stwin, I know I never read Rose Daughter and that it wasn't as well-liked. I have a vague impression that it was for a slightly older audience than Beauty - can you confirm or deny?

fk, I haven't had a chance to read them yet, but I got a few more installments of the Sir Cumference series by Cindy Neuschwander and Wayne Geehan. They're actually math stories for grade schoolers, though I was introduced to them in high school by my Geometry teacher. Your kids might be a bit young for the math side (though they cover a range of concepts), but you might look into them, if they sound interesting.
I hop you enjoyed The Princess and the Goblin. I bought it on a trip as pre-teen and remember enjoying it; though due to some literary tyranny, vindication may've been the strongest feeling.

SA, all the best with your 2019 reading goals! They look like some good ones.

Dot. I'm glad you enjoyed the secret project!
How many Penderwick books are there now? I read the first two, but never made it further.

Does anyone besides have any reading goals or programs they're trying to follow? One of my sisters has sort-of talked me into trying the 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge; I'm not particularly inspired, but the last time I did one of their challenges, I stuffed as many WWII books into their categories as I could. So I may just try that again.

I finished "A Funnie Place, No Fences" and stand by my earlier impression. I also recently read a book about Scottish church history during the 1500s-1600s (from James VI to William & Mary); I did learn some new information and had some old information looked at in a different light, though it was a bit odd to not have footnotes and sources after a lot of the recent history books I've read. Regardless, it remains an area of history I'm quite interested in.

I'm almost finished with my current read - Factfulness by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund. The subtitle is "Ten Reasons We're Wrong about the World - and why Things are Better than You Think" and it serves as a pretty good synopsis. It's been a good read - the author is humourous, makes a lot of good points, and gives a lot to think over - but I'm not sold on everything. The author, for all his thoughtfulness, has some suppositions and biases that I don't agree with and that he doesn't think to scrutinize as he does most everything else. Still, it has helped me understand a number of viewpoints I've seen around me and even some ways of thinking I've been prone to.

stwin, I know I never read Rose Daughter and that it wasn't as well-liked. I have a vague impression that it was for a slightly older audience than Beauty - can you confirm or deny?

I don't think it's necessarily that it's aimed at an older audience as the author was older when she wrote it. The characters definitely seem more mature on all sides (though their ages don't seem vastly advanced; no one's out of their thirties by my estimation, except the characters who are meant to be older like the father). It's a very quiet-seeming novel. It doesn't race or even sprint most of the time, but it still feels like you're along for an enjoyable ride.

Just a quick post...I finished Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl last week. I can't believe I didn't finish reading it sooner. I kinda feel like I should read it again, start to finish in the same year. But my Dad gave me my own copy of Michael Card's new book, Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God's Lovingkindness, and it's totally at the top of my Christian non-fiction reading list. I love the cover. I may have already listened to the audiobook this month, but I am definitely looking forward to actually reading Inexpressible.

My family made a New Year's goal of watching less television, both shows and movies, and less TV means more time to read. Finally rereading Sam Keaton: Legends of Laramie by Sigmund Brouwer and I picked Michael Card's commentary on John back up, I've restarted it from the beginning.

SnowAngel

FK, I think I read The Princess and Goblin for the first time in 2016. I really enjoyed finally reading it and my younger sisters loved it. I still need to read the sequel, The Princess and Curdie, I should add it to my 2019 goals.

I finished both books recently, and enjoyed them both very much. But the end of The Princess and Curdie kind of caught me off guard.

And any time you have a book end that way, it's like "What's the point?" And if I could talk to MacDonald, that's exactly what I'd ask him.
But I still did enjoy both of them quite a lot.

My kids and I just finished up reading Adventures with Waffles and if you all would like a sweet, little, feel-good book, I highly recommend this one. It's fictional, and ironically, that's the one thing I don't like about it. It feels like it ought to be real. I actually loled at several parts and that doesn't happen too often (though I think I mentioned that exact same thing about Howl's Moving Castle, so maybe it happens more than I realize).

Hey y'all,

Due to the time constraints of current day-to-day life, my reading time has been reduced considerably since my high-school days. Due to this very unfortunate reality that I now inhabit, I've had to be very selective about the books I've dedicated my time too. And as I've committed to improving both myself as a person and as a soldier/NCO, most of my recent books have been related to the military or self-imrovement in some shape or form. My two most recent reads were as follows.

The American Way of War, by Russell F. Weigley. This book covers American Military Strategy from the Revolutionary War, all the way up until the Vietnam war. It is 476 pages of absolute snooze fest if you aren't really into complex and wide ranging political and military strategy. Luckily for myself I'm really weird. It's honestly quite informative and mainly focuses on The United States and it's transformation from a backwater country, mainly utilizing guerrilla and militia tactics while at war. To a regional power who's only real military strength laid in its vastness and its ability to interfere with shipping lanes. (Also ironically our biggest weaknesses at the time, mainly pre-civil war era.) Before finally morphing into the greatest, most effective military force the planet has ever seen, only to find itself now being countered by the same tactics itself was born upon. Guerilla and Militia tactics. It's quite poetic actually.

The Art of War, by Sun Tzu. Most everyone will be at least partially familiar with this piece of excellent writing. The wording of certain phrases and the way things are said in the book, due to the way it was translated, may put people off. But I strongly recommend picking this one up. The advice given here will be applicable to anyone, regardless of whether or not you ever intend to wage war. If you are in a leadership position at your job, group or whatever, or even if you intend to become the boss one day, this book will help you. 11/10 highly recommend.

Anywho, that's my recent book experience. Drier than a Popeye's biscuit, I know. Looking to pick up some fiction here in the near future. Any suggestions?

fk, I remember one of my sisters not caring for the ending as well. Maybe I'll read Alec Forbes and His Friend Anne instead, it's been one of my favorites since I first read it and it has been a while since I last read it.

What is with guys reading the Art of War? My cousin just read it as well. What genre of fiction are you interested in, narnianerd?

I read a lot in January or maybe I should say I finished a lot of books in January, at least three of the books I finished I had started before January 1, 2019.

SnowAngel's January 2019 books finished:
* Fawkes by Nadine Brandes - it was okay, I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads. The color power stuff got really tiring by the end of the book.
* 2 Halo comic books - barely worth mentioning
* Evening Star by Sigmund Brouwer - Legends of Laramie #1 I had been waiting forever to reread Sam Keaton, still love this series, Sam, and the rest of gang.
* Splinter Cell: Echoes by Nathan Edmundson - found this one as ebook on Hoopla, don't normal read ebook, but it was short...so I read it. It was all right.
* Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God's Lovingkindness by Michael Card - audiobook read by author - It's good stuff, going to actually read it soon.
* Silver Moon by Sigmund Brouwer -
* Coldwater by Samuel Parker - this book is really hard to describe, it was very intriguing read.
* Close Your Eyes So You Can See by Michael Card - this kids book by MC is terrific, and I had no clue it existed until I stumbled across it in the library catalog a few weeks ago.
* Beneath The Surface by Lynn H. Blackburn - new Revell suspense author, solid 3.5 stars
* Feast For Thieves by Marcus Brotherton - I've been wanting to read this one for years, I was finally able to get it through ILL. It was a solid historical Christian fiction read.
* Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl by N.D. Wilson - totally should have finished this one sooner.
* The Shallows by Nicholas Carr - audiobook - internet/technology is scary stuff, makes you want to go read a nice safe print book. Highly recommend.
* My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren - fourth book in the Deep Haven series, but easily read has a standalone.
* Cowboy Small by Lois Lenski - I remember this kids book from growing up, it's cute, fun little kids read.
* Cowboy Sam and Big Bill and Cowboy Sam and Porky by Edna Walker Chandler - My dad fondly remembers these from his own childhood, they recently became available for ILL through our public library. So I got them for the nostalgia factor and youngest sibling who is practicing reading out loud. Plus who doesn't love to pick up kids book now and then.
* Sun Dance by Sigmund Brouwer - Legends of Laramie #3
* The Stars For A Light by Gilbert Morris and Lynn Morris - This was my nostalgia read for January, book one in the Cheney Duvall M.D. series.

Total books 20 - 3 audiobooks - 4 kids books - 2 mostly finished before January books
Total pages read 3,643 - including the kids books and the already started books

SnowAngel

SnowAngel,

I reckon it has something to with innate nature of young men to see or to forsee themselves as warriors or leaders. The alpha dog, if you will. The title and subject of the book grabs our attention and our ego can't help but pick the book up.

In a somewhat ironic twist that actually makes sense when you look at it, Sun Tzu and his generals already knew their target demographic when they wrote the book all those years ago. Young, ambitious men. Therefore much of their teaching is counterintuitive to what you might think. It's largely preaching against the instincts of, what we might call now-a-days, toxic masculinity. The book teaches that restraint, diplomacy and cautiously considering all options before declaring war are all vastly preferable to sending men to die. The man was ahead of his time I tell you, maybe even ahead of ours.

As for myself, I don't particularly have a favorite genre. I'll read fantasy, sci-fi, political thriller, even YA if its done well. Everything is on the table really.

Anywho, that's my recent book experience. Drier than a Popeye's biscuit, I know. Looking to pick up some fiction here in the near future. Any suggestions?

What are your feelings on western author Louis L'Amour? I know some people are annoyed by the way he becomes philosophical at times, but I think it adds a little more depth. I really enjoy his first few books in the Sackett series, when the western frontier from Elizabethan England was the New World.

Are you familiar with the WWII series by Brock and Bodie Thoene? It's outstanding.

Based on your interests, though, I can't help but recommend Argo by Antonio Mendez (the story of the Iranian hostage crisis) and Entebbe by Iddo Netanyahu (the Entebbe hostage raid) if you aren't already familiar with them.

I still have the last two Penderwicks books to read

How many Penderwick books are there now?

After I read your comments, I realized I hadn't heard the last two, and the audiobooks on on my library's app! So I happily listened to both of them.

stwin, I read Rose Daughter about 5 years ago now, probably about 5 years after reading Beauty. I didn't know anything about the book before beginning but though I was surprised at the ending, I was happy with it. There's a lot of homesickness in the book, and a stronger sense of reality which was exactly what I needed at the time I read it. I think it's a more mature story in its outlook. Perhaps it is for slightly older readers - I may not have liked it if I'd read it at the same time as I read Beauty. That's perhaps one of the few benefits of most of Robin McKinley's work not being published in the UK ...

FK, the end of The Princess and Curdie

Have you read any of his short stories? The Light Princess is one of the best known but others like The Golden Key and The Carasoyn are unusual but wonderful.

Over the last few months (it's been a while since I last posted) I've re-read quite a lot of books, including Watership Down, Thief of Time, A Wrinkle in Time, Out of the Silent Planet, and Perelandra.

New books:
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, which I loathed. I read the play and saw the film at school, and I didn't understand the story then; a decade plus to digest it hasn't helped. I wasn't expecting to enjoy the story, but I'd hoped for good writing. Unfortunately I found it repetitive and disjointed.

The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs. I liked this, but found it creepy. I read it partly to see what the film was about, but I don't think I'll watch it.

Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks. There are some really interesting stories in this collection, ones I'll return to re-read, and then there are some I don't get at all. The theme of having a typewriter in each story doesn't always work as it can feel shoehorned in. The stories which dealt with celebrity and acting were particularly good.

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans. I don't normally mind stories or films that are a bit schmaltzy but this story was so unbelievably manipulative it made me angry. I preferred Miss Brodie.

If I Should Die Before I Wake by Han Nolan. I was lent this book by a friend, so I didn't really know what to expect. Going by the blurb I expected there to be more about Hilary, but it was a good book nonetheless. I liked the shifts between the past and the present.

Eight Days of Luke by Diana Wynne Jones. I really liked this book. I figured out who Luke was fairly early on, but it didn't take away from the good story.

The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts. I visited Vienna in November and got to see the Spanish Riding School. This book was recommended by the tour guide as a good explanation of how the Lipizzaner were rescued by the US Army during WW2. The story is fascinating and the book is very well researched but it is very American (PLEASE stop calling the UK 'England'!) and, unfortunately, feels stretched out. There are a lot of re-stated facts, and false tension made by jumping perspective, which in fact slows everything down. A real pity because it's a fascinating look into a little-known aspect of the war.

Have you read any of his short stories? The Light Princess is one of the best known but others like The Golden Key and The Carasoyn are unusual but wonderful.

I have not. This was my first foray into MacDonald.

The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs. I liked this, but found it creepy.

I have to admit, I kind of liked this book. It WAS creepy, but it's the kind of creepy I like because nothing gruesome really happens. I also liked it because some of the things I was predicting, didn't happen.

I only wanted to see the movie because it has Jack Black and Cate Blanchett. I mean, c'mon! The trailer looked horrible though.

Yesterday I was browsing through Mensa's website (I was looking for homeschool material) and I came across this cool reading program for kids under 18 years old.
https://www.mensaforkids.org/achieve/ex ... n-reading/
Most of you would be most interested in the high school age I'm sure, but I also know some of you have young kids *winks at stwin* and I wanted to share that list in particular as it's the one I'd love to complete over the next year or two.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – Viorst, Judith
All-of-a-Kind Family – Taylor, Sydney
Amelia Bedelia – Parish, Peggy
Anansi the Spider – McDermott, Gerald
Bedtime for Frances – Hoban, Russell
Blueberries for Sal – McCloskey, Robert*
The Cabin Faced West – Fritz, Jean
The Carrot Seed – Krauss, Ruth
The Cat in the Hat – Seuss, Dr.
Charlotte’s Web – White, E.B.*
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – Barrett, Judy
Corduroy – Freeman, Don**
The Cricket in Times Square – Selden, George
Curious George – Rey, H.A.**
The Dot – Reynolds, Peter
Freckle Juice – Blume, Judy
Frederick – Lionni, Leo
Frog and Toad Are Friends – Lobel, Arnold*
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi – Van Allsburg, Chris
George and Martha – Marshall, James
Goodnight, Moon – Brown, Margaret Wise**
Harry the Dirty Dog – Zion, Gene
How the Leopard Got His Claws – Achebe, Chinua
The Hundred Dresses – Estes, Eleanor*
I Want My Hat Back – Klassen, Jon
If I Never Forever Endeavor – Meade, Holly
Leo the Late Bloomer – Kraus, Robert
The Little Engine That Could – Piper, Watty**
Little House on the Prairie – Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Little Toot – Gramatky, Hardie
The Littles – Peterson, John
Madeline – Bemelmans, Ludwig
Make Way for Ducklings – McCloskey, Robert*
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel – Burton, Virginia Lee
Millions of Cats – Gag, Wanda
The Mouse and the Motorcycle – Cleary, Beverly
Mr. Popper’s Penguins – Atwater, Richard and Florence*
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh – O’Brien, Robert*
Paul Revere’s Ride – Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth
The Polar Express – Chris Van Allsburg
Peppe the Lamplighter – Bartone, Elisa
Pippi Longstocking - Lindgren, Astrid
Put Me in the Zoo – Lopshire, Robert
Rabbit Hill – Lawson, Robert
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 – Cleary, Beverly
The Quiltmaker’s Gift – Brumbeau, Jeff
The Reluctant Dragon – Grahame, Kenneth
Sam the Minuteman – Benchley, Nathaniel
Sarah, Plain and Tall – MacLachlan, Patricia
Shiloh – Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds
The Snowy Day – Keats, Ezra Jack*
Stellaluna – Cannon, Janell
The Stinky Cheese Man & Other Fairly Stupid Tales – Scieszka, Jon
Stone Soup – Brown, Marcia
Tale of Despereaux – DiCamillo, Kate*
The Story of Babar – Brunhoff, Jean de*
The Story of Ferdinand – Leaf, Munro*
Strega Nona – dePaola, Tomie
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble – Steig, William
The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Potter, Beatrix*
The Three Little Pigs – Galdone, Paul
Tikki Tikki Tembo – Mosel, Arlene
Where the Wild Things Are – Sendak, Maurice**
Winnie-the-Pooh – Milne, A.A.**

*Own it
**Read it

We've read a number of these books already and own even more of them. Most I'll probably reread since I have to date them, but some of the longer ones (like Winnie-the-Pooh) I'm going to just try to remember approximately when we finished it as I don't think I'll be able to reread it any time soon.

I noticed on that list of kids' books, Fantasia, they list Cricket in Times Square but none of its sequels. (Actually, it seems like they only list one book per series/author.) I actually thought some of those books were even better than the original so I'd recommend checking them out. I realize though that probably wouldn't fit in with your homeschool curriculum or your own reading schedule. Just thought I'd throw that out since I think George Selden's books are really good and they could use some publicity.

Col Klink, in the upper level reading lists, they'll have a whole series in one slot. For example, 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by C.S. Lewis. I didn't look to see if it counted as seven books or one.

I suspect that more often than not these lists are to introduce kids to books and then leave the kids to discover the rest. Good to note about the sequels being just as good if not better.

Posting another book list link here for my own reference, otherwise I'm going to lose it.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blog ... list-kids/

The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts. ...This book was recommended by the tour guide as a good explanation of how the Lipizzaner were rescued by the US Army during WW2.

I think I have this one in my to-read stack somewhere! That's too bad it feels bloated. I really enjoyed My Dancing White Horses by Alois Podhajsky, which includes his first hand account of the event.

This thread may become of of my favorites in here. Now that I am finished with my Masters I decided that i am going to read good books again. 2 years of no fiction and only school books about killed me. So....what are some of your favorite series other than Narnia ones, that have a Naria type feel? I would like to get a list. I am currently reading the Wingfeather Sagas (AMAZING!!!)
But what are some other series or books that are for sure worth the read? I have one left in Wingfeather and will need some new stuff soon! I have a goal of reading 50 books this year and need more ideas.

So....what are some of your favorite series other than Narnia ones, that have a Naria type feel?

Anything by Gail Carson Levine. She writes very good fairy-tale type stories. I would suggest starting with A Tale of Two Castles and the sequel Stolen Magic (young girl becomes apprentice to a dragon whose day job is toasting people's lunches and moonlights as a detective).

Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series is also very good (a young witch in training takes on various fairy-tale type villains and also deals with ordinary people). I'm about halfway through the fourth book right now. Be aware that the fifth book was Pratchett's last book that he was unable to finish before he died. My brother says it's clearly not entirely Pratchettish, but it is a good send-off. If you like that series, I would suggest reading his Night Watch series next.

Six of Crows and the sequel Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. First one is a fantasy heist, second is the aftermath. Really fun world building. I haven't gotten around to reading the rest of her stuff yet. But she has several other novels set in the same universe.

The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. EXCELLENT SERIES IS EXCELLENT. The sixth book is scheduled to come out next year. Join the madness as we wait.

Pretty much anything by Brandon Sanderson. Good starting points are the Reckoners series and Skyward. The first is a superhero type world, the second is a YA scifi. The Mistborn series is also great, although the first trilogy is not one of his best. The great things about Sanderson is that he writes a lot of stuff, usually publishes more than one book a year, and his writing visibly gets better with every book. His romances still need work, but his world building is amazing and he always nails the endings.

And then for a less contemporary author there is always The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.