Actor and the Housewife, Shannon Hale. YYYY So, lucky me, I have a great friend in California who called to tell me that Shannon Hale was going to do a reading in SLC... and I was able to go! Thanks Ana!!! I have read all of Shannon Hale's books and absolutely love all of them: Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, Princess Academy, Book of a Thousand Days, Rapunzel's Revenge, Austenland and now Actor and the Housewife.
This last book was very fun. The dialogue is so witty I often laughed right out loud. It is about a Utah Mormon housewife who makes friends with a hot Hollywood actor. They are both married and the book looks at all of the issues involved when a woman has a man friend.

I included the two different covers because I thought they were interesting. Mine is the brown hair one above. Why do you think they made one sans hair color? And where do you think they are marketing them? Also, the woman without hair showing is a little sexier, tighter shirt, shorter sleeves, brighter lipstick, maybe even better endowed. Hmmmm... Do you think they are selling the brown hair one only in Utah? Interesting...

Coraline, Neil Gaiman. YY This is the last of Ana's books she loaned me to read. I finally got through it after starting it three different times. I am such a wimp, the book was a little spooky for me... Just something about "other mothers" that freak me out, especially ones with button eyes! So, yes, you must read it... and I'm glad I did, but I didn't love it. Won't be seeing the movie anytime soon. By the by, yes, I know it is a "kid's" book, but I was still "creeped out."

The Lost Prince, Francis Hodgson Burnett. YY I liked this book, but is was just so wordy. From the title you can see that it is about a lost prince of Samavia. I loved the main character Marco and his qualities. He was very regal even though he was poor and never knew a home because they moved around so much. I have been trying to act a little more like him. The book mentions many times that he could hold still while he was waiting or listening without nervous twitching or wiggling. I'm sure that helped me during the interview I just had. : ) I only gave it two hearts because even though I loved the story it felt like a chore to read all the way to the end. I already "knew" what was going to happen and it felt like it took me ages to get to the end. Another important character, The Rat, also freaked me out a little... just a little too wierd.

Eva Ibbotson! I love this author. Just look at her picture, isn't it fascinating? (Her hair, the typewriter, pictures on the mantle, all of the books in the background, the telephone... love it.) Here is an interesting article from 2004 about her Jewish heritage and the Second World War. She said her grandmother's ancestors were "rearranged" so she could live out the war in Vienna. http://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/2004%20archive/090904/r090904_6.htm

Eva Ibbotson is now 84 years old. Out of all of her books I have only read Which Witch (which I really didn't like), A Company of Swans, A Countess Below Stairs and

Journey to the River Sea YYYY This last book I absolutely loved. Our heroine is an orphan, she ends up in a horrible situation yet remains "good." I like to imagine that I would hold up like that, but... This book is also fun because of the importance of naturalists in the story and all of the amazing plants and animals. FYI: Wikipedia said that Eva Ibbotson's husband was a naturalist (que en paz descansa). A must read.

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean. Y I give it one out of five hearts. I checked it out because of its cover, spectacular, but the book....When I am going to learn, you can't judge a book by its cover. The book is based on the ballad "Tam Lin" which I am very interested in studying, alas, I didn't even read it at the end of the book because I ran out of time before the book was due. The story starts out at the beginning of a girl's freshman year in college. She is going to major in English and thinks a little about a double major with Classics. What to do? (I personally didn't really care... and Biology majors were mocked! Horror of horrors.) The author is a lover of English literature and mentioned and quoted extensively, Shakespeare, Keats, Pope... If you are a lover of English literature, this is the book for you.

I was certain something would happen in the book, sometime... and it did. In like the last chapter. The book is set on a college campus in the early 70's, bleh, and I can't believe I made it all the way through! (I wouldn't recommend it.)

Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen. YYYY This book was adorable. May I loved it so much because Tam Lin was so worldly-icky. This book was a breath of fresh air. After reading just a few pages I thought that it had to have been written long ago, it was first published in 1956 I believe. The whole book just has a pure, wholesome tone. It is about a family who moves to their great-grandmas old cabin after their dad is released from a prison camp after the war. They are all hoping for a miracle that the outdoors will help bring their dad "back." They have great neighbors and spend time out of doors... it made me yearn for a small town. So, I have decided that I must act like I live in a small town. I am determined to be a better neighbor.

One part that is so cute... there is a hermit who lives alone with his goats, and when he hears that they have decided to stay for the winter he gives them two goats and eight chickens that he really needed them to take home right then because he had too many. The story is heart warming. Loved it. : )

Penelope Bailey Takes the Stage by Susanna Reich. YYY The story of a girl who dreams of being an actress, but her aunt thinks it is not appropriate to "act" in front of strangers. It was a fun, fast read. Penelope stays true to her dream and remains a nice girl despite her difficult circumstances. It made me want to be nice to my kids and try not to judge them too much. This author has a number of other books I can't wait to check out.


The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull. YYYY Susan introduced me to this book. Thank you Susan. I am always amazed by authors who come up with new ideas. In this book a group of kids fall in with some dangerous magicians who use candy to give the kids super powers. The kids have to be careful not to be outsmarted by the adults trying to use them as pawns. Good luck kids! While I was reading I couldn't wait to see how it turned out!


A House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff. YYYYY I really loved this book! My favorite was the note by the author at the end of the book that this book was based on her great-grandmother Dina from Germany. As a young girl she was a bit of a spitfire, getting herself into many a scrape. She works hard as a seamstress, even though she hates sewing, she must help make a living to keep food on the table. It is a fantastic look at immigration, early US history, family and determination. Loved it!

Chief Joseph!

The Saga of Chief Joseph by Helen Addison Howard. YYY In case you didn't already know, I LOVE Chief Joseph! Even as a child I loved him. We had this portrait of him hanging in our home and as a young girl I remember looking at him and thinking he was my friend... ever since I have had a special kinship with him. So, I decided it was time to learn more about his life. This book seemed promising, but it only talked about the treaties and battles and his later years. I am glad I read it. Written in the 1950's the racism was a little challenging. This woman respected Chief Joseph and had spent years researching, however, she still called him a red man... annoying. A couple of things she mentioned will give you an idea of what I am talking about.

The Nez Perce as a tribe were peace loving, good people. She talks a lot about how important being charitable was in their tribe and how much they helped each others and strangers and how they recognized all they had was from the Great Spirit. Then she attributes all of this to the fact that Methodist missionaries had passed through teaching them. Like it was impossible to be a good Christian before the white missionaries came to teach them. Racist.

Oh... and when Lewis and Clark spent some time with their band, they asked them if they had brought "the book" with the "spirit law." They were waiting for men to bring "the book." They even sent three warriors back east searching for "the book" with the "spirit law." Sadly, all three men died before they made the trip back home. I say, give them the scriptures already! Obviously they had received revelation that the scriptures were coming.

Another time she explains that during the numerous treaty talks Alokut, Chief Joseph's brother, had drawn a map of their country, where the tribe had lived as long as they could remember. It included all of the rivers, mountains, valleys... all landmarks. She was amazed that "an uneducated redman" could draw such an accurate map. The army tried to take it from him and keep it, but Alokut refused to give it up and he took it home with him.

The history is tragic. In 1855 a treat was signed with the Nez Perce to give them a reservation including the homeland of most of the bands... over 10,000 square miles. The government also promised to set up schools and a saw mill etc. It was signed by the leaders of the different bands of the Nez Perce. Then in 1863 they drew up a new treaty, completely ignoring the previous treaty, a reservation of about 500 square miles that left out the homeland of Chief Joseph's band and many others. It was signed only by the leader of the northern most band, where the 500 square miles were. Using this treaty they forced Chief Joseph's people from their homes. They gave them 30 days to move all of their homes and stock up to the reservation. Even though it was spring and the run-off made the rivers way too dangerous, they set out. They lost most of their stock trying to cross the river! That same night Chief Joseph's wife gave birth... and three warriors from another band of Nez Perce got drunk and went on a killing spree.

Chief Joseph knew no one would believe he hadn't been involved so they started their run north. I won't share every detail... but it is tragic. Once the army caught up with and attacked the camp and killed men, women and children. When Chief Joseph finally surrendered he had 12 bullet holes in the blanket/poncho he wore. Also, at the time of his surrender, Looking Glass, the chief of the band who had started all of the problems, escaped with many of his people into Canada. Not fair.

OK... really, I am stopping. But may I just say, I still love Chief Joseph.