So You Want to Be a Wizard, a book review.

This book by   Diane Duane was a lot of fun to read. The friend who gave it to me described it as "literary junk food", meaning that while it's not particularly deep, it's a quick, delightful read that leaves you wanting more. While, I believe those who enjoy Harry Potter will also enjoy this, they're are some differences. The children have only occasional guidance in using their new found magic, which rather than being an inborn trait, is a choice and a promise they make to protect the universe by assisting nature and energy.  Their defeat of a terrible dark power is exciting, but seems like a great deal of beginners luck, unless other books reveal Nita and Kit to be super wizards. The concept of machines and space anomalies having  lives and the ability to communicate was a bit strange, but after a few chapters I was used to it. Overall, it's a cute, fun book.         

The Shadow And Night, a book review

 

Overall, I loved the plot of this futuristic, Christian society of planets and the slow, subtle infiltration of enemy forces into the the most remote planet. The author took great care in creating the government and society, but somehow the characters seemed rather flat. At first I thought this was because they lived in a sinless society and therefore had no flaws I could relate to, but even after I kept reading I still didn't warm up to any one. Also, the few lighthearted scenes in the book seemed a bit awkward and forced when they were supposed to be humorous. I will be reading the rest of the series, but for once its for the plot not for the people. I also had trouble deciphering some of the definitions of "Sin". The society in the book is so perfect that somethings they clarify as sin are not called so by even the most strict Christians of the real world, such as a ambition, and a need for privacy, which is equated with lying. This nitpicking made it a bit hard to realize that evil was threatening them until it became actual sin, such as prejudice, actual lying, and hatred. It's a good read, but a bit hard to get through until well midway when the plot begins to thicken.

Snow!

As an adult, I can be a bit ambiguous about snow; I love how pretty is and I hate driving in it. However, a few days ago, I got to enjoy it like I did as a kid, no worries about driving, about losing power. No, I just went sledding, something I haven't done since I was around 13.  The neat thing was I went with a friend of my aunt's who wanted to go to celebrate her birthday, I'm guessing  she's around 60. It was neat seeing an older lady doing something childish just for the sake of having fun. I had a great time too, racing down the ice packed snow hill, the snow spraying in my face, the cows at the end of the pasture thinking we were insane. Actually, the cows may not have even noticed us; it's hard to tell.
Anyway, get out, enjoy the snow since it's not going away for a long time.