What are your favorite mystical, mythical, and mythological beasts and creatures? Leave a comment, and let me know!
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Book Review: Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope
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
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
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
February Reading
Wildwood Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fjSL_hTD8Y
Richard II Review: http://youtu.be/ztbIT8I3L8g
The Great Divorce- Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/186558617
Book Review: By the Grace of Todd
By the Grace of Todd by Louise Galveston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
What a cute book! I love the premise about tiny people being spawned on a gym sock! On the surface, this is your typical story of a middle-school kid trying to avoid bullies, wishing he could be one of the “cool kids”, and ultimately learning about friendship and how to stand up for himself.
But the addition of those tiny people makes it so unique and fun, especially once the little Toddlians start watching TV and reading the encyclopedia! Their out-of-place references to pop culture, John Wayne movies, Shakespeare, and Winston Churchill had me laughing in every chapter! It’s the details that make this story special! Continue reading
Review: Richard II
Richard II by William Shakespeare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this play! The action is fast-paced and the dialogue is snappy. The characters are all hot-heads who spend half their time insulting one another, then fighting to regain their honor or plotting dastardly conspiracies in the dark.
Book giveaway Haul
These are the books that I won in three different giveaways!
https://www.youtube.com/user/RayKayBooks
Louise Galveston Interview: http://youtu.be/hgx3uvGrXjs
John David Anderson Interview: http://youtu.be/LaM346e83zU
http://rachel-carter.com/books
http://www.johndavidanderson.org/side…
By the Grace of Todd book trailer: http://youtu.be/IgWC2wuQkuc
http://bythegraceoftodd.com/
Wildwood Trilogy by Colin Meloy
Book Review: Called to Write, Chosen to Publish
Called to Write, Chosen to Publish by Rachael K. Hartman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is inspirational and helpful to any writer! The author gives encouragement from their own personal experiences with writing and from Scripture. Each chapter starts with a Scripture verse that has to do with writing in some way, and at the back of the book there is an index of Bible verses that are paraphrased to apply to writing and publishing.
Several chapters focus on writing as a healing exercise and a way to work through your own grief and move past painful experiences. Other chapters talk about worshiping and glorifying God through writing. There’s even a chapter about writing music, which I was happy to see since I’m a pianist!
The author made me think about aspects of writing that I had not truly considered before; like writing with truthfulness even if I’m writing fiction, and writing with grace. I need to learn to trust myself and my writing instincts, and not be such a perfectionist.
This little book really inspired me to write more, to write for God, and to write with abandon and freedom!
Luminous Libro 