Actors from Hobbit & Lord of the Rings

Sometimes you need a break from the steady run of book and movie reviews...and that's what today is getting -- a break. Without too much further ado, here is a fun collection of the actors from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. Can you identify those who don't have their character pictures by them?

I found all these randomly on the web or on Pinterest. Speaking of which...come find me there by searching for Charity U! Hope to see you there. Anyway, here we go! Feel free to click to view larger.

 

 

That one just makes me laugh. Actually, all the ones of the four of them do. And now a few from Hobbit...

 

 

I highly recommend viewing the above at a larger size! Or just go view the whole thing here, as it looks a little cut off: http://pinterest.com/pin/322851867007365504/

 

Now that you're back in the mood for a little Hobbit related stuff...read my Middle-Earth movie reviews at the links below:

 

Fellowship: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2013/02/movie-fellowship-of-ring.html

Towers: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2013/03/movie-two-towers.html

Return: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2013/03/movie-return-of-king.html

Journey: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2012/12/movie-hobbit-unexpected-journey.html

200 Followers, Giveaway, Poll, and Today's Haul

Hey, everyone! First things first...

Austenitis has reached 200 followers!

 

Thanks to each and everyone of you lovely followers -- many thanks to Amber S who made my lunch-hour so much better when I discovered her as the 200th! (As a small aside, and thank you, let me send you over to Amber's wonderful blog! I just discovered it myself.)

 

Next, giveaway news. Part one -- we're coming down to the final days of the giveaway for Melanie Dickerson's newest book, Fairest Beauty! Click HERE to go and enter...lots of ways to get entries, including tweeting daily! :) Part two -- as promised, now that I've reached 200 followers, I'll have a giveaway! And the great part? There are going to be two books instead of just the one! The first I've already told you about: No Safe Harbor by Elizabeth Ludwig. But the other? You'll have to wait and see. Warning: it's also a great book that you will love!

 

The poll: should I giveaway both books as one great prize package? Or do two winners, one for each book? You tell me in the poll I'll be putting up on the right.

Something I don't have room for in the title: I guest posted today on Miss Elizabeth's totally awesome blog that I've been reading for years! I posted a comparison of the two newest (1995 and 2005) versions of Pride and Prejudice. Go HERE to see my post and check out the whole week of 200th Anniversary P&P stuff by clicking HERE.

 

Finally, today's haul. I was blessed with a Barnes & Noble gift-card for Christmas -- and bought three others from my siblings for slightly less than they were worth...resulting in a nice chunk of B&N money. So I finally made my order on Saturday, and the first part arrived today! Apparently they split it into four separate packages (I had to do two orders since I was using more than three gift-cards). But you're curious what came today, right? Check it out:

 

They respectively are The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson, Trinity: Military War Dog by Ronie Kendig, and Garden of Madness by Tracy L. Higley. I haven't read any of them before, and am super excited about all of them! I've previously loved books by Melanie Dickerson (Fairest Beauty) and Tracy L. Higley (Pompeii: City of Fire, Guardian of the Flame), but haven't read anything by Ronie Kendig before. Pretty sure I'm going to enjoy that one though! I've seen a lot of rave reviews.

So, giveaway coming soon! Make sure you vote in the poll, and tell me -- have you read any of these books or enjoyed others by the authors? Don't forget to enter the giveaway for Melanie's book! I linked to it up towards the top.

General Announcement and a Poll

Hey, everyone! Just a couple quick things...

1. I'm away for most of this week...will be home early next week. Therefore, I won't be replying to comments. Posts will be coming out regularly, never fear, but I won't actually be here. :) Don't worry, I will try to catch up on comments once I'm home, so keep leaving them!

2. New poll! Which Jane Austen hero would you most like to meet in person (and/or possibly marry)?

• Mr. Darcy (P&P)
• Edward Ferrars (S&S)
• Colonel Brandon (S&S)
• Captain Wentworth (Persuasion)
• Mr. Knightley (Emma)
• Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey...which I need to read again)
• Edmund Bertram (Mansfield Park)

This silly blogger is only allowing me to put four people per poll, so there are two polls. I've opened it up to multiple answers, but try not to choose more than two. Have fun!

I'll look forward to seeing the results once I'm home!

Announcements (of a Good Kind)

I just had a couple of quick announcements/questions for y'all. Since I like numbering...

1. Announcement. In November, the week of the 19th, I'll be hosting a Week of Musicals! It will include focuses on some actors from musicals, guest posts, and probably some unrelated giveaways. Begin anticipating! And the only reason I'm planning this already is because that's my birthday week. :)

2. Question. My newest bright idea for this blog. Also come November. I'm considering doing a daily thing through all of November which I intend to call Novemberisms. Basically, I'd choose one book off my shelves, and photograph that book in a different setting or form or way every day that month. Each day, I would post the picture. Does that appeal to you? Are you interested in reading those posts? I would use an older classic book that I picked up the other day at a library booksale JUST BECAUSE it was so photographical. Or something like that. Vote in the poll.

3. There. Let me know what you think. :)

Day 30 – Blogging

Favorite Posts from This Challenge

Oh, I had so many! But since I must narrow it down…   (click on the post name to go to it!)

·         Day 1 – 15 Interesting Facts about Me

·         Day 3 – My Favorite Blogs

·         Day 6 –  Favorite Actor

·         Day 16 – A Short Wishlist

·         Day 17 – Favorite Books (not classics)

·         Day 22 – Websites I Frequent

·         Day 24 – Six Favorite Classic Authors

By the way...sorry this is so late! My last few weeks here have been uncommonly hectic, plus some troubles with  blogger -- take the format of this paragraph. :P Forgive me!:)

Day 28 – Random

A Holiday I Dislike

I know, you’re staring at me in shock – I dislike some holidays? Yes, but mostly just one. Other than Halloween (yuck!). April Fool’s Day. I strongly dislike practical jokes, and if there was ever a foolish and annoying holiday, it’s this one. Can’t stand it!

Day 27 – Random

Why I’m Doing This 30-Day Challenge

Because I love doing tags. And this is similar in some ways to a tag, you’ve gotta admit. I’m doing it in April because that was a month with 30 days…and while I could have done it in one without 30 days, I decided not to. You may be interested to know that I wrote 93% (or so) of these posts in late January and early February! They’ve been waiting in my drafts ever since.

We’re getting off the subject… As I write this, it’s February 10. It’s snowy outside, but not windy, and quite sunny. The cat is looking in the in the window, the dog is napping in the sun, and my sister is playing piano. Warned you this was off the subject! I’m happily thinking about what I’ll be doing on April 27, as you read this…a big conference that I get to help with. J Can’t wait!

Day 26 – Random

What I Think About My Friends

What an excellent idea. Or something. Quite honestly, it’s a bit silly, I think…I mean, they’re my friends. What am I supposed to think of them?!? But yes, I love my friends. As previously stated, I am so lucky as to have four best friends, and they’re all different. However, they all know (and like) each other, so we get on pretty well. I think my friends are great for taking pictures of/having photoshoots with…one of my favorite things. I think my friends are wonderful Christians, all good role-models for me. I think my friends are girls who will support me when I need supporting, and they’re girls that I will do my best to help when they need it. I think my friends are perfect for me. I’m very glad that they’re my friends. Love you gals! You ought to know who you are… J

Day 23 – Random

Something I Crave at the Moment

At the risk of sounding food-oriented…Doritos. I heart Doritos. They are one of my favorite things. And I really want some right now. *sigh* Too bad we can’t have everything we wish for... Then again, that’s prolly a good thing. But yes…Doritos are what I want!

Day 22 – Random

Websites I Frequent

I mostly read blogs, but there are a few websites that I absolutely adore as well. Interestingly, several have to do with books!

Goodreads – I’m on here as often as possible. J It helps me keep track of everything (almost) that I read! I can see what my goodreads friends are reading, and what they rated any particular book I’m curious about. There are giveaways (though, IMHO, not usually very good ones), trivia, groups, and much more. I’m far from exhausting this wonderful place! Check it out: http://www.goodreads.com/

Amazon – When I have a book I want to buy, this is usually the place I go. I enjoy reading the reviews, and it’s almost certain that they’ll have reviews of any book I look up. I find these especially helpful too when buying electronics. I occasionally write reviews there too. I love the wishlist function, and have several (all organized, you know!). I love Amazon. Check it out: http://www.amazon.com/

Google – Does Google count as a website? Seeing that I’m there almost daily, I think it should. I use it for all my searching, and it’s a huge help! I think that’s enough said, since you already all use it and know about it, I’m sure. Check it out: https://www.google.com/

IMDB – International Movie Database. You know my movie reviews? This is where I get most of the information about actors, year it came out, and sometimes length. And trivia. I have found IMDB to be a priceless help when looking up a movie to see if it has objectionable stuff in it (Netflix can help too, but this is better). Also trailers and pictures! Check it out: http://www.imdb.com/

Wikipedia – Now, I know that they say (and I believe) the information on Wikipedia isn’t always completely accurate. But I still use it fairly often. All the birth and death dates for the birthday posts come from here. I use it to look up (occasionally) actors, authors, movies, random information. If you want something really fun, look up “pride and prejudice”. There are pages for Elizabeth and Darcy, and also a “family tree” type of thing tying all the characters together – that’s on the P&P page. All on Wikipedia. Check it out: http://www.wikipedia.org/

Day 21 – Random

A Picture of Something that Makes Me Happy

Having set myself the challenge of finding ONE picture of something that makes me happy…I discovered I simply could not do it. So here are several! And my apologies.

Jesus risen from the grave…

…dark chocolate…

…my camera…

…tall stacks of books…

…mail…

…trucks that make cool noises (winks at Angelica)…

…flags…

…Ramen noodle soup…

 

…kittens…

…country life…

…completed schoolwork…

 

…lists – of almost anything. J

There you have it! More than I meant to put down. But hey, it’s pretty much a list of my favorite things!

Day 19 – Random

Nicknames I Have

Actually, I’m rarely called anything but Charity. It’s not really an easy name to shorten, you know? Let’s see. Mom and Dad call me Doll or Dolly on occasion…that would be the oldest one – trust me, it’s old. At least once, we met a new family who asked if they could call me Cherry. Being shy, I said yes. But they didn’t call me that for long! I’m just not a Cherry. Doesn’t fit me. Occasionally my siblings try Char or Chair, but it never works for long. They forget, and when they remember, I don’t respond, so. ;) Really, yes, I’m pretty much just known as Charity!

My Entries in the Keep Calm Contest

Though the polls aren't closed yet (feel free to keep voting!) I think I've decided (with your help) which two to enter. They are the rather popular Darcy 2 and Feelings 2, both inspired by Pride and Prejudice. Thank you to all who voted! And to Miss Amy Dashwood for hosting this awesome giveaway on "Yet Another Period Drama Blog."

P.S. The post with the first round of the ALMT was also my 800th post! Yes, really! Very exciting. :)

Day 18 – Random

Long Time Goals/Plans/Dreams I Have

There are so many things I’d love to do that it’s really not even funny. I guess my primary one at this point is to go to college and get at least a Bachelor’s Degree. Naturally, I’d love to get married someday, but will that ever happen? Who knows. An office job appeals to me, especially at a college or university. More than that, I don’t know. Maybe education. We’ll have to see!

Day 11 – Random

Favorite Restaurant and Favorite Foods There

This is a tough question…I have many favorites! I’ll just do two.

1. Any Chinese buffet. I love the Fried Beef (or Chicken) and Broccoli that these places always have! The Fried Rice is another huge draw. Crab Rangoon…just thinking about them is making my mouth water. Of course, cherry jello and sugar-coated doughnuts are also very good… J Yes, I’m an American Chinese fan. Big time.

2. Olive Garden. I haven’t been here for ages…it’s expensive for largish families. I’m not a huge salad fan, but Olive Garden’s salad is great. So are their breadsticks. *swallows hard* And I always order Fettuccine Alfredo – it’s so. Unbelievably. Good. You’ve really got to try it if you never have.

Day 09 – Random

Something I’m Proud of That was Accomplished Recently

Well, it’s not accomplished, yet, but I’ve been working on a Lord of the Rings index to people and places. I know, there are already some out there, but when you’re semi-obsessive-compulsive, you do things like this. J For now, I’m reading the books and writing down dozens of page numbers before I write up paragraphs about each thing. I’m having a grand old time!

Day 08 – Random

My Goal This Year

Compared to some people’s goal, mine for this year was pretty small. In fact, it’s the same goal I had last year. It’s simply: to journal daily. Trust me, it’s harder than it sounds. But I completed this goal last year, and am hoping to do the same this year! So far, so good. J

Day 04 – Random

A Habit I Wish I Didn’t Have

I don’t always wish I didn’t have it, but sometimes I wish I didn’t read quite so fast. Especially when I’m reading a book (like Cascade by Lisa Bergren) that I love, but that’s going to be over way too soon. Or when I get in trouble for not reading closely enough. Or when I run out of reading material and (horror!) have to resort to something like scrapbooking. But usually, reading fast is an advantage. J

Tips for New and Book Bloggers

Tips for New Bloggers (and Book Bloggers)

I do believe that Miss Elizabeth’s Period Drama Advice Column Event is influencing my advice section of mind…because I have begun coming up with all kinds of tips etc for new bloggers, and for book bloggers. (Incidentally, the other day, I wrote a 10-point post of tips for authors…can’t decide if I should publish it or not though.) Whether I’m a good one to do this particular post, I don’t know. But if you’re a new blogger, especially a new book blogger, you may find this to be helpful. First, tips for making a blog about almost any topic more successful! (Note that some of these are more my preferences than absolute musts – I’ll leave it to you to decide what, for the most part.)

LAYOUT:

·         Choose a background (or get one made for you – see last point in this section). There are lots of free blog background websites out there! My personal favorite is “I Love It!” Blog Design. Check it out!

·         When you choose your background, choose one that’s easy on the eyes. If you have a background that makes my eyes hurt every time I’m on your blog, trust me, I won’t be there very often. Try to make your header go as well. Please make sure the colors go together!

·         Have an easy to read font. A real loopy one is fun to look at, but a real pain to attempt to read. Also, make sure it’s a readable size – a while back, I read a blog (for a very short time) that had a tiny font. It was terribly annoying.

·         Get input from your readers. Polls are a great way to do that!

·         If you want a custom background and header, Dream Design Studio is a good place to get that! She will work with you to design your own personal header, blog button, background, etc – all for free.

POSTING:

·         Use good English, please! An occasional mistake is to be expected, but try to be clear. This includes your word order, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, etc.

·         Include pictures. Pictures make a blog SO much more interesting. A blog without pictures is like a book without a cover.

·         Whatever you choose to blog about, make sure it’s something you’re interested in. Be passionate (and interesting) about your topic. If you love your topic, others will find it more interesting when you write about it.

·         Post often – when a blog is silent for a while, followers start leaving. And ary your post length – some long, some shorter.

PUBLICITY:

·         As soon as you start your blog, get a blog button made for you (unless, of course, you can make your own). Make sure the button reflects what your blog is about. Make it appealing, not over-crowded, but nicely filled out. Put the button on your blog, with the HTML code, and blog about it, so others find it!

·         Become known in the blogger world. The best way (IMHO) to do this is to comment on other people’s blogs. Often, the people you comment to will check you out by viewing your profile, where your blog should show up. Comment, and often. When you start your blog, leave a link. If you post about something you know the other blogger would enjoy, leave a link. Make yourself their friend. J

·         Put a link to your blog in your email signature. Include a line or two about what people will find on your blog. Try not to make it a blatant advertisement. J You could also create a Facebook for your blog. Mention your blog on your Facebook and Twitter (if you have one). That’s something that I view as completely dispensible, and not needed, especially if you don’t have Facebook or Twitter – which I don’t.

·         If you really want to attract followers, host giveaways. Make them giveaways related to whatever you blog about. Give extra entries (preferably two or three) to people who blog about the giveaway and leave you a link! Great publicity.

To book bloggers…do all of the above. Here are a few other random tips that will (I think) make your blog more appealing.

·         Make the title of your blog something bookish or related to books. Mine is Austenitis. Everyone associates it (as they should) with Jane Austen. Other book related blog titles (and blogs I read): Legacy of a Writer, Christian Bookshelf Reviews, Just Another Book Lovin' Girl, Relz Reviewz, Best Reads, etc. :)

·         Get onto some book websites. I’m specifically thinking of goodreads.com, my personal favorite book website. You’ll meet people, keep track of what you’re reading, find giveaways…and people will find your blog through your profile there. J You could also do Shelfari, but I prefer Goodreads.

·         When you post a book review, put the book title into the blog post title. You could do “Title” or “Book Review: Title” or “Title by Author” or something like that. This makes it much easier when someone’s searching through your archives for a specific book.

·         Another thing making searching for old reviews easier…the tags section. I recommend that from the beginning, you separate your tags by author, genre, rating, and whatever else you think is important. J This takes a little work, but when you or another reader is searching for a specific book, it’s much easier this way.

·         Be honest. Obviously, you should always be honest…and not least of all, here. Do your best to mention everything objectionable in the book. Give your true opinion of the book…even if it’s for a blog tour, and you know that the author or publisher will read your review. If you didn’t like it, or found it really objectionable, say so. The trust you gain from your followers (and potentially the authors and publishers as well) will be worth it.  

·         Like I said earlier, giveaways are a huge draw! Hold book giveaways whenever possible. Authors are often willing to give away one of their books if you interview them. Speaking of which…

·         Authors. This is another set of people to try to make your friends. If you want an interview from an author, read as many of their books ahead of time as possible. Come up with questions to ask (also ahead of time, as you read the books) and post your honest reviews of their books. If you really like the books, say so in your review…then do some extras. I do Cover Focuses. Not only to ingratiate myself especially to authors, but because I love the covers! What you’re doing here is making the author your friend. Once you’ve contacted the author, be friendly and flexible and polite. All important. Remember that authors are busy, and that they’re potentially arranging multiple other interviews at the time (especially right after their book releases).

Ta-da! I apologize for the extraordinarily long post. However, I hope that as a new blogger (especially a book blogger) you picked up some useful ideas, websites, information, or whatever you need. J If so…I’d love to hear from you!

Book Picture of the Week

Whether or not I will post more Book Picture of the Week's, I don't know. But on Saturday afternoon I started taking book pictures -- two hours later, I had 200 new pictures, and I have to share some. :) So here are a few of my favorites.

Whoops, so much for starting with just one!