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.
August 1, 2011
July 1, 2011
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.
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.
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.
June 1, 2011
may 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."
May was a busy month--and I'd like to report that I'm at 53 books for the year. I have no set reading goal this year, but at this rate, I'm likely to hit 100!
Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman (3 stars)
Set on Martha’s Vineyard, this novel follows a young married couple, an older woman and her granddaughter, and a reclusive giant, as their lives intertwine. The small island setting provides the perfect background for the tangled web that results when the characters tangle their desires, hopes and dreams. Hoffman is a brilliant writer and I’ve enjoyed discovering some of her older works. (This one has some adult content.)
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (3 stars)
A “companion” book to The Giver, this one takes place in a future world that has gone more rural. Kira, a young girl with a gift for weaving, is given a chance to live a pampered life after her mother’s death, but the life turns out to be more than she bargained for. The story follows Kira as she discovers more about her peaceful society than she ever imagined, and starts to question how good a society they really are.
Assignment in Eternity by Robert A Heinlein (3 stars)
This collection of sci-fi short stories by master Heinlein was a great look at where we thought society might be going, and where it still might go. I love reading Heinlein now because it’s fun to see what he was right about and what didn’t pan out. Two of the stories really resonated with me—the one about time/parallel universe travel, and the one about humans who tap into all that unused potential in their minds. The first felt like a much better fleshed out Time Machine (though no machine was involved :P ) and the second touched on some of the things I like to ponder as I lay awake at night. Highly recommend this one for any sci-fi fans out there!
The Seal Wife by Kathryn Harrison (3 stars)
The story follows a young man who moves up to Alaska in 1914 to set up a weather station. He meets an Inuit woman who never talks, not a word, and he becomes infatuated with her. While I can't recommend this one to anyone due to subject matter, it did have some great writing. But I was a little disappointed that it didn’t really capture anything about the selkie myth (which I expected, given the title). But Harrison does create vivid characters, and she captures the desolation of early Alaska.
The Telling Pool by David Clement-Davies (3 stars)
An Arthurian-esqe story follows a young man, Rhodi, who is living in Britain during the second crusades. Rhodi’s father goes off to fight, and Rhodi is left to take care of his mother—but Rhodi is more than just the son of the falcon master, he is in the line of Arthur. And the old legends aren’t resting peacefully, and only Rhodi can set things right. The story is fun enough and serious enough to keep it interesting. This is one I’d recommend checking out from the library rather than buying (I got it at a used bookstore). Nothing grand about the writing, but the story held its own.
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brian (5 stars)
This is one of those ones that kept popping up on lists as a must read. And since I love short stories, and because I found a copy at the used bookstore that was in excellent condition, I snapped it up. And wow. Sometimes a book is popular because it dumbs things down, panders to the audience, etc. Not in this case. O’Brian’s fictionalized stories about Vietnam (he was a soldier, and the stories are somewhat based on his experiences. The title story is amazing, and I think every person over 16 should read it. Don’t get me wrong, these are stories about war, and it’s raw and vivid and painful, but the way O’Brian presents them, in a no punches pulled manner, makes them haunting, sometimes funny, always beautiful, even in the muck. I highly recommend everyone pick this up at some point. Great book.
Eat, Memory: Great Writers at the Table edited by Amanda Hesser (3 stars)
This collection of essays from the New York Times focuses on food and the memories we have tied to it. It includes a poem by Billy Collins, and writer Ann Patchett among others. While I didn’t recognize most of the writers (and food critics, chefs, etc), they all had some amazing stories to share. It was a quick, intriguing read that really spoke to me.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (3 stars)
It was a charming enough story, but the characters were rather forgettable, the writing was nothing special, and it's not a story that's going to stick with me. I have a feeling I would have liked it more if I had read it as a child, but as it is, it was just a quick read.
The Disapparation of James by Anne Ursu (4 stars)
A family takes a trip to a circus to celebrate the daughter’s seventh birthday, the five-year-old son volunteers for a magic trick. The clown does his trick, which ends in James disappearing—only the clown didn’t really plan that. The story follows the family in the aftermath—what happens to mother, father, sister, and the people they interact with. Well written (despite random capitalization) and interesting—I liked the characters and how they handled the sudden upheaval in their lives. Miss Pottenger recommended it to me. And while I didn’t like it as much as she does (I don’t see myself reading it again any time soon), it was good.
Gifts by Ursula K. LeGuin (3 stars)
A YA fantasy novel about two young people who come from a line of humans with special “gifts”. Some can call animals, some can “undo” with thought and sight (ie, kill or untie or make it not), and some can make others go mad. But when Orrec learns he can’t control his gift, and his friend Gry decides she doesn’t want to use her gift in the way her community expects her, they have to figure out where that leaves them in a society that has no qualms in using their gifts to stay alive. This is the first of a series, and I’ve put the next two on hold.
Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein (4 stars)
A young mother is still grieving two years after the sudden drowning of her son. With her marriage on the rocks and her soul in turmoil, she heads back to Alaska, where she has family ties, and it’s also where her son died. Mixing Native American lore with the grief of a parent, this story explores why we believe and how that helps us deal with life. Due to subject matter, I recommend this with caution—ask me if you want to read it.
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."
May was a busy month--and I'd like to report that I'm at 53 books for the year. I have no set reading goal this year, but at this rate, I'm likely to hit 100!
Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman (3 stars)
Set on Martha’s Vineyard, this novel follows a young married couple, an older woman and her granddaughter, and a reclusive giant, as their lives intertwine. The small island setting provides the perfect background for the tangled web that results when the characters tangle their desires, hopes and dreams. Hoffman is a brilliant writer and I’ve enjoyed discovering some of her older works. (This one has some adult content.)
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (3 stars)
A “companion” book to The Giver, this one takes place in a future world that has gone more rural. Kira, a young girl with a gift for weaving, is given a chance to live a pampered life after her mother’s death, but the life turns out to be more than she bargained for. The story follows Kira as she discovers more about her peaceful society than she ever imagined, and starts to question how good a society they really are.
Assignment in Eternity by Robert A Heinlein (3 stars)
This collection of sci-fi short stories by master Heinlein was a great look at where we thought society might be going, and where it still might go. I love reading Heinlein now because it’s fun to see what he was right about and what didn’t pan out. Two of the stories really resonated with me—the one about time/parallel universe travel, and the one about humans who tap into all that unused potential in their minds. The first felt like a much better fleshed out Time Machine (though no machine was involved :P ) and the second touched on some of the things I like to ponder as I lay awake at night. Highly recommend this one for any sci-fi fans out there!
The Seal Wife by Kathryn Harrison (3 stars)
The story follows a young man who moves up to Alaska in 1914 to set up a weather station. He meets an Inuit woman who never talks, not a word, and he becomes infatuated with her. While I can't recommend this one to anyone due to subject matter, it did have some great writing. But I was a little disappointed that it didn’t really capture anything about the selkie myth (which I expected, given the title). But Harrison does create vivid characters, and she captures the desolation of early Alaska.
The Telling Pool by David Clement-Davies (3 stars)
An Arthurian-esqe story follows a young man, Rhodi, who is living in Britain during the second crusades. Rhodi’s father goes off to fight, and Rhodi is left to take care of his mother—but Rhodi is more than just the son of the falcon master, he is in the line of Arthur. And the old legends aren’t resting peacefully, and only Rhodi can set things right. The story is fun enough and serious enough to keep it interesting. This is one I’d recommend checking out from the library rather than buying (I got it at a used bookstore). Nothing grand about the writing, but the story held its own.
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brian (5 stars)
This is one of those ones that kept popping up on lists as a must read. And since I love short stories, and because I found a copy at the used bookstore that was in excellent condition, I snapped it up. And wow. Sometimes a book is popular because it dumbs things down, panders to the audience, etc. Not in this case. O’Brian’s fictionalized stories about Vietnam (he was a soldier, and the stories are somewhat based on his experiences. The title story is amazing, and I think every person over 16 should read it. Don’t get me wrong, these are stories about war, and it’s raw and vivid and painful, but the way O’Brian presents them, in a no punches pulled manner, makes them haunting, sometimes funny, always beautiful, even in the muck. I highly recommend everyone pick this up at some point. Great book.
Eat, Memory: Great Writers at the Table edited by Amanda Hesser (3 stars)
This collection of essays from the New York Times focuses on food and the memories we have tied to it. It includes a poem by Billy Collins, and writer Ann Patchett among others. While I didn’t recognize most of the writers (and food critics, chefs, etc), they all had some amazing stories to share. It was a quick, intriguing read that really spoke to me.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (3 stars)
It was a charming enough story, but the characters were rather forgettable, the writing was nothing special, and it's not a story that's going to stick with me. I have a feeling I would have liked it more if I had read it as a child, but as it is, it was just a quick read.
The Disapparation of James by Anne Ursu (4 stars)
A family takes a trip to a circus to celebrate the daughter’s seventh birthday, the five-year-old son volunteers for a magic trick. The clown does his trick, which ends in James disappearing—only the clown didn’t really plan that. The story follows the family in the aftermath—what happens to mother, father, sister, and the people they interact with. Well written (despite random capitalization) and interesting—I liked the characters and how they handled the sudden upheaval in their lives. Miss Pottenger recommended it to me. And while I didn’t like it as much as she does (I don’t see myself reading it again any time soon), it was good.
Gifts by Ursula K. LeGuin (3 stars)
A YA fantasy novel about two young people who come from a line of humans with special “gifts”. Some can call animals, some can “undo” with thought and sight (ie, kill or untie or make it not), and some can make others go mad. But when Orrec learns he can’t control his gift, and his friend Gry decides she doesn’t want to use her gift in the way her community expects her, they have to figure out where that leaves them in a society that has no qualms in using their gifts to stay alive. This is the first of a series, and I’ve put the next two on hold.
Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein (4 stars)
A young mother is still grieving two years after the sudden drowning of her son. With her marriage on the rocks and her soul in turmoil, she heads back to Alaska, where she has family ties, and it’s also where her son died. Mixing Native American lore with the grief of a parent, this story explores why we believe and how that helps us deal with life. Due to subject matter, I recommend this with caution—ask me if you want to read it.
May 7, 2011
april 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."
Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl by N.D. Wilson (5 stars)
It is a rare book that compels me to flip from the final page right back to the first and start reading again--but this book did it. Wilson is the brother I never had, and he's just enough older than me to put my thoughts into words in ways I couldn't yet. As he examines life and God and art there is nothing safe and nothing untouchable. Wilson looks at philosophers throughout history and offers up his take on the world. His writing is beautiful, funny, witty, and just plain wonderful.
I have some quotes that I loved (well, the whole book!) but they are too long to put here.
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart (3 stars)
An intriguing story with great characters--this novel introduces us to Nora Gavin, a pathologist who is in Ireland trying to put her life back together after her sister's mysterious death. There, she meets archaeologist Cormac Maguire. They team up when the head of a young woman is discovered in the peat bog.
The Dark Foundations by Chris Wally (3 stars)
The third in the series, there isn’t a lot to make this one stand out. I finally figured out the biggest issue—Wally’s world pretty much negates free will, and therefore is not true to God’s creation (God being the one who gave us free will). He’s lucky that there are one or two good characters or I’d have stopped reading.
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (4 stars)
This may be the best fiction book I've read this year--a very well put-together story about a young girl who moves from Hong Kong to NYC. She struggles to find her place in this new country, the family who is supposed to care for her and her mother, teachers who don't understand her, kids who don't make life any easier, and then there's the factory. A very touching story about a girl finding her place in world. The author does a great job of making the reader feel the frustration of not understanding language by writing what the girl would hear, leaving you to try to figure out what is going on along with the character.
The Infinite Day by Chris Wally (2 stars)
The final book in the series, and it was a good thing. This one was very dissatisfying, the ending being overly predictable and a total cop-out. I’m glad to be done with this series.
There was another one or two that I tried to read but put down after the first two or three pages—and I don’t even remember the titles now. Such is life!
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."
Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl by N.D. Wilson (5 stars)
It is a rare book that compels me to flip from the final page right back to the first and start reading again--but this book did it. Wilson is the brother I never had, and he's just enough older than me to put my thoughts into words in ways I couldn't yet. As he examines life and God and art there is nothing safe and nothing untouchable. Wilson looks at philosophers throughout history and offers up his take on the world. His writing is beautiful, funny, witty, and just plain wonderful.
I have some quotes that I loved (well, the whole book!) but they are too long to put here.
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart (3 stars)
An intriguing story with great characters--this novel introduces us to Nora Gavin, a pathologist who is in Ireland trying to put her life back together after her sister's mysterious death. There, she meets archaeologist Cormac Maguire. They team up when the head of a young woman is discovered in the peat bog.
The Dark Foundations by Chris Wally (3 stars)
The third in the series, there isn’t a lot to make this one stand out. I finally figured out the biggest issue—Wally’s world pretty much negates free will, and therefore is not true to God’s creation (God being the one who gave us free will). He’s lucky that there are one or two good characters or I’d have stopped reading.
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (4 stars)
This may be the best fiction book I've read this year--a very well put-together story about a young girl who moves from Hong Kong to NYC. She struggles to find her place in this new country, the family who is supposed to care for her and her mother, teachers who don't understand her, kids who don't make life any easier, and then there's the factory. A very touching story about a girl finding her place in world. The author does a great job of making the reader feel the frustration of not understanding language by writing what the girl would hear, leaving you to try to figure out what is going on along with the character.
The Infinite Day by Chris Wally (2 stars)
The final book in the series, and it was a good thing. This one was very dissatisfying, the ending being overly predictable and a total cop-out. I’m glad to be done with this series.
There was another one or two that I tried to read but put down after the first two or three pages—and I don’t even remember the titles now. Such is life!
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