself watching them. I guess you'd have to experience it yourself. (Srsly. Go watch it.)

These three made the movie for me. Basically it's the best acting I've seen in a movie that doesn't have Benedict Cumberbatch in it.

And that's saying something.

3. The dancing

'Invigorating'

'Beautiful'

'Thrilling'

Yep. I'm using adjectives because I don't know how else to explain how great it was.
I loved the dancing. People don't realize that's a lot for me to say, because usually dancing is the boring part of the musical where I leave to go refill popcorn or put more ice in my water. After all, who cares? People moving in time with the music, while having no dramatic influence on the story? Not my thing.
But this dancing? Not only was it beautiful to watch (and paired with not-boring music, what-do-you-know), but it meant something, and it made me care. That's my thing.

4. Everything
A few more worthy 'mentionable' notes:

•  The singing voice of P.T. as a child (I always love a child with a good singin' voice...)
• The dancing scene in the bar with P.T. and Philip (Loved how masculine this scene is, the drama that's woven through the song and dance moves, and just watching Jackman and Efron do their thing.)
• When P.T. is dancing on the roof with his wife (Absolutely loved that part. Also, it sorta gave me vibes from this scene in White Christmas, which I've always loved. With the pink dress and all.)
• Anne Wheeler. I loved her character, I love her dancing, I love her singing, I love Zendaya. (I know some people think Zendaya an annoying 'teenager star', but I personally love her acting. Plus, who has more perfect eyebrows...)
• P.T.'s children. They were acted well, and so sweet.

SO. After all that, maybe you'll believe me that this movie is one of the beautiful-est, danci-est, exciting-est (and what other words can I put -est at the end to sound clever?) BEST-EST movie I've seen in... a long time? A LONG TIME.
AND THAT'S ME TALKING
Yeah, me! I DON'T LIKE MUSICALS.
But THIS MOVIE.
*nods approval*
 Remember when I asked you guys a couple of posts ago "Is it as good as the trailer?" I can now confirm that question for myself.
It is.

-Amaris

Farewell, Teenage Years

Once upon a time...

20 years ago,

It snowed.

And I was born.

(It didn't snow on my birthday this year, though. 60 degrees, actually.)
In case you haven't guessed it by now, this is... more or less my 'birthday post'. I turned 20 on the 22nd of January.

Yeah. I know.
It was a fun time this year. I went to the theaters and watched The Greatest Showman (more on that in another post! #spoiler: I loved it), I got some more books to read for my 2018 goal, I decorated a galaxy cake, I got free makeup from stores with my birthday coupons, I ate French food for lunch. All fun stuff.

Most of all, I said 'farewell' to my teenage years. *pause and reflect on how old i am*

When I was 12 years old, I made up my mind not to waste my teenage years. I was struck by how many teenagers I observed only cared about being stupid and wasting time 'having fun'.  
I wanted to be different.

But I didn't realize how hard being a teenager would be. Turns out for me, the problem wasn't wasting time and being stupid. It was being anxious. A few things happened that made me be nervous to go out into public. I started to stay home more (not that I was ever a social butterfly) because I was worried to go places.

Things continued in this manner for the better part of 3 years until I decided I was tired of letting my fears control me. God had been offering me His hand for awhile, so I finally reached out and took it, letting go of maintaining my fears.
Now I am amazed at what God can do through such a weak person like me if I just let Him. Because He is the strong One.
I guess that's my takeaway from years 13-19.
We don't have to be strong, because He already is.
All we have to do is let Him.

 
Apart from that, here are the best things I learned about being a teenager:

1. It's worth it to listen to your parents.
No matter what you might think... they know more (unless it's about Instagram or somethin' like that. You know)
2. Put your worries behind you. 
What's the use of being scared if things are going to be the way they are anyways? Don't get so wrapped up in being comfortable that you can't handle things when they come at you.
3. Don't push growing up.
 PLEASE enjoy the 20% of your life when you don't have the responsibilities that you will have the other 80%. I'm just now getting my first smart phone and you know how old I am? Twenty. I'm not saying you have to be as old fashioned as me. But enjoy being young. Enjoy no phone bills. Enjoy no care insurance.
You will never have the chance again.
4. Grow in your relationship with Jesus.
The relationship that you form with Him in these years of young faith is going to carry you through the rest of your life. Make a point to get to know Him.
You won't be sorry.

~*~*~*~
Thank you, everyone, for reading my blog and staying with me!
Here's to the journey ahead.
-Amaris