You're welcome, Mel! I'm glad you liked it. Re: short story:

I'll definitely let you know what I think of Calamity. I too am curious to see how it ends and what I think of the ending.
I somehow knew you were reading Campion. I've never read any. Maybe once I knock a few more things off my lists I can try to fit in some sort of mystery (I don't think I've read much this year).

Thanks, stwin.

So has anybody else besides Johobbit read 'The Lamb Among the Stars' series by Chris Walley?
The back story for my own introduction to it, was shastastwin saw it on the shelf at johobbit's house, and then asked about it while I was eavesdropping and I thought it sounded interesting, so I picked it up.
Oh My Goodness! It was SOOO good. Sooo good. I've only read book one out of the trilogy and I'm hoping my library can get book two, if not I'll buy it.
The brief, relatively spoiler-free synopsis, is that 100 years from now (approximately) God causes a Great Intervention in which humans are suddenly able to resist sin. They still sin, but very, very rarely. And in resisting sin, mankind explodes in technological innovations and whatnot, which propels them out into the universe to make other worlds for themselves. And then the first book begins several hundred, thousand years later with God ending that resistance to sin...and there's a whole lot of other stuff going on too, but I don't want to give anything away.
When I first started reading it, I thought I wasn't going to like it, but the concept was fascinating. When you start off with the main character, everything is perfect, and then he encounters a sin:

And it's so subtle that you aren't really sure what just happened. And as a reader of the book, you're like "Oh no... this is so horrible!" But if you put it down and walk away, you think "Well...I do that all the time!" So from a religious perspective, props to Mr. Walley on reminding me why any small sin is such a big deal!
Anyways, book one was originally published in two separate books, then they were combined when it reached the States (what is it with fantasy/sci-fi books and weird publishing issues?). So Part 1 I just ate up. I couldn't get enough of it. Phenomenal. Part 2 wasn't quite as good to me as it started to incorporate some of the universal if-you're-writing-fantasy-and-sci-fi-it-has-to-include-these-plotlines, which in my humble opinion really detract from the overall story line. For Jo (and anyone else who's read it)
Of course, I'm saying how awesome this series is, and I haven't even read books two and three yet. For all I know they may be horrible. Which would likely ruin the series for me in a similar way that the ending of Harry Potter ruined that series for me. So we'll see how this goes. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!!! C'mon library!

Way back when VA and I were discussing Dee Henderson books.

Does your library have the O'Malley series? Those were the first books by her my sister and I read, and I remember really liking them.

I finally started the O'Malley series last week. I have the whole series plus the prequel stacked up on my dresser. I had the first second books on hold and forgot to grab the prequel when I picked up books one and two. So, I am going to read Danger In The Shadows next, then move on the book three. I am really enjoying it so far, it reminds me of the Alaskan Courage series by Dani Pettrey.

I also have 5 other library books to read and I am waiting for my review copy of Flash Point by Thomas Locke to arrive. I think over did it on books for the end of summer.

SnowAngel

Glad to hear you're enjoying the O'Malley series so far, SA! You'll have to let me know what you think of them when you're done.

Since I last posted I went to the uni library and ended up walking out with about a dozen books on WWII. There were several books about women in the French resistance, several accounts of women in the US military, and the rest were rather assorted pamphlets/books.

I'm currently reading a collection of excerpts from letters, articles/papers, and accounts of American women during WWII; it's a wide overview, covering both homefront and foreign work, military and civilian. I'd rather read full accounts than excerpts but oh well. I may try to track down some of the original bodies of work that the excerpts are taken from, especially the one about the SPARS (I haven't been able to find any books on them so far!).

I'm planning to read Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson next, unless I take a short detour to read a tiny book (propaganda?) published in 1941 about the war and Nazism, etc.

I read 'Miss Peregrin's Home for Peculiar Children' yesterday. The idea behind the story is very cool. Ransom Riggs, the author, collects historical photographs, and the weirder the better. I guess someone suggested to him that he should make a story from the photographs, and that's exactly what he did.
The story itself isn't too bad! I mean, I liked it, but I didn't love it. My biggest annoyance though is that it's definitely teenage fiction. There's a reason I typically stick with children's literature.

It definitely appears to be different from the upcoming movie. If you've seen the movie trailer, the main girl in the trailer is a minor side character in the book. And then of course there are other differences so I'll be curious to see how the movie turns out too. 'Big Fish' is my favorite Tim Burton film, and 'Miss Peregrin' looks very similar.

Yep, The Lamb Among the Stars by Chris Walley is a favourite of mine, and, I think, a best-kept secret. Apparently the marketing was not handled well at the time of release, pity. However, I need to re-read the series again, for I forget a lot of what happened in the latter couple of books. Still, Book 1 is tops!

(Edit) Valia, I meant to say how interesting your reads about WW II women sound. I am so fascinated by that time. Have you read A Man Called Intrepid? There are some women involved in the espionage who blow me away!(End Edit)

Recently finished ...
*All But My Life by Gerda Weissmann Klein (a holocaust survivor's horrific, yet inspiring, story)

*Answering Jihad: a better way forward by Nabeel Qureshi (RZIM)

In the middle of ...
*Live Like a Narnian: Christian discipleship in Lewis' Chronicles by Joe Rigney (This is my 'waiting book' right now: I always carry a book in the car with me in case I have to wait for whatever reason. In fact, I almost panic if I don't have reading material alongside. )

*a re-read of Book 3 of the Zion Covenant series, Munich Signature by Brock and Bodie Thoene (WW ll era)

*Blood and Daring: how Canada fought in the Civil War and forged a nation by John Boyko (This is composed of six biographies that are all intertwined during that time period ... fascinating!)

*re-reading The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill compiled by Dominique Enright (I am a great admirer of The British Bulldog)

All of the above are excellent! Although, with the Zion Covenant series (historical fiction), I have a slight niggle that the main female character is made out to be a bit too perfect/idyllic, but, really, the story is so compelling and gripping (and apparently very historically accurate) that I can (sometimes) ignore the other.

About to start ...
*The Accidental Feminist: restoring our delight in God's good design by Courtney Reissig

*Christ in the Chaos: how the Gospel changes motherhood by Kimm Crandall

*Wounded Tiger by T. Martin Bennett (the bio of the Japanese pilot who led the attack on Pearl Harbor)

There are, of course, a number of books on our shelves that I am longing to read, but all in good time. One of those is Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman, of which I have read very mixed reviews. Another is Ravi Zacharias' book Why Suffering?. And many others.

fk, sounds like you were bugged by the same things I were with Miss Peregrine's. I actually haven't seen the trailer, but which side character has become the main character? Does the plot look quite different too?

I haven't read A Man Called Intrepid, Jo. Who is it by? I'm assuming it's about the French Resistance? About the women in the Resistance: the author of the one book I read mentioned that only about 1 in 4 Resistance women survived the war. Also, I haven't found any books talking about her yet, but Julia Child (yes, the chef) was part of the Resistance.
Your recent, current, and upcoming reads sound rather interesting! Any of them particularly standing out?

I'm still working my way through my uni library books on WWII. I'm currently in the middle of a collection of letters written by a US Army nurse stationed in North Africa. I'm also reading Kingfisher by Patricia McKillip. As best as I can tell, it's heavily Arthurian-flavoured (Fisher King, anyone?) and set in a fantasy world that sounds like the Pacific Northwest to me. That said, I'm frustrated with it and would rather throw it across the room than finish it right now (which I won't do because it's a library book, for one thing ): too many perspectives, frustrating characters, the most frustrating elements of Arthurian legends to me, no characters I feel are worth rooting for. I haven't felt this way about a McKillip book since before I read The Bell at Sealey Head, so it's disheartening to feel like I'm reading Solstice Wood or Winter Rose. I'll keep on with it for now, but I'm not feeling terribly motivated to finish it.

Last week, I got a bit sidetracked, though, and zipped through the first three Wax & Wayne books by Brandon Sanderson. For the most part, I enjoyed them. Steris was my favourite character. And I know I had more thoughts, but I can't remember them right now.

;)) fk, sounds like you were bugged by the same things I were with Miss Peregrine's. I actually haven't seen the trailer, but which side character has become the main character? Does the plot look quite different too?

In the trailer, the main female characters have swapped. In the book

. In the trailer, it's.
Obviously a trailer doesn't reveal much about the plot, but it definitely had more of an X-Men feel to it.
Valia, have you read any of the sequels to Miss Peregrine?

I haven't read A Man Called Intrepid, Jo. Who is it by? I'm assuming it's about the French Resistance?

Intrepid is by William Stevenson, a Brit, who 'fought in the Secret War' during WW II. The front cover says: "The authentic account of the most decisive intelligence operations of World War II - and the superspy who controlled them". Amazing and utterly intriguing! Stevenson had to stay totally quiet about his operations for a number of years after the war, but when he was finally free to talk, he wrote this absolutely fascinating book.

About the women in the Resistance: the author of the one book I read mentioned that only about 1 in 4 Resistance women survived the war. Also, I haven't found any books talking about her yet, but Julia Child (yes, the chef) was part of the Resistance.

So sad! And I, too, would like to read more about Child's part in the Resistance.

Your recent, current, and upcoming reads sound rather interesting! Any of them particularly standing out?

All of them! But if I had to choose, probably Blood and Daring, since it's subject matter for me with which I was quite unfamiliar ... Canadian involvement in the Civil War.

Goodness, it's been a while since I posted in here, particularly about what I'm reading! I won't try to catch up on all of that.

Currently I'm working through The Three Musketeers on audio, which I got for free through Audible last month. (The current free book is The Last of the Mohicans, which I'm less excited about.) I'm over halfway through and while I see the germ of the story I'm used to (thanks primarily to the '90s Disney version with Kiefer Sutherland and Tim Curry), I'm finding I enjoy it not as much as other French books I've read like Cyrano de Bergerac (which has many similar tropes) or Les Miserables. Still, it's not terrible, and I want to see how it ends.

I was able to get a copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child earlier this week, and read it all in a day. I don't think I read even the first few of the novels that quickly, but my speed was partly affected by the fact this is a play.

Overall, I enjoyed Cursed Child; it had a lot of the wit and humor I remember loving in the books. There's some real development of the Wizarding world and our heroes as adults post-Voldemort, and several of the new characters are stars in their own rights. I don't agree with Rowling's statement that this story "had to be done on stage"; in fact, I think she could have got a novel or three out of the story. I'll post more of my thoughts below because most of my qualms require spoilers.

In short, I recommend reading it if you enjoyed the other Potter books, but go in with the realization that it's going to be a different experience, largely because of the play format.

I've been wondering about HP8. Thanks for posting the review. I skipped the spoiler. I do have a question about it... it's been years since I read the HP series, does 8 require a reread of the other seven?

I finished up the Lamb Among the Stars series yesterday. Overall I rate it very, very highly. Interestingly enough, almost every issue I would have along the way, including the ones I mentioned above, the author would address in the series and use it to the advantage of the story, so kudos to Mr. Walley on that. I did feel personally like each book got progressively weaker, but only slightly. As I mentioned above, the way he addressed the issue of sin throughout the story was very powerful. I ESPECIALLY loved the fact that there were repercussions for sin. Bad things happened when a character made a mistake, even if they repented of it. I had to laugh at the very end at the nod to Lord of the Rings.

Anyways, this is now my favorite sci-fi series just barely edging out Ender's Game, so I will have to put it my Christmas list so I can read it again sometime.

A few spoilers of the only thing I didn't care for...

I wouldn't say you need to reread them. I haven't read any of them in a few years and I was fine. Just keep in mind that it springs off from the epilogue at the end of Deathly Hallows.

Glad to hear you're enjoying the O'Malley series so far, SA! You'll have to let me know what you think of them when you're done.

I finished the O'Malley series about two weeks ago, it was excellent. I had to keep stopping and starting with the last two books, I didn't want my siblings or parents to wander in to where I was reading and ask why I was crying! I am so glad you recommend the series to me, Valia. I really enjoyed the journey with the O'Malley family.

I have Kidnapped by Dee Denderson in my stack of library books to read and I just started Davis Bunn's latest release, The Domino Effect. I hope to have time to read both this week (and play video games). I have to write a review for The Domino Effect, so I will be focusing on reading it before I do anything else.

SnowAngel

I've been wondering about HP8. Thanks for posting the review. I skipped the spoiler. I do have a question about it... it's been years since I read the HP series, does 8 require a reread of the other seven?

Well, no. As shastatwin pointed out, HP8 continues on from the end of Deathly Hallows. But a reread of Goblet of Fire might be a handy revision.

About the women in the Resistance: the author of the one book I read mentioned that only about 1 in 4 Resistance women survived the war.

That is only too likely. Did you read Carve her name with pride, which is about Violette Szabo, a SOE operative who died at Ravensbrück concentration camp? Her daughter, Tania Szabo, who wrote Young, brave and beautiful, had to sell her mother's George Cross last year to survive. Or Nancy Wake, also called The White Mouse, another Australian-born SOE operative who died in 2011? Much to my surprise, I found I had a copy of A man called Intrepid, but ended up putting it in our Oldies' (PROBUS) book pool, where it has since disappeared.

My most recent book to read, taken from that same Oldies' book pool, was The lovely bones, by Alice Sebold, a most intriguing book to read, since it is from the point of view of a young girl who has been murdered, and deals with the impact of her death on her family.

Whoops, sorry, forgot I had outstanding posts to reply to.

fk, thanks for the answer! I have not read any of the Peregrine sequels. I think Summer may've, but I don't remember what she thought if she did.

Thanks, Jo! I'll have to keep an eye out for Intrepid. I think I've only read one book about the British Intelligence during WWII, but it was quite fascinating (pretty much a collection of overviews of those who were part of the German spy ring in the UK; they fed false reports, etc.).

Have you finished The Three Musketeers yet, stwin?

Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed the O'Malley series, SA! And, ahaha, isn't a bit hard when a book makes you cry and you can't just go sit off by yourself? I believe she's since written a prequel about the youngest O'Malley but I haven't read it. Did you have a favourite book (or sibling)?

wagga, I know Violette Szabo's name, but I haven't read the book about her nor Nancy Wake's. My uni library has a pretty good collection of books about WWII, but it's rather overwhelming to go through. I usually just end up walking the shelves and pulling books off. I'll have to keep those in mind, though.

I finally finished Kingfisher; it ended about how I thought it would, and my opinion of it did not improve. I just read McKillip's The Book of Atrix Wolfe, though, and rather enjoyed it.

I'm currently reading The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. I'd found a copy at a booksale a year or two ago and picked it up with a memory of ww having read and liked it. Now I'm wondering if I'm remembering her liking it wrong. The main character is irritating, and I have a bad feeling about where everything is going. Surely it won't be as bad as A Lady of Quality, though.