My mom produced a play at our church, based on the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. During the play, an angel visits Zechariah and Mary, and my mom commissioned myself and a couple friends to create some wings for the angel.
These are the wings, which we have now submitted in the church’s co-forging art exhibit.
They are made of dowel rods (support at the back), white duck tape, white paper, and newspaper, and were created by Audrey, Hannah, and myself, with collaborative help from our girls’ bible study, including Elizabeth, Abbey, and Mandy.
“Epic Fail” by Claire LaZebnik follows the lives of four sisters – Kaitlyn, Layla, Elise, and Juliana – who have just moved from Massachusetts because their parents have gotten jobs at an expensive high school in Los Angeles — their mom is principal, and their dad is a science teacher. Told from Elise’s perspective, the book is based on “Pride and Prejudice,” as Elise struggles with judging the children of Hollywood’s elite.
Elise and her older sister Juliana are close, and when Juliana catches the attention of one Chase, Elise ends up spending a lot of time with Derek Edwards, son of award-winning actress and avant-garde director. She finds him standoffish, rude, and judgmental, and prefers the company of somewhat oddball Webster Grant. The question is “who needs to learn about pride and prejudices?”
I often find romances, particularly young-adult romances, cheesy, and somewhat unbearable, but I enjoyed “Epic Fail.” Most of the characters had many layers of depth, which I didn’t predict from the get-go. A few minor characters and sub-plots, particularly the parents and sub-plots involving them, were underdeveloped and unresolved, but by brushing over lesser matters, LaZebnik kept the book the perfect length.
I additionally enjoyed LaZebnik’s detailed and clear descriptions. Throughout the book, phrases such as “his thin face lit up” or “he curled his body toward me” or “the two girls’ long, choppy manes and skinny bodies had been cast from the same basic mold” gave me a picture of what was going on. In fact, I rarely “see” things described in books, but throughout “Epic Fail,”I had vivid pictures of what was going on flashing through my head.
Not only was this book visual for me, but I really enjoyed Elise’s voice. She was a perfect mix of light sarcasm, and sweet naivety. She enjoyed and regularly engaged in just watching the action, describing what she saw, but certainly played a role in the plot of the book. Elise is a good balance of passive and active character, keeping the pace of the book varied and neither too slow or too fast.
“Epic Fail” was an enjoyable modern take on a classic story. The book was well written with clear descriptions, good pacing, excellent character and plot depth and development, and will be enjoyed by avid fans of Jane Austen’s book and readers who have not yet picked up the original story.
You can remember more of what you understand than you can of meaningless or unconnected information.
Shuffle by Bombay Bicycle Club (featured on Amazon’s Artists on the Rise) is probably one of my favorite songs, as of late.
“Bright Young Things” by Anna Godbersen is a young-adult novel set in the Jazz Age. The book follows the lives of three young girls in (and around) New York City, where love, secrets, fame and adventures are just around the corner.
Cordelia and Letty are from Ohio. They go to New York City together, although they part ways over an argument. For these two girls, New York City is a place of dreams and new wonders; “New York was more extraordinary than a girl from Ohio could possibly have imagined, that it was a place of wonders where the citizens used the sky as their tablet and airplanes for pens.”
Cordelia grew up with her aunt and uncle, and, although her mother is dead, she is not certain of who her father is and is determined to find him. Letty has a beautiful voice and wants to be on the stage, although she discovers some people expect more than just talent. Astrid lives with her mother (who’s had more than a few husbands) on Long Island, home of rich parties.
Although — and I will admit this — I have never loved historical fictions, I found this book engaging and fun to read. First, my grandparents were children in the Jazz Age and it’s interesting to look at a piece of history not so far back. Additionally, Godbersen really paints a picture of 1929, making it easy to visualize the characters in an older, different New York City. Not only is the period set, but words make “Bright Young Things” feels as if it were truly from another time, fully placing the reader in another era.
Although fellow readers may assume that this old English is the functionally unintelligible ‘olde englishe’ of Chaucer, “Bright young Things” is easy to read and flows well.
In fact, throughout the book, Godbersen’s prose carries the reader forward. Her descriptions are clear and beautiful, and the cadence of her words is almost poetic. I found one of my favorite passages early on. Cordelia is filled with the excitement of her future in New York City and can’t sleep. “But her eyes were wild, and there was so much electricity in every corner of her head and heart — she was too alive with awake dreams to try to have any of the other variety.”
Although “Bright Young Things” is no deep, moral, thought-provoking novel, it is a fun read, with engaging characters, a fascinating historical era, and delicious phrases and passages. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, light book, and who doesn’t mind a large dose of romance.
First off, I apologize for the use of the word ‘ass’ in the following image. If this will offend you, do not read on.
Excellent recommendations for a great 2012.
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I just realized that, while possibly dull, hand addressing envelopes for college applications could count as “practice random acts of free-hand lettering”.
Meet Dave, Ethel, Boris, Bill, Sam, Alice, Tim, & Trudy
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK
“you’re my favorite daydream, i’m your famous nightmare
photo by jimmay bones on Flickr
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