book review

Review: Henry VI, Part 1

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Henry VI, Part 1
Henry VI, Part 1 by William Shakespeare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Tis much when sceptres are in children’s hands; but more when envy breeds unkind division: there comes the ruin, there begins confusion.”

That quote sums up most of the plot! Henry VI is too young to rule on his own, and his advisers and lords ruin everything by bickering and fighting amongst themselves, leaving England’s armies vulnerable to the French. Continue reading →

Book Review: Dreamtreaders & Search for the Shadow Key

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Dreamtreaders Dreamtreaders by Wayne Thomas Batson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Love this book so much! From the first word, we are plunged straight into the action. This author really knows how to write fight scenes! The plot kept me guessing, and I loved discovering the Dream kingdoms. The world-building is just amazing! So imaginative and different from anything I’ve ever read. Continue reading →

Book Review: Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope

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Doctor Thorne
Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book even more than the previous Barchester books, because there’s more action and more dialogue. I love the country setting, and how the small doings of ordinary people become quite important.
The scope of this novel is wide in that it concerns people of all walks of life, and how they interact and influence one another. But the scope is also small in that it tells of the little day-to-day concerns of plain people. That is the genius of Trollope! Continue reading →

Review: Frances Hodgson Burnett: Beyond the Secret Garden

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Frances Hodgson Burnett: Beyond the Secret Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett: Beyond the Secret Garden by Angelica Shirley Carpenter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I loved finding out more about this author’s life! What an interesting character she had! I love that she had such an independent spirit in a time when women didn’t enjoy much freedom. “I do what I want” seems to have been her motto.
She wrote about 60 novels and over a hundred short stories, but most of them are out of print these days. I love her books, and I’m always searching for those obscure out-of-print editions. Continue reading →

Review: The Trespassers

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The Trespassers
The Trespassers by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love this author’s writing style! Every book of hers that I’ve read has been delightful but also… different, weird, indescribable. This one is a sweet story about two siblings who find a playroom in an old mansion, and then things take a dark turn. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Great Divorce

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The Great Divorce The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The timeless novel about a bus ride from hell to heaven… In The Great Divorce C. S. Lewis again employs his formidable talent for fable and allegory. The writer finds himself in Hell boarding a bus bound for Heaven. The amazing opportunity is that anyone who wants to stay in Heaven, can. This is the starting point for an extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment. Lewis’s revolutionary idea is that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. In Lewis’s own words, “If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven; if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell.”- GoodReads

Oh my goodness, I’m in shock! I feel like I have been hit with a ton of spiritual bricks; not an uncommon feeling after reading any of Lewis’ books. How wonderful! The best part is that no matter what the subject or plot, Lewis always turns the focus back to Christ. Continue reading →