Stardust **-

Ethan and I read Stardust by Neil Gaiman on our way to and fro San Antonio. I liked it, but it was nothing spectacular. My brother Dennis recommended it to me a while back and I seem to recall him telling me there was a "sex scene" at the beginning, though I had forgotten before I read the book. It was horrible reading the book out loud in the car with my kids in the backseat. I had to skip some things, so Ethan got the PG version, rather than the PG-13. There is also one inexcusable curse word.

The story follows Tristran (I was 2/3 through it before I realized his name wasn't Tristan) into Faerie on a mission to find a star that fell from the night sky. Along the way he has many who help him in his quest and many who are on the same mission and will do anything to achieve their goal. It was violent at times... I mean graphic! Again, not the best idea to read with kids in the back seat.

I liked the story itself-though I found it less than compelling. The prose was hard for me to enjoy. And the "adult" nature of so many of the events was pointless to me. I found it annoying, we could have had a better experience with the novel had the naughty stuff been left out. It was more of a distraction than anything- even if I hadn't been reading it out loud with kids around. So, because of the story it gets 2 1/2 stars... I liked it, but that is the extent of my enjoyment. That coupled with all the garbage, I have to bring it down to 2.5, looking back I think it was just OK.

Artemis Fowl The Arctic Incident ****

This is the second book in the series and I like it a lot more than the first one. In it, Artemis receives word that his father is alive and he plans a rescue mission. He also gets pulled in to the fairy world to help them solve some problems.

I don't like to give a lot of info in my reviews, because I don't like to give spoilers. The biggest reason for this is that I like to read a book knowing as little about it as possible. I want to experience it all.

I think the primary reason I liked this one so much more was that Artemis had some redeeming qualities. In the first, he had nothing going for him, but this time I felt sympathy for him and wanted him to succeed. On top of that, my favorite characters from the first book were in this one and they all worked together to achieve their goals. I really enjoyed it.

Perhaps my favorite part of the book was the story following Foaly. Foaly is just a great character! The characters were all more enjoyable this time around, perhaps because I have a "relationship" with them already.

It wasn't my all time favorites, but I loved it! It was fun to read and it was fun to see the connections made by the characters I've grown to love.

The Alchemist The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel ***-

I recently read The Alchemist Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott. When I saw this book, I laughed as I read the author's name. Good old Michael Scott or as Ethan and I refer to him, Michael Scarn. I seriously thought it was a spin-off book from Harry Potter. We looked up Nicholas Flamel on Wikipedia and he was there along with a lot of information. I still just sort of thought, "You know, its a wiki...people have just created this info like they do with LOST."

Well, apparently I was wrong and it made the story so much more exciting... even though its not a "true" story. Just the fact that the characters (at least some of them) were real people that had fascinating and sometimes mysterious happenings in their lives.

The story is about a brother and sister, twins Sophie and Josh, who get caught up in a magical world they had no idea existed. Nicholas Flamel is the possessor of the Philosopher's Stone (sound familiar?) and an ancient book that has many secrets and magic within. The book gets stolen from him by John Dee (another true character). The book is about the twins, Flamel and some others trying to get it back and prevent more bad things from happening-like the end of the world as we know it. It is the first book in a series of (I think) seven.

I liked the book quite a lot. I think because its the first book in a series, it had a lot of development that needed to happen, so if you read it be prepared. The author did a great job of creating the magical world. The characters were real enough and fun enough to get into. I liked the relationship of Sophie and Josh. I always wanted a twin brother. There was humor, mystery, action... a little bit of everything. The author's writing was a just a little less than compelling. It was hard for me to really get into it.

I think I am a bit tired of fantasy/sci-fi. I think I would have enjoyed this one more if I'd been less so. Even under the circumstances though, 3.5 stars out of 5. And I'm really looking forward to reading The Magician, the next book in the series. It will just have to wait a couple weeks.

Shakespeare's Secret ***

I read Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach yesterday. I enjoyed it. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was enjoyable.

It is a story about a girl named Hero (after the character in Much Ado About Nothing) and a search for a diamond that could lead to answer of the "Who was the real Shakespeare" question. Hero and her next door neighbor, Mrs. Roth along with the hottest boy in the 8th grade, Danny Cordova embark on the adventure together.

I liked the mystery involved. Both mysteries, I guess you could say; finding the diamond and the Shakespeare mystery. The book was obviously written for young readers (the main character is in the 6th grade). Therefore, the web woven wasn't very intricately, just enough to keep it somewhat interesting for an adult.

The Shakespeare mystery was what I enjoyed the most about this book. I've heard the arguments that perhaps William Shakespeare isn't really the author of the plays and poems, or at least all of them. I don't know a lot about it, really. This book gave me a little insight into some of those arguments for or against. The details and accounts in the book made me want to read and learn more of the period and of various historical figures like Henry VIII, Anne Boylen, and Elizabeth I.

I read it in a day, so you can see it was an easy and enjoyable read. I would recommend this one to my young reader friends, or if you have kids in the 4th-7th grade reading level you might want to check it out. Its always good to read something that encourages you to read and learn more, right?

Book Of A Thousand Days *****

First, I just have to say it... I love Shannon Hale! She is hands down my favorite author!

I just read Book of A Thousand Days and I loved it! I love the way Shannon Hale lures the smells, tastes, sights and sounds out of words. I don't think there is another author who influences my sense as she does.

This book is written in a completely different style. I wasn't sure I was going to like it when I started about 20 hours ago. Its written as a book of thoughts or a sort of journal. The narrator of the tale is a mucker (she sings songs to heal, help, soothe, etc.). This is sort of Hale's specialty in so many of her books the characters have special gifts with a language of sorts. I find it fascinating. Dashti, the mucker and narrator, becomes a servant to Lady Saren and gets locked in a tower with her. She starts writing this book to fill the time and lonliness. One thing I really enjoy about Hale's stories is that I never quite know what to expect in the resolution. I generally expect a happy ending, but I'm never sure what that happiness will be. I go throughout the entire book just anxious to see how the problems will be resolved...not like so many other books that are quite predictable. I also love that I love the character she develops. I want the problems to be resolved and for everyone to be happy because I really care about the characters. That is a sign of a great writer to me...making characters that feel or rather, that make me feel. This book has those kinds of characters, I was swept away and I couldn't put it down.

This book, like most books that I enjoy are in the Young Adult category and it is targeted at a younger audience, but I loved it! It was an easy read (obviously). I can highly recommend it to pretty much everyone!

Artemis Fowl 3.5***-

I finished reading Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer yesterday. It was a pretty good book. It was definitely different from what I expected, though. When I see a title of a book, and it is a characters name, I tend to expect that he will be the hero of the story...or that I will at least sympathize with his character. That wasn't really the case with this story. Artemis is the villain of the story, granted he does have some issues that made me a bit sympathetic to his situation. However, those sympathies did not lend themselves to the villainy he engulfed himself in.

First of all, he is 12 years old and a prodigy. That concept appeals to me as I really enjoy the characters of Ender and Bean (and many of the Battle School brats). His parents are less than available to him for one reason or another (don't want to give it all away). However, the lengths which he is ready and willing to go to to achieve his goal (MONEY! and lots of it) are just inexcusable.

Aside from him being the "hero" of the story I really liked it. I loved the other characters. Short, Root, and Foaly were great fun! Even Butler and Juliet were enjoyable. The plot was a very interesting story. A boy genius deciphers the end all say all fairy magic book, kidnaps a fairy all in an effort to make back his family fortune. I loved all the magic. I loved the different kinds of magical beings and their different "gifts" (some very funny). I even liked the way it ended for the most part.

I believe that there is a series of books following Artemis (and hopefully the other characters, the ones I liked a lot). I will be reading at least one more to see where the author goes. I would give this book 3 1/2 stars of 5. I did like it, more than just liked it...but I don't know if I could say that I loved it. I would recommend it, only if you enjoy a fun fantasy novel that is quite obviously written for younger readers. I don't think everyone would enjoy it...but I know some would enjoy it more than I did.

Keeping a Journal

If you check my family blog, you saw that recently my mom celebrated her 60th birthday. For her gift I will be interviewing her and then writing her personal history... on one condition, she has to start writing in a journal of her current experiences. :o) So, I made this one for her. She is on her way here right now, and I'm so excited to give it to her!

I was telling my sis-in-law what I was doing and she asked if I write in a journal and I said I blog. I recently downloaded BookSmart software from blurb.com and it can slurp your whole blog and you can publish it into a book. I think we'll probably do that with a lot of our posts, it will be fun to see it in that format. I love looking through photo/scrap books, but haven't done a great job keeping up with them... so blogs are great for me! I don't put all my emotional garbage in either, so maybe generations down the road will be able to look at me as a somewhat sane person. I have just enough ranting to make me seem normal, to those that don't know better! Photo journals are good and you all know I can ramble on and on... so trust me, posterity, you'll thank me for this kind of journal!

Now, mom, if you want to start blogging as much as me you can just frame this gift, but if you're not up to blogging it all, just keep the journal in your knitting bag and write in it once a week or so on the train...we'll thank you for this kind of journal!

The Wednesday Letters **

September's book for our ward book club is The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright. I just read it this week and thought I'd post a review of it.

I didn't really like this book. It wasn't bad, I guess, but I couldn't recommend it to anyone. It is the story of a family. The parents die in their old age and the kids all come together for the funeral. They discover that their dad wrote a letter to their mother every week... wait for it... on Wednesday... get it, the title? eh?

First of all, it takes almost half the book before they get to the letters, this bugged me. They also uncover a deep, dark family secret through these letters and have to deal with it. I guess the reason I didn't like the book was mainly because I didn't really care about any of the characters. Oh, wait, I did really like A & P. The aunt seemed to be a cool character too, but we didn't see much of her. Maybe it was because the author wanted to keep it short and simple, but the character development left much to be desired.

The other reason I didn't like this book was the ending. It seemed so juvenile. When I was in 7th grade I went to Gifted and Talented camp for writing. While there we wrote a book about the meeting of the trans-continental railroad with the Golden Spike. I recently found and read the chapter that I wrote and I laughed at myself. The ending of this book totally reminded me of my chapter in the book. My mom will get mad at me for this, but have you ever watched Murder, She Wrote? You know at the end, when everything just comes out. That's how this was. There wasn't enough build up to the moment, not enough foreshadowing (though there was some, I guess). Because of this lack of build up, it seems the book was trying to make a giant leap and it fell flat on the ground, for me.

Have any of you read this book? How did you feel about it? I am more than sure that there are people that really like this book, I am just not one of them. If you are, please tell me what I missed. I give it 2 of 5 stars, luckily it was an easy and quick read, otherwise I would have just stopped reading and wouldn't have this lovely review for all of you.

Breaking Dawn ***

I read the final book in the Twilight saga this weekend and I'm dying to talk to others about it! Ethan hasn't read it so he won't let me talk about any of the stuff that I loved or loathed, so I'm going to post it here. I would LOVE to have you join me!

A Book Review! Enchantment ****

I know, I know...what a slacker I've been! I haven't read the last book even still! But I have read another book and so I thought I'd review it here.

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card is a story about a modern man,Ivan, who discovers that fairytales are based on actual events as he magically enters one in the 9th or 10th century. While he is a little boy he comes upon a "sleeping beauty" being guarded by some unseen monster. As an adult he returns to the site just to prove to himself that he imagined the whole thing, but she is still there. She is trapped in a world between time with bridges into her world and ours. When he awakens her she tells him to propose marriage, so he does. He then follows her into her world and tries desperately to learn how to be a proper "king" all the while trying to evade the evil witch who cast the spell on sleeping beauty, none other than Baba Yaga.

It sounds rather silly as I type about it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was such a fun read and I totally recommend it, unless you absolutely despise magic and can't get past it enough to enjoy a fabulous story. If that is you, you should open your mind and imagination a bit and enjoy a good fantasy story! ;o)

I give Enchantment 4 out of 5 stars, only because it had bad language that put this one in the PG-13 category. I hate that, it can totally ruin a book for me! It wasn't bad enough to ruin the book, but it definitely made it unworthy of 5 stars.

Getting in touch with my feeling...

Sorry I didn't post questions on the June book. I didn't read it. I plan on it still, I just haven't been able to get to a library (or bookstore) to find it. I also have had a lot of other stuff on my mind, so again, sorry.

My sister-in-law did this on her blog and since I've been a whirlwind of emotions lately I thought it would be good for me to do it too. You don't have to read it, it was mostly for therapy...it may give you insights into a scary mind...

I am: a Mormon wife and mom.
I know: that I am loved.
I want: to stop being so grumpy.
I wish: that this baby would turn and that we were in our house.
I hate: dealing with grumpy kids in such closed quarters!
I miss: having all my stuff and room for it.
I fear: that my kids will be ruined by my mothering.
I feel: disappointed that things aren't going well for our family.
I hear: Phineas and Ferb (A show on the Disney channel that is awesome!).
I smell: the remains of peanut butter and jam sandwiches.
I crave: baked goodness.
I search: the internet for info on C-sections.
I wonder: how I'm going to get the kids to sleep tonight.
I love: my husband and my boys.
I ache: all over my abdomen, the doctor didn't take it easy on my yesterday.
I care: too much about what others think.
I always: eat too much!
I am not: as great as people give me credit for.
I dance: because I love it, though I'm no good.
I sing: not nearly often enough lately.
I cry: when I'm overflowing with emotion.
I don't always: treat my hubby like he deserves.
I write: in my journal when I can't talk it out with someone for one reason or another.
I win: when I play "Encore" against Jane at 3 am.
I lose: whenever I play a strategy game again my brothers.
I never: want to be hurt those I love.
I listen: to my loved ones.
I can usually be found: sitting down somewhere.
I need: to be needed.
I am scared: of the water.
I am happy about: buying a house I can decorate!
I think: about way too much when I should be sleeping.

OK, so I didn't get too deep...but it was fun! Tag to anyone who wants to play!

June Book

Our book for June will be Eve and the Choice Made in Eden, by Beverly Campbell. I have heard some mixed reviews on this one, but mostly good. I'm excited to review it and discuss with all of you.
From DeseretBook.com, "Is the way that women evaluate their own worth affected still by the biblical story of Mother Eve? Author Beverly Campbell suggests, "In much of the literature and in most of the histories referring to women there is an undercurrent of apology, as though there is something not quite 'all right' about being a woman. In looking for the source of this unease, I came to recognize that it could be traced to accounts of the Creation and to the ever-prevalent and negative characterizations of Eve."

She writes of three levels from which the story of Eden must be viewed: as historical fact, as a series of symbols and metaphors, and as a place for a beginning our own search for spiritual understanding and relevance in life. This compelling book may change forever your perception of our first parents and the choice they made."

Cards Galore!

For Mother's Day I made my mom and mom-in-love some cards to have on hand. I just wanted to keep a record of my creations so I can remember what I like and don't like.I love using paint chips to make cards. At Lowe's they have one paint brand with the square cute out already, it is perfect for card making! Paint chips are great because they're colorful and they're free!

Scarlet Pimpernel Discussion

Finally getting around to posting questions, sorry for the wait. My life has been a little busy the past few weeks, if you want an excuse. ;o) These questions were taken from GradeSaver.com.

1. Do you consider the narrator to be impartial? Does the narrator ally him or herself with a class, a country, a cause?


2. Who is the central protagonist in The Scarlet Pimpernel? In other words, who carries the emotional weight of the novel?


3. How is point-of-view a crucial device in the rendering of Percy? Do we ever experience events through his perspective? How is his heroism dependent upon the way he is seen?


4. At what point does Lady Blakeney become a sympathetic character? Would you consider her an unlikable character as she initially appears?


5. What purpose does the Comtesse de Tournay serve in the larger arc of the novel? Why do you think she disappears after the first section of the book?


6. How does Chauvelin manage to be a threatening villain without ever having to engage in physical combat with the Pimpernel? Is he ultimately threatening?


7. How is the Scarlet Pimpernel flower a larger motif for the themes of the novel? Does it fit Percy as a character?


8. Why doesn't Chauvelin have to die at the end of the book for a successful resolution? Would the novel have been more satisfying with a different resolution, or does the resolution as Orczy presents it fit the tenor of the book as a whole?


9. How does loyalty play a key role in the distinction between Percy succeeding and Chauvelin failing in achieving their goals? Are these respective men's followers equally loyal to their causes? Is their loyalty distinct?


10. Is Percy a less admirable hero for never physically taking on his enemies? What is his ultimate goal as the Scarlet Pimpernel?

Simple Pleasures

I've been tagged by my friend Liz.  Its a pleasant one and easy, so here goes...

List 5 Simple Pleasures.

1.  Listening to Ethan play the guitar and singing with him.

2.  My boys' laughter.

3.  Reading a fun book.

4.  Having a clean house.

5.  Looking at pictures of my family as we've changed throughout the years.

Creative Therapy

Just the other night I spent a couple hours making hair bows, when I was done I was beaming from ear to ear.  I told Ethan, "That is the only therapy I really need!"  I love to create things (especially when they turn out so great!)!  Here is a sampling of my latest creations:

I did a "Baby Shower in a Box" for my sis-in-law in MO.  She wanted some thank you cards and I fiddled around until I got something I liked and could make 15 of...

I also made my sis-in-law a blanket, as I was at Walmart to get ribbon to complete it I found this fabric.  She loves frogs, and so I couldn't pass this up.  I decided to try doing a "tag" blanket for her, this was the result.

Since she is having her first girl, I sent her a bunch of hair bows/clips... I feel like I'm getting pretty good at it now that I've had some practice (let me make it clear that these are the ones I've been practicing on, and are in no way perfect).  I should be rearing to go by the time my baby girl arrives...

My mom's boss went to a scrapbook fair and returned to give my mom some ribbon and flowers. She said she knew we liked to make cards and these were discontinued so they were cheap.  She figured if my mom didn't want them that I would, she was right!  Thanks Barbara!

Sorry some of the pictures aren't very good.  I need to get better at it, if I plan on selling stuff online.  Thanks for looking, its always fun to share what I love!

My new do...

I was able to have my sister-in-law Brindy cut my hair last weekend... what do you think?

I think this is funny...

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I think this fits me a lot better than Marianne Dashwood, maybe thats because its all positive. I'm so vain!

Why Have a Book Club...

I am currently reading a book entitled, "Men with a Mission 1837-1841 The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the British Isles."  When I got up at 4 this morning I read a passage that really impressed me.  The section of the book is discussing how important it was for the Apostles to be "observers of the world around them."  Brigham Young advised his son Brigham Jr. in 1862 to

"improve yourself to the utmost in studying good books and in associating with, and listening to, and profiting by, the conversation and experience of good persons."

So, my few fellow readers... thanks for helping me to follow a prophet.  I can read good books, but I need  you in order to follow all of his counsel.  

One other thing that Brother Brigham said (to a different son in 1855) I really liked...

"Listen attentively, and observe minutely the manners, customs, and remarks of all, for from the most humble of our fellow creatures an observing man can learn something that will be useful to him in after life."

I love this!  I try to be observant, but I don't know if I've placed the reason.  I completely agree that I can learn from even the "most humble of [my] fellow creatures."  It just validates that we are each important, not only to our Father in Heaven, but also to our brothers and sisters on the Earth.

Just for fun

I visited a blog recently of a girl I went to high school with, she had a link to this jewelry giveaway and in order to participate I need to link her to my blog... so here are the rules.  This jewelry is beautiful... I hope I win!

Just follow this link to Tickled Pink!  and you'll find the link to her new etsy shop Sass and Savvy Jewelry.  If you like what you see, you can enter too... but only until this Saturday!