Mandy, the heroine in this book, manages to work through an overwhelming burden of grief and guilt without that burden overwhelming the reader–or becoming trivialized. Granted, she’s got magical help, but still, it’s an impressive feat.I’ll definitely be picking up more of Shawn Mcguire’s books in the future.
Trickster's Girl was another gift from the RMFW conference. This was well written and engaging. I enjoyed Ms. Bell’s Goblin War piece more, but I suspect that has less to do with the books themselves and more to do with my own preference for straight up fantasy than for Native-American-religion-tinged…
Not strictly a book on writing--but a workbook for being creative as a believer. My Sunday school class at The Rising (I miss you guys more than I can say) went through this last year. I appreciated the push to use our whole self (imagination included) in the service of…
An Acceptable Time is a nice enough story about Polly, one of Meg and Calvin's kids. But, it doesn't have quite the magic of A Wrinkle in Time or the other books in that series. I'm not entirely sure what makes the difference. It might be that the science is…
Writing Stories: Fantastic Fiction from Start to Finish aims to help middle grade students get started writing fiction. This slim little volume packs a lot of good advice, and it contains a fair few writing exercises that would seem like good ways to get going on a story if I…
As I’ve probably mentioned before, one of the great things about RMFW conferences is the number of books we get in the swag bag. I love, love, love going home with enough to keep me busy–for a bit anyway.The Goblin War is one of these. I certainly never would have…
I thoroughly enjoyed this, though I must admit I found it less satisfying than the original seven. The story line is great; it's lovely to get to know some of these characters as adults, and I'm interested all the way through. However, I miss the inimitable style (and punny humor)…
I pre-ordered this book months ago when I first heard it was coming out in part because I’ve met Emily France, and she’s lovely, but mostly because I had seen or heard just a bit of the story at some RMFW event and was longing to read the rest. It…
This is the start of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and I get why the series has become so popular. This light hearted romp through some of life’s thornier problems has well-drawn characters; fast-moving and believable (if not quite realistic) adventure; and a personable (if patronizing) narrator of…
What is Robert's Rules of Writing? I picked this book of short essays (tips) on writing in a thrift store because the price was right, but I knew I’d enjoy it when the very first rule was “Burn your Journal.” Though plenty of writers I know find journals helpful, I’ve…
I read 2,000-10,000 after it was recommended by one of the other members of my critique group (Kendrick E. Knight, who writes delightful science fiction available on amazon). I couldn’t claim to be writing anything like 2,000 words to start with and was interested in seeing how this woman increased…
The Deluxe Transitive Vampire, believe it or not, is a book on English grammar. (It’s subtitled The Ultimate Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed.) As such, it’s a lucid explanation of parts of speech and basic syntax, with entertaining examples, whimsical illustrations, and a vivid…
My kids and I have been reading through the Harry Potters together for several months, and have just finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. We started this set because the kids are getting pressure from classmates to read and discuss the books, but I don’t want my…
This is book six in a chapter book series K loves. After reading it, I sort of get the attraction. Like cotton candy, it’s mostly fluff, but very sweet. Neither the characters nor the plot are very deep, but it’s certainly no worse than the Nancy Drew mysteries I chain-read…
I wanted to love Moods since the work was obviously so important to Louisa May Alcott. And I liked it. It was a beautifully written, moody book, thought-provoking and entertaining by turns.I didn’t thrill to it the way I thrilled to some of Alcott’s others, though. It didn’t involve me…
Lots of writing friends have recommended Goal, Motivation & Conflict, and I’ve finally read it. I think it has some great content.It would have made an excellent brochure or conference workshop. It could have been an enlightening series of blog posts. As a book, it’s a bit fluffy. Don’t get…
Savvy is a fun little book by Ingrid Law. I enjoyed every minute--from meeting Mibs Beaumont and her unusual family all the way through to the semi-sweet (my favorite kind) finish. In the middle, I also loved seeing the crisis that befalls them and the swashbuckling adventure Mibs undertakes to…
I adore Pride and Prejudice. I'm sharing this one with my daughter, so it’s even more fun than usual.2021 Update--We never finished. So sad. Because I adore Elizabeth for her wit and her loyalty (especially to Jane), and for the way she stands up for herself in a time when…