Mirkwood Reflections

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 ...

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...