A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle, a book review

A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle is the second book in a five part series which started with A Wrinkle in Time. In this book, Meg's youngest brother (with whom she traveled through time and space in the first book becomes deathly ill and Meg embarks on a voyage into the interior to save him and the universe… and in so doing this story again illustrated truths from the Mandelbrot Set without once mentioning it overtly.

A wonderful story that reiterates, via an enjoyable adventure story, the truth that we are all one. Even the smallest part is integrally important to the whole. This is a precious truth an illustrated beautifully in this story!

My eldest daughter (12) loves this book. When she read it, it seemed akin to a very thirsty one drinking fresh spring water! My second daughter (10) looks forward to reading it. My first and I highly recommend it to all readers.

Have you read A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle? What did you think of it?

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, a book review

A Winkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle could easily be considered a modern day youth classic. L'Engle was awarded the John Newberry Medal which honors distinguished contributions to American literature for youth. This definitely fulfills that description.

A girl and her little brother travel through space and time to resolve some problems that without positive resolution would result in the end of agency on earth and life on earth as we know it. This novel touches on the truths of The Mandelbrot Set and illustrates them beautifully without mentioning to Set at all.

I particularly like that the truth of difficulty in maintaining faith is portrayed. My eldest daughter (12) has read and loved it. My 10 year old daughter has begun and is excited to finish reading it. The eldest son of dear friends of ours wanted my children to read it and offered to let me borrow his set when I wasn't sure because it had been so many years since I read this particular book. I'm pretty sure I wasn't able to read the rest of the series, but now have read/reread them thanks to this friend. They are definitely worth the time spent reading (and later thinking about) them!

This book, A Wrinkle in Time, is a very interesting read and the first book in a series of very interesting reads! My girls and I highly recommend them and would love to hear what you think of them!

Have you read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle? What did you think of it?

The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien, a book review

The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien was a really terrific close to The Lord of the Rings. I particularly like that this book (which appears in three bound volumes) in truth is one book rather than three. One way I could see that clearly is that there is not much, if any, reminding you of the previous occurrences throughout the course of the current volume.

In this volume, Aragorn comes into his own. It was interesting to me that he was so reticent to enter the city after a major battle, but when he actually enters, it makes a great deal more sense to me. I guess it relates more to guys and “territory” that maybe I just don't care all that much about? Regardless, I like the way his part in the story ends up.

I wasn't quite as happy with Frodo's end. I guess I feel like he took the lame way out, in a way.

Sam, Merry, and Pippin ended up pretty okay. I love how Sam's story is tied up.

I dislike that we know so little of what happens with Gimli and Legolas after the fellowship's dissolution. I would have liked to know a little more about how they part, I guess. And whether or not they have friend-get-togethers periodically.

My two eldest daughters (13 and 10) have thoroughly enjoyed this book and series. They may have enjoyed it even more than me. I could be wrong about that, I suppose, but by their effusive complimentary and adoring remarks, I think they loved it.

One difficulty I have with the whole story is how very limited a part women play in the whole of it. I guess, since it's basically about war, that makes sense since the author is male. But I don't have to like it, even though I understand that most men don't/can't/won't make room for women in such stories.

All said, though, I did enjoy the book in three volumes. Now, I'm curious to see the more modern live-action movies by the same names. Not sure when I'll make time for that… we'll see.

Have you read The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkein? What did you think of it? How did you like the ending for each of the main characters?

Okay, so maybe my book reviews have been pretty lame. And I'm not suggesting that this one was really much better, but I have begun to think that I want to beef them up a bit. So… maybe soon they'll be a bit better. Not promising anything, ya hear? I am, afterall, a writer second to mother… and with six children to look after and “manage,” well, I end up in basic survival mode more often than I like to admit.

The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien, a book review

The Two Towers, the second bound part of The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien continues to follow Frodo on his journey to dispose of the ring that rules them all.

I do like this book, even though I thought I wouldn't based on my experience with the very old animated movie version of it, because it is easy to enter the tale and imagine the world of Middle Earth. Frodo, Sam, and Gollum are pretty well established characters by the end of The Fellowship of the Ring. As a result, getting into the story, as it were, is very easy to do.

As I read, I wondered how many guys identify more with Frodo or Sam. I cannot really imagine any identifying with Gollum, though I certainly could be wrong. For me, I enjoyed reading more reading as an observer, rather than sort of 'being' one of the characters.

Because I haven't seen the live-action movie version of this book and it's been decades since I saw the cartoon, I have few visual interferences. I definitely prefer to read books before seeing their movie version because the movie in my head is way better than anything I've yet seen on the screen.

Have you read The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien? What did you think of it?

Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, a book review

Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien is the first bound book of the The Lord of the Rings book. My brother just younger than me gave me a copy of The Lord of the Rings for Christmas one year. He was head-over-heels in love with the book (which is incorrectly called a trilogy, according the author himself) and found out I hadn't read it yet. He read it before it was the crazy cool thing to do, I must add… about 25 to 30 years ago!

I neglected it all that time, thinking I would get to it at some point. Why? I guess mostly because I thought it was a guys' sort of story. I had seen the very old animated version of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, so I wasn't too excited about the book version because I had not loved the cartoon movies.

After all these years, I decided to read the books my brother bought for me and started Fellowship of the Ring. In reading it and beyond, I have learned that I was correct in that it is very much a guys' read. Yet, I have not felt myself proved right in the distressing way I had anticipated. I thought the book (in three bound parts) would be tiresome and overlong. I guess there might be a couple times where it does feel a bit of that to me, but not as frequently as I expected.

Fellowship of the Ring itself begins with Bilbo leaving the ring he found on his journey with Frodo. Shortly thereafter, Frodo begins on his own journey and ends up with a group of other guys traveling along. Some of those companions are unlikely and certainly seem unfit to travel together. Still, they form bonds that only those who have traveled and/or fought together can truly understand.

By the end of Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo leaves most of the company and continues on with only one companion, which, of course, leads directly into the second part of the book which is bound separately.

Have you read Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien? What did you think of it? Make sure to tell me whether you're a girl or guy because I really think it makes a difference.

The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor, a book review

The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor was a little difficult to get into at first for me. I kept with it, though, because a dear friend sent me the book so I was determined to finish it no matter what. As it happens, it is a wonderful story of change, hope, love, and faith. I enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend it to anyone who wants to feel uplifted by a good read. Just give it a few chapters to get really good.

Kate either is or feels like she is a bit of a black sheep in her family. She is a career woman and has no desire to be any other way. She figures there isn't anything wrong with her extremely narrow and selfish lifestyle. At least, until she ends up back where she grew up as a result of a loss in the family and re-evaluates her priorities as a result of the loss and a find in the attic of her childhood home.

I really enjoyed this book. Especially the subject brought into the story by the find in the attic!  Religion and family become a large focus and the main character struggles with change.  It's so real and REAL!

Have you read The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor? What did you think of it?

Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal, a book review

Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal is a story about an eccentric woman, her family, and her serving woman's family. I thought this story was about one person… the character first introduced and from whose perspective the story seems to be told in the beginning. The story telling perspective changes throughout the story, though.  Even so, it was done well, so it was easy to follow.

I especially enjoyed the past of the eccentric woman, which is revealed as the story progresses. She starts out as a great mystery. By the end of the book she is less a mystery and more a beloved lady, at least to me.

This was an enjoyable story that I felt drawn back to when I needed to leave it for other work. It is adult fiction and I will not allow my twelve and ten year old daughters to read it any time soon. There is definitely adult material contained within. Additionally there are a few curse words, about which I was very disappointed.

Have you read Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal? What did you think about it?

The Gorgon's Gaze by Julia Golding, a book review

The Gorgon's Gaze by Julia Golding is a mix of mythology and fantasy in the modern day. This is the second in a quartet, but I haven't read the first. I enjoyed this book a great deal. I read it in one day by reading during the night. It is a compelling story. My eldest daughter recommended it highly and agree, it's a good story. We look forward to reading more of the series very soon.

This story is about Connie who is a universal companion. Companions usually have a specific species to which they can mentally speak and interact. The species may be as mundane as canine. Or it may be as mystical and unusual as a unicorn.

Connie is unusual because she is the only universal the Society has become aware of for a very long time. Her abilities as a Universal Companion make her unique among the gifted. In this story, her great aunt, with the blessing of her parents, takes her away from those like her in an attempt to cleans her of her craziness. The great aunt is running away from similar within herself and the harm she did in her past. Connie will still have to face her destiny, even though her great aunt would have it otherwise.

I do recommend this story. Have you read The Gorgon's Gaze by Julia Golding? What did you think of it?

Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien, a book review

Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien is a really good final book in the Birthmarked series. I enjoyed it and felt like it definitely continued to deliver more of the engaging and enjoyable story about Gaia and Leon. What's more, this trilogy is a worthwhile read. There are challenging topics mentioned and faced, mostly related to birth since Gaia is a midwife. Abortion is the most controversial subject handled and that was, more in the second book, Prized, than this one.

As a result of those subjects relating to birth, as well as due to the action sequences, and other mature topics, I won't let my twelve and ten year old daughters read this trilogy until they are sixteen or older. However, this story will provide a great backdrop for many conversations once they do read it.

One of the indications of a really good book is that it seeps into my dreams. My mind can't seem to let go of it even while I sleep and so the story comes alive in my dreams. This did not happen while I was reading the Birthmarked series. However, another indication of a well-written, enjoyable, and engaging story is that I feel unable to disconnect from it when I've finished the last book in the trilogy or series, as the case may be. Even though I moved into another book that was a continuation of a series I already know I enjoy, I couldn't stop thinking about this series. Since I missed reading the first before the second and third, I'm looking forward to reading it just because I want to learn more about the incidences alluded to in the second and third installments of the trilogy. Gaia Stone and Leon Vlatir definitely got my attention while I read about them… and maintained it even when I was done.

Obviously, I enjoyed this book and recommend it for mature teens and adults.

Have you read Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien? What did you think of it?

Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien, a book review

Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien is the second installment of the Birthmarked trilogy. It is a captivating read and feels like a many faceted jewel of a story! Additionally, because of the way in which the story is told and usage of unusual verbiage, one may feel smarter just reading it.

In this story, the first part I've read, though it's the second installment in the trilogy, Gaia, a sixteen year old midwife, is trying to keep her newborn sister safe and escape those who would take her. The community they enter is matriarchal and, perhaps, almost a perfect DICHOTOMY (?correct usage?? OPPOSITE) to the community in which Gaia was born. The women rule in Sylum.

The rules are extreme and the rulers unwilling to change. Among the problems Gaia faces, she is put in a position via which the subject of abortion is considered. I felt like it was handled relatively well (considering my very conservative perspective), but because of that mature subject matter and the handling of intimacy, my twelve year old and younger daughters will have to wait to read this trilogy.

I do look forward to reading the first part of the trilogy. I do recommend this story to mature teenagers and adults.

Have you read Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien? What did you think of it?