Books I have read recently

  • Shirley by Charlotte Bronte — I'm reading a giant biography of the Brontes "Wild Genius on the Moors" By Juliet Barker (amazing!! but I'll post on that when I finish) So I'm reading each novel as it's discussed in the book. I loved Shirley. I have to agree with the critics that it is a slow painful start and it does take about 150 pages till we meet the title character Shirley. But besides that, it is so well written. Caroline Helstone’s angst is beautiful and poignant. And knowing that the last third of the book was written after Emily & Anne died explains so much about the change in the book. Charlotte likes to fix her world by writing about it and in her version the sick heroine recovers where her sisters did not. I definitely recommend Shirley for the Bronte fan. Don’t skip it.
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas --- It took me a couple chapters to really dive in but after that I was in love. I had read somewhere that it was based on Beauty & the Beast, which is great. What I did not know is that it is a retelling of one of my favorite fairytales: East of the Sun, West of the Moon!!! What a treat when I discovered that. I love that story. It's whimsical and the girl saves the day which I love love love. Sarah does a beautiful job of it and I can't wait for the next one!!
  • Miss Buncle’s Book by D. E. Stevenson —What a little treat. My mom gave these books to me for my birthday and there are so much fun. It’s a light easy read and it made me chuckle.
  • Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder— I adore her soul finder books. I’ve been reading them for years. She builds beautiful strong women and sweeping romance. Her magic system is unique and I want to live in her world.
  • The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr and E. B. White — A must read for every writer. Thanks to Stephen King for the recommendation. It has all those little things that I had questions about and answered them quickly and succinctly. It’s not the funnest read but it’s helpful.
  • Click of Titles to go to the book's Amazon page

Saturday, June 16, 2007

on a somber note



When my mother was little she named her grandmother Mema, and now all 6 great grandchildren call her Mema as well ( as long a few other kids that have come and gone.) She is a fragile thing but so full of life and vitality that nothing stops her from doing (and saying) whatever she wants. She is an artist, really. She uses every medium, including on past occasion Mel Gibson's face. Why am i posting about her? She is sick. In the hospital at the moment. This is not the first time but this is the most serious in a chain of illness/pain. I have such great respect for my grandma ( Mindy). I know at time she must get tired of having to take care of her complaining invalid mother but she does it every day. She is so selfless. But despite Mindy's valiant efforts I fear Mema's end is in sight and that scares me a little. Did she ever know Jesus? Will I see her in heaven? I hope so. I hope there was a preacher who came to her house one day and told her abour our Lord. I hope that for a moment she prayed that prayer and meant it. But maybe I am being dramatic and she has many more years on this earth to collect cats and shoo away iguanas. Well enough sad thoughts back to studying.

2 comments:

Britt said...

So perfectly said, dear sister. My thoughts were written quite beautifully in the post.

Tania Luna said...

hey mud
so sorry to hear about mema. I shall pray for her.Im more sorry I didnt get to talk to you tonight. I will call you tomorrow. Love ya much