Friday, April 3, 2015

Friday's Film Adaptions: The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane


Summary:
During an unnamed battle, 18-year-old private Henry Fleming survives what he considers to be a lost cause by escaping into a nearby wood, deserting his battalion. He finds a group of injured men in which one of the group, the "Tattered Soldier", asks Henry, who's often referred to as "The Youth", where he's wounded. Henry, embarrassed that he's whole, wanders thru the forest. He ultimately decides that running was the best thing, & that he's a small part of the army responsible for saving himself. When he learns that his battalion had won the battle, Henry feels guilty. As a result, he returns to his battalion & is injured when a cannon operator hits him in the head because he wouldn't let go of his arm. When he returns to camp, the other soldiers believe he was harmed by a bullet grazing him in battle. The next morning he goes into battle for a 3rd time. While looking for a stream from which to attain water, he discovers from the commanding officer that his regiment has a lackluster reputation. The officer speaks casually about sacrificing Henry's regiment because they're nothing more than "mule drivers" & "mud diggers". With no regiments to spare, the general orders his men forward. In the final battle, Henry becomes one of the best fighters in his battalion as well as the flag bearer, finally proving his courage as a man.


Most of us had to read this in book in high school and for that reason it doesn't always get a good rep, I mean how many of us actually enjoyed the books they made us read?  I have been a bit of a Civil War history buff since I was about 10 years old so I didn't really mind reading this book in 11th grade English class, though I'll admit I didn't speak up and say that at the time.  I always loved the journey that Henry takes from the soldier who ran away to facing his fears and becomes the soldier he's thought to be after he was injured not from the grazed bullet that everyone thought.  The struggles he faces is put to word in a way that keeps the reader intrigued.  If you read it in high school like most of us did, I highly recommend rereading it with adult eyes and heart.

RATING: 

Quotes:
A river, amber-tinted in the shadow of its banks, purled at the army's feet; and at night, when the stream had become of a sorrowful blackness, one could see across it the red, eyelike gleam of hostile camp-fires set in the low brows of distant hills.--Chapter One

At times he regarded the wounded soldiers in an envious way. He conceived persons with torn bodies to be peculiarly happy. He wished that he, too, had a wound, a red badge of courage.--Chapter Nine

In despair, he declared that he was not like those others. He now conceded it to be impossible that he should ever become a hero. He was a craven loon. Those pictures of glory were piteous things. He groaned from his heart and went staggering off.--Chapter Eleven

After his desertion, however, Henry finds some comfort in the laws of nature, which seem to briefly affirm his previous cowardice:
This landscape gave him assurance. A fair field holding life. It was the religion of peace. It would die if its timid eyes were compelled to see blood.... He threw a pine cone at a jovial squirrel, and he ran with chattering fear. High in a treetop he stopped, and, poking his head cautiously from behind a branch, looked down with an air of trepidation. The youth felt triumphant at this exhibition. There was the law, he said. Nature had given him a sign. The squirrel, immediately upon recognizing danger, had taken to his legs without ado. He did not stand stolidly baring his furry belly to the missile, and die with an upward glance at the sympathetic heavens. On the contrary, he had fled as fast as his legs could carry him.

How the book closes:
It rained. The procession of weary soldiers became a bedraggled train, despondent and muttering, marching with churning effort in a trough of liquid brown mud under a low, wretched sky. Yet the youth smiled, for he saw that the world was a world for him, though many discovered it to be made of oaths and walking sticks. He had rid himself of the red sickness of battle. The sultry nightmare was in the past. He had been an animal blistered and sweating in the heat and pain of war. He turned now with a lover's thirst to images of tranquil skies, fresh meadows, cool brooks, an existence of soft and eternal peace.

Over the river a golden ray of sun came through the hosts of leaden rain clouds.

Film:
The plot is based on the book with less bloody details. A regiment of Union soldiers head South to engage Confederate forces. Joining them is Henry Fleming (Audie Murphy), a green private sent into battle for the first time. He is unprepared for the fight, but by the time battle breaks out, he finds his endurance and courage tested.

Release dates: March 16, 1951
Running time: 69 min

Cast:
Audie Murphy as Henry Fleming (aka The Youth)
Bill Mauldin as Tom Wilson (aka The Loud Soldier)
Douglas Dick as The Lieutenant
Royal Dano as The Tattered Man
John Dierkes as Pat Conklin (aka The Tall Soldier)
Arthur Hunnicutt as Bill Porter
Tim Durant as The General





In my opinion the film is better than the book, which doesn't happen often.  The acting, the writing, the directing it all comes together to make a film that keeps you interested from beginning to end.  For me, I think knowing that the most highly decorated American soldier, Audie Murphy, is portraying the youth who finds himself facing battle for the first time in the Civil War, was something that appealed to me and was captivating.

RATING: 

Author Bio:
Stephen Crane was an American novelist, poet and journalist, best known for the novel Red Badge of Courage. That work introduced the reading world to Crane's striking prose, a mix of impressionism, naturalism and symbolism. He died at age 28 in Badenweiler, Baden, Germany.


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Taken by Love by Sharon Kleve

Title: Taken by Love
Author: Sharon Kleve
Series: Taken #1
Genre: Contemporary Suspense
Release Date: March 18, 2015



Summary:
Book one of the exciting Taken Series will slip you into the world of drug cartels, DEA operations, and the never-waiving love between Arden and Lucy.

Arden Jones is a DEA agent and has seen and done it all. His transfer to a desk job is finally in reach. But, when his good friend is brutally murdered he must go after the cartel one more time while protecting the ones he loves.

Lucy Farris arranges flowers for a living, lives in a quaint house in the outskirts of Seattle, and has two adorable Siamese cats. The last thing she expects is to be kidnapped and used as bait to by the cartel to hunt the man she loves.


     Thirty-six hours later. Back in the U.S.
     I halted my one-sided conversation with the foul cockroach wedged between the wall and the table and watched through half-closed eyes as Sergeant Tom Barnaby stepped into O'Neill's Bar and Grill.      I reacted the same way when I stepped into the dimly lit bar. We both kept our backs against the door until our eyes adjusted. Barnaby walked toward me, loose-limbed, like he didn't have a care in the world.
     I knew better. Years in law enforcement changed me, set me apart from everyone else. The average citizen couldn't imagine the atrocities we witnessed. We worked for different agencies, hunting down and arresting scum of the earth who lurked in the streets, businesses, and behind the doors of suburban homes.
     When Barnaby reached the cracked, orange vinyl booth he shook his head at the mess left on the table from the previous patron.
     “Jones,” Barnaby said, as he looked around the bar. “You couldn't have picked a classier place than this to meet?”
     I didn't comment, just acknowledged him with a nod, and motioned for him to sit. Without a word, Barnaby sat down, grabbed a grease-stained napkin, brushed the large, winged bug off the table and stomped on it.
     For the last hour, the roach’s large antennas moved from side-to-side and back-and-forth when I spoke nonsense to him. I hadn't gotten that much single-minded attention in days. Now, my short-lived friend was bug-guts on the bar floor.



Author Bio:
Sharon Kleve was born and raised in Washington and currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband.

Sharon is a multi-published author of paranormal and contemporary romance. She loves romance. She loves reading romance, living romance, and especially loves writing about romance. She gets no greater feeling than watching her characters come alive in each other's arms. Most of all, she loves giving her characters the happily ever after they deserve—with a few bumps and bruises along the way.

One of her favorite things to do is picking up a new book and sinking into the story, immersing herself in the emotions between the characters. She hopes to inspire her readers the same way her favorite authors have inspired her.

When not writing, she can usually be found either curled up in her recliner with her cat and a good book, or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread or bagels.


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EMAIL: sharon.kleve@yahoo.com



Taken by Love





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Unlike Any Other by Claudia Burgoa

Title: Unlike Any Other
Author: Claudia Burgoa
Series: Unexpected #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 5, 2015
Cover Design: By Hang Le
Summary:
AJ
The name AJ Colthurst may not have any meaning to the public eye, but it should, as I’m the daughter of two famous celebrities. Like any superstar, they crave privacy; so much of it, they built a house in the middle of nowhere for us children. As we grew older, we discovered the lies they built as a fort to protect us from the media, ended up causing emotional damage along the way.
I carry a portion of the guilt on my shoulders; the other part I discovered is the separation of my parents. Their unorthodox ways may have driven me bonkers, but knowing they are no longer together is unacceptable.

That’s why I decided to rattle their cage by reminding at least one of my parents of the past and the reason they belong together. They need to remember why their love is so perfect and why they have to fight to keep it alive. Even if it means I have to dredge up some of my own painful memories along the way.

Gabe
Back in the early eighties, I set myself to succeed in the financial world. The first step had been moving to New York City to become a stockbroker, but things didn’t work out the way I had hoped. Instead, I ended up making movies and by the end of the decade, Gabe Colt had become a famous name. The downside to my career of choice: the paparazzi. In order to protect my family and our privacy, I maintained my family away from the circus. It had been for their own good; a decision we had made before we started our family.

However, those past decisions ended up chasing my entire family away and now I’m trying to put the pieces back together along with my little girl.


     “So that’s it; bye, bye to the old, hello Twinkie wife?”
     His gaze drops and I take it as a yes.
     “Where is the big love, the one that happens once in a lifetime? What happened to it? If you lost it like that, then there’s no hope for the rest of us, Dad.”
      No wonder my relationship fell apart like it did. The dreamer in me thought back to my sixteen-year-old self when I thought I had found the great love that could withstand everything. I claimed to have what my parents had … almost three years later reality slapped me, no, reality crushed me.
     Gabriel doesn’t speak. He has no comeback or comment to what I say. He makes a one-eighty degree turn and stares out at the blue sea.
     I don’t count how long he’s immobilized in front of the window, nor do I move. However, after what feels like hours, he extends his hand and curls his fingers toward me. The moment I’m next to him, he puts his arm around my shoulder and hugs me tight, kissing the top of my head.
     I hug my dad for the first time in years and my back relaxes.
     I’m home.
      “You can stay together in the name of love just for so long, AJ,” his voice has lost all the strength, the shield is down.
     My body and soul identify with his, we’re defeated, sad and with only so much energy left to continue.
     This is one of the traits we share, putting on a brave front while withering inside.
     “Lately, I wonder if what we had justified being together for so long.” I hate those words as he lets them out. “Was it real or a fantasy we built and once reality hit we couldn’t keep it together. It hurts, being apart is painful—I won’t lie.”
     Really, it hurts? Because there’s a woman outside—pregnant. I want to yell at him, my teeth grind, but I don’t let my anger get the best of me.
     Not yet.
     “It was mutual, we came to the conclusion that we wanted different things, our lives were going in different directions, and now I’m trying to build something—a new life?”
     The uncertainty in his voice is a gift, a speckle of light that gives me hope. The words… well, they sound like a speech they—my parents agreed on giving us. That’s the way they were while growing up, one parental front. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but my money is on him. Gabriel called it off.
     This is unfair. My parents drove me insane with their rules. Their crazy ideas and lies to the outside world. However, they are a match made in heaven. They are like milk and cookies, one can’t go without the other.
    “This is wrong.” I shake my head. “You can’t finish a once in a lifetime love story like that,” I weakly claim. “Each time you told the story, it didn’t sound as if you made some sacrifices for us. It sounded as if you did it out of love. Am I wrong? Would you like to revise your story?”
     He shakes his head.
     “You should. Let’s do a play-by-play,” I suggest. “Maybe you can come clean and clear up all the lies you added to it when you told it as we grew up.”
     “They weren’t lies,” he defends himself. “Maybe we skipped a few details… not many. We couldn’t disclose everything to our small children.”
     “Once upon a time I thought I found what you did, Dad,” my bottom lip quivers, but I continue, “but everything crumbled, and… now I’m a cynic who doesn’t want to feel or believe. You’re proving me right, love is a shitty thing.”
     “It isn’t, I can prove you wrong.”
     “I’m all ears, Dad.”



Author Bio:
Born on the mystical day of October 30th in the not so mystical lands of Mexico City, Claudia grew up with a childhood that resembled a caffeine-injected  soap opera. Seventeen years ago she ventured to the lands of her techie husband—a.k.a. the U.S.—with their offspring to start a new adventure.
She now lives in Colorado working as a CFO for a small IT company, managing her household filled with three confused dogs, said nerd husband, two daughters wrought with fandoms and a son who thinks he’s the boss of the house. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact.

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Cover Reveal: Don't Call Me Kit Kat by KJ Farnham

Title: Don't Call Me Kit Kat
Author: KJ Farnham
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Expected Release Date: May 15, 2015

Summary:
Junior high is where things really start to happen. Cliques form and break apart. Couples are made and destroyed. And a reputation is solidified that you won’t ever be able to escape. Everything you do and say, and everyone you spend your time with, matters.

Katie Mills knows that. She gets it. That’s why she tried so hard to get in with the cool girls at school. And why she was so devastated when those efforts found her detained for shoplifting and laughed out of cheer squad tryouts.

But Katie has more to worry about than just fitting in. Her parents are divorced and always fighting. Her sister never has time for her. And her friends all seem to be drifting apart. Even worse? The boy she has a crush on is dating the mean girl at school.

Everything is a mess, and Katie doesn’t feel like she has control over any of it. Certainly not over her weight, which has always topped out at slightly pudgier than normal—at least, according to her mother.

So when she happens to catch one of the popular girls throwing up in the bathroom one day, it sparks an idea. A match that quickly engulfs her life in flames.

Is there any going back once she gets started down this path?

And would she even want to if she could?


Author Bio:
Born and raised in a suburb of Milwaukee, K. J. Farnham was a teacher for 12 years and became a freelance writer in 2012. She holds a bachelor's degree from UW-Milwaukee and a master's degree from Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. A sequel to "Click Date Repeat" is in the works, and she plans to publish her next novel, "Don't Call Me Kit Kat," in the spring of 2015.


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