Dragons of the Valley by Donita K. Paul

The land of Chiril has not seen war for some time, but now the neighboring kingdom is at their door with the intent of destroying and taking over the peaceful land. A band of unlikely heroes are summoned to hide and protect Chiril’s greatest treasure. Accompanied by an eccentric wizard, and aided by a host of interesting characters, they must find a way to keep their kingdom from falling into the hands of the enemy. Their biggest challenge: The Grawl. A creature/man whose origin is cloaked in mystery, seeming to be more legend than reality.

After receiving this book, I discovered that it was the second book of a series. That made me hesitant, since I hadn’t read the first book, but I went into reading with that fact in mind. The first couple of chapters were a learning process for me since the various races of creatures weren’t explained in detail (this was most likely done in the first book – “The Vanishing Sculptor”). The Appendix in the back of the book came in handy, and I was thankful for it. With the first couple of chapters out of the way I was able to fall into the story. The novel seems to be geared a bit more toward younger readers, but is good reading for adults as well. What stood out most for me was the excellent characterization. Especially that of Lady Peg. At first, I thought the character would annoy me, but she became very entertaining. Her “confrontations” with Groddenmitersay are some of my favorite scenes. I also fell in love with the kimens.

I did find myself confused here and there by some things that were left unexplained or didn’t have enough detail. I suspect that is because it is the second novel in the series. I will most likely purchase “The Vanishing Sculptor” to try to fill in those gaps. Overall, Paul does an excellent job of portraying her fantasy world, and the story flows well.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Please click here to rate this review.

This was book 3 in my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge.

Read More, Read Better (a blog post by Tim Challies)

I came across this blog post this morning. Since I am trying to read more this year, and also doing book reviews, I found this post very interesting. Tim Challies is (as it says on his blog) a blogger, author, and book reviewer. So, when I saw this post I though I should read it. Here the first piece of his post. Click here to read the rest.

More than any other question that comes in via email, I’m asked this one: “How do you read so much?” While granting that I do read a lot, I think it bears mention that there are lots of people who read as much as I do or a lot more. The difference is that I write about what I’m reading, so you’re more aware of it than you are with most of these voracious readers.

Every year or so I sit down to write out a few thoughts on reading. I’m doing so again today, offering a few thoughts on how you can read more and read better. This is adapted from a list I created a couple of years ago. Actually, what I’ll do is write today about how to read more and read more widely and then tomorrow we’ll work on reading better. … Read full post

The Day I Died by Steve Sjogren

The Day I Died is the story of Steve Sjogren’s death, and his life since he died. After a surgical accident, Steve was dead, but he came back with a message from God. God wanted Steve to change things about his life. This book discusses those changes, and encourages us to also make those changes, without having to die before we realize we should.

It’s a bit difficult to critique someone’s personal experience, especially when that experience involves dying. The only thing I feel like I can discuss is whether or nor this book met my expectations, and the answer is yes… and no. I was really expecting a lot about what Steve saw in the afterlife, but his situation wasn’t like that. He didn’t “crossover” in that way, you might say. The book is more about the changes he was called to make. It’s about Steve’s life, both before and after his death. Mostly after. It is a very interesting read.

This was book 2 in my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge.

Classics Challenge 2011

So, I’ve decided to do another book challenge that can crossover with the 52 Books challenge. This is the Classics challenge, and the idea is to read classic novels/books. There are different levels in this challenge, but I’ve chosen to go for the Bachelor’s Degree by reading 12 classics (1 per month).

This challenge is hosted by Stiletto Storytime.

Green by Ted Dekker

Green is Book Zero, both the final and first book of Ted Dekker’s Circle Series. This novel picks up with Thomas of Hunter and the Circle ten years after the events in the novel White. But now the Circle is breaking. The followers of Elyon have begun to doubt that Elyon will return for them as promised. Some doubt he ever really existed at all. To make matters worse, it is Samuel, Thomas’s own son, leading this turn from Elyon. Thomas must fight to keep the Circle together. Their hope lies in the Lost Books of History and making a way from the future world back to our world.

Ted Dekker, the author, says you can read Green as either the first or last book of the Circle series. I admit, I was doubtful. But I can now see how it works. The story does indeed come full circle. But I must also admit that I was left with a few questions. I am hoping these questions will be answered for me when I re-read the Circle series or the Paradise series. Or when I read the Lost Books series. Yes, they are all connected… in quite an amazing way. Despite the questions I was left with, and what I found to be a slow start as a new character was introduced, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. As usual, Dekker’s symbolism was beautiful. The mirror to the Christian faith is wonderful. And once the story really gets going, it’s a page-turner. If you love fantasy, this one is definitely for you. If you love symbolism, I strongly suggest this book. Another great novel from Ted Dekker.

This was book 1 in my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge.

A Message for our Troops…

A message of encouragement. A message of thanks. A small gesture for their sacrifices that could mean so much to them. We need to let out troops know that we appreciate all they do, and that we stand behind them. You may hate war, may not agree for whatever reasons we have for going to war, but these men and women put their lives on the line every day so we can keep our freedom. Please show your appreciation through Operation Worship. Write a quick message to a service member and it will be placed in a Bible and sent to active troops throughout the world. I personally have done this several times and think it’s a wonderful way to show our appreciation and send encouragement.

This is free to do! It will only take a short period of your time, less than five minutes!

52 Books in 52 Weeks

Since I’ve joined two book review programs, I’ve also decided to sign up for this reading challenge: 52 Books in 52 Weeks. The idea is to read one book a week. I’m hoping this will keep me motivated and help me knock out the book reviews. All of this has me so excited! I love to read!

Gotta love new books!

Especially when they are free! I received my first review book in the mail today. Dragons of the Valley by Donita K. Paul. My appreciation for fantasy novels/movies has really grown over the last decade and I am REALLY looking forward to reading this one. I am always on the lookout for great fantasy. This will also be, hopefully, a chance to discover a new author, since I’ve never read anything by Paul before. I’m finishing up Green by Ted Dekker, then I’ll start Dragons of the Valley. *Excited!*