Mirkwood Reflections

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...

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...

Have not been doing well with updates here. Here are my summer reads. The comments in italics are my thoughts as of today, so some of the less memorable books won't be very detailed. Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon - 6/10/2010 Excellent - Historical Fiction Re-read (AUDIOBOOK) My second time reading the latest book in the Outlander series. Loved it more listening to it. But you? You must start at the beginning. Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas - 6/17/2010 Good - Historical Fiction Poignant tale of children caught in an avalance in a 1920's mining town Very touching story with an interesting presentation. Each story is told independently and then woven together at the end. Loved it, though it was sad. The Burning Wire by Jeffrey Deaver - 6/22/2010 Good - Thriller Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs combat a perp killing people with electricity. Better than the last Deaver I read which seemed to be slightly soapbox-oriented. Read It and Eat by Sarah Gardner - 6/29/2010 Excelle...

The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer - 08/05/09 Good - Chick Lit (999 Category - Serendipity) Kat thinks her husband is planning to leave her so she curtails her wild spending and learns to save with the help of a motley group of penny pinchers. I love Strohmeyer's books! She always has a different take on the chick lit formula. Thoroughly entertaining. The Fate of Katherine Carr by Thomas H. Cook - 08/07/09 Good - Mystery (999 Category - Serendipity) When George Gates' young son was murdered, he lost his once-avid taste for mysteries, but he meets a retired police detective whose story of a missing woman piques George's interest. Saw this one at the library on the new book shelf and picked it up based on the cover and title alone. Glad I did. It was compelling and interesting. Everybody's Normal Until You Get to Know Them by John Ortberg - 08/10/09 Excellent - Non-fiction (999 Category - Faith) How do flawed abnormal people such as ourselves master forces that ...

I managed TWELVE books in August! No coincidence that this is also the month in which I was LAID OFF and before school starts. lol New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - 08/02/08 Good - Young Adult RE-READ Edward leaves and Bella establishes a relationship with Jacob, but he also has a secret. Before the last book in the series came out, I chose to re-read the first 3. New Moon is #2. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer - 08/05/08 Good - Young Adult RE-READ Bella is in danger and Jacob and Edward must team up to protect her, but who will she choose? The 3rd Twilight book. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer - 08/07/08 Good - Horror After Bella's wedding to Edward, will she choose to remain mortal or become a vampire, and what effect will that have on those around her? The tone of Breaking Dawn is far different than the first 3 in the Twilight series, leaving me with mixed feelings. Meyer did a great job pulling all the threads of the story together, but more editing would have made the novel tight...