A Thousand Splendid Suns

 Author: Khaled Hosseini

ISBN: 9780747593775

Hi Everyone

There is so much going on in our world today. We hear snippets of news from sources of media that tell us points of view applicable to our countries. We often see only the point of view that we choose to observe.  It isn't always being ignorant of what is happening - sometimes we just don't know.

I know that this book is about two women who come together through marriage to Rasheed. But this book, somehow, took me beyond the story and into a world quite different from my own. Most of my life I have been watching the dynamics between Afghanistan and America. It is not very often that we are taken into the world of the women living through it all. So many times I had to put the book down, as I grieved for the characters who quickly became women living resilient lives beyond what I see in the media. 

There are so many things that this book left me thinking. I can't put it all into words here. I can only recommend that you pick this book up and see what you take from reading the lives of these women, living in a totally different continent from mine, and maybe yours. I have since been told to read the other books by this author, which are apparently just as good.  I will be doing so in the future because these kinds of books are what one would call "living books".

Description:

Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.

Happy reading

For private tutoring:

The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison

 Author: Meredith Jaffe

Read by: Simone Gescheit

ISBN: 9781867535430

Hi Everyone

Unique.

Who would have thought that a group of men, in prison, making a dress, could catch my attention? I guess it is because I like to do my own needlework and the thought of a hand-embroidered dress interested me.  I enjoyed envisioning the dress as it took shape, and what the outcome would be.  Would Debbie wear it, or would her mother stand in the way? Would it be show cased? Or, would it be discarded?

Debbie and her mother were 'next level' annoying! Well, I suppose you could really say the mother was beyond annoying. Just read it!

This is an easy read - or in my case, 'listen to'. The plot is pretty standard, with the odd bit of chaos added in. But you won't be disappointed.  Just let your mind envision the dress and the emotions of every character as the process becomes their story.

Description:

Derek's daughter Debbie is getting married. He's desperate to be there, but he's banged up in Yarrandarrah Correctional Centre for embezzling funds from the golf club, and, thanks to his ex-wife, Lorraine, he hasn't spoken to Debbie in years. He wants to make a grand gesture - to show her how much he loves her. But what?

Inspiration strikes while he's embroidering a cushion at his weekly prison sewing circle - he'll make her a wedding dress.  His fellow stitchers rally around and soon this motley gang of crims is immersed in a joyous whirl of silks, satins and covered bottons.

But as time runs out and tensions rise both inside and outside the prison, the wedding dress project takes on greater significance. With lives at stake, Derek feels his chance to reconcile with Debbie is slipping through his fingers... 

Happy reading

For Private tutoring with Richelle:

Anne of Green Gables

 

Hi Everyone

No one is ever too grown up to read Anne of Green Gables. Anne is just adorable! She talks more than me :)

The story is a classic, and I see why. Every page has something special. The language is witty, clever, elegant, and rich. I have read plenty of children's and young reader's books, but this one tops them all. I see history intertwined amongst the literacy, which will enable many talking points if read aloud to young people.  

Overall, I think anyone's reading list is not complete unless this is either added or already read. It is one of the best classic series on the market.  Now that is giving Anne of Green Gables some major credits because I like reading the classics and I have many of them on my favourites list.  I still think this one needs to be one of the top children's literature titles. 

When you find a copy and a spare moment, take the time to journey with Anne of Green Gables. Then we can all have a talk about Anne, literacy, and a bit of history.  I have the whole series to read so I will keep you updated.

Description: 

People are surprised when Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, both very set in their ways, decide to adopt an orphan boy. But no-one is more astonished than Marilla and Matthew themselves when the boy they are expecting turns out to be a very talkative, very imaginative, very read-headed, very female girl. Anne has arrived at Green Gables. Her adventures, dreams, sorrows and joys are set down here in one of the most popular books ever written.

Happy reading

For private tutoring with Richelle

The Atlas Six

 Author: Olivie Blake

ISBN: 9781529095241

Hi Everyone

Okay. I had big expectations for this novel and I didn't get what I wanted. The concept was good but it went on way more than it needed to.  I felt like I was reading forever, continually finding out a little snippet about the characters. It didn't nearly as far into the plot as it could have. This plot could have really grabbed my attention had it had more action and suspense. I'm giving my honest review here.

Again this was based on my expectations. I did enjoy the book.  I just wanted more than it gave me. I have read so many good books but this one isn't in my top 10. 

Maybe you could read it and then let me know whether I should try reading it again, from a different perspective, at another time of my journey through literature :)

Description: 

Six young magicians are chosen for greatness. But as they study to become the best among rivals, the stakes are higher than they know.

Paperplus.co.nz

The Library of Alexandria has never perished, it has kept the darkest secrets of mankind hidden for thousands of years. Every ten years, the most talented magicians of their generation are given the opportunity to study the ancient knowledge: those who survive the initiation await tremendous wealth, power, and wisdom. But of the six chosen, only five will survive.

This time they are joined by Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, two gifted physiomagicians from the New York University of Magical Arts who can't stand each other. The telepath Parisa Kamali and the empath Callum Nova, both masters of manipulation. Tristan Caine, the cynical son of a London gangster who can see through any illusion, and Reina Mori, a mysterious nature magician from Japan.

A game of life and death begins between the powerful adepts.

Audible.com.au

Happy Reading

Our Italian Summer

 Author: Jennifer Probst

ISBN: 9780593098462

Hi Everyone

I have much respect for the women in this novel. When you embark on a journey through these pages you will encounter three women.  All on the same journey, yet all on a different journey of discovery too.  

Let's start with Sophia.  A woman who has lived a life.  It wasn't always the life she wanted but learned to adapt and enjoy what life was giving her.  There was one thing that she hadn't done and that was travel. Like many of us, she put her life on hold for those she cared about.  That is until now.  But then again, her decision to travel is based around her daughter and grand-daughter. It is her choice, but once again is it for her family or for herself.  Discovery....

Now to Franchesca. The typical career-obsessed mother/woman. But why? And will she break the habits of a lifetime? What really lies behind the need to control every aspect of her life? She wants Italy to bring Allegra to her senses, but is it Allegra that needs to be bought to her senses? Is it Allegra that has life decisions to be made? Discovery...

And, Allegra.  I thought the novel put Allegra in a box of a stereo-typical teen.  I was quite disappointed by Allegra's character. I thought there was so much more to Allegra than the stereo typical teen. Then there is the young man that she falls in love with.  He has a different path that he is seeking and I became disappointed with the stereo-typical outcome of their relationship. I would have liked to have seen them play out in a different way, but I still really enjoyed the book.  Did she find her way? Discovery...

As you may be able to tell, I enjoyed this novel except for some aspects of Allegra's character plot. I was impressed by descriptive writing which at times I felt was almost poetical. The words tantalized my mind, playing games with their sounds. It drew me into the book as I was enabled to 'see' the world in the pages due to the writing.  I enjoyed the experience of reading this book.  Jennifer Probst has a good future ahead of her, I would just like to see more uniqueness in some of the characters rather than what the world expects. Why? Because I have met some great teens and I felt Allegra had more to her!

 

Description:

Workaholic, career-obsessed Francesca is fiercely independent and successful in all areas of her life except one: family. She struggles to make time for her relationship with her teenage daughter, Allegra, and the two have become practically strangers to each other. When Allegra hangs out with a new crowd and is arrested for drug possession, Francesca gives in to her mother's wish that they take one epic summer vacation to trace their family roots in Italy. She just never expected to face a choice that might change the course of her life. 

Allegra wants to make her grandmother happy, but she hates the idea of forced time with her mother and vows to fight every step of the ridiculous tour, until a young man on verge of priesthood begins to show her the power of acceptance, healing, and the heartbreaking complications of love.

Sophia knows her girls are in trouble. A summer filled with the possibility for change is what they all desperately need. Among the ruins of ancient Rome, the small churches of Assisi, and the rolling hills of Tuscany, Sophia hopes to show her girls that the bonds of family are everything, and to remind them that they can always lean on one another, before it's too late.

Happy reading

Private tutoring link

The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital

 Author: Joanna Nell

ISBN: 9780733642906

Hi Everyone

What better time to pick up a read that isn't overly harsh or dramatic! The tea ladies of St Jude's all have their own story to tell. They are fairly simple, average people. They all have their own little 'issues'. But, this is still an easy, heart warming read. 

I don't leave this book with much to think over - and it is kind of nice and refreshing.

I have enjoyed the simplicity of this read.  I like that there are books like this out there; I think we all need them in our lives and on our bookcases.

So I leave you with a simple - worthy of reading message and the description so you can choose for yourself.

Description:

The Marjorie Marshall Memorial Cafeteria has been serving refreshments and raising money at the hospital for over fifty years, long after anybody can remember who Marjorie Marshall actually was. Staffed by successive generations of dedicated volunteers, the beloved cafeteria is known as much for offering a kind word and sympathetic ear (and often unsolicited life advice) as for its tea and buns.

Stalwart Hilary has worked her way up through the ranks to Manageress; Joy has been late every day since she started as the cafeteria's newest recruit. She doesn't take her role as 'the intern' quite as seriously as Hilary would like but there's no doubt she brings a welcome pop of personality. Seventeen-year-old Chloe, the daughter of two successful surgeons, is volunteering during the school holidays because her mother thinks it will look good on her CV.

Chloe is at first bewildered by the two older women but soon realises they have a lot in common, not least that each bears a secret pain. When they discover the cafeteria is under threat of closure, this unlikely trio must band together to save it.

Happy reading

Follow me on:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/readlearnandshine

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/readlearnand

Private Tutoring Link

Tara Road

 Author: Maeve Binchy

ISBN: 9780752826028

Hi Everyone

A lovely friend handed me this book thinking I might enjoy it.  I looked at the 637 pages and put it beside my bed in a TBR pile 😄 

It was by no means going to be a quick read!

A few weeks ago I looked at the book.  Went to walk away.  And, looked at the book again.  The cover was yelling at me to read it. But.... 637 pages, was I ready to take on the mission.

Okay!  

I took up the challenge!

Wow, what a brilliant piece of literature.  I struggled to put the book down. There was no time to scroll through my phone over the past couple of weeks, I was reading.  I had a job to do. A challenge to complete. 

The challenge quickly became finding time for everything else.  Every five minutes free was more page turning. It was like watching a movie with ads, but the ads were the little interruptions that life gave me (somethings need done). I quickly sorted through the characters.  Found the ones that I connected with, funnelled through the ones that I thought less highly of, and became a part of Tara Road.  Every character had their part to play in the ups, downs, successes and failures. There are no side-line characters on Tara Road.

Then in walks Marilyn all the way from New England. She wants a quiet place to escape but she also found her place in Tara Road.  None of us are immune from the happenings on Tara Road.  You either become a part of Tara Road or you go home.  I became a spectator.  I had no chance of leaving once the pages were opened!

If you want good read with so many aspects of daily life touched upon, then Tara Road is for you.  I am sure you will find a place for you within the pages and encounter characters that will remain a part of your literary mind for years after adventuring down Tara Road.

Description:

Ria and Marilyn have never met -  they live thousands of miles apart, separated by the Atlantic Ocean: one in a big, war, Victorian house in Tara Road, Dublin, the other in a modern, open plan house in New England. Two more unlikely friends would be hard to find: Ria's life revolves around her family and friends, while Marilyn's reserve is born of grief. But when each needs a place to escape to, a house exchange seems an ideal solution.

Along with the borrowed houses come neighbours and friends, gossip and speculation as Ria and Marilyn swap lives for the summer...

Happy reading

Amber

 Author: Deborah Challinor

ISBN: 9781869506322

Hi Everyone

Here we have a historical novel packed with historical snippets of New Zealand.  I was very impressed by the way in which the author interwove this history.  It gave me an appreciation of the historical time when the New Zealand wars loomed.  What I really liked, was the ability to connect with the characters in way that enlightened the history that I am familiar with.  I have watched documentaries, read books and been taught at school about New Zealand's history. But, to read a novel where the historical connections are interwoven with characters that seemed real, gave me a new depth of appreciation of the history that New Zealand is rich with. Although this is an 'historical novel' I felt that historical undercurrent was respectful and for this reason I recommend picking up this book.

Credit also needs to be given to the manner in which historical depth is written into Kitty's character and Amber's (the little girl whom Kitty...).  I turned page after page, never let down by the continued strength of the characters and the plot of this novel.  I have since purchased two more of Deborah Challinor's novels to add to my growing TBR pile.

This is a small review this time, but I think it is all needs.  The characters and plot speak for themselves once you've opened the pages.

Description: 

The second riveting instalment in The Smuggler's Wife series by one of our leading historical novelists. "She was Maori, aged anywhere between three and five years old. Her dirty, matted hair hung past her shoulders, and sweet, heart-shaped little face was filthy." When Kitty Farrell is offered a trinket by a street urchin, her implulsive response will change both of their lives forever. It is 1845, and after four years on the high seas with Rian, her wild Irish husband, she returns to the lawless Bay of Islands and a country at war. Kitty and Rian must battle to be reunited as they fight for their lives and watch friends and enemies alike succumb to the madness of war and the fatal seduction of hatred.

Happy Reading

Six Minutes

 Author: Petronella McGovern

ISBN: 9781760875282

Hi Everyone

I went from trusting every character to not trusting anyone!

How can fours mums be the problem? There are four of them for goodness sake.  Surely one would have seen something. I know how easy it is to be distracted while kids play but all the mums are there. One of them surely should have seen something if one of the mums were the problem!?

The teacher is a genuine good guy, it can't be the teacher!?

The mother is so anxious about getting back to her daughter, counting every minute that she is away. It can't be the mum, it just can't be the mum. I'm a mother and I hated being away from my kids when they were pre-schoolers.... it can't be the mum!?

The dad.... he's at work. It cant be him!? 

But then, all the cracks show in every individual. The little hidden things begin to form cracks in my initial thinking. How can I go from trusting everyone; to hearing the reality of everyone's individual lives; to not trusting any of them.  They all have issues! But, does that make them a suspect or even a bad person. Who doesn't have something that they keep hidden - even away from themselves - locked in the past.  Can we judge people for simple past anything? Normally I wouldn't, but this novel got me thinking. There was a missing child 🙅

So, I made everyone a suspect! Guilty until proven innocent!

The ending was fantastic, not at all what I expected (you have to read it to find out).

Description: 

How can a child disappear from under the care of four playgroup mums?

One Thursday morning, Lexie Parker dashes to the shop for biscuits, leaving Bella in the safe care of the other mums in the playgroup.

Six minutes later, Bella is gone.

Police and media descend on the tiny village of Merrigang on the edge of Canberra. Locals unite to search the dense bushland. But as the investigation continues, relationships start to fracture, online hate messages target Lexie, and the community is engulfed by fear.

Is Bella's disappearance connected to the angry protests at Parliament House. What secrets are the parents hiding? And why does a local teacher keep a photo of Bella in his lounge room?

What happened in those six minutes and where is Bella?

The clock is ticking...

This novel will keep you guessing to the very last twist.

Happy reading

Apples Never Fall

 Author: Liane Moriarty

ISBN: 9781760785024

Hi Everyone

Here is my first read for the New Year.  It was a lovely Christmas present that was very exciting to receive - like any book that I get put in my hand.  I also found myself landed in hospital, followed by a week of doing little but reading.  Thank goodness I am a reader. Thank goodness I have Christmas presents to read. 

So, what did I think of my first read of 2022? 

Let's start by commenting that typing 2022 feels really weird!

Anyway, 'Apples Never Fall' is a gentle read. I really appreciated the angle which author took and that it wasn't the 'usual' outcome.  There were the twists that accompany any missing person novel.  There was the complexity of the mysterious house guest.  There was the husband, who of course had to have been hiding something.  Then there were the adult children, that could go through every emotion and argument to leave you questioning.  

It became more than a missing person mystery to solve. But for those of you who have followed my blog/reviews, you will know that I like to dig deeper than the plot and you will not be surprised.  In this novel we are given, a mother, father (husband and wife), four adult children with different personalities and hang ups, a mysterious house guest, and a tennis profession that plays into every dimension of the story. The way in which the life of each character is interwoven to their personalities via the connections of each individual (made prior to the present) is interesting, dynamic and important.  It grabbed my interest.  Especially when the details of the mysterious house guest came to light. I could say "I saw it all coming" but did I? I don't think I did. I should have!

Every character influenced the final outcome.  Every one of us influence final outcomes without realising it.  Most of the time we never see the connections.  We don't stop to think what influence today has made on any minor human being in our presence that day.  But this novel connected this very idea and bundled it up into a really good read. 

Then the ending was brilliant! I was left satisfied with an outcome and impressed by the weaving together of an ending in which, I closed the book feeling it was complete.

Description:

From the outside, the Delaneys appear to be an enviably contented family. Even after all these years, former tennis coaches Joy and Stan are still winning tournaments, and now they've sold the family business they have all the time in the world to learn how to 'relax'. Their four adult children are busy living their own lives, and while it could be argued they never quite achieved their destinies, no-one ever says that out loud. But now Joy Delaney has disappeared and her children are re-examining their parents' marriage and their family history with fresh, frightened eyes. Is her disappearance related to their mysterious house guest from last year? Or were things never as rosy as they seemed in the Delaney household?

Happy reading

This was available from:
Paperplus and Book depository

Sophie's World

 Sophie's World ~ A novel about the history of philosophy

Author Jostein Gaarder

ISBN: 978-0-374-53071-6

Hi Everyone

I am left amazed with the information this books carries inside.  I was taken on journey through the history of philosophy from the great Myths to the most recent of days.  I was continually amazed at what I was reading.  I have always enjoyed educational philosophy but cannot say that I have delved deeply into all the philosophers that Jostein Gaardern has presented me with now. I read with a notebook beside me, jotting down all that I wanted to look deeper into.  The great minds of the past are interesting, they are people who dared to think!  Even more so they dared to speak and write their philosophical ideas to the rest of the world. 

Here is a list of some of the chapters....

• Myths
• Democritus
• Fate - The fortune-teller
• Socrates
• Athens
• Plato
• Aristotle
• Hellenism
• The Middle Ages
• The renaissance
• The Baroque
• Descartes
• Spinoza
• Locke
• Hume
• Berkeley
• The Enlightenment
• Kant
• Romanticism
• Hegel
• Kierkegaard
• Marx
• Darwin
• Freud
• The Big Bang

See!  A history lesson right inside a 'living book'!

Then to add to the joy of reading about all these philosophies you are given a novel about Sophie, and Hilde comes to the mystery too.  Who is Hilde? When you find out you will be questioning who is Sophie.  Quite a twist, to say the least 💁

I have only one comment to add. I was expecting more from the ending. I had all these great ideas about how the story was going to end but not the one that it ended on.  None the less, I would read it again just for the historical commentary that I journeyed through in reading it.

Description:

A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print.

One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: Who are you? and Where does the world come from? From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrols in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning--but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

Happy Reading

Animal Farm

 George Orwell

ISBN: 978-1-78599-623-8

Hi Everyone

In just 96 pages George Orwell packs a punch not only at political influences of his time but at people and human nature. I am going to give you the historical information taken from the Benet's Readers Encyclopedia first, so that I respect the writing of George Orwell. Then I am going to give you some of the things that made me stop and think.  They aren't political findings - I'm here to encourage you to read and think, not give views religiously or politically.  This made me think more about how we as individuals do similar things to each other.

So anyway.... First.... Benet's will inform us:

Orewell, George (Pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, 1903-1950). English Novelist, essayist, and critic. An independent socialist in adult life, Orwell was born in India, where his father was in the civil service. He won a scholarship to Eton but was financially unable to go on to Oxford or Cambridge. Instead he spent five years with the Imperial Police in Burma (1922-27) Much of his early work was at least partly autobiographical. ... After that point, Orwell said that all his writings, both fictional and essays, were directed against totalitarianism in all forms. This commitment is manifested in his two best-known novel, ANIMAL FARM and 1984.   Taken from: "Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia, A Completely Revised and Updated Edition of the Classic Encyclopedia of World Literature. 4th Edition. Harper Collins Publishers. pg762"

Now to my thoughts....

Beyond the historical influences.

We start with a little farm.  I thought it reminded me of the movie 'Barnyard'.  The animals held their meetings and had plenty to say about the farmer. It seemed like a normal sort of farm apart from talking animals.

The animals wanted better.  Sounds like most human beings.  A "the grass is always greener on the other side scenario.

Then we start to see the animals as they truly are. They think they are better, well some do and some are just following the crowd. They actually had a point. 

We all have a point. Our side of the argument. But is it always right? To the individual, most likely yes.

Let's take our ideas now to social media.

Let's make everyone believe our side.  After all we can look pretty good on social media.  We can tell our side of anything.  We can look any way we want.  

Now back to the animals. They managed to drag down animals that weren't even there; that couldn't have done what was accused. But everyone believed what they wanted to believe.

Now back to us. 

Are you getting idea?

We can be as uplifting or as nasty as we like out there.  There are options that were not available in the 1940's, to show what we think and feel about anything. Even things we know nothing about. This story has so many talking points beyond the political. It shows us how one thing leads to the next and how how everything is effecting more than the individual.

Maybe we should all take a minute to little look at our own little world. Maybe even our little 'bubbles' and see just how much we are effecting or influencing each other. Is it for own good or everyone's? Sometimes our intentions are good.  I am sure the animals started off with good intentions. Just ensure that 'power' doesn't over take.... I don't know.... ?  

I hope you can see that this is a classic that has been reading material in many class rooms over the past decades. We can still ask questions and they can be more than political. We can ask questions of ourselves and how we do life in the 21 century and how we are treating those closest to us.

Description:

'All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.'

Revolution is in the air at Manor Farm after of Major, a prize boar, tells the other animals about his dream of freedom and teaches them to sing 'Beasts of England' Mr Jones, the drunken farmer, is deposed and a committee of pigs takes over the running of the farm. The animals are taught to read and write, but the dream turns sour, the puges begin and those in charge come more and more to resemble their oppressors.

Orwell's allegory of the Soviet revolution remains as lucid and compelling as ever. In beautifully clear prose, he gives us a vivid gallery of characters and a fable that conveys the truth about how we are manipulated through language and the impossibility of finding heaven on earth.

Happy Reading

Girls Made of Snow and Glass

 Author: Melissa Bashardoust

Read by: Jennifer Ikeda

Hi Everyone

I am finally addicted to the world of audio books.  It has taken me long time to learn how to simply listen to the words penetrating my mind via my ears, rather than the busy talk going on in my own mind.  I still love to sit down with a book in my hand, but I now see a place in my world for audio books.  I am constantly surprised at how much I can achieve while listening to one.  I find it a release from the chores needing done; I find it a joy when I go for a walk; I enjoy listening to someone else's voice telling me a story.  I have become a better listener to the people around me because I have learnt to listen rather than think about how to answer or give my point of view.  In the days that we are living right now, I think it is important to listen to each other and it is just as important to be able to quieten our own thoughts for just a little while. Audio books are a great way to do so.

The good thing about audio books is that they are click away and free when you connect to the library via 'Libby' or 'Borrow box'.  You can also access free audio books from 'Librivox'. We have a library of audio books right at fingers so we can learn to listen.  We expect our children to listen to the people around them but as adults I think it easy to lose the art.  I remember clearly, listening to read-alouds at school and now I find the same pleasure in hearing a good story.

Anyway.... to Girls Made of Snow and Glass

Brilliantly read! I was enticed by Jennifer Ikeda's clarity and voice.

The story line was awesome! Definitely different! And the plot evolved at a continual pace which kept me wanting to know what came next. As I write this I find it really hard to explain my thoughts without adding in 'spoilers'. So, I guess you need to take my word for it and read or listen to a copy.  

I have to add in that I enjoyed Nina (step mother) and Lynet. They both carried their own burdens to the degree that I found them quite similar.  I friended both of them as I listened to their stories.  My heart reached out as I discovered their inner needs that aren't that much different to all of ours.  They may have been characters playing their part in a plot, but they had a lot to teach us, especially if you listen to their hearts. Again, if say much more I will need to add in 'spoilers'!

It's like listening to fairy-tales as a child, then listening to one now that I am grown-up.  Young adult books are fabulous for enabling us to continue evolving our imaginations. That's the only way I can explain this book and the experience I got from listening to it while I worked my way though my adult chores.

Description:

At sixteen, Mina's mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone - has never beat at all, in fact, but she'd always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king's heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she'll have to become a stepmother.

Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen's image, at her father's order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do - and who to be - to win back the only mother she's ever known...or else defeat her once and for all.

Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything-unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.

Happy reading

Iliad

 Author: Homer

Translated by Stanley Lombardo

Introduction by Sheila Murnaghan

ISBN: 978-0-87220-352-5

Hi Everyone

I am going to give this five stars because I believe Homer deserves it.  As for this translation I was pleasantly impressed.  I understood the translation easily and the introduction was well written.  

First, I will comment on the translation.  I found it to be an easy-ish (because when was the Iliad an easy read) translation.  I connected well with the language and enjoyed the plot.  I would like to look at a classic edition to analyse and comment on how correct the translation was, but as a first reader of the Iliad I enjoyed this translation.  I have to admit that I needed to photocopy the main character list from the back of the book and highlight in three colours the Trojan's, Greeks, and Gods.  It was the only way that I could keep up with all the characters for the first quarter of the book.  There are multitudes of characters in the beginning sections of this epic!  Once I had the characters organised the rest of the reading flowed much easier.  Now my copy of the Iliad will remain in my hands because it is well annotated. To open a well annotated book means the book was well read and enjoyed.  

I got utterly annoyed with Achilles! Was I meant to or did he just wind me up the wrong way?  That is a question I will forever be asking myself as I continue to absorb my thoughts of Iliad's plot.  For now, I remain with my first impression, "he annoyed me!".  He acted like spoilt brat and had now remorse over the raging war until it involved one of his friends - that he sent out there!?! I told you; he really got on my nerves.

The rest of the characters played their parts well. I connected with each of them. The Gods made the story more than a 'war' story. The outcome was realistic and well finished.  The story is not necessarily for the faint hearted, it a graphic piece of writing in places. Overall I ended up being pleased that I had endured to the end, it is a great piece of classical literature.

Now to the Introduction. It was clear and well set out.  It gave me a good insight into what I was about read.  This introduction will serve the purposes of any student studying the Iliad.  The only issue that I had, is that by the end of it I felt I had actually read the book.  Is there any need to read the book as a student when the introduction explains the whole story?  Maybe this is what some students need, hence study the introduction.  As for me I mainly wanted to read the Iliad so I may have been better off skipping the introduction to the end.

I found the 'Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia -  A completely Revised and Updated Edition of the Classic Encyclopedia of World Literature' a fantastic asset to accompany the reading of Iliad.  It gave a simply low-down of each chapter which kept me on track with where the plot was heading.

Do I recommend the reading of Iliad? Yes I do. I think that it worth at least attempting once in a life time. I also recommend reading it with a pen/pencil and highlighter and annotating while you read, it helped me to connect to the characters and plot. If I hadn't ruined my copy with all my highlighting and notes then it would have just be a book that was read because 'I should' rather than a piece of literature that I am pleased to have picked up and read well.

Description:

"... accurate, idiomatic, fast-paced and highly readable. Its sustained flow will enable students and other contemporary readers to enjoy the poem's narrative, similes, and speeches and should help them to engage critically with its central ethical problems. Sheila Murnaghan's lucid Introduction instructively situates the epic in its historical and cultural contexts, elucidates its representation and critique of traditional heroism, and calls attention to the main interpretive problems it raises for ancient audiences and modern readers" 

- Seth Schien, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of California Davis

Happy reading

Echoes of War

 Author: Tania Blanchard

ISBN: 978-0-7553-7928-6

Hi Everyone

Within the first few pages, I was walking along side Giulia Tallariti as read every page with expectation.  She was strong character with a strength and determination that surpassed the expectancies of women in her era.  She was meant to submit to her father, then be handed over to marriage to do the same with her husband.  This may seem like a rigid thing in the world we live now, but it was a normality in 1935.  We cannot judge what was normal in the 30's with what is normal today, there will be many things from or 'normal' that will be judged in 90 years as wrong too.  In the first chapters Giulia's father made me so angry, but when he's examined with the rest of the story, I see he was playing his part, not only as a character but as a historical figure. 

Once I got past the expectations of historical literature and the characters, I journey along side Giulia as she determined to live her destiny. I know this book is fictional but there were many times that I put the book down and thought about the lives we live today, in comparison to Guilia and her family...

• An ever evolving world war
• Arranged marriages
• Arranged/acceptable occupations
• Family expectations
• The dynamics of the medical system
• No internet - they used written correspondence

Physically the same world that I live in, but the dynamics are extremely different today.  In some ways we have travelled very little and in other ways we have travels in extremities!  I couldn't help but be placed in Guilia's shoes as I became so absorbed into the book.  She was strong and determined and in many ways I am too, but when I look at the road she travelled I realise the difference. Her hurdles were caused by the people around her, mine are often self-inflicted hurdles.  The world offers women way more opportunities than they did in 1935 but do we always take them?  Guilia was could have portrayed as a victim yet she walked every day fighting for what she believed and endeavoured to help as many people as she could. She didn't live in a victim mentality, rather she lived her 'best life' all the way. This is where I found her character's greatest strength.  I know I was probably meant to see the world around Guilia, but I found myself seeing the quiet battles inside her the strength in which she took on the world with grace and dignity.

Guilia wasn't the only character that surprised me.  Her first husband was a gentleman and I appreciated him being written into as such a character.  I liked that after seeing her father, I could transition to seeing the men in the story were going to be given conflicting characteristics.  You have to read it to see all the different characters and what they bring to the story.  They all have their unique part to play in telling and showing of what this time in history was like, not just people like Guilia but also people like her father, mother, sisters, brothers, all the men and all the women.  They all played their part in bring this piece of historical literature together.

Brilliantly writing piece of writing.  Thank you Simon and Schuster, along with Netgalley, for giving me a copy to read. 

Description:

Set in Mussolini’s Italy amid great upheaval, this is the story of one woman’s determination to find her place in a world that men are threatening to tear apart. Another heart-rending novel inspired by a true story from Australia's bestselling author of The Girl from Munich.

Calabria, Italy, 1936

In a remote farming village nestled in the mountains that descend into the sparkling Ionian Sea, young and spirited Giulia Tallariti longs for something more. While she loves her home and her lively family, she would much rather follow in her nonna’s footsteps and pursue her dream of becoming a healer.

But as Mussolini’s focus shifts to the war in Europe, civil unrest looms. Whispers of war are at every corner and her beloved village, once safe from the fascist agenda of the North, is now in very real danger.

Caught between her desire to forge her own path and her duty to her family, Giulia must draw on the passion in her heart and the strength of her conviction.

Can she find a way to fulfill her dreams or will the echoes of war drown out her voice?

Happy reading

All the Light We Cannot See

 Author: Anthony Doerr

ISBN: 9780007548699

Hi Everyone,

This book will take you down a path of history, in a way that is uniquely eye opening.  We have all heard snippets of this time in history and there are lessons to be learnt from it.  I don't think that we should close our eyes to the past, only to risk being ignorant enough to let things happen again.  In this writing, although fictional, I was taken into the lives of so many individuals.  I followed every character for different reasons.  I sat hour after hour turning the pages, unable to close the book.

I was firstly taken into to the life of a little orphan boy who just wanted to make things and learn.  I have a little boy (sorry he is young man now 😄) who also pulled everything apart with the mission to make it go or make it better.  He too wanted to know everything about everything.  Here I sat reading about a boy who was clever beyond his years but it was taken and used in a way that he couldn't escape.  We can't close our eyes to the fact that not everyone was evil but rather many were surviving.  This young man was one of the many surviving, but he did find a way to follow his heart and do the right thing.  Did he remain a survivor ...?

Then I was enticed into the life of a little girl who was blind.  And her wonderful father who was able to teach her the city via little wooden models so intricate, each containing a puzzle, uniquely made for her with his own hands.  I was fascinated by these two characters.  I was drawn into their world and walked with her throughout the pages. She couldn't see the world visually but in reality she saw more than anyone else.  She was courageous and strong. She was survivor.... or?

Every other character had a special part to play in the book.  I think I wanted to know more about everyone of them.  I closed the book wanting to know more about the survivors?  And in some cases if they survived.  Really, pick up the book and follow the lives of the these individuals and see how connected we all are.  See how every little thing that we do can be influencing someone that we know little about.  Interesting concept really.

I want to talk a little about the symbolisms  in this book.  There are replica's and models, secrets, and radios. Together they all intertwined the lives of everyone.  I was left thinking about these upon closing the final page. The little houses that Marie-Laure's father made sounded wonderful to me.  They held a puzzle and a gift.  They need knowledge to open them.  But one would harbour a secret. Same with radios that Werner would make.  They started as a joy and thrill of the ability to find a away to create.  It was also a way to gain knowledge as the children listened to the stories on them, when fixed.  But.... in secret.  Everything a secret.  Werner ended up seeking radios which were hidden.  Secret after secret revelled in the things that were once treasures.  If I was given an assignment to write an essay on this, I think I could go down so many rabbit holes.  This books holds many answers but at the same it leaves me with questions.  

Put this book on your 'To Be Read' list if you want a page turner.

Description:

For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full of mazes. The miniature of a Paris neighbourhood, made by her father to teach her the way home. The microscopic layers within the invaluable diamond that her father guards in the Museum of Natural History. The walled city by the sea, where father and daughter take refuge when the Nazis invade Paris. And a future which draws her ever closer to Werner, a German orphan, destined to labour in the mines until a broken radio fills his life with possibility and brings him to the notice of the Hitler Youth.

In this magnificent, deeply moving novel, the stories of
Marie-Laure and Werner illuminate the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

This was available from: Whitcoulls, Paperplus, and Bookdepository

Happy reading

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

 Author: Unknown

This edition: a verse translation by Keith Harrison

ISBN: 978-0-19-954016-7

Grammar Fix It! Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 

Author: Pamela White

ISBN: 978-1-62341-177-0

(Institute for Excellence in Writing)

Hi Everyone

I have two things here for you today. 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' is a book I studied, a few years ago now, and it still remains a treasure piece of literature in my mind. Now I am taking a student on a literary journey, using the novel and this curriculum.

Let's start with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Written in the 14th century, by an unknown author, and this gem of poetry which still graces our book stores, universities, schools and homes today.  Now that to me says "Must Read!".  This is the second time that I have read this and I still loved every bit of it.  I have a confession to make... I love poetry and verse. That said, I may be a little bias on the fact  because this is a long work of poetry.  It could be called a story or it could be called poetry.  Whichever way you look at it, I without a doubt encourage you to pick up a copy and try it.  

When I first got handed a copy I was far from convinced.  I probably wouldn't have read it if I didn't need to write an essay on thing.  Today, I am thankful that I have enjoyed reading it for a second time.  It re-opened my eyes to a genre that often goes left on the back of shelves, neglected.  I would love to see a world of this genre re-opened up, for this generation to enjoy.  Then again, maybe there is more out there that I am to discover, so if anyone knows of some modern versions of poetic book then please let me know.  I want more!

You will find many resources online to accompany this book such as Spark notes and of course there is the one I am highlighting here for you today - Grammar fix it (if you live outside NZ then try EIW.com ).  Of course there is a good write up over on Wikipedia and if you put 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' into Youtube there are multiple links to videos and reviews. 

To Grammar Fix It...

What exactly is Grammar Fix It?

It is a curriculum that takes the student through 32 weeks of fixing grammar using a story.  In this instance, 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' is used.  Each week there are four days of a couple of sentences that need correcting.  Each one is clearly written in the student book.  The teacher book has a copy of each student page along with notes and corrections.  In the back of the student book there are flash cards which can be cut out; an excellent glossary; a completion certificate.  By the end of the year the student has a corrected story of their own - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.  

I like to use the curriculum along side the novel as a supplement course in grammar and English. The student gets a taste of the novel, poetry, analysation and grammar - all in one when used together.  Fantastic.

Grammar Fix It comes in 6 levels and this edition is the 6th level.  

Overall, 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' remains a brilliant piece of literature in my views. I would highly recommend experiencing the read if you can pick up a copy.

Description:

"Middle English poem in Alliterative verse written by an unknown called Peral Poet.  The poem is one of four (possibly all by the same writer) which appear in a single manuscript of the collection of Sir Robert Bruce COTTON.

Perhaps the greatest single Arthurian legend in English, this masterpiece of Middle English writing concerns the ordeal of the ideal knight, Sir Gawain. ... Into the midst of New Year festivities at King Arthur's court burst a green giant on horseback.  he dares any of Arthur's knights to chop off his head on condition in one year he be allowed to return the blow... "    Taken from: Benet's readers Encyclopedia - fourth edition"

Happy reading

You will find Sir Gawain and the Green Knight also within Ambleside curriculum and Sonlight curriculum.