If you are blanket anti-vampire, you should probably stop reading. However, the book/s I'm about to review may be dark, but they aren't occultic. They are more like the first few seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel than the TV show Supernatural.
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Who has seen the movie that just came out, "Wonder"? Has anyone read the book? I just finished the book, and boy was I disgusted.
"Wonder", by R.J. Palacio, is a wonderful story about a ten year old boy with a facial abnormality who goes to a traditional school for the first time as a fifth grader, and the book is divided into 8 sections, each section told in first person by a different character of the story. It was not too difficult to follow throughout the pages, remembering which voice I was reading. (Although I had to really force myself to read the section in all lower case with no punctuation except periods.) I get that this book was (apparently) written for children, but because the author switched perspectives so often, I don't think it would be a stretch to ask to have a peek into one of the adults' minds. However! These books are written in first person from a grown-up mouse's perspective. I love that the author makes the stories more interesting by doing this to his words: These are not Christian books. I don't know that there's even anything overtly moral in them. But there's nothing bad about them, either. I read half of books 3 and 12, and all of book 1, and I did notice that there are other mice in the story who...don't have the best personality? and Geronimo always asks himself, "Why did I ever invite him along?" or "How can I get rid of her without hurting her feelings?" By the end of the story, however, Geronimo realizes that without whoever it was that he didn't like, his story wouldn't have been nearly as amazing as it was. If you are looking for books to edify and instruct your child in the ways of God, this series is NOT for you. If you are like me and have exhausted every good children's book out there that edifies and imparts godly wisdom and you just need SOMETHING that won't steer your child to sin, this IS a series for you! No bad language, and since he's an adult and the owner of his own business, no real authority/obedience issues. Overall, I'd give this a 7/10.
We went to Huntsville and spent the night in a Radisson hotel. I normally book travel stuff, but this time my husband did because he had to book stuff for someone else, also, so he thought it would be easier if he just did it. Never. Again. I told him. I have to be in charge of booking the hotels! Let me tell you why.
Negatives: I'm so excited to have found a new series for EJ to read! We were at the library the other day, browsing through the shelves, when the title caught my eye. I pulled it out, the cover looked intriguing, the synopsis sounded exciting. So I read it. And I liked it. And now I want to check out books 2 through 5!
At Christmastime, I bought a living socials deal to Asian Rim restaurant. We finally went last night, in celebration of 20 years ago going to Japan (for the second time). It was a wonderful experience, but there were slight drawbacks. Let me say now, though, that if we had another half-off coupon, we'd go back, but there are other, better, Japanese restaurants out there. (Which that may have been the reason--this restaurant served every Asian country's food, so maybe jack of all trades, master at none?)
Before we even walked in, the maitre d' opened the door for us, setting the tone of high-quality. We were seated quickly and had a very attentive waiter. (We got there about 5:45, so I can't say to the rush hour service.) We ordered a "fast start appetizer", which costs way too much for how little was in the bowl. I meant to snap a photo before we started eating, but the waiter brought it and the smell totally drove all sane thought out of my head. This was shrimp, crab, and octopus with cucumbers and ponzu sauce. School is upon us again! I love homeschooling. This will be the second "official" year with a cover school, but except a year of Christian school when he was 4, EJ has been learning at home since he was 2.
Beginning the trek down the homeschool path can be scary. I know lots of people who homeschool their kids for every different reason. Private school tuition costs too much; they want to be in control of what their kids learn; they don't think anyone else can properly teach their kids; they just couldn't imagine being away from their kids all day. Okay, that last one I've only heard one person say, and yes, that person was me. Really, if you knew EJ, you'd say that too. :-) I've been asked by several people for my opinion/help in selecting a cover school. First, let me say, in Alabama, if you homeschool and are not a state licensed teacher, you must have a cover school. The reason is truancy. When you take your kid out of public or private school, that school sends a letter to the Superintendent saying "this kid isn't in our school anymore." If he doesn't get a letter from another school saying "this kid is in our school now," he will come knocking on your door, possibly with DHS (or whatever the acronym is in Alabama for the child welfare social worker department). After you enroll in a cover school, they will send you a letter they have signed. You sign it and send it to the Superintendent. Scary embarrassment averted. Second, cover schools cost money. I know it stinks. You homeschool so you don't have to pay tuition, but then you turn around and buy an entire curriculum and shell out extra for a cover school. I don't normally enjoy historical fiction, but I'm beginning to think it's because I've been reading the wrong part of history. Or the wrong authors. Either way, I just finished this book, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was a very captivating story, and in my heart, I felt Elizabeth's pain keenly whenever her husband said words to hurt her feelings. I was inspired to think about what life would feel like if I were blind, or had a child who was blind. I was grateful that the modern medicine of today meant that more babies lived than died. And I regret to announce that I didn't know my history well enough to recognize the story of the tinker-turned-preacher who wrote and preached in England until I read the author's note at the end.
This book is the story of John and Elizabeth Bunyun. Jody Hedlund wrote two pages of true life things about the Bunyun's that she included in the story--which was all of the plot and the people's names. In the book, however, their last name was Costin. Seriously, how was I to know? That is the title of the romantic suspense novel I just finished, and contrary to its name, the "heroine" did NOT fully disclose anything. It's hard to say too much without giving away some of the spoilers, but I'll do my best.
The movie came out recently, and then I saw the book at the library. It looked like something EJ might enjoy with the fairies and stuff. So I read the book, then watched the movie, and decided the book wasn't good enough for him. Cons of the book: 13 year old girl uses crass language throughout 9 year old boy disobeys and mom "pretended not to notice" (this theme is carried throughout the book) Probably when he's old enough to deal with the book, it will be beneath him. The writing style is geared toward 9 year olds. Cons of the movie: Violent goblins and ogre Minor language (less than the book, I think!) I think by the time he's old enough to watch the movie, he will still be interested in it. I enjoyed the movie. :-) But I probably won't let him watch the movie until he's 13 or so. I'm developing my own rating system of movies, and it's very simple. Whatever Hollywood has rated a movie, I just bump it up one notch. Makes it easier to decide if he can watch a movie I haven't seen yet. There is another series of books entitled "Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles". I'm thinking of reading those books since there isn't a sequel to the movie yet.
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Who am I, you ask?
In 2006 I had a stroke, and every day my husband encourages me to use my remaining brain cells to the best of my ability. I love to organize, make crafts, and go on adventures (safe ones). I hope that through my blog posts, you will be encouraged to accept and make the best of challenges God throws at your life. Categories
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