March Reading List

These are the books I have read so far this month:

Anne of Green Gables
Catcher in the Rye
I Capture the Castle
Mara Daughter of the Nile
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Prince Caspian
The Horse and His Boy

Happy reading!!

Mara Daughter of the Nile

Mara Daughter of the Nile was a book that is almost impossible to describe. The characterization was incredible, the romance was always hanging by a thread, the speed was just right, and the way the author brings the reader into the book is uncanny. The reader feels and hears and tastes everything exactly.

Unlike many novels, I actually saw what was happening. I felt as if I was watching it happen before me, as if I was standing amongst them the whole time.

Mara Daughter of the Nile is a historical-fiction romance novel set in ancient Egypt. During this time the Pharaoh, Hatshepsut, is not popular among some of the people, and there are some who are trying to forcefully get her younger brother, the prince, to become Pharaoh. Mara is a slave, one with spirit and high dreams for herself. One day her master sells her to some unknown man because ha can no longer stand Mara’s disobedience and defiance. This man, her new master, happens to be under the Pharaoh, he wants Mara to be a spy for him, to help keep the Queen on throne. She agrees, but at the time does not realize how much trouble she is getting herself into.

For fear of giving too much away, I will stop here, and just tell you that this novel captivates the reader and causes them to want nothing more than to finish the novel, and when that is accomplished, to daydream about it for weeks afterwards.

No TV Week Update

My No TV Week went really well, even better than I thought it would. It went so well that I am enforcing it for another week, until Sunday. During the extra time I had from not watching TV, I was able to accomplish many things I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
I edited my story all the way through in only seven or eight hours. That story was so long and hard to read I never thought that was possible. I cannot wait to make the necessary changes in this draft.
I also have read three books, and have had time to get to bed earlier. I read Mara Daughter of the Nile, Roller Skates, and I Capture the Castle. I plan to read Anne of Green Gables this month, and maybe even some others, if there is time.
So, I have decided that there are endless possibilities to what one can do, if one makes time for it. You can never know what you could have accomplished if you had taken the correct amount of time to do it. Therefore, I am making a proposition: I propose that you give up some novelty, or ‘time waster’ for a week, or longer, and find out what you can do.

Precious Time

I have been inspired by another blogger, Noel, to give up something for a week and do something special with that time. I do not think I could go without reading for an entire week, so I was thinking of something else to give up. I was having a hard time, but then I realized what I should renounce: TV.

I am going to go a week without any TV. I don’t know how hard this will be, but I know it will be useful.

Now, I don’t spend insane amounts of time watching TV every day; in fact, during the school week I hardly have the time, but there are those few moments. I will be in the middle of something, and happen to walk past our living room where someone has the TV on. I will think a line was funny, and go in and sit down for a moment; and before you know it, a half hour of my time had disappeared. A similar thing happens on Saturday mornings: I will plan on just watching an episode or two, and the next thing I know it's time to eat lunch. All that valuable time wasted.

So, I am renouncing TV for a week. During that time I hope to read more, and maybe even start editing that novel I wrote a while ago. Who knows? Anything is possible, with the right amount of motivation and time.

Meet the Austins

This past month has been dark, wet, and a grumpy kind of month that caused me to be out of a reading mood. This is why I have been so long in getting this post in. Finally, someone suggested I read Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'engle, and I am glad I picked it up.

Maggy's mother died, and then just a few months later her dad dies. Maggy was supposed to go to Elena and Hal, but Hal died in the same plane crash Maggy's father died in; so she can’t go there. One of Elena's good friends and old collage roommates takes on the responsibility with her husband, Dr. Austin, and their four children, John, Victoria, Suzy, and Rob. Now, they all have to cope with another child, Maggy.

It takes all five children a long time to get used to each other, the Austins coming from 'a different world' than Maggy, but through the many struggles and problems they finally begin to understand each other in new ways.

My favorite character was hard to decide. It was between the oldest, John, and the youngest and most innocent, Rob. In the end I chose John because he was the oldest, and went through the most, and had to take and keep charge and order, and keep everyone safe. It seems to me he was the big brother that everyone looked up to.

I laughed along with all the characters, was upset when they got into trouble, and when frantic as they faced with many different problems.

(I have decided I am not going to 'rate' books anymore, it’s too hard for me to decide what number it should get, when I like almost any book I read.)

What Would it Be?

So, I wrote some poems the other day and wanted to get your opinions on this one. Note: this is my first attempt at free verse, so it may be a bit rough.

What Would it Be?


what would winter be
without snow?
what would spring be
with out rain?
what would summer be
without t the beach?
or fall
without the leaves?

What would day be
without the sun?
what would night be
without the moon?
what would stars be
without a glow?
or the sun
without its warmth

what would a baker be
without yeast?
what wold a police be
without crime?
what would a Judge be
without a court
or us
without Christ?

Gifts

Gifts. I was a little wary of this book at first, but decided to give it a try anyway. I am glad I did now! As you can see, this book made it to my ‘favorites’ list. I suppose I ought to tell you why.

There are basically two parts of land in the world this book takes place in; the Uplands and the Lowlands. In the Lowlands are people like us. They live a life we would call normal, but their neighbors are not so normal. The people that inhabit the Uplands have gifts, each lineage a different one. One lineage has the Knife; one had the Broom, one the Unmaking, one the Calling, one the Wasting, and more. Orrec's lineage has the Unmaking gift; just by seeing something, and thinking about it, and saying the ‘word’ the person can unmake something. They can untie knots, and other things, but the scary part is that they can unmake people and animals. Orrec’s friend Gry can call animals. She can make them come, or calm them, or train them.


In this book, Orrec has to go through life blind for three years to protect his family and friends. He had got the wild gift, he could not control what he did, he could not feel it, or stop it. Many things, happy and sad, happen during this time and he has to learn to cope. He misses the sun, and seeing the faces of his family, and those of his friends, and wants to know what other things look like now. Yet he refuses to lift the blind fold knowing someone’s life may be at stake. He goes through many things he mightn't have if he could see, and gets through these with his friend Gry.

After being in the dark for three years, Orrec remembers some of the events from before, and a new light is brought to him. He makes some drastic changes in his life that set the stage for the sequel.

I give Gifts a strong 4/5

Ballet Shoes

Ballet Shoes is a very lighthearted novel about three babies found by Great Uncle Mathew. They were discovered by him in different years, at different places, but each without a family to look after them; so what does GUM (Great Uncle Mathew) do? He adopts them and brings them to his house for his niece, Sylvia, and her old nurse, Nana, to take care of. Gum then disappears on some trip of his to collect fossils, leaving enough money for his family to live off of for Five years. When those five years are up, they start getting tight on money and have to take up boarders. These girls grow up and begin to take lessons at a special academy that teaches them dancing, acting, and some singing. They cannot wait until they are 12, for then they are able to get a license and perform on stage. They don't necessarily always enjoy it, but they want to work so they can earn money to help with the bills. Each of the girls have a special dream, not all of them want to dance forever, and by the end of the book, each future is obvious.

My favorite character has to be Nana. She takes charge of the children, and makes sure they ar cared for properly. When they grow up, she makes new clothes for them, mends their clothes, stops taking her pay to help with bills, worries about them, and makes sure they are where they need to be when they need to be.

I am giving Ballet Shoes a 4/5.