The "Battle" Is Over! Christmas Comes Early "Tied Up In Tinsel" & Maybe Decked Out In "The Christmas Sweater"!

I finished reading the third book in the "Michael Vey" series by Richard Paul Evans last night. "Michael Vey: Battle For The Ampere" was awesome and fast-paced! Dr. Hatch is brought before the Board to account for his actions, including the abduction of Michael's mother and his failure to follow orders and release her. He ends up taking control of the Board, with some help from "his" electric children. Hatch overthrows Chairman Schema, and reorganizes the Board. The introduction of yet another electric child, Tessa (originally called Tesla), increases the membership of the Electroclan, though there are also some casualties. I will say that Wade (Michael's non-electric bully-turned-friend) is mortally wounded, and other members of the Electroclan consider abandoning the mission (sinking the Ampere--the flagship of the Elgen fleet) and returning to their families. It's hard to remember that this is just a group of teenagers. I can't wait to start Christmas early with "Tied Up In Tinsel" by Ngaio Marsh. Hopefully, I get to finish it this year! Holed up at Hilary Bill-Tasman's manor estate for Christmas, Troy Alleyn is to paint the man's portrait and, while she's there, view the Druid Christmas pageant. Along with a pack of eccentric guests, Troy enjoys the festivities-- until one of the pageant's players mysteriously disappears into the snowy night. Did the hired help-- each a paroled murderer from the nearby prison-- have a deadly hand in this Christmas conundrum? Inspector Roderick Alleyn arrives to join his wife in finding the lost man- and unraveling the glaring truth from the glittering tinsel. If I can actually read the book all the way through this time, I plan to finish out the year with Glenn Beck's "The Christmas Sweater." I received that book as a Christmas gift last year! In Beck's debut novel, the conservative radio and TV host (An Inconvenient Book) makes a weak attempt at a holiday classic in the vein of It's a Wonderful Life. Despite his single mother's financial hardships, 12-year-old Eddie is certain this Christmas he will receive his much-desired Huffy bike. To his dismay, what he finds under the tree is "a stupid, handmade, ugly sweater" that his mother carefully modeled after those she can't afford at Sears (one of four places she keeps part-time jobs). Eddie tosses the sweater and insults his mother before the two go visit his grandparents at their farmhouse. On the drive home, though, Eddie's exhausted mother falls asleep at the wheel and crashes, dying instantly. Sent to live with his grandparents, an increasingly bitter and angry Eddie lashes out at his accommodating guardians, engages in typical teenage angst and grapples with belief in God. For all his focus on traditional family virtues like respect, love and forgiveness, Beck's lightweight parable cruises on predictability, repetition and sentimentality. In spite of the book's description, I have no doubt that I will find Beck's novel as enjoyable as I would one of Evans' novels, as I enjoy anything that tugs at the heartstrings, be it a song, a movie, or a book!!!!

"The Princess" Is Not Destined To Be A "Bride!", Time to Do "Battle!"

I give up! After months of trying, I just cannot stomach another chapter of this horribly edited book!!!!!!!!!!!! "The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure" is horribly edited and abridged!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one time I can honestly say I enjoyed the movie more than I enjoyed the book!!!!!!!!!! I don't think I even read 100 pages before all the italicized notes got on my nerves! After awhile, I just gave up! I've seen the movie, I know the story! So why waste my time on a book that I am clearly not enjoying? My time could be better spent reading the latest book by my favorite author, Richard Paul Evans! The 3rd book in the series, "Michael Vey: Battle of the Ampere," just arrived in the mail, courtesy of Wal-Mart! (Thank God I had that gift card!) For those who have been following the story, Michael, Taylor, & Ostin have destroyed the largest of the Elgen Starxource plants, but now the kids are scattered across the Amazon jungle. The Elgen have joined forces with the Peruvian army, and only Michael has managed to remain free. With his friends due to stand trial for terrorism--a charge that may carry the death penalty--Michael will need all his wits and his abilities if he's to save them. Meanwhile, Dr. Hatch and his loyal electric children have seized control of the ES Ampere--the superyacht the Elgen use as their headquarters. With the Elgen fleet under his control, Hatch heads back to Peru to pick up his army and begin his quest for global domination. Michael will have to free his friends, then find a way to stop Hatch, but the organization that has guided him has been compromised. Hatch knows Michael and the Electroclan are coming. And he's ready. Can the Electroclan win the battle of the Ampere? Or has Michael's luck finally run out?" I hope not, but there's only one way to find out!!!!!!!!!!!! Time for a (hopefully more enjoyable than the last) "Journey Through A Book!"

"A Step Of Faith" Down The Aisle To "The Princess Bride"

Blogger's Note: This was originally supposed to be published back in May or June! I finished off "A Step Of Faith" by Richard Paul Evans yesterday. The "King Of Kleenex" has done it again! When Alan Christoffersen is sidelined on his cross-country walk by a brain tumor, those who love him most rally to his side. His father, his former secretary Falene, and Nicole, the woman who took care of him after he was stabbed during a mugging. Mercifully, the tumor is able to be removed, and upon recovery, Alan resumes his walk. Evans goes so far as to examine the effects of cult life on the human female when he introduces . I think that my next "Journey Through A Book" (LOL!) should lead me to "The Princess Bride," billed as "S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure." The Princess Bride is a true fantasy classic. William Goldman describes it as a "good parts version" of "S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure." Morgenstern's original was filled with details of Florinese history, court etiquette, and Mrs. Morgenstern's mostly complimentary views of the text. Much admired by academics, the "Classic Tale" nonetheless obscured what Mr. Goldman feels is a story that has everything: "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles." I've loved the movie ever since I saw it when it came out in 1987, when I was a 6-year-old girl living in my parents' house. Cary Elwes & Robin Wright were fantastic as Westley & Buttercup, and I loved Andre the Giant (Rest In Peace!) as Fezzik! I can't wait to see how the book measures up, though, in my experience, the book is always better than the movie!

I Finally Found "The Lost Kingdom" & Am About To Take "A Step of Faith!"

While waiting on a bench outside the mall for my best girlfriend (who never did show! Hi, Bethany!), I managed to finish off "The Lost Kingdom," a sci-fi fairy tale written by Nikki Bennett, the wife of a good friend of mine (Hi, Steve!). In the book, four children-Alistair, Maggie, Joe, & Clarence-are whisked from a bookshop to a magical fairytale land, where it is revealed that 5 strangers (Al, the bookshop owner would show up eventually) would fulfill the prophecy and right the kingdom that was wronged centuries ago when their princess vanished. It turns out that Maggie (or "Mags") is the missing princess who disappeared into the mountains! At least, that's what they were told by Sir Gunnywald when he met up with the 4 children after they were transported to the kingdom by the rat who inhabited the bookshop. It is revealed that the rat--whom the children dubbed "Mickey"--was really a dragon. His true name is never revealed, however. Most impressive is the fact that Mickey can produce many fires--a "soothing fire" to clear the mind and a "quick-grilling, nicely smoky fire that perfectly cooks any meat" being two of the main ones. I can honestly say I didn't find anything I didn't like about this book. Most, if not all, of the characters were likeable, even the so-called "evil wizard" who supposedly lured the princess into the mountains in the first place. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to read more books from the "Firedrake Guild" series. In the meantime, I can't wait to take "A Step Of Faith" with Richard Paul Evans, my favorite author! Incidentally, this book is also part of a series. It is the fourth book in Evans' "The Walk" series. (Book #1: The Walk, Book #2: Miles To Go, Book #3: The Road To Grace) Alan Christoffersen lost his heart when his wife was killed in an accident almost one year ago. He lost his trust when his business partner stole his advertising business. He lost his home when the bank took his house. So Alan decided to leave his painful memories behind and walk from Seattle to the farthest point on his map, Key West, but in St. Louis, he is forced to stop Because his severe vertigo is diagnosed as the side effect of a brain tumor, Alan must go to Los Angeles for treatment. He is surrounded by those who care most for him: his father, who is happy to have Alan back in his childhood home; Falene, who has been by his side through his most difficult times; and Nicole, who helped him recover from a mugging in Spokane. One by one, Alan alienates them all, and he resumes his journey in angry loneliness. The people he meets as he walks the dusty southern back roads have lessons to teach Alan about accepting love. He just has to have faith that life can be worth living again--and that the woman he rejected will be willing to forgive him. I suspect that I am going to have to read this book with a box of Kleenex within arm's reach! This isn't the first book by Evans that I have read, and it won't be the last!

The "Winter Dream" Has Ended, Now Time To Wake Up In "The Lost Kingdom!"

While others were watching the Baltimore Ravens journey to a Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers, I was busy taking a journey through Richard Paul Evans' heartwarming novel, "A Winter Dream"! After accepting his father's Navy flight jacket, Joseph Jacobson is blackmailed by his older brothers into leaving the family to save his baby brother from embezzlement charges. Forced to leave behind the jacket, his family, and losing his fiancee Ashley (who won't leave town with him), Joseph--or J.J.--struggles to make a new life in a new city. Sadly, his eagerness to share his dreams is his undoing! As a matter of fact, sharing a dream with his father is what ultimately resulted in J.J.'s being forced out of the family by his jealous brothers. Sharing his dreams also gives J.J. an enemy in his new life--Peter Potts, his boss. Peter's fiancee got drunk and seduced J.J., who resisted, but was caught in a compromising position and exiled to an office where he worked with the other company "Outkasts." Eventually, he was put in a position where he was able to find love again and ultimately reunited with his brothers and parents! There's so much more to the story, but to say more would be a criminal act!As for what book I'm going to sojourn through next, "The Lost Kingdom" by Nikki Bennett sounds like a fairy tale come true! "The Lost Kingdom" tells the story of 4 misfit kids lured into another dimension by a mysterious rat named Mickey. The children find themselves in a faraway land full of danger and excitement. Their mission: defeat an evil sorcerer, hunt for a secret treasure, and help a brave knight return his kingdom to its former glory. During their incredible journey, they find courage and strength they never realized they possessed. "The Lost Kingdom" is the first book in the "Firedrake Guild" series. As a personal friend of the Bennetts, I am eager to start my "journey" to and through "The Lost Kingdom!"

A Winter Dream: A Heartwarming Novel for Cold Days

I get the distinct impression that God does not want me to finish Ngaio Marsh's Christmas mystery "Tied Up In Tinsel." I keep losing it! Oh, well! I guess that means I get to start off 2013 with my favorite author's latest novel: "A Winter Dream."(My favorite author is Richard Paul Evans, for those who don't know!) I can't wait to see what twist he puts on the Biblical tale of Joseph and the coat of many colors! He did an epic job of adapting the story of the prodigal son to modern times in 2011. "Lost December" was a real page-turner, and I don't expect "A Winter Dream" to be any less so!