Warrior Story Give-Away for World Book Night--Great choice!

Vincent Pratchett's THE RAVEN'S WARRIOR is a book that, I am sure, is a wonder for guys to read.  As a woman, I liked it, but I am not typically drawn to war stories, and this is certainly a war story.  The story is well told and the plot is definitely one to keep the attention of the audience, including someone like me.  What bored me a little bit (made it a little difficult to get through) are the specific details about war as well as the training of the warrior.  It's kind of like Herman Melville's MOBY DICK--a super great story and well worth the read once the reader gets through all the whaling information.  Once I waded through the training information in THE RAVEN'S WARRIOR, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

We gave away many copies of THE RAVEN'S WARRIOR this year at Catawba Valley Community College for World Book Night.  I'm glad we did.  I honestly think that anyone who received it as his/her book will enjoy it and that it will help him/her be excited about World Book Night 2015!

Peculiar?! I'll say!

What?!  You just have to read the second book in the Miss Peregrine series by Ransom Riggs, Hollow City, for yourself......

"Peculiar" is a Great Way to Describe It

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs is one of the books we're getting this year for World Book Night, April 23, 2014.  In preparation for the arrival of the books, I figured I'd read it just in case anyone wants to know whether or not it's any good.

I don't know what to think, or say, about it, to be perfectly honest.  The book isn't at all what I thought it would be.  Well, it is, but it isn't.  I had NOT expected it to be set in the 1940s--and modern day.  I had NOT expected World War II to have anything to do with the story.  I had NOT expected it to be a supernatural story beyond their beyond there being "peculiar" children in the story.  Based on the cover, I thought that I was in for a story with kids similar to the x-men, but yet not really super-powers so much as just kids who are different and need to be watched over as a result.

That IS a part of the story, but not in the way I thought.  I can't say too much more without giving away more than I should for those who haven't read it.

It's definitely worth the read, but it might be better if you go into it without having too many expectations and just let the story unfold itself as you read.

Apparently, it's already being used in schools/classes with tweens.  I can understand why from a historical perspective, but I'm going to have to do some more digging and thinking to understand why the book is considered appropriate for tweens.  Like THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy, I think that this book is really a little above tween reading level, yet tweens who read a lot won't have any trouble with the story and will probably even enjoy it.  Tweens who don't read much might find it tedious and difficult to plod through.

I admit that I'm curious about what they think about it--and you, too......

Writing really does heal

Dr. Klauser's book WITH PEN IN HAND:  THE HEALING POWER OF WRITING is another winner for me.  I've always known that writing is valuable and important in general, but it's great to read when an "authority" confirms and validates the fact that writing is also a powerful and important tool when it comes to healing.  I am not going to say a lot about this book myself; I'm going to let Dr. Klauser's words speak since they already do such an eloquent job.  Following are some of the quotes/lines from the book that really spoke to me, personally:

"healing writing. . . .[is] about the power of the written word to soothe our souls and ease the anguish" (ix).

"Writing goes right to the place that hurts, and writing heals" (x).

"Ask yourself, What is the obstacle to my healing, and am I ready to let go?  Answer in writing until you get to something real" (xv).

"You cannot skirt the pain when your life is shattered by an event you never expected.
You must go through the mountain, not around it, not over it, and confront the snarling beasts and demons" (1).

"Writing brings you face-to-face with your own truth and reality" (3).

"Facing the sad emotions in your life tenderizes you to appreciate fully all the good that is there, too.  Grief is not meant to shut you down, but to point to what is important.
. . .'If you block your grief, you block your joy.  They go together.  The depth of joy can only be measured by your willingness to go to your depth of sadness.  What you discover is how deep you are'" (8).

"Writing is part of the process that gets you to the other side.  You may not feel like writing.  Do it anyway" (32).

". . .grief piles up if you don't hand it head-on" (48).

"Sometimes what makes you sad has a message for you, if you will be patient enough to listen for it" (73).

"Writing is a perfect way of getting both your thoughts and your feelings into the light.
When you write your thoughts and feelings, there is something deep and primal happening. . . .
If I keep it inside of me, it never becomes reality--but if I speak it out, if I proclaim it, if I yell into the void, or if I write it onto the paper, it takes on life.  It I don't get it out on the page, it's not born.  If I can put it down, I can feel it.  I can let it flow out of me into the world.  I'm talking about discovering what's going on inside me.  I let it go out of me so that it can be reflected.
Writing brings a fullness to ideas which holding them in your mind alone will never accomplish.  Because when you write something down, it speaks back to you" (86).

"The ability to put your thoughts on paper is yours, and nobody can ever take that way from you" (112).

"You have to do what hurts if you ever want to get to those answers.  You have to walk through the pain.  You have to go through the dark scary place" (176).

"Writing is an end in itself.  It doesn't take away the ache, it simply acknowledge it.
'When you write, there doesn't have to be any kind of result.  The pain doesn't have to go away; it may not even get better.  You may cros to the other side, or you may not, or it may take awhile.  Writing is a way to just BE with it, be with your pain, or your sorrow, or whatever it is.  It is okay to hurt, to feel sad" (235).

"Find a color that is your spirit.  Find what moves you when you write.  Paste in photos and quotes from others.  Be creative in journal writing, whatever that creative process is.  It doesn't have to be perfect" (237).

Eclipse....Again

I can't help it.  I LOVE the TWILIGHT series.  So ECLIPSE is the cheesiest of them all, but at least Bella finally realizes that she loves Jacob, too.  In so many ways, I want Bella to choose Jacob over Edward.  If Edward hadn't left the way he had in NEW MOON or if he'd never come back, Bella would have been with Jacob and it would have been beautiful.  Their children would have been beautiful, too.  But, then, we wouldn't get Renesmee and Jacob would never Imprint.  Both parts of BREAKING DAWN that I like a lot.  I just can't put these books down when I read them!  On to BREE!!!

August 25, 2012 to August 29, 2012
Saturday, March 8, 2014 to Sunday, March 16, 2014

Yes, I'm reading them all....AGAIN!!!!

OK, so it's not my fault that a really good, close family friend--a young woman who is like a daughter to me--is having a baby girl and has chosen to name her baby girl Isabella!  How can I help it if just the thought of a new baby with such a name sent me back to the TWILIGHT series?!  I HAD to read them AGAIN in preparation for "our" Little Isabella's birth!  LOL!

In a way, NEW MOON is my favorite book in the TWILIGHT series.  Why?  Because of Jacob.  It's so easy to fall in love with Jacob.  There are so many questions where Edward is concerned.  He's so moody and cranky all the time and it gets annoying that he's constantly saying things to Bella that are just plain confusing to her--and not explaining himself.  Granted, as a reader, Edward is easier to read than he appears, but it's still annoying that he keeps so much to himself.  Jacob is refreshing.  Bella sees him as her own personal sunshine--her own "safe harbor."  He doesn't let Bella's depression keep him from expressing himself and glowing anyway.  I do wonder why HE doesn't go see Bella first and try to do something with her earlier.  I know.  I know.  Bella was in her Zombie mode so even if Jacob had gone to her first during that time period, she probably wouldn't even have been aware of him, but I just find it odd that if he cares about her so much--even from the first time he saw her at La Push in TWILIGHT--why does HE wait for Bella to come to him rather than he going to her?  (Does that make any sense?)  But once Bella is awake and aware of her surroundings again, it's wonderful that she finds Jacob and that they so easily fall into a close friendship.

Anyone who has ever been through a loss can understand the hole Bella fought so hard to keep a hold of. I can relate to Bella's pain in NEW MOON more than I like to.  While my losses were my children rather than my soul mate, the pain--the numbness--the hole--the zombie-like state are still the same.  Like Bella, I know who/what I can't live without; it's just that mine isn't my soul mate.

Bella finds happiness in life, even some joy, through her convoluted relationship with Jacob.  It might be complicated, but it works and Bella is able to be Bella again.  I find my joy in my Jesus:  "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me.  Remain in my love....I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy.  Yes, your joy will overflow!"  (John 15:9, 11)

While this is quite possibly the saddest book in the series, it's still my favorite simply because Jacob is so easy to love and because I can so easily relate to Bella's pain in this one.

August 23, 2012 to August 25, 2012
February 22, 2014 to Saturday, March 8, 2014

IT is Going to Happen for me....!

I'm going to jot down the quotes and other tid-bits from the book that really stand out to me from Write It Down, Make It Happen:  Knowing What You Want--And Getting It! by Henriette Anne Klauser....

"The first step in all of them [books] is to write down your goal" (16).

Write down my fears:

Memoir--rejection; no one will want to read it; it will be a book that will fade quickly into obscurity

Going to England--CVCC will say no; b/c of the changes in curriculum, it won't be seen as a beneficial trip; cost; others will try to take the credit; others will tell me it's not worth it--it's crazy and other words of discouragement

Yiddish for "ranting and raving" is "kvetching"--"Kvetching is therapeutic" (97).

"Start from the destination, and then figure out how to get there" (113).

"...let your writing uncover why this goal is so important to you" (117).

"Create your own list of what is meaningful to you" (139).

"journalizing" (144)

"Write a list of the accomplishments in your life of which you feel especially proud" (155).

Jingle:

   As you amble on through life, friend,

   Whatever be your goal--

   Keep your eye upon the donut

   And not upon the hole!  (162)

"The impression I am left with is strong:  Some else has confidence in me; why shouldn't I?"  (163)

"It's not a magic feather, it's you.

   Sometimes in order for your dream to come true, it is you who need to take the initiative" (168).

"...when you write something down, you begin to define what you know, and therefore, what you want.  you can't have what you want until you know what it is.  Writing clarifies what it is that you are asking for.  God can give you what you want, ...but you have to be clear on what you want.

   Writing [gives you] the courage to act" (178).

*a home "with a hug around it" (179)*--my favorite!

"It's not a magic feather; it's you who can fly" (180).

"Praying on paper is a way of acknowledging God's presence in your life, asking for help, and giving thanks" (181).

"It's you who is keeping you from completion" (195).

"..'.you're scared to act on it, because you worry, If I touch it, is it going to break?    It is hard to do because it is exactly what I want.'"  

"Resistance has meaning, and getting behind resistance, not just around it, will set you free" (199).

RESISTANCE

"When you are honest, shackles drop."

"Once you identify the meaning behind your resistance, the block disintegrates, leaving you wide open for fulfillment.  When you own the life you live, you open the way to claim the life you want" (201).

"RESISTANCE HAS MEANING."

"What in your life are you resisting?  Where are you digging your heels in?  Write down the reasons behind your reluctance.  What is it about moving forward does not seem safe?   ...keep writing until you come to the truth.  What is it about you that resists taking this next step?

   The truth shall set you free, and free the world to help you along a little" (202).

"Adding ritual to the writing of your goals makes the message more meaningful.  It sets something in motion" (203).

"'What do we want in our lives and out of our lives?'" (206).

Pledge:  "not do anything [she] did not enjoy" (211).

"'It's the motive that matters, not the particulars'" (213).

"Our intent was to focus on our deepest desires, what we wanted deeply and what we no longer would tolerate, and we were appealing to something bigger than us to help us out" (214).

   "A wise teacher once told me, 'Becoming a master means willingness to let go of whatever isn't working in your life.  Letting go of the familiar is hard.'

   Relinquishing what isn't working is tied to taking responsibility for your life" (217).

"THERE IS NO FAILURE; ONLY A DELAY IN RESULTS" (233).

"When everything is falling apart, it is a good sign that everything is about to come together" (234).

"...don't minimize your dreams and don't lose heart. . . .It's okay to be scared.  Do it anyway" (240).