Regina Doman Facebook Page

My favorite author (and whose family I am currenting nannying/tutoring for) now has an official Facebook fan page! Become a fan to find out the latest news about Regina Doman's writing projects and public events!

(Oh, and I'm an administrator for the page, so there will be movie updates there as well)

Modesty-Mall.com

No, this is not a shopping mall filled with only modest clothing. I wish it were, but it's the next best thing.

Modesty-Mall.com is a website run by my friend (and adopted forum sister) Lady Rose. It is still in the construction stages, but it already has some very good answers to "What is Modesty?" and "Why should we dress Modestly?"

The best part is that Rose isn't just putting up her own opinions, she has also solicited some very wise comments and testimonies from some of her friends...both male and female.

Yes, mine is up as well! You can read my personal journey and opinion on why modesty is important here: http://www.modesty-mall.com/elenatintil.html

"Spotlight: A Close-Up Look at the Artistry and Meaning of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga"

As most of my faithful blog readers know, I've always enjoyed looking at the deeper possibilities of the "Twilight" novels. In fact, the main reason I read the series was because of a intriguing review by Regina Doman and the fact that the very first words in the book are from the Biblical book of Genesis. When I saw that, I was hooked, and had to pick it up and start mining its pages for more than just "Edward and Bella Mushiness." (You can read more about my experience and thoughts here: http://elenatintil.blogspot.com/2008/08/twilight-part-one-non-spoiler.html)

Now I am delighted to inform you that another Christain has taken this one step further and gone on to put his findings into a book for the rest of the world to enjoy. The best part is that he is none other than John Granger, perhaps one of the most well known Christain defendants of the Harry Potter series. (You can read more of his Twilight thoughts here: http://fhsprofessor.com/)

(And for those of you who are Regina Doman fans, the only reason I know about John Granger is because of Regina, and it is her copy of "Spotlight" that I read.)

"Spotlight" is an absolutely fascinating book. While I may not agree with every single connection Granger makes, for the most part I think he is pretty brilliant at finding things that the rest of us miss. Most interestingly of all, he paints a very clear and fascinating picture of exactly how Stephanie Meyer's Mormon faith directly impacted her writing. For instance, did you know that Edward Cullen is uncannily like Joseph Smith Jr, founder of Mormonism?

From the back of the book:

(Early Reviewer's copy, the published copy might be a bit differant)

John Granger, author of "Unlockign Harry Potter: Seven Keys for the Serious
Reader," explains in "Spotlight" the literary backdrop, the themes, the
artistry, and the meaning of the four Bella Swan adventures. Twilight readers
will learn in "Spotlight"

• Why the Book Covers are Black, White and Red
• How Edward can read thoughts and the La Push Wolf Pack can have a shared
  mind
• What influence the X-Men, Night of the Living Dead, and Plato's Republic had
  on Twilight
• Why the Volturi live in Italy and hate the Cullens' 'Lifestyle Choices'
• Why Bella's 'empty chest' is mentioned thihrty-seven times in "New
  Moon."
• Why so many key Twilight Saga scenes take place in Mountain Meadows.
• What Role the Quileute 'Protectors' play in Meyer's re-telling of
  Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet"
• How Carlisle's birth in sixteenth century London explains why the Cullens
  are vegetarians
• Why the James and Bella confrontation in Twilight takes place in a ballet
  studio
• Why Jacob and Edward are discribed consistantly as Bella's sun and moon
• Why books and films about Bella Swan and Harry Potter are such blockbuster
  hits.

Trust me. This book is absolutely fascinating and is a must read for any "Twilight" fan, or a serious reader who wants to know what makes books popular in this day and age. It does, however, contain spoilers for all four books, so do NOT read unless you have already read the books. Also, it referances the half-finished manuscript of "Midnight Sun" that Meyer posted online a year ago, so it is also helpful to read that prior to looking at Granger's book.

A New Adventure

Well the cross country move has been effected! I am now out on the East Coast nannying for the family of one of my favorite authors! I have six children to help provide childcare for, and four of them are school age and will be getting tutoring from yours truly Monday-Thursday.

They are wonderful kids and a family I really like and I'm thrilled to be out here. Thrilled, but so busy sometimes I hardly have time to think!

So for the next three months I am going to make it my goal to post here just twice a week. I'm also going to be suspending "HP and the Cartoon Prince" which is a lot of work and, while fun, was not a favorite in my recent poll. (points to the right side of the screen).

What else is new? Last night I tried fried calamari. Which, for those of you who don't know, is squid. ;)

Busy busy busy!

First of all a very Happy New Year to you all! 2010 sounds like it ought to be a cool year... I mean, it sounds so space-age-y, doesn't it?

Anyhow, I have been unbelievably busy! Family craziness, holidays, film and film stress, and preparing for my move, and then a goodbye party coming up this weekend! Not to mention radically revamping a much beloved section of the forum! Can you blame me for not posting more recently?

Also, I wanted to let you know that I did get some pictures up from filming and you can check them out here: http://theshadowofthebear.blogspot.com/2010/01/day-21-dec-28th-09.html

I hope your year is off to a glorious start and I look forwards to having you visit more in the next 12 months!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

HP and the Cartoon Prince #24

Enter Tonks!

(I love Tonks, don't you?)