Nicholas Nickleby

Nicholas Nickleby and his sister, Kate, lose the life of their father and Nicholas is forced to be the man of the house. Actually, I don't know that forced is the correct word as Nicholas is one who does it out of personal duty and love for his sister and mother. He is sent to work as a teacher for Mr. Squeers, a one-eyed crotchety old man, who leads the boys to be fearful of him and treats them harshly. While there, Nicholas finds an older boy who is also there to work, Smike, who is essentially a slave for Squeers and his wife, who is just as unpleasant. Nicholas and Smike become true friends and Nicholas rescues Smike and they escape together. The rest of the story is romance, where Nicholas finds his hearts partner, Madeline. Don't worry Kate also finds her true love!

It is a story of true friendship and working through the trial of losing a loved family member. At the end the narrator asks what happens to one who loses a parent too early and describes that family isn't always blood related but those who we would give our blood for.

Mama Mia

The music definitely kept me entertained... I was the dancing queen during in the theater. I went into the movie not knowing the plot and enjoyed it, although there were some less than stellar parts and pretty shady images. I probably wouldn't see it again for these scenes.

Sophie is about to get married and wants to find out who she is before by finding out who her father is. She finds her mother's journal and finds three possible suspects and invites them to the wedding. Her mother nor her fiance are aware of her tricky plan. It is set in Greece, beautiful scenery and the adventure with Sophie as she tries to discover herself and who her father is.

Honey, honey, how it thrilled me! Take a chance on this movie for only two main reasons: the songs and seeing Pierce Brosnan sing a few!

North and South

I have decided to make this more of a media review because I don't finish books fast enough... probably because I read at night and end up falling asleep. Although, I do fall asleep during movies as well.

North and South is in the same feel as Pride and Prejudice and it is fantastic. It is the story of Margaret Hale's family being moved to Milton with a struggling economy. With the struggling economy also comes the fight between the union and the employer, Mr. Thornton. Margaret is cordial to Mr. Thornton but resists his friendship after watching him harshly treat one of his employees. The story continues and the feelings between the two are reconciled...

Miss Margaret, is truly to be admired as she crushes the challenges that come her way and of course finds love while doing so. Basically she puts me to shame as a woman with all she is able to handle. It is a great reminder of making the best of your situation, taking challenges head-on and going in with a smile.

Life of Pi, Yann Martel

This was a great book. The beginning runs through Pi's life as an Indian boy whose father runs a zoo in Pondicherry, India. Pi loves religion and loves God and he regularly attends all three services and practices each religion at home in his own way. Religion is a common theme throughout the book, especially as Pi struggles with his family and the different clergymen as they try to force him to choose one religion.



His family makes their way to North America with their zoo animals when the ship sinks and Pi makes it onto a life boat. The main storyline follows Pi as he is stranded on this life boat with an orangutan, a tiger (Richard Parker) and a zebra. The author details Pi's experiences as he is able to survive with a tiger as well as at sea.



The last chapters run through his dialogue with two interviewers after he reaches land. This section, while enlightening, was also a little disturbing. This is where you decide which is the better story with or without Richard Parker. I choose to believe the story with Richard Parker as it is a better story and I do not wish to believe the other version.