revving up...

Once upon a time I used to blog. I used to share my thoughts and feelings. Used to rant and rave. Then came Facebook and blogging fell by the wayside. But recently I’ve been feeling the urge to blog—really dig deeper into subjects, like you can’t do on the book of faces. So I’m going to dive right in.

First things first. I am a feedback junkie. I’m more likely to blog on a regular basis if I know people are reading. I know that by readers leaving comments. So please do!

That said, I’m off to write a post. It should go up in a day or so, once I’ve got the kinks worked out. So come back soon to see what I’m going to toss out into the void!

august reading review

A once-a-month review of the books I read. I'll share quotes when I remember to copy them down.

The rating is the same as Goodreads--5 stars means "it was amazing," 4 is "really liked it," 3 is "liked it," 2 is "it was okay," and 1 is "didn't like it."

The Chosen by Chaim Potok (4 stars)

The story of two young Jewish boys on the verge of manhood. Despite a rocky start, these two become friends and set themselves on the paths that will define them as they become men. I like Potok's story-telling, even if it's a bit hard to get sucked in at first. A hauntingly beautiful story. Recommended for 16 and older.

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher (4 stars)

The most recent in my favorite series, The Dresden Files. This one got four stars instead of five mostly because Butcher made me wait a whole year to find out what happened to my very favorite wizard, and then he drug it out for a whole novel. As usual, there's some heart-wrenching character development, some laughs, and the sort of adventure that only Harry Dresden can have.

The Lost Hours by Karen White (4 stars)

A story about a woman who lost her dreams when she suffered a near-fatal accident while riding a horse. This is about her finding her dreams, her history, and a little bit of love just when she thought there was nothing left in life. As she learns where she came from she also learns about the life of her grandmother and the importance of making sure someone knows your story. This one has some adult themes, so 18 and up for recommendations.

On the Banks of the River of Heaven by Richard Parks (3 stars)

A collection of myth-esque short stories, Parks explores the themes of love and life. I enjoyed most of them (had to quit reading one because it just wasn't interesting and I couldn't care about it) but I'm not likely to pick this one up again. I'd recommend it to those who love exploring myths that are outside the Greek and Roman schools, and 18 and up.

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (3 stars)

The lesser-known series by the author of Anne of Green Gables. I had a much harder time getting into this one, but I've decided that it's partly due to age and the distance between my time and the author's. It was a charming story, and I'd love to have any daughter of mine read it when she was about ten. Emily is in ways a more normal character than Anne, and her adventures are engaging. Any fans of Anne should give this one a read.

Powers by Ursla K LeGuin (3 stars)

The third in a series of YA fantasy, this one focuses on a young slave boy. This series is far more disjointed than I tend to like them, but it worked because she finally brought them back together in the end. The writing is clean and the story compelling. A good read for any 14 and up.

So far I've read 70 books this year, and that was without even trying!

july reading review

A once-a-month review of the books I read. I'll share quotes when I remember to copy them down.

The rating is the same as Goodreads--5 stars means "it was amazing," 4 is "really liked it," 3 is "liked it," 2 is "it was okay," and 1 is "didn't like it."

Jackaroo by Cynthia Vogit (5 stars)

I first read this book in jr. high and loved it. I re-read it every year or two and still find it wonderful every time.

The story of a young woman who decides to make a difference in her community by taking on the persona of a folk hero. That decision changes her future in more ways than she could imagine. We read this as a group discussion book on CleanPlace.

On Fortune's Wheel by Cynthia Voigt (5 stars)

I first read this in jr. high and re-read it every year or two. The story of a young girl who flees her home to get out of a marriage, this story follow the adventures of a girl becoming a woman and a boy becoming a lord.

Elske by Chynthia Voigt (4 stars)

After years of thinking I couldn't get a hold of this book, I finally got it. I love the other two Kingdom stories by Voigt and greatly anticipated this one. While the feel of this book is a bit different from the other stories, it was still well written and engaging. Voigt begins with a rather disturbing ritual of a barbaric society and then jumps into the story of the girl who the ritual centers around. This was my second read on this one.

Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery (3 stars)

The third in the Anne series, this one finds Anne going off to Redmond College. If I read this as a child I have forgotten almost all of it, so this was like reading it for the first time. A fun and charming story.


The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate (4 stars)

Holly McGuire thinks she won't ever find her true love, because according to her Italian grandmother, her true love with love lamb intestines. And she's just had her heart broken, then her beloved grandmother dies, leaving her the small school that grandma founded, along with all her recipes. Holly decides to take a chance on the school, despite not having much in the way of cooking skills. Full of food talk and a bit of romantic intrigue, this was a fun read.

I've started a few others (some re-reads, including one I already read this year :P ) but I'm not done reading them, so it wasn't as slow a month as it might look.

june reading review

A once-a-month review of the books I read. I'll share quotes when I remember to copy them down.

The rating is the same as Goodreads--5 stars means "it was amazing," 4 is "really liked it," 3 is "liked it," 2 is "it was okay," and 1 is "didn't like it."

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (4 stars)

The story of a young girl who packs up and moves from rural Kentucky to find her future. On the way to Arizona she inherits a toddler and a new outlook on life. Told with Kingsolver's frank but haunting touch, this story reminds us that life is what we make it. I first read it back in college, and this was my first time coming back to it since that time. It was still wonderful.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (4 stars)

Allen is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. This novel tells the story of two young women who are caught up in a the life of a small town. The central social outlet of the town is the Women's Society, which the grandmothers of the two founded. But the reasons behind friendship go much deeper, and the next generation has much to learn. Allen has this ability to blend a bit of magic into her stories in a seamless way that makes it natural. Her writing is elegant and beautiful and fun.

Favorite Quote: Happiness is a risk. If you're not a little scared, then you're not doing it right.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (5 stars)

A favorite re-read from my youth, I read this one every other year or more! I read this before I ever entered Narnia, and at least a decade before Middle Earth. The story of Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin, three youngsters who are whisked off to fight the evil in the universe. This classic "good vs. evil" story is a classic, and one that still engages me years later.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (5 stars)

Another re-read--this one is in my top five favorite books of EVER. This was my third time to read this, and there was so much more that I discovered this time. The story of the first contact with alien beings by the Jesuit priests challenges readers spiritually, emotionally, and morally. Every time I read this, I fall deeper in love with God. Which is pretty darn amazing considering this isn't a "Christian" book--and Russell is a converted Jew. It's amazing, and proves to me again and again that God is so much more than the boxes we say he is.

Favorite Quotes: The mission, he thought, probably failed because of a series of logical, reasonable, carefully considered decisions, each of which seemed like a good idea at the time. Like most colossal disasters.

If God is anything like a middle-class white chick from the suburbs, which I admit is a long shot, it’s what you do about what you feel that matters.

Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion by Sara Miles (3 stars)

I don't read a lot of non-fiction because I usually find it boring, but when this one popped up on Goodreads as a suggestion it sounded interesting. (This description is from Goodreads) Raised as an atheist, Sara Miles lived an enthusiastically secular life as a restaurant cook and a writer. Then early one winter morning, for no earthly reason, she wandered into a church. "I was certainly not interested in becoming a Christian," she writes, "or, as I thought of it rather less politely, a religious nut." But she ate a piece of bread, took a sip of wine, and found herself radically transformed.

While there is a lot about Miles' journey that I found inspiring and challenging, at the end of the book I still felt that she had missed out on a personal relationship with God. For her, it was still religion, not relationship. I hope in the last five years she's learned more, found God more real. Because while yes, Jesus is the bread of life, and we are to feed his sheep, there's so much more than that in store.

I didn't expect this one to leave me feeling so sad--but that's where it left me.

So June was a bit lighter, but that's okay. I didn't set a goal this year, and I'm just enjoying the journey.

may reading review, part two...

So, I just realized that I missed three great books in May (I read them, just forgot to post them!) and that I missed one somewhere else along the line...here they are!

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder (5 stars)

I discovered Snyder in 2009 with her other series (the Glass series), and fell in love. She's a great story-teller. All of Snyder's books have the capacity to keep me awake, turning pages without regard for time or other needs (I forget to eat!). This is the first of the series (the Glass series follows it). It follows prisoner, Yelena, who is given the chance to become the food taster for the commander instead of facing execution. She takes the gamble and finds adventure and more. I don't want to tell you more, but I love this book!

Magic Study by Maria V Snyder (5 stars)

Second in the Study series, this time Yelena gets to go home--only she doesn't remember home. She finds a whole family, including a brother who is upset at her return, plus some of the highest ranking magician's aren't so sure about her, either. But Yelena will win them all over in time, or fight them, whichever is necessary. Love this one too.

Fire Study by Maria V Snyder (5 stars)

Third in the series, this one finds Yelena trying to learn how to best harness her power, and coming up against a foe that has singled her out. This time, Yelena might have to give her all in order to win. Love this one as well. I just can't get enough of Snyder.

Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery (3 stars)

The second in the Anne series--I know I read it when I was younger, but wow, I hardly remembered it. It was charming, not quite as much as the first book, but enough that I'm glad I read it again.
So there we have it--the full list of May. Time to go work on my June post.