March's book review.

BRAELEIGH'S BOOK CLUB

Okay. I admit it. I dropped the ball.

I did not read our March book, which was The Witch Of Blackbird Pond.

The fact that I don't own the book and had to get it from the library was only part of the problem. Yes, I am a procrastinator, but I'm usually good for my promises. However, considering the things I survived last month (children, a broken down car, children, a miscarriage, children, mean comments on my blog, children, a failed attempt to organize an excellent fairy party, children...well, you get my drift.) I think I can hardly be held accountable.

Luckily, I HAVE read the Witch of Blackbird Pond back in the day (4th grade, actually.) and though I do not remember enough about it to actually give you a good, in depth A.P. English kind of review, I do have to say that what I remember about the book is that I thought that if I lived then, all the forbidden things, and all the talk of witchcraft wouldn't make me scared for my life, it would only make me more interested in the possibility of witches, and want to know how i could be one too.

Now, I don't think that in my life today I'd actually want to be a witch- you know, I'm a really devout christian and all- however, I have never been the kind of person who can stand cruelty to other people, even witches or those who I feel are morally wrong. (I'm talking things like abortion and gay rights here, not things like pedophiles or murderers.) One might argue that if a person was raised in that kind of community, then witches would be a scary thing, and because of the type of religious upbringing, I would react differently, but I don't buy that. I am who I am, raised that way or not. If everyone grew up to be exactly the same as his mother and father, and everyone grew up to have the exact same beliefs, then there would never be any change.

Not to mention, i have kind of an obsession with fairies and magic and all things fantasy. As awesome and supportive as my family is, that's kind of my own thing, and no one taught me THAT.

Anyway, if you DID read the Witch Of Blackbird Pond, please feel free to leave your comments about it here anyway! We can still talk about it, even though i didn't read it.

Moving on.

This month, we will be reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, which is an exceptional book about a demon who is coaching his nephew, Wormwood, through letters, to guide his 'patient' to certain doom. A masterpiece of satire, this book will really have you thinking deeply.

(oh! And I already have this one so half my procrastination problem is solved!)

MAY'S PROPOSED BOOKS

PETER PAN

by James M. Barrie

(For the record, it MUST be said that Peter Pan is my FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME. I read it at least once a year. I'll never tire of it.)

J M. Barrie's Peter Pan is a poignant tale about the magic of childhood. The main character, Peter Pan, is a magical boy who wishes never to fall into the banality of adulthood, but to have an adventure every moment and remain forever young. The play details Peter's relationship with a young girl, Wendy, who is on the cusp of young adulthood. Peter's gang, the Lost Boys, wish for a mother to read them stories. Peter goes and retrieves Wendy to be their new mother. Their adventures reveal much about the nature of childhood and Barrie's thoughts on the bittersweet necessity of growing up.
(synopsis found here: http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/10/9/23443/6704)

THOSE WHO SAVE US
by Jenna Blum

For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald.

Driven by the guilt of her heritage, Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the dramatic and heartbreaking truth of her mother's life.

Combining a passionate, doomed love story, a vivid evocation of life during the war, and a poignant mother/daughter drama, Those Who Save Us is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame.

ANGRY HOUSEWIVES EATING BONBONS

by Lorna Landvik
The women of Freesia Court are convinced that there is nothing good coffee, delectable desserts, and a strong shoulder can’t fix. Laughter is the glue that holds them together—the foundation of a book group they call AHEB (Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons), an unofficial “club” that becomes much more. It becomes a lifeline. Holding on through forty eventful years, there’s Faith, a lonely mother of twins who harbors a terrible secret that has condemned her to living a lie; big, beautiful Audrey, the resident sex queen who knows that with good posture and an attitude you can get away with anything; Merit, the shy doctor’s wife with the face of an angel and the private hell of an abusive husband; Kari, a wise woman with a wonderful laugh who knows the greatest gifts appear after life’s fiercest storms; and finally, Slip, a tiny spitfire of a woman who isn’t afraid to look trouble straight in the eye.

This stalwart group of friends depicts a special slice of American life, of stay-at-home days and new careers, of children and grandchildren, of bold beginnings and second chances, in which the power of forgiveness, understanding, and the perfectly timed giggle fit is the CPR that mends broken hearts and shattered dreams.

(Synopsis from barnesandnoble.com)

Thursday Writer's Prompt

Before I get right into things, I have a few reminders:

1. PLEASE do me a favor and check out http://www.spoonsforscarlet.etsy.com/ and read my daughter's story, then peruse the many beautiful, hand decorated spoon ornaments and help me donate THOUSANDS to Primary Children's Hospital!

2. Notice the poll on the right sidebar and VOTE for next month's book!

3. Speaking of the book club, we're reading The Witch Of Blackbird Pond this month, and I promise you'll love it! It's not too late to join in!

4. Please vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking on the button on the left sidebar- that's all you have to do! One click! Thanks!

So, as an avid writer with pretty clear cut memories who thinks in complete sentences, when I look at Mama Kat's list of prompts each Wednesday, I usually know exactly what I want to write about. This time, though, it was harder to decide. I'm going to have to make comments about more than one today.

1. If you had to relive a day in your life, what day would it be?

Assuming this day would be a day that I could change, I'd go back to September 21, 2009 and move the television off of the dresser, as I had intended to that very morning. Then my little Scarlet would never have been in that situation.

As far as reliving a certain DAY without being able to change it? Well, that's really hard, because I don't really remember a specific day that was the best day of my life. I remember some really spectacular summers, some excellent trips and some stellar school years. I remember classes that I was consistently excited to go to throughout the entire school year. I remember some wonderful intimate moments that happened at the end of some really rotten days, and days that started out the best ever, but ended in tears. I just don't think that I can narrow my life down that way.

Here's a question though- does it make me a bad wife that my wedding day was not the greatest day of my life? Honestly, I don't remember much of it. It was a haze. I was stressed out, I was nervous. I didn't really like my dress, I really hated my botched hair cut, my new husband's old car ran out of gas and wanted me to help him push it 5 blocks to the gas station- IN MY WEDDING DRESS. My photographer was kind of a flop, and they were short on corsages for my party. My reception was positively lovely, and that made up for a lot. But really, the whole day was just a nightmare.

2. When do you first imagine yourself wishing you were older or bigger?

Well, honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed my youth. I was born in July and that meant that when I went to school, I was the youngest in my class for most cases. I was also the smallest. Really, I'm pretty much STILL the smallest, standing a whole 5 feet 3 inches tall (beats the crap out of my mom who's 4'11") and I weigh about 112. Still, I reveled in my youth, and was proud of being petite. I actually cried when i turned 25 and I've cried every year since. I'm 27 now. I feel like an old fogey. Really, though, I was boy crazy, which brings to mind the ever classic song "Wouldn't it be Nice" by the Beach Boys, I never really wanted time to just 'hurry up'. I DO, however, remember two incidents where I wished I were older or bigger.

The first time, I was in second grade, and i had brought my little friend, Patty, home for a play date. We were playing dress up, and she already had budding breasts. I was only 7. She was 9 (as I was on the younger end of the second grade spectrum, she was on the older end.) I stuffed toilet paper into my dress and made myself some 'girls'. Little did i know the irritation they'd be when I suddenly grew them 7 years later.

The second time, I was lying in bed at 9:00 pm- very abnormal for me- on prom night when I was a sophomore in High School. Being young, I was only 15 until late summer that year, and on top of that, being Mormon, I was unable to date until I turned 16 years old, so even if I had been asked (which I wasn't) I couldn't have gone. I am a still a little bitter about that whole incident.

I was going to write about my routine as well, but it's late, my husband's wearing a kilt, and we're watching Far and Away (one of our many traditional St. Patrick's Day movies.) So, I have some makin' out to do.

Night, folks!

March 1st Book Review: The Moorchild

Just a few days left to enter the giveaway for a beautiful custom pair of Authentic Fairy Wings!
Please visit me at
http://becauseidontscrapbook.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-first-giveaway.html
to find pictures and instructions on how to enter the giveaway for multiple entries!
Also, I'm up to being #12 on the SAHM catagory on Top Mommy Blogs! Please help me out and vote for me by clicking on the Top Mommy Blogs button on my upper left hand sidebar! Thanks, friends!

Thank you to everyone who voted this month! The book we will read through March and discuss in April is The Witch Of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare.

This will be an excellent book to read. It is inspiring and eyeopening. Your adolescents and teens will enjoy it too! Let them in on the fun!

When I first read this book when I was a sophomore in High School, it was because I was wandering through Barnes and Noble book store, as I often did when life was simpler, and I came across this book. The cover caught my eye, and I know that they say "Don't judge a book by it's cover", but I was, and am, always mouthwateringly obsessed with all things Fairy (or Folk as they are called in this book) I found myself opening this book to the inside cover where i read the words "This book is dedicated to all children who have ever felt DIFFERENT." And I was sold. Because I was always different.

By the time I was in second grade, I spent my recesses perched atop the jungle gym spiderweb with a book. If everyone was playing tag, I was off somewhere on my own pretending i was Kira from "The Dark Crystal". I had lots of friends. But I guess I danced to the tune of my own penny whistle. I was always a little different. My opinions were often overlooked, and i was usually alone. Even when i wasn't.

This book was for me.

Moql'nkkn, as she is known by the Folk, and Saaski as she is known by her human mumma and da, and her Gran'mum, Old Bess, is half human half Folk. She is found out as a youngling when she is unable to wink out of sight, and so is changed. Old Bess knows at once, as the baby, who was once docile and easy to care for, not only screams relentlessly day in and day out, but also looks different. She has dark skin, like a Gypsy's and she has curly tufts of matted white hair, and eyes that change color from lavender to green to gray, but never blue like her mum and da's. The baby has other tell tale signs, as she is afraid of St. Johns wort and Yanno, her da, is the iron smith. She is terrified of him, and everyone knows that Folk are afraid of iron.

Of course, Old Bess tells Anwara and Yanno about her suspicion, and the ways to get rid of the changeling which includes beating her or throwing her in a fire or drowning her. Of course, neither of them believe her, and Yanno cannot fathom beating his own child. But Saaski, who is listening, learns that she must try to forget about her past on the Moor or she will find herself in an ill fate.

Anwara is always fiercely defensive of Saaski who learns very quickly as she grows to stay away from the other village children who taunt her, and trick her, and generally are really mean.

I think this was the part of the book that astounded me the most. I did not remember the violence and meanness being quite so prominent, and I was pretty shocked. Something so different. I can say, as a mother, that I would have made my children play with her, and be her friend. Instead, the other children are encouraged by their parents, who also talk about her and tell their children to cross themselves when she comes near. The constant ridicule broke my heart for her.

Fortunately, Saaski has Tam.

Saaski, from the time she was very small, has run away to the Moor, over and over and over again, where she feels at ease, away from the teasing, away from chores that she can never get quite right, away from everything except for Tam.

Though Saaski develops a touching relationship with Old Bess, and even learns to love Anwara (we'll get to that later) it is Tam that shows her unconditional love. He is where she belongs, with his three goats, and the old dog, Warrior.

Once, while she is essentially under house arrest because her human parents fear the moor, Saaski finds a set of old bagpipes that belonged to her Da's father. From the first shrill sound, she is able to play it like a pro. This further leads the townsfolk and her parents to wonder if the ability is fiendish. Yanno wants her to put them away and leave them alone, but it is Anwara that talks him into letting her keep the pipes.

Because of her Folk half, which doesn't experience the same range of emotions as humans do, does not understand either the meanness of the children in the village, or the swelling of need to repay Anwara for the favor she gave Saaski by letting her keep the bagpipes. Saaski does not understand why the children are mean, and she doesn't like it, yet she does not wish them harm for it. Tam, on the other hand, gets very perturbed when Saaski shows up on the moor with a new bruise or scrape. Saaski asks him to explain what Hate is, and he says it's the opposite of Love. She decides that her desire to give Anwara a wonderful gift must be what Love is. But she cannot figure out what to give her, as all the things she brings to her tend to disappoint, though Anwara does her best to act like it doesn't.

It is only on Midsummer's eve, when the town is preparing a bonfire of Rowan wood and putting yellow St. Johns Wort flowers on all the doors, and salt on all the windowsills- three things that Saaski cannot stand, being half Folk, that things boil down, and Saaski gets her idea.

The villagers want to throw her into the fire that Midsummer's eve. So Anwara and Yanno agree to let her run away to the moor, away from the villagers. They do love her. And they are scared for her. Saaski decides that the only thing Anwara wants in the whole world is her own baby back.

Saaski and Tam know that Midsummer's eve is their only chance. Saaski trades her pipes to another Folk man, Tinkwa, for safe passage for herself, the child, and Tam. Tam is warned not to eat or drink inside or else when he comes out, he will be many years older than he is. His eyes are bedazzled, and Saaski gives him an ointment for one of his eyes, and he is able to see that the Folk world is only dirt and berries instead of Crystals and roasted swans and peacocks.

Inside the mound, they find the little girl that was stolen from Anwara and Yanno. The name they call her by is Lekka, which means only "Stolen", Saaski is severely disturbed by this name, i think, because she understands how important this child is, and they don't. Because they don't know better. Her human side is showing compassion.

Upon carrying the child out of the mound, she becomes a baby again, only near to being able to toddle. "Time runs differently in the mound", as they say.

Saaski returns the baby to Old Bess, and runs away to the Moor to live with Tam and play their little whistles while the goats munch on thistles.

Anwara and Yanno, of course dote on their delicate, beautiful daughter, who is exceptional in all ways as she grows, but occasionally, they do think about Saaski, and their hearts ache for the memories of that past time.

*******

I absolutely give this book 6 out of 5 stars!!!!! As I mentioned before, I'm appalled by the way the children treat this child, and I would have none of it. I wasn't a mother when I read this book the last time, and I see it from a different perspective. I want to always make sure that my children know that they should treat everyone well, and stand up for those who can't do it for themselves, and even the ones who can.

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PLEASE VOTE ON APRIL'S BOOK!!!
(all book photos courtesy of Google Images, and all synopses courtesy of wikipedia.org, unless otherwise specified.)

The Screwtape Letters by C.S.Lewis

The Screwtape Letters is a Christian apologetics novel written in epistolary style by C. S. Lewis, first published in book form in 1942. The story takes the form of a series of letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, a junior tempter named Wormwood, so as to advise him on methods of securing the damnation of a British man, known only as "the Patient".

Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson

An excellent re-telling of the Robin Hood myth, with more emphasis on his motivations behind becoming an outlaw rather than the actual acts of stealing. Despite what the new cover looks like, this is not a mere romance novel. It's a very detailed historical fiction that Jennifer Roberson did a lot of research to make it feel real, and it shows. Of course, it's not going to be the exact same Robin Hood myth that people are familiar with, considering there's so many versions of the story floating around that contradict each other, but she does an excellent job of making a believable version of what really could have happened.

(synopsis of Lady of the Forest taken from
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6089273-lady-of-the-forest )

The Giver By Lois Lowry


The Giver is a 1993 soft science fiction novel. It is set in a future society which is at first presented as a Utopian society and gradually appears more and more dystopian; therefore, it could be considered anti-Utopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life. The society has eliminated pain and strife by converting to "Sameness", a plan which has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of "Receiver of Memory," the person who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness, in case they are ever needed to aid in decisions that others lack the experience to make. When Jonas meets the Giver, he is confused in many ways. The giver is also able to break some rules, such as turning off the speaker and locking his door. As Jonas receives the memories from the previous receiver—the "Giver"—he discovers how shallow his community's life has become

It's Not You, It's Biology by Joe Quirk

(Synopsis courtesy of BarnesandNoble.com)


At last, here's what you should've learned in high school biology! This paperback edition is an Everyman's humorous look at the real differences-biological, historical, psychological-between men and women...with fun and provocative insight into what really drives behavior and interactions between men and women. Men talk about women to men. Women talk about men to women. Men and women talk to each other (or try to) about relationships. It's Not You, It's Biology provides insight, ammunition, snappy comebacks, and interesting cocktail party banter for everyone who ever wondered why we do what we do vis-a-vis the opposite sex. It's Freakonomics for the Relationship-Challenged.

PLEASE VOTE- Poll located on upper right sidebar!