Sense and Sensibility Book Review.

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Title: Sense and Sensibility.

Author: Jane Austen.

Gene: Christian Romance, Classic.

Plot: The Dashwood girls, Elinor, Marianne and Margaret, and their mother are suddenly left at the mercy of their half-brother and his selfish wife when their father dies. The ladies stay in their home with their brother and his unpleasant wife for several months before an invitation from a relation of Mrs. Dashwood’s offers them a cottage on his grounds to live in; Mrs. Dashwood consults her eldest and the offer is accepted though the growing relationship between Edward Ferrars, the “amiable” brother of the unpleasant Mrs. John Dashwood, and Elinor is interrupted by this move.

However, the family settles down in their new home and they make friends with their landlord, Sir John Middleton, and his wife who, of course, invite them to dine with them at their house frequently and where they make the acquaintance of Mrs. Jennings, Lady Middleton’s mother, and Colonel Brandon, Sir John’s good friend who was described by him as “neither very young nor very gay” for Sir John had hopes of introducing the pretty Dashwood girls to a roomful of eligible young gentlemen. Shortly after their arrival, Marianne manages to sprain her ankle and is rescued by a handsome young gentleman named Willoughby who is another good friend of Sir John.

Over the next few months, Marianne and Willoughby become very close friends while Colonel Brandon, who has fallen in love with Marianne, looks on silently. Those two act quite ridiculous when in public and while Marianne’s regret at leaving her home is softened by the society of her lover, Elinor is not so fortunate. She and Colonel Brandon take comfort in each other’s conversation and become good friends. Mrs. Dashwood takes pleasure in seeing Marianne so happy and Margaret amuses herself to her delight. However, their good time ends rather suddenly for Colonel Brandon is called away to London on urgent business and shortly after that, Willoughby also goes to London on business. Marianne is devastated. Her smiles, however, return for a short time when Edward Ferrars pays the family a visit.

When Edward’s visit has ended, another is paid the Middletons by the Miss Steeles and one in particular, Lucy, takes an interest in Elinor and confides an important secret to her that deeply wounds poor Elinor. No time is spent in grieving, however, as the two elder Dashwood girls accept an invitation to visit London with Mrs. Jennings and there they are reacquainted with the Colonel and Marianne receives a severe blow when Willoughby writes and tells her he doesn’t love her. The Colonel tells Elinor about Willoughby’s true character and the combined effects of all this drama leaves Marianne seriously ill. She survives and her character is forever altered, for the better, because of the active year which this classic novel covers in the Dashwood family.

Likes/Dislikes: This is a great book and it’s wonderful to see Marianne’s transformation from a romantic little goose to a sensible young woman like her elder sister. A classic that everyone should have a copy of on their shelves.

Rating: PG-13 and up for the reading level.

Date Report Written: August 6, 2010.

Colonel Thorndyke's Secret Book Review.

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Title: Colonel Thorndyke’s Secret.

Author: G.A. Henty.

Gene: Christian, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Action/Adventure.

Plot: When John Thorndyke’s older brother comes to visit him at his little estate, his life is changed. His brother, who is dying, tells him the story of an Indian bracelet that he has in his procession which was stolen from the temple of a Hindoo god some years before. This bracelet has been hunted for persistently by several natives and has caused the death of two soldiers, Colonel Thorndyke is, therefore, taking no chances and has hidden the bracelet and the rest of his treasures in a safe place, promising to tell the secret of their location to his brother before he dies for he fears that he is consistently watched by the seekers of the bracelet. However, he dies before he can give his brother the location and the secret seems to die with him.

Acting in accordance to his brother’s wishes, John Thorndyke returns home to his family estate to manage it till his little niece comes of age. He takes his son out of school to have him educated at home and several years pass by in fairly uneventful fashion. Then, when Thorndyke’s son is “a powerful young fellow of twenty,” trouble comes to the happy family in the form of an escaped convict. Acting on his suspicions of who the fellow is, Thorndyke tells his son the story of the mysterious bracelet and the truth about his niece who has been brought up as his ward. Later that night, Squire Thorndyke is killed.

Although considerably shaken and upset by the murder and the truth concerning the hidden jewels, the two cousins and Mrs. Cunningham, Millicent’s governess, rally and move to London for a time where Millicent finishes her education and Mark joins the Bow Street runners and becomes a detective. He has several exciting adventures before he manages to capture the escaped convict, only to discover that he had nothing to do with his father’s murder. Troubled by this but not too uneasy, Mark turns his attention to finding the treasure and this comes about in so unexpected a manner that he is quite astonished before the tale reaches the end.

Likes/Dislikes: Extremely good story, very well written and wonderfully entertaining. Not quite like Henty’s other works in that it’s a mystery and that he doesn’t tie up the loose ends at the end concerning his main character’s future like he generally does with his stories but very good nonetheless and the end was surprising.

Rating: All ages.

Date Report Written: July 30, 2010.

Psalm 117.

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“O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.

For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise ye the Lord.”

~ Psalm 117, KJV

Home Is Where I Want To Be Poem.

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Home to my father,

Home to my mother,

Home to my sisters,

Home to my brothers,

Home is where I want to be.

Home reading with my father,

Home cooking with my mother,

Home sewing with my sisters,

Home singing with my brothers,

Home is where I want to be.

Home in the Winter,

Watching the snow fall,

Home in the Summer,

After a day of swimming,

Home is where I want to be.

Home in the Spring,

Planting the family garden,

Home in the Autumn,

Bringing in the harvest,

Home is where I want to be.

Home is where my family is,

Home is safe and warm,

Home is where my heart is,

Home is where I want to be.

The Horse and His Boy Book Review.

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Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and his Boy.

Author: C.S. Lewis.

Gene: Christian Fantasy, Classic.

Plot: The third book in the Chronicles opens with something of a mystery. Shasta has never known any life other than the one he’s always had with Arsheesh, the Calormene fisherman, until one day a Tarkaan {a great lord} arrives unexpectedly and demands to buy Shasta whose skin is fair rather than dark like the Calormenes. Shasta, of course, eavesdrops on this conversation and then sneaks away to ponder what he’d overheard. His whispered ponderings in the stable are interrupted by the Tarkaan’s horse who tells him that his name is Bree and that he is a Talking Horse from Narnia; having wandered too far from home when a colt, he was captured by Calormenes and had been living as a dumb beast for years. Together, the two make a plan to escape that very night and unknowingly embark upon a great adventure.

Not long into their journey, the twosome are joined in dramatic fashion by Aravis, a young Tarkheena fleeing from a forced marriage, and her horse Hwin, who is also a Talking Horse. The two horses hit it off right away but Aravis and Shasta take longer to get use to each other. Still, through the next series of adventures, the two become close friends, despite their frequent quarrels. The party soon comes to the capital city of Tashbaan, through which they must pass to continue heading toward the north. When in the midst of the crowded city, a visiting group of Narnians mistakes Shasta for one of their own and carries him off to their quarters where he overhears their troubles and plot to escape Tashbaan. The runaway he was mistaken for pops in and the two trade places, with Shasta racing to the meeting point in hopes of finding his friends. When the group is back together they exchange information and race across the desert to warn Archenland that they are about to be attacked by the foolish prince of Calormene.

Arriving just in time, Shasta gives his warning and then gets lost and ends up in Narnia where he bumps into a couple friendly dwarves and meets his look-alike runaway friend again. Those two mischievous boys disobey orders and join the following battle dressed in dwarf mail. When the battle is over the boys, Aravis and the horses are all rounded up and join the respective kings of Archenland and Narnia after several interesting conversations have taken place and Aslan appears to judge the silly prince of Calormene who heads back home, from which he never again leaves in battle. Shasta’s mystery is cleared up and his real name is learned, Bree {a wiser horse than when the story began} and Hwin go home to Narnia but often trot over the pass to visit Shasta and Aravis in Archenland and those two continued to frequently quarrel “so that years later, when they were grown up, they were so use to quarreling and making it up again that they got married so as to go on doing it more conveniently.”

Likes/Dislikes: There is no magic in this book because it takes place during the Golden Age of Narnia when Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy reign together. The Calormenes do worship a terrible god but this is hardly worth noting in this adventure story. A good read-aloud!

Rating: PG.

Date Report Written: July 16, 2010.

Dear Teenage Girl Poem.

As a bonus, here is a rough poem I wrote a few years ago.


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Dear Teenage Girl.

Dear teenage girl,

Before you get lost in the mall,

Caught up in a whirlwind ball

Or simply in your grandma’s hall,

Let me tell you something.

Before you start high school,

Before you jump in that pool,

Before you try to be cool,

Before you leave that footstool,

Let me tell you something.

Dear teenage girl;

Life will be hard,

You’ll probably come out scarred,

Like after hitting a glass shard.

But let me tell you something.

Your clothes won’t fit right,

They’re probably too tight;

You’ll be quite the sight,

And will be looking for a fight.

But let me tell you something.

Dear teenage girl;

Your parents love you,

Even when you’re blue

Or have the flu.

Your family will always be there,

Simply because they care

More about you than the air

Or that boy’s crazy dare.

Dear teenage girl,

There’s a Father above

Whose arms are filled with love

Just for you.

He sent His Son to die

So that you would live, don’t cry,

I haven’t told you a lie

He’s truly alive!

Dear teenage girl,

In the ups and downs of life

Amid all the strife,

He’s truly alive.

Turn to Him now

You’ll find out how,

It’s okay to say ‘wow,’

He’s waiting for you right now.