Mythmaker Book Review

Title: Mythmaker: The Life of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Author: Anne E. Neimark

Genre: Biography, Nonfiction, True Story, Historical.

Plot: Tolkien's famous works, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, etc., have captured readers' attention for decades now, but few know about the man behind the myths. This little book, numbering only one hundred thirty-six pages, weaves the pieces of Tolkien's life into a easily digested story that hints at the much bigger even more impressively illustrated tale that is J.R.R. Tolkien.

Beginning in the hot dusty Continent of Africa, three year old Tolkien first starts exploring the world around him and unconsciously, unknowingly, forming the friends and foes that would decorate the pages of his stories that would be birthed so many years later when he was older and wiser. But for now, he gleefully ran away from his nurse, hoping to climb that one little tree beckoning to him, and instead finds himself opposed by a fearsome tarantula spider that bites his little foot. As he and his younger brother grow up in a harsh world, enduring the loss early on of their father and then, eight years later, their mother, Tolkien's imagination lies in wait, gathering information and inspiration then storing it away for when the time to use it would come. And when that perfect time did come, oh how unprepared the world - and Tolkien himself - were for the depth and width of his creation.

Likes/Dislikes: This was a beautifully written biography in wonderful story form, not at all boring. It made me further appreciate the author of one of the greatest literary works that will grace our bookshelves for years to come. I especially found the accounts of how his widowed mother came from a Protestant background to convert to Catholicism {my husband is Catholic}, the difficulties Tolkien and his sweetheart endured before they could finally marry, and the little interesting fact that his wife, Edith, converted to Catholicism prior to their marriage. All very interesting. Their were parts of the story that moved me very deeply - such as the eighteen years of grueling work to give birth to The Lord of Rings, ending in wild triumph. But the best part was that after his wife's death, Tolkien still wore his wedding ring. When one friend advised him to take off the ring to lessen his grief, "he flatly refused. 'I am still married,' Ronald said. On Middle-Earth, he told his friend, Sauron's One Ring had been filled with negative power, exhausting the strength of Frodo, Gollum, or anyone wearing it - but the gold band on his own finger, worn for fifty-five years, contained the eternal powers of goodness and love." That kind of love is a beautiful thing.

Rating: G- Recommended for all ages. Highly recommended!

Date Report Written: April 27th, 2013.

Quick Update

I haven't been able to post anything for awhile due to some personal things I'll keep under wraps for now. But I haven't forgotten my blog or followers, and will try to get something posted for you when I can. Thanks for your patience. :)

Murder With Mirrors Book Review

Title: Murder With Mirrors.

Author: Agatha Christie.

Genre: Classic, Mystery, Historical Fiction.

Plot: Spending an afternoon catching up with her old friend Ruth is always a wonderful experience. But this time, when the subject of Ruth's sweet sister Carrie Louise is brought up, Miss Jane Marple switches from old school friend to amateur detective in a flash. While Ruth had grown up, married two or three times, and eventually resettled in America, Carrie had stayed in England. Of course, she too had gone through two prior marriages that had ended badly, and her family tree was all a muddled mess with stepsons, adopted children, a lovely granddaughter, and one very deprived daughter who'd grown up in the shadow of her older adopted sister, long since passed on. But what really pricks Miss Marple's interest is Ruth's very strong yet very vague sense that something isn't right with Carrie Louise. And setting loyal Marple on the case might just be the best decision she ever made.

When Miss Marple arrives at Carrie's house, Stonygates, she begins to seek out what the trouble is. But she only ends up with a very cluttered confuse picture of the busy dysfunctional atmosphere. She encounters some very colorful characters that range from the widowed Mrs. Strete who is Carrie's blood daughter and still harbors a bitterness over all the attention her sister - and now her sister's daughter - receive from everyone. Then there's Gina, the half Italian seemingly happy granddaughter; she is married to a bored and very unhappy American named Walter while enjoying the affect she has on all the other young men around her, including two of Carrie's adopted stepsons, Alex and Stephen. And then there is, of course, Carrie's current husband, her companion/nurse Juliet Bellever, and that odd young man Edgar Lawson who seems to be fine one day and then completely insane the next.

With such a cluttered web weaving in, out and all through the house, it's no wonder that when murder strikes, nobody is prepared for it. Not even shrewd Miss Marple. But, working together with Inspector Curry, it is she who finally untangles the mystery and drags the culprit into the light. But will she solve this riddle in time before tragedy strikes again?

Likes/Dislikes: Of the half dozen Agatha Christie mysteries I've so far read, this is probably by far my favorite of the lot. It's so deliciously written, so cleverly woven and populated with wonderfully odd and real characters, and so much fun to read. I especially liked that Miss Marple took more of a central role in the story and that it had a lot told from her perspective that didn't necessarily have anything to do with the mystery itself, such as rambles about tea and fashion. So wonderful and beautifully written! I highly recommend this novel, especially to first-timers to Agatha Christie's world! Also goes by the title of They Do It With Mirrors.

Rating: PG-15 and up, mainly for reading level and content. It's a murder mystery after all.

Date Report Written: April 5th, 2013.

A Song on the End of the World Poem

On the day the world ends
A bee circles a clover,
A fisherman mends a glimmering net.
Happy porpoises jump in the sea,
By the rainspout young sparrows are playing
And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be.

On the day the world ends
Women walk through the fields under their umbrellas,
A drunkard grows sleepy at the edge of a lawn,
Vegetable peddlers shout in the street
And a yellow-sailed boat comes nearer the island,
The voice of a violin lasts in the air
And leads into a starry night.

And those who expected lightning and thunder
Are disappointed.
And those who expected signs and archangels' trumps
Do not believe it is happening now.
As long as the sun and the moon are above,
As long as the bumblebee visits a rose,
As long as rosy infants are born
No one believes it is happening now.

Only a white-haired old man, who would be a prophet
Yet is not a prophet, for he's much too busy,
Repeats while he binds his tomatoes:
No other end of the world will there be,
No other end of the world will there be.


-Czeslaw Milosz, A Song on the End of the World

To Win Her Heart Book Review

Title: To Win Her Heart.

Author: Karen Witemeyer.

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance, Humorous.

Plot: Levi Grant has just been released from a stay in prison after an unintentionally crime had landed him there, and derailed all his youthful plans for the future. Feeling tarnished yet hoping and praying for a new future, Levi puts his trust in God and travels to a small town where no one knows about his past so he can start anew. Having learned the trade of blacksmithing from his father before he went astray, Levi now recalls to mind the skills of his past and agrees to a trial-run to convince the leaders of Spencer, Texas that he has what it takes to do the job. But trouble still finds him and more often than not, in arrives in the form of Eden Spencer.

After a bad break-up with a dishonest man who almost married her, Eden has swore off men and spends her time running the small lending library out of her home and representing her father in the little town. Constantly butting heads with the banker, Mr. Draper, and fending off the unwanted attentions of the sheriff, Mr. Pratt, Eden isn’t prepared for how she starts feeling whenever Levi comes around to her library to borrow a book. Daring to hope she’s finally found an honorable man, she begins exchanging letters with Levi. But when she learns the truth about his past, Eden fairly flies out the window and shuts herself off from everyone, especially Levi.

Likes/Dislikes: With a cast of well-drawn characters that include a girl named Chloe, a fiery Scotsman named Duncan, and of course, our heroes and villains, Ms. Witemeyer weaves a wonderful story of forgiveness, hope and relying on the Lord. While the beginning started off a bit slow for me, I did find this to be overall a very engaging fun story. I cheered for the heroes and booed the villains. I didn’t much care for Eden however, as she seemed very judgmental and rather full of herself at times. I loved how they get to know each other by hiding letters in books. All in all, a good clean afternoon read.

Rating: PG-15 and up.

Date Report Written: April 1^st, 2013.

I received a copy of this book free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Girl in the Gatehouse Book Review

Title: The Girl in the Gatehouse.

Author: Julie Klassen

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance, Humorous, Regency England.

Plot: After committing a fatal mistake that shatters her reputation, Mariah Aubrey is banished from her childhood home, separated from her mother and younger sister. With only faithful Susan Dixon as her companion, Mariah travels to a distant aunt’s house and takes up residence, in secret, in the gatehouse that no one uses anymore. Slowly, she begins to make new friends in her strange new surroundings, beginning with the gardener, her aunt’s manservant Martin, the children from the nearby poorhouse, two elderly sisters who brighten Mariah’s darkest days, and the new resident of the estate, Captain Matthew Bryant.

Her aunt having suddenly passed away and her suspicious cousin in need of money, he leases the estate to the naval captain who enters the estate thinking of the girl who broke his heart so long ago. Determined to reclaim her, he is not prepared to be so intrigued by the mysterious girl living in the gatehouse. As the two become friends and Mariah’s secret novel writing begins to take off, scandal arrives on the estate’s doorstep and all secrets are blown wide open.

Likes/Dislikes: I really enjoyed this novel. With intrigue, mystery and tantalizing hints thrown about, who couldn't enjoy this wonderful novel set in Jane Austen’s enchanted era and with a heroine who supports herself by secretly writing novels. Some of the scandal hit a tad close to home in relation to my personal life, but all in all it was a wonderfully beautifully written story of second chances. I did think that Captain Bryant majorly overreacted the second time but that’s okay. Highly recommended!

Rating: PG-16 and up, mainly for content as it is about a scandal.

Date Report Written: April 1^st, 2013.

I received a copy of this book free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.