Tam Lin

Title: Tam Lin
Author: Pamela Dean
(C)1991
Publisher: Firebird
ISBN:978-0142406526
480 pp.

I would like to apologize to anyone who actually reads this blog. When school starts my life gets a little hectic for a while. It isn't really slowing down (that won't happen until at least February) but it's getting a little more balanced now that the Harvest Party is behind us.

I am never without a book, but honestly, I haven't read much worth telling about. My friend Steph got me hooked on this series of books by Catherine Anderson. They're romance novels, so they're quick reads with a fairly predictable plot and ending. I'm enjoying them, but they just aren't worth talking about at any length.

Then there's Tam Lin by Pamela Dean. I just don't know what it is about this book. I can't seem to get through it. Apparently it's a "cult classic", a modern day telling of one of my favorite ballads.

I can connect to the setting easily; a small private college in the middle of Minnesota. It sounds a bit like the place where I went to college, except that it focuses more on liberal arts than my Alma mater did. Our main heroin, Janet, and hero, Thomas are just...I DON'T KNOW, but I don't like them. And the rest of them...sheesh! There are too many characters running helter skelter all over this book and I can never figure out who's supposed to be with who or why or wherefore!

Maybe it's the time period. It's set in the seventies. I wasn't born then. I grew up nearly two full decades later! And yet, it's not as if they're discussing anything that I shouldn't be able to relate to. Ms. Dean doesn't delve into American history all that much during the story. Instead she focuses her attention on classics...particularly Shakespeare (yeah, there's a good reason for that).

So herein lies the trouble...I can read the book and tell you what happened. Anyone can do that, and that's not really what I want to do with this blog. If you want to truly enjoy a book, I feel like you need to connect with the characters on an emotional level. That's something I just can't seem to do here, so I'm giving up.

Maybe I'll pick it up again in a few years and I'll feel differently. You never know, stranger things have happened.

If you've read it and enjoyed it (or not), I'd dearly like to know your thoughts.

Return to Paradise

Title: Return to Paradise
Author: Simone Elkeles
(C) 2010
Publisher: Flux
ISBN: 978-0-7387-1868-2
291 pp.

I don't love this cover. I just felt a need to mention that.

Caleb and Maggie's story continues after that terrible abrupt-and-not-happy ending in Leaving Paradise. But I can deal with it.

Caleb gets busted in Chicago and is forced to call his "transition mentor." Damon manages to post bail and keep him out of jail. Instead, Caleb is stuck going on a four week trip with a group called Re-START. The purpose of the group is to speak to other teens about the life-changing effects of stupid decisions while driving.

What Caleb (and Damon) don't expect, is for Maggie to be on this trip too. She's filling in for a girl who dropped out, before she spends a semester abroad in Spain. It's shock for both of them, which Caleb attempts to cover up with attitude. Maggie, on the other hand, is much stronger than the last time we see her. Caleb broke her heart, which scarred her deeper than the scars left on her legs, but she's come to terms with it. Seeing him again isn't easy, but she's dealing.

However, this book truly is about facing the truth. The truth about the accident is something only a few people know, and it's a covering up of that truth that is tearing their lives apart. Our author doesn't pull punches, she makes it clear that life is tough, no matter what decision you make, and you have to be the prepared to take the consequences of those actions.

I mentioned earlier that she writes about places and people that are dear to my heart. I've spent six years teaching in a very diverse preschool. It's funny, cause I say diverse, but really, I pretty much am the minority. It's not easy. I can't always relate to the families, or the kids that I teach.
Many of the kids I see every day come from families vastly different from mine. Their childhood is nothing like what I had. The characters I found here come from families like that. Families, that are still just people, struggling to get by and not always making great choices. People that need to be seen for their potential. I love the chance I'm given to help these people, even if it is a struggle.

So, if you do read these books, I hope they inspire you to see others in a new way; to look for that potential that everyone has somewhere inside of them.

Until next time...Happy Readings!

Leaving Paradise

Title: Leaving Paradise
Author: Simone Elkeles
(C)2007
Publisher: Flux
ISBN: 978-0-7387-1018-1
303 pp.

Is it possible to pull your life back together after you've been hurt?

What about trusting the person who hurt you?

Each person has to answer those questions for themselves when something happens in their life. I am a "keep moving forward" kind of person. So for me, the answer to that first question is a yes. That ability to pull my life back together isn't easy, but it's so deeply ingrained into my personality that I don't think I could be any other way.

For Maggie, that's a different story. She's scarred after being hit by a drunk driver and left for dead. What's worse, the drunk driver is her next door neighbor - her best friend's twin brother. At least, that's what the police report says.

This book can draw you in and make you physically hurt for Maggie and the situation she finds herself in. I found myself being annoyed and proud all at the same time as she slowly learns to push herself to be stronger. Some of it is the guidance she doesn't have at home, but all that changes when she starts working for Mrs. Reynolds to earn money to leave Paradise. (Oh! That's the name of the town.)

Meanwhile, we get to meet the drunk driver, Caleb. We learn about his year spent at the Department of Corrections (DOC) and the way his old life begins to unravel when he returns home to find nothing the same, despite his parents' desperate attempts to appear normal.

Caleb's story is a rare glimpse into what juvinile detention is like. Caleb, once a popular high school jock, is unknowingly transformed inside those walls. If he's learned one thing, it's that one mistake and your life will never be the same. What he doesn't realize until coming home, is that neither is anyone else effected by it.

So what happens when Caleb comes back into Maggie's life? Can she learn to trust him again? Can he let himself trust again?

The story ends rather abruptly. I got the sense of "where's the next page?" hanging over me when I finished it. It might bother some people, but I knew the sequel was coming out soon, so I was patient and found other things to read until then.

And now I finally have the sequel!

Rules of Attraction

Title: Rules of Attraction
Author: Simone Elkeles
(C) 2010
Publisher: Walker and Company
ISBN: 978-0-8027-2085-6
324 pp.

Isn't that a lovely cover. These scene does happen in the book too.

So, something I forgot to mention in the last post. There is some gang violence, some use of profanity, and yes the characters have sex. Don't let your grade/middle schooler read these books. I don't care how well they can read, there are just some of the things the characters in these books end up facing that they aren't ready to read about yet.

That being said, don't let those things turn you off from these stories either.

Rules of Attraction is the sequel, following Alex's brother Carlos. At the end of Perfect Chemistry, Alex's family packs up and moves back to Mexico. There, Carlos (the middle brother), gets into trouble and is shipped back to America to live with Alex in Colorado.

Do you think Carlos will be able to make decisions that keep him out of trouble there?

HAH! The boy has a bigger ego and even bigger attitude than Alex did in high school. I absolutely adore him!

Well, when bad decisions put the lives of his family and a new friend in danger, Carlos learns quickly that sometimes you have to rely on others, and sometimes it's alright to put your faith and trust in someone other than yourself.

Ms. Elkeles follows the same format; this time switching between Carlos and Kiara. Kiara makes a great balance for him. She's determined and loyal. She sees in him what almost no one else can; that deep down he really does want to be good guy. He just doesn't know how to become that person.

There was something else I forgot to mention in the last post. Because of the Mexican influence of the characters, Spanish is sprinkled throughout the conversations. It's not always perfectly defined, but even without knowing a lick of Spanish, you can understand what's being implied. What I love even more is that she generally uses slang words and phrases. To me, that makes a character come alive. I don't want a text book phrase that I can translate online, I want what someone would actually say.

I've heard that there's a third book coming out Spring 2011; Chain Reaction. I'm curious if this is planning to be about the third brother, Luis, or something else entirely. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Perfect Chemistry

Title: Perfect Chemistry
Author: Simone Elkeles
(C) 2009
Publisher: Walker and Company
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9822-0
357 pp.

Can I gush? Cause I'm going to sit here and gush about these books for the next four posts.

You were warned.

The cover attracted me. The title attracted me. The whole back of the book attracted me and I knew I'd never be happy until I read this book.

Imagine the suburbs of a major city. Most of them are pretty typical. They have a nice side and a not nice side. Where Brittany lives, it's rich, it's white, it's perfect. And where Alex lives, it's poor, it's diverse (in this case predominately Mexican and Latino), and you fight for survival. So how the heck are these two ever going to get together, much less see eye to eye?

Well, that would be giving away the book and I don't plan on doing that. Instead I'd really like to tell you about some elements that make this book stand out.

1 - The format keeps you moving forward. Chapter 1 comes from Brittany's perspective. Chapter 2 switches to Alex. It goes back and forth from there. This shift really allows you get to know each character in a personal way.

2 - LIFE IS NOT PERFECT! There is continual pressure on these two from home, from school, for all these negative outside influences, even from each other. Don't get me wrong, I love a happy ending, but that doesn't mean that getting there will be filled with rainbows and unicorns.

3 - The characters have flaws. They make stupid decisions. Even though I genuinely have nothing in common with them, it's those flaws and those mistakes that help me relate to them. It makes me root for that happy ending all the more.

4 - The woman wrote an epilogue that takes place 23 years later. I love her just for that.

This, and the next 3 books I'm going to talk about, are billed as Teen Romance. I don't consider myself much of a romance reader. I have a few on my shelves and I'll pick one up occasionally if a friend lends it to me, but I am far from being addicted to them. It wasn't the romance that drew me into this book, and it wasn't what kept me reading page after page late into the night.

It was the clash of cultures; the struggle to keep moving forward that had me hooked. It speaks of a place and people that are dear to my heart. It was someone else speaking out about injustice and forgiveness that made me want to share this book with you. If you believe people can be forgiven; that they can move forward after making a bad decision, then you're not alone.

Wet Dog!

Title: Wet Dog!
Author: Elise Broach
Illustrator: David Catrow
(C) 2007
Publisher: Puffin
ISBN: 978 - 0142408551
32 pp.

OK, so I don't plan on putting pictures books up here all that often, but I thought I'd share this one. I read it last week to the kids and they were enthralled.

The "too-hot dog" in the "too-hot sun" just wants to cool off, but everywhere he goes to cool off, the people just tell him "Shoo! Go on now! Shoo!" It probably doesn't help that "he shakes and he shakes with a happy-dog smile, wagging his happy-dog tail."

I have a few other books illustrated by David Cartow, each one more comical than the last. He does a great job helping to get the story across.

If you pick this one up to read aloud, may I suggest trying it with a slightly southern-ish accent? That's how I read it and the kids love it.

A Year Down Yonder

Title: A Year Down Yonder
Author: Richard Peck
(C) 2000
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN: 0-439-43842-X
130 pp.

It's been a few days and I haven't had a chance to read anything. I'm currently in the middle of setting up the church library. Thankfully that's almost done. Well, since I haven't had much time, I thought I'd pull a few books down that I had read before. The next three are all by Richard Peck, one of my favorite historical fiction authors.

Our main character, Mary Alice Dowdel, is living in Chicago in 1937. It's the time of another recession, forcing parents and children to make some interesting choices. For Mary Alice, that means going to live in a tiny town with her Grandmother.

As the cover suggest, she takes the train "down yonder" with her Philco radio in one hand and her cat, Bootsie, in the other. As she says right off in chapter 2, "Everybody in this town knew everything about you. They knew things that hadn't even happened yet." (p. 9). The books details the trials and tribulations of a year spent in a new place with an old women set solidly in her ways. But it's the antics of Grandma Dowdel that keep the story moving along - from stealing "punkins" to a snake in the attic - this book will have you rolling on the floor.

Still, woven into the humor is a novel that speaks of learning from the past, knowing how to face the world, and having a strong sense of family. Grandma Dowdel was just what sheltered Mary Alice needed at this time in her life. Though she dreaded living there, in the end, she didn't want to leave. But as Grandma said, "It'll be alright. I don't lock my doors." (p. 128)

If you're looking for a quick read that makes you laugh and cry with each turn of the page, try this one. And for more Grandma Dowdel stories, look for A Long Way from Chicago and A Season for Gifts.

The Pinhoe Egg

Title: The Pinhoe Egg
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
(C) 2006
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
ISBN: 978-0-06-113124-0
515 pp.

Think of a book as a glimpse into a character's life. A series lets to take a longer look and gives you the chance to watch that character grow and change. That's what I saw in The Pinhoe Egg. There's a space of time between meeting Eric "Cat" Chant in Charmed Life and seeing him again here. He's a little older now; maybe a little wiser. It's amazing how much I missed his character.

The Pinhoe clan and other families like them are old, OLD magical families that live around Chrestomanci Castle. The work their best to hide from the "Big Man", going so far as to keep spies at the castle. The leaders of each clan are the Gaffer (head man) and Gammer (head woman). When Gammer Pinhoe looses her mind (partly from a spell and partly from her own vicious nature), horrible things start to happen and soon the whole countryside is stuck in the middle of a family feud.

In the middle of this is Marianne Pinhoe. She's set to be the next Gammer even though she's too young and it's obvious that her magic is different from the rest of the family. These families use a sort of nature/herb magic which they call dwimmer. It just so turns out that much of Cat's magic is similar to this. Marianne, on the other hand, has enchantress level magic.

That was something I loved about these books. Not only did she make an interesting setting, but she made the magic different too. There are levels. Enchanters seem to be the most powerful (but there are only a few), whereas a witch or warlock are pretty much at the bottom (but there are lots of them). Chrestomanci and Cat, being nine-lived enchanters are the strongest in the world.

The egg is actually an egg and yes, it does hatch, but if you want to know what's in it, then you'll have to read the book. I was beginning to wonder why we never hear of brownies or sprites, gnomes, fairies, etc...and here she goes and uses this book to explain all of that. This is the last Chrestomanci book I have on the shelf. I'll be on the lookout for Mixed Magics and Conrad's Fate now.

I'll leave you with this quote from Ms. Jones...

"Each time I write a book, I try to say something new, with the result that each book turns out differently from the ones before - which surprises, puzzles, and pleases me in about equal proportions."

The Chonicles of Chrestomanci - Part 2

Title: Witch Week, The Lives of Christopher Chant
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
(C)1982, 1988
Publisher: Beech Tree Books (an imprint of William Morrow & Co.)
ISBN: 0-688-15545-6, 0-688-16365-3
211 pp., 230 pp.

There are two more books after these, but this was the end of her original quartet. There's quite a gap between the copyrights here, and even more between the first and the last book, but she does an excellent job keeping the characters and the worlds as if she had written one right after the other. It's a difficult thing to do...trust me.

Witch Week is a world exactly like our own, or at least exactly like the one Janet came from which is supposed to be like ours, except that people develop into witches there.

Oh! Did I not tell you about Janet? I suppose I haven't. She appears back in Charmed Life. Cat's sister, Gwendolyn escapes the castle by going into another of the worlds. When she moved, so did all of her doubles in the other worlds. Janet, being one of the doubles, moved too and ended up with Cat. Janet is much more pleasant than Gwendolyn ever was.

But getting back to Witch Week...That world is full of magic and witches, but it's illegal. So if you're caught, they burn you. It takes place at a school full of witch-orphans and troubled children. When a note shows up that states someone in class is a witch, things start to happen. Chrestomanci is summoned towards the end (the children think the name is a spell and are quite surprised when he shows up) and find a way of bringing the world back into the one Janet is from, since it never should have split off in the first place.

The Lives of Christopher Chant is my favorite book out of the four. Christopher is the Chrestomanci we've been reading about in the other three. It takes us back before he was Chrestomanci; before he even realized he was doing magic.

She shows us how and why silver stops his magic. We watch as Christopher looses life after life at an alarming rate. We meet Millie as a young girl. She turns out to be from a different world completely. And we get a chance to look at the castle from a slightly different perspective. I say slightly different since Christopher has much the same feelings about the place as Cat and Gwendolyn do later.

I loved the way she described all the different worlds. It makes you realize how many more books she could write using Chrestomanci's world as a jumping off point. The ending surprised me. I had predicted Uncle Ralph's character about half way through, but it was was happened in Eleven with Gabriel that I wasn't expecting, though I probably should have seen it coming.

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci are great books. These four are bound up into a two volume omnibus for anyone who prefers to have less books sitting on the shelf. Don't ask me why, but I find those harder to read. I'll be reading The Pinhoe Egg next and probably have it done this weekend. It's the last Chrestomanci book I have on the shelf. I'm looking forward to meeting Cat again and see how he's grown.

Until next time...Happy Readings!

The Chonicles of Chrestomanci - Part 1

Title: Charmed Life, The Magicians of Caprona
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
(C) 1977, 1980
Publisher: Beech Tree Books (an imprint of William Morrow & Co.)
ISBN: 0-688-15546-4, 0-688-16613-X
218 pp., 223 pp.

I fully intended to work my way through The Emigrants by Vilhem Moberg, but I tend to get stuck reading the same author until I've finished whichever books of theirs that I own. So, I'm in the middle of the Chronicles of Chrestomanci. Don't worry, I only have 3 more and then we'll get away from fantasy for a little while.

I started these books years ago and for some reason I wasn't impressed. I think this author's style really has to grow on you. The magic in her books doesn't always follow the pattern you think it should and that can be maddening...it can also be why her books are so popular.

While you don't have to read them in a specific order, I would suggest reading Charmed Life first. This gives you the best introduction to the man known as Chresomanci. It isn't his real name (I'm not sure I know his real name yet), but the title of the wizard who helps control the use of magic in the parallel worlds.

Yup...different worlds. I like how she set them up too. Whenever there was some huge event in history that could have had two very different outcomes, the world divides and moves both ways. It also means that you could have copies of yourself in some of those worlds. Chrestomanci is unusual (as is our main character Cat Chant) in that he has no other copies, but nine lives all to himself.

Charmed Life follows the story a Eric, called Cat, and how his sister Gwendolyn uses his lives and his magic for her own. Most of the time he doesn't realize she's even doing it.

The Magicians of Caprona changes to a completely different setting and the only character that is the same is Chrestomanci. (and even he doesn't make much of an appearance). I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of the family feud between the Montagues and the Capulets.

The Montanas and the Petrocchis are the best spell houses in all of Caprona and most of the world. They are also bitter rivals. But Caprona is beginning to crumble. Magic is loosing its effect on things and war is close at hand. (In this world Italy is still divided into independent states ruled by dukes and archbishops.) What they need more than ever are the words to the song that the Angel sang during the reign of the first duke.

Then, Tonino Montana and Angelica Petrocchi are kidnapped. Both houses fight against each other. When that does no good they stop making spells, hoping to see their children safely back. With the war raging all around them, Tonino (who is very slow at spells) and Angelica (who's spells always work, but always turn out wrong) must fight against the enchantress, who is trying to destroy the city, on their own. They find that it takes the friendship of Montanas and Petrocchis to bring the Angel's song back to life and defeat the enchantress.

All in all, I am enjoying the series. It's strange how sometimes books you didn't care for right away can turn out to be great books after while. Sometimes it just takes getting into the book for a few chapters. Other times you just need to be in the right frame of mind. Fantasy and Historical Fiction are my favorite genres, but that doesn't mean that those are the only ones I read. So for those of you who don't like fantasy, give it time. Keep looking at different authors and trying different things. You'll be surprised by what's out there.

House of Many Ways

Title: House of Many Ways
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
(C)2008
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
ISBN: 978-0-06-147797-3
404 pp.

It's been a busy day here, but the weather is gorgeous and I've finally put my apartment to rights. I even borrowed a steamvac and did the carpets. Yay me!

Is that not the cutest cover ever? I'll admit, I don't have this one, but I saw it at Half Price books and if I ever find it in the clearance section, I will have to have it. My copy is the John Rocco/Paul Zakris design to match Castle in the Air. It's nice having a matching set of books, but every so often you'll find a duplicate in my library because I liked a certain cover. I'm weird. I know.

I still haven't figured out why House of Many Ways is considered the sequel. Morgan, Jamal and his dog, Princess Hilda; they are all found in the second book. So...yeah, I haven't figured it out yet either. I noticed the reviews were pretty poor for both of these books, but I enjoyed them.

The main character, Charmain, is a kindred spirit. She loves books as much as I do. She's also a bit of a rebel...once she's away from her mother. Her Great-Aunt Sempronia volunteers her to look after Great-Uncle William's house while he is away, getting medical treatment from the elves. (I never knew elves made such good doctors.)

Great-Uncle William turns out to be the Royal Wizard of High Norland, a country ruled by a King and his daughter who have a great love for their library, and no money. A wizard's house is always bound to be special, but this house is quite odd. It has a sort of trans-dimensional labyrinth running through it. Turn to the right at the inner door and you open it to find the kitchen. Left, and you're in the corridor of bedrooms that go on and on and on and...you get the point. The entire thing isn't even completely mapped.

However, the house is only half the story. By looking after the house, Charmain is given some independence, a chance to fiddle with magic she didn't realize she had, find out that being "respectable" really just means you don't know how to do anything practical, and helps to save the kingdom twice - once from a lubbock and again from a lubbockin. (If you're wondering what a lubbock is, read the book)

I'm so sad that there aren't any more stories with Howl and Sophie and the rest. There are still so many places that could be explored. Perhaps we'll be lucky and she'll publish another. If not, I shall just have to make up adventures for them in my own head.

Hmmm...that's not a bad idea. Until next time...

The Last Weekend of Freedom

It is, as Winnie-the-Pooh would say, a blustery sort of day. This blustery morning finds me half way through The House of Many Ways, the third book in the series with that superficial wizard, Howl Pendragon.

Yes, that's right. I started it late last night and finally put it down around the midway point because my eyes wouldn't focus on the words anymore. As you can see, Bookworm & Silverfish isn't such a strange name for this blog after all. It's a sort of testament to my character. I simply devour books. (Silverfish and other insects of the bookworm sort feed on the spines and binding of books. Apparently they like the glue.)

This is my last weekend of freedom. Starting Tuesday, I will be back teaching 40+ preschoolers. It really is great fun, even if they are trying at times. We're reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter in the first week and using it to discuss listening skills. However, once school starts I have less time to read whatever I want, whenever I want.

The start of school brings another book into my life. I'm helping lead a teen/young adult Bible study. We're starting with What in the World is Going On? by David C. Thompson. (You'll find it at www.nph.net) It takes a look at worldviews in culture and compares them to a Confessional Lutheran Worldview. It has given me much insight on how easily once can be influenced by a worldview that drastically opposes the Bible. It will be interesting to see how the group responds to this.

Ha ha! I had meant to wonder over the fact that The House of Many Ways claims to be a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, while Castle in the Air is only a compainion to it. Instead I gab about the other books that are coming up. Oh well, perhaps this evening, or tomorrow I will have the book finished and have time to discuss it. I am exceedingly puzzled by this and if anyone has an answer, I should dearly love to hear it.

Happy Readings!

Castle in the Air

Title: Castle in the Air
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
(C)1990
Publisher: A Greenwillow Book (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
ISBN: 978-0-06-147877-2
383 pp.

I first saw Howl's Moving Castle and fell in love with the characters. Hayao Miyazaki has produced some of the most beautiful animated films ever. That one is my particular favorite. I didn't realize at the time that it was a book by Diana Wynne Jones. It took me years to read the book. I was afraid they would be too different. They are similar and yet drastically different, but they are both wonderful. I'm thankful that I finally sat down and read it. If I hadn't, I might never have discovered the two other books Howl, Sophie, Calcifer and many other amazing characters appear in.

Castle in the Air is the second book. It stars Abdullah, a carpet merchant from Zanzib. As you might suspect from his name, Abdullah is from a place I imagine would be similar to the realms of the Arabian Knights. He comes into possession of a threadbare magic carpet and there his whole life changes. He meets a beautiful princess, he finds a genie...one would think his tale is just like Aladdin and all his troubles are over. But in typical Wynne Jones fashion, his troubles are just beginning.

I'll warn you now that those dearly loved characters, including the fantastic moving castle, don't seem to appear until the last few chapters of the book. I hope you are not disappointed in the twisted ending the author has fashioned for us. I thought it was rather ingenious.

Something I love about Diana Wynne Jones, is her use of a character's speech. Abdullah has the most magnificent phrases (not just one or two, but page after page of them). Here's an example:

"O sapphire among sorcerous beings," he said, "flame of festivity and candle among carpets, magnificent more by a hundred times in your true form than ever you were as treasured tapestry -" (p. 371)

And there's just something so...realistic about her characters. I adore Sophie's description of Howl. Those two are the kinds of characters I truly love.

"He's the best wizard in Ingary or anywhere else. If he'd only had time, he would have defeated that djinn. And he's sly and selfish and vain as a peacock and cowardly, and you can't pin him down to anything." (p. 283)

Well, I will leave you with that, and I think that I will search through the stacks for that third book. I know I put it somewhere.

Welcome all bookworms!

I would easily be classified a bookworm. For me, reading and writing are as essential to life as breathing.

I was told stories from the time I was very little. One of my earliest memories is sitting in the rocking chair with Nana and listening to her Sugar Cookie story over and over again.

Reading came easy to me and writing followed quickly after. I admit to being an aspiring writer, but it doesn't matter if I am never published. I write for the pure enjoyment of discovering the lives of my characters.

I have a rather...extensive personal library. Most of the books I read are children's and young adult fiction. I collect certain authors and I particularly love historical fiction and fantasy.

Yes, I am definitely a bookworm.

I intend to list what I'm reading at the moment, and what I think about it. I don't search for hidden meanings in books, nor do I philosophize over the plot. I love a story for what it is. I would love to read your comments regarding any books that I list too. Check back often and see what's new.

Happy Readings!