happiness

some songs that make you happy

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) | a beautiful, powerful song, even more so when sung as waves lap your toes

Come Thou Fount | violin and cello as I walked down the tree-shaded aisle in a white dress

Honey Bear | listen to this song without smiling. or dancing. I dare you.

Concerning Hobbits | rolling green hills, a peaceful life, I am a hobbit

some books that make you happy

Misty of Chincoteague | childhood, Mom reading to me, wild ponies

The Lord of the Rings | hobbits, elves, wizards, dwarves, ents, friendship, adventure
The Cloister Walk | unexpectedly beautiful, meditative, journal-like, poetic

DragonSpell | a serendipitous discovery of Christian fantasy beyond C.S. Lewis
Heartland (series) | horses, comfort read, my teen years
The Jesus I Never Knew | deep thinking, giving context to the Bible, new ideas
Summer Hawk | hawks, unexpected friendship, the book I almost wrote

some movies that make you happy

The Lord of the Rings | ditto the books
Spirit | mustangs, the West, music, animation
Amazing Grace | inspiring

Up | snipe, Dug, dreams, love, adventure
Les Miserables | painful, sorrowful, beautiful
Harry Potter | multi-week movie marathons

some foods that make you happy

cake | birthdays, icing, chocolate

brownie sundae | brownies, hot fudge, ice cream... what's not to love?

sweet potato casserole | sweet potatoes, gooey marshmallows, family

cherry pie | Nan-nan, sour cherries from the backyard, summer

some words that make you happy

journey | silence | peace | I love you | perhaps | serenity | beautiful | seed | root | branch | leaf | wonder | wander

some scents that make you happy

horses | long rides, pb&j picnics in the woods, barrel racing, my best friend has a mane

lavender | long hours picking herbs among the honeybees, my wedding bouquets

forest | rough bark, crunchy leaves, winding trail, soul rediscovered beneath a tangle of branches
food | baking cookies, grilling burgers, hot cider, warm bread...

some random things that make you happy

family | animals | trees | fuzzy blankets | sharpened pencils | sunrises | green | travel | walking barefoot | stories | hope

Months ago, Opal tagged me in The Tag of Happiness, and while I don't participate in many memes, I thought this one was too beautiful to pass up. And because I am hopelessly curious, I followed the tag back to the original creator at The Curiosity Collections (a fitting name, considering what landed me there...). I love the flexibility of this tag -- it doesn't specify how many items must be listed under each heading, or how many people must be tagged, and it even allows for more categories to be added. There are no "rules," just "guidelines," allowing each blogger to add their own flair.

guidelines:
Take the banner and put it in your post
List as many things as you want in each category
Come up with more categories if you wish
Tag as many people as you want

I tag:
Shantelle | A Writer's Heart
Kristin | Wool and Wheel
Britt | Encouragement for Everyday Struggles
Annie | Curious Wren
...and anyone else who wants to join in!

on reading books out of order {Airs and Graces by Toby Bishop}

The free-spirited Larkyn has found her place in the Duchy of Oc. She's a favored student of Mistress Philippa and has mastered riding her flying horse, Black Seraph.

Elsewhere, things are growing far more turbulent. Lark's old enemy, Duke William, is the new ruler of Oc. As he obsesses over his desire to ride a winged horse himself, his growing madness leads him to ignore his traditional duties to protect the Duchy -- leaving the coast open to Aesk raiders, who strike at will.
(from the back cover)





I bought Airs and Graces at a small local bookshop, not realizing that it was book two in a trilogy. Why don't books in a series announce that they're part of a series? I mean, really, how am I supposed to know if there's not at least a list of titles belonging to the series inside the front cover? Poor little unsuspecting me might read the books out of order! And the quote on the front announcing that "the Horsemistress Saga promises to be an exciting ride" is almost worse in that it misleads me to think this is book one. Which it is not.

Happily, I discovered my mistake when I added the book on Goodreads. But did I go out and buy book one? Of course not. I knowingly read this one out of order. Why would I do such an abominable thing? Because there are winged horses and I'm impatient. And it looks like a middle-grade novel, and I don't want to spend money on something that might be full of cheesy mediocrity.

Folks, I have learned my lesson. Never judge a book (solely) by its cover.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this is not a middle-grade book, but an adult or, possibly, a very mature YA novel. It's not inappropriate, but neither is it cheesy or angsty. Airs and Graces contains some mature themes, and the point-of-view rotates between several adults and teenaged Larkyn.

And morals. How wonderful to find a book that has good morals! Two or three ideas cropped up that went nowhere in this book, but that have potential to become beautiful subplots in book three. I really really hope they do.

I don't mind rotating POVs -- in fact, I often enjoy them -- but Toby Bishop likes her cliffhangers a bit too much. During the most tense parts of the book, she would end the chapter and switch to a different POV at the worst possible moment. This is ok on occasion, but every-other chapter for the middle third of the book is not much fun.

Finally, there was more emphasis on politics than I expected. Bishop wrote it well, though, and even the most political scenes were never dry. Which, granted, probably had a lot to do with the fact that everything related to the winged horses in some way. I'm definitely going to try to read book one, because I'm certain it will have more about the horses and less about politics.

I really want a winged horse now.

4/5 leaves

*******

Have you ever read a book out of order? Did you do it on purpose, or were you deceived?

November cakes {book-inspired baking}

When I finished reading The Scorpio Races in August, I noted that I could "almost... taste the sticky-sweetness of November cakes." Well, now I can say that I have tasted the sticky-sweetness of November cakes. And they are delicious!

Maggie Stiefvater tortures her readers for 409 pages with tantalizing descriptions of these little hand cakes, and then kindly adds a recipe in the back of the book (yay!). But, naturally, I had to wait until November to try it! So, how did they turn out? What does a November cake actually look like? << Good luck figuring that one out; while I love baking, I struggle immensely with taking flattering pictures of my food.

I was a little skeptical when I finished mixing the dough and it seemed... thin. And sticky. But I followed the recipe to a T and let it rise as-is, thinking maybe it would magically be ok in an hour. Nope. I dumped it on the table to roll it out, and it sort of oozed into a doughy puddle. So I scraped it all back into the bowl and added more flour.

Tip: if your dough seems more like batter than the bread dough it's supposed to resemble, add more flour. If it doesn't look right, it probably isn't.

In the end, I still didn't add enough flour, apparently, because there weren't a lot of "nooks and crannies" for the glaze to settle into. But they were delicious and sticky and caramel-y nonetheless.

So, before you run out of November this year, go read The Scorpio Races (if you haven't already; if you have, it's definitely worth a re-read!) and then bake yourself some November cakes. They take a bit of time and effort, but believe me, they're worth it.

*******

Have you ever made a book-inspired recipe? If so, what was it? And the all-important question: Have you read The Scorpio Races? (Hint: There are two correct answers here -- "yes" and "not yet." :) )

life is beautiful {a poem}

Life is beautiful.

If you don't believe me,

go outside.

Lie down under a tree and

stare up through the branches,

watch light dance through the leaves

as a breeze carries

the whisper of God

just out of reach -- 

listen to the thunderous pulsing

of chirping cicadas

and marvel

at the ordered tangle of branches.

Take nothing with you -- 

no book, no journal,

no distractions.

Just your soul.

You are alive,

and life

is beautiful.



Obviously, it being November, there are no cicadas chirping outside anymore. I wrote this poem months ago, and have been eager to share it with you since. So why did it take so long? I'm not entirely sure. Go outside and lie down under a tree anyway. Appreciate what you hear and see, even if it's just wind whistling through empty branches. Let me know what you discover. Your own soul, perhaps?



*Photo by my husband, Paul

Flashes of Ember: review and interview with Vicki V. Lucas

This 94-page middle-grade fantasy was published just last month, and it's a fun beginning to what looks to be an exciting series! Don't miss my interview with author Vicki V. Lucas below the review. I received a free e-book copy of Flashes of Ember for review as part of a Rivershore Books blog tour.


Twelve-year-old Geona drank in the beautiful sight of the moonlight shining on the horses around the large barn.

Shalock Stables. Home of the greatest racing horses in all of Eltiria.

And Papa now worked here! They lived just steps away from the biggest barn of the stables. It was perfect!

Only it wasn’t. She wasn’t allowed to help Papa with the horses. She couldn’t even ride. Tristan, her older brother, wasn’t permitted into the Razors, the massive mountains filled with peril and adventure.

When a beautiful chestnut filly is badly beaten, Geona has to do something. Her parents just say that Adoyni has a plan, but she can’t wait for Him any longer.
(from the back cover)

my review

Flashes of Ember is a fun, fast-paced, horsey adventure with a beautiful theme of faith woven gently throughout and just a hint of fantasy. The first chapter (or two) was a little slow for me, with a few editing mistakes to stumble over. But the story soon sucked me in, and I devoured this little book in one sitting.

Geona is such a strong, well-developed character, and her Papa and brother Tristan are equally well fleshed-out. Her two younger siblings are about eight or so years behind her, though, which I found a little odd, and didn't contribute to the story at all. They just kind of existed, as did her mother.

Having grown up with horses, I really appreciated the horsemanship in this book. It is a rare thing to find an author who knows their way around a horse. And Vicki V. Lucas includes a few tips in the back of the book for working with horses, which I would have loved as a 10-year-old.

I highly recommend Flashes of Ember to horse lovers especially on the younger end of the 9-12 age range, but with parental discretion due to the themes of animal abuse.

3/5 leaves

author interview with Vicki V. Lucas

1.     What was your inspiration for Flashes of Ember? 

I wanted to write a story of a horse and a girl. I had several ideas, but I realized that we see few fantasy stories with girls as the main characters. I grew up with a deep love for Narnia, and I wanted to give girls a chance at fantasy as much as the guys. Flashes of Ember came out of my love for fantasy and for horses.

2.     You seem to have a lot of experience with horses -- do you own any, or did you in the past?

I grew up around horses, although we didn’t own any until I was in my teens. My sister and I always found people who needed a horse or two ridden. When I was fifteen, I found a chestnut Arabian who I fell in love with at first sight. My friends who raised horses helped me buy her and train her. She was my best friend for twelve years. And even though she’s been gone for about ten, I miss her a lot!

3.     I see book two, Ember's Choice, was also published recently. Do you have plans for more books in the Tales of Shalock Stables series?

I do! I want to keep the story of Ember and Geona going. They have a lot to do yet, including winning a few races, if they can pull it together!

I also want to start a series with Tristan. I’ve really enjoyed his character, and I want to bring in more of his adventures into those dangerous mountains – the Razors.

4.     What, if anything, are you currently working on?

I have a series called Angel Warrior Series where I take real life events where people knew angels were battling around them, and God is glorified. The first one is called Bound. I’m finishing up the second in that series. Then I need to go back Eltiria, the world of Flashes of Ember, and finish the next book in a series that happens 9 years after Geona.

Of course, I just figured out the plot for the next book for Ember and Geona, so my fingers are itching to start that, too. Oh! I need more time!

5.     Why did you decide to be a writer?

I don’t know if I ever made a conscious decision... “I’m going to be a writer.” I started writing one book and can’t seem to stop! The stories haven’t either. I have a list of at least thirty more books I want to write!

6.     What do you enjoy most about connecting with readers?

Honestly, I normally use a lot of cliff-hangers in my writing, so I love it when people tell me that they can’t put a book down or that they’re dying for the next book in the series.

But my favorite thing is when they contact me asking for help on writing their own books – of starting their dreams. I’m a big believer in dreams, especially big ones. I get very excited whether the person is eight years old or eighty! If you have a dream of getting a book in print, I think it’s exciting, and I love chatting about their ideas.

7.     Many writers are currently neck-deep in National Novel Writing Month. Do you have a few pieces of advice you'd like to pass along to them?

I’ve done this a few times and loved it! One thing I did was to increase the amount of words per day so that I could take the days around Thanksgiving off. As for advice to stay strong, I think it helps to have a schedule. I’ve found my brain works better when it has a routine and it knows that it’s time to write. Then I try to visualize the scenes in my head while I’m away from the computer so that I’m ready to go next time and I don’t lose any time trying to figure out what happens next. If you’re trying this, keep it up! It’s well worth it!

Vicki V. Lucas published Flashes of Ember, the first of the Tales of Shalock Stables as well as two fantasy young adult books, a young adult supernatural novel, a short story series titled Angel Warrior Files, and The Truth about Angels: What the Bible Says. Explore further at www.vickivlucas.com.