Mirkwood Reflections

I decided to learn Chinese. Yes, I realize it is one of the hardest, if not THE hardest language to learn. So - why did I choose it? For the past 10 months, I have been teaching English to Chinese children online. This job has been a joy and an eye-opener too. I have learned a lot about the Chinese people and their culture. For instance, one of my students has a new baby brother. When I asked Baby's name, my twelve-year-old student did not know. Or maybe he just didn't know what to say. So, I did a bit of research and, from what I can tell, new babies are not given public names. I think Baby gets a name that only the parents use. One source calls this a "milk name" which is generally abandoned after Baby is officially named. Seems that everyone else just calls the child Baby, or Baobao in Chinese. My interest was piqued just a few months into my new endeavor. I wanted to be able to understand! Since I can only speak English to my students, I cannot use them as...

I have thoughts to share. Really I do. But when I start writing them down, I judge every one. That's not interesting. That's not insightful. That's not original. That's not even grammatical. Why am I so hard on my own writing? I read lots of other people's words. I used to read many blogs. Before I was so busy, I spent lots of time reading other people's writing. I read books, magazines, blog posts, Facebook posts - all kinds of things. Most people don't worry very much about their writing, at least from the evidence. I teach writing. My goal is to help students write concisely and correctly. I sometimes feel like a fraud because teaching writing doesn't leave me time for actual writing. But this year is going to be different. I am going to write daily. Why? Well, I can blame NaNoWriMo this past November. My daughter asked me to write her some fanfiction. I'd never written fanfic before, especially not in the Harry Potter wizarding world. I did...

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton 6/12/2015 Good - Young Adult - 192 pages Audio 5 hr 9 min Ponyboy Curtis is a "Greaser" who ends up caught in a deadly struggle with their rival gang, "The Socs". I may teach this book for a class next year and I wanted to re-read it. I read it years ago as a teen. Flirting with Forever by Gwyn Cready 6/21/2015 Good - Romance - 415 pages Print Art curator Campbell Stratford accidentally travels back in time to meet 17th century artist Peter Lely. Rated MA for explicit sex. Fluffy read. 

May was CRAZY-BUSY!! Someone is Watching by Joy Fielding 5/10/2015 Good - Fiction - 384 pages Print Private investigator is raped while on the job and afterwards suffers PTSD symptoms while trying to fight her way back to normalcy. Fielding always writes an ending with a twist. This one too. I didn't see it coming. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien 5/26/2015 Good - Fantasy - 381 pages Audio 14:14 The Ring is destroyed and the King is enthroned. Re-read for Book Club. I sadly found I didn't appreciate the series as much as I have in the past. 

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien 4/1/2015 Good - Fantasy - 448 pages,  Audio 16 hrs and 40 mins The 9 members of the Fellowship are divided and the quest to destroy the Ring is continued. Re-read for my book club. I think I've read this 5 times in my life now. Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard by Laura Bates 4/4/2015 Excellent - Non-fiction - 304 pages Kindle From breaking out to breaking through, that’s what reading Shakespeare did for Indiana federal prison inmate Larry Newton, who was locked in solitary confinement for more than 10 years. His story is recounted by English professor Bates, who taught the “Shakespeare in Shackles” class that gave Newton, convicted of murder as a teenager, his new lease on life. (Booklist summary) Wow! This was a wonderfully inspiring read. I love seeing what happens when people pour into the lives of others . The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 4/13/2015 Good - Fiction - 336 pages Print “Rachel takes t...

Warriors: I Bring the Fire Part V by Carolynn Gockel 2/6/2015 Good Fantasy -  301 page Kindle When tragedy strikes Amy’s beloved mutt Fenrir, and Odin strikes Bohdi’s best friend Steve, they have to work together again. Amy’s knowledge of science, Bohdi’s talents for theft, and both of their survival skills are put to the test. But more than Steve and Fenrir’s lives are at stake. Amy and Bohdi may unlock the key that saves mankind from the gods … or bring about the apocalypse. This series captivated my interest and even though Loki is no longer a central character, I've kept reading. There is one more installment and a short story to finish up the series. I've purchased them but haven't made time to read them yet, partly because I don't want it to be ove r. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand 2/14/2015 Excellent Non-fiction - 473 pages Print Telling an unforgettable story of Louis Zamperini’s journey into ex...

Just realized I haven't posted December's reads! Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 12/8/2014 Good Fiction -  422 pages Print Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears and Nick is the main suspect. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? (adapted from Amazon summary) What to say about Gone Girl without giving spoilers? This is a book that stayed with me, but was oddly unsatisfying. That may have been the way Flynn intended it. I'm not sorry I read it, though.  The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak 12/12/2014 Excellent Young Adult - 574 pages Audio  13 hours and 56 minutes RE-READ In 1939 Nazi Germany, young Liesel Meminger lives with her accordion-playing foster father and rough-talking foster mother... and the Jewish man hidden in the basement. The Book Thief was polarizing at book club. People loved it or hated it. No middle ground. I have read it twice and love the beauty of the language and I appreciated the voice of the n...

The Light Princess by George MacDonald 1/1/2015 Excellent - Children's - 110 pages (Print) A princess is cursed with a lack of gravity. I assigned this to Emily to read and decided to read it myself as well. I've always wanted to read MacDonald, but a difficult reading experience with one of his books when I was a teenager had prejudiced me against him. However, this wasn't at all hard to read! Very simple, but deep. Season of Storms  by Susanna Kearsley 1/11/2015 Good - Chick Lit - 501 pages (Print) Young actress Celia Sands is offered the lead in a play in Italy because she shares the name of the actress for whom the play was written. A couple friends rave about Kearsley and I've read two of her so far, both entertaining and light. Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life  by Brian Wansink 1/16/2015 Excellent - Non-fiction - 320 pages (Print) How to set up your living environments so that you naturally lose weight. Interesting ideas on...

A practical view of the prevailing religious system of professed Christians in the higher and middle classes in this country : contrasted with real Christianity (1829) by William Wilberforce - 10/20/2014 Excellent - Classic - Non-fiction - 354 pages - Kindle Wilberforce’s influential book challenged readers to center their life, both public and private, on Christ’s redeeming work and teachings. Wilberforce was the subject of the film Amazing Grace. He penned this book in the early 1800's to draw attention to the lack of true (or real) Christianity among the upper class in Britain. Challenging both in style (1800's, kwim?) and in content, this is a valuable, though difficult read. I also have the modern paraphrase of this book which I hope to read at some point. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - 10/23/2014 Good - Fantasy - 480 pages - Audio - approx. 19 hours Frodo obtains the Ring of Power and sets out with the Fellowship of 9 to destroy it. I've read ...

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - 9/5/2014 Excellent - Classic - Audio  12 hr 18 min Scout's father Atticus is assigned to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman in 1930's Deep South Yes, I only managed to read one book in September, but wow! what a book! I've never read To Kill a Mockingbird before, but this was our book club selection. I took a while to relax into the flow of the story, but once I did, I adored it! 

Shakespeare on Toast: Getting a Taste for the Bard by Ben Crystal - 8/5/2014 Excellent - Non-fiction -  257 pages - Print Witty and user-friendly, this brief guide to Shakespeare proves him a genius who is still relevant and enjoyable. The Screwtape Letters (also includes "Screwtape Proposes a Toast") by C.S. Lewis - 8/5/2014 Good - Inspirational - 128 pages - Print A correspondence between two demons, the elder giving the younger instructions on how to lead humanity astray. My goal is to read ALL of Lewis. I've read this before, but it was good to re-read. Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich - 8/8/2014 Good - Suspense - 341 pages - Print An assassin is after Ranger. Out of 21 books by Evanovich, this one was satisfying! On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (6th edition) by William Zinsser -  8/10/2014 Good - Non-fiction - 294 pages - Print Principles, methods, forms, and attitudes of Good Writing. I have been wanting to read th...

Hamlet SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Hamlet (Dramatised, Commentary Options) (Unabridged) by  ‎ William Shakespeare, Simon Potter - 7/24/2014 Excellent - Classic - Audio  7 hr 42 min The multi award-winning SmartPass study guide with and without commentary options. This is a full-cast, unabridged performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis for any student to fully understand and appreciate the play. Universally accepted as Shakespeare's finest play, we peel back the layers of Hamlet to discover how and why it deserves such a place of honour in world literature. I adore Hamlet. These SmartPass audios are wonderful for understanding the finer points and cultural references in the plays.  How to Travel the World for FREE by Michael Wigge - 7/25/2014 Good - Non-fiction - 152 pages - Print One Man, 150 Days, Eleven Countries, No Money! Michael Wigge traveled from Germany to Antartica starting with no money at all. Very interesting account ...

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis 6/4/2014 Good - Childrens 224 pages Audio (4.5 hours) Shasta escapes from slavery with talking horse Bree and heads for Narnia. I remember not really enjoying The Horse and His Boy as much as the other books of the Chronicles of Narnia. But I read it aloud to Suzy and James and they really enjoyed it. I did too! The Space Between: An Outlander Novella by Diana Gabaldon 6/8/2014 Good - Fiction 118 pages Kindle Michael Murray escorts Joan McKimmie (Laoghaire's daughter) to a convent in Paris, while the Comte St. Germain experiments with time travel. Wow! This is a key part of the Outlander time travel puzzle. The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis 6/9/2014 Good - Non-fiction 109 pages Print Essays on education, society, and nature and how the Tao relates to our morality. Lewis = genius.  An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon 6/10/2014 Excellent - Historical Fiction 820 pages  Audio (45 hours, 58 minutes) Jamie and Claire leave ...

List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don't take more than a few minutes and don't think too hard. They do not have to be the "right" books or great works of literature, just ones that have stayed with you in some way.  1 - The Bible 2 - The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis 3 - Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis 4 - The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba 5 - Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell 6 - My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George 7 - Motel of the Mysteries by David Macauley 8 - Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright 9 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 10 - I Am A Bunny by Ole Risom & illustrated by Richard Scarry If you do it, leave me a comment with a link!

4 more books in May - one a week seems like a good average, yes? The Eternal Argument: A framework for understanding Western Literature and Culture by R. Robin Finley - 5/16/2014  Good Non-fiction 286 Print Long time middle school English teacher Robin Finley traces the history of Western literature against the larger conflict between theism and humanism. I purchased this at the homeschool convention in 2013 and it sat on the shelf. But in April 2014, I heard the author speak at the homeschool convention in Cincinnati and remembered I had the book at home. Useful information to help understand Western literature. The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis - 5/17/2014  Excellent Non-fiction 141 Print If God is omnipotent and good, how can we explain human pain and suffering? Lewis proposes reasonable answers. Finally decided to stop SAYING that I am going to read all of Lewis and get started on it. I decided to read just a short bit every day when I do my devotional reading. ...

Finished 4 books in April. Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare - 4/2/2014  Good - Classic 135 pages - Audio  3 hr 14 min The callow Troilus pines over the unfaithful Cressida against the backdrop of the Trojan War. Book club selection. We went to see the play. This is not considered one of Shakespeare's best plays, but the performance was entertaining.  Austenland by Shannon Hale - 4/9/2014  Good - Chick Lit  194 pages - Print 30-something Jane is given a trip to Austenland to roleplay with Darcy look-alikes, but will the experience match her fantasy? Another book club selection. LOVED the film. The book was amusing! There is a sequel now - Midnight in Austenland. My favorite Hale book is The Actor and the Housewife, though. Tempting Fate  by Jane Green - 4/15/2014  Good - Fiction 343 pages - Print Gabby has been happily married for 20 years but when she meets a younger man, she suddenly feels alive and desirable again. What wil...

"You're writing a book? How cool!" That's what people often say when they find out (usually during National Novel Writing Month) that I am working on a novel. Then they often ask something about how it's done. "When do you find the time?" "How long does it take?" "Where do you get your ideas?" "Isn't it hard?" When I was invited to participate in the  #mywritingprocess  blog tour by my friend Kaye Sims at Wondering as I Wander , I thought it was a valuable opportunity for me to sit down and think through some of those questions. During NaNoWriMo, I'm usually too busy frantically typing to make my word count to give the process much thought. By the way, I met Kaye via mutual friends on facebook when I noticed she also was writing for NaNoWriMo. She inspires me with her commitment to writing and simplicity as well as her willingness to go deeper spiritually. Thank you, Kaye, for this opportunity for ...

I've been asked to participate in a blog tour detailing the writing process from the perspectives of many different authors. So, be on the lookout this week for a post from me with all my writing secrets! OK, maybe not "secrets". Ha! I also will be announcing several writers who will be also be posting on their blogs to give you even more insight into how authors work. What fun! #mywritingprocess

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - 3/6/2014 Excellent - Fantasy 480 pages - Audio 19 hrs and 11 mins Frodo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire, inherits a dangerous magic Ring which must be destroyed, so he sets out on a quest accompanied by 8 companions. James requested to read Lord of the Rings for literature, so I decided to read along with him. He read it much faster than I did. I actually found it difficult to get through FOTR this time around, which is at least my 4th reading of this book. Maybe next time I'll be in the mood. Fates: I Bring the Fire Part IV by C. Gockel - 3/21/2014 Good - Fantasy 407 pages - Kindle Amy Lewis and Bohdi Patel team up with Thor to find Loki who hasn't been seen for two years. I adore C. Gockel's modern mythology of the Nine Realms. Yes, I started reading because of Loki. But I kept reading because of her interesting take on the mythology as well as her capable and compelling storytelling.  Water for Elephants by Sara ...

Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson - 2/5/2014 Excellent - Fiction - 300 pages (Print) Single mom Shandi and her young son are taken hostage in a gas station robbery along with William Ashe who steps in to protect the child, an act that has long-reaching consequences. I wanted to read something that wasn't required and found this at the library. I enjoyed it! Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson - 2/11/2014 Excellent - Non-fiction - 208 pages (Audio) Concise biography describing the facts we actually know about William Shakespeare and how his plays were written. Bill Bryson has a conversational and amusing tone. Bill Bryson's book on houses intrigued me so when I saw this one on Shakespeare, I snatched it up. OK, ordered it from interlibrary loan. Short and really interesting! The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton (completed by Marion Mainwaring) - 2/15/2014 Good - Classic - 406 pages (Print) Several rich American girls travel to England to find...