Photo's on Friday: White

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this weeks theme "white"

Thursday's with Tolstoy: Week 30

Book 10 Chapters 23-30

This week's reading begins on the eve of the Battle of Borodino.  Chapter 25 is narrated by Andrew. He is despondent and waxes philosophical over tea with Pierre.  They discuss the impending battle:

“War is the most horrible thing in life; and we ought to understand that and not play at war. War is not a game. War is the favorite pastime of the idle and frivolous. The aim of war is murder; we meet tomorrow to murder one another. And how does God above look at us and hear us? Ah my friend, it has of late become hard for me to live. I see that I have begun to understand too much. And it doesn’t do for man to taste of the tree of knowledge of good and evil . . . Ah well, it is not for long!”

Andrew is certain this will be his last battle and he will be killed. That night he dreams of Natasha and realizes how deeply he loves her.

In subsequent chapters, narrated by Napoleon, he also picks up the thread begun by Andrew and refers to war as a game. "On returning from a second inspection of the lines, Napoleon remarks. 'The chessmen are set up, the game will begin tomorrow!'”

Napoleon at Borodino

I believe Chapter 28 is another of Tolstoy’s essays on war. He elaborates on the point that war is not begun by any one person’s will, but by coincidence of the wills of all who take part in the events. Tolstoy explains that Napoleon’s soldiers were just as responsible (to the man) for the massacre of 80,000 people at Borodino. Tolstoy comments that Napoleon could have ordered the men to retreat when they saw the way to Moscow was blocked by the Russian army, but then his men would have turned on him because “the wine was drawn and must be drunk”. Tolstoy explains:

 “they had to fight, in order to get food and rest as conquerors in Moscow. So it was not because of Napoleon’s commands that they killed their fellow men. And it was not Napoleon who directed the course of the battle, for none of his orders were executed and during the battle he did not know what was going on before him. So the way in which these people killed one another was not decided by Napoleon’s will but occurred independently of him, in accord with the will of hundreds of thousands of people who took part in the common action. Napoleon at the battle of Borodino fulfilled his office as representative of authority as well as, and even better than, at other battles. He did nothing harmful to the progress of the battle; he inclined to the most reasonable opinions, he made no confusion, did not contradict himself, did not get frightened or run away from the field of battle, but with his great tact and military experience carried out his role of appearing to command, calmly and with dignity.”

Kutuzovo at Borodino

Chapter 30 was my favorite chapter of the week. Pierre describes the battle of Borodino almost poetically, painting a picture with beautiful words thus making the battle even more horrific.

“Mounting the steps to the knoll Pierre looked at the scene before him, spellbound by beauty. It was the same panorama he had admired from that spot the day before, but now the whole place was full of troops and covered by smoke clouds from the guns, and the slanting rays of the bright sun, rising slightly to the left behind Pierre, cast upon it through the clear morning air penetrating streaks of rosy, golden tinted light and long dark shadows. But what impressed Pierre most of all was the view of the battlefield itself, of Borodino. The smoke of the guns mingled with the mist from the river, and over the whole expanse and through that mist the rays of the morning sun were reflected flashing back like lightening from the water, from the dew, and from the bayonets of the troops. A white church could be seen through the mist, and here and there the roofs of huts in Borodino as well as dense masses of soldiers. And all this moved, or seemed to move as the smoke and mist spread out over the whole space. Clouds of powder smoke seemed continually to spring up out of nothing, now singly, now several at a time, some translucent, others dense, which, swelling growing, rolling, and blending, extended over the whole expanse. These puffs of smoke and (strange to say) the sound of the firing produced the chief beauty of the spectacle. ‘Puff’—suddenly a round compact cloud of smoke was seen merging from violet into gray and milky white, and ‘boom!’ came the report a second later. Pierre glanced round at the first cloud . . . and already in its place were balloons of smoke floating to one side, and—‘puff, puff, puff!’ three and then four more appeared and then from each, with the same interval—‘boom, boom boom!” came the fine, firm, precise sounds in reply. It seemed as if those smoke clouds sometimes ran and sometimes stood still while woods, fields, and glittering bayonets ran past them.”

the battle of Borodino, fought on September 7, 1812, was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the French invasion of Russia and all Napoleonic Wars, involving more than 250,000 troops and resulting in at least 70,000 casualties.

Wednesday Wanderings: Family

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this weeks theme "family"

Book Review:The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja
(Ranger's Apprentice #10)

by

John Flanagan

Kindle Edition, 438 pages

Published April 19th 2011 by PHILOMEL

ASIN: B004H4XGX8

literary awards: Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book for Older Readers (2011).

About the book:

 Months have passed since Horace departed for the eastern nation of Nihon-Ja on a vital mission. Having received no communication from him, his friends fear the worst. Unwilling to wait a second longer, Alyss, Evanlyn, and Will leave their homeland behind and venture into an exotic land in search of their missing friend.

When they finally catch up with him, they find Horace entangled in a military coup. Determined to protect the imperial throne, Will and his band of Araluens must piece together and train a force in order to fend off the master Senji warriors intent on overthrowing the emperor.

Suspense and pulse-pounding action abound in this final adventure in the worldwide phenomenon that is Ranger's Apprentice.

About the author:
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series.

He currently lives in a suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.

image and information courtesy goodreads

My thoughts:
I am sad that this is the last adventure for Halt, Will, Horace, Alyss and Evanlynn. This has been a very fun series to read and I recommend it to young readers and readers who are young at heart that enjoy adventures and cheering for heroes. Well done John Flanagan. I enjoyed the ride.

Monday Movie: Summertime

Monday Movies hosted by Molly at the Bumbles

Today's topic is . . . all about Summer

I went with one of my favorite summer-time movies The Parent Trap

Two Editions

The first starring Hayley Mills was filmed in 1961

and the second starring Lindsey Lohan in 1998 

Both movies are full of fun and mischief as well as some very tender moments.  Identical twins Hallie and Annie were separated at birth when their parents divorced. After the two meet at summer camp, they begin plotting to reunite their estranged parents.

Friday Night Sew-in: Hand Quilting

last night I sewed the binding onto a baby quilt that I began in the middle part of June

This is the first time I have had to draw out the quilt pattern.

I have formerly had access to a large supply of patterns

but they were not available to me this time.

Drawing out the pattern was a matter of mathematics,

thankfully my daughter came along and helped me out.

I was very proud of her.

Tracing the pattern onto the tricot.

I love using tricot for baby quilts.

Babies seem to love the touch and feel of it against their skin.

The tricot is very durable and washes well.

A little longer stitch is required in the tricot to allow for the stretch.

But I have a tricot quilt that is almost 35 years old and still looks great.

The quilt on the frames.

Stitching in the scallops

The first roll of the frame and stitching into the center

My eyes aren't what they used to be so glasses help in getting the stitches uniform

stitching the center of the quilt

can you guess who is featured in the center?

When I'm finished I'll post a picture of the quilt.

Quilting is a pleasure for me.

I feel a sense of satisfaction as I watch the design take shape.

The rhythm of stitching soothes and relaxes me.

I have particularly enjoyed working on this quilt.

My aging mother fell and broke her leg and so things have been chaotic in my life.

I've been busy with her in the day

and then I'll come home, pick up the needle

go to work and find the tensions of the day being released

with the continuous movement of thread through cloth.

This particular project is somewhat poignant for me

as life ebbs for my mother

this quilt for an infant

whose expected arrival is today

reminds me that life continues.

As one life draws to a close

another begins.

So my sorrow and my joy are contained within the stitches of this quilt.

 

Thursday's with Tolstoy: Week 29

Book 10 Chapters 15-22

Again it was a hectic week for me. I did read my chapters as I sat with my mom while she slept. But alas, it is a week later and I’m a little fuzzy on the details

Andrew—is a commander of a regiment but Kutuzov who has been appointed as supreme commander of the Russian army summons him to be adjutant for him. After discussing things Kutuzov agrees with Andrew—the men deserve a man who can lead so Andrew is allowed to return to his regiment.

Pierre—he continues to baffle me. Pierre has risked bankruptcy to finance his own regiment. He can’t believe that Napoleon is really going to invade Moscow. Pierre arrives at the front lines with his regiment but is so blind that he has to ask one of his soldiers to point out who are the French and who are the Russians! He is still avoiding Natasha.

The Battle of Borodino takes place in these chapters—a victory for the Russians, but Napoleon continues to advance.

The citizens of Moscow begin to flee.

Wednesday Wanderings: Happy UnBirthday

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It's not my birthday

or anyone else's that I know

so live today like it is your birthday!

this weeks theme "birthday"

Top Ten and a Teaser: Teen Reads

This weeks Top Ten . . . books I would recommend for a teen to read

hosted by the Broke and the Bookish

I had a bit of a hard time with this one because I generally think of age 13-19 as the teen-age years and when searching my memory for books I had read as a teenager--I realized I had mostly read books written for adults.  So I googled "books recommended for teens" and found a list from the Florida Department of Education of books recommended by teens for teens.  It was as I feared, I had read most of them in my elementary years.  So I picked a few of my favorites to recommend to be read by a person younger than 19 (but I enjoy them as an adult too, so they are just good books to read whenever you get tired of reading grown-up books)

1.  The Diary of Anne Frank

2.  The Book Thief

3.  The Bridge to Teribithia

4.  Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

5.  The Indian in the Cupboard

6.  The Westing Game

7.  The Secret Life of Bees

8.  To Kill a Mockingbird

9.  Where the Red Fern Grows

10. The Summer of My German Soldier

I also want to make a list of recommended series, I think kids love to read series

1.  Madeliene L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time Series

2.  Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game Series

3.  Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games Trilogy

4.  Brandon Mull's Fablehaven Series

5.  J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series

6.  Brian Jacques Redwall Series

7.  C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia

8.   Anne McCaffery's Dragons of Pern Series

9.  Terry Brook's  Magic Kingdom of Landover

10.  And J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings

the top ten list for today was actually top ten books I think should be required for teens to read.  I didn't feel qualified to make such a list but I read an excellent post at  What She Read . . . that addressed it very well.

And today's teaser comes from another series written for teenagers, The Ranger's Apprentice, written by author John Flanagan specifically for boys ages 10-12.  The series is mostly a lot of action and just a little romance.  It is a fun series that I discovered as an adult.

Halt's Peril

Ranger's Apprentice Series #9

by

John Flanagan

There was a raw wind blowing off the small harbor.  It carried the salt of the sea with it, and the smell of imminent rain.  The lone rider shrugged.  Even though it was late summer, it seemed to have been raining constantly over the past week.  "Summer and winter, nothing but rain," he said quietly to his horse.

(Opening Paragraph)

Tuesday Teaser hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading

Book Review: Halt's Peril

Halt's Peril
Ranger's Apprentice #9

by

John Flanagan

Kindle Edition, 384 pages
Published October 5th 2010 by PHILOME
ASIN: B003YL4AMQ


About the book:
The renegade outlaw group known as the Outsiders may have been chased from Clonmel, but not before killing Halt's only brother. Now Rangers Halt and Will, along with the young warrior Horace, are in pursuit. The Outsiders have done an effective job of dividing the kingdom into factions and are looking to overtake Araluen. It will take every bit of skill and cunning for the...moreThe renegade outlaw group known as the Outsiders may have been chased from Clonmel, but not before killing Halt's only brother. Now Rangers Halt and Will, along with the young warrior Horace, are in pursuit. The Outsiders have done an effective job of dividing the kingdom into factions and are looking to overtake Araluen. It will take every bit of skill and cunning for the Rangers to survive. Some may not be so lucky.
The international bestselling Ranger's Apprentice series turns up the tension in John Flanagan's latest epic of battles and bravery.

About the author:
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer.John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series.
He currently lives in a suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons

image and information courtesy goodreads


My thoughts:
I am a huge fan of John Flanagan and this well written series. The stories in the Ranger's Apprentice series follow the adventures of Will Treaty from the time he is a young boy, through his adventures as a Ranger's apprentice, and as a fully fledged Ranger with a fief of his own to protect. Halt's Peril is the 9th book in the series. The book is a continuation of the story in volume 8 Kings of Klonmel. Halt, Will and Horace are in pursuit of a false prophet who hires henchmen to kill innocent peasants and then extort's money from them in return for protection from the God he serves. The story pulls at heart strings for readers attached to the characters as Halt finds himself in deadly peril. The action as always was fast paced and entertaining, right up to the conclusion.

Monday Movies: Favorite movie YTD



Monday Movies hosted by Molly @ the bumbles



 This Weeks Theme . . . Favorite Movie you've seen this year

Hands down it would have to be the movie I saw on Friday, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011).  These beloved actors that have been involved in this story for 10 years gave their all in the finest performances of the series.  Everything was played perfectly!

*spoilers*

And what were my favorite scenes?  When Harry walks into the woods to meet Voldemort and his loved ones accompany him.  When he meets Dumbledore at Kings Cross and the epilogue, the epilogue was very tender.  All I can say is well done, my hat is off to the many people who worked so hard for so many years bringing a fantastic tale to life. 

Oh and after viewing Harry and Dumbledore at Kings Cross--I think I'm finally prepared to forgive JK for killing him.

I think I'll find a night this week to view it again . . . yes it was that good.

Summer Stock: Peace

my peace rose is blooming

it is my favorite

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Peace I leave with you,

 my peace I give unto you:

not as the world giveth, give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

KJV

LDS Web Edition

 this weeks theme "soft"

Thursday's with Tolstoy: Week 28

Book 10 Chapters 6-14

Things have been pretty hectic at my Hobbit hole. You might remember that I mentioned at the beginning of the week my mother fell and broke her leg. Over the weekend we’ve been through a surgical repair, a very difficult surgery for a near 80 woman. We almost lost her. This week has been occupied with getting her settled into a local nursing home, where hopefully she will be nursed back to health. It’s been pretty rough. So needless to say I haven’t been reading this week—I just can’t focus enough. When I came home yesterday and realized it was Thursday I decided to listen to my chapters while I caught up on my work.

I was a little confused, I thought the Old Prince and Princess Mary had left Bald Hills last week and fled to Moscow—but they hadn’t. The Old Prince refused to leave and ordered Mary to stay as well. He had enough sense to see that little Prince Nicholas was taken to safety. At any rate the Old Prince has two debilitating strokes and dies. Mary is glad because he has been such a tyrant, but on the other hand she feels like a sinner because she is glad her father is dead. She did get one nice moment with him before he died; he gently touched her face and called her “dearest”. So she is grateful for that. She realizes her father did love her in his own way.

After his death she prepares the house for evacuation because the French army is advancing towards Bald Hills but there is a problem. Napoleon has sent out word to the peasants that he will not harm them if they don’t resist. The Russian army is notorious for pillaging their own country as they retreat so the peasants rebel and refuse to help Princess Mary evacuate. Just as she is wondering what to do an event occurs . . .

I’m still feeling somewhat dismayed by this event. Nicholas Rostov is now a captain of his cavalry unit. After the sacking of Smolensk the Russian Army is in retreat. This brings them close to Bald Hills. Nicholas is joking with his men about how they will rape the women and pillage the estate even laughing about how they will take turns with Princess Mary’s maid who is running toward them to beg help for her mistress. I shudder to think of their flippant attitude toward such a horrendous crime.

Nicholas ends up going to the aid of Princess Mary helping her and the household to safety. He calls his men off refusing to allow them to carry out their planned pillaging and raping. Mary falls in love with the very man whose previous intention it was to rape her. Nicholas is angry at himself because he thinks he has also fallen in love with Mary and now feels like he has betrayed Sonya. He also realizes that Princess Mary is very wealthy and if he marries her it will solve all his family’s financial problems. I wonder whom he will end up choosing? Sonya or Princess Mary?

I have previously liked Nicholas very much but today I am a little disappointed in him.

Wednesday Wanderings: a flower

words by

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

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this weeks theme "anything"