Wednsesday Wanderings: Rest

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."

— John Lubbock

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Tuesday, Top Ten and a Teaser: Fall Reading

hosted by the broke and the bookish
and Miz B at Should be reading

Today's Top Ten . . . Fall Reading

Over the next few weeks I plan on working on the "Take Another Chance Challenge" hosted by Jenners at Life with . . . books.  I hope to finish up all my challenges by the end of October, have a little break and then start with Christmas reading.  So here's what's on tap for September and October.

1.  Peace Like a River by Lief Enger

2.  Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford

3.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett

4.  The Graveyard Book by Niel Gaimon

5.  The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

6.  Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin

7.  Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

8.  The Last Letter by Kathleen Shoop

9.  Admit One: My Life in Film by Emmett James

10.  Broken Things to Mend by Jeffery R. Holland

My teaser comes from book #1  Peace Like a River by Lief Enger.  I'm really loving the prose, style and story of this book.

"When you are seven years old there's nothing as lovely and tragic as telling your friends you were just about dead once."

location 75 on my kindle

Book Review: A Cottage by the Sea

Cottage by the Sea

by

Ciji Ware

Kindle Edition, 544 pages
Published April 14th 2010 by Sourcebooks Landmark
(first published March 2nd 1997)
ASIN: B003H3IOMS

About the Book:
What would you do if you caught your sister in bed with your husband? Chances are at the very least you'd nix your relationship with both of them and run as far away as you could get--especially if the story is going to be plastered all over the tabloids. This is exactly what Hollywood mogul Blythe Stowe does. She heads to England and the Cornish Coast. There she steeps herself in Daphne du Maurier's wonderful novels, finds love with an Englishman, and discovers family secrets that have been long concealed.

About the author:
Ciji Ware, a graduate of Radcliffe College, is a talented writer of historical fiction, romantic suspense, and a work of nonfiction. She lives in California.

information and image courtesy goodreads

My thoughts:
A Cottage by Sea was similar in story line to a book I read not to long ago, "The Winter Sea" by Susanna Kearsley.  I had really enjoyed the story's original (to me) plot of genetic memory that allowed the main character to experience her ancestor's memories.  A Cottage by the Sea was written an entire decade before Ms. Kearsley's book and also uses genetic memory as the plot line.  Out of the two books I would say that I enjoyed The Winter Sea more.  Ms. Kearsley's character's had a little more depth to them and I liked that she used actual historical facts and elements to give her story a feeling of realism.

A Cottage by the Sea involves genetic memory in that the main character Blythe Barton experiences not only the memories of her grandmother the first Blythe Barton, but also the memories of the men that loved her.  Even though the author calls it genetic memory the modern day Blythe accesses these memories through paranormal means called "scrying"--the art of gazing into any clear surface in order to conjure visions within.  Blythe sees her visions when she places her index finger on the glass covering the large hand lettered genealogical chart hanging in the library of Barton Manor.  As the story unfolds the reader becomes aware that events taking place in the first Blythe Barton's life are echoed in the present day Blythe Barton's life.  A resolution of events for both Blythe's is wrapped up at the end of the novel.

I read this book for fun and because it was free on my kindle. (downloaded from Amazon.com Apr. 5, 2011)

Photo's on Friday: 'Tis the Season?

I know, I know--it's summer here in the states

but this weeks theme for Live Every Moment is "bokeh"

and my favorite "bokeh" shots just happen to be

of my Christmas tree

sooo . . . Merry August 26th :D

photo's by

War and Peace: Weeks 32,33,and 34

Week 32
I read these chapters a couple of weeks ago—and then my mom had a stroke on the day I usually post. Then she had another one yesterday. Needless to say I can’t even remember what I read two weeks ago and I haven’t read since.  So since today was the first day of school and I am back to watching the grandchildren--I did some reviewing, and some catch-up  on reading and posting.


Book 11 Chapters 1-7
I vaguely recall that after the Battle of Borodino Kutuzov decides to retreat beyond Moscow with his depleted army. He is ashamed that he has abandoned Moscow and left her for French occupation. Needless to say his advisors and the Emperor are not pleased with this decision.

Helene was an interesting part of the story line. She flees from Moscow in the face of the French invasion and goes to Petersburg. We all know that Helene has had multiple extra-marital affairs. Well apparently she ends up being romantically attached to a foreign prince and an Old Russian grandee. She converts to Catholicism in the hopes of persuading the Pope to annul her marriage to Pierre, making a sizeable donation to the church at the same time. After some wavering between her two suitors, Helene settles on remarriage to the Russian grandee. She seeks divorce from Pierre even though the Rostovs’ friend Marya Dmitrievna publicly calls her a whore.

Week 33
Book 11 Chapters 8-14

The Rostov’s begin packing to join the evacuation of Moscow. As they pack the wounded soldiers arrive in town and the Rostov’s take them in. Basically they are really good people.

Week 34
Book 11 Chapters 15-21

The Rostov’s are finally ready to leave. After packing they ended up unloading the wagons and filling them with wounded soldiers and taking them with them. Two really big surprises in these chapters; Prince Andrew is among the wounded but Natasha is unaware of it and as they roll out of town they come upon Pierre! He tells her he is staying in Moscow and she asks her mother for permission to stay with him—which of course is denied (any sensible mother would!)

A whole chapter is dedicated to Napoleon's gloating’s as he stands on a hill observing the city of Moscow and thinking of his impending victory. While Napoleon waits on the hill he receives a message that Moscow has been abandoned. I really liked how Tolstoy compared the empty city to an abandoned beehive. The man could really wax poetic when he wanted too.

Wednesday Wanderings: Dreams

photo taken at Delicate Arch

Arches National Park

Moab, Utah

the interesting thing about Delicate Arch is that

when you are up close it is a massive rock formation.

belying the term "delicate".

The thing that is "delicate" about it is that

this massive arch hangs precariously

onto a sheer drop off

into what appears to be a bottomless chasm.

It takes your breath away to stand under the arch

and look into the depths of the canyon.

I don't know what keeps it from sliding off.

a definite "must see"  if you are ever in the neighborhood

pictures by my son KJ



photo credit



this photo I found on the web shows the view up the cliff to Delicate Arch

 

this weeks theme "dreams"

Tuesday-Top Ten and a Teaser: Book Love

Top Ten hosted by the broke and the bookish

This weeks Top Ten . . . Books you loved

but never reviewed on your blog



This list was easy because I've been reading for 50 years and only reviewing for two years!

The hard part was limiting myself to ten books.



1. Anne of Green Gables (series)
2. Green Darkness
3. Rebecca
4. Mists of Avalon (series)
5. Merlin Trilogy (series)
6. Books of Shannara (series)
7. Dragons of Pern (series)
8. The Blue Sword/The Hero and the Crown (series)
9. The Westing Game
10 Mary, Martha, and Me

(what can I say?  I love fantasy and I love series)

and my teaser this week comes from a book I created myself at Shutterfly . . .
and of course I love it.

Book Review: Lectures on Faith

Lectures on Faith

by

Joseph Smith Jr.

Kindle Edition, 88 pages
Published January 1st 1995 by Deseret Book Company (first published 1835)

ASIN:B002JQK1R0.



About the book:
The Lectures on Faith were published in the forepart of the Doctrine and Covenants in all editions from 1835 until 1921. Although the lectures are not currently published as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints standard works, it is evident that they were held in high esteem by the Prophet Joseph Smith and those that followed him. Past President of the church, Joseph Fielding Smith said: "These lectures are of great value and should be studied. . . I consider them to be of extreme value in the study of the gospel of Jesus Christ," Elder Bruce R. McConkie has classified the lectures as "some of the best lesson material ever prepared on the Godhead; on the character, perfections, and attributes of God; on faith, miracles, and sacrifice. They can be studied with great profit by all scholars." There are seven lectures in this collection delivered originally by the Prophet Joseph Smith to the School of Prophets expounding the principle of Faith.

My thoughts:
This is the second time I have studied this book and I have been amazed at the Prophet Joseph Smith's grasp of the principle and power of Faith.  I have learned so much and I am sure after pondering on what I have read I will be reading it again and again.  This book would be helpful to people of all religions who desire to understand the power of Faith.



e-books
52 weeks
Doctrinal

Wednesday Wanderings: Mother

We are all visitors to this time, this place.

We are just passing through.

Our purpose here to is to observe, grow, and love

...and then we return home.

my niece took these wonderful pictures of my mother.

beautiful pictures of a beautiful moment.

update:

my mother suffered a stroke a couple of weeks ago

they told us she was dying and put her on comfort measures.

My mom doesn't like being told what to do . . .

so, she has made a miraculous recovery

and is almost back to her pre-stroke health.

She's still on comfort measures,

just waiting for a re-evaluation from the doctor.

I'm feeling much better now.

Tuesday, Top Ten and a Teaser: Freebie

hosted by the broke and bookish

Today's Top Ten . . . is a freebie

so I decided to list my 10 favorite kindle books that I picked up for free

1. Fireflies in December

2. Villette
3. Invisible
4. Heidegger's Glasses
5. A Midsummer Night's Dream
6. The Apothecary's Daughter
7. A Little Princess
8. Life From Scratch
9. Harry Potter Christmas Cookbook
10. The Poems of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell

My teaser this week comes from another freebie I picked up for my kindle

A Cottage by the Sea

by

Ciji Ware

"Suitcases in the car?" Lisa asked with forced cheerfulness. "Got your passport?"

location 195 on my kindle

Teaser Tuesday hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Book Review: How To Slay a Dragon

How To Slay a Dragon
(The Journals of Myrth #1)

by

Bill Allen

Kindle Edition, 228 pages
Published January 13th 2011 by Bell Bridge Books

ASIN: B004J17VRQ


About the book:
Greg Hart can't slay a dragon. He'd be lucky to win a fight against one of the smaller girls at school.  His only real skill is that he can run faster than any other twelve-year-old boy in his class, a necessity, since that's who he's usually running from. Oh, it's not like he's never been the hero at the center of an adventure. It's just the kind of adventures he's been involved with have always been the made-up kind he's written about in his journal.  Now the magicians of Myrth have yanked Greg into a strange new world, where the monsters he must run from are far scarier--and hungrier--than anything he's ever run from before. He tries to tell everyone there's been a mistake. Ruuan is a very large dragon, while Greg, on the other hand, is neither large nor a dragon. He's barely much of a boy. Unfortunately, such trivialities could never stop the people of Myrth from believing Greg will rescue King Peter's daughter from Ruuan. After all, Greg has been named in a prophecy, and no prophecy has ever been wrong before.Why, Greg wonders, does he have to be at the heart of the first one that is?

(info and image courtesy goodreads)

My  thoughts:
I enjoy reading children's books and How To Slay a Dragon was a fun story about a 12 year old boy who often imagines himself as a hero in a fantastical tale and suddenly becomes just that, a real honest to goodness hero.  I think young children around the ages of 10-12 would really enjoy this book as well as those that are still young at heart.

52 weeks

e-books

just for fun

series

Wednesday Wanderings: Friends

photo by

 

this weeks theme "anything"

Tuesday-Top Ten and a Teaser: obscurity

hosted by the broke and the bookish

This weeks top ten . . . under-rated books

I'm not really sure how books are rated so I didn't know how to make this list.  I usually read what looks good to me and rate them according to how well I remember them.  A book that stays in my mind and my heart is a book I would rate highly.  But I have found over the course of my 40+ years of reading that not everybody likes the same books I do.  So for my list today I decided to look through the books I've reviewed since starting this blog and pick one that I really enjoyed that I've never seen reviewed on any other blog . . . and maybe bring it out of obscurity.

The Ordinary Princess

by M. M. Kaye

this delightful fairy tale is one that every mother should read to her daughters.

read my review

Today's Teaser comes from well-known and highly rated author David Baldacci from his "kindle short" entitled "No Time Left"

"Frank Becker was exceptionally good at his job and took great pride at being so exceptionally good.  He took his client's orders promptly and carried them out with professionalism and attention to detail."

(opening two sentences)

Tuesday Teaser hosted by Miz B at Should be reading

Book Review: No Time Left

No Time Left

by

David Baldacci


ebook, 0 pages
Published March 1st 2011 by Grand Central Publishing (first published December 13th 2010)
ISBN: 1455504394 (ISBN13: 9781455504398)

About the book:
Frank Becker is a highly sought after, expert assassin. When Becker takes a mysterious job, he has no idea that it will force him to delve deeply into his own past. Undeterred by obstacles he is determined to complete his assignment. But he may realize too late that his success will permanently alter his future.

About the author:
David Baldacci was born in Virginia, in 1960, where he currently resides. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. Mr. Baldacci practiced law for nine years in Washington, D.C., as both a trial and corporate attorney. David Baldacci has published sixteen novels.

image and information courtesy goodreads

My thoughts:
No time left was offered as a $.99 special for the kindle.  I've gotten behind on my weekly reviews so I decided to read this "kindle short" as a way to get back on track.  I liked this short story by David Baldacci.  It was catching right from the beginning and read like a puzzle with a surprising twist at the end.  It only took me a half hour to read.

Photo's on Friday: Summer

"Not everything has to have a point. Some things just are. "

— Judy Blume

photo by

Wherefore, they cannot sin,

for power is not given

unto Satan

to tempt little children,

 until they begin to become accountable before me;

Doctrine and Covenants 29:47

LDS Web Edition

this weeks theme "summer"

hosted by Robin at Around the Island

Thursday's with Tolstoy: Week 31

Book 10 Chapters 31-39

This week’s reading were the details of the battle of Borodino which was the turning point of the war of 1812 between Russia and Napoleon. Russia came off victorious and Napoleon was left stunned by his defeat. Pierre watches the battle from Raevsky's Redoubt, a knoll held by the Russians that is attributed with being the stronghold of the day. Pierre is dressed in civilian clothing--a white suit with a white top hat. He is in the way, he receives an injury and is nearly taken prisoner by the French. I suppose Tolstoy put him there so we could see the battle take place through Pierre's eyes.

this first clip is from War and Peace (1968) and shows Pierre running hither and thither during the Battle of Borodino. The clip pretty much shows how Pierre was in the way and had no purpose or reason for being there.



Andrew's Regiment also fights in the Battle of Borodino. He fights valiantly encouraging his men to fight fiercly. Andrew is injured by a falling shell.

"Prince Andrew hesitated. The smoking shell spun like a top between him and the prostrate adjutant, near a wormwood plant between the field and the meadow. 'Can this be death?' thought Prince Andrew, looking with a quite new, envious glance at the grass, the wormwood, and the streamlet of smoke that curled up from the rotating black ball. 'I cannot, I do not wish to die. I love life . . .' At one and the same moment came the sound of an explosion, a whistle of splinters as from a breaking window frame, a suffocating smell of powder, and Prince Andrew . . . fell on his chest. From the right side of his abdomen, blood was welling out making a large stain on the grass. Prince Andrew lay with his face in the grass, breathing heavily and noisily."

Andrew is rescued and is carried to the field hospital. As he lies in the army hospital he witnesses an amputation, he realizes it is Anatole Kuragin.  Seeing Anatole reminds him of Natasha, he sees her in his mind as her first saw her at the ball in 1810.

"with her slender neck and arms and with a frightened happy face ready for rapture, and love and tenderness for her, more stronger and more vivid than ever, awoke in his soul."

Strangely enough as Andrew lies in pain and Anatole sobs over the loss of his leg Prince Andrew is filled with love and pity for the man. He weeps tender loving tears for his fellow men, for himself, and for his own and their errors.

This second clip is a nicely done tribute to the Battle of Borodino. It is a renectment set to the 1812 Overture (in E flat major.) It is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880. The piece was written to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of Borodino in 1812. The overture debuted in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow on August 20, 1882 (in the Gregorian or NS calendar; the date in the Julian or OS calendar was August 8). The overture is best known for its climactic volley of cannon fire and ringing chimes.

Wednesday Wanderings: Anniversary

photo by

Robert Dyer Photography

wedding dress by

this weeks theme "anniversary"