Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar. not exactly 'shirtless' but my that's really unbuttoned!! sooo hot he was. and kinda is still.

These Happy Golden Years - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary:  Laura, not yet sixteen, takes a job teaching school in a drafty shanty twelve miles from home.  It's a terrifying job.  Most of her pupils are taller than she is -- and she has to board with a hateful, crazed lady.  Laura is miserable, but she must help to keep her blind sister Mary in school.  And every Friday, when the school week is over, Almanzo arrives in his sleigh -- come all twelve miles across the desolate icy slough to take her home to her family  for the weekend.  Could it be love?  (Summary from book - Image from openlibrary.org )

My Review:  These Happy Golden Years has a different feel than the novels that precede it. With Laura grown up, by De Smet standards, the story focuses more on her life outside of the Ingalls household -- teaching school, studying for exams, and living in the homes of strangers. A homesick Laura is delighted by fleeting weekends with her family and regular Sunday drives with Almanzo. I enjoyed Almanzo’s attention to Laura, and her bewilderment by it, but found that I missed the pleasures of daily life in the Ingalls home and wished for more detail sprinkled between the weekdays and carriage rides.

As with Little Town on the Praire, this book paid excessive attention to fashion, much to my disappointment and disinterest, but Laura’s budding relationship with Almanzo more than made up for it. My seven-year-old daughter loved it as well, which was a little disturbing, and she kept giggling each time Almanzo showed up to take Laura for a buggy ride. She was aghast at life with the Brewsters, which only served to highlight the love and warmth of Laura’s childhood home.

My youngest daughter made the occasional appearance while reading, but my eldest constantly pestered me to read “just one more!” This book ends in the expected wedding and Laura’s bittersweet journey from the Ingalls homestead to her new home with Almanzo.

We finished this book in around four days and Kaisa bolted downstairs to get the final book (or the follow-up, depending on your perspective), The First Four Years.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Sum it Up:  Laura gets a life, and love, of her own. 

Little Town on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary:  The long hard winter was over.  The people of De Smet, South Dakota, came outdoors and began to live again.  They held church socials, dances, and "literaries."  In the summer, Laura took a grueling job -- making shirts, through long hard hours.  She wanted the money to help send Mary to the college for the blind in Vinton, Iowa.  Suddenly, Laura was a young lady.  And who but the dashing Almanzo Wilder escorted her home in the evenings!  (Summary from book - Image from www.littlehouse.wikia )

My Review:  After the long winter, the Ingalls family moves back out onto their claim for the summer and Laura spends the time studying for her teachers certificate and working in town to help pay for Mary's education.  In the fall, a plague of blackbird plagues leads to lost crops but ample blackbird pie. 

When winter rolls around again, the claim shanty isn't ready to weather the storm, so the family moves back to town and the girls become "city girls".  Laura is growing up.  Before long, she gets invited to parties and sociables,  and even begins paying attention to fads, fashion, and (gasp) boys.  My girls were particularly interested in the reappearance of mean-spirited Nellie Oleson, and the problems with the new school teacher (who also happens to be Almanzo Wilder's sister).  My eldest thought it was hysterical that Laura got to ride in Almanzo's buggy instead of a certain snobby schoolmate who shall remain nameless.

Despite my love for this series, there were a few things that I didn't like about this book.  Because Laura is more interested in clothing and looking fashionable, there were many times that clothing was described down to the most minute detail.  Bo-ring.  My kids couldn't picture it and didn't much care.   Also, towards the end of the book, the Ingalls family attends a literary where several men paint their faces black, dress up as "darkies" and put on a show.  Definitely not the most P.C. moment in Little House history, as the word "darkies" was used a number of times.  I just substituted the word "performers" and read quickly.  My children also didn't understand the church revival at all and I think were a little distressed by all the yelling. 

My five-year-old has all but detached herself from this series now, choosing instead to look at other books while I read to her older sister.  I suppose that Laura has grown up too fast for her, but my seven-year-old still begs me to read and dissolves into giggles the moment Almanzo's name is mentioned.  When we finished this one (without her sister) she gleefully ran downstairs to get "These Happy Golden Year" proclaiming that "Laura and Almanzo are going to get married in this one."  Should I be worried?  I mean, she's seven.

My Rating: 3.75 Stars

Sum it up:  A welcome reprieve from The Long Winter, with some interesting description of town life.

Salman Khan

Salman Khan. sexy. shirtless. I think these stills are from Veergati, which wasn't a bad film but sadly flopped. worth a watch again.

Salman Khan

Salman Khan's first completely shirtless appearance after he really beefed up and waxed his chest (boo, wish he hadn't!) for the song 'Oh o jaane jaana'. Great song, and he looked hot!

Emraan Hashmi

Emraan Hashmi's hot shoot for Murder 2. Looking grand. See the 'making of' this shoot here.

Salman Khan

Salman Khan series. Showing a little can be just as sexy as showing a lot. he looks gorgeous here doesn't he?! Salman Khan half... well, semi-shirtless! lols. what a bod, what a face!

Salman Khan

Salman Khan by Salamat Hussain photography.
V impressed with the bravura Salman shows in shoots. as a former model and often a muse for legendary photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha (in the early days of Salman Khan's career), Khan has posed in creative ways often. gorgeous man. he used to look even more stunning and photogenic before he got over pumped.

Saahil Khan

Possibly one of worst movies made, but Saahil Khan's super fit. He needs to star in the Indian version of Blue Lagoon... er Blue Bafoon? lols. kidding. he's a hot guy and should stick to posing shirtless and in briefs/speedos!

Akshay Kumar

Some early 90s pics of Akshay Kumar in all his hotness. Akshay Kumar shirtless is the epicenter of the Shirtless Bollywood Men blog/group/site!! lols