Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis

This is a very powerful book and has the potential to engender amazing discussion at a book group. Book I is a woman's complaint against the gods. When I finished it, I felt like it was a nice story. When I started Book II however, I began to See . . . not only what was written in the second book, but also what was written in the first.

There are so many beautiful themes: what it means to be oneself, how we sacrifice for others, how we cause others to sacrifice for us, what it means to wear a figurative or physical veil, the importance of beauty, loyalty, determination, and humility.

"Are the gods just?"
"Oh no, child. What would become of us if they were? But come and see."

"In that far distant day when the gods become wholly beautiful, or we at last are shown how beautiful they always were, this will happen more and more. For mortals, as you said, will become more and more jealous. And mother and wife and child and friend will all be in league to keep a soul from being united with the Divine Nature."

"... Divine Nature can change the past. Nothing is yet in its true form."

Highly recommended.

The Extra-Ordinary Princess, by Carolyn Q. Ebbitt

Engaging but juvenile. Little girls would surely enjoy having this read to them. There is a great theme of choosing to be oneself despite what siblings, friends, enemies, and grownups think of you. The king and queen are great role models, as are the aunts.

"...the deep anger of the ravens can only poison those who are willing to take such poison into their heart."
I nodded, considering this. It seemed true--if any heart could withstand poisoning, it was Henry's. However, I couldn't help but wonder if I would have been able to withstand it--for although I try to be good, I know I'm not as good as Henry. I don't have the same gentleness and I don't have the same patience.

"Patience," Lucien said, and smiled. "Every journey has its share of stops and each one serves some purpose."

This second quote is one I believe unequivocally to be true - the Lord knows what we need and allows us to grow through experiences we may or may not understand. The result is that if we have faith in Him, we can endure the "stops" or trials along our paths and come away from them more like Him, and ready to face the next challenge.

The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey

A poignant tale of a childless couple who moved to Alaska to escape children, but ended up finding one. There is a little bit of heat, plenty of times when it says people went to bed together, one description of finding second base.

My favorite quote:

"Mable realized she had never really studied the stove before, just as she knew that Esther had yet to notice the carefully set table or the few photographs hanging on the walls. It was as if she were seeing a different cabin altogether."

Lots of good content about friendships, parenting, neighbors, and nature.

Reached, by Ally Condie

As always, Condie focuses on the power of art and the written word:

"This poem is between the two of us, but also for others… It strikes me that this is how writing anything is, really, A collaboration between you who give the words and they who take them and find meaning in them, or put music behind them, or turn them aside because they were not what was needed."

This was a good continuation of the other novels in the series and wrapped the story up well. I appreciated the plot twists. I loved the power that her grandfather had, even through death, to reach her and help her come into her own. What a blessing our ancestors can be to us.

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

This was not a page turner for me. The leisurely (if sometimes dangerous) lives of these characters didn't draw me in and make me want to know more. Toad's personality is so exaggerated as to be gross. I did read the whole book and enjoyed most of the stories.

I truly appreciated the comments about friendship and proper form when around others - the comments about when to look away, when to disagree with the obvious, and when to do everything vs. force others to do their share were very interesting to me.

The battle to re-take Toad Hall from the weasels was wonderfully done.

Thud, by Terry Pratchett

The plot of this book revolves around a war between the dwarves and trolls that took place in Koom Valley generations ago. But that’s not what the book is about.

Sam Vimes is a great role model with a lot of common sense. He understands himself and shares that with the reader in a way that makes them a better person. He also notes when he is willfully ignoring common sense and makes sure he knows why he is doing it before he leaps.

Pratchett explores the complexities of life for many different creatures, and the way he advocates restraint is impressive to me. One of the characters is a werewolf, and she laments: “Never mind that life was a daily struggle with the inner wolf, never mind that you had to force yourself to walk past every lamppost, never mind that in every petty argument you had to fight back the urge to settle it all with just one bite.” With the exception of the lamppost, I think those feelings come to everyone, and thinking about it from the point of view of one who deals with being a wolf inside all the time makes the things I face look easy.

Sam is incredibly dedicated to his young son. His example may be a bit larger-than-life, but serves as a reminder of what the most important things in our lives should be, and how our priorities shape the rest of our thoughts and actions.

There is a great deal in this novel about darkness and light. The creatures you would think of as ‘the good guys’ are given the dark qualities, while the creatures you would think of as ‘bad’ end up with the pure, light quality. There is a dwarf sign named the Summoning Dark which is discussed at length throughout the book.  It is deep, awful, and claustrophobic to those who have to deal with it. I found it very powerful that (Spoiler alert:) the one force that was able to resist it was another kind of darkness. I have discussed the restraint Sam Vimes has over the natural man (Pratchett calls it the Beast in some of his other books, in this one rage and anger are cited as the weaknesses). The Summoning Dark meets his match in Sam, who has created barriers within himself to these kinds of things. There is a dialogue between the Summoning Dark and Sam’s guardian, who says he might be called the “Guarding Dark.” He is the one who keep the natural man, or the Beast, from taking over Sam's actions. The guardian says to the summoning Dark “I think you misunderstand. I am not here to keep darkness out. I’m here to keep it in . . . Imagine how strong I must be.” The Summoning Dark leaves Sam, saluting Sam on its way out. The fact that Sam had that curse festering inside him, working to dominate him - that actually ended up protecting Sam and making him stronger. It definitely strengthened his Guarding Dark, which could be related to the will within all of us to bind the natural man. We are strengthened through adversity – that’s a big part of what this life is about.

Also, (Spoiler alert:) at the end of the story, you come to find out that the animosity between the dwarves and the trolls was supposed to have ended in Koom Valley, not started there. The Koom Valley battle that cemented their hatred of each other was supposed to have been a treaty signing. Ah, the failures of men! (Metaphorically, anyway.) Their greed and desire for power seems to overwhelm the good intentions of those who seek peace.

So, on the negative side, one of the coppers has a girlfriend who is a pole dancer. Her lack of clothing is described, and she goes out boozing with two female members of the Watch. A lot of the drinks have inappropriate names. This book is not recommended by me. I wouldn’t want my husband to read it any more than I’d want him to eat delicious brownies that had a bit of doggy poop mixed in the batter. It’s really too bad.

Reaper Man, by Terry Pratchett

I found this to be a beautiful and poignant description of life and what it means to live. Pratchett’s comic, ever-present political and personal analyses will stick with you too, but when I closed this book, I felt uplifted and renewed.

The character of Death is ‘fired,’ and finds himself with time, something that has not existed for him before. He knows just what to do – spend it. As death learns about life and time, so does the reader. And if, at the end, you do not find yourself with a desire to stand in a wheat field and listen to the wind, I’ll eat my scythe.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

This one is not Pratchett's best, but the fact that it's by Terry Pratchett still means that is it wonderfully hilarious and thought-provoking. Sam Vimes is, as always, a brave and clever hero. My favorite quote:

“The fresh rain glistened on the towers and rooftops, all unaware of the teeming, rancorous world it was dropping into. Luckier rain fell on upland sheep, or whispered gently over forests, or pattered somewhat incestuously into the sea. Rain that fell on Ankh-Morpork, though, was rain that was in trouble.”

Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett

I guess I read these in the wrong order, but I still love the role model that Sam Vimes is. He is The Man. He's got most things in life figured out pretty well, and his gut is the best I've ever seen for decision making. Pratchett will make you laugh and cry and laugh. I highly recommend this one.

Here's my favorite passage, and an example of how clear-thinking and valiant Sam is.

            “Who knew what lurked in the hearts of men? A copper, that’s who. After ten years, you thought you’d seen it all, but the shadows always dished up more. You saw how close men lived to The Beast. You found that people like Carcer were not mad. They were incredibly sane. They were just men without a shield. They’d looked at the world and realized that all the rules didn’t have to apply to them, not if they didn’t want them to. They weren’t fooled by all the little stories. They shook hands with The Beast.”

           “The Beast was howling. It wanted to shut that mouth up…

Vimes reached up and tore his badge off…

Vimes was only a step or two away now… The Beast screamed inside Vimes. It screamed that no one would blame him… the man deserved it…

…but young Sam was watching him, across thirty years.

When we break down, it all breaks down. That’s just how it works. You can bend it, and if you make it hot enough you can bend it in a circle, but you can’t break it. When you break it, it all breaks down until there’s nothing unbroken…

Vimes felt his hand begin to move of its own accord—

And stopped. Red rage froze.

There was The Beast, all around him. And that’s all it was. A beast. Useful, but still a beast. You could hold it on a chain, and make it dance, and juggle balls. It didn’t think. It was dumb. What you were, what you were, was not The Beast.

You didn’t have to do what it wanted. If you did, Carcer won.

He dropped the sword.

Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson

The powerful and innovative magic realm that Sanderson weaves is captivating. However, I found his writing too gory for my taste. I do not want to know exactly what the mutilated body on the floor looks like, thank you very much.

There is a constant identity struggle throughout this book that continues throughout the series as the characters learn about their own capabilities, as their capabilities strengthen, and as they change. There is a lot of description - scenes, especially battle sequences, are played out step by step so that a fight choreographer for a movie would have nothing left to do. I didn't mind knowing exactly what was being thrown at whom, but I didn't need to know what the blood coming out of each person looked like. There was a lot of blood in this book.

The main character is a young woman who grows independent in a way that is great for her, because she is alone and needs strength and has power to help others, which she does. I don't see her as a role model though because her situation is so unique (and gory).

This is one of those books that I finished and felt like the time reading it had been mostly wasted. I'm putting it on the 'not recommended' list for me.

Hat Full of Sky, by Terry Pratchett

I love-love-loved the prequel to this one - The Wee Free Men. This novel didn't have quite as compelling a plot, the the symbolism was still very powerful. I highly recommend reading this article before starting the book - the symbol of bees is pervasive and meaningful in the telling of Hat Full of Sky.