Entering My World

Books I've read, am reading and won't ever touch!

Miracles on Maple Hill

Miracles on Maple Hill - Virginia Sorensen,  Narrated by Cynthia Bishop Its a 'sweet' story, and seems to have an innocence unlike most modern books. Its well acted and well read, making for a nice listen while knitting or cross-stitching. Definitely for children or young readers, but still pleasant for adults who are 'young at heart' as well. Definitely a nice addition to this company's collection.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow - Jessica Day George Found this one a bit odd due to the fact that nearly the entire book the main character is merely referred to as 'the lass', and her name is only revealed near the very end.

All in all, I quite liked this version. The main character was strong, stubborn and fairly believable, and I liked how she had a companion that stayed with her the entire story. The character of Rollo was quite lovable too and made a nice addition to the story.

The only thing that bugged me was that it was a very similar version to "East" by Edith Pattou. Close enough that at times I was confused if I had already read this book. (Although, if I recall, East had a lot of weaving in it, and this book did not, and had Rollo instead) All in all I did prefer this version to 'East', however. The character seemed a bit deeper, and more likable.

Nicely done all in all.
Wren's War - Sherwood Smith Another good addition to the Wren series. I quite enjoyed it.

I did have a bit of trouble with Connor in this one. He seemed 'sulkier' than the previous two books. With reason, I suppose, but since a year or so had gone by since book two, one hardly expected to see him still sighing over the same issues he was in book two. Although, since when is life speedy?

All in all a very good read, and I look forward to getting my grabbers on book 4 :)
Wren's Quest - Sherwood Smith A fun sequel to "Wren to the Rescue". I did not feel it was quite as strong as the first one, but there's no real 'complaint', either. Another fun adventure with a good ending. :)

Looking forward to the third one.
Wren to the Rescue - Sherwood Smith A fairly simple read and a semi-classic fantasy. Prisoner taken, questors head off to the big-bad fortress to rescue said prisoner. But still, it was a fun, and fairly light read. The children were a bit younger than I expected, but they came across well enough to be able to handle the adventure, and when the main character gets shape-changed things take an interesting little twist.

Good ending, and all comes right, as a proper story should. Nothing to heavy or dark in the story, so it was quite enjoyable for a light read.

I did find the 'modern' speech of the children a little bit odd, given the 'medieval' type world they were in, but it did make it easier to follow rather than stiff speech that one might otherwise expect.
Ghosts of Ascalon - Matt Forbeck, Jeff Grubb While I can't say this book was the *best* I've ever read, or even the best written, as a player of Guild Wars from early on it was nice to see a full story written in the world. Not only did it elaborate more on the world, but it set the tone for the upcoming Guild Wars 2.

There was a LOT of 'history lesson' in this book, which was slightly annoying, but it was interesting, as a current Guild Wars player to see how the world I am playing in now is going to be changing. Ascalon also proved to be an interesting - and sufficiently creepy - story, though it was a bit disappointing to see the place we'd played in so often go back to the charr. Yeesh.

The story was a bit cliche, and it took a bit for me to care about any of the characters, but once the adventure got going, it was quite engrossing. Again the plot was fairly cliche, but all in all it was a fun read.
The Diamond of Darkhold: The Fourth Book of Ember (Books of Ember) - Jeanne DuPrau Actually quite enjoyed this one. Not only did the characters get to return to the city of Ember, but they got to recover a lot of their stuff, and tie up loose ends. This book answered a lot of questions, and wrapped the series up well enough that I get the impression no more stories will be written for this series. But there is no need. It was wrapped up satisfactorily and people resumed their lives.

All in all a good fun read of a future that will never be. Thank God! :)
Doctor Who: Apollo 23 - Justin Richards Interesting story. Well done, you could definitely see both characters come to life as they might have on screen. Interesting scenario which takes them out of England (for once) and actually interacting with Americans.

All in all a fun read.
Doctor Who: Made Of Steel - Terrance Dicks Meh The adventure starts out ok, but I found it never really delivered. It was started and finished without really GOING anywhere. Martha seemed fairly flat and shallow (she never was the greatest of companions, but this made her seem worse) and while the Doctor was. . .well, mostly in character, he never really got a chance to shine either.

All in all, the story seemed more like a short story one might find in a magazine, than a full blown novel.

Not *bad*, but definitely not one of my favourites.
Princess of Glass - Jessica Day George This one was an interesting 'sequel' to "The Princess of the Midnight Ball". A 'retelling' (sort of) of Cinderella this time, it picks up on one of the 12 princesses from the first book.

This one tells of Poppy, sent to another country as an 'exchange' program of sorts. Much of it is about how she won't dance. Or about the prince.

While you don't get to know the characters all that *well*, I did like that when they meet, there is a hint that a fair bit of time goes by where they are able to get to know each other before the whole 'love' thing is sprung.

The story is a little odd, but quite interesting as 'Cinderella' is not the main character, and not a particularly likable character for much of the story. But in the end all works out well, and while its not exactly a 'happily ever after', its close enough, with good reasons given.

Another book where knitting features fairly prominently, to my delight. :D
Princess of the Midnight Ball - Jessica Day George I actually really enjoyed this one. I like fairy-tale retellings, where the author has taken the time to expand the story, and fill out otherwise flat characters. But this one shoots to the top of my list of favourite retellings.

The characters are interesting, and likable, and the story keeps an interesting pace to keep the reader hooked. I had trouble with the ending, merely because I couldn't get the pages to turn fast enough. But all wrapped up satisfactorily and loose threads were tied off.

Another thing that I really enjoyed was all the knitting references, and the fact that it was the *HERO* that did the knitting. While i am familiar with the concept of men knitting (One only needs to visit Ravelry.com to see how many there are), it was interesting to see a book hero actually doing it, and enjoying it.

It was also a bonus to have the knitting patterns at the end of the book. :) While I doubt I'll ever make them, it is nice to have the temptation!
The People of Sparks - Jeanne DuPrau Not as exciting as the first one, but it was a good continuation to the story with some interesting twists and turns. I definitely enjoyed reading it, though, as with the first, I've found it ends leaving me with more questions. I do like the ending of this one and was happy that the Emberites were not sent off to start a new town. It seemed fitting that the two groups merged.
The Preacher's Bride - Jody Hedlund This one was actually far more interesting than I was anticipating. I tend to dislike stories about religious sects such as this one, and restrictive societies can make me want to climb the walls. But this one was actually not as focused on the 'Puritan' sect as much as I expected, instead focusing on the characters, the situation and how it was for these people at a specific time in history.

All in all, a very good read, with a satisfactory ending. :)
While We're Far Apart - Lynn Austin A little dry, but interesting at the same time. I did find it hard to 'get attached', as often happens when a story is covering a long period of time like this. But all in all the concept was good, and the story was interesting. It was a nice read to watch the characters grow, and unfold as time went on.

The romance aspect was rather understated, much to my disappointment. I do enjoy good romantic stories. But it had a happy ending, so it worked. Not one I would reread, but still good for a once-over.
In Every Heartbeat - Kim Vogel Sawyer This one was good - with a satisfactory end. Though the 'third' character, of Bennett was not wrapped up, and left trailing somewhat (possibly for another book?) this story was interesting and covered some interesting topics. Not sure I can say I LOVED the book, but it was definitely worth reading.
Within My Heart - Tamera Alexander Really enjoyed this one. Not quite as much as the others of the series. . .if just because the 'scenario' did not appeal quite as much. But it was still a wonderful read. The story wrapped up well, and things were brought in to a satisfactory 'wrap up' for all the characters involved.

Definitely recommended, along with the other two of the trilogy.

Currently reading

Redwall
Brian Jacques
Death of a Schoolgirl
Joanna Campbell Slan
To Whisper Her Name
Tamera Alexander
Steadfast
Mercedes Lackey