A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

This is my first novel by Usula Le Guin. I have used her Steering the Craft writing exercises before and have a lot of respect for her, but had just never gotten around to reading any of her novels. She does not disappoint.

I found her writing style devoid of superfluous world building, which I greatly enjoyed. She gives you what you need and leaves other things unexplained. I like this kind of world building because it’s true to real life. No one person knows every detail of their world. The world is built as you go, not presented as a whole, which is also true to life.

I enjoyed the journey of Ged and learning the importance of one’s self. I did see the end coming, simply because I am very familiar with this type of story (even the idea of true names being the basis of magic). I don’t know if Le Guin was the first with this idea and others have used it, or if she got it somewhere else. But I am familiar with many of the magical concepts presented in this story, so could guess what was about to happen.

I definitely like all the open mysteries that Ged comes across, they make me interested in reading more. But at the same time, some of them seemed very contrived to just suck you in for a future novel. I like it better when the mysteries have a a natural flow. For example, the two castaways on the island felt very natural to the story. But Terrenon felt very forced.

All in all, an enjoyable read. I plan to read more.

Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key

I read this book on a whim, mostly surprised to learn that there was a book before either of the movies were made. I, like most children of the 80s, saw Disney’s 1975 Escape to Witch Mountain multiple times when I was growing up. A childhood favorite. I saw the 2009 Race to Witch Mountain with my own children. When I learned that there was a book, I had to read it. Just to see which movie was more true to the book, and to see how the original story was told.

Not surprisingly, I really enjoyed the book. I read it in an afternoon when not feeling well, so didn’t have anything to really interrupt me. The story is closer to the 1975 movie, but there are huge changes (nothing surprising about that considering Hollywood’s record in movie adaptations). Most notably, Tony and Tia are in the foster care system in the book, Tia can’t speak (kind of), and Jason O’Day is a pastor the children are already familiar with.

The book is a fast-paced read, which is great for younger readers that aren’t interested in loads of detailed imagery. I think my kids will really enjoy having this read aloud to them during family reading time. I’m glad I bought it, instead of just borrowing it from the library. There is some environmentalism in it, but it’s not heavy handed and doesn’t detract from the story. I whole-heartedly recommend this to parents looking for a fun science fiction story for their children. It’s very clean, no profanity, very little violence, lots of cute animals. Kids will enjoy it, as will most adults.

The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt

So, I read this based on a friend's review.  And all I can really say about it was that it was okay.  Not bad.  Not great.

The story is a sweet idea and it might have resonated with me more if I was a teenager.  It was refreshing to read something wholesome, not filled with violence, profanity, and/or sex.  I would have no issue with letting my daughters read this if they were so inclined.

I really liked two of the Miracle Girls – Zoe and Christine.  Their characters worked for me because they were similar to girls that I knew in high school, but didn’t feel like stereotypes.  They had personalities that felt believable.  But Ana and Riley felt like forced caricatures of typical types found in high school.  This made me really not care about what was going on in their stories.  And several of the situations presented to further to plot just felt trite and cliché.

Though I wasn’t super impressed with character development, I really enjoyed the writing style.  The way things were described wasn’t over the top in detail, but I knew exactly what was happening.  Specifically the scenes of Maria and Ana in the kitchen, when she was getting food out of the fridge.  Or whenever they were drinking diet coke.  I enjoyed the way these descriptions were written because they felt natural and real.

So, to sum up.  I enjoyed the ideas and writing style, but felt the character development was lacking. 

Mormon Scientist by Henry J. Eyring

I have never been much of one for biographies and memoirs.  But this year, I set myself the goal of always having one I'm working on.  My first choice was Mormon Scientist.  And I'm so glad it was. 

Brother's Eyring's view of how things are is so clear and uncluttered.  I really took to heart his ability to take what seems like an unsolvable paradox (science vs. religion) to so many and say, there is no paradox - what you think is a paradox is something we just don't fully understand yet.  His sense of humor and being so down to earth makes him immensely relatable.  His ability to articulate difficult ideas in everyday speech helps to understand where he's coming from and teach me more about myself.

As a Latter-day Saint and a homeschooler, I've struggled a lot with how to approach teaching science to my children.  I didn't want to teach them anything contrary to doctrine and was constantly bombarded with arguments about how science is wrong because it doesn't support religion.  But I didn't feel in my heart that science was wrong!  I've always wanted to teach my children pure science, but shied away for fear of leading them astray.  This book helped me realize that my innermost feelings were right and should have been listened to.  Teach them pure science.  Teach them pure religion.  And help them to understand that where there seems to be contradictions, it just means there is something we don't understand yet - keep working on it.  Don't give up on science or religion to protect the other.  Through both, we grow into better people - which is really the whole point of this life.

A 19th Century Classic - Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell

Books & Chocolate's Back to the Classics Challenge 2017: a 19th Century Classic



This book is beautiful.  Just beautiful.  Why aren't kids reading this in school, instead of the rubbish that's handed out instead?  Seriously!

Ruth is a story about a young woman that has an illegitimate child in the 1800's.  At that time, women that became pregnant out of wedlock were most often forced into horrible situations while the men had little, if any, accountability.  It was very common for those that made mistakes or sinned in ways that couldn't be hidden and were made public knowledge to be shunned and kicked aside.  Never mind that it was very hypocritical of society to do so, illegitimate children were the perfect example of this hypocrisy.  It takes two to make a baby, but only the woman visibly carries it.  We all make mistakes and are in need of kindness and mercy the most at those times. Just because one person's faults were visible and another's were not doesn't make them holier.

This story is about what would happen if someone in those circumstances had support to help guide them back to a good, God-fearing life instead of being cast aside to fall into worse sin and lifestyle.  Ruth goes on to bring light into many lives through her goodness and selflessness.  But even if she hadn't, even if the only two souls brought back to the light had been her own and her son's - wouldn't that be enough? 

These are lessons that still need to be taken to heart and applied in today's world.  Though the reason for casting off those we feel are beneath us may be different and the circumstances of how they are cast off changed, it still happens.  And it still shouldn't.

Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis

I really like this book. I couldn't put it down. As a fan of Greek/Roman mythology in high school, I was already familiar with the myth of Cupid and Psyche. But I never heard of this book by CS Lewis. I know, I know. My adolescence was sorely lacking in someone to guide me to classics despite my voracious reading habits. Thank goodness for book club and better read friends in adulthood!

This book is beautiful. It turns the classic myth on it's head and gives it from a whole new point of view - that of the sister. It comes at morality and love from a perspective that is not common. It rolls you right along with the sister's feelings so well that you don't readily recognize how in the wrong she is until you're supposed to, even if you already know the story of Psyche. And the redemption at the end is also wonderful. It almost feels like CS was linking Cupid's role to that of Christ (something common in many of his works). Which would seem really odd, but in the way this is written - it works. It also plays on many of the class differences, gender inequality, and blindly following a religion without thought that was so common in that era. I found it very enlightening.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the classics, a fan of CS Lewis, or lover of mythology

Persuasion by Jane Austen

I read this for book club.  I have mixed feelings about this book.  On the one hand, I loved being so inside Anne's mind throughout the book. I definitely love her character.  But I would have liked to have known other characters more.  They all seem flat to me, especially Captain Wentworth. However, I expect that may have been purposely done by Austen.  Keeping us so tied to Anne's point of view made it easier to see the satirical commentary Jane was creating about courtship and rank in that era. Over all, a very enjoyable book that I highly recommend to others.

Books Chosen for 2017 Classics Challenge

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Number of Books to Read: 6-12

Here are the books I've chosen to read for the challenge this year:

1.  A 19th Century Classic


2.  A 20th Century Classic 


3.  A classic by a woman author.


4.  A classic in translation 


5.  A classic published before 1800.


6.  A romance classic.


7.  A Gothic or horror classic.


8.  A classic with a number in the title. 


9.  A classic about an animal or which includes the name of an animal in the title. 


10. A classic set in a place you'd like to visit.>


11. An award-winning classic.


12. A Russian Classic

Back to the Classics Challenge 2017

Sign Up At: Books & Chocolate
Number of Books to Read: 6-12

1.  A 19th Century Classic - any book published between 1800 and 1899.

2.  A 20th Century Classic - any book published between 1900 and 1967. Just like last year, all books MUST have been published at least 50 years ago to qualify. The only exception is books written at least 50 years ago, but published later, such as posthumous publications.

3.  A classic by a woman author. 

4.  A classic in translation.  Any book originally written published in a language other than your native language. Feel free to read the book in your language or the original language. (You can also read books in translation for any of the other categories).

5.  A classic published before 1800. Plays and epic poems are acceptable in this category.

6.  A romance classic. I'm pretty flexible here about the definition of romance. It can have a happy ending or a sad ending, as long as there is a strong romantic element to the plot.

7.  A Gothic or horror classic. For a good definition of what makes a book Gothic, and an excellent list of possible reads, please see this list on Goodreads. 

8.  A classic with a number in the title. Examples include A Tale of Two Cities, Three Men in a Boat, The Nine Tailors, Henry V, Fahrenheit 451, etc. An actual number is required -- for example, Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None would not qualify, but The Seven Dials Mystery would. 

9.  A classic about an animal or which includes the name of an animal in the title.  It can be an actual animal or a metaphor, or just the name in the title. Examples include To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, The Metamorphosis, White Fang, etc. If the animal is not obvious, please clarify it in your post.

10. A classic set in a place you'd like to visit. It can be real or imaginary: The Wizard of Oz, Down and Out in Paris and London, Death on the Nile, etc.

11. An award-winning classic. It could be the Newbery award, the Prix Goncourt, the Pulitzer Prize, the James Tait Award, etc. Any award, just mention in your blog post what award your choice received.

12. A Russian Classic. 2017 will be the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, so read a classic by any Russian author. 

The Red Scarf Girl

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, this book touched my heart. My daughter is reading it for a history course she is taking this year called Key of Liberty. I always pre-read any books my daughters are assigned as part of a course. I had never heard of this book or Ji Li Jiang. But I am SO glad I have read it now. I knew surface stories about the Chinese Cultural Revolution, but had never studied it. This book made me cry. I cried for Ji Li, I cried for the Jiang family, I cried for the children & families put through this, I cried for China and I cried for the history and culture they lost/destroyed during this time. Jiang does an excellent job of showing you the horror of the Cultural Revolution from a child's eyes, but does it in a way that I do not mind my 12-year-old daughter reading this book. It does not have graphic portrayals of grotesque violence (though I know that happened during the revolution, too). Definitely an excellent read. One I seriously encourage for those that have never realized just how precious the freedoms we enjoy in America are and take them for granted.

My two favorite quotes:
"This is the most frightening lesson of the Cultural Revolution: Without a sound legal system, a small group or even a single person can take control of an entire country. This is as true now as it was then."

"My family was too precious to forget, and too rare to replace."



Kindle Edition: Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution