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.
Last year, I compiled a list of books to read for Lent as my way to meditate on the season and prepare for Easter. I never did read Iscariot by Tosca Lee, so perhaps I'll get to it this year. In addition, I found No Wonder They Call Him the Savior by Max Lucado at one of the book sales I scoured last fall and plan to read it in the coming weeks.
Besides reading Lenten-themed books, I have also decided to limit my internet usage in order to make time for more meditative and healthy practices. Staring at a screen tends to have mind-numbing and depressive affects, and I spend far too much time with my laptop open. Jenna from Cold Antler Farm wrote an inspiring post the other day about unhealthy internet usage and what positive things we can do offline instead of the constant, if subconscious, comparisons that often occur during social media perusals.
Three hours per week should allow for 30 minutes each day, not counting Sundays, which I plan to keep unplugged. The extra time not spent on the computer can then be used for Bible reading, yoga, guitar playing, experimenting with new healthy recipes (instead of the usual "ooh look, chocolate!") and who knows, maybe even some poetry writing. And soon will come time for gardening!
Are you doing anything for Lent this year? How do you balance internet and offline time?
by Thomas Hardy
(The cover of my book actually looks nothing like this. It's an ancient, yellowing, white paperback with a line drawing of Bathsheba on the front that I borrowed from a bookshelf in the lunchroom at work. Also, I originally thought the title was Far From the Maddening Crowd. Oops.)
from Goodreads
Independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the stability of the whole community.
my rating
my review
I don't like classic literature, and I despise love triangles (not to mention squares). And yet I not only read this book, but I even enjoyed it.
Thomas Hardy is a remarkable author, writing with an almost poetic fluidity and adding just enough description to his captivating plot to paint a vivid picture. I'll admit, though, that it did take a few chapters for me to settle into his older style of language.
As the above description suggests, the protagonist of this story is a remarkably strong female character, especially given the time period Far From the Madding Crowd was written in. She runs a farm on her own in a society where all farmers are men, and cares little of the men's opinions of her. Aside from one ill-conceived prank, she seemed to have a level head on her shoulders and was far from the silly girl we too often see in love square/triangle situations.
To avoid any spoilers, I'll refrain from stating my full opinions of the three suitors. I can't help but say, though, that shepherd Oak was from the start my favorite character.
If, like me, you want to expand your reading horizons and pick up a few classic novels, this is as good a place as any to begin.
