The recent rerelease of a book got me thinking about my private collection of little gems. These are books or films or even television shows that are not necessarily famous, but that impressed me either for their emotional content or because they were beautifully crafted. Often they are quiet stories, or are told in a different way from others of their ilk. Sometimes they defy conventions, or seem out of the mainstream. On occasion they are stories that are not especially unique, but the artistry of the writer or director made them special.

The film Chocolat is in my gem box. It stars Johnny Depp. He is actually a secondary character and he shows up late in the story. The main character is a woman who breezes into a French town one day with her young daughter in tow, and sets up a shop where she makes incredible chocolat candies, cakes, etc.

Here is the thing about gems. Often when you explain what they are about, people look back blankly. A one line description or the blurb on a DVD or book cover never does them justice. So my description of Chocolat does not convey the magical realism of the movie, or the neatly delineated relationships that develop.

Another film gem is the Victorian- set Angels and Insects, which tells the story of a naturalist who enters the rarified world and home of a wealthy patron impressed with his work, eventually marrying his daughter, only to discover that the family is not quite what it seems.

From farther back in time, Diner was one of the first gems I collected, but it is better known. It launched the careers of several actors, and was Micky Rourke’s “break out” film. In it, friends from high school, now out in the world, still meet at the diner of their youth as they find their ways to their next stages in life. Not a new story, but it was told with heart and optimism.  I think Dangerous Liaisons can be called a gem too, even though it received considerable attention and critical acclaim. I mean the one with Glen Close and John Malcovich (who may have found his perfect role in this movie.) It also starred Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman very early in their careers.

So what was the little gem of a book that got me thinking about this? Mary Balogh’s Precious Jewel. I read it when it first came out and to say that it turned Regency romance expectations on their head is an understatement. A heroine who is a prostitute (no prettying it up, either), a hero so ordinary he  is almost an anti-hero—- there were scenes from this gem that rang so true that I still hear the bell.

Share your gems, if you have some. Are there any movies or books in your jewel box that were not bestsellers or must-sees when they were released? Any oldies but goodies that you want to point us toward?  

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After all this recent talk of goals, fairy godmothers, and impulse-buy goodies, I think we goddesses should get down to the real issue. What is it you really want this holiday season and for the next year? And more importantly, have you been good enough during the past year to deserve getting your wish(es)?*grin*

I’ve been good, I swear. Top on my wish list is that next year will hold no big surprises. I had a couple of those this past year, but I also had a few great things happen, so I figure they balanced out. 

I’m hoping for a nice uneventful year, good health for my freinds and loved ones, and few successes along the way. Oh, and some new accessories for my iPod. I’ll be very happy with that!

I’d like to know what would make you happy these next two weeks and in the coming year, and what you want from Santa.

What’s on your Santa wish list? Any New Year’s resolutions? And what are you hoping for in 2010?  

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Have you heard about the recent study that says loneliness is contagious? Supposedly a lonely person not only suffers herself but can seriously infect the members of her social group, too.

I wonder if the opposite is true? Can contentment/ happiness/satisfaction be transmitted to your friends and colleagues? An even more intriguing question to me is, has the Internet diminished our feelings of loneliness and improved our social connections and sense of community and thus increased our individual joy?

I would say that’s all true for me. “Belonging” to The Goddess Blogs has improved my outlook on life significantly. (In fact I’ve dedicated my next book to my dear fellow goddesses!) So have various loops I belong to and bulletin boards I frequent. Some of them have even changed my life.

In fact, I found two of my very best friends years ago (actually before the Internet) through a writers’ organization/newsletter called The Regency Network. I wrote in to the editor with a research question about what underwear ladies wore in the early 1800’s. Imagine finding a dear friend because of underwear! And I’ve made countless good friends since with other networks.

Of course, loneliness is not the same as being alone. I crave alone time now and then. But I also treasure my social connections and the friends I’ve made through my on-line networks. E-mail makes it soooo easy to stay in touch and build relationships. And now that we have Twitter and Facebook, etc, there’s an even greater opportunity to connect socially.

Have your on-line social connections changed your life in any way? Do loops and blogs and boards and other networks satisfy you in different ways? If you Tweet or Follow anyone, has that made a difference in your measure of loneliness/happiness?

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Have you noticed that friendships have levels? There are friends you go to lunch with, and others you only see as half of a couple when you socialize with her and her husband. There are the ones you draw lines with, and others you would tell anything to.

I have some friends who know almost nothing about my history. They are recent, casual, and maybe not permanent. One never knows about that. It is possible those friendships will develop, and move to the next level.

Girl talk is needed to get it there. You know what I mean. Getting down. Admitting life isn’t perfect, that the kids aren’t all geniuses, that sometimes the dh drives you nuts. You have to have a bond to have real girl talk, and it is girl talk that makes the bond too.

Do you have a best friend? How long have you known her or him? Did you go through levels, or hit it off from the get go?

Are you cautious in making new friends, or have you always had a large group of girl buddies with whom you are close?

If you and your friends were the women in Sex in the City, which character would you be?

Do you have favorite girl fun things that you do with friends? Shopping? Get-aways?

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In building a profile of our Mt. Oly inhabitants the other day, I learned a lot about my fellow goddesses (who gave some great answers.)

I think we’re all fab, so I don’t want to talk about “average” or “typical” goddesses. But a snapshot would show that we mostly see our lives as a “journey” and our outlook as “tomorrow is another day.” As for conflict, we don’t like it and prefer flight to fight. And on Mt. Oly, we roll our toilet tissue over the top, chiefly to keep our cats from wreaking havoc, but also because we’re obsessive-compulsive.

For Part 2, I promise no more questions about TP. I’m keeping the choices down to two, although feel free to expound or split hairs in the “Other” category if you feel the need to be better understood by your fellow goddesses.

Which way to do you lean? Are you more: 

    1) Optimist / Pessimist / Other
    2) Introvert / Extrovert / Other
    3) Impulsive / Methodical / Other
    4) Athletic / Couch Potato / Other
    5) Organized / Messy / Other
    6) Generous / Miserly / Other
      7) Animal Lover / Not Animal Lover / Other

 And finally, if we were to adopt a mascot at TGB, who would you nominate?

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Okay, maybe not everything, but a lot. And since her birthday is coming up in a month, I thought I’d share. For example, I learned:

1. Rich men need wives, too.
2. Nothing complicates a plot better than a wayward sister.
3. Love should never be too easy.
4. Nothing is funnier than a man of low degree who thinks too much of himself
5. Even funnier is a woman of high degree who thinks too much of herself
6. Weddings make satisfying endings to books.
7. Sometimes the bonds of family chafe, which is where the hero comes in.
8. Sometimes friends don’t know what’s best for you.
9. Sometimes family does.
10. Talking trash about a woman in her hearing is a guaranteed way to delay your HEA for … oh, at least 300 pages.
11. Colin Firth, Matthew MacFadyen, and Jeremy Northam are HOT! Oh, wait, I didn’t exactly learn that from Jane, but it’s true.

So what have YOU learned from Jane Austen? For that matter, what have you learned from reading romance? The names of those who comment will be put into a drawing for an autographed copy of Snowy Night with a Stranger. And whoever’s comment I deem the best will win an autographed copy of the galley for my upcoming book, The Truth about Lord Stoneville.

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For some time now, I’ve wondered about the personalities of all our posters… how alike we are, how dissimilar, etc. And Sabrina’s recent blog about marrying her mother spurred me to find out about other characteristics of all the goddesses who blog and post here at TGB.

This is Part One of my own admittedly unscientific quiz to help answer the question, WHO ARE WE? After we do Part Two, I’ll put together a profile.

So let’s get started!

1. DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LIFE AS A:

a) Journey
b) Battle
c) Beach
d) Soap opera
e) Other – please expound

2. WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE?

a) Tomorrow is another day.
b) Slow down, you move too fast.
c) Live and let live.
d) Do what I say, NOW.
e) Other – please expound

3) IN A CONFLICT SITUATION, YOUR FIRST REACTION TENDS TO BE:
a) Fight
b) Flight
c) Negotiate
d) Talk Your Way Out
e) Other – please expound

4) IN YOUR HOME TOILET TISSUE DISPENSER, DO YOU ROLL YOUR TOILET PAPER:

a) Over
b) Under
c) Don’t Care
d) Don’t use a dispenser
e) Don’t use toilet paper – please do not expound
f) Other

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