Hannah's Winter by Kierin Meehan. Loved it! A 12 year old girl from Australia ends up spending the winter in Japan with friends of her mother. She and her friends turn out to be part of an "old story" that belongs to Kai, an 8 year old boy who died during the Edo period. I loved the imagery, the culture, the Japanese words scattered here and there. Such a fun story/adventure. Loved it. And, while finding this picture I found a great site www.commonsensemedia.org where they have great reviews. Feeling super lucky right now. :)

The Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson. We all know I love Eva Ibbotson's books. This used to be called Magic Flutes, a name that suites it very well. Like all of her books it includes opera, art, music... it is fun for me to imagine that life. It is set in Vienna after WWI when the city is barely recovering. The main character is a Princess that loves art and hides her identity to "work" for a sinking opera company (she works, but they don't pay her). There is plenty of beautiful homes and clothes and a snobby English lady... and I am always a sucker for happy endings. :)

The Great and the Terrible, Volume 1. Prologue: The Brothers, by Chris Stewart. I first heard about this book over a year ago,, but I was a little skeptical. I don't always like to read an author's interpretation of a gospel topic. I would rather stick to the scriptures. But when DiAnn and Randy recommended it, how could I go wrong. So far I have only read the first book of the series, but I loved it. The book is about the pre-existence and the war in heaven. It really brings home how horrible it must have been to see our own brother rebel against Heavenly Father and the Savior. So sad. I really enjoyed the way it portrayed pre-earth life. I also loved the characters and can't wait to read the rest of the books. I was going to buy them for myself for Christmas, but I forgot. Don't worry, I still bought plenty of new books. :)

Dragon Slippers, Jessica Day George. Hurray for Utah authors, especially Utah housewife authors. A delightful book about an orphaned girl who's aunt offered her to a dragon hoping that a nobleman would rescue her and marry her and help her struggling relatives. Even though a dragon hadn't been seen for ages, it turns out that there are still dragons and Creel might need to be saved. Or she might end up saving everyone else. Very fun trilogy including Dragon Flight and Dragon Spear. One thing the books brought up nicely was the idiocy of racism, in this case against dragons, and how "hard" it is to let it go for some, shall we say uneducated, souls. Others, on the other hand, like the Prince... easily let go of past prejudices once they learn the truth. So, hey, don't be a dragon hater.

The Earthkeepers, Marilyn Brown. I read this book as a teen and thought I loved it. It reminds me of my mom because apparently we went with her to meet the author, it is signed. So I was anticipating a great read. It is a horrible book! I can't believe I liked it before. It is about the Saints who settled Provo. Pretty much everyone dies, every horrible thing that can happen, happens. Hard, hard times. Very sad book.

Austenland, Shannon Hale. This re-read was a blast. I found the book double the pleasure the second time. It was somehow so much funnier the second time. I am not sure how I missed so much the first time. I want to go to Austenland, with my husband of course.

The Cry of the Crow, Jean Craighead George. By the same author of Julie and the Wolves this was a book right up my ally. A girl has a crow as a pet and the book explores the brilliance of crows and how much they can learn/do. My only complaint is how the book ends. Throughout the entire book the story was building towards the climax then the author zips through the it in one paragraph. A little unsettling.

Yak Butter & Black Tea, A Journey into Forbidden China by Wade Brackenbury. YYYY Our library has monthly themes and the set books out in the front foyer that have something to do with the theme. That is where I found this book. The title and the pictures on the cover called out to me. I generally read more fiction books than nonfiction so I actually read eight books before I finally got to this one. However, this book was wonderful! I wish I were adventurous and climbed mountains and hiked for eight hours a day... but I don't. This Wade guy is from Idaho and lives in Springville, so he was easy to relate to. They hiked into China and Tibet hiding from the authorities. Amazing.

Alphabet of Thorn, Patricia McKillip. YYYY Sorcery, a conquering King, a noble learning to be a mage and an orphan adopted by librarians who works as a translator and scribe; just a few of the characters in Alphabet of Thorn. This is my favorite book of Patricia McKillip that I have read this month. The story kept me captivated and I couldn't see how it was going to end, I like little surprises in books. Another thing I love about her books is the blury line between good and bad people. Her characters make some good choices and some bad choices and it is not always clear what they will choose when its time for a life changing desicion. Sometimes a character I thought was bad made a great choice that helped everything turn out better, and visa versa.

I bought these books for B and wanted to read them first. They are the Wicket Chronicles by Joan Lennon. The first book is Ely Plot. YY The book is probably better for B than for me, hopefully he likes them. The book was fine... it just lacked some spark, like more character development or something. I liked its setting during medieval times on the Fens or marshes. And the main character is a boy who's mother left him at the church before she died of Fen Fever. So, the book really was fine, just fine. Any who, we'll see if B likes it than I can tell more if it is a good book for kids.

Chalice by Robin McKinley. YYY Of course I love Robin McKinley, my favorite books of hers being The Blue Sword and Hero and the Crown, so I like to try and read all of her books. This book was very interesting. It took some effort to understand the world I was in while reading the book, but it was worth it. A girl is put into a very important position and the book is about her struggles against the power hungry and how she stayed true to herself. I loved it. I gave it three hearts because it did require effort to read, I didn't just gobble it up... but it is a fantastic story.

Little Lord Fauntleroy by Francis Hodgson Burnett. YYY I saw this book at the library and thought it would be unwise to leave it unread. Kind of like it was my duty to read it, so I did. Of course I dream of having a child like Little Lord Fauntleroy, always pleasant, kind, thoughtful... never throws fits etc.... but my kids are a little more "real" than that. Number one lesson I took from the book, kindness can change peoples lives. We need more of that right now in our society, just people walking around being kind to each other, even if they are in a hurry, especially if they are in a hurry.

Straw into Gold, Gary D. Schmidt. YYYY This is a Rumplestilskin -ish story. I really gobbled this one up in one day. Good conquers evil, be true to your heritage... you know, that kind of stuff. I keep trying to figure out why I loved it so much, but I am still not sure. I think it really helps when you can read a book all the way through in a short amount of time. And may I say, I am glad I know who my parents are.



Perloo the Bold, Avi. YYY Susan loaned me this book, we both really like Avi and I was excited to read it. It is about a rabbit-like creature and his struggle to step up and get involved. He would rather stay home in his little burrow and read. I can really identify. The ending left me a little flat, I like the idea of how it ended but it wasn't believable as written. Perloo needed to do a little more to really make it work. Once again, kindness and honestly are very important!

I went on a little frenzy reading some of Patricia McKillip's books. They all have the same kind of feel and I do enjoy them...

The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia A McKillip. YYY This book was about magical powers and how they can get out of control even if you are well meaning. I can see myself making a magical mistake (how's that alliteration?)... if I had any powers, so I guess it is better that I'm not very magical.

The Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip. YYY This book was delightful. It had magic, an arranged marriage, a crazy witch, a character who couldn't decide if he was good or evil, an ogre (who is really a mean man but very ogre-ish)a beautiful firebird that everyone followed mindlessly if they heard her sing.... Can you believe how great? It was my favorite of the three.

Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip. YYY Word to the wise, never become the mistress of the prince. This book was set in a city, Ombria, that has another city in the shadows and underground. Interesting and a little creepy. Also contained plenty of magic... and those who use their magic for evil can cause a lot of damage, I'll tell you what.