Wrapping Up the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge

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Well, the challenge is now complete for 2011 and I am finishing up with the Bible as #52. For all the other books, I wrote a review/summary. I can't do that with the Bible. :)


If you have never read it all the way through, you would find many blessings by doing so. And it's the perfect time to start! There are many reading plans available, or you can buy a copy that is set up already divided into 365 sections so that you don't even have to think about keeping up with your spot.


Finishing with chapter 22 of Revelation, "Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen."

Link to the Challenge

Book Review: In Search of the Castaways

The frontispiece from the original edition

I am dating myself here, but I loved the old Hayley Mills-Disney version of this book when I was a child. I still do. In fact, we own it. 


Having read and enjoyed many of Jules Verne's books, how could I resist another free download of an old classic on my Kindle? 


Just in case you aren't already familiar with it, the book was first printed in 1867. It tells the tale of the search for Captain Grant of the Britannia who had been missing for two years when the book began.


Lord and Lady Glenarvan took the children of Captain Grant aboard their yacht to try and locate their father by following clues from a note that had been found in a bottle. They knew the latitude, but not the longitude where they need to look. Just missing that one number required them, in the end, to circumnavigate the globe. 


Beginning in South America, they cross the Andes and the Pampas in search of further clues to Captain Grant's location. Their adventures threaten their lives multiple times, but in the end, they came to the conclusion that he was not in South America.


The quest next took them through the Atlantic, finally landing in Australia. Here, the plot thickens when they met a man named Aryton who claimed to have first hand knowledge of the Britannia and of the possible location of Captain Grant. He served to guide them across the continent of Australia. But strange things began to happen, eventually raising their suspicions. As it turned out, Aryton was a criminal and was planning to capture Lord Glenarvan's yacht. 


The "good guys" display true selflessness and diligence as they encounter harrowing circumstances, all the while trying to serve the others in their party. 


As things turned out, Captain Grant was not in Australia. The searchers gave up hope and were planning to return to Scotland, but were going to maroon Aryton on an isolated island (per his request) in hopes that he would repent of his evil ways, instead of delivering him to the justice and the hangman. They located a small island that suited their purposes and were preparing to set them criminal ashore with supplies when they made a most joyous discovery. This tiny little island also happened to be at the same latitude they had been searching. Guess who they found?


It was a wonderful read, filled with so much interesting information about each of the areas they explored. As usual, Jules Verne needed in excess of 400 pages to tell the tale, but I'm glad he didn't leave anything out.


#51 out of 52 in the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge. 

Known By Their Love

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We've all heard that Christians would be known by their Love. Are we? Do strangers see in us a Love so "not-of-this-world" that it defines us as His? 


That's not the case with me. I don't know how to Love like that. Not really. Not daily. Not everyone. Oh sure, I'm good at loving those I like. Or even being really nice to people I don't know. But what about a Love so radical that people know it is beyond my ability to create?


Same Kind of Different As Me is the story of Love so radical that it changed people. A Love so radical that it could only have as its source the Lord. It tells the true story of lives so far removed from one another that only He could have orchestrated their intersection in a way that impacted a city. And it just so happens, it's the city I grew up in: Fort Worth, Texas.


Denver Moore was a modern day slave. Really. 


He was a share cropper on a cotton plantation in Louisiana. He had no electricity, no indoor plumbing and lived "by the leave" of The Man. The system was set up so that, no matter how long or hard these people worked, they always ended up more deeply in debt to The Man. They would pick cotton from sun up until sundown, but since they didn't know how to read or write, The Man who owned the land was the same one who weighed the sack of cotton, telling the workers how much they had picked that day. Even on days when they knew their sack was heavier than normal, the Man still told them it weighed the same as on every other day. Having to purchase clothing and food from the Man's store on credit, they had no way to earn a profit or improve their situation. So year after year after year, they survived, working all day everyday and still ended the year more in debt than when they began.


One day, Denver simply walked to the train track, hopped a freight car and left. It didn't matter where.


During the years Denver was picking cotton, Ron and Debbie Hall were growing rich. Ron had grown up poor, but learned that he had an eye for art. He bluffed his way into the world of the Rich and Famous, brokering the sale of paintings he didn't own by understanding his clientele. Debbie was not impressed with the trappings of wealth. She was growing closer and closer to the Lord and believed that possessions were empty, not worth collecting. Their marriage hit bottom when Ron, believing Debbie didn't love him, had an affair. When she learned the truth, she did something that changed their marriage forever: she called his lover and told her that she forgave her and that she was committed to being such a wonderful wife to her husband that he would never again stray. And that is exactly what happened.


As the Lord resurrected their marriage, He also called them to service. Debbie believed she was to serve at the Union Gospel Mission in the "ghetto" of Fort Worth. Ron went with her to keep her happy. Debbie wasn't content, though, to simply serve a meal once a week. She truly loved the homeless people she found there. She found a myriad of ways to show that Love: from learning all their names and praying for each one daily, to hosting "beauty nights" where she and a friend would wash and style the lice-filled hair of ladies who hadn't felt beautiful in years. 


Ron was still not sold. He was perfectly content to stand behind the counter, serving meals, where none of those people could get close enough to touch him. But then Debbie had a dream. She dreamed that the Mission was completely transformed into a place of beauty and she dreamed about a man who was the key to not only the transformation of the mission, but of the city of Ft. Worth. Guess who that man was? Denver.


After Denver left the plantation, he quickly learned how to be the meanest homeless man around. Everyone else was afraid of him. And that is exactly the way he wanted it. He wanted to be left alone.


But he hadn't planned on "Miss Debbie."


When she first saw Denver, he was threatening to kill people. Didn't phase her. She told Ron, "That's him!! That's the man from my dream!" Ron thought she was nuts!


She wasn't.


The Lord used Denver and Debbie's Love for him to change everyone around them. 


You really would be blessed by reading this book. But, I have to warn you: have a box of kleenex handy. The story doesn't have a fairy tale ending. It will challenge you to see things from God's Perspective, even if it means saying goodbye to someone you dearly love.


A few years ago, Ron Hall and Denver Moore came to Midland and I got to go and hear them speak. It was so precious. The Lord took these two, with absolutely nothing in common, and made them brothers.


#50 out of 52 in the "Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge."


I had read this book before, but decided to read it again. This time to the kids.  There were a few sections here and there that I "edited-on-the-fly" so that they didn't even know they had missed anything. But there were sections I intentionally left in that were not "pretty." They loved it. And have been talking about it since we finished it yesterday afternoon. It was hard to read out loud because I kept bawling. They understand though, and simply waited patiently until I could compose myself enough to continue.

Book Review: The Circular Staircase

This is a new author to me. She wrote during the early 1900's as is considered the American version of Agatha Christie. This is the book that launched her to fame. It tells the story of an old maid who adopted the two children of her sister after her death. She raised them from childhood and made sure they always had the best of everything she could offer. 


Living in the city, our heroine Rachel Innes, decided to take a house in the country for the summer. Her niece and nephew, both now young adults, helped her choose a rambling country estate called Sunnyside. Little did they know that only one day into their stay, they would be swept up into a current of mystery and murder. 


At one end of the enormous house was a circular staircase. It was there that the body was found in the wee hours of the morning that fateful day. Miss Innes heard a shot and found the body of a young man, a stranger to her, at the foot of the circular staircase. She later learned he was the son of the home's owners, who had gone west for the summer. 


The plot thickens when it becomes apparent that someone keeps trying to break into the house. The house staff and Miss Innes personal assistant believe a ghost is to blame, and most of them quit after only a few days, too afraid to stay. As details about the young man who was murdered begin to surface, it turns out that he was not someone who would be mourned by those who knew him. And then there was his father. His father was president of a bank in town and when the bank suddenly failed, officials discover that his father had embezzled over a million dollars. Conveniently, the thief suddenly died.


As if that wasn't bad enough, the sister of the murdered man was being forced to marry an unscrupulous doctor, who ended up being part of the scam at the bank. That sister was actually in love with the nephew of Miss Innes, and he with her. This young lady knew that her wicked father had faked his death to avoid prosecution, but to keep the family name from being dishonored, this doctor was forcing the young lady to marry him by threatening exposure of her father if she refused. 


As it turned out, the stolen money was hidden in a secret room at Sunnyside and the numerous attempts to break in or to scare the Innes family away were all in an attempt to access the money.


There are numerous subplots and probably a dozen other important characters that are woven into this complicated mystery, but you will have to read the book yourself to learn about all of them. By the time all the loose ends were tied up, 5 people had died, and three weddings were planned. With only a little over 200 pages and all those people to kill off, not a  single paragraph was boring. There is a distinct advantage to reading "old books" because they tend to be devoid of much of the language and immoral values found in modern tales.


We are still sick around here, so it looks like another day to curl up with some great books. Who knows, maybe I'll have another review tomorrow. :)


#49 out of 52 in the "Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge"

Book Review: Flower Fables

This title was not familiar to me, but having enjoyed several of Alcott's other works, and since it is a free download on Kindle, I decided to read it and see what it was like. 


The book is actually several fairy tales being told by flower fairies at the request of their Queen. Each story tells of someone learning to be unselfish and to serve others. It really is a sweet little book and would be a good choice for bedtime stories, especially for little girls. Most boys would probably think it was too sappy for them. 


A piece of trivia here: When Louisa May Alcott was 16, she wrote this book for the daughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson. 


Several of us caught bad colds after Turkey Day and so it has been nice to curl up with some good books and rest after our Thanksgiving Extravaganza. :) This little gem was only 110 pages, so it made for a very quick read. Even if you don't have a Kindle, the Kindle app is free to download on your computer. Then you can enjoy all the thousands of free Kindle downloads. Amazon has NO idea who I am and I don't earn anything by suggesting that--it's just a very useful tool that offers many possibilities. 


#48 out of 52 in the "Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge"

Book Review: Valley Forge

The sequel to To Try Men's Souls, Valley Forge tells the story of the transformation of the ragtag American soldiers, who had repeatedly been defeated by the well-trained British, into an army capable of standing before the British fire without retreating. Much of the credit for this change (that eventually won the Revolution) goes to Inspector General Baron Friedrich von Stueben. 


During the dark days that followed Washington's victory at Trenton, there were many who believed Washington should be replaced. Even those like Dr. Benjamin Rush, who had previously been his staunch supporters, turned on Washington, believing he was no longer able to win the war. General Gates, who hoped to replace Washington, was waging his own war of defamation against the Commander in Chief with the members of Congress. So intent was he on his mission, that Gates retreated with Congress when they fled Philadelphia. Spending all of his time elevating his own position, instead of supporting the troops, Gates made no preparations for Washington's troops, as he had agreed to do in order that Valley Forge would be ready for the weary army to spend the winter there. 


When the troops arrived at Valley Forge, nothing had been done. There was no shelter. No food. No tools. No supplies of any kind. Gates believed that if things deteriorated sufficiently, Washington would be blamed and Gates would be his replacement.  


Washington, discouraged but not defeated, continued to work toward the goal of a new nation and freedom.  Watching his men suffer was harder for him to endure than any personal physical suffering he was subjected to. So many died that winter. So many had no shoes or coats. Food was scarce. For weeks, there wasn't even shelter for the troops from the harsh weather. They lived on the ground, exposed to all the elements. Frostbite always threatened. Sentries froze to death during the long, cold nights. And yet, the stubborn belief in a new country persisted.


While in their winter encampment, von Stueben arrived. He made his case to Washington that he knew how to train the troops so they would be able to defeat the British. Washington believed him and gave him great authority. von Stueben began immediately. The challenge was formidable. The troops were not sold on the idea. von Stueben knew he was walking a tightrope: push them to far, too fast and they would rebel; don't push them hard enough, and they wouldn't be ready in time for the season of war. 


The months covered in this book were truly the crucible for the birth of a nation. Had Washington been fighting the British alone, the story could have been much different. Being required to fight those jealous of his position, the lack of long term enlistments, those who lost confidence in his ability to successfully wage the war, Congress, Tories, Loyalists, the elements, lack of supplies and simply weariness of the soul, a man made of less determination and perseverance would have conceded defeat.


The tide began to turn for the Revolution at the Battle of Monmouth. The true value of von Stueben's training methods became apparent when the American troops finally withstood the fire of an advancing British battle line without breaking. Never again would the British believe they could simply intimidate the American troops into running. Everything changed that day.


The book ends there. I am hoping there will be another sequel written soon!


As with To Try Men's Souls, I read this one with a black pen in hand to edit out the cursing so that Rebekah can read it. There didn't seem to be as much in this volume, but it was still not something I could allow her to read unedited. 


#47 out of 52 in the "Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge." 

Book Review: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Well, I must say: this book was definitely unique. In fact, it was odd. As the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the reader of the first part of the tale might guess where the sequel would lead. 


And they would be wrong. 


There is NO way, without reading this book, that you could, in your wildest flight of fancy, come up with this plot. 


The book picks up precisely where the first book left off, The Great Glass Elevator was on its way back to the chocolate factory after picking up Charlie Bucket's family. If you remember the first book, you will undoubtedly remember that Charlie's two sets of grandparents lived in a bed. So the bed was simply shoved into the Elevator amidst vehement protestations from the three grandparents who still lived there. 


Instead of going straight back to the factory, which was the plan, Charlie's grandmother Josephine grabbed hold of Mr. Wonka, preventing him from pressing the necessary elevator buttons at the proper time. The result? The Great Glass Elevator shot into space. 


Didn't see that one coming, did you?


In space, the eight of them encountered those despicable, diabolical, detestable Vermicious Knids, aliens from another planet. Know where they ran into them? The newly launched Space Hotel, a special pet project of the President of the United States, whose Vice President is his childhood nanny. A giant space Commuter Capsule took off from Earth to deliver all of the employees to the new hotel so that it could open for business. On board that capsule were four famous astronauts tasked with delivering the staff to the hotel. While on their way, they caught sight of the Great Glass Elevator and thought it must be an enemy spaceship. The President was irate, believing they were saboteurs bent on destroying his hotel.


Without the ability to communicate with either the Commuter Capsule or the Earth, Mr. Wonka could not warn those on the Capsule of the evil aliens awaiting their arrival at the Space Hotel. One thing led to another, and the part of the plot I'm sure you could have guessed was the part about Charlie and Mr. Wonka ending up as heroes who saved the day, the Commuter Capsule, and the Space Hotel.


The second part of the book, oddly enough, began when the Great Glass Elevator arrived at its original destination, delivering all of the Bucket family to their new home in the Chocolate Factory of Mr. Willy Wonka. Arriving at the Chocolate Room, Mr. Wonka encouraged the three grandparents who still lived in their bed to get up and explore. They refused. Most adamantly. Refusing to give up, Mr. Wonka offered them one of his creations: a pill that made people 20 years younger.


At first, the grandparents refused to believe him. But after a little more "convincing," they not only believed him, but fought amongst themselves most shamefully over who would receive how many pills. The greediest, Grandma Georgina took enough pills to send her to a mysterious place called Minusland, because she went back further than the years she had lived. Charlie and Mr. Wonka had to travel there to try and find her and "bring her back," which involved making her over 400 years old.


Told you.


It was odd.


Never would have come up with that story line in a million years, would you?


Me, either.


We did finish it because we were all curious. There were some really funny parts, lots of slapstick humor, but the "oddness factor" was definitely its strongest suit. As with the first one, there were phrases we consider inappropriate and I "edited them out" as I read it aloud to the kids.


#46 out of 52! Getting closer to my goal of reading 52 Books in 52 Weeks.

Book Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma

After 1360 pages, the trilogy has finally been completed. It was a long process, one that began in July on our trip to Tennessee. The kids decided that, since we read the first one out loud on our trip, Kregg needed to be involved in the second and third installment, as well. Finding time when we were all together with an opportunity to read out loud has proven difficult. But we made it, at last. 


The third book, The Prisoner's Dilemma, was a lot of fun. The cast of characters is the same: 4 brilliant/gifted children who work together to help their friend, Mr. Benedict, thwart the evil plans of Mr. Curtain, who also happens to be Mr. Benedict's identical twin brother. Curtain's minions figure heavily into the story line as they try to stop the children from stopping Mr. Curtain.


The book began with the famous logic problem of the same name: The Prisoner's Dilemma. The children were divided into two teams and isolated so that they would not know what the other team had chosen. As it turns out, the exercise was helpful in preparing them for the challenges they would face when confronted with Mr. Curtain's latest attempt to take over the world. 


As with the other two editions, the plot is filled with puzzles and challenges for the children to solve as they try to anticipate the movement and plans of the wicked Mr. Curtain. As before, the choices made by the children have very distinct consequences. There are numerous opportunities for the discussion of how our choices affect those around us. The children have learned, through their many adventures, to care deeply for one another and they work hard to make selfless choices to benefit and protect each other. They even learn to pity Mr. Curtain as they see the truth about what an unhappy, miserable man he has become. It is a good lesson on how our giftings may be used for good or evil, depending on our motivation and goals.


They are encouraged at every turn to serve others by their good friend, Mr. Benedict, who consistently tries to do his very best to protect and provide for those in his care. As the tale winds down, the children learn just how unselfish Mr. Benedict has been when they realize he had a chance to cure his severe narcolepsy, but chose instead to use the opportunity to serve the youngest member of the Mysterious Benedict Society. He sets a further good example for them as he tries, even after all the mischief and harm his brother has caused, to help Mr. Curtain be rehabilitated. 


#45 out of 52--getting closer!

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Book Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This story is a familiar one because of the movies that have been made. I just finished reading it to the kids during our read-aloud time in our homeschool. Since you all already know the plot, I won't bore you by retelling it here. Instead, I will simply touch on the specific things we enjoyed and one negative. 


The creativity Dahl exhibits in crafting his tale is delightful. Simply delightful. The kids were a little hesitant when learning of my choice of this title as our next book. Having seen the movie, they thought the book would bore them. But as is true with most books that are adapted for movies, the book is definitely superior. 


The copy I read to them is from 1964 and the illustrations are whimsical and engaging. Simple line drawings, they are quite humorous. They contain enough details, but not so many that your imagination is not sparked to expand each scene.


Dahl's descriptions of the factory and characters are brilliant in their economy. I love an author who believes his readers to be intelligent and treats them that way. 


Now, there were several phrases used in conversations that we do not consider appropriate in our family. But, using it as a read aloud, I simply make substitutions "on the fly" and so it's a non-issue. 


After their less than enthusiastic initial response, the sequel has been unanimously chosen as our next read aloud. I am not familiar with the plot for it, so we will have to see if it is as successful as the this one. 


#44 out of 52 in the challenge to read a book a week for a year. The calendar is dwindling down to the last few busy weeks and there are still 8 more books to go!! It's time to buckle down and READ!

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Book Review: "To Try Men's Souls"

It would be interesting to go back and calculate the percentage of the books I've read this year for the "52 Books in 52 Weeks" challenge that fall into the category of historical fiction. Here's another.


Rebekah, our youngest, is still on her Revolutionary War kick. She has consumed almost all our resources here and so we have been seeking additional titles. I'd never read a book by Newt Gingrich, so we bought one called Valley Forge. What we didn't know is that it was the sequel to this book: To Try Men's Souls. So, back to the bookstore we went and purchased this additional title. 


It is the story of the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War. Written as a novel, it has an interesting format that switches between different days and different characters. Since Rebekah wanted to read it, I needed to read it first because I was unsure of what to expect from Gingrich as a novelist. It didn't take long before I realized that the book would need editing before it could be put into the hands of my youngest. This will cause true bibliophiles to shudder, but I read the entire book with a black ink pen in my hand, blacking out the cursing. And there was quite a bit, though it tended to come in spurts during pages of dialogue between soldiers. I understand some would simply say this was probably accurate, but I still think it completely unnecessary. 


The story is an incredible one. The Revolution hung on a thread, the army had dwindled down to a small percentage of its high water mark for enlistments, the weather was dreadful, and everyone was discouraged by the repeated defeats at the hand of the British, or their mercenary Hessian troops. 


George Washington was being maligned by those who wanted to replace him, Congress had fled Philadelphia, and the troops were without the most basic supplies and food. Washington understood exactly how things stood and so he made a desperate and potentially last foray into enemy territory, crossing a river, creeks and miles of ice covered terrain. His men hadn't had a decent meal in days. But they followed him. Without a victory, it was all over.


The story shifts from the troops with Washington to Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense and The American Crisis. His words were credited by many with fueling the patriotic dream of an independent nation. Those words were used by Washington to encourage his troops to march for "Victory or Death." Washington had insisted that, instead of continuing to be "embedded" with the troops, Paine return to Philadelphia and publish his words, to recast the vision of a free nation.


The origin of the opening line of Paine's famous discourse was inspired one night as he stumbled upon a campfire with a few soldiers gathered around. A copy of Paine's pamphlet was carried in the pocket of a young soldier from New Jersey. Against the wishes of his family, this young man had enlisted and marched off to war with his brother and his friend. That night after he scrounged some dry firewood and a couple of carp for dinner, a heated argument broke out between this young man, Jonathan, and his brother, who was considering deserting. Paine was witness to the dispute and actually took a line from Jonathan's argument with his brother as the opening line of his next pamphlet: "These are the times that try men's souls."


The story crisscrosses back and forth, weaving the story of Paine, of Washington, and young Jonathan together in a poignant tale of suffering and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. It is a compelling read and gives a deeper understanding of the cost of freedom. 


I do not appreciate the cursing at all, but now that it has been removed, I do think Rebekah will really enjoy the story.


#43 out of 52 for the year! Onward, troops!

www.read52booksin52weeks.com

Book Review: Warrior Scarlet

This is our 20th year of homeschooling!! And we have come "back around" to many of our favorite family books as the "2nd Wave" of our children reach different ages. Many of the works of Rosemary Sutcliff fall into the "favorites" category. Her books are so very well written, filled with intricate plots, well developed characters, historically accurate information, and lots of exciting adventures. 


Warrior Scarlet is, historically speaking, the earliest one we read together. Set in the Bronze Age, it tells the story of Drem and his journey into manhood. The custom of the tribe is for each young man, as he came of age, to enter the Boy's House for three years where he received the training needed to become a warrior. At the end of that time, each boy was required to face the final challenge of his training: the Wolf Slaying. For a boy to cross over to the Man's Side, he had to slay a wolf by himself. As difficult a task as that would be under normal circumstances, imagine if you had been born with only one functional arm? That's what Drem faced.


And so Drem's story builds and builds until that fateful day when his lot is drawn to slay his wolf. He had dreamed of that day for years, but when it finally arrived and he was face to face with a massive male, things did not go quite as he had hoped.


I don't want to give any spoilers here because the suspense in the book is so well crafted, so I will suffice it to say that the plot takes many exciting and unexpected turns. The kids begged me to finish it last night, telling me that there would be no hope of concentrating on the rest of their schoolwork today until they made it to read-aloud-time, and so we sat around the island in the kitchen until about 10 when we finally made it to the end. 


I just love how good historical fiction paints such a great picture of a specific period of time--it's much more effective than some dry old textbook. And with Sutcliff's exceptional skill, the picture painted is quite vivid. Here's a sample: 

"Presently he struck the green Ridgeway that ran from the world's edge to the world's edge along the High Chalk, and followed it for a while, until another track came up from the seaward Marshes and crossed it; and then he turned inland. The sun was westering as he came dipping down into the steep combe that sheltered the home steading; and all the great, rounded, whale-backed masses of the downs were pooled and feathered with coolness, the shadows of a stunted whitethorn tree reaching across half a hillside, every rise and hollow of the land that did not show at all when the sun was high casting its own long, liquid shadow across the gold. The family cattleground in the head of the combe was already in the shade, but farther down, where the combe broadened, the turf roofs of the steading--drying up now in the summer heat--glowed tawny as a hound's coat in the sunlight, and the smoke from the house-place fire was blue as the fluttering haze of flower-heads in the flax plot as he trotted by."

A completely heathen culture, the setting of the story provided much opportunity to discuss the worldview of the tribe and how the choices made in the story reflect that view. 

#42 out of 52 in the challenge:

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Book Review: The Autobiography of Buffalo Bill

Born in Iowa in 1846, Buffalo Bill led a most fascinating life. Being the son of a man who believed that Kansas, their home at the time, should be a state free from slavery, served to put a target on his chest which eventually left Cody as man of the family at a very young age. His father had been "the first man to shed his blood in the fight against the extension of slavery into the Northern Territories." Bill became the man of the family at age 11. Because of the persecution the family had been subjected to, their existence was at the level of subsistence, relying on the game Bill could bring home.


At that point, the Mormons in the West were defying the Federal Government and troops were being assembled to deal with the problem. Bill asked the man in charge of supplying beef to the troops for a job. Even though he was just a boy, he could ride a horse as well as most men and was given a job at a man's pay of $40 per month, to be paid to his mother for the support of the family. 


This was the beginning of the life Cody would live on in the West. It was during this first trip to help drive the cattle that Bill Cody shot and killed his first Indian, one who was about to ambush the men in his party. Upon his arrival back at the fort after the Indians had driven all their cattle away, Bill learned that his name had appeared in the papers for the first time as the youngest Indian fighter in the West.


Buffalo Bill went on to lead a life filled with adventure. It was fascinating to read about the constant danger he and others of those brave scouts who provided such critical information to the troops endured everyday. The conditions under which they labored would reduce most to despair. But these men were made of stern stuff.


During his lifetime, he served mostly as scout, but also led hunting parties, was appointed Justice of the Peace, was elected to Congress (which he immediately resigned from, once he learned he'd been elected), served as US Marshall, Brigadier General, actor, land developer, husband and father. 


It was his hope as he began his famous Wild West Shows that his audiences would understand the great possibilities in the land he had come to love. And even though he led many troops to their battles against the Indians, he always respected the Indians and treated them well when they weren't on the war path. 


This was another wonderful free download I found for my Kindle. The kids will really enjoy reading this when we get to this time period in our history studies.


This is #41 out of 52 books in the "Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks" Challenge. 

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Book Review: Winged Life

I read this little book years ago and, as I always do with a book like this, I mark passages that are precious to me. It had been so long, I decided I would like to reread it. In the intervening years, the Lord has done so much in my heart that this spoke to me in completely different ways. I underlined so much this time through that the book has more pages written on than not, if I were guessing. It was definitely not a random choice off the shelf. The truths expounded within have done nothing short of expanding the definition Love in my spirit.


Hannah Hurnard wrote several book, but the one for which she is best known is Hind's Feet On High Places, considered a classic among Christian books. In reading some biographical information before writing this book review, it seems that Hurnard went from a well grounded Biblical message to a universalist understanding of Christianity wherein she believed that all those condemned to Hell at the Day of Judgement would eventually end up in Heaven. This, along with a belief in reincarnation and a definite shift toward Pantheism are cause for great concern in her later writings. 


But in this specific book, I found many blessings. 


Within the first several chapters, Hurnard challenges believers to take very seriously the charge for us to take every thought captive to Christ. She explains that the life of freedom and victory that we know is our inheritance and birthright as those clothed in Christ is possible only when we allow Him to completely transform our thought life. We, as those bought by His Price, are not allowed a half hearted commitment to this standard and the results of obedience are nothing short of transformational. When we view the world through His eyes, there is no room for thoughts centered on self love.


Another profound principle discussed was the worth of each individual in the eyes of a Christian. That sounds routine. But as she explains how we can consider someone to be irritating or boring or not really worth our time, she holds that careless standard up to compare it with the way Love sees those same individuals. If I truly Love as He loves, I could never again grow impatient or irritated with any, except the ones He Himself rebuked for their lack of need for a Savior. To truly see the world through His Love would require me to die to self love at an entirely new level, a level I hadn't really recognized until compared to the standard set forth here. 


She tells the story of St. Francis of Assisi to illustrate this point:

"I was reading Ernest Raymond's book on St. Francis of Assisi, and came to the description of Francis, just after his conversion, riding on horseback near the crossroads where stood a leper hospital. He had such a horror of lepers and of the stench coming forth from the Lazar house that generally he avoided the place altogether. But on this occasion, lost in thought, he did not notice where he was until suddenly his horse shied, and then he saw a leper standing in the path before him, asking for alms.

His first impulse was to fling his purse to the poor wretch and then spur his horse away from the spot as quickly as possible. 'But was not the leper with his eaten face and his outcast's uniform a symbol of suffering and poverty? Before he could think again, leaping from his horse and forcing himself all the time, he went to the leper, put all his money in his hand and then lifted that hand and kissed it. And in Italy the kiss of the hand is the kiss of reverence to the representative of Christ.'"  

Definitely a book that was worth the few short hours it took to read, with only 173 pages. I will be "chewing" on this one for a while. 


#40 out of 52 for the Week 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge.

The 52 Book Challenge

Book Review: Horse of A Different Color

Horse of a Different Color is the last in the series of 8 autobiographical books by Ralph Moody. In this volume, he was still in Kansas trying to make a living. After his successes with his crop hauling business, he added cattle feeding to his resume. In business with a man of questionable character, Ralph learned some very hard lessons. Combined with a crash in the price of livestock, his poor choice in partners left him holding a massive amount of debt. 


Discouraged but not defeated, Ralph's incredible ingenuity and hard work enabled him to see opportunities where most men found only bankruptcy. Even in his desperate situation, he refused to "get ahead" by climbing over others. Instead, he looked for solutions that benefited the entire community instead of just himself. 


The crash in the livestock markets was not the only disaster to strike. The small Kansas town was devastated by a flash flood that swept away every pig Ralph had. It looked like it was over.


Instead of declaring bankruptcy, however, Ralph went into an entirely new line of work: butchering animals and providing meat to the railroad and farms. Through non stop hard work and creativity, not to mention the wonderful friends he had made along the way because of his character, he once again came up with a profitable business and the ability to repay all of his debt, which was actually the debt of the man he had been in the livestock feeding business with when things went south. 


Because of the level of physical labor required, Ralph decided to go off his special diet to treat his diabetes. He started eating large, hearty meals and was actually able to put on all the weight he had lost over the last several years. His doctor, after running numerous tests, realized that the Boston specialists who had initially diagnosed Ralph with diabetes and given him a prognosis of only six months had been wrong. Ralph didn't have regular diabetes after all. He had a "temporary" form brought on by malnutrition and overwork. 


Out of debt and given a new lease on life, his thoughts returned to his childhood sweetheart. He began writing her and found that she still felt the same way about him. The story ends with Ralph telling his closest friends at a celebratory dinner that he was out of debt, in good health, and set to be married in a few weeks.


These books have been such a great resource for teaching the value of hard work and creativity. Ralph always believed there was a solution to any problem if one looked hard enough and was willing to do whatever was necessary to accomplish the solution. His hard work always paid off and the respect he earned through being honest and straightforward, as well as hardworking, endeared him to the entire community.


#39 out of 52, 13 more to go. This is going to come right down to the wire. :)

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Book Review: Character Sketches, Volume 1

This book is one of our very favorite parts of homeschooling. The kids love it! It's unique format takes a specific character quality and focuses on four different aspects of it in four separate chapters. Each chapter uses an example from the Bible and from the world of nature to explain that specific aspect of the quality being studied. 


The best way for me to explain is to give an example. 


In Chapters One through Four, the character quality being studied is Loyalty. In Chapter Two, the aspect of Loyalty focused on is "Standing With Those I Am Serving In Their Time Of Need." The illustration from the world of nature is the Canada Goose, so the chapter begins with a story about how the goose shows loyalty even to the point of death when its family is in danger. The illustrations alone are worth the purchase price. Each chapter has a large full colored illustration of the animal. Our kids love to try to draw their own version of each animal as we read the chapters. Following the story, there are several pages filled with fascinating facts and more illustrations about the animal for that chapter. 


Each chapter then moves on to a character study from the Bible, in this case, Mordecai. The Bible character is introduced in a suspense-building page long story where the reader/listeners are challenged to try to guess the identity of the character before the end of the story. The next pages of the chapters contain a detailed study of that person's story and how they displayed or failed to display the character quality for that chapter. Mordecai was an example of Loyalty as he "stood by" the king when he learned of a plot to assassinate him. 


There are three volumes in this series and all are jam packed with wonderful information. The books are designed to be read by fathers to their children and encourage great discussions in the search for Truth. By giving such great examples, children can firmly grasp concepts that would otherwise be too abstract for many of them. The books are large, beautifully bound and are almost 400 pages long. We plan to buy each of our children their own set as they begin their families. 


This is #38 out of 52. I've gotten behind in my reviews, so now I'm playing "catch-up."

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Book Review: Stevenson's Travels With a Donkey

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While perusing the shelves at our Friends of the Library store, I chanced upon two little volumes in the "classics" section. They were so adorable, I hoped they were something wonderful. When I picked them up, I realized they were by Robert Louis Stevenson so I paid the exorbitant price of $1 a piece and brought them home, wondering what type of tales they contained.


The first one I read was Stevenson's Travels With a Donkey. Just the title was intriguing enough to justify the purchase. And I was not disappointed. This little volume was a journal of sorts of a trip he decided to make on foot through the countryside of Cevennes' in France. It is one of his very earliest published works and came to print in 1879. My little red, cloth bound copy is from 1910. It is also one of the very earliest books to describe camping as a recreational activity.


In his preparation to be out of doors for almost two weeks, he commissioned the sewing of a giant sleeping bag and then had to have a donkey to carry the thing because it was so huge and heavy. The donkey is like another character in the telling of the tale because she was so obstinate and opinionated. It was quite amusing.


As Stevenson set out on his odyssey, having no previous experience to serve as preparation, he really didn't know what to expect. His craving for adventure was strong and the wanderlust in his soul sent him on his way.

"I have been after an adventure all my life, a pure dispassionate adventure, such as befell early and heroic voyagers; and thus to be found by morning in a random woodside nook in Gevaudan--not knowing north from south, as strange to my surroundings as the first man upon the earth, an inland castaway--was to find a fraction of my day-dreams realised."

Some nights, he slept in his bag under the stars:

"The wind among the trees was my lullaby. Sometimes it sounded for minutes together with a steady even rush, not rising nor abating; and again it would swell and burst like a great crashing breaker, and the trees would patter me all over with big drops from the rain of the afternoon."

And then this:

"I have not often enjoyed a more serene possession of myself, nor felt more independent of material aids. The outer world, from which we cower into our houses seemed after all a gentle habitable place; and night after night a man's bed, it seemed, was laid and waiting for him in the fields, where God keeps an open house."  

Other nights he spent in makeshift inns or villager's homes along the way. Many of the locals thought him quite odd and could not understand his purpose in making this journey.

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints. Alas, as we get up in life, and are more preoccupied with our affairs, even a holiday is a thing that must be worked for. To hold a pack upon a pack-saddle against a gale out of the freezing north is no high industry, but it is one that serves to occupy and compose the mind.  And when the present is so exacting, who can annoy himself about the future?"

The region in which he traveled was one rich with the history of a brutal war that had been waged in 1702 between Catholics and Protestants, and so the area was still sharply divided in most communities between these two camps. He encountered members of both camps and was asked multiple times which "side he was on." He was a Protestant but instead of trying to engage in religious debate, tried merely to get along with everyone he encountered. 


At the end of the little volume is a brief biographical sketch of Stevenson's life.  Having never read one before, it was quite interesting to learn about his younger years spent as an invalid, his pursuit of the woman he loved, and their life together, eventually settling in Apia among the Samoan Islands. The sheer volume of his work is quite impressive and his literary success provided a very comfortable living for his family. His death at the young age of 45 came quite suddenly after dinner one evening. He grabbed his head in pain and asked if he looked strange, then fell to his knees, losing consciousness. He died that evening. 


I think I got my money's worth many times over with this little gem. :)


This is #37 out of 52.

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Book Review: Nicholas Nickleby

The story of Nicholas Nickleby can best be summed up by a line from the book of Job: "He repays a man for what he has done; he brings upon him what his conduct deserves." Our protagonist, Nicholas, provides the sharpest contrast imaginable to the antagonist of our tale, Nicholas' uncle, Ralph Nickleby.  


Suffering the recent loss of his father, Nicholas, along with his mother and sister sought the benevolence of Uncle Ralph, little knowing that this man had sold his soul, along with anything and anyone that fell into his clutches, in his never ending pursuit of wealth. 


Naive of his true character, this poor but worthy family found themselves inexorably entangled in Ralph's web of deceit and destruction. Seeking only to find a way to support his mother and sister, young, innocent Nicholas accepted a position "found" for him by his uncle at a boy's school in Yorkshire. As desperately as he hated leaving his mother and Kate, he believed this job would allow him to provide for their needs. When he arrived, however, he found that the "students" were actually prisoners of the wicked schoolmaster, Mr. Squeers. His charges, unbeknownst to their families, were barely given food enough to survive and were beaten regularly. 


Nicholas, hoping against hope that help would somehow arise, held out as long as he could, offering the boys there the only kindness they were shown. The situation became completely intolerable and Nicholas finally decided that, to save the life of Mr. Squeers' favorite victim, he had to intervene. As Mr. Squeers began again to beat the poor boy known as Smike, Nicholas stopped him and beat off the much larger Mr. Squeers. Nicholas and his rescued young charge escaped the school and made their way back, on foot, to London. 


Once there, he began to understand the true depth of his uncle's depravity and wicked schemes. The revelation to Nicholas that his uncle actually assisted with the "school" of Mr. Squeers and the dawning revelation that his "benevolence" in helping Nicholas receive the job was only an attempt by his uncle to remove the need for any financial outlay on his part in support of his sister-in-law and her children brought Nicholas to the point of becoming openly adversarial toward Ralph Nickleby. 


The rest of the tale involves a large number of characters and side stories, all of which weave an intricate picture of the far reaching effects of a man bent on the accumulation of wealth at any cost. Any cost at all. 


No matter what traps Ralph laid for his young nephew, the virtue and honor of Nicholas caused many of the poor wretches that had been for so long held under the thumb of his uncle to become forever devoted to the brave hero of the story. The very ones Ralph had used up to accomplish his evil plans for so many years were the ones who joined with Nicholas to bring about the ultimate downfall of the wicked man. 


I look forward to our four youngest reading this book. Its 800+ pages are filled with stark contrasts between good and evil, honor and guile, nobility and baseness. 


When I began this book on my Kindle (another free download), I had no idea how long it was. Had I known, I might not have started it when I did. I'm glad I didn't know. :)


#36 in the "Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge."