Top of the Mornin' to You!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

I'll put this green badge on my page today so that you can't pinch me. (Although the cover art for The Lumby Lines is green so, really, I'm already covered!)


Abi kindly awarded me with the The Prolific Blogger Award. I was tempted to be insulted (Abi!? Are you saying I TALK TOO MUCH?!!? ;D but then I read the description:

"A Prolific Blogger is one who is intellectually productive… keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content."

So, THANK YOU Abi! At least I know that one person finds the content of this site enjoyable. ;D

The rules are as follows:

1. Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love!

2. Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award.

(Check out Abi's blog - 4 the Love of Books!)

3. Every Prolific Blogger must link back to THIS POST, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.

4. Every Prolific Blogger must visit the Mr. Linky page and add his/her name, so that we all can get to know the other winners.

As for the seven blogs I will nominate for the award:

Janet from Across the Page
Amy from Hope is in the Word
Jennifer from Snapshot
Melissa from Breath of Life
Dawn from My Thoughts Exactly
Lisa from Lisa Writes . . .
Barbara H. from Stray Thoughts

Thanks again, Abi!

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In other news....

Tim Challies wrote up a post on How to Review a Book today. I found this topic strangely interesting. I don't know why...

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Janet, from Across the Page wrote up an article/post called Boundaries with Technology. I agreed with all of it and I'm thinking through her extremely valid points! She rather agrees with my "Facebook is a ridiculous farce" opinion so naturally I'm going to link you to her post so you can disagree with her if you like. But really, you should read it.

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LOOK! Here's some shameless plugging for Reading My Library! Our family went and took pictures at our local library this past weekend. Still plugging along at reading through the children's picture books at the library (into the Br's now) and invite you to join THAT journey by clicking HERE.



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Our Offering Hospitality blog is off and rolling along. My friend, Crista, joined us as a team member and wrote up a post today entitled The Dishes and Me which is pretty cute (and also thought-provoking.)

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Last, but not least, my friend Cacey put together a pirate-themed birthday party for her little boy. I'm seriously impressed with her attention to detail! You've got to check out her post on that. And while you are there, check out her Tastefully Simple products which truly are both tasteful and simple to obtain. =) I just ordered more of the beer bread which I think is fitting for St. Patrick's Day, don't you? SO DELICIOUS! Look at it! It's just so pretty!



I'm not kidding when I tell you that this bread turns out perfectly every. single. time! (Except the one time when I turned off the oven timer and forgot to take the bread out for an additional 15 or so minutes. It wasn't perfect then. But every other time - it is!)

And with that - I will stop my prolific fingers from typing!

However you are choosing to spend your St. Patrick's Day - I hope you are having fun with it!

OH WAIT! I can't just leave you like that! I feel I should leave you in SONG - a way to express my feelings for the day! Here you go!



Bookworm2 and I clap and sing in your general direction. (You'd probably prefer that we didn't sing to you, actually...)

One more (because Bookworm2 loves to be held while dancing around, apparently!)

The Lumby Lines

The Lumby Lines caught my attention as being advertised as something of a Mitford, set in the Northwest. Well, sign me up for that! I was intrigued by the premise.

The basic story line is this: Mark and Pam Walker, come from the East Coast to live in the town of Lumby. There they purchase the Montis Abbey, which once housed an order of monks. The Abbey was rundown and partially destroyed by a fire, but the Walkers have grand plans of restoring it to it's former glory and reopening it as an Inn.

As it is with many small towns, they are suspicious of new people - especially those who waltz in out of nowhere to "throw around money." The people of Lumby aren't exactly friendly. In fact, the only thing that seems to really be open to considering the Walkers as part of the town is Hank, a flamingo statute who resides on the Abbey property and is a full fledged character in his own right!

Of course, you can expect just about anything weird in Lumby. The town mayor is actually a goat! The best entertainment in the town is found in the Sheriff's Complaints which give a rundown of phoned in "catastrophes" noted down by the local law enforcement.

Although this book is advertised as being like Mitford, and I can certainly get that same vibe simply from looking at the cover art, I think it's a bit more busy. I didn't get a calm and peaceful feel while reading it, like I do when I feel like I'm relaxing into Mitford. There seems to be a great deal more activity taking place in the town, even though it's small. While Mitford life seems to just roll along, life in Lumby is so full of work (from restoring the Abbey to building rafts, a few trouble making teens, etc.) that I can't totally relax. I can enjoy, yes. But I cannot relax. Plus, you should be forewarned that there is some foul language scattered hither thither and yon. It's not Mitford! It's Lumby.

That said, I also found the series curiously interesting. This first title in the series, The Lumby Lines, was originally released in 2007. It has since been followed up by four additional titles in the series: Stealing Lumby, Lumby's Bounty, and The Promise of Lumby. The fifth title is due out on July 6th of this year (2010) and is entitled Lumby on the Air.

I really liked the flavor that the monks of the former Montis Abbey bring to the book. To me, they are the group of people who wooed me into this town and made me want to get to know the people. Author Gail Fraser writes well and causes you to really care for the monk's history, as well as their promising future in a modern day society. I also really liked the concept of purchasing an old Abbey and restoring it into a bed and breakfast of sorts. It feels quaint. Yet at the same time, it is a curious blend of history and modernity which really makes this series stand out in a rather unique way.

I hadn't heard of the Lumby books until recently, but its been fun familiarizing myself with this series. To learn more, visit Lumby Books.

Oceans (& a giveaway)

Welcome again to another Kids' Picks carnival over at 5 Minutes for Books. Last month we talked about ocean animals and, guess what?! This month we're going to do the exact same thing because why!? Repeat after me: We Love Sea Creatures. Oh yes, we do. They are "our" focus right now.

Imagine the surprise and complete delight on Bookworm1's face when the following book arrived in the mail, courtesy of Silver Dolphin books:



Oceans is labeled as being "The Ultimate Guide to Marine Life" and it certainly holds up the claim (especially if you are three and have devoted your entire life to the study of marine life.) Although my three year old is making the most out of this book right now, this is a book we can grow with, being designed with older kids in mind. I would say that this book is probably "best" for ages 6-12 but, like I said, my son is three and we like it just fine!

This book is hardback but spiral bound which I find an absolutely fantastic combination. (I love books like this!) Immediately upon opening the book you discover two wall posters (folded up and protected inside plastic zip pouches) depicting Life on a Coral Reef and relating to ocean depths. The "Ocean Depths" poster indicates various layers of the ocean and which sea creatures you might find on what level. Sharks, sting rays, whales, dragon fish, a lantern fish, etc., etc. you get the idea!

The rest of Oceans is laid out like a set of files in a filing cabinet, but thanks to the spiral bound book, you can easily navigate through the files which are labeled as follows:

* Animal Profiles (with see-through pages to help the young learner understanding anatomy of various things like hermit crabs and lemon sharks.)

* Oceans of the World (elf explanatory.)

* Invertebrates (with discussions of things like jellyfish, sponges and mollusks - not to mention - and indeed we must not forget!- an octopus.)

* Fish

* Reptiles and Birds

* Sea Mammals (whales, of course!)

* Human Impact (with discussions involving oil spills, ocean power, sea levels, etc.)

This book does a tremendous job providing basic information on a large variety of sea creatures and ocean concerns. The photographs used in this book are crisp, clear and delightful to look at. In fact, we have enjoyed looking at this book for hours on end, learning new things about the ocean that we didn't know before. I love the layout of this book. It feels very organized and straight forward, allowing you to focus on particular sections of ocean life instead of having it all thrown together in a big mess for you to sort out. "Amazing Facts" are scattered throughout the book on coral reefs to penguins alike. Oceans receives four thumbs up from us (2 thumbs per person) and we're happy to recommend it to you.

Furthermore, we're happy to giveaway not just one but TWO copies to two individuals. Would you like to win? Simply leave a comment below! This contest is open to U.S. Residents only and will be open through Tuesday, March 23nd.

Thank you, Silver Dolphin Books, for your tremendous generosity!

Her Mother's Hope, by Francine Rivers

I told you that you gals got me hooked on Francine Rivers. Sooo....I saw that she had this new novel coming out and instead of being one of the last to read one of Rivers' novels, it might be kinda cool to be one of the first. I have to say "one of" the first because my cohort, Lisa, from 5 Minutes for Books received her copy in the mail the same day as myself. Let me tell you folks, the competition between us was fierce as to who would finish it first!

The e-mails began kindly enough. "I got it. I've started reading it. How 'bout you?" "Chapter 13." "Oh yeah? Chapter 14!" It went downhill from there with somebody saying something nasty like, "Eat my dust, sister!" and someone else making false proclamations as to what to expect as the other read along. But you know what? We both got through it and we're still friends. Maybe even better friends! (So long as she didn't fulfill her threat about eating Chick fil A in my face or anything.)

I really don't think that behavior fitting of Christian readers and sisters-in-Christ. Then again, she was very rude and deserved everything I typed. Heh heh. (We only drew our managing editor, Jennifer, into the fray once or twice so I think we were good big girls and managed our difficulties well.) All that to say, if you want to see what Lisa has to say about this book, then you can go over to 5 Minutes for Books and find out.

As for what I thought of it, I thought it was poignant, engaging and frustrating beyond belief.

I'll give you a quick run down of the story, and then I'll tell you what I mean when I used the above three words.

Upon opening the book we meet Marta Schneider who lives in Switzerland with an abusive father and a sickly mother in a dysfunctional home. Her life is rough and her father has low expectations for his eldest daughter. Marta gets the short end of the stick time and time again until she eventually has enough of her home situation and goes off in pursuit of a personal dream to own an Inn. She travels in Europe until she eventually lands in California, married, and with children of her own. One of Marta's greatest fears is that her own daughter, Hildemara, will end up "spineless" and unable to face the challenges of life and so, despite her own growing up experiences under the hand of an abusive father, Marta seems to be repeating a bit of history by being emotionally abusive to her daughter.

The focus of Her Mother's Hope is on the sin cycle that was "begun" by Marta's father and passed down to his granddaughter. It is a story of regret, heartache, and the painful wounding of family members. What is interesting about this book is that it is an exploration by Rivers of her own family history. She wrote this book while exploring her own grandmother's history and relationship with and to Francine's mother. This series is Rivers' way of understanding and relating to two strong willed females in her own family and therefore it is believably written - because it is truth.

Now, when I say the book was poignant, I mean that the emotions that the characters felt were so moving that I instantly cared about them (and simultaneously wanted to lecture them endlessly!) The way that the characters in this book treat each other sometimes is quite awful. But then, the way we treat each other in real life is also equally frightening at times.

When I say the book is engaging, I mean that it is written Rivers' style (i.e., very well). There is not a single passage of the book, that I can think of, that jars the reader out of the story. It flows brilliantly from chapter to chapter, scene to scene. (The prodding and competition with Lisa didn't hurt much either.)

When I say the book was frustrating, I mean that the characters are wrestling through some serious issues. We have people who are dysfunctional because of the emotional abuse that has been suffered and is being suffered by poor word choices. You just want to talk some sense into Marta! She is unbelievably harsh with her daughter, Hildemara and you can see her driving the wedge between them and it's painful to watch. Furthermore, the book rather ends on a cliffhanger so we have to wait until later this year to find out what is going to happen between mother and daughter. Her Mother's Hope is the first in a two book series about Marta. The second book, Her Daughter's Dream is due out in the fall (2010).

How will you know if you will like this book?

1. You read it alongside a friend and both of you are working your way through it as fast as possible, each wondering what the other is thinking of it as you go along.

2. You like Fracine Rivers' books as a general rule.

3. You like well-written Christian fiction.

4. You like the World War II time period.

5. You like coming of age stories.

6. You like Fracine Rivers.

7. You like me. (I just thought I'd throw that one in there for kicks!)

This book is a hard book to read because of the frustrated relationships. However, as I've mentioned a time or two, Rivers' writes very well and so you'll be sucked into the story, regardless of whether or not you'd typically prefer the subject matter. Francine Rivers is just a compelling author who has written an amazing story about family.

If you think you'd like to win a copy, visit 5 Minutes for Books. Lisa has a copy to give away over there. But I didn't want to tell you that until you'd made it to the end of my review. Thank you for sticking with me. You may go now. Just be sure to tell Lisa I sent you and that you were here first!

Monday, Monday

I saw this over on Barbara H's blog and had to try it.

You Are Mystery

You are a natural problem solver. You like figuring out the best way to do something. You are very intuitive. You are good at picking up on people's moods and predicting the future. You can't help but being a bit of a detective and a snoop. You always want to know what's going on. And while you may have the scoop on everyone you know, you're not a gossip. You're a pro at keeping secrets.

What Kind of Book Are You?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

I suppose that's in good keeping with the Children's Mystery Reading Challenge.

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Do you want to find out which L.M. Montgomery character you are (from the limited choices the quiz has available?!) Well, I did and I'm not at all disappointed with the result:

Which L. M. Montgomery character are you? Your Result: Sarah Stanley Enjoying the fine art of storytelling, you enthrall your friends and acquaintances with the power of your imagination and your wonderful appreciation of the world around you.
Marilla Cuthbert
Anne Shirley
Victoria Stuart
Emily Starr
Which L. M. Montgomery character are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I think a handful of people would agree with these results but those would be the ones who would know best. =D haha!

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I also took a quiz to discover my Reading Personality.

I am a SERIAL READER:

You may read a lot or a little, but either way you're a publisher's dream, because once you discover a favorite writer you stick with him/her through thick and thin and eagerly await the next in the series; but even you need to discover some new blood from time to time!

You can find out your reading personality HERE.

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And lastly, some quotes:

That is a good book which is opened with
expectation and closed in profit.
~ Amos Bronson Alcott ~

Here's one I've heard a few times and am just beginning to understand:

Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man,
and writing an exact man.
~ Francis Bacon ~

The failure to read good books both enfeebles the vision
and strengthens our most fatal tendency--
the belief that the here and now is all there is.
~ Allan Bloom ~

Friday Favs

Last week was kind of a hard one but this one, even though we were all sick with colds, was a breeze! So many little joyful moments in our household. Peace is a lovely thing and I've learned to be grateful for it! Time to just BE. So here are five things that I've enjoyed this week. First I've listed the thing I'm grateful with and the song that I think most suits the point (because we're big on music around here:)

1. Another night out with two "girlfriends" of mine. Someone else made the meal (hurray!) and I tried something new (which was yummy.) Then I came home and swapped out with Jonathan who also had a chance to break away and do something he really enjoyed.

To my dinner friends:



2. I'm happy about seasons of change! I appreciate friendships that can breathe, stuff that comes and stuff that goes. If life was always the same all the time, day after day, we would all grow bored and weary and would not have the opportunity to mature and grow. The 'seasons' that we go through in life highlight faith and show its weaknesses and its strengths. I'm thankful for seasons in which God graciously changes me (even though it's sometimes painful.)



"I will offer thanks for what has been and what's to come..."

3. The beauty of the outdoors! I'm grateful for a reminder that this world is full of beauty (/things that reflect God's beauty!) The more we work in our yard, the more excited I am by things that reflect beauty. Green and blue cathedrals.



4. Anticipation! Or, if you will, dreams! And the adventures they take you on! (And exclamation points!)

"I know. I can't help flying up on the wings of anticipation. It's as glorious as soaring through a sunset... almost pays for the thud."

(Do you know who said that? Only the most glorious of Montgomery's literary creations! ;)

That's definitely how I feel. I love dreaming and anticipating what's coming.



5. The future. Tomorrow is the third anniversary of the day that significantly changed our lives. It was the first day that death touched us as a couple and it rocked our world. Since that time, death has visited us a few times, just to keep it fresh in our memories. But even through it all, we've learned that God is faithful, faithful, faithful. He has always known our story- how it would play out and how it will end. So I'm excited to see what He has in mind for our future - whatever it might look like. (It's that whole anticipation thing again.)



Grateful that My Redeemer is Faithful and True,

Carrie

Leaders Who Last

I admit that when I first cracked open Leaders Who Last, I wasn't sure if I was reading a book that was meant for me. I pressed on though and, in the end, I was glad I did.

This book is written by Dave Kraft, who is a "leadership development" pastor at Mars Hill in Seattle (serving alongside Mark Driscoll). I had not heard of Kraft until reading this book and from what I read, I took away that he has a lot of life under his belt, having served in the ministry for over forty years. At this time, he enjoys spending his time mentoring leaders and shaping hearts and minds to be in a position to lead and to lead well. I like this man's purpose! I do!

As he points out in the title of the book, only 30% of leaders last. It's hard to be a leader and it's hard to finish the race well. Hence, Kraft feels called to minister to those who feel called by God into ministry. He says he won't spend time with people who just feel like leading or who are not hungry to learn more of who God is. Kraft wants to invest his time wisely and that is something I can very much appreciate!

Although there are certainly ways in which we are all leaders (of children, in our communities, etc) this book is written specifically to ministers of the Gospel. That's not to say that the "common man" cannot stand to learn a thing or two from the book. However, Kraft is writing to and for a specific kind of leader.

At first, in my Know-it-All-ness, I thought the book read as some kind of basic advice. But as I read further into the book, I realized that some of what he might be saying may sound simple on its face, it really isn't. For anyone who has suffered the loss of a leader because said leader did not follow the principles and truths Kraft presents in this book, you'll know that as "simplistic" as Kraft's words might be, they could stand some repeating. Sometimes it's the simple things that trip our leaders up.

As it turns out, I walked away from this book with plenty to think about. Instead of sharing, in detail, my own personal applications I would say this to you about the book: Everyone should read it! (Everyone, that is, who is part of a church fellowship or is considering involvement.)

Why should you read it? NOT so that you can nitpick your spiritual authority/pastor. If you are reading this so that you can turn around and critique your pastor and his method of leadership, you, my friend, are reading this book for the wrong reasons. Rather, you should read this book to learn how to pray for your pastor and minister to him. See, it's not just the pastor who is called to minister. You are too. The way that you treat your pastor does indeed matter. Therefore, so does this book. One of the most impacting paragraphs in the book, for me, was as follows:

"As a leader, I desperately need something that doesn't appear on any organization chart: the inclusion of resourceful people in my life. These are people who are coaches and encouragers. These are individuals who inspire me, lift me up, hold me accountable, motivate me, believe in me, confront me, and love me. Author John Gardner notes, "The leader needs a circle of associates who are willing to be supportive and critical. Pity the leader who is caught between unloving critics and uncritical lovers." (Page 133)

What the above paragraph is NOT saying:

1. People in the church, sitting under the pastor, should be quick to speak their minds.
2. People in the church should be quick to "coach" (oh, I can just see where THAT one is going!)
3. People in the church should be quick to confront their pastor over anything that they personally deem to be worthy of confrontation.

It is telling the pastor/leader that they should purpose to build a solid set of friendships to help keep them accountable.

What we, the congregants, should realize:

1. That everyone is given a gift and are called to use it for the glory of God. We are all part of a body. What is the use of a head without hands, arms, toes and, yes, even the bellybuttons attached to it? We need to know what our gifts are, and stand ready to use them when opportunities present themselves.

2. We need to realize that some friendships are beneficial for pastors to have. We just have to get this point, people! Some friendships are more beneficial than others for a pastor to have. See, everyone wants to be friends with the "popular guy" right? Resentments can grow if you see that your pastor is "better friends" with so-and-so. You can easily start to feel left out if you let yourself go there. Don't. Your pastor needs friends like you need friends - to love him and to hold himself accountable to. Who he is friends with is between him and God. So we should be praying that our pastor makes the right kinds of friends, instead of bickering over who they are, or allowing ourselves to feel hurt because they aren't the ones we might have chosen for him.

3. Those who prove themselves trustworthy will be noticed as having critique worth listening to. Do you have a strong opinion about some aspect of your church that isn't going the way you would like it to go? Are you even involved, or are you just sitting on the sidelines, complaining about something that you don't want to work for? If you care, get off the pew. The last thing the church needs is another pew warmer. Got a problem? Find a way to minister and to serve and work towards solving the problem. Once you are working towards it (in a respectful and profitable way, mind you!) you might find that the problem wasn't as big as you thought. Or, maybe you will be changed in the process of serving.

Those of us in the pews have a lot to learn. Perhaps if we learned how to serve and love our leaders, more of them would make it to the finish line. The problem sometimes starts in the pew, folks.

Books like Leaders Who Last are good for all of us. They are good for the pastors who need encouragement and mentorship from someone who has "been there." Then, books like Leaders Who Last help to open the eyes of those who sit in the pew. Do you want your leader to last? In some respects, it starts with you.

Not a Sparrow Falls, by Linda Nichols

Nothing has changed. I am still a tremendously huge fan of Linda Nichols and I was perfectly delighted (no need to twist my arm!) to read her newest novel, Not a Sparrow Falls. Not only was I delighted - I pretty much begged to do it because I've thoroughly enjoyed every book by Nichols that I have yet to pick up. (The last book I read of hers was At the Scent of Water - click on the title to see my review - which I also thought was awesome.)

As I mentioned before, Nichols is a predictable writer. Her style remains virtually the same in every book that she writes. However, it is her method of story-telling that draws me in time and time again. I love that she weaves the history of her characters into her works. You get to know them in the present tense and she always slowly unfolds their past to give you a better perspective on their individual life situations. Not a Sparrow Falls is no different than the rest. It is predictably engaging, enthralling and a joy to read. I snapped this book shut with a happy sigh.

In this new story by Nichols, we meet Mary Bridget Washburn who is on the run from a rather sordid past that she created for herself. The main themes in this book are: broken families, drugs, and the Presbyterian church. (The drugs and the church do not relate to one another, should you be wondering!) Although the first two themes mentioned could be dreadfully depressing, Nichols does not make them so. She makes them very real and easy to identify with, but hope is weaved through every life and every chapter and you find yourself rooting for the characters you come to love and care about.

Forgiveness is also a heavy theme of this book. The best quote, I'd have to say, from this entire story is the following:

"You cannot out sin the cross."

Amen to that! There is a truth that is worth spending a little time thinking about.

Mary is in hiding and takes on a new name and identity to shield her from her past. She takes a job as a nanny in the home of a Presbyterian minister who has lost his wife and is struggling to survive in ministry and with his family of three children. You can go ahead and make some guesses as to how the story plays out and you likely wouldn't be wrong. As I said - Nichols is really predictable. BUT! How is it all going to come together? Ah! That is the question and the adventure is worth the time if you'll consider going on this little journey.

I do not know what ride Nichols intends to take her readers on next, but I intend to follow along after her, devouring whatever her pen puts down on paper. I'm thoroughly entertained, charmed and strangely comforted by her works and Not a Sparrow Falls is no exception to that. If you haven't given Nichols a chance yet - now is just as good a time as any!

Anne vs. Emily and other things we can have fun arguing about !

If you feel a groan about to come forth, just say to yourself, "She could be talking about religion or politics!" Then smile and relax...

VS

Ok, let me say this first - I've read every single book that Montgomery has written (excepting the Blythes are Quoted which is now sitting on my bookshelf!) Ok? I liked them all. In fact, there hasn't been one that I didn't like. Some are definitely better than others and naturally I have a preference. But people. Emily and Anne?


Shocking statement coming . . . avert your eyes if you must!

Anne and Emily were penned by the same person!

Read that last sentence again. I noticed during the Montgomery Challenge that Emily fans are really big into the fact that they are Emily Fans. Do not let them be confused as anything else! Oh no!

There are certainly things worth arguing about in life. But arguing over who is better - Anne or Emily? Are we really doing this? (I don't think Anne would approve. Just sayin'...)

You might remember that I reviewed the Emily of New Moon television series (well, the half of the first season which I managed to make it through) over at 5 Minutes for Books. As it sometimes happens, people find old posts and suddenly everyone and their neighbor start commenting on something that you said awhile back and have likely forgotten about. (I get lets of "nice" comments on my review of The Shack around here as well. It's kinda fun!)

(Come on! You've gotta admit that the expression on Emily's face here is just...a bit much, don'tcha think? ;)

The comments Emily-or-Death fans write up admittedly make me laugh. I find them to be positively hysterical (I say this all in good fun, you have to realize) and this is how it's making me want to characterize various Montgomery fans.

I would characterize them as follows:

If you like Anne you:

* Think the world is a beautiful place in which to live.
* Everything is magical.
* You have no brain. . .
* Because everything is just magical and so you need to put any real thought aside to fully accept the magic that is life.

If you like Emily you:

* Are realistic and have a good head on your shoulders.
* Meet life boldly and fiercely.
* Are reliable as a human being. . ,
* Because you have a good, realistic head on your shoulders.

The argument sounds like an endless stream of talk from Charlie Brown's teacher to me:

*Wahwahwahwahwahwahwahwahwah*

For the record, it is realized that Montgomery put herself into everything that she wrote, right? When you write - anything at all! - parts of you show up. Truths about yourself and the way that you think are revealed. (Side note: that's why we should be discerning about what and who we read. No one is neutral. Everyone has a worldview and, oh, it will come out!) You can't write and hide yourself and if you can, then I think you are one horribly scary individual (and I don't mean that in a good way.) So Lucy Maud Montgomery is in Anne. And yes, Lucy Maud Montgomery is in Emily.

I should probably put way more thought into this post but then I wonder why I'm even typing it up at all. It's almost giving in to the banter to hit "publish."

But I started smiling which turned into a snicker and now....well, here I am!

(P.S. It's ok to have a preference in Montgomery characters around here. And for the record, I don't demand that you like Anne as I do. So chalk this up to Anne fans being more tolerable than Emily ones or something. Just be polite. Like Anne learned to be. *elbow jabbing and snicker, snicker*)

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For more controversial topics (Hey! Who knows?) see my post about the Faith-Based Berenstain Bears which just went up over at 5 Minutes for Books:

Hmmm... 'though I suspect that is more of a religious topic and so maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it.

:D

Cherry Ames, Books 19 and 20

Cherry Ames is on the case again, and per usual, the mystery is wrapped up in the medical field. In Cherry Ames, The Mystery in the Doctor's Office Cherry has just taken a job at a doctor's office in New York. There are three doctors in this general practitioner's office, a lab tech, and an office administrator named Irene Wick. Cherry is replacing a nurse who left under mysterious circumstances that no one is willing to tell her about. She's curious to know why but her professional attitude will only allow her to ask so many questions at one time.

Making friends with the younger doctor in the firm, Dr. Gray (who is naturally young, handsome and interested in Cherry), Cherry begins to question some of the practices regarding patient payments which are being made. Her curiosity (and desire for a well-run, professional office!) causes her to start questioning the way that Mrs. Wick handles funds and keeps track of the doctors' accounting records. Is there something fishy going on? Well. Yes. It is The Mystery in The Doctor's Office after all!

This isn't my favorite of the Cherry Ames books because I think Cherry comes across as being more stuffy than kindly concerned about others. That said, it did provide a pretty strong mystery and I was entertained throughout the book. It's the next to the last book in the series and aptly titled, in my opinion.

As is to be expected from the Cherry Ames books, the job at the doctor's office is going to come to an end because Cherry has new adventures waiting for her in other locations.

The next place we find Cherry is on the ski slopes in Switzerland. She is now (dun dun duuuuUUUNnnn!!!) Cherry Ames, Ski Nurse. (Do you like how I got that link in there? Crafy, eh?) Cherry has accepted a job on the ski slopes and is helping a doctor tend to broken bones suffered by people who don't know how to ski. This book probably contains the best mystery of the series, in terms of my lack of ability to figure out what certain mysterious characters are up to. On the flip side, this is also the most poorly written of the Cherry Ames books. I'm not sure why the series stopped at Book 20, however, it is quite obvious that the writer of this particular title (Julie Tatham) is bored, bored, bored. It's not that she didn't tell a good story because she did. She just didn't write it very well. There is a definite feeling that she has grown lazy in the mechanics of writing out her thoughts. This was a somewhat disappointing way to conclude the series for me, but I'm not at all sorry that I read it. I just might suggest to any of you who choose to read through the series, that you pretend Book 19 is the end.

On the whole, I'm very glad to have spent some quality time with Cherry, catching up on her adventures at this stage of my own life. It's good to spend time with old friends (which is something I know I keep saying but it's true)!

Of course, this post is being linked up to the Children's Classics Mystery Reading Challenge happening over at 5 Minutes for Books (and where I've been visiting with lots of other friends as well!) Still a few months of fun left if you care to join in!

Lily's Victory Garden

I was positively thrilled to see a copy of Lily's Victory Garden land in my mailbox. A new release from Sleeping Bear Press and it's about World War II!?!? What could go wrong?

Nothing, that's what!

This is the story of Lily, a young girl who is very intent on doing her part to help the war effort. Her brother Jack and she collect tin cans and scrap but she would like to do more. She decides that she would like to plant her very own Victory Garden. The mayor in her town announced that they would be turning the town park into a large garden, separated into plots for various individuals to tend to and care for. Lily decides that is where she would like to grow her garden, but she is informed by the Garden Club President that she is too young to participate. Undaunted, Lily hones in on a neighborhood family with a yard available and requests permission to plant a garden on their property. Given permission, Lily sets to work but has the help of a secret friend. Who is the friend? And is the garden a successful venture? Well, I can't tell you everything about this book now, can I?

Suffice it to say, I thought it was fabulously well done and helped explain the concept of Victory Gardens to young readers and lovers of history.

Things I truly loved about Lily's Victory Garden:

I love that when you open it up, the endpapers are covered with artwork that looks like old seed packages - showing radish seeds for $0.15 and watermelon seeds for $0.45. I think it helps to create the proper introductory atmosphere for the book.

I love the illustrations, done by Robert Gantt Steele, which bring history to life.

I love Lily's determination to stand for what is right and do her part, even at a young age.

I love that the book concludes with a page spread which talks a bit about what life was like on the home front during World War II.

I love the way the story ends, with the following paragraph:

"Our president, Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt, says on the radio that we are all one big fighting force, even the children. All these things we do that don't seem like much, well, they all add up. We are friends and neighbors and citizens and soldiers."

I love that Sleeping Bear Press has brought to life such a title to help us remember our past history, to inspire us on in the future.

The Gathering Storm

Why?

Because he loves me, that's why!

On Valentine's Day my front doorbell rang and there stood my little three and a half year old son, holding a box. He said, "Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy!" and then hastily helped me unwrapped that which he had just wrapped. We opened it together and then I beheld the beauty of the gift - my very own copy of The Gathering Storm (along with a copy of Into the Storm too, mind you!) We were finally able to watch it just the other night and I had to rave about it to you. (Raving in a good way, that is!)

The Gathering Storm was an AWESOME movie! Absolutely awesome! Produced by HBO films, I should tell you that it has one nude scene featuring the round and pink Winston Churchill himself. While I certainly am no proponent of nude scenes in movies, I'm half tempted to dismiss this one because Churchill was known for leading the country (or attempting to) in the nude. I think I mentioned following reading Franklin & Winston that Winston had this particular habit.

Franklin once came in the room during one such dictation and hastily backed out of the room, apologizing. Winston guffawed. Oh Franklin, he said, "I have nothing to hide from you!"

So in this particular instance, I didn't feel like Hollywood took any crazy liberties in portraying Churchill but as Franklin no doubt could have died a happy man without seeing Churchill exposed, I can too. (The moment in screen is brief though so just look a way for a second and you'll be alright.)

In The Gathering Storm we meet a frustrated Winston Churchill who was doing his utmost to convince the English that Germany was a threat against society in general and against England in particular. We find him mid-1930's, alarmed at secret intelligence that he is receiving about Hitler and a rumored German air force. Reviews and critics of the movie have said, generally, that this movie is an excellent character study on Winston Churchill more so than it is a detailed history lesson. Whatever your reason for watching it, I found it satisfactory. Albert Finney (aka Daddy Warbucks of Annie fame!) portrays Churchill brilliantly. He brought this great hero of World War II to life and I fell into admiration all over again.

Churchill was frustrated and frequently depressed as he railed against the Germans almost entirely alone. But he was right! He recognized a valid threat and he wasn't afraid to talk about it (or rave about it.) He had keen insight and the ability to discern danger to his country and he had the courage to stand up and keep talking - even though his own party members would have appreciated his silence. While people worked behind the scenes to remove him from politics, truth was winning out. And what a tremendously horrible truth it was too! But Winston never backed down and never surrendered and, as a result, England (and the world) faced Nazi Germany and defeated it.

I've said it before and I'll say it a million times over - I so admire Winston Churchill. Jonathan pointed out that his personality left something to be desired. He probably would have been difficult to be around for a long period of time in person. Truthfully, if Winston were about half a dozen other men, I would probably find him obnoxious and annoying outright. However, having read a (very) little about him and having watched this movie I can see that I still very much would have liked and enjoyed him as a friend or colleague. He was a stubborn old mule and thought very highly of himself - but he was true through and through. I really admire a man who can see when there's a problem and will face that problem, even when no one else will. That's a man. And that was Winston Churchill.

I couldn't possibly recommend this movie more highly, nor can I wait to have another "date night" evening where Jonathan and I can watch Into the Storm (2009). Furthermore, I can't wait to dive into this set of books, written by Churchill about World War II.



I was ecstatic to find a 1940's (first) edition of the six volume series at our local used book store. (There might have been some happy dancing in the book aisle but if there was, I wouldn't admit it.) Jonathan didn't bat and eye when I hauled the books home and sat them on our dining room table for him (and all the world) to admire. I love that I'm allowed to love books in this house - and love such crazy historical characters. It makes me love the characters in my own home all the more and to be able to create history with those in it! Dare I say that I expect our family history to be a profoundly beautiful one? Hopefully not too similar to what was suffered in World War II, but inspiring all the same.

I always avoid prophesying beforehand, because it is a much better policy to prophesy after the event has already taken place. - Winston Churchill

Thank you, Jonathan, for my Valentine's Gift and for also being the kind of man I can be admiring of (and for watching the movie with me!) And thanks for indulging my excitement for history in this way.