Teresa

An excellent story that deals with temptation and the duality of human nature (good and evil). Some things should not be studied. The curiosity of a person's identity, lead to the separation of that identity. What was once a blend became two entities, one good and one evil. When evil is indulged, that side of our identity grows stronger and can overshadow the good. Evil cannot be controlled. It can be suppressed.

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes is a story about what happens to the survivors of ancient warfare. It is harsh, tragic, and sorrowful. The survivors, in this story women, but can easily be anyone, are cast into slavery, menial and sexual. There is no difference between those who were royalty or beggars. They all become the lowest of the low.

The story coveys well that war is not only fighting on the battlefield. It is also a story of the results, what the warriors leave behind. It delves into both the home front as well as the oppositions landscape. Though this story is set in ancient Greece, it can just as easily be transferred into modern life and any war that has gone on in recent centuries or now.

When the warriors go to battle, what takes happens to “the women in the shadows”, “the forgotten, the ignored, the untold”? This book covers well that “a war does not ignore half the people whose lives it touches”. War touches everyone, never in a good way.

A very entertaining book for the young adult audience, or even adults who want a good little adventure. The characters Meg, Calvin, and Mr. Jenkins team up with some cosmic entities to help save Meg’s young brother Charles Wallace.

Charles Wallace is sick. How is this connected to cosmic entities that are fighting a war? The battle of good versus evil on a cosmic scale is touched on. This is combined with the theme of perception of reality is and how it impacts our relationships and understanding. The scale and the journey the characters make encompasses the macro-cosmos as well as the micro-cosmos. Many times this scale gets in our way of understanding what is happening and how circumstances and incidents affect us and those around us. The characters learn that knowledge and intelligence are not the same thing and sometimes only focusing on having one, can lean toward some biases that can harm others.

This transitions into the theme of empathy and compassion. How can we feel empathy with others when the scale is so large or small that we cannot comprehend it? The characters find that empathy is important, especially when that empathy needs to be focused on one who is not related to yourself or even is not known to you at all. Sacrifice is brought up in connection with this. When and how does one make the decision that you need to let go in order to help another? When is someone else’s welfare more important that what you want out of life.

Meg, Calvin, and Mr. Jenkins, as well as their other companions, learn these lessons in A Wind in the Door. Readers can learn these lessons too.

There is so much that is different from the film versions that I am familiar with. This is the original version by L. Frank Baum and the famous film versions would be better classified as “inspired by” or “based on”. However, the basic story is still the same and is quite enjoyable.

The journey through Oz brings together three friends, a young girl from Kansas, a newly made scarecrow, a tin woodsman, and a lion. Each are on a journey to find what they desire: a home, brains, a heart, and courage. Through this journey they each show attributes of what they desire, but they do not see that they have these attributes.

The scarecrow wants brains, but he is the smart one in the journey. He is constantly putting forth ideas on how to help the companions out of dire situations. The tin man wants a heart, but he shows compassion when he harms other creatures or when his companions come to harm. The lion says he is cowardly, but he shows great courage is many incidents when the companions are in trouble. They do not see that they already have what they desire to get from the wizard. The wizard does not really give them anything of value, he just tricks them into thinking that he has. They still use their talents that in reality they have always had.

The differences I see right away: there are only three people at the opening of the story in Kansas (Dorothy, Aunt Em, Uncle Henry); The Good Witch of the North, is an old woman, not the young glamorous woman we are familiar with. Glinda is the Good Witch of the South in L. Frank Baum’s original version. There are also incidents as the companions are traveling that are described differently or are left out of the film versions entirely. Be this as it may, the story is still very good. It is nice to see the differences and read the original story to compare how the telling has changed over the years.

When I saw the title of this book, I was intrigued. I am a fan of books. I am a fan of book clubs. I am Southern. What is this about slaying vampires, I thought. Was my sudden interest rewarded?

This is a book about women who have a book club, a true crime book club. They are ordinary women. Their only worry is what lunch to pack their children for school. They are soon met with the not so ordinary and the very much dangerous. This comes in the form of James Harris. The main character, Patricia, learns that he is a vampire. She tries to get help to drive him out, but soon learns that people see only what they want to see. He integrates himself into the lives of the families and gives them everything they want. Patricia learns that most people just want to be comfortable and normal. They will blind themselves to what is going on around them. Only something devastating will bring them to the point that they will break the cycle and regain their true lives. Material things are lost, but freedom and happiness are gained.

I recommend this book. I went into this book thinking it would be a light read. It starts out that way, but becomes something else. It becomes oppressive. Patricia is backed into corners physically and mentally. No one wants to believe her. She needs to stand on her own. Patricia learns what she can do, who she can trust, and what it takes to be the best mother she can be. It is a hard road for her, but she learns her lessons well. It gets dark at times, but it does get better. This is a great read.