As much fun as it is to go wild with green food coloring and wear as many shades of the color as possible, St. Patrick's Day has a much deeper meaning behind it. I'm sure St. Patrick would be appalled if he could see the shenanigans that occur on the holiday dedicated to him, from pranks and pinching to partying in the pubs (honestly, the alliteration was unintentional. I promise).
Last year I shared a prayer by St. Patrick as well as a brief biography. If you missed the post or don't remember, it's an interesting tale of how a formerly wealthy British boy went on to establish hundreds of churches on the island that enslaved him. I cannot even begin to fathom the great faith it must have taken to not only return to the land of his captors, but to love its people.
"It was among foreigners that it was seen how little I was," he writes, in Confessio, one of two short works authored by St. Patrick.
"It was there [Ireland] that the Lord opened up my awareness of my lack of faith... He guarded me before I knew him... He protected me and consoled me as a father does for his son.
That is why I cannot be silent -- nor would it be good to do so -- about such great blessings and such a gift that the Lord so kindly bestowed in the land of my captivity. This is how we can repay such blessings, when our lives change and we come to know God, to praise and bear witness to his great wonders before every nation under heaven."
I am not Catholic, and I'm not sure I could name more a half-dozen saints off the top of my head (actually, I would be surprised if I could name that many). But green is my favorite color, I have an inexplicable fascination with Ireland, and over the years I've become more and more curious about this fellow named Patrick who isn't, in fact, a leprechaun, and may not even have anything to do with shamrocks.
(Confession: I made Irish brown bread yesterday, and I have every intention of wearing green tomorrow.)
by Richard Adams
from back cover
One of the most beloved novels of our time, Richard Adam's Watership Down takes us to a world we have never truly seen: to the remarkable life that teems in the fields, forests and riverbanks far beyond our cities and towns. It is a powerful saga of courage, leadership and survival; and epic tale of a hardy band of adventurers forced to flee the destruction of their fragile community...and their trials and triumphs in the face of extraordinary adversity as they pursue a glorious dream called "home." Welcome to the warren.
my rating
my review
I didn't like this book nearly so much as I thought I would. The beginning held my attention quite well because I was constantly comparing the rabbits in the story to my own pet rabbit, and the mannerisms were quite similar, giving me a wonderful first impression that the book was, in the very least, well-researched. And I really enjoyed the writing style--Richard Adams truly is talented in that area, including plenty of rich description without overwhelming the story.
What I did not expect was the violence. Self defense I understand, although rabbits tend towards the flight instinct. But these rabbits were plotting attacks. Which I also found interesting because most of the characters were portrayed as very simple-minded, and then all of a sudden they would start planning some grand scheme or other. Despite being simple-minded, though, the characters had great depth to them. I especially liked Kehaar, a rather unusual ally for rabbits (I won't spoil it by telling you which species he belongs to). Fiver is also rather endearing, if a bit strange.
Overall, Watership Down is well-written, and for the most part I enjoyed it. But I always felt this underlying sense of unease while I read it, and the book took far longer to read than it really should have.
by Lauren Lynch
from Goodreads
Anna is devastated by a fire that left her orphaned, dependent on an uncle she never knew existed and far from the only home she has ever known. Brendan struggles with a life limited by crippling illness and a family torn by the loss of his mother. Tzutz Nik faces an arranged marriage to the prince of a ruthless dynasty in order to unite their fractured kingdoms. A mysterious invitation gives them each an opportunity to escape their struggles for a while and view their lives from a new perspective. Deep in a remote jungle, amid long-forgotten ancient ruins, they discover the true meaning of sacrifice. In the shadows, a relentless evil presence lurks, threatening to lead them astray. Will they triumph over their adversary or be trapped in his web of lies?
my rating
my review
Although no books can be compared equally with The Chronicles of Narnia (apples and oranges, my dears), this book seems to be heavily influenced by the series, and I do not count that a disadvantage at all. And despite being a middle-grade book, The Place of Voices is a well-written Christian allegory that even my critical mind enjoyed. The diverse characters were developed sufficiently to keep me interested, and Lauren Lynch painted a clear picture of their surroundings without going into a boring amount of detail.
As suggested by the cover, The Place of Voices includes a significant amount of Mayan history and culture, which Lauren Lynch researched thoroughly. I applaud her for portraying the Mayan culture honestly without demonizing the characters (except, perhaps, the villain) despite their pagan practices. Tzutz Nik, one of the main characters, is not asked to wholly reject her Mayan culture, but to love the one true God and also honor her parent's wishes. Her soul is nurtured and her culture respected, which is a difficult, delicate balance to find.
by Jessica Greyson
from Goodreads
With King Harold away at war Lord Raburn has his eye on the throne. Those who dare to stand in his way fall beneath his power. All but one. A girl named Annabeth. Can a common, ordinary girl, with love for king, country, and her father, achieve the impossible?
Trained by her father, a master swordsman, outlawed Annabeth has only her sword, her wits, and her disguises to keep Belterra from falling entirely into Lord Raburn's clutches. Can she rescue her captured father and Prince Alfred? Will one girl keep the kingdom from falling?
my rating
my review
This one is a little hard to review, because I devoured it in two sections while on a 12-hour flight. It held my attention (obviously), and was overall a rather enjoyable read. However, I have quite a few qualms with the book.
Annabeth is introduced as an expert swordsman despite her age and gender. But as the story progresses, our protagonist becomes a damsel in distress who must be rescued by a mysterious, chivalrous man. To give her the benefit of the doubt, we could also look at it this way: despite her training and circumstances, Annabeth retained a spark of femininity, or, perhaps, we could say that she is realistically flawed.
Ransom is the mysterious, chivalrous hero previously mentioned, but Eliot's character, though introduced later in the book, was the most complex. Judging by reviews, it looks like Captive of Raven Castle, Jessica Greyson's second book, offers more character depth. I hope this is true, because Annabeth's War shows great promise in Jessica's writing ability.
You may or may not have noticed that I only wrote two posts in February, which is rather unusual. Why? Because:
In other words, I was in Thailand for two weeks with my husband's family. It was awesome.
