Category Archives: Uncategorized

Tom Stoppard’s Screenplay of Tolstoy “Anna Karenina” Called “Right On”

I am so looking forward to this movie. It has many of my film favorites: Keira Knightley; Matthew Macfadyen; Olivia Williams; Ruth Wilson; Thomas Howes. Plus, I love Tom Stoppard’s take on the Russian history. His “Coast of Utopia” trilogy … Continue reading

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Could Barnes & Noble Go the Way of Borders?

The book store’s last stand By JULIE BOSMAN, The New York Times Published: Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 9:46 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 9:46 a.m. Page 2 of 7 No one expects Barnes & Noble to disappear overnight. … Continue reading

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Life Below Stairs – Part 4 – The Work Never Ends

Up before dawn, the servants of an aristocratic household found the work tedious. Likely, the lower servants worked two hours before he/she was permitted to sit to his own meager breakfast. The kitchen maid began her day with lighting the … Continue reading

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Life Below Stairs – Part 3 – The Role of the Male Servants

The English aristocrat often lived beyond his means. Maintaining country houses (often several of them) and a large Georgian town house in Mayfair took its toll on his purse strings. In addition to owning the property, Society forced him to … Continue reading

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Mary Balogh’s “Slightly Married”

 Okay, I confess. I am a big Mary Balogh fan. In reality, Slightly Married is the first book by Balogh that I read. After that, I read just about everything she has written. This “Slightly” series and its spinoff, the … Continue reading

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Would you visit “Napoleonland”? French Planned Theme Park Celebrates Waterloo and Trafalgar

French plan ‘Napoleonland’ theme park which will stage daily re-enactments of Battles of Waterloo and Trafalgar £180million park to be built on site of famous battle and create 3,000 jobs Park is being billed as a rival to Disneyland and … Continue reading

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Ah, Politics…

Living on the border between North and South Carolina, of late, we have been inundated with politics. Between the SC Primary and the Democratic National Convention coming to Charlotte in September, we have heard our share of political rhetoric. Here … Continue reading

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Life Below Stairs – Part II – Snobbery and Rules of Engagement

Yesterday, we looked at what a servant in an upper house, or even in a second-class household, of the late Regency Period or early Victorian times, might encounter. We spoke of wages, delineation of duties, and additional compensation. Today, we … Continue reading

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Kate Huntington’s The Captain’s Courtship

We have a small used book store in my community. I love to frequent local merchants and being in a book store is nearly as divine as being in a library. Surround me with books, and I am a happy … Continue reading

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Royal Princesses – Part VI – George III’s Descendants – Princess Amelia

Princess Amelia was born on 7 August 1783, at the Royal Lodge, Windsor, the youngest of George III and Queen Charlotte’s fifteen children, as well as the only of her siblings born at Windsor Castle. Called “Emily” by her affectionate father,  Amelia was … Continue reading

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