Movie review: Testament of Youth (2015)

In 1914, Vera Brittain, daughter of a factory owner spends the summer with her beloved brother Edward and his friends Victor and Roland. She is preparing to go to Oxford after her father has finally allowed her to study there. Though she always professed to have no interest in marriage, she still falls for Roland. Then WWI breaks out and everything changes. The young men sign up and go to the Front and Vera is left to worry. She decides to give up her studies and work as a nurse.

Testament of Youth is based on the best-selling memoir by Vera Brittain, published in 1933. Her book was called 'the voice of a generation' and 'the best war memoir' and details not only the war as such, but also the impact it had on the women staying behind.

Giveaway winner

The winner of the Ana of California giveaway is:

Kara from Flowers of Quiet Happiness

Congrats, Kara, I hope you enjoy the novel!
For all the other people: thanks very much for entering and I hope to see you again next time!

Sisterhood of the World blogger award

Hamlette tagged me for the Sisterhood of the World bloggers award. Thank you so much Hamlette!

Here are her questions:

1. Do you like westerns?
I... think I do. If you look at my answer to question 2. But I don't really watch many Western movies, maybe something I should remedy?

Book review + GIVEAWAY: Ana of California

Fifteen year old Ana Cortez may be out of chances. Kicked out of a foster home again, her case worker gives her a choice: a group home or a farm internship in Northern California. Ana chooses the farm internship at the farm of brother and sister Abbie and Emmet Garber. But it's a big change for Ana from the streets of Los Angeles to the fruit trees of Garber Farm. Determined to make this work, Ana soon takes to life at the farm and build relationships with Abbie, field worker Manny and local alternative girl Rye Moon. Then, during the harvest festival, Ana inadvertedly gets into trouble. Will this be the end of her time at Garber Farm?

Book review: The Way We Live Now

In 1870's London, Mr. Melmotte, a financier with a mysterious past is rising the ranks of society. The gentry, among them the Longestaffe family, abhor him and want nothing to do with him. But their own financial troubles will force them to seek Mr. Melmotte's help. Mr. Melmotte's daughter, Marie, is flaunted before all the bachelors in London, but loses her heart to the dissolute young baronet Felix Carbury. Carbury's sister Hetta is trapped between two men: her kind and dependable cousin Roger whom she does not love and the young businessman Paul Montague, who seems to be keeping secrets from her.

Television review: Secrets of the castle

After a series of 'adventures', the living-history team of the BBC: historian Ruth Goodman and archeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold have arrived in the Middle Ages. At Guédelon in France they uncover the long-forgotten art of building a castle and of the everyday live of the Medieval people involved.

If you've read my blog for a while (that is, before I started on Blogger, sorry...) you know that I'm a huge fan of the living-history series from the BBC. It all started in 2005, with Tales from the Green Valley, in which a group of enthusiastic historians and archeologists actually recreated the life on a farm in the 17th century. I was enchanted; this was an amazing way to learn about history and most of all, about forgotten, everyday history! After that, a part of the team went on to produce the hugely succesful 'Farm' series: Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm, Wartime Farm and Tudor Monastery Farm. I loved them all! So I was really pleased to hear that another series was being made, this time in the Middle Ages, a time period I'm really interested in, with my swordfighting hobby. 

8 Bookish or Not-So-Bookish Thoughts (7)

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. sharing exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they've encountered during the week etc.)

Hello everyone *waves*, here are a few things which have been keeping me busy for the last few weeks. Apart from work ofcourse, ugh (last half-year of my PhD, let's-not-talk-about-it)

1. Don't you just love this part of the year? Well, it depends on where you live ofcourse, but here in The Netherlands, May and June are the best. So many trees and flowers are blossoming, baby birds can be seen everywhere. There are lot's of great events to be visited and you can sleep with your windows open (I love that!). But the thing I look forward to every year is the fresh food: spinach fresh from the land, the first new potatoes, strawberries and peaches, yummy! What's your favourite thing to eat this time of the year (apart from ice cream, that's self-evident ;-) )