Everyone (like…internet everyone, I don’t know anyone in real life who read these books) said I’d love Across a Star-Swept Sea more than For Darkness Shows the Stars and I scoffed (that’s right SCOFFED) because I super loved For Darkness Shows the Stars the first time I read it (because Persuasion) so I just couldn’t imagine. And, in fact, had I not reread For Darkness Shows the Stars before reading Across a Star-Swept Sea, the first novel may have remained my favorite. But Across a […]
I’m a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal
I’ve now read this twice. I read it immediately upon learning that it was based on Jane Austen’s Persuasion, which (as I get older) is slowly overtaking Pride & Prejudice for my favorite Austen novel. Pride & Prejudice is the novel that made me fall in love with Jane Austen. Persuasion is the one that kicked me straight in the heart for hundreds of pages. Something about regret and missed chances…it takes age to truly begin to appreciate it and really FEEL it. Not that […]
Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
I LOVED this. My biggest complaint is that I wish it was about ten times longer. “For us, places we went were home. We didn’t care if they were good or evil or neutral or what. We cared about the fact that for the first time, we didn’t have to pretend to be something we weren’t. We just got to be. That made all the difference in the world.” Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children serves a unique purpose: it acts as a boarding school for […]
The Star Wars reading continues
There are so many options for kids and adults who love Star Wars stories. This one is subtitled “An Original Retelling of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.” Truth in advertising. The story is told in the 2nd person, putting the reader in Luke Skywalker’s place. It’s an interesting way of looking at The Empire Strikes Back – the author is excellent at creating a sense of place and really allowing you to see through Luke’s eyes. He also has a sense of humor about […]