Cleopatra VII: Daughter Of The Nile

Author: Kristiana Gregory 

Genre: Tween

My rating on a 1 – 10 scale: 8

Type: Historical Fiction

Time Period: Ancient

Main Characters: Cleopatra

My Review:  This is my favorite Royal Diary.  It starts with Cleopatra recording her worries that her evil sister Tryphena will have her killed since her father has gone into hiding.  The book continues along at a swift pace from Cleopatra’s escape to Rome with her father, to her account of staying a seaside villa, to their triumphant return to Alexandria.  This book is one of the best Royal Diaries written.

My Overall Opinion:  As I said above, this is my favorite Royal Diary.  It was the first one I’ve read and I’ve read it several times after that.  I would recommend this book to any girl.

Isabel: Jewel of Castilla

Author: Carolyn Meyer

Genre: Tween

My rating on a 1 – 10 scale: 8

Type: Fictional diary/historical fiction

Time Period: 1400’s

Main Characters: Isabel

My Review:  This is my favorite Royal Diary.  One of the reasons is that the princess married for love and really did live happily ever after with her prince.  Isabel is in constant fear of being married off to men several times her age.  Her ladies-in-waiting rally around her, giving her their support, but what can she do?  Then, with the help of Bishop Carillo, she concocts a daring plan which just might get her married to a handsome, dashing prince.  Will she succeed, or will her brother stand in her way?

My overall opinion:   I really enjoyed reading this Royal Diary and would highly recommend it to any girl.

October Song

Author: Beverly Lewis

Genre: Amish Fiction

My rating on a 1 – 10 scale: 7

Type: Christian Fiction

Time Period: Modern

Main Characters: Katie, Daniel, Sarah, and lots of others

My Review: I enjoyed reading October Song because it included sequels to two of the books/series I’ve read – The Redemption of Sarah Cain and The Heritage of Lancaster County series.  My favorite part of the book (there are three parts) was probably the first one – Hickory Hollow.  I also enjoyed the last section, a sequel to The Redemption of Sarah Cain, but I skipped the middle part because I had not read the book(s) it was a sequel to.

My overall opinion:  A great read for anyone who has read and enjoyed B.L.’s works should read this.  However, if you have not read the books they are a sequel to, I suggest you read the originals first.

Black Cloud

Author:  Patricia Hermes

Genre:  Tween fiction

My rating on a 1-10 scale:  10

Type:  Fiction

Time Period:  1950’s

Main Characters:  Black Cloud (horse), Annie

My Review:  Told first person from the horse’s point of view, this book chronicles the life of a mustang, Black Cloud, from his birth and growth.  Frolicking with other colts and fillies his age, facing the herd bully, and becoming as tough as possible are only some of the activities he enjoys.  But when a strange, silvery bird (an airplane) from the sky chases them into a box canyon, trapping them, will Black Cloud find a good home?  Or will he be killed?

My overall opinion:  This book clearly details the terrible things that were done to mustangs in the mid-1900’s.  We are introduced to Wild-Horse Annie, as a child.  I think this book is a very good read.  Includes an appendix about the mustang breed and Wild-Horse Annie at the back.

While Mortals Sleep

Author:  Jack Cavanaugh

Genre:  Christian Fiction 

My rating on a 1-10 scale:  9

Type:  Fiction 

Time period:  Pre-WWII Germany

Main characters:  Josef Shumacher, Mady Schumacher 

My Review:  Josef Shumacher struggles to resist the ever-increasing tide of Nazi propaganda and lies.  Working with six youth from his church, he tries to refute the Nazi regime.  He and his wife Mady are expecting their first child.  When Josef is called to save some crippled children from a hellish psychiatric/death facility he accepts the challenge and almost dies because of it.  Suddenly four youth from the church and Mady are given a difficult decision that involves everything they know.  Will they be able to rescue Josef in time?  

My overall opinion:  A suspenseful read with surprises at every page.  I would highly recommend this book.

The Sign of the Twisted Candles

This is my favorite Nancy Drew book so I decided to review it.  Nancy Drew is asked by her friends to investigate a certain family run restaurant.  When she finds an old man, virtually held prisoner by two of his relatives she decides to help him.  By doing so she unearths an old family feud and it seems that her best friends, Bess and George will not be her friends any more.  When the old man dies, Mr. Drew is called to act as his executor.  Faced by the growing hostility of both sides of the family and threatened by the owners of the restaurant, will Nancy and her father be able to untangle the many problems they are confronted with?

The Tombs of Anak

In this thrilling tale in the Cooper kids series, Jake Cooper and his two children Jay and Lila are called to a remote heathen temple in the Middle East.  They hear strange tales of giants in underground caves.  Jake and his two children are separated leaving him to a battle of wits with crafty priestess while Jay and Lila are hunted by a strange, demonic giant in the tombs of Anak.  One of their friends, lured by the tale of a fabulous treasure risks his life again and again in pursuit of wealth.  This spine-tingling read is a great adventure story.

Ultimate Book Bash Part 2

Part 2 of the Book Bash series.

Name three books you love:

I won’t bore you with putting up Jane Austen books (they are my favorites) so I’ll pick my other favorites.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

King of the Wind

Edmund Betram’s Diary

Of course I like lots more books, but these are some of my biggest favorites.

Name three series you love:

Elsie Dinsmore

Note: These books are the modern set.  I read the old version.

Nancy Drew

The Horse Diaries

Three Adventures or Mysteries

The Peculiar Pink Fan

The Secret of Mission T-3

The Holy War

Three non-fiction:

Spirit of the Horse

The Jane Austen Handbook

Glimpses of Paradise:The Marvel of Massed Animals

What’s your favorite classic?  Why?

Sense and Sensibility is a very ‘sensible’ book.  It has engaging characters, a good plot, and interesting dialogue.

What’s your favourite time period to read about?

The Regency

Thanks for taking time to read this post.  As always, feel free to copy this and put in your own answers, but please refer back to me.

Katie’s New Life

Katie is a Mennonite girl.  Her thirst for learning leads her to the local high school (under consent of the church elders).  When Katie starts making friends at school, her Mennonite friends become jealous.  Meanwhile, Katie must contend with the veiled disapproval of her community.  This is a very interesting book that I would highly recommend to any young teenage girl.

Book Tag

I found this tag over on safirewriter and decided to participate.  You can too.  Just refer to me in your post.

Books I am Currently Reading
Northanger Abbey
Mr. Darcy’s Diary
The Jane Austen Companion
Horse Diaries

Books I Have Enjoyed Recently
Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen Made Me Do It
Saddle Island Series
Mr. Knightley’s Diary
Edmund Betram’s Diary
The Jane Austen Handbook
The Redemption of Sarah Cain

Books I’d Liked to Read
Henry Tilney’s Diary
Colonel Brandon’s Diary
October Song

My Favorite Genres
Regency Romance
Mystery
Adventure
Horse Stories

My Favorite Authors
Jane Austen
Martha Finley
Beverly Lewis
Walter Farley

My Favorites Series
The Horse Diaries
Elsie Dinsmore
Heritage of Lancaster County
Nancy Drew
The Black Stallion
Enola Holmes
The Roman Mysteries
Lady Grace Mysteries

My Favorite Novels
Sense and Sensibility
Pride and Prejudice
Mansfield Park
Northanger Abbey
Persuasion
The Shunning
The Confession
The Reckoning

 

Who is Alfie?

One of my three-year-old’s favourite series is one about a little boy his age and the little boy’s sister – Alfie and Annie-Rose.  Alfie is about three years old and has all the joys and sorrows of any little boy his age.  Shirley Hughes is British so of course her books reflect this in their language which is fun.

In Alfie Gets in First Alfie races ahead of Mum and gets in the door first with a disastrous result which is finally solved by Alfie himself but not before the whole neighbourhood gets involved trying to help.

Alfie’s 1-2-3 is a number book (obviously) which does just a little bit of adding in addition to counting.

One of our very favourite Alfie books is Alfie’s Feet.  Alfie needs new rain boots so he can splash in puddles – what little boy can’t relate?  The new boots are wonderful but not quite right.  See if you can figure out before Alfie does what is wrong with them.

Alfie Weather is a collection of stories about Alfie and his family in different kinds of weather.  Interestingly right in the middle of the book is Mum tells Alfie the story of the Fall of Man while they are on a country explore.  This one is a bit longer than others so make sure you have time for it.

Our library doesn’t have all of Shirley Hughes’ books – she wrote a lot.  We read what they have, and when we find any at resale shops or used book stores we buy them.  Shirley Hughes also wrote other series but Alfie is the one we love.

The Reckoning

The Reckoning is the last book in the trilogy, The Heritage of Lancaster County by Beverly Lewis.  The first two books were The Shunning and The Confession.  Katherine Mayfield now owns the lovely mansion her mother left to her.  A young artist called Justin Worth becomes interested in her and she in him.  Meanwhile, Katherine’s first love, Daniel Fisher, is determined to find her.  Katherine becomes involved in volunteer work in the town and starts an Amish quilting class.  Becoming more and more friendly with two young Amish girls, Katherine wonders if her old home in Hickory Hollow was really meant for her after all.

The Confession

I’ve already written a review of The Shunning, so I decided to do a review on the sequel, The Confession.

Katie Lapp had become Katherine Mayfield.  She stays with Mennonite relatives until she can take the trip to find her birth mother.  When Katherine goes to the city of Canaduiga she finds that her mother is dying and a girl named Katie Lapp is posing as Katherine Mayfield.  Katherine takes on the job as a maid at her birth mother’s estate while trying to prove the false Katherine for what she really is.  This is a really interesting book and a good sequel to the bestseller, The Shunning.

Nancy Drew

I’ve been reading a lot of those timeless classics, Nancy Drew.  As one of my friends put it – “If you analyze all those books, there’s only about 20 different plots you can do.”  Be that as it may, I still really like reading them.  My favourites include – The Password to Larkspur Lane, The Hidden Window Mystery, The Scarlet Slipper Mystery, and The Secret of Shadow Ranch.  All of these stories feature a titan haired girl detective named Nancy Drew.

I’m back

I’ve been away for awhile.  Blame the Internet connection.  It was terrible.  Anyway, I’m back to a blogging routine and I’m going to write a review.

 

The Shunning is about a young Amish woman named Katie Lapp.  She goes into the family attic to search for her mother’s wedding dress (Katie is about to be married to the bishop).  Whilst in the attic she finds a little satin baby gown.  Katie has always longed for fancy things that were forbidden to the Amish.  Why then would her parents, devout Amish people keep such a thing?  When her parents reveal the night before her wedding a strange secret, Katie is stunned.  The next day she runs out on her own wedding to John Beiler.  Katie is put under the Shunning.  Seemingly betrayed by her parents, shunned by everyone she holds dear, and not truly Amish, Katie goes to New York State in search of the heritage she never knew.  Will Katie find her dying mother?  Read this exciting novel by Beverly Lewis to find out.

The Shunning is also out in DVD format.

Elsie Dinsmore Book 6

In Elsie’s Children, her children are growing up and maturing.  Because of Lily’s ill health, Elsie, her husband, her 17 year old daughter, and the newborn of the family, are forced to travel North to find a doctor, leaving the other children behind in the care of old friends for the time being.  When Violet’s friend, Isa, becomes a Catholic, Isa tries to convert her over.  Violet is not convinced and later, Isa’s secret faith comes out in a heated discussion with family members.  Lily is brought home, but passes away shortly afterwards.  Through it all, Elsie maintains her faith and trust in God.  Isa becomes a sincere Christian, and the whole family go to the seashore for the summer.  Elsie’s daughter, Elsie, falls in love with a man, who asks for her hand.   It is granted.  Will he succeed?  This book has a more emphasis on Elsie’s children than Elsie herself, but it is still good reading.

Lady Grace Mystery – Betrayal

In the second Lady Grace book, the court is invited to visit the royal docks to see how the new ships are coming along.  Whilst they are there, Lady Sarah (a very pretty maid of honor) catches the eye of two dashing sea captains.  When Sarah is mysteriously abducted the finger points to one of the captains, but is he the guilty one?  Join Lady Grace as she boards a ship disguised as a boy in search of Lady Sarah.

Elsie Dinsmore Book 5

In Elsie’s Motherhood, Elsie and Edward celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary by inviting family and friends to share the special day.  When Eddie, their son, accidentally shoots his father (not fatally), he learns an important lesson that will stay with him the rest of his life.  Meanwhile uprisings are going on in both the North and South because of the effects of the Civil War.  Elsie and her husband soon learn that they will be the brunt of a vicious, vengeful attack on Ion (their home).  Will everything turn out all right or will the house be burned to the ground?  Read on to find out.

Lady Grace Mystery Series – Book 1 Asassin

In this first Lady Grace Mystery Series, Lady Grace, Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth I, has three suitors for her hand that are chosen by the Queen.  Lady Grace must pick one at the St. Valentines Day ball.  The first one is Sir Charles who is very old but very kind to Grace.  The second is Sir Gerald who is handsome, rich, and not too old, but very sure of himself.  The third is Sir Robert who is slightly older than Grace (she is 16), is in debt but is nice to Grace.

On the night after the ball, Sir Gerald is found stabbed in the back, and Sir Robert is suspected.  Lady Grace must sort through dead ends and false clues with her good friends Masou, a boy acrobat at court, and Ellie, a laundry girl, to get to the truth of the matter.  Written in diary style, this book is very exciting for anyone to read.

Horse Diaries #2 Bell’s Star

In this book, Star (also known as Bell’s Star) is a trusty Morgan horse with a friendly personality.  As Star pulls plows and clears on land on the farm in Vermont, he wonders what it would be like to be free.  When he and his human friend, Katie, find a runaway slave girl, Eliza, he wonders even more what freedom means.  With slave hunters and the sherif searching for Eliza, Katie becomes nervous and is forced to make a choice between the horse she loves and helping Eliza.  Will Star ever find true freedom?  Will Eliza make it to safety?

Check out Yatimah’s story here.