Birthing From Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz

 

Title: Birthing From Within

Authors: Pam England and Rob Horowitz

Genre: Medical/Spiritual

Rating: 4/5 stars

This book was an enjoyable and informative read for the most part - I have tried to just appreciate it for what it is and use other natural birthing books where this one may have gaps. My midwife highly recommended it, so it was one of the first ones I picked up (along with Ina May's Guide to Childbirth). 

In general, this book may border on being slightly too "spiritual" and abstract. I think some new mothers might have a little bit of a hard time with that. There isn't really any way to totally describe or prepare new mothers for what labor is like though, so I think every little bit helps. Although it does offer some great concrete advice, evidence, and statistics, there are a lot of elements that are difficult to grasp right away. In particular, I found the pain management techniques difficult to understand, and I have gone through labor three times already! It kind of comes down to "you do what feels natural" and "let go of your inhibitions," which is fine I suppose, though not particularly informative. Reading Ina May's book, which is full of stories can help fill in some of those gaps about what real women have done to cope with labor pain.    

What makes this book particularly unique is the birth art. I actually read it on my Kindle Oasis, so I didn't see any color, but I have since ordered a paperback copy. The author holds classes in which couples not only learn about the birth process but also have the opportunity to create art related to how they feel about different aspects of the childbirth process. I found that very interesting and am hoping to do some of my own at some point! It was also really interesting to see throughout the book some of the rituals, customs, and art from other cultures and throughout history. Birth has become so "commercialized" in the United States - it's truly wild. Almost everything they insist on in the hospital hinders the natural course of labor, so women are put at a disadvantage right away. But the sad thing is, you are almost considered radical and irresponsible to have a home birth nowadays (though it seems like that might be changing a little bit.) 

Minor things bothered me like the author's distaste for birth plans in general. I remember how the nurses at the hospital acted when we visited L&D to tour with our birth plan in hand. But I didn't expect that attitude from a natural birth advocate. I understand that making a plan can lead to disappointment. However, I think it's extremely important for women to learn as much as they can about the birthing process and understand what interventions are not necessary and be able to have as much control over their birthing environment as possible. The scoffing at birth plans seems counterintuitive to me. And with that being said, my first birth went almost nothing like I "planned" and I don't remember feeling all that crushed or disappointed about it. Looking back, being in the hospital in the first place was my first mistake. Lack of mobility and being on my back made my labors long, exhausting, and difficult. 

Also, this book talks a lot less about home birth than some of the others I have. I can understand the value of presenting both options to readers, but since I have already decided on a home birth, I would have liked to be able to just get some good information about that instead of having to trudge through the chapters about how to tour different hospitals and ask certain questions of obstetricians. In our area we have exactly ONE hospital, and they will only accommodate people to a certain extent. It's nice that people can go "shopping" for the ideal hospital I suppose, and I appreciate the movement to make hospitals better for natural birth. 

This would be a good book for women who are undecided about where to give birth for sure, and new mothers especially. It has a good variety of information - facts about what labor is like, a few stories here and there from women who gave birth in different circumstances, suggestions for coping with pain, facts about hospital interventions, etc. It's one I will want to keep handy during these last few weeks for sure, if only to look at some of the art! 

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Frindle by Andrew Clements

Title: Frindle

Author: Andrew Clements

Genre: Children's Fiction

Rating: 5/5 stars 

I remember reading this book when I was a kid and loving it. I chose this book for our study on New Hampshire, as that is where it is set, but it's one I would have happily read to my kids anyway.

Nick Allen is a good-natured, clever fifth-grade boy who likes to stir up a little fun at school. He is notorious for asking teachers "time-wasting" questions to get out of homework assignments. The other kids eagerly follow him in his mischievous endeavors. When Nick gets to his first fifth grade language arts class with Mrs. Granger, who is a strict/no-nonsense teacher, he attempts a time-wasting question and gets hit with a report instead. Mrs. Granger, above all else, loves words, specifically the dictionary. Nick does learn a lot from his assignment, but he quickly comes up with a new scheme to get under Mrs. Granger's skin. He decides to start calling his pen a "frindle." It's as simple as that, but the more it catches on, the more all the kids start to use the new word, the more resistance he gets from Mrs. Granger. They are soon locked in what Nick considers a "chess game" or a "war" over the word. The use of "frindle" spreads far and wide, and the results are much broader than Nick could have ever anticipated...  

I'll say right away that I'm in agreement with Mrs. Granger about word usage in general. Words have a history, and it does seem silly to randomly and meaninglessly make up new ones just for the sake of it. It's actually a very interesting field of study for linguists though, as it happens a lot more frequently than one might expect, and it seems like it is becoming more and more popular for the younger generations to make up words simply to annoy the older generations and have something of their own. 

That being said, this is an inspiring story. Nick is a natural-born leader, and with just a small amount of creativity and determination, he accomplishes something pretty significant. <spoiler> Of course, the kicker is that Mrs. Granger's involvement ends up being the key to it all. If she would not have resisted and made kids stay after school as punishment for using the word, the phenomenon likely would not have been a big deal and would have passed into obscurity. Nick becomes fabulously wealthy in the end and pays her back in such a beautiful way by establishing a scholarship fund in her name. </spoiler> 

I'm 29 years old, and I cried like a baby during the last three pages of this book (which somewhat surprised my kids!) It doesn't seem like the book is going to yank on your heartstrings like that in the beginning, but it's really quite a beautiful, heartfelt book. 

I would honestly recommend this to anyone, young and old. Kids will be inspired to do great things and be creative. Adults can read this in one sitting and likely will find the story heartwarming! 

Blackout by Connie Willis

Title: Blackout
Author: Connie Willis
Genre: Time Travel Historical Fiction
Rating: 4/5 stars

I can't ever bring myself to give Connie Willis's books 5 stars mostly because of the "looong walk for a short drink of water" feeling. but they are fairly entertaining and immersive. I love historical fiction/time travel books, so I've been listening to hers lately on Audible. I have already read/listened to Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog. Doomsday book was terribly depressing of course, and I am surprised I actually picked up the next one after reading it, but I found it worth it overall for the historical fiction value. I never really understood how horrible and tragic the Black Death was - I mean, I understood intellectually but not really emotionally. To Say Nothing of the Dog was COMPLTELY different, and I was entertained by it so much more. It was flat out delightful in comparison.
This book lands somewhere in between. There is the ever present "how do I get to my drop/my drop won't open?" theme. The "Mr. Dunworthy said/Mr. Dunworthy is coming to get me" theme, and overall hardship at every turn to accomplish even the simplest of things. The book starts out almost unbearably slow, as the others did. I'll admit I almost gave up. It felt at first like there were WAY too many perspectives to keep track of. There are five or six I guess, but only three really ended up going anywhere and finally converging. The last 20% of the book finally got interesting as things started to connect. Before then, it jumped around a lot and seemed overwhelming and confusing at times.
One thing that's missing from this book in comparison to Doomsday Book is that we don't get to know what's happening in Oxford. In Doomsday Book, we knew there is a pandemic going on that makes it impossible for them to keep Kivrin's drop open, which doesn't end up mattering anyway since she doesn't even know where it is, and everyone is dying around her. But in this book, there appears to be something majorly catastrophic going on, as none of the drops are opening and no retrieval teams are coming. The most engaging part about this book is the desire to know what the heck is happening in Oxford! The characters themselves aren't particularly interesting, though I do sympathize with them as much as I need to.
The narrator for the Audible book is actually pretty good, though at first I had to listen at .9 speed. She reads really fast. But I got used to it eventually and started looking forward to hearing her voice.



I did download the next book right away. This is one of the most painful cliffhangers I have had to experience recently.

The Young Man and the Sea by Rodman Philbrick

Title: The Young Man and the Sea
Author: Rodman Philbrick
Genre: Children's Adventure
Rating: 4/5 stars


We read this as part of a study of the state of Maine, and I thought it was overall a very enjoyable book.

Skiff Beaman has just lost his mom, and his dad is in the depths of despair, just lying on the couch all day drinking beer. Skiff is mostly left to his own devices and cooks and cleans most of the time. Their boat has sunk, and Skiff wants to get it fixed so he can go fishing, but it's going to cost $5000. So, industrious child that he is, Skiff hatches a plan to set all his father's lobster traps. Unfortunately, a horrible bully named Tyler cuts the line on his traps, making it impossible for Skiff to earn enough money that way. So he decides to go after a Bluefin Tuna, since getting only ONE of the gigantic fish should earn him enough money. That's when the fun begins, as Skiff sets out alone into the ocean to get one...

Not a bad book all in all. I like that it gives a glimpse into the life a child living in Maine. The plot ends up being very exciting, and challenging issues (death, alcoholism, bullying) are dealt with in a good way. I love the themes of "never give up" and "use your head" also.

Some of the things I didn't like about this book are the language and the slowness in getting going.
There isn't any actual cussing, but the language is very "improper/incorrect" (lots of "ain'ts" for example) which always bothers me a lot (like in the Junie B. Jones books) since part of the reason I read to my kids is to expose them to proper, beautiful language. The other thing that was hard about this book was that the first 1/3 is heavy on boat terminology. My kids and I know absolutely nothing about boats, so their eyes tended to glaze over a bit, and it took just a little too long to get to the main part of the story in my opinion.

The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout

 

Title: The Shootist

Author: Glendon Swarthout

Genre: Western

Rating: 4.5/5

J.B. Books, a rather famous shootist (gunman), is dying of prostate cancer as he rides into El Paso, January 1901. After settling in at a boarding house, he confirms with the local doctor that he does indeed have cancer, and yes, it is terminal. He has weeks to live. The people around him regard him with a mixture of fascination, awe, and horror, though no one knows much about him other than what they have read in the papers. The local marshal and certain businessmen trickle in to see him once they catch wind of his upcoming demise, each wanting something from Books (though it's all disguised as "freebies" or complimentary services at first.) All the while, Books is dealing with the inner turmoil of knowing his life is about to end. He wonders how he could have lived life differently. He feels alone. When the pain begins to overwhelm him, he considers dying on his own terms rather than going out screaming in pain. 

This book is definitely outside of my "regular" genre preferences (I prefer dystopian, sci-fi, urban fantasy, and historical fiction), but it ended up being a good palate cleanser. It's certainly not a bright and cheery book. Books is definitely dying - no miracle cures here. It's an interesting look at how someone might feel during their last days. And it's also an interesting look at cancer and how people had to deal with it before modern medicine. Horrifying. 

One enjoyable aspect of this book is that Books turned things around on the people who were trying to take advantage of him and his death. They came offering free services, but Books knew they would be selling his items and hair like wild greedy fools. So he had people paying HIM to do things for him, with the plan of giving the money to his landlady. His relationship with her and her son was a wonderful element to the story as well. <spoiler> She started out hating him like everyone else, but they were genuine friends by the end of the story. </spoiler>

I probably won't be running to buy a lot more western novels, but this was a good book, truly. It's famous for a few reasons, one of which is because John Wayne's last movie was based off this book. I knew that going in, and it's like the book was written for him. He had such a grumpy, "take no nonsense" attitude that fits perfectly with the main character of this book. Westerns tend to feel all the same to me, and this book is not really an exception. But it definitely has some interesting themes and was enjoyable overall.    

Donald Duck Sees South America by H. Marion Palmer

 

Title: Donald Duck Sees South America

Author: H. Marion Palmer

Genre: (Kids fiction) Geography

Rating: 4.5/5 stars 

I stumbled across this book when I was searching for Mickey Sees the USA, a book written around the same time. I remember reading that one as a kid and loving it. I was so surprised to see how old these books were - written in 1945! There don't appear to be any more like them (no Daisy sees Europe or Goofy sees Australia unfortunately). They were affordable for being antiques, so I got both. It worked out really well since we were just wrapping up a rather long study of South America (we'd gone slowly country by country.) 

Overall, this book was an enjoyable supplement, and I am glad we waited until we were finished with our studies, as the kids were familiar with most of the locations, and things made a lot more sense than if we would have just picked this up randomly. 

Donald starts out planning to get to Colombia on a plane, but his seat is taken by some important South American politician, so he has to take a ship instead. But this allows him to go through the Panama Canal, which is kind of a cool experience. When he finally arrives in South America, he wants to see simply everything, and he demonstrates classic Donald Duck impatience when dealing with everyone, at one point having a guide show him ALL of Lima in one day. (We didn't find it particularly irritating. We all thought it was pretty funny.) 

After arriving in Columbia he buys a honey bear and then loses it in the jungle a few chapters later. He goes to the market in Ecuador - and he gets into a rather humorous interaction with a vendor in which they both try to one-up each other with kind acts. He catches a condor in Peru with a lasso (rather, he tries to catch it but is actually yanked up into the air by it and ends up luring it back to the ground with some meat). He gets himself into trouble by posing as a guide in Chile, not knowing the lakes are all frozen in August. He spends some time with an indigenous shepherd family and their llamas, alpacas, and goats in Bolivia. He meets a beautiful Argentinian woman but can't speak to her in Spanish, then hires FIFTY tutors so he master the language, only to show up in Brazil and realize they don't actually speak Spanish but Portuguese.  Finally, he becomes a hero in the end when he rescues one of his snobby shipmates. 

The book touches on locations and customs in a pretty fun way. It's entertaining rather than overly dry/informative. There is one chapter I kind of thought was a waste of space ultimately. On the ship, he and the other passengers get "abducted" by something called the Order of Neptune, and they get dunked in the pool. It's just a silly thing they did on the ship, but it didn't seem to have anything to do with South America, and I would have preferred to have a chapter on Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana instead.  

Speaking of which, the book is, of course, outdated in certain ways, but we didn't find it bothersome for the most part. Guyana is referred to on the map in this book as British Guiana. Suriname is Dutch Guiana, and French Guiana has the same name. I hadn't known about the former names since we only touched on those countries, so that was interesting. This book didn't cover them at all though, so that was disappointing. 

Some of the people are referred to as "negros," so I am sure someone somewhere would find that offensive. I'm not actually sure if it was referring to certain indigenous people or what. The natives were referred to as Indians throughout also, and I know that's not PC in 202o either. 

I don't actually know much about South American tourism, so I am sure there are plenty of other little things that are outdated (and the book certainly doesn't demonstrate how incredibly dangerous it is to go there now as a tourist. This was a completely different time in the world.) 

My family and I really did enjoy this book! 

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

 

Title: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep 

Author: Phillip K. Dick

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Rick Deckard is one of the few remaining humans who have not emigrated to Mars. He lives in a mostly abandoned apartment building with his wife Iran, and they (shamefully) own an electric/false sheep that lives on the roof of the apartment building, though Rick is pretty obsessed with obtaining a real animal at some point. He works as a bounty hunter - finding and killing androids who have killed their masters on colonies like Mars and fled to earth. When the book starts out, he is mostly concerned with how to get as many of them as possible so he can afford real animals. When the main bounty hunter in his jurisdiction gets hurt on the job, he gets his chance to go after 6 "andys." One of the challenges of his job is that the andys look and sound totally human, and they can only be caught using a special empathy test called the Voight-Kampff test. He prepares for his job by visiting the android manufacturers of the new Nexus-6 model so he can use the test on real androids and make sure it works properly. During this time he meets a Nexus-6 andy named Rachael who gets under his skin a little. When he begins going after the 6 andys, he discovers it's a little more challenging than he expected, in more ways than one. He has begun to care about the androids more than he should.

I've had this on my shelf for a while, and I didn't make the connection between this book and the movie Blade Runner until I read Ready Player One. 

Overall the book is really engaging, and it constantly keeps you guessing. You think it's going in one direction and it takes you in another. The android deaths are not long, drawn out battles (which I sincerely appreciate). The worldbuilding and sci-fi aspects, while bleak, are pretty interesting. The world is very dismal, full of radioactive dust and very few live animals. They have these devices that can alter their emotions - they enter a code, and it makes them feel the desired emotion. It appears they can set it for anything they want, even depression. They also have a religion of sorts called Mercerism, during which they all connect to a device and have shared experiences about a man named Mercer who is walking up a hill and being persecuted and assaulted by some unknown enemy. All the people who are connected share the experience and their emotions at the same time. 

Although I like a lot of aspects of this book, I can't give it five stars for a few reasons:

-It doesn't seem to really go anywhere. There is some character growth that happens with the main character. He does discover a lot about empathy and himself. He struggles with whether or not he should continue hunting robots, but he doesn't ever reach any kind of conclusion.

-While the main character feels empathy for the androids, I really didn't. The question of their humanity, which seems to be a common theme of sci-fi, didn't really come through for me in this book. I didn't really care about them at all. They were considered criminals because they killed their human masters, but this wasn't explored very much. It didn't seem like they suffered any particular cruelty, and they did come across as very cold and manipulative. 

-The Mercerism cult thing was vague and hard to understand. The technology that allowed them to have a shared experience with Mercer was one thing, but the main character starting having these (hallucinations?) about Mercer near the end that were just odd. 

-The characters kept doing drugs as a matter of course, and emotion altering machine came across as a sort of drug also. Then the main character <spoiler> randomly cheats on his wife and then goes back to life as if it never happened with no guilt whatsoever. That was kind of upsetting. </spoiler>

-Rachael Rosnen seemed like an almost completely superfluous character, and although she made the main character feel things and do things differently than he might have, she seemed almost pointless. <spoiler> And for goodness sake, why would she have killed the goat? Deckard didn't kill her, didn't do anything to her. It was a completely meaningless thing to do. I found it very confusing. </spoiler>

I keep thinking maybe I'm missing some larger message. Maybe it will come to me at some point. Not a bad book, but not a favorite either. 

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Kivrin is a history student at Oxford who has been training for two years to go back in time to the Middle Ages - the year 1320 to be specific. Her mentor, Mr. Dunworthy, isn't in favor of her visiting since it was an incredibly dangerous time, especially for women. On the day of the drop into the past, things go terribly wrong, and the tech running the drop collapses from a mysterious illness. 700 years in the past, Kivrin is also ill. The next few days are a blur in both the past and the present, with Kivrin and the Oxford crew trying to figure out how to reconnect and get Kivrin home.

Rating this book is a true challenge because there are some pretty intense strengths and weaknesses.
The main weakness of this book is its pace, as so many other reviewers have pointed out. I don't think I have ever read a more repetitive book in my life. There were certain plot points that got repeated so many times that I can probably quote 25% of this beast of a book from memory. Badri, the tech, keeps saying that "something has gone wrong (with the drop)" Dunworthy keeps asking Badri what went wrong: "Was it the slippage?" over and over with no response from the delirious Badri. The doctor keeps searching for the source of the virus and then sets about getting a vaccine. One of the archaeologists keeps talking about getting back to her dig. EVERYONE is having trouble getting in touch with people over the phones, which are all "tied up" because of the quarantine. Back in the past, Kivrin keeps trying to ask a man named Gawyn where the drop site is and keeps missing him or being unable to speak with him. All of the above events comprise probably the first half of the book at least. It's kind of a foggy mess, but it does get a little better after the first half. The pace of the last 25% of the book does somewhat make up for the rest of the book.
The technology of the book bothers me less than it does some readers. It is a little hard to suspend disbelief with their total lack of cell phones or reasonable means of communication in 2055, but it does add to the confusing/depressing nature of the book, which is a plus. If they had been able to communicate with each other, the book would have been cut in half.
One thing that bothered me throughout the book was how Americans were portrayed. The English characters kept making comments about how Americans were wasteful and selfish, which got old really quickly. The elitism of the Oxford inhabitants toward the Americans was a really unnecessary part of the book, but I know it's unfortunately realistic in real life in 2020.
I found the whole virus situation truly fascinating given the COVID-19 nonsense going on currently. They repeated a lot of the same things we are being told now about wearing masks, etc. They were able to quarantine one small area and keep it contained since it was caught quickly. The mortality rate was significantly higher than the COVID mortality rate (17%). They were very serious about finding the source and finding the best treatment and then a vaccine. So it was just interesting to have a modern pandemic to compare this with.
The other thing I found irritating was the book's obvious anti-Christian bias. The people in the 1300s were obviously very religious and prayed often. Then when bad things happened, they commented about how God was punishing them or forsaking them. Kivrin would always make snarky comments in her head about how God had nothing to with any of this because he wasn't real. Dunworthy did the same, even going so far as to compare Kivrin being lost in the past with Jesus being "lost" on earth and being crucified as a result, forgotten by his father. That was really bizarre, and it was overall just annoying to have to deal with their anti-God commentary throughout.
The book did have some significant strengths. Kivrin spends quite a lot of time in what she believes is 1320, though she is not sure if some "slippage" has occurred (that is, she knows she may not be in exactly the right time). After being brought to a village by Gawyn and the village priest, Roche, she spends a long time trying to get back to the drop site, but she ends up becoming a sort of caretaker for two little girls, Agnes and Rosamund. She is able to observe some interesting things about the people in the manor. The family has fled their home in Bath for some reason that Kivrin isn't able to determine right away. The lady of the house, Elwys, appears to be distracted and is possibly having an affair with Gawyn. Elwys's mother in law is a crotchety, cantankerous crone who hates Father Roche because he is not as wealthy/polished as the priests she is used to. The good thing about having a book this long is that it allows the readers a lot of time to develop attachments to the characters. Then...you get your heart ripped out. Things get bad, and I will avoid spoilers in this section, but there was one death in particular that had me crying for a good 15-20 minutes. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if Kivrin would ever get back home. When the book was over, I was genuinely emotionally spent. The book affected me in a really profound way. And THAT is what you want in a good book. We remember the books that make us cry or elicit string emotion with hard content.


 Spoilers below!
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...
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Kivrin finally figures out that she is in fact in 1348, right at the outbreak of the plague. Although she has had inoculations and T-cell enhancements, she has to watch people start dying all around her. In the end, literally every single person around her is dead.
I wasn't too emotionally invested to be honest in most of the adults (except for Father Roche, who was a legitimate saint that the world did NOT deserve) but Agnes was about the same age as my own daughter, so I couldn't help but imagine her with the same likeness. That make it all the more devastating when she died, small and helpless, calling for Kivrin. She was so full of life. I cried and cried during that part. It was obviously so upsetting how everyone else kept dying, but I was able to understand how Kivrin and the Steward eventually became sort of detached and desensitized after a while, as it was just all TOO much. They had to focus on helping anyone they could and digging graves while they had the energy.
By the time Kivrin was able to go home, it was hardly even happy or triumphant. She was broken (I WAS BROKEN!)
One positive aspect of the book is how it gives the reader a really in-depth look at the black plague and how much desperation and desolation there was. People were scared. They fled and spread the plague everywhere. They had no treatments. It was legitimately horrifying. We don't really get that feeling of horror when we learn about it in school. You hear that 1/3 to 1/2 of that area of the world died and think it's pretty awful, but you don't really GET it fully. This book displays that brilliantly, and I think people should read it just for that. </spoiler>

The Book of Atrus by Rand Miller and Robyn Miller

Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction

Rating: 5/5 stars

Atrus is a young boy growing up in a desolate desert with his grandmother Anna. Abandoned by his father, Atrus is taught and raised by Anna alone since his mother died giving birth to him. She instills character traits such as integrity, and skills such as observation in him. Anna, who is artistic and vibrant, albeit somewhat melancholic and weary, tells him stories of the great civilization of D'ni -- a powerful and industrious race of people that fell into ruin many years ago. In particular, she tells him of how one woman, Ti'ana, an outsider, made a poor decision that ultimately led to the destruction of D'ni. Atrus is fascinated by the stories, and he grows into a strong and intelligent young man with a passion for learning and building. One day he discovers a tunnel in the inactive volcano. He follows it for a while before returning home. Anna warns him not to go back. But soon, Atrus's father, Gehn, returns and insists on taking Atrus with him into the tunnel. Anna protests, but Gehn promises to let Atrus visit again someday. It is a long and difficult journey underground, but Atrus is astounded to see the ruins of D'ni. He studies the art of writing and observes how his father deals with the writing and the maintaining of his Ages. As Atrus grows, he forms his own opinions and beliefs that differ much from Gehn's. When things escalate, Atrus must stand up to his father.

The way this book is written gives me a peaceful feeling. The descriptions are beautiful, and Anna and Atrus are such kind and gentle people. Gehn, of course, is so chaotic and mad. I love where this story falls in the series because readers may or may not know about how Ages are written and what that really means. In fact, it seems logical at first glance to assume that Gehn is actually writing worlds into existence. His assertion that he is a god of some sort is actually somewhat logical. But the discoveries of Atrus and his discomfort with Gehn's treatment of the natives of the Ages is very important. The books in this series deal with ethical issues very well.

It was delightful to see Riven since I have completed that game. I actually didn't know much about Catherine, so it was nice to learn about her!

I think this book is a wonderful read for any lover of Sci-Fi/Fantasy. People who have played the Myst games will find it particularly enjoyable though! 

Buy on Amazon here. 

The Book of Ti'ana by Rand Miller

Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5

This review does contain some spoilers!

In this installment in the series, we learn more about Atrus's grandmother, Anna. She is a fully human woman who lives on the harsh surface of Earth until one day after her father's death she discovers a tunnel leading to the D'ni civilization. After integrating as best she can into their society (essentially held captive by them) she begins to form stronger connections. In the midst of political upheaval, she makes a decision that has dire consequences.

Each book in this series has such a different flavor. I really have enjoyed that immensely. Anna is a very lovable character. She is strong and intelligent. The same can be said of Aitrus. Although the tunneling and discussions of rock formations get a little boring at times, I can see how it would be integral in their society. He and Anna connected instantly on that, and it did end up giving me a better appreciation for geology.
The writing of Ages was explained a little more in this book, which was nice. I appreciate that it was made clear that Ages are not "created" when a book is written but that a link is established. The whole writing of Ages is wonderfully fascinating, exploring the concepts of parallel universes and travel in the space-time continuum.
One major highlight of this book is the friendship of Aitrus and Veovis. It seems fairly clear from the beginning that Veovis is not really too upstanding. It's little behaviors here and there that raise red flags. But Aitrus is a friend to him regardless, giving him his loyalty and support when he can but also voting against him when he must. The decay of that friendship was not unexpected, but it was sad. Veovis was an interesting character in general. He was treated unjustly because of A'Gaeris, and so his spiral into vengeance and madness was reasonably expected. The D'ni have strong moral objections to the death penalty (and Anna even more so, it seems), but this whole story really challenges that idea. It would certainly have been better for Veovis to have died. It actually seems somewhat inhumane now that I think of it to imprison/totally isolate criminals. This is a really wonderful ethical question (this author really excels at this!).

It was sad to see the downfall of D'ni, and the way it happened was stomach-turning. Another really sad thing was the deterioration of the relationship between Anna and her son, Gehn. It broke her heart to follow D'ni custom to send him away at the age of four, and he never forgave her for that. That was such a terrible tragedy that, among other things, really messed him up (clearly!)

One thing I wish was explained a little more was the state of Earth. We learn about how hard Atrus and Anna's life was in the first book, but there isn't a real explanation of what is going on. I get the impression that they are somewhere in Africa since they are in a desert, but we don't know that for sure. Nor do we know WHEN they are. It could be in the past, present, or distant future really. That "leave it up to the reader's imagination" thing can be frustrating sometimes!

This is a delightful fantasy series I think most people would like. It has beautiful descriptions, good character development, fantastic creativity, and ethical and moral discussions.
Reading this series will definitely help players of the Myst games understand and appreciate Atrus, Catherine, and the D'ni culture more. Highly recommended!

Buy this book on Amazon HERE.

The Book of D'ni by Rand Miller

Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5

This review does contain some spoilers!

Atrus and Catherine, along with some of their students from another Age, return to D'ni in an effort to assess the damage and find any remaining books that are intact. Their goal is to search through the Ages one by one and find any remaining D'ni survivors, tell them about the state of D'ni, and ask for their help in rebuilding. After some difficulty, they manage to find several thousand survivors and then begin the task of rebuilding, despite how daunting it is. As they are in the process of restoring a Guild house, they come across a buried chamber. They break down seals and find an entire library they didn't know existed. They find one particular book that is clearly of extreme significance, and after testing with the maintainer suits, decide to go through. They find to their surprise a stunningly beautiful Age - Terahnee - in which the people speak a form of D'ni. The society seems absolutely perfect. No crime, no sickness. Atrus asks the king to allow his people to settle there, as he feels rebuilding D'ni is basically futile at this point when this Age is here for them. The king agrees, but then a series of events cause all hell to break loose. They discover how this Age is so "perfect" and then a devastating plague spreads throughout the land. Will the D'ni still be able to settle in Terahnee? Should they settle there?

I enjoyed this book because I felt it was action packed and engrossing throughout. During their search of the Ages, I didn't want to put the book down until they found survivors. I was aching for them to find people. The search was really dangerous also, which made for some good reading. Then it was thrilling when they discovered the hidden chamber beneath the Guild house. The discovery of Terahnee was jaw-dropping. And there was a certain sick tension in my gut as it became clearer and clearer that this society was definitely not as perfect as it seemed. The last bit was tragic and violent. Overall, a good balance in my opinion!

One of the only things about this book that bothers me a little bit is the lack of emotion...or the lack of anxiety about certain things. There are a lot of truly devastating things that happen in this book. People die, an entire civilization is nearly wiped out, and Atrus is genuinely responsible for all of it. He is wise enough to realize that although he did none of it intentionally, he still has to bear that burden. Yet to me he doesn't really seem to have an appropriate amount of guilt or something. Maybe he does and this just doesn't come across well in the book. It's not that I expect him to crumple onto the ground weeping, but he (and actually all of the other characters now that I think about it) have this sort of odd stoicism. Maybe it's because their lives have always been hard and tragic. Their lives and environments have been really harsh and difficult.
One thing this book did well was address certain ethical issues. Slavery, of course, and classism are dealt with in a really interesting way. They, in fact, had ethical discussions and dilemmas even when D'ni was flourishing about how the classes were separated. The lower classes in D'ni were not abused as they were in Terahnee, but many of them were unsatisfied. Aitrus and Veovis talked about it a few times and sort of came to the conclusion that it was the way of the world, whereas Anna was more bothered by it. This book doesn't preach about the morality of the Ages, it simply lets the reader come to his or her own conclusion. Atrus is certainly not the most wise or pristine of all heroes. He is so relatable though. Yes, he was swayed by the utopian beauty of Terahnee. Yes, he ignored advice from D'ni elders. But all throughout the book, I kept thinking that when he was presented with hard choices, he just made the choices and then took ownership of them. He never blamed anyone else for his choices. He was kind and fair. I find him fascinating.

I believe this book happens right after the game Riven and before Exile, since at the beginning of that game they have just had Yeesha. I happen to be playing Exile right now, so it was the perfect time to read the series. I am excited to continue on with the game. I think having read the books will make gameplay a little richer. :-)
I think these books could be enjoyed by nearly anyone. But players of the Myst games will find them particularly interesting and enlightening of course. They do have a tendency to be a little slow, but really I think we probably all need a little bit of that in our fast-paced world. Slow down and enjoy the details and the great care that the author put into this series.

Purchase this book on Amazon HERE.

The Onyx Hourglass by Kristy Nicolle

Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 stars




Hades and Xion travel the world in an attempt to find the book of the dead to resurrect Sephy. Luce agrees to help them attempt a resurrection, though Thane and others warn them that what they are attempting is dangerous. Pandora and Anubis hatch up a plan to use Luce to resurrect Ra, and Luce is drawn deeper and deeper into the darkness.




I always enjoy reading Kristy Nicolle's books, and this one was wonderful just like the rest. This world is easy to get sucked into. One of the things I like about these books is the way the POV is done. Sephy is the "main character," but Luce, Xion, and Pandora might as well be considered main characters as well. I am not a huge fan Sephy even still, but I often find myself thinking about things she has done and said, and I realize that the "imperfect/disliked" character is often the one you learn the most from. I like relating to the main character, but it's a nice change of pace to not relate to her. One of the things that upsets me the most about her is how she is handling her relationship with Xion--it seems very unfair to him. I can see, though, the conflict that Sephy has about it. I am hoping that they can get their happily ever after (though from what Hades has said, that seems unlikely.)




SPOILERS:

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I found it very sad when Hades was killed, and I think he is my favorite character! I love the sass and the wit so much! I am interested to find out what, if anything, he can do from the Higher Plains to help Sephy and the others. I'm hoping we get to see more of what happens in that realm in the next book -- and maybe even see Zeus himself, the big loser.

I was less sad about Thane's "death" because I was getting so frustrated with her while reading this book. I realize that we see inside Luce's mind, and thus we judge her on her motivations, but honestly, Thane really disappointed me with the way she handled Luce's issues.

I am also interested to see how afterlife will be run now that the Mortarian sun has gone out. Can it even exist for long without Hades? Does Sephy have to take over? I think it's possible Pandora has bitten off more than she can chew. And Anubis just needs to die already.

There were some very well-written scenes in this book that elicited some great emotions. I was practically crying when Luce had to sacrifice a goat. I also really felt Luce's pain when she found Thane dead on the chair.

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END SPOILERS




I'm definitely heavily invested in the story now and will be snapping up the last of this trilogy as soon as it is available.

Dead Beat (Dresden Files #7) by Jim Butcher

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

In this seventh installment of the Dresden Files series, the White Council is still at war with the Red Court vampires. Thomas, Harry's brother, is living with Harry in his dinky apartment after his sister disowned him. Mavra comes to Harry with a demand: Bring her the Word of Kemmler or she will hurt Murphy. As Harry begins to look for the Word of Kemmler and the book about the famous Erlking of the Fae, Die Lied de Erlking, he uncovers something that's going to go down on Samhain and meets several people who are Kemmler's followers... the same Kemmler who happened to own his very own friend Bob the skull. Harry is still dealing with the aftermath of burning the living daylights out of his hand, and he is having dreams of Lasciel, the demon whose coin he picked up and then buried. The shade of her is enough to impart a significant influence over him, and she is quite convincing as she tells him of her desire to help him survive all he has to deal with. He has a difficult time standing firm and resisting her.
Can Harry somehow find the Word of Kemmler, stop Kemmler's disciples, and get it to Mavra in time without the White Court finding out and summarily executing him?

A common theme in these books is Harry constantly taking a beating and being near death's door. This book was no different, but I'm really enjoying the Lasciel aspect. She is manipulative, of course, but also SO incredibly believable, and we are watching as Harry is slipping more and more into her grasp despite that he knows objectively that NO good can come from letting her have more power over him. This book almost makes the reader fall in love with her at the same time! She seems so sincere and gentle! I don't blame Harry one bit for his feelings toward her. He is becoming more and more conflicted. It will be interesting to see where that storyline goes.
One thing I really enjoy about these books is the thorough explanation/exploration of the supernatural aspects. The Erlking in particular is a well-known figure in Faerie lore, and it was interesting to see how he was dealt with in this book. Necromancy in general is explained in a fascinating way - such that it sort of makes sense. Really, Jim Butcher always does a good job of presenting supernatural things in a really logical way -- as in, they are just believable enough. I appreciate that, and it makes the books enjoyable to read. Harry's sarcasm is, as always, fun and entertaining, but is it just me or is he getting darker? Less fun? It's inevitable, but I kind of miss his casual playfulness and positivity. He is losing a little more of that in every book. 

I am definitely looking forward to continuing on with the series. 

Buy this book on Amazon here. 

Noah's Lament by Jim Ody

Noah is a young man in love. But he's ripped away from his beloved when it is revealed that his father and his girlfriend's mother are having an affair. He and his mother move across the world from England to Escape, Colorado, where he is forced to start a new life. He realizes that he has to make good choices about which groups of kids he spends time with. After finding a few friends, things start to get worse and worse. He is trying the long-distance relationship thing. Relationships are tested, and friends are not always who they claim to be. This coming of age book will keep you at the edge of your seat and then leave you gaping at the end. This is one of those books that will be memorable.


I am a fan of Jim Ody's books because they always carry you along on eddies of emotions, surprising you, shocking you, and taking you somewhere you might never have anticipated.

This book began in a sort of sweet if sad place. Young Noah has just had to leave his girlfriend and move thousands of miles away. It moves into what you might describe as a typical teen high-school drama. Then it gets a little horrifying! The emotions in this book are so raw, and Ody just has that way of making you feel the things the main character is feeling. This book is an experience.

It's certainly not for the faint of heart. It explores many dark themes, so if you are one who is picky about disturbing, harsh, course, or "immoral" content, you will want to steer clear.

After I read this, I had to put on a happy TV show in order to go to sleep!







This book is published by Crazy Ink and is #28 in the Escape to Reality series!




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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I got this book on Audible because I saw the movie and loved it so much- the movie was beautifully done and very enjoyable to watch. I am totally blown away at how much more I like the book. It's radically different from the movie. (As in, NONE of the quests are the same at all. There is no race, so "Shining" scene, and there are additional quests that make the book so much more incredible). The book is MUCH more in-depth about all aspects of the contest and the Oasis, and it is all wildly interesting. I shouldn't have been surprised at that. I want to LIVE in this book! It's one I will definitely be listening to or reading again soon. Wil Wheaton is a wonderful narrator, and I think his narration made the experience that much better.



Despite that I disagreed with some of the religious/political/social commentary thrown in here and there, this book was one of the most enjoyable I have read this year. I was not alive in the 80s, so I don't have the same nostalgia for the period as Halladay or other (older) readers of this book. However, I came away wanting to watch many of the movies and play the games mentioned in the book.

The passion and commitment displayed in this book often made me feel like a slacker. The main character devoted so much time to immersing himself in all things Halladay and all things 80s. At certain points, it was a tad unrealistic -- he somehow was the expert of all these video games and knew the lines of all these movies by heart. For example, there is one part where he has to play a perfect game of Pac Man, and that is one I actually have played before. I could never even get past level 4, so it kind of blows my mind to hear the main character talking about getting through hundreds of levels. This contest became the actual every waking minute obsession of the Gunters. Once you get past how sad that is, it's a really interesting storyline.

The discussion of Easter eggs in videogames is really fascinating - like how there were extra points to be won at the end of Pac Man and how you could get 40 extra lives in Tempest by dying at a certain point.

The technology is, of course, one of the main highlights of this book. Despite how drastically it changed humanity, I really do think people would jump at the chance to have VR this amazing. The unlimited possibilities make this a dream. I feel like VR like this will be available someday but not anytime soon (probably not in my lifetime). The technology was explained in much greater detail in the book than in the movie, and it made me appreciate it more.

Many scenes in the book in such a way that it elicits great emotions. I knew the outcome, but I was on the edge of my seat during many scenes, my heart pounding. Especially when the first key was obtained -- it was SO exciting!



Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes exciting adventures regardless of whether or not they know much about video games or the 80s. Knowing about some of the 80s pop culture will certainly make this book more enjoyable, but it can be enjoyed by almost anyone!

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Death Masks Jim Butcher

Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5

Harry is hired by a priest from Italy to find a very special artifact that has been stolen. The thief plans to sell it to a wealthy person in Chicago. Harry soon learns that the artifact is none other than the Shroud of Turin and he strongly suspects that the wealthy businessman is John Marcone. Harry meets two other sword-wielding men of God like Michael who help him track down the shroud. They learn of a plan to unleash a deadly curse and have to work to stop that from happening. In the meantime, Harry is challenged to a dual by a vampire named Ortega. The vampires want Dresden's blood for what he did to the Red Court vampire Bianca. Ortega promises that Chicago will be made neutral ground in the vampire/White Council war if Harry wins.
To top it all off, Susan, Harry's half-vampire ex girlfriend has returned (albeit temporarily) and they reconnect.

There were a lot of things happening in this book as usual, although the plot was a little more doomsday than some of the books have been. The villains who would unleash a deadly plague (slightly more cartoonish/comic book-esque than the regular Dresden Files villains) are controlled by demons, and the possession happens by picking up a coin. Harry picks up one such coin at the beginning of the book, and they spend a little time trying to get him to open himself up to it. Harry has no interest of course, but the lure is there, and he has to figure out how to handle the coin. The vampire dual is over fairly quickly in the book, and we get to see Thomas of the White Court appear in all his sass and allure as Ortega's second. We meet an important character, Kinkaid, who is acting as a bodyguard to the mediator of the dual. My absolute favorite part of this whole book concerns Marcone. It is very clear the Harry DESPISES Marcone, and of course the crime boss is not particularly on the up and up. However, he is SMART and you can tell that he isn't cruel and spiteful. He is very powerful because he has made calculating decisions. He doesn't kill without reason. I find his character extremely fascinating, and we learn more about him at the end of this book -- it makes his character make a lot more sense!

This was a solid installment in the Dresden File series. I enjoyed it!

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Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Rating: 5/5

In the midst of the war between the vampires and the White Council, Harry is asked to do a favor for Thomas, a shifty sort-of-ally from the White Court of vampires. Thomas wants Harry to help his friend Arturo Genosa stay safe from a Malocchio curse (a type of entropy curse). It seems to be targeting the women in Arturo's life. So Harry is hired on in Genosa's adult film studio as a production assistant. On the first day, two people nearly die, and Harry meets some of the major players and starts to piece things together. Throughout this story, he meets other members of Thomas's family. Meanwhile, he is also on a mission to hunt down a Black Court Vampire named Mavra and exterminate some of her scourge in a preemptive strike. He hires Kinkaid and also enlists the help of his mentor, Ebenezer. Karrin Murphy rounds out the group.

As with the other books in the Dresden Files series, Harry runs around getting himself nearly killed at almost every turn. His wit is charming (and he seems a little happier in this book compared to the last couple). He struggles to pay his bills, and he learns a few very important and surprising things about his mother. I have honestly loved every single book in this series, but this one has been my favorite so far. The characters are well developed, and I am digging the relationships between Harry and Karrin and Harry and Thomas in particular. Every book is a delightful experience.

I was trying to pace myself/savor the series, but I had to start book seven right away. I love this series!

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Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter

Genre: Nutrition and Wellness
Rating 4.5/5

How many times have we heard over the years that eggs are bad for us because they raise our cholesterol? How many people do you know who are on Statins? What about saturated fats? Aren't they artery-clogging nightmares? This book debunks some myths about fats and carbohydrates and has one major message: Your brain thrives on fats! While the focus is in on wheat and gluten, the book also talks about the effect of the American high-carb diet on the body and brain.

I began looking into the Paleo lifestyle after I had my first child, and it helped me lose weight. I read The Paleo Approach by Sarah Ballantyne and learned a lot about how grains can cause inflammation. Grain Brain explains in greater detail how that happens and also posits that many people may have gluten sensitivity even if they don't have full-blown celiac disease. There is inflammation going in the brain that cannot be felt when we consume gluten (there are no pain receptors in the brain!) Grain affects not only the gut but also the brain in many ways. The correlations between grain consumption and Alzheimer's and other brain disorders is fairly shocking. I was impressed by the success stories he shared about patients with a wide variety of issues who regained their health by cutting gluten. It's not just about weight loss -- that seems to be just a nice perk. Cutting gluten seems to really help lots of people with ADHD, depression, autism, diabetes, and more. In the case of diabetes, Perlmutter believes it is in fact a brain disorder rather than anything else.

One of the main reasons he gives for cutting grains is that, because of selective breeding and GMOs (although he never says the word "GMO"), the amount of gluten in our grains has increased dramatically over the past century or so. We are consuming WAY more gluten than people hundreds or thousands of years ago. Our food, very simply, is different in many ways. He gives good explanations for why he believes we would be better off without grains (and, in fact, most carbs) and better off consuming more fat.

I recently read Spark by John Ratey, which is about how exercise affects the brain, so there was a little overlap. Grain Brain has a chapter about exercise and the brain. Even though exercise doesn't deal directly with gluten, it does have a lot to do with brain health in general, so I was glad this section was included.

Although he is a doctor, he doesn't recommend all kinds of medications. This is very much a holistic, nutrition-and-lifestyle-based book. He does, however, recommend certain supplements. Americans tend to be deficient in Vitamin D, for example. He recommends other things like turmeric since we don't get as much of that in our food as people from other countries. He gives great explanations for the supplements, and they are in no way "required" in the plan, just recommended for better overall health.

At the end of the book, Dr. Perlmutter outlines a four-week plan for cutting gluten and implementing an exercise regimen (or if you already exercise, increasing your exercise regimen). There are also recipes included in the print version. He provides examples for substitutions as well.

There was only one major thing I disliked about this book. One is the "hype" aspect of it. The author kept saying things like: "I'll prove it to you." "This will change your life." "You can solve your problems by following this plan." Although I do believe in the concepts and philosophy of this book, I feel like the book and the research should speak for themselves. I know a lot of people bristle at the thought of cutting "an entire food group," but his explanations are so thorough and convincing, that I hope people will give this book a chance.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is serious about changing their health and skeptical of the USDA high-carb recommendations. Those following the Atkins diet, a keto diet, or the Paleo diet will gain a deeper understanding of the concepts of their diet.

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The Homegrown Preschooler by Kathy H. Lee and Leslie Richards

Genre: Child Development
Rating: 5/5
I stumbled across the Facebook page for "The Homegrown Preschooler" and thought it looked like a great book. I discovered that they have a year-long curriculum called "A Year of Playing Skillfully." I checked out "The Homegrown Preschooler" to examine the philosophy before investing in the curriculum, and I am so glad I did! Not only will I be buying myself a copy of "The Homegrown Preschooler," I will be getting the full curriculum plus the summer curriculum.
This educational philosophy reminds me of John Holt's books -- his main message is that little children are simply little people. (Seems stupidly obvious, but somehow as parents we tend to focus on what our children CAN'T do.) They want to be involved in everyday aspects of life. While playing, making messes, and even acting out they are learning how to live in this big, wide world. The authors of this book provide tons of examples of ways to include children in everyday activities (for example: allow them to help scoop coffee grounds for your morning coffee or give them their very own spray bottle and rag to help clean around the house). They also explain areas where your children need to develop every day: fine motor, gross motor, language, social skills, etc. There are TONS and TONS of activities listed in the book along with explanations of the areas they will help develop in a preschooler. There are also recipes for play materials and food and instructions on how to build things like a plexiglass easel and a sensory table.

I would recommend this book to ANYONE with a preschooler or anyone who has a baby (who will someday be a preschooler!) Even if you do not intend to homeschool, these ideas can help you understand how to prepare your child for school and life. AWESOME book!

The Great Passage by Shion Miura

Genre: Japanese Literary Fiction/Humor
Rating: 4.5/5

The Dictionary Editorial Department of Gembu Publishing is working on a brand new dictionary, a project that will end up taking them fifteen years to complete. At the beginning of the book, the heads of the project, Professor Matsumoto and Araki, are looking for a young person to take over the project since they will only be working part time as supervisors. One of the employees of the department, Nishioka, suggests a young man named Majime, a true oddball who works in sales but seems like he might have a knack for dictionary editorial work. Majime is soon hired, and they all get busy working on the dictionary, getting sidetracked by other projects as the company seems not to value the new dictionary as much as the people working in the department. Nishioka soon leaves to work in another department, and a young woman comes to work in his place. Over the course of fifteen years, relationships are forged, and the commitment and devotion of the people working in the department is poured out into the pages of The Great Passage.

This book is quite unlike anything I have ever read. It has been translated from Japanese (very beautifully I might add -- I actually couldn't tell.) The Japanese culture is strikingly different than the American culture in a lot of ways. For example: the character Nishioka is presented as a goofball who isn't serious about much, but he seems like the most "normal" character in the whole book. The other characters are intensely serious people who work on the dictionary with such a passion that it almost makes me feel like a slacker--no, it does make me feel like a slacker. I won't lie and say that this book made me fascinated by the dictionary-making process. I can admit that it is important work, but they seem so obsessive about it, it is hard to understand why they love it so much. I am so used looking up words online that I forget there are actually physical dictionaries anymore. That being said, I became drawn in by their extreme passion. I think anyone would be lucky to discover something to be this passionate about, and that is what makes this book beautiful. The characters are all a little strange, but they are fascinating to read about.

The main drawback to this book is that it is a little dull. As in, it's not conventionally "exciting." The pace is slow, and there isn't anything really mind-blowingly amazing that happens. (There is also some very odd social commentary that seems out of place.) This book is simply a snapshot of a group of people who come together and do what they love. It's not about the technicalities of making a dictionary. And while there are some minor discussions about how words can mean all sorts of different things, that's not this book's aim either. This book resonates with me because of the total devotion, love, passion, and commitment these people have for what they do. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light read and loves books and words. This book is calm and peaceful, poignant, and charming in its own way.