Tuesday's QBR

1. Jane Eyre by Charolette Bronte:
Great classic that should be read. It took me two weeks to read it. Not because it was hard and  not enjoyable, but because the font was a size 8, maybe 10. It was small.  If you want to read a full review click here. This was one of my FitG books, so that means another down and more to be whittled away from that list.

2. Whence Came a Prince by Liz Curtis Higgs
I read this for the library at the school. Definitely a book for YA/Adult.
From Goodreads:
Brimming with drama and conflict, heartache and triumph, Whence Came a Prince finds Liz Curtis Higgs in her element—exploring complex characters, creating a colorful Scottish backdrop, and revealing biblical truth through a captivating story. 

With his women and children depending on him, Jamie McKie must face a shameful past and an uncertain future. But he does not face it alone. God’s promise to Jacob—“I will be with you”—shines through Jamie’s journey. Before story’s end, Jamie also wrestles in the night with a power far greater than his and weathers the painful loss of someone very dear to him. In Whence Came a Prince, Jamie’s journey of reconciliation commands the reader’s attention. Yet Leana and Rose both play integral parts in this dramatic conclusion to the saga that began with Thorn in My Heart and continued with Fair Is the Rose. 


My Take:
I've not read the first two books in the series, but definitely would like to. Liz Curtis Higgs takes the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel and turns it into a Scottish epic.  It is really well done..and no wonder why. Check out what else Goodreads has to say:
In Thorn in My Heart Liz turned to Genesis 27-29 for inspiration, and in Fair Is the Rose, to Genesis 30. For Prince's trials and triumphs, she mines the riches of Genesis 31-33 and 35. Whence Came a Prince examines the prodigal Jacob and his long-anticipated homecoming. Liz spent countless hours immersed in the Genesis account of Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel. Ninety commentaries and biblical research texts plus fourteen translations of Scripture provide a solid, biblical underpinning for this epic. 
Basically, she did her homework. Not just the Biblical study, but she also studied about Scottish history and traditions.  Makes me appreciate this book that much more.
Loved the characters in this book.  Their pain was my pain, their joy my joy. When a writer can do that, you know it is a good book.  And now after reading it, I'm challenged to go back and reread Genesis and look at that story in a different POV.

Thursday QBR

Yes, it's the Quick Book Review again this week. I have only finished one book this week. It's the Christmas season and I am trying to catch up on the baking that I missed out on last week with the stomach flu. 
So here it is....Matilda by Roald Dahl.  Matilda, the child genius that every teacher wishes they could have once, has started primary school. But, what to do when the parents don't care and the headmistress thinks Matilda is trouble?  If you want to read more about it click here. This was one of the books on my FitG list.

There is still time to enter the giveaway celebrating Matthea's feeding tube being removed. Click here and comment if you haven't gotten the chance.

4 QBR (Quick Book Reviews)

The first two are from Fill in the Gap. You can read about them by clicking on the title.
1. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
2. The New Kid at School by Kate McMullan

3. The Nina, the Pinta, and the Vanishing Treasure by Jill Santopolo

This was a good mystery for upper elementary students.  The Christopher Columbus exhibit has gone missing from the town museum.  Alex Flint wants to be a super sleuth and this is his chance to crack a case. Alex and his sidekick, Gina, collect clues together to find the missing artifacts.  Will they catch the thief and recover the stolen exhibit in time?







4. Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Isabella Bean is not the popular kid at school. In fact, she is not liked at all.  But, she hears a buzz. It's not an ordinary buzz.  She finds herself falling into a janitor's closet and into another world. The world where fairy tales and witches live.  When she if found, the children there all believe that she is THE witch.  She has to convince them that she isn't and help them locate the real one.
I liked the story quite a bit. I'm not a huge fan of fantasy, but this one got me (which surprised me) I sort of liked the narrative excerpts, where the author talks to the reader. Changed it up a bit, which was interesting.
If you are more interested, check out Marcia's blog site for another book review and giveaway.

WIP: not much, but first book review

OK, I let Wednesday slip by again...but this week I did actually work on my WIP a bit more, not much though. Excuses? You want excuses? (I do because two weeks in a row is not so good...)

1. Hero Games....planning, prepping, and attending. (my blog about it, click here)

2. Visit from two dear friends (Cindy Fox and Libby Stephens) that we haven't seen in four years...living overseas makes you very appreciative of friends "dropping by".

So, there are my reasons....only two, but I believe good ones.

Now, what did I get done?

1. I finally sent "The Contract" to a friend to critique. She returned it and I looked at her comments. Like them, but haven't changed anything yet...due to the above reasons. Thanks Amy for great ideas and thoughts!

2. Edited more on the "Mei Mei" story.

3. And from this blog got the idea to get pictures for my characters for my novel that is untitled. Thanks Lisa!But, again due to the reasons above, I haven't looked for faces yet. I may even do the poster board idea....love it!

So, here is my very first book review....

"Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenkow

I picked this book up at the school library. I'm so thankful that I can get books there as a parent to student/wife to principal. The title really intrigued me and seeing that it was a Newberry Honor book, I definitely wanted to read it.

I have to tell you, I was crying by page 30.

What?!?!?! Yes, you see this book really spoke to me in ways that it may not speak to everyone. I am a mother to a special needs daughter. I also have a son who is just like "Moose". Having this book written as a journal from the POV of Moose was brilliant. She captured the sibling of a special needs child really well. Gennifer Choldenkow is a sibling, herself, to a special needs sister. So, she really understands and got the message across. I loved this book...if you can't tell. Not just because of the special needs aspect, but having the setting on Alcatraz Island with Al Capone was very unique. I believe I learned a bit about that time era and finished the book wanting to explore that prison and era more.

If I ever get to SF, I'm going to take the tour...

WIP out the door...

OK, this was not a good week for me in the writing sense. I got nothing accomplished....I'm not even sure I opened any files to look at short stories or novels...*sigh*

The only big thing I did was start my Fill in the Gap booklist. This was fun as I need to make a list of 100 books I want to read in the next five years. (Thanks Amy for encouraging me to do this!) I'm not very far in the list, but started to read one of the books already...so yeah for that, I guess.

But, I did think about twists and plots a bit to the novel I've not started. I really need to do a character sketch to get in the mind of this American middle school football player...so that is my "homework" for this week.

Another cool thing happened though...tonight while at our Bible Study on "Esther" by Beth Moore, I thought of another novel...I need to hash out the idea a bit more in my brain to see if it could work. But, it was really exciting to me to get this fun YA novel idea.

Off to read a bit more before I head to bed...btw, I'm reading "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko