The Blue Girl

I read Charles de Lint's The Blue Girl about a week ago and have been meaning to post about it since then. For all those of you who've read Jack of Kinrowan, there are some similarities both in the world de Lint creates and in the themes he addresses in the book. One of the themes that struck me the most was the idea of new beginnings. In the second paragraph of the book the main character, Imogene, says somewhat skeptically, "I'd just transferred to Redding High, after my mom moved us from Tyson to Newford so that we could 'find ourselves.' Find herself, she really meant. Neither my brother Jared nor I was particularly lost." I didn't realize how much foreshadowing was in that comment made in passing. This book is all about Imogene finding herself, only she didn't really know it until the end. And the book never comes out and says it bluntly (though I guess the good books never really have to).

So Imogene has always been a bit of a misfit and ran around with a gang in her previous city. Here she's having to deal with an increased awareness of the Faerie-ish world, which is where de Lint pulls out the familiar theme of light versus dark, good versus evil. However, in the midst of it all you get this friendship between Imogene and Maxine, who are about as different as night and day. Only you see the progression throughout the book of the positive influence they both have on each other. Maxine is able to be more herself and see her relationship with her over-intrusive mother improve, and Imogene finds a better balance between being tough and fulfilling her potential as a person.

One scene at the end particularly illustrates this. Imogene and Maxine are having their "showdown" with the shadowpeople amamithim. Imogene realizes how they can kill the amamithim, but Maxine convinces her not to, saying "The Imogene I care about wouldn't do it." While Imogene doubts the veracity of that statement, the next day she thanks Maxine and admits that she knew she would have crossed a line if she'd actually killed them. It's a culminating point when the character and the reader realize all the changes that have been slowly taking place in Imogene, but were disguised by more interesting/immediate things. It reminds me, too, of the people of Ammon in the Book of Mormon. Change is totally possible, but you have to keep making the decisions that brought on the changes instead of letting yourself slip back into old habits. Because you'll probably fall further back than you were in the first place.

This book was a fun read, but it said a lot about having integrity and standing strong, whether that be against bullies or against the darker side of yourself.

Howl's Moving Castle

I think Howl's Moving Castle is becoming one of my all-time favorite books. Right now, I keep a copy of the book next to the rocking chair I use to put Cordy down for her naps. I read random chapters while I am rocking her to sleep.

I think one of my favorite aspects of the book is the relationship between Howl and Sophie. I like the fact that they constantly give each other crap. I always laugh whenever anything not great for Howl happens, he says, "Sophie strikes again!" It's funny that she seems to always be driving him toward his destiny. I also enjoy the fact that even though both Sophie and Howl are well aware of each others' weaknesses, that really is ultimately what brings them together in the end. Howl may shake his head and be convinced that Sophie is always doing things to bring him closer to his doom, but at the same time, he works hard to try to get the spell off of her and keep her safe. Sophie, on the other hand, may complain about how heartless Howl is or how frustrated she is with him chasing girls all the time, but through their interactions, she comes to recognize that Howl really has a tender heart underneath all the fluff. I just really like the reality that their relationship has. Both of them recognize the weaknesses in each other, but also see the huge potential that the other one has.

I also am struck by Sophie's desire to stay in disguise through most of the story. It seems like it's easier for her to be herself when other people don't really know it's her. It's only at the end when she and Howl realize that they care for each other that she finally lets her disguise go. I think that one of the challenges in life is to be comfortable enough with ourselves to allow others to see us as we really are. I think sometimes it may be easier to pretend to be what we're not than to let others see us warts and all. Sometimes the superficial change is what we need to have the confidence to be ourselves.

Fablehaven

I just finished the last Fablehaven book a couple of days ago. It's kind of funny because both Sarah and my friend Susan recommended them to be, but I didn't really feel like reading them for a while. (Maybe I was getting sick of fantasy, I don't know). Anyway, I have to admit I started reading them right after Susan returned one of my books she had borrowed telling me that it was too much like Lord of the Rings to be interesting (which I had to disagree with, but honestly, what fantasy book out there doesn't have elements of Lord of the Rings in it?), so I went into reading the first book in the series thinking, "Oh yeah? Well, I bet this book is a rip-off of other fantasy books too!" I did find many similarities with plot points to other fantasy books, but after I while I let that go because the author wrote in such an engaging style that I just enjoyed reading them for their own sake.

All in all, I was really pleased with the series of books individually and as a series. I was very pleased with how the series ended, and I think the books are totally rereadable. In fact, I reread half of the first book right after I finished it because I enjoyed it so much. I need to reread the series again anyway because there were some things mentioned in the final book that were a little hazy for me (I read pretty fast and don't always absorb the details), but I'm not sad about that.

One of the things that really stuck out to me in the final book was the discussion that Patton had with Seth (ok, not really discussion, but I didn't know what else to call it). I thought his point about making choices was really true in our lives as well. I liked how he addresses bad decision making and learning from past mistakes. I don't want to go into huge detail for those who haven't been lucky enough to read it yet, but it really made me think about how that applies to what I'm trying to do in my life.

Watership Down

This past week I finished Richard Adams' classic Watership Down. I have to admit that this book took me longer than most to finish. The first half does not move very quickly and the book seems to end several times. To combat this feeling, Adams divides it into several sections, but it still seems to drag on in some spots.

For those who have not read this story, it is like a glorified Peter Rabbit. It follows a group of rabbits who are trying to establish a new home somewhere in England and the adventures they have along the way. While I was reading it, I got a lot of comments about the rabbit on the cover and how people could not believe that a book about rabbits could be interesting. I, however, found it to be a charming book. The world Adams creates is very vivid. He even comes up with a new vocabulary that the rabbits use (example: "elil" = predators, "silflay" = to feed above ground). The depiction of the temperment of rabbits also seems very accurate. One of the main themes of the story is how the rabbits overcome their natural instincts in order to succeed in many seemingly impossible tasks.

Watership Down is famous for providing a allegorical commentary on many issues, such as man's relationship with the state, and the natural tension between friendship and leaderhship. I particuarly enjoyed the development of relationships, especially between Bigwig and Hazel. At first, Bigwig only hesitantly offered his support to Hazel as Chief Rabbit, but over time he learns to trust Hazel's judgment. Bigwig recognizes that although he might be the biggest and strongest of all the rabbits, Hazel is able to take all the individual talents of the rabbits (Blackberry's cleverness, Bigwig's size, Fiver's intuition, etc.) and magnify them to the benefit of all. This relationship culminates in Bigwig's showdown with General Woundwort. Bigwig is injured, but refuses to abandon his post because his Chief Rabbit instructed him to defend the run at all costs. I think this, even more than the dog, is what was the deciding factor in the battle.

I would definitely recommend this book to all those who have never read it. For those who have read it, please comment. There are many other themes, such as the stories about El-ahrairah and General Woundwort's method of governance, that I would love to discuss in greater detail.

Fluff Reading

Some days its nice to just have some fluff reading to enjoy-- something that you can just pick up for a few hours to reward yourself or blow off some steam, but that you don't have to have a huge relationship with. That's what I was looking for today. Sarah stayed home sick, and I have spent the last couple days working on taxes. Now that I have both of the rough drafts done I wanted something easy to read that would allow me to dump some stress. I was also hunting around the house to find the Prisoner of Azkeban. (Have any of you seen it? Is it in Provo, by chance?) While searching the shelves I found the prequel to the Wheel of Time series and the 2nd Mrs. Pollifax book. New Spring got the nod first and I read around 75 pages of it. I am feeling that Robert Jordan can't write a short book. I also think that a person who is a Wheel of Time afficianado would like it best. I couldn't keep going. Then I turned to The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax. This is a perfect book for some enjoyable escapism. If you are familiar with the Mrs. Pollifax books, this is the one that is primarily set in Turkey. Later on in the series the plots start to become formulaic, but there are some principles about these books that I really like. They are spy books, but the violence isn't gratuitous. I like that she basically believes in people. Yes the bad guys are bad, and hardened, but one of Dorothy Gillman's beliefs seems to be that most normal people are basically good. Another one is in common with J.R.R. Tolkien--that normal people can do incredible things. I guess that is something that I need to hear occasionally. So, if you want some light, slightly suspenseful reading, Dorothy Gillman is a good choice. I always laugh when I read the part in this book where she needs to drive the helicopter to get the good guy to the airport on time. Nicely done! I should add, that I think well-written fluff reading should be part of everyone literary diet.

James Herriot, Author

James Herriot is author of the All Creatures Great and Small and its sequels. Dad gave me these books for Christmas, and they have been a joy to read! They are basically the memoirs of Herriot, a vet in the English countryside town of Darrowby in the early 1900s. Herriot's good-humored account of his myriad experiences there are funny, thoughtful, and often poignant. These books are a celebration of life, in all its aspects.

One of the things I appreciate most about Herriot's writing is that he doesn't take himself too seriously. He relates his own strengths and weaknesses in a genuine way, and his overall compassion and understanding of those around him make him a very likeable narrator.

I think it's interesting in the third book of this series, All Things Wise and Wonderful, Herriot has been called into active duty during WWII. Each chapter begins with an experience in the RAF training, but usually transitions to more of Herriot's experiences as a vet in Darrowby. I like reading more about his experiences, but sometimes it would be nice to read about his experiences in the RAF. There have been a few of them, and maybe there are more in store, but I found it surprising how often he reminisced to the time before his enlistment. It was almost as if he needed something to begin each segue, so that's the approach he took. Again, there may be more about his RAF experiences further on in the book (right now I'm a tad over halfway through).

These books are perfect to read when things get a little hard because of their light-filled perspective of life. The feeling of them is as if you are reading the "peaceable things of the kingdon" and you can get back to your own life with a more positive outlook. Any book that can do that is definitely worth the effort to read!