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.

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.

Ana loaned me three books of which this is the first I read. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. YYY It was published in 1986! I could have missed this forever. What I loved about this book is the happy ending. I hoped for it but was never quite sure if what I wanted to happen would happen. There were subtle little twists and turns, opening doors and you would never know what world you would be stepping into. Great fun! She has written many, many more books. I am going to have to check them out.


Wild Orchid A Retelling of "The Ballad of Mulan" by Cameron Dokey, also on loan from Ana. YYYY I have read many of her books, most of them from the Once Upon a Time series. They have not disappointed. She takes a common tale and puts a twist on it. In this one Mulan's mother died and her father was out fighting for the first thirteen years of her life, she was raised by her nurse. She has a great friend, Li Po, that teaches her all the "boy stuff" he is learning like reading, writing, archery and horseback riding. I loved the book. I am a little chagrined to admit that I could hear the Disney movie music in my head the whole time. What can I say, this is an extremely Disney stage in my life!

May I also remind you that Cameron Dokey did not release a press picture of herself. The only picture I could find of her was when she was in a play once. She is in full costume, sitting at a table with two other characters. Come on Cameron! Let us see who you are.

Brisingr, Eldest and Eragon by Christopher Paolini. The problem with reading a trilogy is that they all get blended in my mind. I can't really think of just one book, they are all one in my brain. I bought Brisingr when it was realeased but it sat on the shelf for months. I was determined to finish the Inkheart books first, which I eventually did.

Finally I started Eragon again, because you know my brain could never remember the whole story for that long. It is a good thing I started over at the beginning. I had even forgotten Brom! Horror of horrors, he is a very important character in the books. I enjoyed all of the books and can't wait for the next one. However, it is obvious that a young man wrote them. To much fighting and over the top descriptions of the fighting, bleh.

I love the toughness of the characters. Eragon fell into his destiny somewhat accidentally, yet he did a great job with what he had. His cousin was strong and determined to fight to protect family and home. The leader of the Varden was a brilliant politician and made difficult choices when she had to. Anywho, I always think about what I want to act like when I am in a predicament, and emergency or if I found a dragon egg. I would like to be like Eragon, Nasuada and the cousin (Ro...what's his name?) and Katrina. I also loved the dwarf. Fun descriptions of the cities. I even tried singing to some trees to see if I could make a little funiture or something. Hasn't worked yet!
Can't wait for the next book!!
It was also fun to hear the kids talking about Mama's dragon books.

Mary Lincoln, Wife and Widow by Carl Sandburg. In honor of Lincoln's 200th birthday I thought I would research his life a little. I started with this short book about his wife. Well, who knew. She was a hard woman to live with! Her mom died and she was raised by a step-mom. Her mom had six children, I believe, and her step mom had nine children! Only a couple died as babies. I can't imagine. So, Mary Todd made it through that, was well educated, enjoyed parties and teas... fell in love with Abraham Lincoln. They got engaged, then he freaked out a little and so she let him off the hook. A few years later they got back together and got married. I guess it was true love. She would throw fits and they got worse with age, screaming, yelling, throwing hot water out of the window and locking her husband out of the house. But, they loved each other dearly.

As first lady she caused a big scandal because it was war time and she spent huge amounts of money on her clothes (at one point she was $27,000 in debt from clothes and her husband didn't know!) and her home. Apparenty she also was determined that her husband would appoint who she wanted to the cabinet, that also caused quite a bit of fighting. Imagine all of the good Abraham Lincoln did and how he changed our country and the world, even with a crazy wife. That gave me a lot of hope for my poor husband. : ) When her husband was killed she couldn't leave bed for five weeks, during that time many people came through and ransacked the Whitehouse. They stole silver and other items, ripped curtains, destroyed funiture etc. Can you imagine? When she finally left the Whitehouse she removed so many boxes that she was also accused of stealing.

She traveled in Europe with her son then brought him home sick. Soon after he died, the third out of her four sons to die. Then she only went downhill, she wouldn't live with her only son Robert yet she wouldn't let him out of her sight. She was sure that everyone wanted to kill her and she told crazy stories of people torturing her. She also begged for money and asked Congress to pay her what they would have paid Lincoln if he would have lived. Anywho, her own son had to get her declared insane. She spent a couple of years in a mental institution then was able to stay with her sister. After being declared competent again... she actually ended her days sitting in a room of only candlelight. All of the windows darkened, no contact with the outside world. She died at the age of sixty-four. Her doctor was certain she had a cerebral disease and said the post-mortem examination comfirmed it.

So, quite a sad story... and I had no idea.

Inkspell, Cornelia Funke. Besides having such a great last name I also enjoy the way she rights. Things don't always work out perfectly... or the way I thought they would, it kept things exciting and the reader, o sea, me, on the edge of my seat. Although, I often read laying down. Anywho, I would never have the guts to be Meggie, tell you what. But she is a fun character... and you need to know that when you go messing around with other people's stories, or even your own, things are bound to twist and turn in unexpected ways. I was also able to read Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke. I loved the whole series... but I am perfectly happy to stay right here in my own story and never introduce non-native species from another world!

Inkheart, Cornelia Funke. I read this book about three years ago, loved it. It was such a new idea to travel in or out of books, loved ones being trapped in the wrong story. It was fun. Months ago I bought Inkspell, the second book in the trilogy; in December I bought Inkdeath, the final book of the trilogy. I had been trying to reread Inkheart since last August. Craziness. Finally I dug in and re-read the book. Enjoyed it the second time as well. I also love the cover art. The only thing that really bothered me about the book was the introduction of non-native species into our world. Sometimes a lizard or a bird would be read into this world from a book. I found the idea very upsetting. You can't just go around introducing non native species into local environments! Other than that, the book was great.

Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen by Sybil Brinton. This book was written in 1913, the first fan-fiction book written as a sequel to all of Jane Austen's novels. Ana sent me this book quite awhile ago, before I read it I wanted to make sure I knew all of the characters well so I read or re-read all of Jane Austen's novels. It was so much fun! Then I read this great sequel that uses the main characters from every book. I saw it laying by my bed and decided that I needed to read it again. It was even more fun the second time, especially since with my memory everything is new to me. : )