Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide

A conscience is a very important thing. Without it we would make bad decision after bad decision.

But unfortunately, not all of us are tuned into our conscience. Some of us just go about doing what we want without thinking of others.

Hopefully those people have someone who will help keep them in check. Someone willing to point out their errors and how best to fix them. Someone…well someone like Mr. Knightley.

Yes, Emma was one of those people who doesn’t think of others.

It’s not that she tries to be cruel, she was just raised getting whatever she wants so she only focuses on her needs and desires. This can cause issues as she doesn’t always behave the best way.

Luckily Mr. Knightley is on the case to bettering her, whether she likes it or not.

“Mr. Knightley, in fact, was one of the few people who could see faults in Emma Woodhouse, and the only one who ever told her of them…”

Yep, Mr. Knightley is the only one making sure Emma doesn’t turn out to be a selfish person. While Emma may not like having her faults pointed out:

Mr. Knightley is only trying to do his duty as her friend. Yes, friends are there to support and encourage you:

But to also call us out on the stuff we are doing that’s not right as well.

A lot of people see this as mean, but it is just the Austen version of:

After all real friends are there to help you grow.

And whether it is tough love, supportive love, encouraging love, etc:

For more on Emma Woodhouse, go to You Cannot Think That I Will Leave Off Match-Making

For more on Mr. Knightley, go to Book Club Picks: A Common Life, The Wedding Story

For more on Emma, go to Jane Austen’s Guide to Dating

For more bible verses, go to Book Club Picks: The Illustrated Man

I Want Candy

I love candy but I’m not just talking about, today marks a very special day here at Jane Austen Runs My Life. It is our sixth anniversary of blogging!

Thank you all who have been a part

We have been through lots of changes-as life goes up and down.

But no matter what comes our way, we keep on truckin’ along and keep the heart of the matter.

So the traditional gift for a sixth anniversary is candy…well I have a lot of that.

CANDY!

Let’s see there is my list of my top favorite candy in CANDY TIME! back in 2012

Then there was my first trick or treating experience in Candy, Candy, Candy! in 2013.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory meets The Hunger Games with The Hunger Games: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in 2014

And The Morning After in 2016

And a post on what if Jane Austen heroines lived in today’s world; what kind of candy would they eat in Candy Girls in 2016.

So thanks for the past six years of awesomeness, and here’s to many more!

Yay!

For more anniversary posts, go to I’m On a Boat

BYOB: Bring You Own Book

So I don’t know you but for most of my life this was me:

Yep, I used to always make sure I had a book just in case. Sometimes you are stuck in line, stuck in a waiting room, or sometimes not in fun company:

And of course a must have if you are going to that:

For more book posts, go to Cats, Books, & Tea

Right Away I Know I Won’t Like You

So as mentioned a few weeks ago, I will be going through the books Northanger Abbey and Persuasion this year as both are celebrating their 200th birthdays (they were published in one book).

I know I already did a post on the beginning of Persuasion, but that was a while back-so I’m starting from the beginning again.

Have you ever had someone you met right away and just know you won’t like them.

They may barely talk, or you just spend five mins with them-and that’s it. You are done. You know you will not like them no matter what.

Well that’s how I feel about Sir Walter Elliot, our main character Anne Elliot’s father.

Why you may ask? Simple:

SIR WALTER ELLIOT, OF KELLYNCH HALL, IN SOMERSETSHIRE, WAS A MAN who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Baronetage…”

He doesn’t like to read? Except about himself?

It’s like, what’s wrong with you? How can you not be interested in it? Like who are you?

And to make things worse-Sir Walter, a baron, only reads the Baronetage. That means the only book he likes to read is really about himself and the history of his family.

“…he could read his own history with an interest which never failed. This was the page at which the favourite volume always opened…”

So doesn’t read and the only thing that interests him is himself?

Ugh

I don’t need to read any more-I know without a doubt that I will not like this self-centered character at all.

But hey that’s okay-it happens there are always those characters you love to dislike.

For more Persuasion, go to You’ve Persuaded My Heart

For more on Sir Walter, go to Waiter, There’s Some Disney in My Jane Austen

For more Jane Austen quotes, go to London Fog Smoothie

Book Club Picks: The Illustrated Man

Thirteen weeks after a Friday the 13th, we have another

Don’t worry I got you covered with my new post.

So as you all know I started a book club last year. I have fallen behind with my posts, but I am now right on track!

Every month we read a book and I do a little post on the book we read and discussed. What can I say, I just love books.

There is no theme, other than with each month, a different member gets to pick a book, whichever one they want.

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

I don’t remember when I first read this book, but I know it was after Fahrenheit 451. Out of all his short story collections; this is my ultimate favorite. The stories range from funny, thoughtful, and downright creepy. It is an incredible collection and once you start, you just can’t stop. I’ve talked about this book before, but here we go again:

Or 10th, 50th, 100th….

Since I have posted on this before, I am only going to discuss the stories we went over in our book club.

The Illustrated Man starts with an average joe taking a walking tour in the summer of Wisconsin. As he stops for the night he is come upon by an illustrated man.

This man used to work for the circus, but back in 1900 he broke his leg. Looking for a way to make money while he rested, he went to a tattoo artist who covered him from neck to belt. What he didn’t know was that this tattoo artist was a witch.

Yes, she infused his illustrations with magic making them be alive and always moving telling their story.

However, there is one blank spot on his back. If you are a woman, you see your whole life from birth to old age. If you are a man, you see how you die.

The illustrated man warns his companion not to look, but he doesn’t listen and has to see them…

Illustration I: The Veldt

This is what the DCOM Smart House is loosely based on.

The live in the future in a smart house that does everything for them. They even can change the pictures on the walls to be anything they want them to be. The children constantly want it to be a veldt with lions.

The parents try to discipline their children and get them to do more but all they want to do is sit around and have the machines do everything for them. The parents determine it is time to turn off the house and go back to how things are supposed to be. Will the parents be able to change their kids? Or will the kids make sure their parents can never boss them around again?

“The lions look real, don’t they?…I don’t suppose there’s any way—–‘

‘What?’

‘—that they could become real?”

No one else really enjoyed this story as they felt it was too sad. I like it as it is a great blend of creepy and thrilling. It shows you why you should not spoil your children-and a big wake up to having your kid just sit in front of a tablet, phone, or TV. I love it, and think you should check it out.

Illustration III: The Other Foot

Mars has been colonized only by African Americans. Now they hear that European Americans are traveling to Mars and decide to institute a Jim Crow law for them. Will they decide to make them pay for past wrongs, or will they all be able to start a new life in equality?

“This is the other shoe, Mayor, the other foot…”

We all loved this story. It has such a great message and a fantastic ending!

Illustration V: The Man

A crew arrive on a planet ready to have glory and fame, but find the people uninterested as the person who came before them brought extreme happiness and bliss. One crewman believes him to be Jesus and wants to learn from the people. The Captain, however, is set on getting his glory and will stop this man any way he can.

“Leave these people alone. They’ve got something good and decent, and you come and foul up the nest and sneer at it. Well, I’ve talked to them too. I’ve gone through the city and seen their faces, and they’ve got something you’ll never have–a little simple faith, and they’ll move mountains with it. You, you’re boiled because someone stole your act, got here ahead and made you unimportant.”

The member who chose the book, this is her favorite story. She loves how it plays out and how the character’s testimony was so strong it helped the one man believe and have faith. She compared it to Christianity and Jesus. We all enjoyed this story as well. 

Illustration VI: The Long Rain

We have colonized Venus, but it is a horrible place of endless rain. Sun domes were built to help us stay sane and in health, and this story follows a group of astronauts as they hope to make it to the dome, but will they?

“Drops fell and touched other drops and they became streams that trickled over his body, and while these moved down his flesh, the small growths of the forest took root in his clothing.”

We all enjoyed this story as well. One member posed a very interesting question: Does the sundome exist or is it just a mirage?

Illustration VII: The Fire Balloons

A group of priests go to Mars to start a church and help bring peace and morals to a crazed group of colonists. One priest makes it his mission to try and bring Christ to the Martians.

“We feel absurd here—even I; for it is something new, this business of converting the creatures of another world.”

One member just loved this story. He felt that it was a perfect illustration for missionary work and just loved how the one priest had such a fire and desire to be there for the fire balloons and try and show them God’s love.

Illustration IX: The Last Night of the World

A married couple realize that today is the last day on Earth. How would you spend your time if you had such an inclination?

“What would you do if you knew this was the last night in the world?”

One member just loved this story. She felt that if it was her last night on Earth she would spend it the exact same way.

Illustration X: The Exiles

On Earth, countless literature from Edgar Allen Poe to William Shakespeare to Charles Dickens have been banned on Earth. They remain alive on Mars as their last books are still undamaged there. But when humans decide to completely destroy every page, these characters and their creators decide to wage a war on them. Will they win?

“His last book gone. Someone on Earth just now burned it.’

‘God rest him. Nothing of him left now. For what are we but books, and when those are gone, nothing’s to be seen.”

I love this one. Books fighting back, trying to survive in a world that feels they aren’t needed, a great story.

Illustration XVII: Zero Hour

Kids are playing that aliens are coming, an invasion in which they will rule and the grow ups will be gone. But what if it isn’t a game?

“Mom, I’ll be sure you won’t be hurt much, really!”

All agreed super creepy, but a very good read.

Illustration XVIII: The Rocket

From the film Stargate.

Fiorello Bodoni has saved $3000 to send a family member into space, but only one can go. Which one?

“We will remember it for always, Papa. We will never forget.”

We all loved this story. Just the love this family has and how much they care about each other. A fantastic read!

For more book club picks, go to Book Club Picks: The Masterpiece

For more books by Ray Bradbury, go to It Was a Pleasure to Burn: Fahrenheit 451

For more on The Illustrated Man, go toEach Illustration is a Little Story. If You Watch Them, In a Few Minutes They Tell You a Tale: The Illustrated Man