Mirkwood Reflections

Chaos: I Bring the Fire Part III (A Loki Story) by C. Gockel - 11/1/2013 Good - Fantasy 240 pages - Kindle The FBI wants Loki captured, Asgard wants Loki dead or alive, and human Amy Lewis wants Loki, or does she? Well, I read the first couple of these books before NaNoWriMo began, but I couldn't stop! Had to finish! Loki mania! In the Balance: An I Bring the Fire Novella (IBF 3.5) by C. Gockel - 11/2/2013 Good - Fantasy - 104 pages - Kindle Amy Lewis is sure she’ll never see Loki again, but when chaos is involved nothing is certain. Called into ADUO’s offices to identify a magical artifact, Amy is taken on a journey beyond the universe itself." Amazon plot summary And one more! On one hand, I was thankful it was a novella because it meant I would not be distracted from writing anymore. On the other hand, I wanted MORE! The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner - 11/5/2013 Good - Historical Fiction 416 pages - Audio 9 hrs 47 min  Third re-read just to listen to Tom Hiddles...

Henry IV Part 2 by William Shakespeare 10/1/2013  Good - Classic 157 pages Audio  Henry IV dies and Prince Hal becomes Henry V. This was a book club book and also I wanted to read it because of the Hollow Crown Shakespeare series on PBS (BBC). Homeschool Open House: Interviews with 55 familie s by Nancy Lande 10/2/2013  Good - Non-fiction 495 pages Print  The book consists of interviews describing the lives of 55 homeschooling families; half are follow-up interviews five years after the author's previous book. I started reading this years ago and never finished. Pulled it out in August and started reading an interview or two every day. Some of the stories inspired me and some made me mad. LOL I wrote a longer review of this book on Cornerstone Home Learning.  The ACT for Bad Test Takers by Moshe Ohayon 10/8/2013  Excellent - Non-fiction 152 pages Kindle  Offers specific strategies based on analysis of past ACT tests to increase ACT score...

Henry IV Part 1 by William Shakespeare 9/18/2013 Good - Classic 96 pages, format: Audio Wild Prince Hal becomes a war hero. I watched the Hollow Crown adaptation before reading the play and LOVED it. (Helps that Tom Hiddleston plays Prince Hal.) I love Shakespeare more, the more I read him. Flashbang: How I Got Over Myself by Mark Steele 9/19/2013 Good - Inspirational 245 pages, Format: Print "Each story brings Steele closer to the realization that being a Christian is more than just saying you are. In the end, he reveals his secret to living a more meaningful life—how he got over himself." Amazon summary Someone recommended this, but now I can't recall whom. I alternately loved and hated the content; sometimes it seemed so pretentious, but other times, it was brutally honest and real. I didn't particularly like the format, which was a lot of dialogue between the author and some alternate "self" or even God, as well as a lot of jumping around betw...

I read a few "new" books from the library in August, knowing that once September arrived, I would be unable to read much at all.  Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger 8/4/2013 Good - Chick Lit 381 pages Format: Print 10 years after Andy Sachs quit her job with Miranda Priestley of Runway magazine, she is successful and happy editing her own celebrity bridal magazine, but now Miranda is back in her life. I didn't remember enough about The Devil Wears Prada to really get into this sequel. It was diverting anyway. The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls 8/4/2013 Excellent - Fiction 267 pages Format: Print Liz and Bean's mother abandons them in California so they trek to her hometown in Virginia to stay with their uncle. Really enjoyed this one - creative and unpredictable, yet uplifting. Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline 8/14/2013 Excellent - Fiction 374 pages Format: Print Dr. Mike Scanlon is on the battlefield in Afghanistan when his wi...

Austen adaptations abound! I read this blog post which ranks 21 of them with clever explanations then thought to myself that my own list would look somewhat different. And then someone (yes, you, Austenacious !) asked me HOW my list would shuffle the films. So here I am in the wee hours of the morning, ranking Austen movies instead of sleeping.  Go read that blog post before reading mine because her comments are far more comical than mine could ever dream of being. Plus mine will make more sense if you look at hers first.  Two of the movies on her list I haven't seen -  Austenland , 2013 since it has yet to open in Michigan and  Bride & Prejudice  since Bollywood films make my skin crawl . Then I added one that she left out, which is at the bottom of my list. So, without further ado, I present to you my top twenty Austen film adaptations in reverse order of preference! Ta-dah! 20. Northanger Abbey 1980 - one of THE worst movies I have eve...

The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth 7/6/2013 Good - Non-fiction 564 pages Print Large print version Memoirs of Jennifer Worth who was a National Health nurse-midwife in 1950's East End London. Basis for the PBS series Call the Midwife . I loved loved loved the TV show although it wrung me out emotionally every week. When I realized the midwife had written her memoirs, I wanted to read them! The writing style was a bit awkward, but the stories were entertaining and emotional. Good read! The Love Affair of an English Lord by Jillian Hunter 7/7/2013 Fair Romance 361 pages Print Chloe Boscastle has been sent to her uncle's country house to learn some decorum, but finding an injured man hiding in her boudoir doesn't help her goal at all. Turns out it's the recently deceased (but not quite dead) neighboring lord, Viscount Stratfield, who has survived a murder attempt and wishes everyone to think him dead until he can bring his attac...

Bleak House by Charles Dickens 6/5/2013 Excellent - Classic 991 pages Audio Esther Summerson, an orphan, becomes the companion of Ada Clare, one of the wards in the case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, a long-running court case in 1820's London. Our book club selection for both May & June. This is the BEST Dickens novel I have read. Enjoyed it a lot! Tons of characters - no one does great characterizations like Dickens! A romance, a mystery, some humor - it's all in here! The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner 6/7/2013 Good - Young Adult 416 pages Audio OK, this time through I paid attention to the story. LOL This is the audio version narrated by Tom Hiddleston that I listened to last month. Decided to listen again and pay more attention to the plot rather than the narrator's silky voice. Quite a good young adult novel, though a bit on the mystical side.  Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella 6/13/2013 Good - Chick Lit 446 pages Print Told in alternating voice between t...

I only managed two books in May. A busier month I can't remember. Two birthdays - husband and youngest daughter The end of the 2012-13 school year (we homeschool) Mother's Day A spring banquet for my oldest daughter A day at the opera with my oldest child Our quarterly karate test  Our first visit to Motor City Comic Con - hotel stay #1 Soccer, soccer, and more soccer (3 kids playing - 2 on travel teams) A soccer tournament out of town - hotel stay #2 An all-day planning meeting for our homeschool group Oldest daughter exhibited in an art show The three oldest kids worked several days at a local vineyard Taught an all-day essay writing seminar Worked my regular 20 hours per week every week My son's high school graduation Whew! I am exhausted all over again! The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner - 5/11/2013 Good - Young Adult - 416 pages, listened to the Audiobook Read by Tom Hiddleston - 'nuff said. OK, maybe that's not enough for you....

Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick - 4/1/2013 Good - Fiction 289 pages, Print Pat Peoples wants more than anything to reconcile with his wife but after four years in a mental health facility, the outlook is bleak; however Pat believes in the silver lining. Read this book to see if it is a good candidate for book club. Loved the movie! The book is both similar and dissimilar to the film, but it's enjoyable. We will read it for book club in September. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - 4/3/2013 Excellent – Classic 151pages, Audio Jim discovers a treasure map and sets off on a voyage to find riches, but pirates interfere. This was our April book club selection. I don't know if I've ever read the full version before. LOVED IT! The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer - 4/7/2013 Good - Fiction 304 pages, Print Susan Rose, a wet nurse, must rescue her own child in Victorian England. Picked this up at a thrift store, I thin...

  Cranford  by Elizabeth Gaskell - 3/13/2013 Good -  Classic 138 pages, Kindle The old ladies of Cranford live their lives traditionally and quietly.  Book club selection for March. I took a while to get into this choice, but eventually liked it. I did find the narration to be uneven; portions of the book moved me to tears, others were skillfully drawn characterizations, but some were just dull. Heaven for Kids  by Randy Alcorn - 3/25/2013 Excellent - Inspirational 224 pages, Kindle Alcorn answers questions that kids might ask about what heaven will be like.  Loved this and read aloud it to the kids. The questions are practical and thoughtful and the answers are backed up with Scripture wherever possible. When not backed with Scripture, Alcorn admits it and gives his reasoning.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban  by J.K. Rowling - 3/29/2013 Excellent - Children's 435 pages, Audio/Print Re-read of the 3rd Harry Pott...

... then just stay fat. by Shannon Sorrels -2/1/2013 Good - Non-fiction 120 pages, Kindle A no-nonsense in-your-face guide to the only true way to lose weight - eat less, move more. Blunt and motivating. Kindle freebie. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling - 2/1/2013 Excellent - Children's 341 pages, Audio Re-read - In Harry's second year at Hogwarts, someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. When a friend is accused, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are determined to find out the truth about the Chamber of Secrets. Yes, I am re-reading the Harry Potter series within a year of my first reading. Since my time is limited, I am listening to the audiobook. The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier - 2/21/2013 Excellent - Historical Fiction 305 pages, Print Honor Bright, a Quaker, travels to America in 1850 and finds herself enmeshed in the slavery debate. Does she act on her principles an...

What have YOU been reading? TELL ME and I'll tell you what I've been reading. OK, ok, I will tell you anyway. :-) Keeping track of what I read helps me in quite a few ways. I've been using a spreadsheet to log all the books I've read for about ten years now. For 2013, I've added a couple new categories to the information I save - number of pages which I wish I had done ten years ago and book format which there was no need for ten years ago since everything I read then was a print book. Nowadays I read books on the Kindle (or on my phone) and in print format, as well as listen to lots of audiobooks.  Number of books finished in January: 4 (1 print, 2 Kindle, 1 audio) Number of pages read in January: 2,056 Note: this figure is actually number of pages of books FINISHED in January, but more accurate recordkeeping is beyond me at this point. Besides, I also start new books each month that don't get finished, so it will all even out eventually .  The Ori...

1 -  An Experiment in Criticism  by C.S. Lewis 3/5/2012 -   Excellent - Non-fiction -  A short but meaningful and deep book on literary criticism.  Wow, this book was deep. I started out disagreeing with him quite a bit, thinking he was a snob. But by the end, I was nodding my head furiously and making plans to purchase this book. It was out of print, but is going to be published again shortly, if not already. I was able to download three Francis Chan books free for Kindle a few months ago.  2 - Erasing Hell  by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle - 7/5/2012 -  Excellent - Inspirational; How could a loving God send people to hell? Will people have a chance after they die to believe in Jesus and go to heaven? With a humble respect for God's Word, Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle address the deepest questions you have about eternal destiny. They've asked the same questions. Like you, sometimes they just don't want to believe in hell. Bu...

Here are the best fiction books I read in 2012. This list does not include any re-reads, only books I read for the first time this year. 1. The Historian  by Elizabeth Kostova -  3/25/2012 Excellent - Historical Fiction; Historians track down the real Dracula.  Wow, this was an interesting read! The story was told from several characters' perspectives. It was one of my first Kindle library loans and I didn't finish it in time, but I borrowed it again. Long book, but really really interesting!   2 - Henry V  (with SmartPass commentary) by William Shakespeare -  7/28/2012 Excellent - Classic, Audiobook; Henry V invades France.  I have never read any of Shakespeare's history plays, until now. I didn't expect humor and romance! Loved it! Of course, the fact that Tom Hiddleston is playing Henry in an upcoming PBS presentation doesn't hurt at all. I did watch the Branagh version as well. Oh, and I listened to it on audio with a commentary intersperse...

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - 12/13/2012 Excellent - Children's A hobbit named Bilbo Baggins joins 13 dwarves and a wizard to reclaim the dwarves' stolen treasure from a dragon. Our book club selection for December. The newly released movie was our impetus for reading. I'd read The Hobbit before, but not for years. I liked Bilbo a lot more this time through. The Very Virile Viking  by Sandra Hill - 12/1/2012  Good - Romance (Steamy) Magnus Ericsson, a 10th century Viking, travels back in time to modern day California, where he meets Angela Abruzzi, upscale realtor and heir to a failing vineyard. #3 in the Viking time travel series (I skipped #2 because #3 arrived first). I enjoyed it! Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna - 12/14/2012  Excellent - Non-fiction The history of church traditions - pagan or Biblical Very interesting. Why do we have a pastor? Take an offering? Have a church building? Dress up to go to church? Have a choir? Do you th...