#Laura Pearson

[gogmstuff]

1909 Laura Pearson and Alison Cunninghame by ?. From tumblr.com/antiquebee/730070355255918592/laura-pearson-and-alison-cunninghame-1909? 1343X1762.

[shafershouse]

The Last List of Mabel Beaumont

Laura Pearson released on August 4, 2023

---

I downloaded this book on my Kindle a while ago and completely forgot what it was about when I chose to read it.

I initially thought it was going to a cute story about how a widow was going to learn through her newfound friendships that she actually loved her late husband more than she thought she did. I thought it was going to be a cute story about the widow, who initially was more of an introverted homebody, would learn to love life and the mistakes that come with it as she inserts herself into her friends' personal lives. I thought there was going to a moment of overcoming homophobia to care for a child who deserved a family.

I was wrong in some ways.

It turned out to be the story of a widow who acknowledged that she loved her late husband -- that there are different kinds of love -- and that life can be built around it. It turned out to be the story of a widow who learned to accept herself and learned to love life again from her newfound friends. She learned that being around people and doing things weren't a bad thing, even in old age. She learned that it brought her closer to her true self that she knew when she was in her early 20s.

And what I find the most fascinating is that even though she was 86 and just then accepting herself wholly, she had no regrets. That's what I think is super important to note.

As much as I loved reading this to learn about Mabel's journey through life, I enjoyed learning about her friends as well. I didn't pick up where the story was going because I wasn't fully paying attention, but it was a quick read and I was pleasantly surprised at where it went.

We all have a lot of love in us and there are so many different kinds of love and we see it presented in this book. It's important to remember that there's so much love and different kinds of love in this world and in our lives. And there is no right or wrong time to accept ourselves and live the way we want to live.

[melaniem54]

Review: The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson

Rating: 5🌈 “I’ve been standing by this kettle, making tea for Arthur and me, for sixty-two years. Two different houses, god knows how many different kettles, but always me, always him, always a morning cup of tea. He’s at the kitchen table, pen in hand, tackling the crossword. He’s opened a window and I can hear birds chirruping in the garden. A blackbird, I think, and a robin. A whole…

[themnmovieman]

Sundance Report Vol. 2

Sundance 2024:, Vol 2 Buckle up for insights and recommendations as I guide you through the must-watch gems of the annual film festival and the flicks you might not mind passing on if they secure a distributor.

Indie Cinema’s Biggest Event SUNDANCE 2024 Volume 2 Wading into the waters of the festival circuit has been a whirlwind, and after the exhilarating experience at the Toronto Film Festival in September, the question lingered: was it too soon to dive into the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT? Still recuperating from the cinematic smorgasbord of nearly fifty films in Canada, the prospect of a…

[only-ari]

these are just the books on my tbr and other random ones I found on booktok. If your rec isn't on this list, please drop it in the comments!

[jessread-s]

What's your favorite book you've read so far?

Thank you so much for your ask! 🫶📖✨ Picking just one is impossible, so here are some of my favorites of all time (in no particular order - with my reviews linked):

Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

The Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young

The Selection series by Kiera Cass

The Legendborn Cycle quartet by Tracy Deonn

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy by Stephanie Garber

The Secret Shanghai series by Chloe Gong

Daydream by Hannah Grace

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

The Legend quartet by Marie Lu

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

The Assistant to the Villain series by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

The Dance of Thieves duology by Mary E. Pearson

The Letters of Enchantment duology by Rebecca Ross

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

The An Ember in the Ashes quartet by Sabaa Tahir

Pestilence by Laura Thalassa

You can find my complete list of favorites here.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in February 2024

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

❤️ We Ate the Dark by Mallory Pearson 🧡 The Paper Boys by D.P. Clarence 💛 Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada 💚 Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine 💙 A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair 💜 Clarion Call by Cayla Fay ❤️ Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories edited by Sandra Proudman 🧡 The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton 💛 Truthfully, Yours by Caden Armstrong 💙 Outsider by Jade du Preez 💜 Cross My Candy Heart by A.C. Thomas 🌈 The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

❤️ An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson 🧡 The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Ann Older 💛 Never a Bridesmaid by Spencer Greene 💚 The Rewind by Nicole Stiling 💙 Good Christian Girls by Elizabeth Bradshaw 💜 The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha ❤️ The Terrible by Tessa Crowley 🧡 Blood Rage by Ileandra Young 💛 Call of the Sea by Emily B. Rose 💙 Sign Me Up by C.H. Williams 💜 Ways and Means by Daniel Lefferts 🌈 Peaceful in the Dark by A.A. Fairview

❤️ We Are Only Ghosts by Jeffrey L. Richards 🧡 Dead Ringer by Robyn Nyx 💛 Somacultural Liberation by Dr. Roger Kuhn 💚 Stormbringer by Erinn Harper 💙 A Saga of Shields & Shadows by A.J. Shirley 💜 Ghost Town by R.E. Ward ❤️ I Heard Her Call My Name by Lucy Sante 🧡 The Night Alphabet by Joelle Taylor 💛 Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr 💙 Bloom by N.R. Walker 💜 Entwined by Alex Alberto 🌈 Queer Newark edited by Whitney Strub

❤️ Tristan by Jesse Roman 🧡 How to Live Free in a Dangerous World by Shayla Lawson 💛 Daniel, Deconstructed by James Ramos 💚 Of Socialites & Prizefights by Arden Powell 💙 Lost Harbor by Kimberly Cooper Griffin 💜 Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair by Laura Piper Lee ❤️ Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu & Mad Rupert 🧡 How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly 💛 Blackmailer’s Delight by David Lawrence 💙 Tile M for Murder by Felicia Carparelli 💜 Impulse Buy by Jae 🌈 Live for You, Die With You by Kalob Dàniel

❤️ Fairest of All by A.D. Ellis 🧡 Goddess of the Sea by Britney Jackson 💛 A Taste of Earth by Nico Silver 💚 The Moorings of Mackerel Sky by M.Z. Emily Zack 💙 How the Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith 💜 V is for Valentine by Thomas Grant Bruso ❤️ Crushed Ice by Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James 🧡 When Tomorrow Comes by D. Jackson Leigh 💛 Bugsy & Other Stories by Rafael Frumkin 💙 The White and Blue Between Us by Kiyuhiko 💜 Guide Us Home by CF Frizzell & Jesse J. Thoma 🌈 The Friendship Study by Ruby Barrett

❤️ Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender 🧡 Heart2Heart edited by Annabeth Albert 💛 No Time Like Now by Naz Kutub 💚 Bless the Blood by Walela Nehanda 💙 Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter 💜 Who We Are in Real Life by Victoria Koops ❤️ Prove It by Stephanie Hoyt 🧡 Mewing by Chloe Spencer 💛 Awakenings by Claudie Arseneault 💙 Born of Scourge by S. Jean 💜 Disciples of Chaos by M.K. Lobb 🌈 To Cage a God by Elizabeth May

❤️ Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly 🧡 What Feasts At Night by T. Kingfisher 💛 You Had Me at Merlot by Melissa Brayden 💚 Turning Point by Cathy Dunnell 💙 For the Stolen Fates by Gwendolyn Clare 💜 Season of Eclipse by Terry Wolverton ❤️ These Haunted Hills by Jana Denardo 🧡 Samson & Domingo by Gume Laurel III 💛 Lies that Bind by Rae Knowles & April Yates 💙 We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller 💜 The Diablo's Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa 🌈 Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh

❤️ Out There by Iris Eliot 🧡 At Her Service by Amy Spalding 💛 Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

[la-femme-au-collier-vert]

From the Library of Anne Rice (Part 2)

Cherubs Angels of Love.  Boston: Little, Brown, & Company, 1994. Inscribed. 

Horst His Work and His World.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984. With a note. 

Arroyo, Raymond. The Spider Who Saved Christmas.  Sophia Institute Press, 2020. Inscribed. 

Chester, Laura. Free Rein. Providence: Burning Deck, 1988. Ownership Signature. Inscribed. 

Frankel, Ellen. The Illustrated Hebrew Bible. New York: Steward, Tabori, & Chang. 

Hendrick, Susan & Vilma Machette. World Colors Dolls & Dress.  Grantville, Maryland: Hobby House Press, 1997. Inscribed.

Kepler, Lars.  The Sandman.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2018. With a note. 

Laughlin, Clarence John. Ghost Along the Mississippi. New York: Bonanza Books, 1961.  

Link, Luther. The Devil Mask without a Face.  Reaktion Books, 1995. With a note. 

Lopez, George R. and Perron Andrea. In a Flicker.  AuthorHouse, 2015. Inscribed. 

Nelson, Robert S. and Kristen M. Collins.  Holy Image and Hallowed Ground Icons from Sinai.  Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, 2007. Inscribed. 

Pearson, Dave. Byzantium and Beyond. The Dave Pearson Trust, 2012. With a note. 

Riesem, Richard O.  Mount Hope.  Landmark Society of Western New York, 1995. Inscribed.

Penny, Louise. The Nature of the Beast. New York: Minotaur Books, 2015. Signed and inscribed by Penny to Anne Rice.

Penny, Louise. A Great Reckoning. New York: Minotaur Books, 2016. With Anne Rice ownership signature and inscription.

Penny, Louise. Glass Houses. New York: Minotaur Books, 2017. Advance reading copy. Signed and inscribed by Penny to Anne Rice.

Penny, Louise, Kingdom of the Blind. New York: Minotaur Books, 2018. First edition, signed and inscribed by Penny to Anne Rice.

Penny, Louise.  A Better Man. New York: Minotaur Books, 2019. Signed and inscribed by Penny to Anne Rice.

Cazeau, Jean-Louis and Rick Knowlton. A World of Chess. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2017. Inscribed by Knowlton to Anne Rice on the half-title: "You have given me many hours of pleasure with your vampire series! May you enjoy this peculiar corner of world culture I have been exploring...."

Brown, Nancy Marie. Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made them. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2015. With Anne Rice ownership signature and annotations in red ink throughout.

Chernev, Irving and Kenneth Harkness. An Invitation to Chess. New York: Fireside Book, 1985. Minor annotations in red ink by Anne Rice throughout.

Ackroyd, Peter. Dickens. [New York]: HarperCollins Publisher, 1990.

Ackroyd, Peter. Dickens. [New York]: HarperCollins Publisher, 1990.

Bloom, Harold, editor. Charles Dickens. New York, Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.

Cotsell, Michael. Critical Essays on Charles Dickens's 'Great Expectations'. Boston, Massachusetts: G.K. Hall & Co., 1990.

Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2017. Gift inscription on the flyleaf. 

Dickens, Charles. American Notes. Mineola, New York: Dover Publication Inc., 2017.

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. New York: Everyman's Library, 1991.

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: Barnes & Nobles Classics, 2004.

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: Everyman's Library, 1992.

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Norwalk, Connecticut: The Easton Press, 1979.

Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. [New York]: Penguin Classics, 2011.

Dickens, Charles. Little Dorrit. New York: Everyman's Library, 1992.

Dickens, Charles. Nicholas Nickleby. New York: George Routledge and Sons, [1880].

Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. New York: Everyman's Library, 1992.

Dickens, Charles. Our Mutual Friend. New York: Everyman's Library, 1994.

Dickens, Charles. The Mystery of Edwin Drood. New York: Modern Library, 2009.

Dickens, Charles. The Old Curiosity Shop. Mineola, New York: Dover Publication Inc., 2003.

Dickens, Charles. The Uncommercial Traveller and Reprinted Pieces. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Forster, John. The Life of Charles Dickens, Volume 3: 1852-1870. [Cambridge, England]: Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Goodheart, Eugene, editor. Critical Insights: Charles Dickens. Pasadena, California and Hackensack, New Jersey: Salem Press, 2011.

Hammond, Mary. Charles Dickens's 'Great Expectations.' [London]: Ashgate, 2015.

Ingham , Patricia. Dickens, Women & Language. Toronto, Buffalo: University of Toronto Press, 1992.

Jordan, Joseph P. Dickens Novels as Verse. Madison, Teaneck: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2014.

Jordan, John O. The Cambridge Companion to Charles Dickens. [Cambridge, England]: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Nelson, A.N. The Mystery of Charles Dickens. [New York]: Harper, 2020.

Pykett, Lyn. Critical Issues: Charles Dickens. [New York]: Palgrave, 2002.

Slater, Michael. Dickens and Women. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1983.

Slater, Michael. The Great Charles Dickens Scandal. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2012.

Tomalin, Claire. Charles Dickens: A Life. [New York]: Penguin Books, 2011.

Tomalin, Claire. The Invisible Woman. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.

Wilson, Angus. The World of Charles Dickens. New York: The Viking Press, 1970.

[midwestbramble]

Book Reviews and Recommendations

This will be a running list of books I’ve reviewed and which ones I recommend according to topic. This way when people ask I have an easy place to point them.

Right now I’m posting one review a week of a book that’s already on my shelf. Eventually all the books I’ve recommended will have a review linked as well; for now if you have questions about one feel free to ask. This post will continue to be updated.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Content:

Book Reviews

Book Recommendations

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Book Reviews

America Bewitched

American Brujeria

Aradia

Astral Dynamics

Backwoods Witchcraft

Besom, Stang, and Sword

Betwixt and Between

Black Dog Folklore

The Black Toad

The Book of Celtic Magic

A Broom at Midnight

By Rust of Nail and Prick of Thorn

Celtic Lore and Spellcraft of the Dark Goddess (coming soon)

Mastering Witchcraft

Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism

Under the Witching Tree

Witches Among Us

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Book Recommendations

For Beginners:

Natural Magic by Doreen Valiente

Psychic Witch by Mat Auryn

Weave the Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff

The Witch’s Path by Thorn Mooney

Ancestor Work:

Honoring Your Ancestors by Mallorie Vaudoise

Animal Spirits:

Black Dog Folklore by Mark Norman

Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone by Lupa

Skin Spirits by Lupa

Astrology:

The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology by April Elliott Kent

Crafts:

The Green Witch’s Grimoire by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Potions, Elixirs, and Brews by Anaïs Alexandre

Cultural Literacy in Modern Witchcraft:

Aradia by Charles Godfrey Leland

Doreen Valiente: Witch by Philip Heselton

Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot

The Rebirth of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente

Spiral Dance by Starhawk

Transcendental Magic by Éliphas Lévi

Witches Among Us by Thorn Mooney <- good for outsiders

Death Work:

Morbid Magic by Tomás Prower

Druidry:

The Book of Celtic Magic by Kristoffer Hughes

Elements:

The Four Elements of the Wise by Ivo Dominguez Jr.

The Little Work by Durgadas Allon Duriel

Faeries:

Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk by Morgan Daimler

Feri (not to be confused with faeries):

Betwixt and Between by Storm Faerywolf

Forbidden Mysteries of Faery Witchcraft by Storm Faerywolf

Folklore:

Black Dog Folklore by Mark Norman

The Devils Plantation by Nigel Pearson

Folk Magic:

American Brujeria by J. Allen Cross

Backwoods Witchcraft by Jake Richards

Doctoring the Devil by Jake Richards

Ozark Folk Magic by Brandon Weston

Ozark Mountain Spell Book by Brandon Weston

The Powwow Grimoire by Robert Phoenix

Trolldom by Johannes Björn Gårdbäck

Working Conjure by Hoodoo Sen Moise

Green Witchcraft:

The Green Witch’s Garden by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Plants of the Devil by Corrine Boyer

The Poison Path Herbal by Coby Michael

Under the Bramble Arch by Corrine Boyer

Under the Witching Tree by Corrine Boyer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

Wortcunning by Nigel Pearson

Hearth Witchcraft:

The Hearth Witch’s Compendium by Anna Franklin

The House Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Hedge Riding/Spirit Flight:

Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce

A Broom at Midnight by Roger J. Horne

History:

America Bewitched by Owen Davies

Demons and Spirits of the Land by Claude Lecouteux

Harry Potter and History by Nancy Reagin <- unaffiliated with JK Rowling

A History of Magic and Witchcraft by Frances Timbers

The Return of the Dead by Claude Lecouteux

The Tradition of Household Spirits by Claude Lecouteux

The Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton

The Witch by Ronald Hutton

Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies by Claude Lecouteux

Holidays:

The Hearth Witch’s Year by Anna Franklin

Samhain by Diana Rajchel

Yule by Susan Pesznecker

Protection:

By Rust of Nail and Prick of Thorn by Althaea Sebastiani

Hex Twisting by Diana Rajchel

The Reclaiming Tradition:

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

Scientific Studies on Magic:

Real Magic by Dean Radin, PhD

Spirit Work:

Honoring Your Ancestors by Mallorie Vaudoise

A Witch’s Guide to the Paranormal by J. Allen Cross

Traditional Witchcraft:

Besom, Stang, and Sword by Christopher Orapello and Tara-Love Maguire

The Black Toad by Gemma Gary

A Broom at Midnight by Roger J. Horne

The Crooked Path by Kelden <- great for beginners

The Devils Dozen by Gemma Gary

Folkloric American Witchcraft and the Multicultural Experience by Via Hedera

New World Witchery by Corey Hutcheson

Plants of the Devil by Corrine Boyer

The Poison Path Herbal by Coby Michael

Southern Cunning by Aaron Oberon

Traditional Witchcraft by Gemma Gary

Treading the Mill by Nigel G Pearson

Tubelos Green Fire by Shani Oates

Under the Bramble Arch by Corrine Boyer

Under the Witching Tree by Corrine Boyer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

The Witch Compass by Ian Chambers

The Witches’ Devil by Roger J Horne

The Witches’ Sabbath by Kelden

Wortcunning by Nigel Pearson

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

[book--brackets]

Round 1 Results

Poll 1: The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Poll 2: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

Poll 3: Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

Poll 4: Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson

Poll 5: Ever by Gail Carson Levine

Poll 6: American Girl by Various Authors

Poll 7: Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz

Poll 8: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Poll 9: Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Poll 10: The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce

Poll 11: Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol

Poll 12: The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon

Poll 13: Ever After High by Shannon Hale

Poll 14: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Poll 15: Septimus Heap by Angie Sage

Poll 16: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The next round will be posted on Friday at 12 pm EST!

(We're not gonna talk about how these polls ended two weeks ago)

[celebrateeachnewday]

Artist Jane Crowther

My 2024 Booklist

Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson The Color Purple by Alice Walker Maskerade by Terry Pratchet (#18 of Discworld) The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey The Rainbow Trail by Zane Grey The Great Gatzby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Coraline by Neil Gaiman The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L'Engle Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy A Man Called Peter by Catherine Marshall

[gogmstuff]

1909 in Portraits & Images -

Left 1909 Signora Diaz Albertini by Giovanni Boldini (auctioned by Sotheby's). From their Web site 2880 X 3111.

Right 1909 The Japanese Fan by Walter Ernest (private collection). From Gandalf's Gallery's photostream on flickr 1638X2000.

Left 1909 The Web of the Golden Spider by Harrison Fisher (location ?). From tycheantiques.tumblr.com/image/171350466136; doubled size 1664X2216.

Right 1909-1911 Victoria Eugenia, Reina de España by Luis Menéndez Pidal (Palacio del Senado - Madrid Spain) From spanishroyals.tumblr.com 1125X1920.

Left 1909/1911 Lyudmila Borisovna Rayvich (Severtsova) by Nikolay Petrov. From tumblr.com/russian-room/720937676224741376/portrait-of-lyudmila-borisovna-rayvich? 590X800.

Right Anita of New Jersey, Princess of Bragança seated removed captions with Photoshop 658X894.

Left ca. 1909 Georgine Shillard-Smith by Hugh Henry Breckenridge (Philadelphia Museum of Art - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA). From their Web site via pinterest.com/sanushsergeev/художники 860X1472.

Right ca. 1909 Julia Fons by Ramon Casas (Museu Pau Casals, Fundació Pau Casals - Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain). From artsandculture.google.com 1058X2624.

Left ca. 1909 Princess Victoria Adelheid, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg Gotha. From eBay; fixed spots, scratches, & flaws w Pshop 970X1538.

Right ca. 1909 Queen Elena card. From eBay; removed spots & flaws with Photoshop and fixed mono-color tint 929X1511.

1909 Promenade by the Sea by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Museo Sorolla - Madrid, Spain). From the discontinued Athenaeum Web site 1039X1076.

1909 Laura Pearson and Alison Cunninghame by ?. From tumblr.com/antiquebee/730070355255918592/laura-pearson-and-alison-cunninghame-1909? 1343X1762.

[broadwaydivastournament]

Bernadette and Christine: Hey, Old Friends

Yes, yes, once again, Good Fight costars, but Bernadette and Christine go way, way back to 1982 and a little off-Broadway play called Sally and Marsha, written by Sybille Pearson and directed by Lynne Meadow, who remains Artistic Director at MTC to this day.

Bernadette is Sally (no, not Follies Sally just yet), a 30-year-old waif and New York transplant who is your quintessential all-American housewife. Contrast against Christine as Marsha, the tall erudite wise-cracker, cynical and neurotic. Can we say 'typecast?' (Oh, my god, this is just Summer, 1976 with Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht, except set in New York.)

Anyone else getting a fruity vibe from this? You can't convince me they didn't explore each other's bodies during all those long tension-filled talks...

As you'd expect, Sally and Marsha butt heads over their innumerable differences, but eventually realize they're really not so dissimilar deep down as they discuss sex, marriage, children, and everything but the kitchen sink. (Or maybe that too, I don't know. I wasn't seeing shows in 1982. They're wearing aprons, so...)

Bernadette reportedly joined the production four days before rehearsals began after a frantic and unsuccessful search for a Sally to match Christine's Marsha. Christine had read with dozens of actresses who fit the bill, but no dice until Bernadette signed on, having loved the script. This marked Bernadette's return to the stage after an eight-year absence.

The play received mixed reviews for its writing, but general warmth for its actresses. By this point, Bernadette was a two-time Tony nominee, and Christine still a relative newcomer to the New York stage. Coincidentally, they'd both go on to receive Tony nominations in the same 1984 season, Bernadette for Sunday in the Park (Leading Musical), and Christine for The Real Thing (Featured Play). Bernadette would lose to Chita Rivera for The Rink, while Christine would win her first Tony.

And speaking of Sunday in the Park...

Fresh off the middling success of Sally and Marsha, both actresses would join forces with some composer named Steven Sondheim to do the Playwrights Horizons workshop of Sunday in the Park with George in the summer of 1983. The show did not perform the second act until the last three performances, and the entire show was still largely in development.

It starred, as we know, Bernadette Peters as Dot/Marie, and featured Christine Baranski as Blair Daniels/Clarisse (later named Yvonne). Christine did not transfer with the company to Broadway the following year in 1984, having instead chosen to do Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing. Tony Award, so great decision on her part. This was also notably the play where she's Cynthia Nixon's mother, despite not being old enough to do that. Showbusiness, eh?

Oh, and one more thing. Bernadette and Christine were also both Cinderella's Stepmother in separate movie musicals. Bernadette in the 1997 Cinderella with Brandy and Whitney Houston (the superior Cinderella, the only one that matters, the one that made me a lesbian). Christine in the 2014 Into the Woods movie adaptation that we here at BroadwayDivasTournament do not talk about under any circumstances except to say how hot Christine was.

The obvious answer is both, but we here at BroadwayDivasTournament do not allow fence-sitters. Make a choice, dammit. Commit to something.

[warlock-enthusiast]

All the books that I have read this year! (and one thick manga)

Faves:

Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid

The Winternight Triology by Katherine Arden

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

Books I did not click with:

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

The Favourite Sister by Jessica Knoll

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

[treleaven]

Publication date: 10 October 2024

A Garden Manifesto Edited by Olivia Laing and Richard Porter 

❀What do gardens mean and how can they change the world? A Garden Manifesto gathers radical visions rooted in the earth from artists, writers, gardeners and activists, among them Lubaina Himid, Derek Jarman, Jamaica Kincaid, Ana Mendieta, Dan Pearson and Wolfgang Tillmans. It’s a seed box for an uncertain future, packed with anarchic dreams of Eden-making and humming with resistance to the colonial project of homogenisation and destruction. ❀ Featuring 

William Blake, Joe Brainard, Jonny Bruce, John Clare, Gerry Dalton, Ellen Dillon, Baha Ebdeir, Alys Fowler, Magdalena Suarez Frimkess, Gaylene Gould, Green Guerillas, Joy Gregory, Fritz Haeg, Lubaina Himid, Philip Hoare, Rosie Hudson, Derek Jarman, Chantal Joffe, Laura Joy, Jamaica Kincaid, Elisabeth Kley, Olivia Laing, Jeremy Lee, Siobhan Liddell, Alison Lloyd, Hilary Lloyd, Jo McKerr, Lee Mary Manning, Ana Mendieta, Bernadette Mayer, Rosemary Mayer, Huw Morgan, Eileen Myles, Hussein Omar, Palestinian, Heirloom Seed Library, Ian Patterson, Dan Pearson, Jean Perréal, Charlie Porter, Pat Porter, J. H. Prynne, Claire Ratinon, Jamie Reid, Lisa Robertson, Kuba Ryniewicz, Saadi, Sui Searle, Sei Shōnagon, Colin Stewart, Tabboo!, Edward Thomasson, Wolfgang Tillmans, Scott Treleaven, John Wieners, David Wojnarowicz, Matt Wolf and Sarah Wood ❀ Design and typesetting by Richard Porter Cover artwork: David Wojnarowicz, What is this little guy's job in the world, 1990 © Estate of David Wojnarowicz

Paperback

148x190mm

ISBN: 9781068758607