My daughter and I love to attend musicals together, but she is constantly bemoaning my sensitivity. Yes, I cry. A lot. Over songs, memories, books, sweet things my kids say . . . . just about anything.

A couple of days ago, we went to see The Secret Garden. This song had me sobbing.

Listen to this as you read:You can never go wrong with Ella!

My current soundtrack(s): a mix between Ella Fitzgerald and Regina Spektors newest album {Firewood is my favourite, though it's sad}

CAT CUTENESS!


Dear readers, I have so much to be thankful for this season, and I'm not just talking about books or my new Kindle. {GAHHH! BUT IT'S AMAZING!} or even yummy seasonal foods that I look forward to every year {my dad and I picked up 3 mini bread loaves: Pumpkln Spice, Cinnamon and Gingerbread as well as more snickerdoodle Coffeemate-we're addicted!} but I'm thankful for the dramatic wonderful changes in my life, fast and pleasant like the changing of the leaves. My sister is back in our lives after a lot of personal struggle and estrangement, and next week I'm to spend Thanksgiving with both of my parents, which is nice as they're separated. {yes, I will post a blogful of pictures of my holiday meal!}

My only regret is that I don't think I'll be able to get Bryce here this Christmas, but there's always my birthday in June. I'm just so happy everything is coming together in my life and the worries of last year have all faded away like the sunshine this season.

I wanted to tell you about a Youtube project I'm starting to work on, after the idea sparked this week. I'm going to do multi-part montages of singers, actresses, dancers and musicians from the twenties silent era to the seventies, starting with females. I'll also do a male version, a Broadway specific version (male and female too, but from thirties to present)
I've started the first female part for screen, radio and record and the first person I will show is my favourite Judy Garland, but the rest will be secret for now. My Youtube username is Hannah Lynn Phillips, if you want to subscribe or check them out. I want it to be as extensive and international as possible, so feel free to drop me names {Remember, 20s-70s female drama/musical actresses, recording artists, performers, dancers etc. No general celebs like Eleanor Roosevelt or Amelia Earhart}

Things I'm excited for upcoming in 2014 and 2015: INTO THE WOODS MOVIE COMING OUT CHRISTMAS DAY NEXT MONTH OMG MY FAV MUSICAL!, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell BBC miniseries possibly premièring the end of the this year/beginning of next, new Cinderella movie in 2015, the last hobbit movie, the new Night at the Museum movie, biopic of JMW Turners life starring Timothy Spall, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel coming out March 2015, A Little Chaos starring Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman coming out March 2015, Child 44 coming out April 2015, The Age of Adaline coming out April 2015, WWI drama Testament of Youth coming out in teh Uk Jan. 16th 2015, Strange Magic an animated musical coming out Jan. 23rd 2014 (Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, and kristen Chenoweth OMG).

Also, I've become obsessed with Downton Abbey...like BADLY. Now that I've seen the full seasons online up until the most recent fifth season episode, I'm desperately waiting for the 2014 Christmas Special to come out in the Uk and be posted on the website where I watch them. Gah. WITHDRAWL. Due to that, I've got some Downton Abbey-esque books.


Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher {a book I've gotten for my December wintry reads list} Summer and Bird, The Captains Daughter by Leah Fleming {set during the Titanic}, The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin {first book I got to deal with my Downton Abbey withdrawal} Mrs. Queen Takes The Train by William Kuhn, Grand Central: Original Stories of of Postwar {WWII} Love and Reuinion, and The Pigeon Pie Mystery by Julia Stuart.



(bottom to top then sides) First book in the Dido Kent mystery series Belfield Hall by Anna Dean, The Book Of Summers by Emylia Hall, Major Pettigrews Last Stand by Helen Simonson, The Italian Garden by Judith Lennox, The Downstairs Maid by Rosie Clarke and The Last Summer by Judith Kinghorn {2nd and 3rd books for Downton Abbey withdrawal} C'est La Folie by Michael Wight, The Summer House by Mary Nichols, Mr. Rosenblum's List by Natasha Solomons and An Important Family by Dorothy Eden.


(bottom to top) second book in the Dido Kent mystery series, A Gentleman of Fortune by Anna Dean, more books for my Downton Abbey withdrawl, a trilogy by Jane Sanderson. 1. Netherwood 2. Ravenscliffe 3. Eden Falls. The Broken Gate, the first in a trilogy set in early 1900s by Anita Burgh, Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart and a vintage, Royal Mistress by Patricia Campbell Horton. Might be a delightful bodice ripper.


Last but never least: presents from my mom, Knitting for Dummies and a book of yummy looking smoothie recipes, as that's my thing now, Dreamers Pool bu Juliet Marillier, Ravenburn by Laura Black, a vintage gothic romance with a bookish heroine and my favourite type of hero, a beta. China Shadow by Clarissa Ross, King Of Morning, Queen of Day, an Edwardian fantasy by Ian McDonald, and books six and seven in the Jane Austen mystery series by Stephanie Barron.


My pretty Kindle case with my shiny new Kindle inside. Autumn wallpaper comes from my favourite bloggers website under "Free Stuff"

Susan Branch's beautiful blog.

Peaches photobombing, as usual.

Herbie photobombing my picture taking.. I can tell this is my cat, because he LOVES the smell of books. No, really!










I'll keep you guys informed about my projects when they're finished.

I really thought that Wicked was a really interesting book. It tells the side of how the Elphaba side of the story from the day she was born to how she grew up to how she became so wicked and mean.

Now I have seen reviews about how the musical was better than the book which everyone has an entitled to their own opinions but I haven't seen the musical, yet so I don't want to start saying the musical was better than the book because of whatever the reason is or why the book is better than the musical because I don't want to be some bias person who only see it as one side kind of thing. I really do hope to see the musical soon and then I will update the review and will give my opinion of the musical and if it better than the book or not.

But for now I really like the book (at the moment) and how Gregory showed the side of Elphaba of the story and how creative how he made her story so dark and twised on how she grew up til the very end of the book.