Personal Reading
The Sign of the Four
by Arthur Conan Doyle
Apparently, the second of the Sherlock Holmes novels (after A Study in Scarlet and before the short story collection of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes). Sherlock and Dr. Watson set off to help a young lady solve the mystery of her father's disappearance and wind up solving a missing treasure and murder case. An interesting, quick read. The one content caution would be Sherlock's cavalier use of cocaine injections (whenever he is bored).
Buff: A Collie
by Albert Payson Terhune
About half of the book is about the title character, "Buff" -- his accidental breeding, his lonely puppyhood, his faithfulness to his master, and his quest for revenge against the men who abducted his master. The rest of the book is made up of single chapters (short-stories) about various other dogs (collie and non-collie). These 100+ year old stories are rich in description and imagery and praise of collies and dogs in general. There are always dog fights (to the death) in his stories, so sensitive readers might not enjoy them. There are also always harangues about reckless motor-cars , "mad dog" scares, and vivisectionists, issues which are outdated now. But they are still fun stories for ardent dog lovers. Probably not recommended for less than 12, unless particularly mature and advanced in reading abilities (because of the advanced vocabulary).
How Do We Know the Bible is True? Volume 1
by Ken Ham & Bodie Hodge
This is a collection of articles or essays by various creationist (mostly associated with the Answers in Genesis ministry). They cover such topics as are the reliability of the Old Testament and New Testament, the authorship of Genesis, "factual" claims of the Da Vinci Code, how we got the Bible in English, etc. There also a lot of topics that don't seem to quite be about knowing whether the Bible is true, but about answering questions of evolution vs creation (typical topics discussed by AIG). This book is similar to Ken Ham's series of "The New Answers Book." It was worth reading. The chapters are of a manageable length and written in laymen's terms. Reading one or two chapters a day was a reasonable pace.
Nicholas Nickleby
by Charles Dickens
As you might expect, Nicholas Nickleby is the protagonist of this story. When his gentleman father dies financially ruined, he and his sister and mother travel to London to seek assistance from his uncle, Ralph Nickleby. Ralph is a greedy, cold-hearted usurer who despised his brother and has no love for his brother's family. He sends 19-year-old Nicholas off to be the assistant to a cruel Yorkshire schoolmaster and hires out younger Kate to a dressmaker's shop to earn her living. The mother is a silly, talkative woman who is always talking about people she knew and events that happened in the past and imagining great fortunes and opportunities for her children. She can talk for a whole page without saying anything at all.
As is typical in Dickens' novels, the protagonist goes from one misfortune to another to another for at least half the book, before encountering anyone who treats him with compassion. And as is also typical in Dickens' novels, there is the abhorrent treatment of children, drunkenness, womanizing, and greed by the villains, contrasted by the comic characters who befriend the beleaguered protagonist and his friends and family. Like all Dickens' novels, the story moves along at a leisurely pace for the first 55 chapters or so, introducing an unbelievable number of characters. Finally, in the last 10-12 chapters, the pace picks up and the seemingly disconnected characters and plot lines come together, the villain is exposed, and everything works out beautifully for the good guys. I'm sure I must have read this many years ago, but I had absolutely no recollection of it, and I was shocked at the plot twist near the end. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Mill Nicholson. He did a fantastic job with changing the voices for the characters (even the female ones), handling the dialect and accents, and reading with expression.
The Story of Mankind
by Hendrik Willem van Loon
This history book, first published in 1921, was winner of the first Newbery Medal. It has been updated several times to incorporate more recent events in world history. Unfortunately, it starts right off with the evolution myth, so I abandoned it in the first chapter.Genre: History. 1922 Newbery Medal winner.
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
Genre: Fantasy/ Adventure. 1923 Newbery Medal winner.
Young Adult PreviewsI'm trying out several books and series, looking for clean adventures to interest my teens.
The Tower Treasure
by Franklin W. Dixon
It's quite possible that I read every Hardy Boys book I could get my hands on when I was a kid. I don't know why I haven't introduced my kids to them. Two teenage boys (Frank, 18 and Joe, 17) got their interest in sleuthing from their detective father, Fenton Hardy. They have helped him with some of his cases, and in this first book of the series, they get their first case of their own. The books are clean -- no foul language or graphic violence. The boys are respectful to their parents and the parents of their friends. They obey their parents' warnings and restrictions and don't sneak out and do stuff behind their backs. The boys each have a girl they like and have "dated often," but it's only mentioned in passing. There's not any real romance or flirting, at least in this story. And there's even a mention that the family went to church on Sunday morning. Clean, simple adventure and suspense.
Every Hidden Thing
by Tim Shoemaker
This is the second book in the High Water series (I reviewed the first book last month). The author writes very vividly and powerfully -- his descriptions of scary scenes make my adrenaline soar and my stomach get tight. But it's a bit too vivid and intense for me. Also, although on his website he says, "he’s a firm believer that stories don’t need bad language or romance to be 'real' or to hold a reader’s attention," in both books that I read or started in this series, there are one or more girls vying for the attention of the main male character (who's only a freshman in high school) and another boy who is jealous that one of those girls is seeking the attention of the main character and ignoring him. As my daughter said, "that's sound like romance to me." I do appreciate that the author "is careful not to make all parents look like idiots." But these books are just too intense for me, and the boy/girl thing isn't necessary. I abandoned the book and chose not to read any more of this series. Abandoned.
Code of Silence
by Tim Shoemaker
The first of another series by this author. Same issues as with the one described above. Way too intense and scary for me (kids witnessing the brutal beating and supposed murder of their adult friend). Didn't get far enough to see if there is the boy/girl thing. Also, in both series, one or more characters always gets a "bad feeling" before some disaster hits. And the other characters rely on this somewhat supernatural experience to let them know if things are ok or not. I've given up on this author. Just not what I'm looking for. Abandoned.
(Chronicles of Altaran) Book One: Shadow Lord Rising
by Mark Swirsky
On his website, the author says, "I wanted my story to be more subtle in its world view than CS Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but more explicit than Tolkien's The Lord of the Ring series. I have never written a novel before, but the story flowed into my mind without much effort." I really wanted to like this series. But I couldn't get into it, and I had trouble putting my finger on just why it was not grabbing me. Finally, I realized the writing style is just not very good. Every sentence starts with a subject-verb. There is no varying of sentence structure. It gets dull and boring very quickly. Also, most of the "action" is carried on through dialog, without much vivid imagery. When I realized that I was having to force myself to keep reading, I realized it was time to put it down. It's definitely not on the level with Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings. Not even close. Abandoned.
Renegade Skyfarer
by R. J. Metcalf
This is another one I wanted to like after hearing an interview with the author on the Read Clean YA with CJ podcast. Although it sort of grabbed me, it was difficult to follow because the different characters talk to each other in hints or inside "jokes" or stories that the reader isn't privy to. Or they have private thoughts and flashbacks that are disjointed, and again, the author doesn't explain to the reader what's going on. I realize that some of that is a literary technique to pique the reader's curiosity. But when you get to the 20th chapter and still feel like an outsider to the character's conversations and thoughts ... it's frustrating. Plus, there is a LOT of boy/girl relationship drama and some sexual innuendos. Again, although I kind of wanted to find out what happens, I decided I had better things to read. Such as... the next ones listed below. Abandoned.
Mistmantle Chronicles Books 1-3
Urchin of the Riding Stars
Urchin and the Heartstone
The Heir of Mistmantle
by M.I. McAllister
Here's a quote from the author about the series:
Where did it start? Mistmantle began with a little girl learning a hymn about the sea surrounding the earth like a mantle. Decades later I wanted to write about an island, the mantle around this island would be its enchanted mists. I imagined a hero who had been exiled from the island for a crime he didn’t commit, and now the island needed him back yet he couldn’t get home.
Then I was stuck. I couldn’t get anything to come to life after that. Someone suggested that the island should be populated with animals, not people, and Mistmantle burst into life. Squirrels ran up and down tower walls, hedgehogs made beautiful needlework, otters whirled through streams on secret missions, moles ran through tunnels and guarded royalty. There were dark plots and terrible dangers. There was fun and color, and stars dancing across the sky. And there was Urchin.
If you like the Redwall series, then you'll probably like this one. (I did not really care for the first book of Redwall and didn't read more, but I was able to tolerate this one enough to read three of them.) There are a total of 5 books in the series, but the last two are not in my local library, and I don't like them enough to spend $17 each to buy copies.
Some content considerations:
1) The animals pray to "the Heart" and say "Heart bless you" and "Heart help me"; "Heart" seems to be a substitute for God. I was not quite sure how I felt about that.
2) There are some really evil characters who enjoy killing/sacrificing other animals. This could be scary and disturbing to some.
3) There are lots and lots of characters and it gets hard to keep them straight and remember which ones are moles or hedgehogs or squirrels or otters. I think even the author got mixed up sometimes.
Overall, it's not my favorite series, but I suppose it's ok. I might have liked it better if I had read it before the Ascendance Series Jennifer Nielsen (see below) instead of after. That one is so rich, that everything else feels flat in comparison.
The Ascendance Series (5 books)
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
The False Prince
The Runaway King
The Shadow Throne
The Captive Kingdom
The Shattered Castle
Here's the description from the inside front book jacket of The False Prince:
In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.
As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.
I can't say more than that without giving away spoilers. And this is one book you want to read without spoilers!
This series is definitely going to be in my top 10 for this year!! I read each book twice in three days. And then I wanted to go back and start the whole series over again. Now this is the kind of story I've been looking for! This story was so well-written! Everything that those other books I abandoned were not: complex, multi-faceted characters who struggle and grow throughout the series, witty dialog, vivid and memorable scenes, and more plot twists and turns than a snake with an itch! Did I mention I read each book twice in three days? Yes, it's that good! There were conversations and scenes and quips that stayed with me for days, as I turned them over and over in my mind -- trying to figure out exactly what they meant, why the characters did or said what they did, or just laughing at the humorous interactions between characters. For example:
"You don't have a plan! [for getting us out of this mess]"
"You don't know that."
"Ok, so what's your plan?"
"I don't have one. But sometimes not having a plan is the best plan you can have."
Although the main character is accused of being a liar and a thief, he insists that he never lies. He always tells the truth (though maybe not the whole truth), but he is misinterpreted and misunderstood (and sometimes he intends it that way). He always stands up against injustice, though he often combats it in his own, unique, unconventional way.
My 17- and 15-year-olds read them as fast as I could give them to them. I borrowed them from the library, but then I purchased the whole set to keep. This grabbed my attention and imagination as much as The Wingfeather Saga, The Wilderking Trilogy, and the series by Given Hoffman that starts with The Tournament's Price. I'd say it's more like Hoffman's books as far as setting: fictional country, but medieval type of time frame (swords and daggers, horses and carriages, no unusual fantasy creatures as in Wingfeather.)
This series was originally a trilogy. Many years after the third book, the author wrote two more which fill in the year-long gap between the last two chapters of the third book. She's also written several short stories with the same characters. But do NOT read them until you've finished all the books.
I'd recommend for teens and up.
Some content considerations:
1) There is violence and murderous plots and battles, but I did not think it was overly graphic or gory. The main character gets threatened and beaten and injured a lot.
2) The main character curses a lot, but no actual curse words are used. It just says things like, "I cursed under my breath," or "I let out a string of curses." I did not have a problem with this, but some might.
3) When bad things happen, sometimes the main character makes statements such as "the devils must be playing a joke on me" and other such references to "the devils." I didn't find this offensive; I figured it's just the way he sees his life.
3) There are some sweet romances -- deep relationships based on friendships and forged through adversity. Some kissing, but I did not find it offensive or overdone (or "mushy").
Although the author is not necessarily writing from a Biblical worldview (God is never mentioned, though there are references to devils, saints, priests, and the afterlife), I found the descriptions of the kingdom, castle intrigue, traitors, and wars between kingdoms and nobles within a kingdom to stir my imagination a bit when reading about the kingdoms of Israel & Judah. Just reading the Biblical historical accounts can be a little dry and far-removed from our normal life. But these stories gave me a glimpse of the emotions and struggles the real people in the Bible might have experienced.
Read-aloud (For Fun)
New Dawn on Rocky Ridge
by Roger Lea MacBride
Rose Wilder celebrates the turn of the century (1900) with her family and friends in Mansfield, Missouri. We stopped before finishing it because I didn't like Rose's growing rebellious and disrespectful attitude toward her parents. There was also getting to be more and more talk about boys/girls and flirting.
Read-aloud (Biography)
Joni
by Joni Eareckson
The autobiography of a young woman who was paralyzed in a diving accident in 1967. She describes her physical, mental, emotional and spiritual struggles dealing with the reality of being a quadriplegic at the age of 17. There were some parts I had to skip while reading it out loud to my kids, due to talk about sexual temptations and sin.
Read-aloud (Geography)
Stories set in Nebraska:
Elsie's Bird
by Jane Yolen
Young Elsie must find a way to adapt to her new home on the Nebraska prairie after she and her father leave their comfortable city life in Boston after her mother died. She pines away for the birds and other sounds she was used to but, with the help of her pet canary, she eventually learns to hear and enjoy the unique sounds of the prairie.
Dandelions
by Eve Bunting
Zoe and her family find strength in each other as they make a new home in the Nebraska territory. In this case, it's the mother who is pining away for her past home, and the daughter tries to cheer her up by planting dandelions on the roof of their soddy.
Stories set in or about people born in Kansas :
A Picture Book of George Washington Carver
by David Adler
Just what the title says. A typical David Adler picture book biography.
A Picture Book of Dwight David Eisenhower
by David Adler
Again, just like the title says, although this one has real photographs and not illustrations like typical David Adler books.
Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooke
by Suzanne Slade
A picture book biography of this African-American girl growing up in the 1920s and 1930s.
Aunt Minnie McGranahan
by Marky Skillings Prigger
The townspeople in St. Clere, Kansas, are sure it will never work out when the neat and orderly spinster, Minnie McGranahan, takes her nine orphaned nieces and nephews into her home in 1920. Very sweet, and based on a true story.
Stories set in Alaska:
Gold Rush Winter
by Claire Murphy
A young girl living in South Dakota doesn't remember her father, who has been in Alaska mining for gold since she a baby. Finally, he sends for his wife and daughter to come join him. She thinks life will be wonderful when they are all together again. However, the father is always busy at the mine and hardly spends time with his family, because he thinks that finding gold and having more money will make them happy. He doesn't realize that all his daughter wants is to have his time and attention.
