This is the second book I have read by Gaiman. Coraline was the first. Whether he is writing for a younger audience or for adults, Gaiman sure knows how to create an enviroment that seems as real as the world around us. And the way he sees the world! I wonder about what it would be like to have a dinner conversation with Gaiman.
The Ranger's Apprentice series might very well go down as one of my favorites. There were eleven books in all, and each of the books were new and fresh story lines. I hesitated to read this one thinking that there was no way he could live up to the others. I was SO wrong. It is the same story. But this is like the viking side of things. I loved it!
Hal, an outcast in his village, is a quiet and an intellectual. His people value strength and warrior traits. But every boy must go through Brotherband training. If he succeeds, he will have his place on a viking ship. If he fails, he will remain an outcast for the rest of his life, not even able to find work or a wife. When the boys are split into groups, their Brotherbands, no one wants Hal, or his only friend Stig. But there are a few others that don't fit in as well. They form their own band, the Herons, and fight for a place of honor in their village.
This is an amazing adventure story...you find yourself rooting for this group of misfits. I will definitely be recommending this to teen boys (and girls, if they are like me) and I eagerly await the next in the series!
Hilarious, though too jumpy at times. Bossypants provides an interesting behind the scenes look at Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, as well as Tina's childhood and personal life.
“Andrea Gibson does not just show up to pluck your heart strings. She sticks around to tune them. If being floored is new to you, ya might want to grab a cushion. Whatever the opposite of fooling someone is, Andrea does that. Beware of the highway in her grace and the crowbar in her verse.” —Buddy Wakefield
The Madness Vase is full of poems that are beautifully written and sure to strike a chord in any reader.
Labor of Love: A Midwife's Memoir, by Cara Muhlhahn
245 pages
Really great! The beginning kind of dragged for me, but once we got to the section where Cara becomes a midwife and describes her practice and how she helps mothers with their homebirths was fascinating. You can tell how much she loves her job, and how much these women really trust her.
