Emerald Atlas, a quick review...

Emerlad Atlas

My Thoughts:  I read the reviews for this YA book somewhere in my blog roll, and immediately picked it up for my grand niece to read, when I got it home, I decided it was too thick and I might have to check out the contents before I passed it along.  (I always read the books I give as gifts).  This was a not very short read for a YA book, interesting, and if we all loved Harry Potter than this was up that alley.  As in Harry Potter the wack in the head for me was "the horrible way children are treated".  I hated that part in Harry Potter and for me the magic bit was just that, a little whimsy that a child uses to escape the horror of its life.  I can't imagine leaving my children "behind" or sending them off for their own safety. (Remember all those British children being evacuated, I know that did not turn out well) Huh? I'm not sure the mother of Kate, Michael and Emma should expect her kids to forgive her.  If the world is going to end, I'm going with my kids to that end.  All the while I was reading this book, I wanted to start adoption procedures, (just like when I read Harry Potter) my husband was not co-operative, but then again, maybe I was not pushy enough.  Anyway, this was a wonderful adventure, and as you can tell it certainly made me WILD, I look forward to see what the next book has to offer. 

P.S. I'm not sure my little niece will get this one, maybe my big niece.  They both know there is no orphanage in their futures so it won't traumatize them. 

I read this book as part of my What's in a Name Challenge (Jewelry or Gem).

Out Stealing Horses...

I finished this book today, whilst waiting on buses and such, it was a good book.  It's the story of Trond, and his relationships with those around him.  The story spans 50 years, three generation.  We are introduced to Trond and his friend Jon, his father, a few other characters and minimally his mom and sister, and of coarse his daughter.  All these characters play a short part in Trond's recollections.  Trond at the age of 67 abandons the city and heads to the beautiful mountains of Norway close to the border of Sweden, he reflects on the summer he spent in this area with his dad and the susequent strange events that follow  that summer.  

What I liked about the book: I liked the vivid descriptions, the innocence of Tronds view,  while he was a young lad, I also liked that he just trusted his dad so implicitly. The setting of the book and the characters were very believable, but I did find the situations a little weird.  I have to say I like the boy Trond better than the man Trond.

What I didn't like: maybe this is not so much as I didn't like, but I was a little confused (remember I'm an old blonde) Trond kept thinking of his own mortality, I'm assuming he came up to the farm to die and make peace with his past life.  I did find the unexpected meeting with Lars a little off as well. The lack of conversation was a bit weird also.  Maybe it's just me, but if I met someone from 50 years ago I think I'd ask a few questions. 

I read this book for the Awesome Author Challenge  an enjoyable read, some strangeness, but then that's what makes it interesting.

Sign of the time?

As we end the summer, we are getting back to school. And like the song says "it's the most wonderful time of the year". Don't get me wrong, I love my boys, I love being around them, I even liked, no maybe not like, tolerated going to all those wacky animal days with lizards and snakes, now it's cars and strange movies they are into. But come Labour day my life NEEDS to get back to routine. I can list the things I intended to do during the summer and didn't get done because... But then again I'm much older than those lizard days and they are men now. Or so the law tells me. One of my two is going out on his own this year. I was very upset with the news at the beginning, but by now I'm packing him up. My friend Leslie said mother nature has a way of getting you ready for this day, and she was right. I wish I was a student today. I know judging by the homework that my son does I sure could have been an engineer. I don't remember ever going to a pub night. My budget was so tight, my school load so great that I don't remember sleeping first year. By third year I had run low on funds and had to get a second part-time job and still did everything else. Did I mention that my parents expected me home every weekend to help out. But my son needs to schedule school into the social calendar. I really think he should just be a professional date. He is cute, and polite and much like his dad likes to party. The other one is scheduling his availability for work around the fall line up on TV. So... So forgive me if I seem wild this morning, but it is almost the most wonderful time of the year and I can't help but feel a little jovial.