happy appreciate a dragon day!

Have you hugged a dragon today? Er, well, at least compliment one with a long stream of impressive flattery (Bilbo is quite proficient in this area, if you need some ideas). And remember, always act with great caution and respect, "for you are crunchy and good with ketchup." Or so I hear.

In honor of this all-important holiday, here are my top five favorite dragon-themed books/series (in no particular order):

1. DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul (series)

2. Eragon by Christopher Paolini (series)

3. The Dragon and the Scholar by H.L. Burke (series)

4. Jane and the Dragon by Martin Baynton
(yes, a picture book)

5. The Dragons of Chiril by Donita K. Paul (series)

Who is your favorite literary dragon?

The Silver Hand (Song of Albion #2)

by Stephen R. Lawhead

from the back cover
The great king, Meldryn Mawr, is dead, and his kingdom lies in ruins. Treachery and brutality rule the land, and Albion is the scene of an epic struggle for the throne. Lewis Gillies returns as Llew, seeking the true meaning behind a mysterious prophecy - the making of a true king and the revealing of a long awaited champion: Silver Hand.

The ancient Celts admitted no spearation between this world and the Otherworld: the two were delicately interwoven, each dependent on the other. The Silver Hand crosses the thin places between this world and that, as Lewis Gillies seeks to learn the secret of the prophecy of The Silver Hand - and to save Albion before it is too late.

my rating

my review
This was a rather dark book--very violent, very raw. It's that painful but necessary second book in a trilogy that we must endure to get to the end. And I felt like Stephen Lawhead took a cop-out approach when one of his characters received a disabling injury and then promptly received a special ability that made the disability a non-issue. In doing this, he missed a great opportunity to take on a new perspective and do something different. Unfortunately, I can't say more without giving away important details (sorry).

The Silver Hand does have its virtues, however, and I'm probably being a little more harsh than it deserves. I really enjoyed slowly unraveling the prophesy that had been revealed in book one, and Tegid makes a great narrator (naturally, being a bard). I especially appreciated watching Llew growing and changing from an outside perspective, after having been inside his mind for the previous book.

Stephen Lawhead really is a great author, and I look forward to tackling book three after a break to whip through something a bit lighter!

more than just a number

I was inspired this year by a few fellow bloggers (Hayden and Candice) to post more specific reading goals than just a number. Yes, over on my sidebar you can see that I hope to read at least 35 books this year (a modest goal, perhaps, but realistic), but I often get stuck in a rut of reading the same kinds of books all the time. You all will keep me accountable, right? In all honesty, though, the knowledge that a handful of people may have read these goals is probably enough for me to strive to keep them...

1. 7 nonfiction
2. 3 classics
3. 1 book of poetry
4. 1 audiobook
5. The One Year Bible
6. Miscellaneous fiction to add up to 35 books



7 nonfiction
I figured 5 was too easy, but 10 might be pushing my luck. So 7 it is. Possible reads:

1. Acedia and Me by Kathleen Norris
2. Finding God in the Lord of the Rings by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware
3. No Wonder They Call Him Savior by Max Lucado
4. A Faithing Oak by Robert A. Raines
5. To Be Honest With You by Vince Woltjer and Tim Vandenberg
6. One-Woman Farm by Jenna Woginrich
7. Disappointments with God by Philip Yancey

3 classics

Ok, not so ambitious, but you know how many I read last year? That's right, zero. Which is a little sad. Possible reads:

1. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
2. The Old Man in the Corner by Emmuska Orczy
3. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
4. Watership Down by Richard Adams (does this count?)

1 book of poetry

It's always good for a poet to read poetry. Gets the creative juices flowing. I'll probably read Robert Frost's Poems, because it's been sitting, mostly unread, on my shelf for far too long.

1 audiobook

Again, not so ambitious. Maybe I'll really like it and listen to more. We're exploring (mostly) uncharted waters here. I have The Chronicles of Narnia on iTunes, but I'd like to try something I haven't read before. We'll see.

The One Year Bible

Have you ever tried to read the Bible straight through, Genesis to Revelation? I've done it, and I don't very much recommend it. Hopefully a Bible designed for reading straight through will prove to be a better experience (still Genesis to Revelation, but thoughtfully divided up).

Miscellaneous fiction to add up to 35 books

Math never was my strong point. I'll let Goodreads figure it out for me. :)

Do you have any reading goals for 2015?

DragonKnight (DragonKeeper Chronicles #3)

by Donita K. Paul

from the back cover
Before vowing his allegiance to Wulder as a knight, Bardon heads to the mountains for solitude. His life is suddenly complicated by a woman and her granddaughter, N'Rae, on a mission to rescue the woman's son trapped in a chamber of sleep. Bardon learns that more of Paladin's knights are imprisoned--and suspects one of them is Dragon Keeper Kale's missing father.


my rating

my review
I love that Donita K. Paul takes a supporting character from book two and makes him the protagonist of book three, giving a new perspective to the continuing story. However, I did find Bardon a bit dry, especially after being inside Kale's colorful mind for two novels. Greer, bless his little dragon heart, does his sarcastic best to nurture the half-ounce of humor buried in his rider, but unfortunately it's still not enough.

My conclusion: While I appreciate the promotion of a secondary character to hero, Bardon makes a much better secondary character (and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that).

I enjoyed the subtle relationship-budding that occurs in this book (it's not gag-worthy or overwhelming, I promise), and the introduction of new characters with just enough of the old to tie everything together.

free books - no blog required

I know I've shared this before, but Tyndale House Publishers has a great reward program that is dependent upon a points system--no blog required!

For as few as 30 points (or as many as 250), you can order a free book from a select list on their website. Completing surveys, signing up for e-newsletters, and recruiting friends, among other simple activities, earns you at least 10 points per action.

If you sign up using the link below, you automatically receive 25 points--and I receive 10 for recruiting you (thanks!).

www.tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=pni0-evt0-1hoj-3fl5

I'm currently saving up for The One Year Bible, which is 200 points. I should have planned for this before the new year started, but better late than never, right?