'Dark Angel: The True Story of Britain's First Female Serial Killer' Movie Review

'Dark Angel: The True Story of Britain's First Female Serial Killer': Joanne Froggatt stars in this one-night drama that tells the story of real-life Victorian poisoner Mary Ann Cotton. Based on an adaptation of criminologist David Wilson’s biography Mary Ann Cotton: Britain’s First Female Serial Killer, ‘Dark Angel’ airs on PBS’ ‘Masterpiece’, Sunday night May 21st at 9 PM Eastern Time; 8 PM Central Time.

So, I had never really heard anything about Mary Ann Cotton, although I’m very interested in reading  about true crime and serial killers. Mareena is strangely fascinated by the ‘Jack the Ripper’ murders herself, and had told me a little bit about Mary Ann Cotton, who was said to be even more prolific in her deadly ‘career’ than Jack the Ripper. She was the first female serial killer in Britain, and may have gotten away with her crimes for so long because she was a woman. At least, that’s my opinion.

On Sunday night at 9 PM, Eastern and Pacific times - May 21st, 2017 - PBS' 'Masterpiece' aired a two-hour television adaptation of Scottish criminologist David Wilson’s biography Mary Ann Cotton: Britain’s First Female Serial Killer; published in 2012. 'Dark Angel' starred Joanne Froggatt (as Mary Ann Cotton), Jonas Armstrong (as Joe Nattrass) and Laura Morgan (as Margaret Cotton). The television drama was produced by Jake Lushington and co-produced by Jane Hooks.

Who Plays Mary Ann Cotton - Nurse and Housekeeper and Britain’s First Female Serial Killer?

Joanne Froggatt was born in August of 1980, and was raised in the village of Littlebeck, North Yorkshire. She has compared her childhood home to living in the backdrop of Emily Bronte’s classic novel Wuthering Heights. Although she was initially uncertain about a career in acting, Joanne was a member of the youth theatre group known as the Rounders and left home at age thirteen to attend the Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

As the only child of Keith and Ann Froggatt - corner shopkeepers turned rare breed sheep farmers - Joanne worked briefly in both the retail and restaurant industries herself. Although she did have a few minor roles as a child - and actually made her television debut in an episode of the police drama ‘The Bill’ in 1996 - Joanne’s first steady job was at Booth’s Fine Foods, a cafe in the seaside town of Whitby. She was working at the popular retail store WH Smith’s - and seriously contemplating giving up acting - when she was invited to audition for a role in the long-running soap opera ‘Coronation Street’. Eventually, she got the role of Zoe Tattersall - a troubled teenage runaway who becomes pregnant - which turned out to be her first steady role in television.

Although she is

Who Plays Henry VIII - King of England and the Second Monarch of the Tudor Dynasty?

Born in St. John's Wood, London in February of 1971, Damian Watcyn Lewis has three siblings. He is the son of Charlotte Mary (née Bowater), from an upper-class background, and J. Watcyn Lewis, a city broker whose own parents were Welsh. He was raised with his brothers Gareth and William, and his sister Amanda, until the age of eight. In 1979, Damian was sent to Ashdown House boarding school, then was educated at Eton College.

At the age of sixteen, Damian decided he wanted to become an actor, and so he formed his own theater company. From 1990 to 1993, he studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and among his teachers there was Royal Shakespeare Company stalwart Colin McCormack. He studied alongside Daniel Craig and Joseph Feinnes and graduated in 1993. He started acting on the stage, particularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

There he was seen by director Stephen Spielberg, who subsequently cast him as Richard Winters in the HBO/BBC miniseries 'Band of Brothers' in 2001, a role which earned Damian a Golden Globe nomination, among other awards. His castmates from the miniseries were initially skeptical that he could play the role of an American military officer convincingly. It turned out that Damian's American accent was so flawless, that some of the cast and crew didn't believe that he was actually British.

He often portrays American military officials, even though he is British. He also frequently plays characters who are mentally unstable or violent. He has competed twice in the Northern Rock All Star Cup, a golf tournament that pits celebrities from Europe against those of America. Damian faced off against such celebrities as Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper.

He plays the guitar, the piano and the keyboard. Since July 4, 2007, Damian has been married to the actress Helen McCrory and they have two children together - a daughter named Manon, and a son named Gulliver. Damian was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.

Who Plays Anne Boleyn - Marquess of Pembroke and Queen Consort of England, the Second Wife of King Henry VIII?

Claire Foy was born in Stockport, England in April of 1984. She grew up in Manchester and Leeds, the youngest of three children. Her family later moved to Longwick, Buckinghamshire for her father's job as a salesman for the Rank Xerox Company. Her parents divorced when she was eight years old.

She attended a girls' grammar school - Aylesbury High School - from the age of twelve. She then went on to study drama and screen classes at Liverpool John Moores University, and graduated from the Oxford School of Drama in 2007. She moved to Peckham, a district of southeast London, to share a house with "five friends from drama school." 

Claire Foy began her acting career in 2008, and is best known for her role as Amy - the title role in BBC One's production of 'Little Dorrit'. She was also in the made-for-television movie Going Postal - the third such adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels - which premiered in 2010. She has also played Anna in the 2011 medieval fantasy film Season of the Witch, alongside Nicolas Cage; and Dawn in the 2011 drama film Wreckers, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. Claire has also played the role of Kate Balfour in NBC's shortlived television series 'Crossbones' in 2014.

She married the actor Stephen Campbell Moore in December of 2014. She was actually two months pregnant when she finished filming 'Wolf Hall', and gave birth to her first child - a girl - in March of 2015. She returned to work six months after the birth of her daughter to begin filming The Crown.

My Review of the Movie Adaptation of Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall':

Despite not having read Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel before we watched this miniseries, I must say that I really enjoyed watching this adaptation very much. I actually have always liked anything about the life and times of King Henry VIII and this made-for-television movie was no different. This was a six-part miniseries - from Sunday, April 5th, to Sunday, May 10th - that aired on PBS' 'Masterpiece' every Sunday night at 10 PM, Eastern and Pacific times, 9 PM, Central Time.

I think that the actors who were cast were absolutely amazing in their various roles. Mark Rylance made Thomas Cromwell seem so much more sympathetic than the history books portray him. In this television adaptation, Thomas Cromwell is portrayed as a man placed in an almost impossible situation.

He is the King's Chief Minister tasked to do something that he doesn't really believe in or agree with. His dilemma is 'Complain, and risk falling out of King Henry VII's favor, or do as he is told, and risk Anne Boleyn's understandable ire.' Not to mention having the Queen's actual death on his conscience.

I'm also amazed at myself. I'm amazed that despite being so interested in history, it never even crossed my mind to wonder if Thomas Cromwell had a family. I mean I knew that he was married and had children, but I just didn't realize how fatherly Thomas Cromwell was; how warm-hearted he seemed.

If I had one particular problem with this adaptation, it may be that sometimes I couldn't really tell who was who in a scene. Even if they were historically important characters, the question would occasionally cross my mind: "Now, who is this supposed to be again?" Overall though, I would give this movie adaptation an A!

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

The Forest Movie Review

The Woman in Black: British theatrical release poster. Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer and Liz White, PG-13, Released on February 3, 2012 in the United States and Canada, and on February 10, 2012 in the United Kingdom.

So, back in February of 2013, I read The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill - here is my review of the paperback. Mareena had downloaded this ebook for herself in January of 2012, although she then grabbed the paperback at a Library Book Sale that she and I went to in February of 2013. Mareena let me read this book first, and I started it immediately after we got home from our visit to the Library.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I actually picked it to be my Book of the Month for February. It only took me a day to read the book and I'm thinking of rereading this book sometime very soon.

Back in February of 2013 - actually six days after I finished reading the book, the DVD starring Daniel Radcliffe and Ciarán Hinds arrived in the mail. It has literally taken Mareena and I over a year to finally watch the movie! Our DVD player had somehow burned out, and since we don't watch DVDs all that frequently, we didn't know that we needed a new DVD player until we tried to play this DVD. :)

Mareena received a new television for her birthday, and while I had hoped to get our new DVD player hooked up to be able to watch The Woman in Black on her birthday - everything took just slightly longer than we expected it would. Anyway, we started watching the movie at about 10:30 P.M. on Tuesday night -or perhaps it was closer to 10: 45 P. M. By 1:00 A. M., the movie was over and we went directly to bed.

The Woman in Black was released in February of 2012, and is rated PG-13. It is a horror movie that runs approximately 95 minutes. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe (as Arthur Kipps), Ciarán Hinds (as Sam Daily), Janet McTeer (as Elisabeth Daily) and Liz White (as Jennet Humfrye). This film was directed by James Watkins, and was produced by Richard Jackson, Simon Oakes and Brian Oliver.

Who Plays Arthur Kipps - A Young Lawyer From London?

While he made his acting debut at age 10 in BBC One's 1999 television movie 'David Copperfield', followed by his film debut in 2001's The Tailor of Panama, Daniel Radcliffe rose to prominence playing the title character in the Harry Potter film series. At age 11, he was cast as Harry Potter in the first Harry Potter movie - 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He went on to star in the series over the next ten years until the release of the eighth and final film of the franchise - 2011's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. 

Daniel Radcliffe began to branch out into stage acting in 2007, starring in the London and New York productions of the play Equus, and in 2011's Broadway revival of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. In 2008, he revealed that he suffers from a mild form of Developmental Coordination Disorder - also known as developmental dyspraxia or 'Clumsy Child Syndrome'. This disorder is a chronic neurological disorder beginning in childhood, which can affect the planning of movements and motor skills coordination. This is as result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body. 

For Daniel Radcliffe, his Developmental Coordination Disorder causes such poor motor skills that he sometimes has trouble doing simple activities such as writing or tying his shoelaces. Many sufferers of this disorder have memory problems, typically resulting in difficulty remembering instructions, difficulty organizing one's time and remembering deadlines, increased propensity to lose things or problems carrying out tasks which require remembering several steps in sequence (such as cooking). Whilst most of the general population experience these problems to some extent, they have a much more significant impact on the lives of dyspraxic people.

Despite having poor short-term memories, many sufferers generally have excellent long-term memories. They benefit most from from working in a structured environment, as repeating the same routine minimizes the difficulty with time-management and allows them to commit procedures to long-term memory. Because sufferers sometimes have difficulty moderating the amount of sensory information that their body is constantly sending them, these people are also prone to panic attacks.

Many dyspraxics struggle to distinguish left from right, even as adults, and generally have an extremely poor sense of direction. Moderate to extreme difficulty doing physical tasks is experienced by some dyspraxics, and fatigue is common because so much extra energy is expended while trying to execute physical movements correctly. Some (but not all) dyspraxics suffer from low muscle tone - know as hypotonia - which like Developmental Coordination Disorder, can detrimentally affect balance.

Who Plays Sam Daily - a Local Landowner in the Village of Crythin Gifford?

Born and raised in North Belfast, Ciarán Hinds is the only son in a family of five children. His father was a doctor and his mother was a school teacher and an amateur actress. Ciarán was an Irish dancer in his youth, and was originally enrolled as a law student at Queen's University, Belfast, but was soon persuaded to pursue acting and abandoned his studies at Queen's to enroll at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. 

He began his professional acting career at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre in a 1976 production of Cinderella. While he remained a frequent performer at the Citizens' Theatre during the late 1970s and 1980s, Ciarán continues to act on stage up to the present. He made his feature film debut in John Boorman's 1981 movie Excalibur, and has since built a reputation as a versatile character actor appearing in such high-profile films as Road to Perdition, The Phantom of the Opera, Munich, There Will be Blood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, The Woman in Black and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. His television roles include Gaius Julius Caesar in the series 'Rome', DCI James Langton in the series 'Above Suspicion', Bud Hammond in the series 'Political Animals' and Mance Rayder in the Emmy Award winning 'Game of Thrones'.

Ciarán Hinds lives in Paris with his long-time partner Hélène Patarot; they met in 1987 while in the cast of Peter Brook's production of The Mahabharata. The couple have a daughter named Aoife, born in 1991. Ciarán is also a close friend of fellow Irish actor Liam Neeson and served as a pallbearer at the funeral of Liam's wife, actress Natasha Richardson in upstate New York on March 22, 2009.

Who Plays Elisabeth Daily - Sam Daily's Wife?

Janet McTeer made her professional stage debut in 1984, and since then has won a Tony Award, an Olivier Award and a Drama Desk Award. In 1986, she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Newcomer for The Grace of Mary Traverse, although she actually won a Tony Award and an Olivier Award for her role as Nora in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House in 1997. She is also a two-time Academy Award nominee.

Janet McTeer has starred on television in the title role of Lynda La Plante's 'The Governor' from 1996 to 1997, has received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Countess Rivers - the mother of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen Consort of King Edward IV - in 'The White Queen' and starred opposite Glenn Close in the final season of the television show 'Damages'.

She made her film debut in 1986's Half Moon Street - based on a book by Paul Theroux called Doctor Slaughter. In 2009, she portrayed Clementine Churchill - the wife of Sir Winston Churchill - in the HBO movie, Into the Storm. This was the role for which she earned an Emmy Award nomination. Further film roles include: Hawks, Wuthering Heights, Carrington, Songcatcher and As You Like It. Janet McTeer also received an Academy Award nomination for her role in the 1999 movie Tumbleweeds and another Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Hubert Page in the 2011 movie Albert Nobbs. She was appointed 'Officer of the Order of the British Empire' in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 for her Services to Drama.

Who Plays Jennet Humphrey - The Woman in Black?

Elizabeth 'Liz' White is perhaps best known for her role as WPC/WDC Annie Cartwright in the British version of the television series 'Life on Mars' - which was broadcast from 2006-2007. She also appeared in four episodes of the television series 'Teachers' which was broadcast in 2003. Her other prominent television roles include: Jess Mercer in six episodes of the British television series 'The Fixer' in 2008; and Caroline in BBC's 2011 adaptation of Michel Faber's 2002 novel The Crimson Petal and the White.

Liz White has also had increasing success in films; making her film debut in 2004's film short Ten Minute Movie. This was followed up with her appearances in Mike Leigh's 2004 movie Vera Drake and in the 2005 television movie Angell's Hell. She also played Laura in Gerald McMorrow's debut film Franklyn and Alice Kelly in the independent film New Town Killers in 2008. She was featured in the music video for Bush's final single Inflatable - off their fourth studio album, Golden State, which was released in 2001.

My Review of the Movie Adaptation of Susan Hill's The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story:

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie adaptation of The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill. Something that I never realized was that the 2012 film starring Daniel Radcliffe, was actually a remake of a 1989 television drama adaptation of Susan Hill's novel. Nigel Kneale, who died in 2006, was the screen-writer of the 1989 television movie; and is perhaps best known for his creation of the fictional character Professor Bernard Quatermass - a heroic, intelligent, highly moral British scientist - and a pioneer of the British space programme, heading up the British Experimental Rocket Group. 

Well can I remember gathering round the television with my mother, brother and sister every Saturday night (my father would usually be out) - and the four of us would watch 'Quatermass'. To properly set the mood, my mother would make us all snacks, start a fire in our fireplace, and turn out out all the lights. I was never really all that interested in science fiction television shows as a child, but 'Quatermass' was definitely the exception! 

Anyway, the 2012 version of The Woman in Black was excellent; at least in my opinion. Daniel Radcliffe has certainly shed whatever remnants of Harry Potter that were left. While I noticed that there were some slight differences between the book and the movie, I thought that overall the movie turned out to be a very faithful adaptation of the book. The movie plot ultimately stayed as true to Susan Hill's book as possible, and I now have the strongest desire to reread The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill after seeing the movie. 

As I may have said before, I'm usually very wary of watching any movies that are based on books I've read. I find that so many movies turn out to be very poor adaptations of otherwise terrific books. However, this is not the case with The Woman in Black. 

Both the book and the movie are equally outstanding; I enjoyed the movie just as much, if not more, than the book. It was thrilling and gripping, and was absolutely worth the year-long wait that Mareena and I went through in order to watch this movie. I whole-heartedly give the movie adaptation of The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill an A+! 

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

The Ides of March Movie Review

The Ides of March: Theatrical release poster. Stars: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Evan Rachel Wood, R, Released on August 31, 2011 in Italy, Israel and Canada and on October 7, 2011 in the United States.

So, since my birthday was on Saturday, August 22nd, I was planning on watching a movie and eating Chinese food with Mareena as part of the celebration. Unfortunately though, I became ill on my birthday so we decided to put off the plans until I was feeling better. While I was feeling much better by the next week, I haven't really felt like watching a movie until this afternoon - Tuesday, September 22nd - an entire month later than I had wanted!

Sometimes, when we go to our local library, we also buy several DVDs from our local library book sale. Mareena had unknowingly requested The Ides of March from a DVD swapping website that we belong to - and the movie just arrived in the mail on Saturday afternoon, August 29th! Then I showed her the second copy that I had bought from the library book sale that we went to on Monday afternoon, June 1st and we laughed about the incident. I guess that means that we have another copy of this movie to swap with others.

Anyway, The Ides of March was actually adapted from Beau Willimon's 2008 play, Farragut North.  The play is apparently loosely based on former Vermont Governor Howard Dean's 2004 Democratic Presidential election campaign. To be perfectly honest, Mareena and I don't usually watch that many political dramas - although, we do enjoy watching period dramas like 'Wolf Hall', which is all about court intrigue - which I suppose, is the same sort of thing.

The Ides of March was released in August of 2011, and is rated R. It is a drama movie that runs approximately 101 minutes. The film stars Ryan Gosling (as Stephen Meyers), George Clooney (as Governor Mike Morris), Philip Seymour Hoffman (as Paul Zara) and Evan Rachel Wood (as Molly Stearns). This film was directed by George Clooney, and was produced by George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Who Plays Stephen Meyers - Junior Campaign Manager For the Governor of Pennsylvania?

Ryan Thomas Gosling was born in London, Ontario in November of 1980. He initially began his acting career at the age of twelve as a child star on such family friendly programs as the 'Disney Channel's 'Mickey Mouse Club', 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' and 'Goosebumps'. He also starred in the television series 'Breaker High' and 'Young Hercules' as Sean Hanlon and in the title role, respectively.

As the son of a traveling salesman for a paper mill and a secretary who qualified as a high school teacher in 2011, Ryan and his older sister Mandi moved around quite a lot because of their father's work. While Ryan's parents were devout Mormons and the religion influenced every aspect of their lives, he has said that he could never really identify with Mormonism himself. His parents eventually divorced when he was thirteen years old, and he and his sister lived with his mother.

Ryan Gosling's debut starring film role was in the 2001 drama The Believer as a Jewish Neo-Nazi. With that film debut, he began to build a reputation for starring in independent films, and went on to star in the 2002 psychological thriller Murder by Numbers and The Slaughter Rule; as well as the 2003 American drama film The United States of Leland. He eventually came to the attention of wider audiences with his leading role in the 2004 romantic drama The Notebook.

began to branch out into stage acting in 2007, starring in the London and New York productions of the play Equus, and in 2011's Broadway revival of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. In 2008, he revealed that he suffers from a mild form of Developmental Coordination Disorder - also known as developmental dyspraxia or 'Clumsy Child Syndrome'. This disorder is a chronic neurological disorder beginning in childhood, which can affect the planning of movements and motor skills coordination. This is as result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body. 

For Daniel Radcliffe, his Developmental Coordination Disorder causes such poor motor skills that he sometimes has trouble doing simple activities such as writing or tying his shoelaces. Many sufferers of this disorder have memory problems, typically resulting in difficulty remembering instructions, difficulty organizing one's time and remembering deadlines, increased propensity to lose things or problems carrying out tasks which require remembering several steps in sequence (such as cooking). Whilst most of the general population experience these problems to some extent, they have a much more significant impact on the lives of dyspraxic people.

Despite having poor short-term memories, many sufferers generally have excellent long-term memories. They benefit most from from working in a structured environment, as repeating the same routine minimizes the difficulty with time-management and allows them to commit procedures to long-term memory. Because sufferers sometimes have difficulty moderating the amount of sensory information that their body is constantly sending them, these people are also prone to panic attacks.

Many dyspraxics struggle to distinguish left from right, even as adults, and generally have an extremely poor sense of direction. Moderate to extreme difficulty doing physical tasks is experienced by some dyspraxics, and fatigue is common because so much extra energy is expended while trying to execute physical movements correctly. Some (but not all) dyspraxics suffer from low muscle tone - know as hypotonia - which like Developmental Coordination Disorder, can detrimentally affect balance.

Who Plays Sam Daily - a Local Landowner in the Village of Crythin Gifford?

Born and raised in North Belfast, Ciarán Hinds is the only son in a family of five children. His father was a doctor and his mother was a school teacher and an amateur actress. Ciarán was an Irish dancer in his youth, and was originally enrolled as a law student at Queen's University, Belfast, but was soon persuaded to pursue acting and abandoned his studies at Queen's to enroll at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. 

He began his professional acting career at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre in a 1976 production of Cinderella. While he remained a frequent performer at the Citizens' Theatre during the late 1970s and 1980s, Ciarán continues to act on stage up to the present. He made his feature film debut in John Boorman's 1981 movie Excalibur, and has since built a reputation as a versatile character actor appearing in such high-profile films as Road to Perdition, The Phantom of the Opera, Munich, There Will be Blood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, The Woman in Black and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. His television roles include Gaius Julius Caesar in the series 'Rome', DCI James Langton in the series 'Above Suspicion', Bud Hammond in the series 'Political Animals' and Mance Rayder in the Emmy Award winning 'Game of Thrones'.

Ciarán Hinds lives in Paris with his long-time partner Hélène Patarot; they met in 1987 while in the cast of Peter Brook's production of The Mahabharata. The couple have a daughter named Aoife, born in 1991. Ciarán is also a close friend of fellow Irish actor Liam Neeson and served as a pallbearer at the funeral of Liam's wife, actress Natasha Richardson in upstate New York on March 22, 2009.

Who Plays Elisabeth Daily - Sam Daily's Wife?

Janet McTeer made her professional stage debut in 1984, and since then has won a Tony Award, an Olivier Award and a Drama Desk Award. In 1986, she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Newcomer for The Grace of Mary Traverse, although she actually won a Tony Award and an Olivier Award for her role as Nora in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House in 1997. She is also a two-time Academy Award nominee.

Janet McTeer has starred on television in the title role of Lynda La Plante's 'The Governor' from 1996 to 1997, has received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Countess Rivers - the mother of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen Consort of King Edward IV - in 'The White Queen' and starred opposite Glenn Close in the final season of the television show 'Damages'.

She made her film debut in 1986's Half Moon Street - based on a book by Paul Theroux called Doctor Slaughter. In 2009, she portrayed Clementine Churchill - the wife of Sir Winston Churchill - in the HBO movie, Into the Storm. This was the role for which she earned an Emmy Award nomination. Further film roles include: Hawks, Wuthering Heights, Carrington, Songcatcher and As You Like It. Janet McTeer also received an Academy Award nomination for her role in the 1999 movie Tumbleweeds and another Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Hubert Page in the 2011 movie Albert Nobbs. She was appointed 'Officer of the Order of the British Empire' in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 for her Services to Drama.

Who Plays Jennet Humphrey - The Woman in Black?

Elizabeth 'Liz' White is perhaps best known for her role as WPC/WDC Annie Cartwright in the British version of the television series 'Life on Mars' - which was broadcast from 2006-2007. She also appeared in four episodes of the television series 'Teachers' which was broadcast in 2003. Her other prominent television roles include: Jess Mercer in six episodes of the British television series 'The Fixer' in 2008; and Caroline in BBC's 2011 adaptation of Michel Faber's 2002 novel The Crimson Petal and the White.

Liz White has also had increasing success in films; making her film debut in 2004's film short Ten Minute Movie. This was followed up with her appearances in Mike Leigh's 2004 movie Vera Drake and in the 2005 television movie Angell's Hell. She also played Laura in Gerald McMorrow's debut film Franklyn and Alice Kelly in the independent film New Town Killers in 2008. She was featured in the music video for Bush's final single Inflatable - off their fourth studio album, Golden State, which was released in 2001.

My Review of the Movie Adaptation of Susan Hill's The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story:

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie adaptation of The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill. Something that I never realized was that the 2012 film starring Daniel Radcliffe, was actually a remake of a 1989 television drama adaptation of Susan Hill's novel. Nigel Kneale, who died in 2006, was the screen-writer of the 1989 television movie; and is perhaps best known for his creation of the fictional character Professor Bernard Quatermass - a heroic, intelligent, highly moral British scientist - and a pioneer of the British space programme, heading up the British Experimental Rocket Group. 

Well can I remember gathering round the television with my mother, brother and sister every Saturday night (my father would usually be out) - and the four of us would watch 'Quatermass'. To properly set the mood, my mother would make us all snacks, start a fire in our fireplace, and turn out out all the lights. I was never really all that interested in science fiction television shows as a child, but 'Quatermass' was definitely the exception! 

Anyway, the 2012 version of The Woman in Black was excellent; at least in my opinion. Daniel Radcliffe has certainly shed whatever remnants of Harry Potter that were left. While I noticed that there were some slight differences between the book and the movie, I thought that overall the movie turned out to be a very faithful adaptation of the book. The movie plot ultimately stayed as true to Susan Hill's book as possible, and I now have the strongest desire to reread The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill after seeing the movie. 

As I may have said before, I'm usually very wary of watching any movies that are based on books I've read. I find that so many movies turn out to be very poor adaptations of otherwise terrific books. However, this is not the case with The Woman in Black. 

Both the book and the movie are equally outstanding; I enjoyed the movie just as much, if not more, than the book. It was thrilling and gripping, and was absolutely worth the year-long wait that Mareena and I went through in order to watch this movie. I whole-heartedly give the movie adaptation of The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill an A+! 

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Yearly Reading Wrap-up at Moonshine and Rosefire

Hello everyone out there and I hope that you all had a terrific reading year for yourselves. I am known as Rosefire around the Internet and this is my new personal reading blog. I originally posted my reviews over at my daughter's blog, Emeraldfire's Bookmark but am now in the process of transferring them all over to my own blog. My daughter makes blogging look like so much fun that I thought that I would try it out for myself! :)

Anyway, I started out January with about 1,061 unread books lying around the house and ended December with books unread. All of the books that I acquired this year came from authors, Bookmooch, Paperback Swap, a Library Book Sale and friends. Quite a number of my books that I read this year left my house to go to new homes so that's something I guess. :)

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Rereads
- Between Husbands and Friends: A Novel by Nancy Thayer
- A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton
- The Rector's Wife by Joanna Trollope
- While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
- Silver Wedding by Maeve Binchy
- Homework: A Novel by Margot Livesey
- Fortune's Rocks: A Novel by Anita Shreve
- My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
- Dark Debts by Karen Hall
- The Last Time They Met: A Novel by Anita Shreve
- Julian's House: A Novel by Judith Hawkes
- The Saving Graces: A Novel by Patricia Gaffney
- A Woman's Place by Barbara Delinsky
- A Friend of the Family: A Novel  by Lauren Grodstein
- A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve
- A Paper Life by Tatum O'Neal
- One True Thing: A Novel by Anna Quindlen
- Treasures by Belva Plain
- A Wayside Tavern by Norah Lofts

Changes to the TBR pile 

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Point Hollow: A Novel by Rio Youers
- Next, After Lucifer by Daniel Rhodes
- The Crooked Branch: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins
- A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger
- Shutter Island: A Novel by Dennis Lehane
- The House of Lost Souls by F. G. Cottam
- When the Ghost Screams: True Stories of Victims Who Haunt by Leslie Rule
- Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King
- Lisey's Story: A Novel by Stephen King
- Lying Awake: A Novel by Mark Salzman
- Becoming Jane Eyre: A Novel by Sheila Kohler
- When You Believe by Deborah Bedford
- Snow in April by Rosamunde Pilcher
- Knitting: A Novel by Anne Bartlett
- On the Street Where You Live: A Novel by Mary Higgins Clark
- More Than You Know: A Novel by Beth Gutcheon
- Sweet Salt Air: A Novel by Barbara Delinsky
- Unholy Fire by Whitley Strieber
- Charming Billy: A Novel by Alice McDermott
-  The Castaways: A Novel  by Elin Hilderbrand
- The Language of Sisters: A Novel by Amy Hatvany
- Unsinkable: A Memoir by Debbie Reynolds and Dorian Hannaway
- The Return by Bentley Little
- Criminals: A Novel by Margot Livesey
- An Unexpected Family by Joan Mendlicott
- Capitol Murder: A Novel of Suspense by Phillip Margolin
- Cruel Winter by Anthony Izzo
- Dearest by Peter Loughran
- The House at Old Vine by Norah Lofts
- Overnight Float: A Mystery by Clare Munnings
- The Other Family: A Novel by Joanna Trollope
- The History Major: A Novella by Michael Phillip Cash
- A Scaly Tale by Kay Wilkins
- The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
- The Fever Tree: A Novel by Jennifer McVeigh
- The Remains by Vincent Zandri
- Debbie: My Life by Debbie Reynolds and David Patrick Columbia
- What Happened to Sophie Wilder: A Novel by Christopher R. Beha
- A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath by Jeanine Cummins

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! :)
- The Outside Boy: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins
- The Killer Department by Robert Cullen
- Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
- A Gesture Life: A Novel by Chang-Rae Lee
- Indignation: A Novel by Philip Roth
- House by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti
- Endangered: Your Child in a Hostile World by Johann Christoph Arnold
- Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by Lady Fiona Carnarvon
- The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist by Matt Baglio
- The Businessman: A Tale of Terror by Thomas M. Disch
- A Dog's Purpose: A Novel For Humans by W. Bruce Cameron
- The Bloody Countess: Atrocities of Erzsebet Bathory by Valentine Penrose
- While we Were Watching Downton Abbey: A Novel by Wendy Wax
- Eleanor: The Years Alone by Joseph P. Lash
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- Absent Friends by S. J. Rozan
- The Dive From Clausen's Pier: A Novel by Ann Packer
- Henry and Clara: A Novel by Thomas Mallon
- I Said Yes to Everything: A Memoir by Lee Grant
- Japan Took the J. A. P. Out of Me by Lisa F. Cook
- Keeping Faith: A Novel by Jodi Picoult
- Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
- Last to Know: A Novel by Elizabeth Adler
- Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury
- My Theodosia: A Novel by Anya Seton
- An Old Betrayal by Charles Finch
- One Glorious Ambition: The Compassionate Crusade of Dorothea Dix by Jane Kirkpatrick
- The Phantom Coach: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Ghost Stories by Michael Sims
- Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
- The Spire by Richard North Patterson
- Stone Angel by Carol O'Connell
- A Table by the Window: A Novel of Family Secrets and Heirloom Recipes by Hillary Manton Lodge
- The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J. R. Moehringer
- The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory
- Blind Date by Frances Fyfield
- Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Reference to the Myths, Religions, Pyramids and Temples of the Land of the Pharaohs by Lorna Oakes and Lucia Gahlin
- Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Novel by Alison Weir
- Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey by Alison Weir
- The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel by Alison Weir
- The Diabetes Heart Healthy Cookbook by The American Diabetes Association and The American Heart Association

- Engaged to Murder: The Shocking True Story of the Nation's Most Brutal Triple Murder by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel
- The Open Channel by Jill Morrow
- Collector's Series Sum-Doku Puzzles 6-pack: (Volumes 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13) by Dell Magazines

- Tongues by Sam Joyce
- Angel Cafe by Jill Morrow
- Storming the Magic Kingdom: Wall Street, the Raiders and the Battle For Disney by John Taylor

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))

- Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King
- The Deceit by Paul Block
- Shutter Island: A Novel by Dennis
- A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block
- Telling Lies to Alice by Laura Wilson 

- Lisey's Story: A Novel by Stephen King 

- Exclusive: A Novel by Sandra Brown 

- Ladder of Years: A Novel by Anne Tyler
- Report to the Commissioner by James Mills
- Lying Awake: A Novel by Mark Salzman
- Dying Young by Marti Leimbach 
- Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
- The Race: A Novel by Richard North Patterson 
- Sins of the Fathers by Susan Howatch
- Seawitch by Alistair MacLean
- Snow in April by Rosamunde Pilcher
- Donovan's Brain by Curt Siodmak
- Timepiece by Richard Paul Evans
- The Entity by Frank De Felitta
- When You Believe by Deborah Bedford
- The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand
- December 6th by Martin Cruz Smith
- My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier 

- My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

- Keep Calm and Ask On: A No-Nonsense Guide to Fulfilling Your Dreams by Michael Samuels
- The Titan by Fred Mustard Stewart
- Embrace the Serpent by Marilyn T. Quayle and Nancy T. Northcott
- Sweet Salt Air: A Novel by Barbara Delinsky
- Dark Debts by Karen Hall
- The Return by Bentley Little
- The Complete Diabetic Cookbook by Mary Jane Finsand
- Diabetes A to Z: What You Need to Know About Diabetes - Simply Put by The American Diabetes Association

- Julian's House: A Novel by Judith Hawkes
- Cold Mountain: A Novel by Charles Frazier

- Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell
- Loves Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark
- Falling in Love With God: Reflections on Prayer by Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr. and Colleen Birchett, Ph.D.
- Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
- The Language of Sisters: A Novel by Amy Hatvany
- The Joshua Sequence by Frederick D. Huebner
- Country Kitchen Collection: Fruit Basket by House Regency
- A Paper Life by Tatum O'Neal
- An Unexpected Family by Joan Mendlicott
- Saving Face and Other Stories by Norah Lofts
- Criminals: A Novel by Margot Livesey
- A Density of Souls: A Novel by Christopher Rice
- 8 Sandpiper Way by Debbie Macomber
- In Another Country by Susan Kenney
- Capitol Murder: A Novel of Suspense by Phillip Margolin
- Best Friends by Martha Moody
- Big Girl: A Novel by Danielle Steel
- Handsome Women by Judith Henry Wall
- Last Kiss by Luanne Rice
- A Good Woman by Danielle Steel
- Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend by Robert James Waller
- Dearest by Peter Loughran
- Friends and Lovers by Helen MacInnes
- Tongues by Sam Joyce
- Doctor Love by Gael Greene
- The Saints and Sinners of Okay County: A Novel by Dayna Dunbar
- Anne McKevitt's Style Solutions: 365 of the Freshest Looks, Smartest Tips and Best Advice For Your Home by Anne McKevitt
- A Scaly Tale by Kay Wilkins
- The History Major: A Novella by Michael Phillip Cash
- The Fever Tree: A Novel by Jennifer McVeigh
- A Ruling Passion: Volume 1 by Judith Michael
- One Day at a Time by Danielle Steel
- A Scaly Tale by Ripley's Believe it or Not!
- The Seduction of Peter S. by Lawrence Sanders
- Blood Sugar by Jim DeFilippi
- A Simple Plan by Scott Smith
- The Assistant by Bernard Malamud
- Trade-Off by Harrison Arnston
- What Happened to Sophie Wilder: A Novel by Christopher R. Beha
- A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath by Jeanine Cummins
- Ripley's Believe it or Not!: Ghost Stories and Plays by Ripley's Enterprises, Inc.
- A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger 

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, a very good reading year for me. Here's a further breakdown:

Books Read: 7
Pages Read: 2,389
Grade Range: A+! to A! 

So, there you go! The reading year that was 2017! I hope that you all had an equally good reading year; if not a little better. :) See you all next year! :)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Meg Waite Clayton - The Wednesday Daughters: A Novel

2. The Wednesday Daughters: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton (2013)

The Wednesday Series Book 2

Length: 316 pages

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Started: 2 February 2018

Finished: 20 February 2018

Where did it come from? From Bookmooch

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 18 October 2017

Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel by the same author in the past.

During the late 1960s, five extraordinary young women - Frankie, Linda, Kath, Ally and Brett - forged an amazing friendship that endured for a lifetime. Although the ladies initially had little in common with each other beyond a shared love of literature and watching the ‘Miss America Pageant’ together, their casual bond quickly blossomed into a much stronger relationship than any of the women could ever have imagined. ‘The Wednesday Sisters’ as they began calling themselves, soon realized that they were seeking out each other’s company more and more - commiserating over the myriad issues experienced in marriage and young motherhood; as well as buoying each other through the triumphs and tragedies faced in real life. And while ‘The Wednesday Sisters’ friendship lasted for four decades, the unique closeness these ladies experienced has extended into the next generation.

During the fall of 2011, Hope arrives in the English Lakes District to close up her mother Ally’s holiday cottage. Although she doesn’t anticipate anything going wrong during her visit - especially with lifelong friends Anna Page and Julie along to help - she still isn’t quite prepared for what does happen. Soon after arriving at the cottage, Hope discovers a stack of her mother’s old journals written in some sort of indecipherable code. Equally perplexing is the mysterious stranger who knocks at the door, claiming that the women are actually trespassing on private property.

The wealthy Englishman is Ally’s nearest neighbor, although she never mentioned him - either to her daughter or to anyone else. Calling himself Graham, the man invites Hope, Anna Page and Julie to take a tour of the English Lakes - in order to get a more intimate glimpse of the forests, fells, and waterfalls that inspired Beatrix Potter’s childhood classic Peter Rabbit and the poetry of William Wordsworth. However, what begins as a chance for Hope to learn more about the relationship between Ally and her eccentric English friend, quickly turns into something else entirely - something infinitely sweeter and much more meaningful to all three women. These guided tours become journeys through the emotional landscapes of their mothers’ choices in life - as well as their own.

As the daughters begin to uncover the true reasons behind Ally’s frequent trips to England - reasons that are as intricate and as personal as the secret puzzlebox that Hope carries with her - they reach a deeper understanding of the complexities of romance, the bonds of family, and the inescapable pull of the past.

First of all, let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton when I read it back in November of 2015. It only took me four days to read that book, and I was so looking forward to reading its sequel. To be perfectly honest, while I certainly enjoyed reading The Wednesday Daughters: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton very much, I think that my expectations for this book were almost too high. In my opinion, the contemporary storyline was perhaps the most enjoyable of the two - although I appreciated that the historical storyline was also included.

I understand that Beatrix Potter was a prolific children’s author - and that she has ardent fans of her work - but I must admit that I have never read any of her books myself. As a result, I didn’t really follow the historical storyline all that well. Having said that, I would still give this book a definite B+! 

B+! - (85-89%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up For October at Moonshine and Rosefire

Hello everyone out there and I hope that you all had a terrific reading month for yourselves. I am known as Rosefire around the Internet and this is my new personal reading blog. I originally posted my reviews over at my daughter's blog, Emeraldfire's Bookmark but am now in the process of transferring them all over to my own blog. My daughter makes blogging look like so much fun that I thought that I would try it out for myself! :)

Anyway, I started out October with 1,062 books lying around the house and ended the month with 1,062 books unread. Apparently, I had a horrible month reading wise. Yep, not a word read, not a page turned! All the books that I acquired this month came from Bookmooch.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Changes to the TBR pile

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- The Wednesday Daughters: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton 

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))

- The Worst Thing I’ve Done: A Novel by Ursula Hegi
- The Rector’s Wife by Joanna Trollope

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, not a very good reading month for me. Here's a further breakdown:

Books Read: 0
Pages Read: 0
Grade Range: 0

So, there you go! The reading month that was October. I hope that you all had a better reading month than I did; if not a little better. :) See you all next month! :)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

October’s Book of the Month

Hello Everyone! I chose the picture posted above because it reminds me of reading to my daughter Mareena when she was little. Every afternoon until she was about eight or nine years old, we would take one of her books that she wanted to read or that she was reading and we would curl up together on my big bed.

We would spend an hour or so reading a chapter of her book, and then take a nap together. Her absolutely favorite author at that time was an English author named Enid Blyton. Ahh, nice memories...

My picks for ‘Books of the Month’ will be decidedly more adult these days, but they will be from almost any genre. October's Book of the Month is:

The Brownstone by Ken Eulo

Published as: The Brownstone in September 1980

Publisher: Pocket

Birth Name: Ken Eulo
Born: 17 November 1939 in Newark, New Jersey

Canonical Name: Ken Eulo

Pseudonyms: None

This will be a slightly different Book of the Month post for me because I didn’t actually finish reading the book that I’m reviewing. The Brownstone by Ken Eulo would have been the twenty-fifth book that I’d have read in 2017. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since October 5, 2015 and started reading it October 2, 2017. I quit reading it on October 18, 2017 - after sixteen days.

The book was not all that bad, actually - the plot just reminded me a little too much of Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin, which I read over three days in July of 2011. I sent this book off to another good home on May 19, 2018.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight