All posts filed under: Friday Feature

We’re all about paying tribute to people, places–and yes, even things that give us hope, and inspiration. This category is dedicated to them! :)

Friday Facts || Awesome trivia from LM Montgomery’s “The Story Girl”

Published by Layla Medina

Two weeks ago, a review of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s The Story Girl went live on this blog. Hopefully, you’ve already had the opportunity to read this gem of a book. Raving aside, there are other awesome things about this novel–things I didn’t know the first time I read The Story Girl. Luckily, the novel had an Afterword which provided its readers a view or a glimpse of LM Montgomery’s world. Here are a few things I would like to share to you all. LM. Montgomery, also known as Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of this book was more known as the author of the widely popular Anne of Green Gables. She has written twenty novels, and over sixty short stories. Montgomery’s Scottish forbears played a great part in this novel, as she grew up listening and telling anecdotes, legends, and myths from Scotland. This became the basis, or rather, background in creating the titular character. The character Peter Craig has a resemblance to Montgomery’s former sweetheart Herman Leard. As Montgomery was leaving her home island–Prince Edward Island, she suddenly became nostalgic. Montgomery’s …

Friday Feature || MARYJOY JACOB: Features and Content Manager, Teacher, Writer, Beauty Queen

Published by Joana Marie Verdeflor

“Helping others and leaving a significant difference in their life delight my soul. That, I think is part of unleashing my life’s purpose. I dream of contributing to the body of knowledge that’s why I pursue my research despite the ordeals along the way. Publishing my work and presenting it would make my heart leap. It would be a dream come true.”

Friday Feature || Better Late than Never: My thoughts on Netflix and CBC’s “Anne with an E.”

Published by Layla Medina

Cast: Amybeth McNulty, Geraldine James, RH Thompson, Dalila Bela, Lucas Jade Zumann, Corinne Koslo First and second series/season released by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Netflix, 2017 and 2018 Having grown up reading Lucy Maud Montgomery’s books always makes me excited and wary whenever a screen adaptation of her work is on the television. After all, it’s not everyday that it happens. I won’t lie–I’ll always have high expectations. Take Anne of Green Gables, for example. No child who grew up in the eighties and nineties could ever forget Megan Follows’ portrayal of the lovable redheaded orphan. While Kevin Sullivan wasn’t exactly faithful to the plot (coughContinuingStorycough), it was a good adaptation. After all, it’s hard to jam in eight books into more or less two or three more series–or episodes, rather. I’ve yet to see Rilla of Ingleside adapted into a screenplay–something I’d hope to see in my lifetime. Back to Anne of Green Gables. Last year, Netflix released their take on the aforementioned book, but they titled it Anne with an E. I’ve already finished watching the second series/season, and I …

Friday Fact || In Flanders fields, where poppies blow

Published by Layla Medina

In history and literature, there’s no other flower that has made a mark than the poppy. Poppies (scientific name: papaveracaeae) are small flowering plants, often herbaceous, often grown for their flowers. They have also been used for medicine. One species, the papaver somniferum is the source of opium. So, how did the poppy gain so much significance? It was during the First World War where trench warfare in France was raging. So many men and animals have died, and their blood, along with the nitrogen from explosives and lime from shattered infrastructures such as houses and buildings, fertilised the soil to such an extent that poppies flooded the fields of France and Belgium. Constant bombardment of the soil also disturbed the iy, bringing the seeds to the surface. And the longer the war raged, more soldiers were being killed, the more the poppies thrived. Soldiers wrote home about the poppies, and so did the poets. One of them was John McCrae, a Canadian doctor at a field hospital. He wrote In Flanders Fields after burying his friend, a …

Friday Feature || Testament of Youth (2014)

Published by Layla Medina

 Cast: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Emily Watson, Hayley Atwell, Dominic West, Miranda Richardson, Colin Morgan, Taron Egerton, Alexandra Roach Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a weakness for period films. Particularly during the Victorian and post-Edwardian period. Lately, I am interested in the events during the First World War–did a bit of reading–and would love to read more. I came across this book, Testament of Youth, on which this movie is based. Testament of Youth is the story of a real-life young woman named Vera Brittain, who worked as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse during the First World War–or the Great War, as it was known then. At the start of the story, Vera (Vikander) struggles to be allowed by her father to attend Oxford. At that time, it wasn’t the done thing for a young woman from the upper middle and upper classes in post-Edwardian England to pursue higher education. Finally, after her younger brother Edward (Egerton) persuades their father to allow Vera to attend Oxford, Vera prepares for the Entrance Examination. She …