Small But Mighty: Book Review

     This is a blog about writing, not photography, so please don't notice the bad lighting or the tchotchke (definition of tchotchke here) surroundings. Please do notice the title of the book and the sticker on the cover: The Reading Promise. BARGAIN  BOOK $4.99. Actually, it was even more of a bargain, but I peeled off the big, red $1.00 sticker.

      The Reading Promise is by Alice Ozma. It is her autobiography and centers around the 1,000-night reading pact she made with her father, which ended up lasting 3,218 nights. He read to her every night for 9 years, from the time she was nine to the day she went off to college at eighteen. That kind of commitment puts a shadow over things I've neglected, like writing, and blog posting!
      Midterms and spring break kept me from posting the past two weeks, and I think that's understandable. But what made it easy was that sometimes I feel like my words fall into a cyberspace black hole. Today, though, I was reminded that people do take time out of their hectic schedules to pop in here at The Well.

     Whether you have read every post since I started or just the posts that grabbed your attention or you only look at the pictures or have only read the title of one post you are a Well-Wisher, and you give me power to write.

Thank you for visiting!

Free photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos.net

     Now, on to the book. Instead of the usual 5-star rating, pros and cons review, I am giving you my 4 favorite lines. I actually underlined them and dog-eared the pages, so I could go back to them. My before self would be horrified, but that's another story.

August Bookshelf

     Hope you had a good Labor Day weekend + Cherokee National Holiday! Can you believe August is over? I'm glad. I've always liked September better than August.

     Last month I finished three good books. Let me tell you why they're worth reading.

Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys

   This young adult historical fiction novel reminded me that writing is more than entertainment or escape.
     We all know of the genocide of the Jews during World War II, but through this novel Ruta exposes the little-known story of the extermination of millions of Lithuanians.
    Between Shades of Gray is told from 15-year-old Lina's point of view. Her family, like many others whose fathers are professors, musicians, and doctors, are torn from their homeland and forced to labor under horrifying conditions. On her nightmarish journey, Lina finds expression through a series of carvings and sketches that leave a record of the truth.
     Why read? This is overall a testament to the power of love, although Ms. Sepetys doesn't gloss over the grim facts in this meticulously researched novel.

Book Review: Dreamlander

   

          Chris Redston, a harrowed young man who struggles with grief and bitterness finds out that he of all people is the Gifted, one chosen to live two lives and remember both. When his body goes to sleep in Chicago, he wakes up in the land of his dreams. Thrown into a medieval world on the edge of disaster, he unwittingly creates his own archenemy and throws off the balance of the universe. In order to right what he’s wronged, he must make a choice. Walk away like he always has, or trust in a higher plan and face his own greatest weaknesses head on.

Image used with permission by author

Rating: 4.5 stars  

Creative, ambitious, and unafraid, Dreamlander is quite a ride. K.M. Weiland's fantasy novel hinges on complexity and character. The straggeringly detailed world of her imagination is scenic and has a rich history and clear geography, sprinkled with unique technology like travel by skycar. And just when I thought the plot was as thick as it could get, it got even thicker!
            Out of a large cast of characters, my top three (all secondary characters) were:

Duke Eroll- fashionable, carefree, gallant friend of Princess Allara who reminded me of Bertie Wooster (of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves tales)

The Garowai- Chris’s mysterious but reticent and sneezy guide

Orias- a pale-skinned, blue-blooded warrior of the Cherazim race

            In spite of its complexity, Dreamlander reads clearly and smoothly (often eloquently), and  as a follower of K.M. Weiland's advice blog, I see that she's entitled to give it. But after all my glowing praise, let me explain why I didn't give Dreamlander 5 stars.

1. The surprises and plot-twists had me wishing for smooth, or at least, straightforward, sailing by the end

 2. With its Three Musketeers 17th century Europe feel, the occasional cowboyish colloquialisms jarred me a bit

3. The figurate descriptions grew a little heavy and distracting at points

           I did like this book a lot. The ending made me teary, which is almost worth a whole star! Dreamlander addresses a plethora of human issues, and in the end it’s really a story about redemption, one that left me pondering my own choice to do right.