Advent Calendar 9th December

Advent Calendar 9th December _ 🎄🤶🎅👼💗 9th day Christmas countdown

Hello my lovely friends !

Here we are for another sparkling image in our calendar. Today my illustration offers few pictures from the cheerful musical film HELLO DOLLY (1969) starring the great Barbra Streisand and the talented Walter Matthau , directed by Gene Kelly based on the Broadway musical with the same title.

Brodaway's musical in turn was based on The Merchant of Yonkers, a 1938 play by Thornton Wilder.

The quote I chose tells how crazy and cheerful this film is and, if you think about it, both for better and for worse, this quote says exactly how things are in the world.

There is a little bit of madness in all of us, the secret is to bring out the good madness, the creative and optimistic one that helps us to always see the glass of life half full.

(NOTE : I'm from Italy, so please forgive any errors in my text since English is not my native tongue. Thanks )

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Advent Calendar 8th December

Advent Calendar 8th December _ 🎄🤶🎅👼💗 8th day Christmas countdown

Hello, here we are on the Immaculate Conception Day.

December 8th. Today, I would have liked to choose a more religious film, but I was watching an old Hollywood classic among the musicals on TV and so I chose: HOLIDAY INN (1942).

In addition to the very cozy scenography, this film features an exceptional duo:
Fred Astaire perhaps the greatest dancer in American cinema and Bing Crosby among the most beautiful and talented voices of the 40s (and here he sings the song "White Christmas" which would later give its name to another Christmas film from 1954).

Music by Irving Berlin a great American composer and lyricist.

The quote I chose is taken from the song and brings back memories of our childhood Christmases.

It doesn't matter if they were Christmases with snow or not, what matters is that childhood memories, for most people, represent a serene memory, in which there were no problems, because we were children and we felt pampered and protected from our family.

Everything becomes more difficult as we become adults, which is why childhood memories must be kept in the heart like precious possessions!

(Note : English is not my native tongue, please forgive any errors in my text )



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Book review : The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

The Twelve Clues of Christmas
A Royal Spyness Mystery Series Book 6
by Rhys Bowen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing ! 5 FULL STARS absolutely well deserved and I would add a sixth GOLDEN STAR !

One of the best Christmas mysteries I've ever read (and I've read many), which has remained firm for years in my TOP 3 of "whodunits" set at Christmas (and in the TOP 5 of all genres Christmas books).

____ THE PLOT ______ 1933. Lady Georgiana, affectionately called Georgie, is stuck in the castle of her brother and his unbearable wife, in Scotland, when she finally receives an invitation for a job as a hostess, at an elegant party that will run for the full 12 days of Christmas in Tiddleton.
The village is truly enchanting and the snow makes it seem like something straight out of a Dickens story... however, strange accidents and unexpected deaths will soon occur.
While Georgie's lover, the charming Darcy, was supposed to be in South America, our heroine will find him among the guests and together with him she will live a thrilling adventure to unmask the culprit and prevent further deaths.
Not far away, in a cottage in the same village, Georgie's frivolous but in her own way affectionate mother is spending her holidays.

___ SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT ___
---> It is common in recent years for mystery crime authors, especially those who write series that feature the same protagonist in each book, to write a novel or often just a short story, set in the Christmas season.

___ :-( Unfortunately for most of the books I have read, Christmas is only mentioned in words here and there in the book or worse only in the title. :-( ______
An example ? We have it from the queen of mystery with "Poirot's Christmas", anyone who has read it can confirm that there is no Christmas atmosphere, on the contrary the "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding " is extremely Christmassy and there is a pleasant festive air.

__YEAHHH ! :-D ----> This is why I loved reading this book: the 12 Christmas crimes, throughout the book the Christmas atmosphere is palpable, imbued with the charm of old English traditions, both in the celebrations and in the events that happen, thus determining the mystery to be discovered.

____ THE MYSTERY ____ the murders and therefore the mystery to be discovered, are not only really well thought out by the author, but they are even more engaging for the reader, because they are related to an old traditional Christmas song: THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS.

Despite being a cozy mystery, the writer also gives us a bit of traditional English history which for me always has an added value. Especially for non-English readers, therefore not so aware of British habits and customs, it adds an extra charm.

____ THE HISTORICAL and TRADITIONAL PART so interesting ___ In this Christmas mystery, set in England in the 1930s, we experience 12 days, from 22 December to 1 January, joyfully traveling together with the protagonist and the supporting characters through all the traditions of the old traditional English Christmas (Old fashioned English Christmas).
---> The 12 days of Christmas is the period in Christian theology that marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi, the three wise men. It begins on December 25 (Christmas) and runs through January 6 (the Epiphany, sometimes also called Three Kings' Day).

---> The crimes committed in the book refer to one of the oldest Christmas songs: "The 12 Days of Christmas". According to what I learned from Wikipedia (this song does not exist in Italy and it is not customary for us to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas), the music is of unknown origin, although present in the British and Scandinavian areas as early as the 16th century.
The text is a children's nursery rhyme published for the first time in the book Mirth without Mischief in London in 1780.
It had to be recited by some players in a circle during a memory game in which the players took turns reciting a verse from the nursery rhyme, in sequence.
The interpretation of the meaning of the text is not universally recognized.

Some sources would trace the origin of the song to English Catholics during the period in which the Catholic religion was banned in England, between 1558 and 1829. The "12 days of Christmas" would represent a mnemonic form for children in order to learn the basics of the Catholic faith.

Years later, the game and nursery rhyme were revived by a collector of folk songs, Lady Gomme, as "Great entertainment for the whole family before dinner on the Twelfth Night of Christmas."
This historical/traditional part is certainly what made the detective story so gripping to me.

___ ICING ON THE CAKE ___ I absolutely would never have guessed the murderer!!! It often happens that you can guess halfway through the book or towards the end who the culprit might be, sometimes even by exclusion or because it is often the least suspicious person... But of all the least suspicious people, I wouldn't have guessed the culprit here.
I must say it was partly a shock to me, but a surprise ending is what makes a mystery definitively successful (obviously it has to be well justified, not like in some books where the surprise ending makes no sense).

Despite the high number of people in this "cozy mystery" (too many characters are sometimes difficult to remember), it is a perfect Christmas read: every preparation, every entertainment game, every tradition in the house and in the village is described so well in colors, scents and sensations that seems to be there on the scene together with the friendly heroine Lady Georgiana.

__ A NICE HINT OF ROMANCE between Georgie (Lady Georgiana Rannoch) and her lover Darcy ____ This book can be read as a "standalone", so much so that in the past I read it as my first book in the series.
Those who know the series, however, will know that there are 5 other books before this one in which Lady Georgiana, carrying out various jobs, to survive the post-war poverty, becomes involved in various mysteries and murder cases, during which she meets Darcy, a spy in the service of the English Crown.
The two fall in love and the story grows slowly in each book of the series.
However, I assure you that this book has the most beautiful and exciting romantic content and if you have never read the previous books, don't worry, the book is absolutely enjoyable and the author will inform you, during the story, of all the important details previous ones!

_____ IN CONCLUSION ____ The festive atmosphere and the old fascinating traditions will pleasantly involve you.
There are many twists and turns, the moments of romance between the protagonist and her lover are sweet, the desire to discover the culprit while reading is pressing and the author expertly manages to mislead the reader until the final twist.
It is a book suitable for lovers of the genre: light detective stories with a historical setting:
I am sure that, after this book, you will want to read other adventures of the enterprising Lady Georgiana from the "Her Royal Spyness mystery series"


( Too long review, I know, but I couldn't contain my enthusiasm!
Also my English isn't that good...I'm Italian, please,be patient with me and all grammar or form errors in my text)

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LIBRO disponibile anche in EDIZIONE LINGUA ITALIANA, leggi la mia recensione !

La mia valutazione : 5 stelle su 5 !

I dodici delitti di Natale
Libro 6 di Her Royal Spyness
leggibile anche come standalone
di Rhys Bowen

Bellissimo ! 5 stelle piene e assolutamente ben meritate !

Uno dei misteri natalizi più belli che abbia mai letto ( e ne ho letti tanti ), che rimane fermo da anni nella mia TOP 3 dei "whodunit" ambientati a Natale ( e nella TOP 5 generica dei libri natalizi ).

____ LA TRAMA IN BREVE ______ 1933. Lady Georgiana, affettuosamente chiamata Georgie, è bloccata nel castello del fratello e della sua insopportabile moglie, in Scozia, quando finalmente riceve un invito  per un posto di lavoro come hostess, presso per un'elegante festa che durerà per tutti i 12 giorni di Natale a Tiddleton. 
Il villaggio è davvero incantevole e la neve lo fa sembrare uscito da un racconto di Dickens... tuttavia ben presto si verificano degli strani incidenti e morti inaspettate...
Mentre l'innamorato di Georgy, l'affascinante Darcy, avrebbe dovuto essere in Sud America, la nostra eroina lo ritroverà tra gli invitati e insieme a lui vivrà un'avventura da brivido per smascherare il colpevole e prevenire altre morti.
Poco lontano, in un cottage dello stesso villaggio, trascorre le vacanze, la frivola, ma a modo suo affettuosa, madre di Georgie.. Presente tra i personaggi anche l'ex poliziotto nonno di Georgie... il che aggiunge un tocco di calore familiare, seppure originale e non tradizionale, a tutta la storia.

E' usuale negli ultimi anni che gli autori di mystery crime, specialmente quelli che scrivono delle serie con gli stessi protagonisti, scrivano un romanzo o spesso solo una breve storia, ambientato  nella stagione Natalizia. Purtroppo per la maggior parte dei libri che ho letto, il Natale viene solo nominato a parole in qua e in là nel libro o peggio solo nel titolo.
Un esempio ? Lo abbiamo dalla regina del giallo con "Il Natale di Poirot", chiunque l'abbia letto può confermare che non vi è alcuna atmosfera natalizia, al contrario il "Giallo del dolce di Natale" è estremamente natalizio e si respira una piacevole aria festiva.
Ecco perchè ho adorato leggere questo libro : i 12 delitti di natale, in tutto il libro è palpabile l'atmosfera natalizia, intrisa del fascino delle vecchie tradizioni inglesi, sia nei festeggiamenti sia negli eventi che accadono determinando così il mistero da scoprire.

______ IL MISTERO ______ gli omicidi e quindi il mistero da scoprire, non solo sono davvero ben congegnati dall'autrice, ma coinvolgono maggiormente il lettore perchè sono relazionati ad una vecchia tradizionale canzone natalizia : " I 12 GIORNI DI NATALE ".
Pur essendo un cozy mystery ( gialli leggeri dall'atmosfera accogliente ) e quindi un libro poco impegnativo, la scrittrice ci regala anche una parte storica e un po' della magia delle vecchie tradizioni inglesi, cosa che, per me, rappresenta sempre un valore aggiunto e soprattutto per lettori non inglesi ( e quindi non così consapevoli degli usi e costumi britannici ) aggiunge un fascino straordinario alla storia.

______ LA PARTE STORICA e  TRADIZIONALE _____  In questo giallo di Natale, ambientato nell'Inghilterra degli anni '30, si vivono i cosiddetti 12 giorni di Natale, dal 22 dicembre al 1° gennaio, percorrendo in allegria insieme alla protagonista e ai personaggi di contorno tutte le tradizioni del vecchio tradizionale Natale inglese ( Old fashioned English Christmas ).    ---> I 12 giorni di Natale sono il periodo della teologia cristiana che segna l'intervallo tra la nascita di Cristo e la venuta dei Magi, i tre saggi. Inizia il 25 dicembre (Natale) e dura fino al 6 gennaio (l'Epifania, a volte chiamata anche il Giorno dei Tre Re).

---> I crimini commessi nel libro fanno riferimento ad una delle più antiche canzoni natalizie : "I 12 giorni di Natale". Secondo ciò che ho appreso da Wikipedia, la musica è di origine ignota, benché presente in area britannica e scandinava già nel XVI secolo.
Il testo è una filastrocca infantile pubblicata per la prima volta nel libro Mirth without Mischief (Gioie Innocenti) a Londra nel 1780. Doveva essere recitata da alcuni giocatori in circolo nel corso di un gioco di memoria in cui i giocatori recitavano a turno un verso della filastrocca, in sequenza. L'interpretazione del significato del testo non è universalmente riconosciuta. Alcune fonti farebbero risalire l'origine del canto ai cattolici inglesi durante il periodo in cui la religione cattolica era vietata in Inghilterra, tra il 1558 e il 1829. I "12 giorni di Natale" rappresenterebbero una forma mnemonica per i bambini al fine di far imparare le basi della fede cattolica. Anni dopo, gioco e filastrocca furono riproposti da una collezionista di canzoni popolari, Lady Gomme, come "Un bel divertimento per tutta la famiglia prima della cena della dodicesima notte di Natale."

______ CILIEGINA SULLA TORTA DEL MISTERO _____ Io non avrei mai assolutamente indovinato l'assassino !!! Capita spesso di intuire a metà libro oppure verso la fine chi possa essere il colpevole, a volte anche andando per esclusione oppure perchè spesso è la persona meno sospettabile... Ma tra tutte le persone meno sospettabili, qui non avrei indovinato il colpevole e devo dire che in parte è stato uno shock, ma un finale a sorpresa è ciò che rende un mistero definitivamente vincente ( ovviamente deve essere ben giustificato, non come in alcuni libri dove il finale a sorpresa non ha alcun senso ).

Nonostante l'alto numero di persone in questo "cozy mystery" (per chi non lo sapesse sono definiti così i gialli con atmosfera accogliente, privi di scene di violenza e sesso e parolacce ), è una lettura natalizia perfetta: ogni preparativo, ogni gioco d'intrattenimento, ogni tradizione in casa e nel villaggio viene descritta così bene in colori, profumi e sensazioni che sembra di essere lì sulla scena insieme alla simpatica protagonista Lady Georgiana.

______ UN PIACEVOLISSIMO ROMANTICISMO tra Georgie (Lady Georgiana Rannoch ) e il innamorato Darcy ____ Questo libro è leggibile come "standalone ", tant'è vero che in passato io lo lessi come mio primo libro della serie.
Chi conosce la serie però, saprà che ci sono altri 5 libri prima di questo in cui Lady Georgiana, svolgendo vari lavori, per sopravvivere alla povertà del dopoguerra, viene coinvolta in diversi misteri e casi di omicidio, durante i quali incontra Darcy, una spia al servizio della Corona inglese. I due s'innamorano e la storia cresce pian piano in ogni libro della serie. Vi assicuro però che questo libro ha il contenuto romantico più bello ed emozionante e se non avete mai letto i libri precedenti, non preoccupatevi, il libro è assolutamente godibile e l'autrice vi metterà al corrente, durante la storia, di tutti i dettagli importanti precedenti !
RIPETO : questo libro sta nella mia TOP 5 dei miei preferiti di Natale e sta esattamente al 3° posto !

_____ IN CONCLUSIONE ____ L'atmosfera festiva e le vecchie affascinanti tradizioni vi coinvolgeranno piacevolmente. Tanti sono i colpi di scena, dolci sono i momenti di romanticismo tra la protagonista e il suo innamorato, incalzante è la voglia di scoprire il colpevole durante la lettura e l'autrice riesce sapientemente fuorviare il lettore fino al colpo di scena finale.

E' un libro adatto agli amanti del genere : gialli leggeri e con ambientazione storica e dopo questo libro sono sicura che vorrete leggere altre avventure dell'intraprendente Lady Georgiana della serie Serie Her Royal Spyness
di Rhys Bowen
10 libri in italiano Edizione Kindle
Purtroppo le copertine messe dal GIALLO MONDADORI sono davvero orrende ( ecco perchè io preferisco i libri in lingua originale LOL), ma vi assicuro che i gialli di Rhys Bowen sono stupendi e godibilissimi.

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Advent Calendar 7th December

Advent Calendar 7th December _ 🎄🤶🎅👼💗 7th day Christmas countdown

WO-WO-WO-WOW !! The first week of December is almost ended!
...and today, as a daily image for the Advent Calendar, I have chosen a beautiful Christmas novella by Agatha Christie (to me the best short story by A. Christie): THE ADVENTURE OF THE CHRISTMAS PUDDING , first published in 1960 in a short story collection.

Equally engaging and enjoyable is the television adaptation, from 1991, with the excellent David Suchet, the one who, in my opinion, represents the true and only Poirot among all those brought to the screen.

The festive atmosphere can be felt from the start to the end and there are no deaths, just a mysterious theft to investigate, which makes the story even lighter and more cheerful.

The quote may seem silly, but actually it says a lot: the little things are the really important ones, the small and simple things, without delusions of grandeur, are what makes us truly happy.

Each of us takes many things for granted, actually they are not, because not everyone on this earth has what represents normality for us.

If you like collecting bookmarks and/or postcards or illustrated images, then it might be a good idea to download the image and use it as a bookmark.

I usually print with a color printer, paste on cardboard and then apply a transparent adhesive paper on both sides, so that the bookmark does not get damaged and the image remains intact for years.

(NOTE : I'm from Italy, so please forgive any errors in my text since English is not my native tongue. Thanks )

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Advent Calendar 6th December

Advent Calendar 6th December _ 🎄🤶🎅👼💗 6th day Christmas countdown

Hello everybody !
Here I am with another image showing a quote and few pictures from a 2005 touching film, that was inspired by a real event happened during World War I.

The film's original title is "JOYEUX NOëL" that means "MARRY CHRISTMAS" and talks about the Christmas truce of 1914 between German, French and Scottish trench soldiers.

The purpose of this film is to demonstrate the absurdity of war, but as we can see from the news, evidently there is no one worse deaf than the one who doesn't want to hear, because every day there is more than one war in every part of the world.

Of all the films I like to watch during the Christmas period, this is one of those that touched my heart the most.

If you are interested in learning more, there are many books you can read about it, all very touching.

The book I read is a collection of letters from the soldiers themselves who wrote to their families, telling of this incredible miracle, which however was then silenced by the authorities in order to continue the war. Only later, in modern times, many letters were recovered from the English archives and then published, while the German ones were mostly destroyed.

Here is the cover and title of the book I read, but as I said before you can find many other titles on that subject:
Christmas Truce by the Men Who Took Part- Letters from the 1914 Ceasefire on the Western Front



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Book review : The Mystery of Mistletoe Hall by Benedict Brown

The Mystery of Mistletoe Hall
A Standalone 1920s Christmas Mystery
Lord Edgington Investigates series Book 4
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is part of a series ( Lord Edgington Investigates and this is installment #4) but was written by the author as a standalone and I was happy with the choice of the "English mysteries" group because I love "whodunits" set at Christmas.

The writer has a smooth and funny writing style and I loved the protagonist, a young 17-year-old, nephew of Lord Edgington, who still doesn't have a clear path in life, he doesn't know what his best qualities are but he doesn't hold back in front of nothing (even if he often would like it)

___ THE PLOT ___ England, 1925. When Lord Edgington receives an invitation to spend the Christmas holiday with an old colleague from the police, he expects fine food, good conversation and the warmth of a roaring fire. But on arriving at Mistletoe Hall with his family, they discover the house deserted and no explanation for where their host or his servants could be. After a while they found a body in the garden and as more guests appear, the master detective begins to question what could connect the disparate group of newcomers and if the culprit could be among them.

The narrator is the young nephew of Lord Edgington, while the second protagonist, the one in charge of the investigation is the eccentric Lord, who, receiving the invitation to his friend's estate, brought with him his daughter, the 2 grandchildren, the faithful driver, the cook and the waiter.

___ MY OPINION ___ I only gave 3 stars because there were aspects that I liked in this book, while for others I couldn't wait to move on to the next book.

__WHAT I LIKED ___ I liked all the main characters (therefore Lord Edgington's family and his nephew's friends), except Lord Edgington himself. I liked in particular the young nephew, who, ironically about himself and sometimes about his family, in a kindly manner obviously, frequently tears laughter at the reader.

The Christmas atmosphere is very present in the book thanks to the descriptions of decorations, songs, festive dishes, the search for the tree and the emotional warmth that is perceived among family members.
It may seem obvious, but not all mysteries set at Christmas are truly Christmassy and when they aren't, it disturbs me greatly, I perceive it a bit as a rip-off.

__ WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE __ I hadn't read, in the plot presented by Gooodreads, that the book was a bit like "And there were none" by A. Christie, a book that many love but which I didn't like at all ! (I love all of A. Christie's mysteries except 3, and that is one of the 3 that I didn't like).

The main reason is that there is a claustrophobic atmosphere, and while in Christie's book, the characters are stuck in a house on an island, here they are stuck in a house full of horrible extravagance, surrounded by so much snow that it is impossible to leave. The killer is there and everyone is in danger.

THIS MAY BE FASCINATING IN A "WHODUNIT" TO MANY PEOPLE, so don't be put off by my impressions.
The other book which, in my opinion, inspired this book is "Mystery in White" (1937) by Jefferson Farjeon (the plot is similar in many ways, I also liked this in many respects, but the sense of claustrophobia disturbed me ).

---> The second thing I didn't like is more serious: in my opinion the mystery wasn't exactly well constructed. It makes little sense.
____WARNING SPOILER ___ [ the culprit, the policeman, wants revenge on his former superiors for having framed his father, who was actually guilty of murder, many years ago.
So far so good... it doesn't make sense, however, that he would invite other people to the estate and kill them just because they had delinquent fathers and were ashamed of it... I find this motive really weak ]__SPOILER END ___ .

---> Furthermore, among all the guests there is a female character who is never actually suspected, although it is clear that she lies about her acquaintance with the host. And yet even at the end it isn't really made clear what his connections with that person sound like.

---> Lord Edgington then suspects someone who claims to know the dead man well, citing the fact that the dead man had never mentioned that boy in his life.
Well in the end it turns out that the boy is telling the truth and therefore all Lord Edgington's logic loses sense... that is: if your friend never told you about someone, it doesn't mean that someone didn't know your friend well.
In this case I found Lord Edgington a little presumptuous and a little too convinced of his own ideas.

---> Detective Lord Edgington also makes me nervous with his way of speaking, he talks, talks, talks and in fact never says anything concrete...even his nephew tells him several times to stop talking through riddles...because that way nothing is understandable.

___IN CONCLUSION___ the book isn't bad for me, but I've read better. However, I advise you to try reading it, because overall, if the sense of clautrophobia doesn't bother you, you might like it.

I will definitely give this author another chance, because his sparkling writing style captured me!

(last note: sorry for my English, it's not my language and I wrote the review quicker than usual, before going to work...sorry for any errors in my text)

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Advent Calendar 5th December

Advent Calendar 5th December _ 🎄🤶🎅👼💗 5th day Christmas countdown

Hi my dear readers, today is the fifth day of the month and another time I've chosen a beautiful musical among those from the old Hollywood.

It's a 1944 classic, starring the wonderful Judy Garland : MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS.
It is a film adaptation signed by Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe and inspired by a series of short stories by Sally Benson, originally published in The New Yorker magazine.
Later became a novel entitled 5135 KENSINGTON.

THE STORY: A young woman eagerly awaits the start of the Saint Louis World's Fair as well as the arrival of the boy next door she loves madly.
Unfortunately the girl's father seems to have other plans due to the possibility of obtaining a promotion in New York City.

Among the songs in the film, one in particular stands out: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, sung by J. Garland and which has become a musical standard over time.

The quote I chose is something that each of us should remember every day at all times.
Sincerity, in fact, is always the winning card.

I hope you like my suggestion to spend a cheerful afternoon or evening in front of the screen and I'm wishing you a good day!

(As always : sorry for any errors in my text, English is only a second tongue not my native one )



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Advent Calendar 4th December

Advent Calendar 4th December _ 🎄🤶🎅👼💗 4th day Christmas countdown

Hello everybody dear friends, wishing you a happy 4th day of the month.

Since today is also my birthday I chose a classic novel I loved so much in my childhood ( and still do ) and that is also an homage to all women : A LITTLE PRINCESS by Frances Hodgson Burnetts
( At the link above you can find several editions ).

As many of us know, this this novel for children, published for the first time in 1905.

It tells THE STORY of little Sara Crewe in an exclusive boarding school where she finds herself first as a privileged student and then, following the death of her father, she is forced to work as a scullery maid to support herself and forced to do all sorts of errands and given very harsh treatment.

What is moving is that Sara, even in poverty, demonstrates great generosity towards other people who suffer like her. And when she finds the help of good people, she will be able to share her fortunes with others.

I have seen many film adaptations, well made and engaging, however my favorite remains the 1939 Hollywood musical with the legendary prodigy child Shirley Temple.

The quote is a phrase that I have always liked.

Furthermore, considering that women throughout history have always been put in second place compared to men and that even today, despite emancipation, they are often mistreated and suffer abuse (and in many parts of the world they still experience situations of submission to men), on my birthday I wanted to remind all women that we worth. Young or old, rich or poor, beautiful or less beautiful, we all are princesses!

If you like the image above, you can download it , print it and save it as a nice bookmark :-)

(NOTE : I know my English is not so good, my native language is Italian, so please be lenient with me)

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Advent Calendar 3rd December

Advent Calendar 3rd December _ 🎄🤶🎅👼💗 3rd day Christmas countdown

Hello dear friends, here is the third image of my Advetnt Calendar, a cheerful Christmas countdown with quotes from novels and movies I love.

This time I chose a classic movie from old Hollywood, the musical SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS.

The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich and Dorothy Kingsley, is based on the short story "THE SOBBIN' WOMEN" by Stephen Vincent Benét, in turn based on the ancient Roman legend of the Rape of the Sabine Women.

THE STORY: 1850, Oregon Mountains (United States ). The story tells us about the Pontipee Brothers, all beautiful and a little wild, so much so that they seem more like a tribe than a normal family.

When they go down to the village one day, they soon fall in love with the village girls and start a fight with their boyfriends.

Returning to the mountain, the woodcutters feel they are suffering from lovesickness and the older brother, already engaged, suggests they kidnap the girls, as the Romans did with the Sabine women.

The movie offers beautiful dance choreographies and beautiful songs and with the snowy landscapes it enters the Christmas atmosphere very well.

The quote I chose is funny and romantic at the same time, since is spoken by a simple lumberjack, who doesn't know much about good manners with ladies, but understands perfectly how true love leaves its marks on the heart.

If you like this image you can download it by clicking on the preview and print it to use i as a bookmark.

(As always : sorry for any errors in my text, English is only a second tongue not my native one )



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Book review : Upon the Midnight Clear by Tasha Alexander

Upon the Midnight Clear #13.5
A Lady Emily Christmas Story
Lady Emily Mysteries
by Tasha Alexander
My rating: 3.4 of 5 stars

Short Christmas story from a mystery series that I love very much, not only thanks to the 2 main characters, Lady Emily, an amateur sleuth, and her husband Colin, a spy in the service of the English crown, but also thanks to the historical part always included by the author in her novels and to the mysteries/detection aspect always very well thought.

While usually I really love the novels in the series (almost always 4 and 5 stars for me), the short Christmas stories had disappointed me a little so far: set at Christmas, they had nothing Christmas-like about them.
That didn't stop me from reading the last short Christmas story I had left with these protagonists and finally in this little book I was able to breathe a bit of festive air.

___THE PLOT___ London, 1901. While Lady Emily and her family are shopping in Hamley's toy shop, a stranger gives her three sons some Christmas crackers that, when opened, reveal a mysterious messages.
Meanwhile, a slightly eccentric man requests the help of Colin and Lady Emily to find his daughter, taken away by the parents of his wife who died during childbirth.

---> In this story, as in the longer novels is palpable the mutual love between Emily and her husband and the joy and serenity of the whole family with their 3 children and the faithful nanny.

The moments of shopping, ironic but affectionate jokes between the two spouses, the excitement of the children in opening the crackers, give a lively and fun atmosphere to the story.

The mystery of the disappearance of the daughter of the man, who hired our two investigators, is well thought out despite the brevity of the story and it's engaging until its conclusion.

---> The only thing that always annoys me are the dialogues that the author writes for the 3 children: they are 5 years old and even assuming that they are ultra-intelligent kids, at that age they cannot speak as politely as 20-year-old adults who they have already completed the entire course of their studies. We know that the 3 children already know how to read and one of them is a little genius... but the speeches made by all 3 children are unlikely in reality.

Despite this, I always recommend this series to all lovers of historical mysteries, in my opinion it is one of the best, especially if you love the historical component (don't start from the Christmas stories, start from the 1st or 2nd novel in the series)

(Thanks for reading my review, please pardon me for any errors in the text, I'm from Italy and English is not my language )

If you are interested in other reviews about Lady Emily mysteries you can find 2 of them here ( I also reaad other books in the series past years, but I didn't have my blog yet, I'm trying to rewrite them all, but it takes time )

BOOK #2 : "A Poisoned Season"

BOOK #3 : "A Fatal Waltz"


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Advent Calendar 2nd December

Advent Calendar 2nd December _ 🎄🤶🎅👼💗 2nd day Christmas countdown

Hello everyone!

Here you are my second picture for a cute Advent Calendar as Christmas countdown.

On the second day I included another classic novel LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY by Frances Hodgson Burnetts, of which we all know the legendary 1980 film adaptation, with Alec Guinness and Ricky Schroder.

If you've never read it or seen the film, here's THE STORY:
little Cedric Errol, fatherless, carefree childhood in a working-class neighborhood of New York with his mother and his greatest friends: Mr. Hobbs the grocer and Dick the shoe shiner.
Suddenly he learns that he has a grandfather, the Lord Earl Fauntleroy, in England whose heir he became after his father's death.

His life will change radically and with his spontaneity, joy and generosity he will be able to conquer his grandfather's hard heart and to help many people in need.

The novel was first published in installments in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886 and finally in volume in 1886.

Like every classic story, this one also contains a stimulating invitation to shed light within oneself and to give value to feelings.

The quote I chose is about friendship and sincerity, 2 very rare things in the world of yesterday and today.

As I suggested yesterday, if you like the picture and usually read not only ebooks, but also paper book, you can print it, paste on cardboard and after have applying a transparent adhesive paper on both sides, you can use it as bookmark.

(NOTE : I'm from Italy, so please forgive any errors in my text since English is not my native tongue. Thanks )



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Advent Calendar 1st December

Advent Calendar 1st December _ 🎄🤶🎅👼💗 1st day Christmas countdown

Good morning and happy start of December!

Here you are my creation to the first day in the exciting Christmas countdown.

On the first day of December, I want to remember one of the classic novels that I love the most since I was a child: LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott
you can find several editions by clicking the link above ).

Originally published in two volumes (LITTLE WOMEN in 1868 and GOOD WIVES in 1869), it was then unified into a single volume.
I guess everyone knows THE STORY, anyway it tells about the four March sisters lives from their childhood until womanhood.
The girls Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy actually are referring to the author herself and her 3 sisters.
It's interesting to observe through happy and sad events the growth and inner transformation of girls, from adolescents to adults. It's a funny and very touching family drama at the same time.
Alcott also wrote LITTLE MEN ( 1871) and JO'S BOYS (1886).

This wonderful book has inspired many films and TV series, but my favorites remain these two adaptations from the past (1949 and 1994).

Among all the lines I chose this quote to remember because it sounds very sweet and suitable to everyone.

If you like collecting bookmarks and/or postcards or illustrated images, then it might be a good idea to download the image and use it as a bookmark.

I usually print with a color printer, paste on cardboard and then apply a transparent adhesive paper on both sides, so that the bookmark does not get damaged and the image remains intact for years.

(NOTE : I'm from Italy, so please forgive any errors in my text since English is not my native tongue. Thanks )

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Giveaway : Free Printable December 2023 Calendar

December 2023, free printable calendar

Here we are, the last month of the year is now upon us.

The most exciting and lively month of all 12 months, where the frenzy of shopping for gifts makes us lose our minds and events and appointments overlap one another.

There are only a few days left and December will begin, which is why I have prepared my usual planner full of colors and cheerful drawings, to print and fill in with the main commitments or to keep on the computer desktop to always have the days of the month in sight.

You can also print it in a smaller format, stick it on cardboard and use it as a nice bookmark for your Christmas readings.

Just click on the preview image and then DOWNLOAD FOR FREE :-)

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
December 2023 Calendar
Size 1634 x 1264

This is also the month in which good people try to be even better and more available towards others and they usually formulate many good resolutions for the new year and for the future in general.

Thanking you for stopping by my blog, I wish everyone a peaceful and MERRY CHRISTMAS.
I'm wishing you also a good end of 2023, a HAPPY NEW YEAR and that all your good intentions will be successful! :-)

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Book review : A Knight's Redemption by Catherine Kean

A Knight's Redemption
Knight's Series Book 6
by Catherine Kean
( this tale is also included in the Medieval Historical Romance Collection "Christmas Knights"
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very nice romance set in medieval time , I've enjoyed the read from the first word to the last one !

This is a " second chance " story, the #6 installment and last book in a series about medieval knights and their lovers, but you can easily read it as a standalone.
Even if the supporting characters were protagonists in the other books, at the beginning of this story they are all briefly introduced by the author.

___ THE STORY develops on 2 time planes during the Christmas period.

---> In the first part we see the 2 protagonists as just teenagers, their first meeting and the events that during Christmas day will lead to an estrangement that will last 6 years.

---> In the second part, 6 years later, our heroes have grown, matured and have never forgotten each other.
Their second meeting will give them the opportunity to settle their differences, while in the meantime they will also have to deal with enemies of the kingdom and child kidnappers.

___THE CHARACTERS__ I loved the characters although I must admit that the behavior of Holden, the hero of the story, when he was just a young squire, made me really angry.
Actually he is very sweet and the jokingness and sweetness with which he courts Mary when they meet again really moved me.
Mary is very unsure of herself and I think she was a little too stubborn in not wanting to listen to Holden's excuses, but in any case during the second meeting she manages to be more impartial, looking through the boy's true self.

I would have liked to read a real novel about the two of them and not just a short novella.

The story only has kisses ( no sex scenes ), but the emotions and gestures of the protagonists are described so well that they make you dream of falling in love again.
I will definitely read other books by this author. :-)

No violence scenes, suitable also for young adults.

( As always : English is not my native tongue, I hope you can forgive any errors in the text, thank you :-) )

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Book review : The Duke Who Hates Christmas by Bianca Blythe

The Duke Who Hates Christmas
Holidays for Spinsters Book 1
by Bianca Blythe
My rating: 3.7 of 5 stars

A very nice Christmas regency romance novella, quite light and funny.

The plot of the back cover had intrigued me, I wanted to read something romantic, but that wasn't a heartbreaking love story and the book did what it promised: a short, easy read that put me in a good mood.

___THE PLOT___ England is at war with France and fears that Napoleon wants to invade the coasts of the United Kingdom to the north, in Scottish territory.

Caspian is a duke who asserted himself in war but suffered rather serious wounds in his leg and for this reason, despite his desire, he will not be sent back to fight, but rather to a castle in Scotland to teach rookies and older men to fight newly enlisted.
What he doesn't know is that he will find himself in the way of a group of young spinsters (by choice, but they won't be so insensitive to male charm).

The leader of the spinsters is Miranda, who he had already met while she was running away from an arranged and loveless marriage.
A series of mischief and moments of attraction and unexpected kisses will follow, there will be some problems caused by her nasty uncle and aunt. Nice happy ending guaranteed.

___MY OPINION ___ I liked the story, I include it among those that I will gladly reread in the future, but it is obvious that if it had been a novel and not simply a short story, it would have been better because we would have had longer descriptions of the romantic moments.
The supporting characters would have had more opportunity to interact and other events would have been added and developed, which would have made the story more compelling and complete.

This is of course not a criticism, it's just an observation... there are very few short stories that manage to hit the reader's heart in every aspect in just a few pages.

However, I liked all the characters (except the bad aunt and uncle and I'm happy that in the end they got what they deserved) and in just a few pages I managed to become fond of both Caspian and Miranda.
I also loved the setting: a castle in Scotland and it made me want to visit it again!

---> This story is the first of a series of 3, the other 2 concern characters known in the first book and I really think I will soon read the other 2 installments too.

( Thanks for reading my review, please forgive me for any errors in the text, English is not my native language )

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