Last Post of 2006!

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

---William Shakespeare, the Tempest,
Act IV, Scene i, Lines 148-157

Happy Christmas!

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.

All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

• Luke 2:1-20

"For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord."
"Song of the Angels" by Bouguereau

Happy Christmas to the world! Christ is born! Alleluia! May Christ's love warm your hearts and souls this Christmas and all the days of your lives.

Lady Jane

Christmas: 24 Style

HP Book 7 Title Announced!

Finally, we have the title for the last book in the Harry Potter series!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!!!

What do you think of it?

AP: Final 'Harry Potter' title announced---

NEW YORK - We now have a title for Book VII: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows."

But if you want to find out for yourself, visit J.K. Rowling's Web site, jkrowling.com, and play a little game of hangman.

Rowling's U.S. publisher, Scholastic, Inc., released a brief statement Thursday announcing the name of the world's most anticipated children's book, the finale to her phenomenally popular fantasy series.

No publication date or other details were offered. Rowling is still working on the book, she wrote on her Web site in an entry posted early Thursday.

If you want to play the game, go to JKRowling.com and use these instructions from the article (if you can't figure it out yourself):

If you go to her home page, click on the eraser and you will be taken to a room — you'll see a window, a door and a mirror.

In the mirror, you'll see a hallway. Click on the farthest doorknob and look for the Christmas tree. They click on the center of the door next to the mirror and a reef appears. Then click on the top of the mirror and you'll see a garland.

Look for a cobweb next to the door. Click on it, and it will disappear. Now, look at the chimes in the window. Click on the second chime to the right, and hold it down. The chime will turn into the key, which opens the door. Click on the wrapped gift behind the door, then click on it again and figure out the title yourself by playing a game of hangman.

I just did it.

I am curious about the title. Does it have something to do with Godric's Hollow where Harry lived with his parents and where they were killed? Obviously, the spelling is not the same, but they were murdered by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (aka Lord Voldemort!) on Halloween. Halloweens have always been featured in the HP books. Really, though, I think it must be something to do with Godric's Hollow. I have always believed Harry would have to go back there, to where his parents died, where he managed to live after Voldemort tried to kill him, to face the past, the truth, and his enemy.

Curious!!! No publication date has been announced.

I am so excited!

Technorati Tags: Harry Potter, Deathly Hallows, JK Rowling, Book 7,

Happy Birthday to Jane!

Today is Jane Austen's birthday! Jane is my favorite author and one of the greatest novelists of all time.

Jane Austen
Happy Birthday, Jane!
Some Jane Austen links:
The Jane Austen Centre in Bath
Jane Austen Society of North America
Austen.com
Jane Austen E-Texts
Bibliomania: Austen E-Texts
Jane Austen's House
Republic of Pemberley
AustenBlog

Send a birthday card in honor of Jane's birthday at Mollands.

My favorite Jane Austen novel is Pride and Prejudice.

Technorati Tags: Jane Austen,

I am a Dedicated Reader

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Non-Reader
Fad Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Josh Alert!

Josh Groban Fans: Josh will be appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show on Monday, 11 December. I saw a commercial earlier this evening and I am excited to see it! Don't forget!

AND, you can hear Josh sing "I'll Be Home For Christmas" here. Do enjoy!

You can buy Awake here.

Technorati Tags: Josh Groban, Awake, Music, CD,

POTC: DMC Out Today!

I'm quite excited, as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is out today on dvd! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend buying or renting it (Use my Amazon link to purchase anything at Amazon and I get a small percentage).

Also out today, 24-Season 5. Hooray!

Plus, shopping through my Amazon store (for anything Amazon sells) will give me a tiny bit of revenue. Please consider it! :)

Thank you!

Special Episode of the Closer

A special two hour episode of The Closer (official website with great stuff here) is on TNT tonight. It starts any minute and I am SOOOO excited!

Kyra Sedgwick is awesome as Brenda Johnson!

If you haven't seen the two seasons The Closer, you can buy the first season dvds or watch the second season on TNT. Season 2 will begin reairing Tuesday, 5 December at 10pm (and will be every Tuesday at 10pm). The show is fabulous!

Technorati Tags: The Closer, TNT, Kyra Sedgwick, TV, LAPD,