Jane Eyre

By: Charlotte Bronte

19th Century : Classic Challenge
The following information was found on Amazon about this title. My review will follow.

"Jane Eyre (originally published as Jane Eyre: An Autobiography) is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published on 16 October 1847, by Smith, Elder & Co. of London, England, under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was published the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York. Primarily of the bildungsroman genre, Jane Eyre follows the emotions and experiences of its title character, including her growth to adulthood, and her love for Mr. Rochester, the master of fictitious Thornfield Hall. In its internalization of the action—the focus is on the gradual unfolding of Jane's moral and spiritual sensibility, and all the events are colored by a heightened intensity that was previously the domain of poetry—Jane Eyre revolutionized the art of fiction. Charlotte Brontë has been called the 'first historian of the private consciousness' and the literary ancestor of writers like Joyce and Proust. The novel contains elements of social criticism, with a strong sense of morality at its core, but is nonetheless a novel many consider ahead of its time given the individualistic character of Jane and the novel's exploration of classism, sexuality, religion, and proto-feminism."

Reader, I hated this book. I just slogged through it. I liked the character of Jane. I did not like Mr. Rochester. I liked her spirit and tenacity through some very tough times. I did not like Mr. Rochester. I liked the Gothic bits and I liked how there was family looking for her after all. I say take the money and run, Jane! I thought Mr. Rochester was twisted. You might disagree but the only way I could read the parts with him speaking were to listen for Benedict Cumberbatch's mental voice over! 

But I got classic #1 finished and now I am on to The Great Gatsby. 

Wish me luck!

Dark Matter

by: Blake Crouch

I think this is a 3.5 stars but alas. I really liked this book and I had trouble putting it down but the last 1/3 of the book I started to fall off the 'suspend my disbelief' wagon.

“Are you happy with your life?”
 Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
 Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
 Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”
 In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
 Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
 Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of." Amazon

It was interesting and encouraged me to have a down to 'dark matter, dark space' conversation with my science daughter!

The Queen of the Tearling

By: Erika Johansen

I could not put this book down! I was annoyed that we had to go to a family event on Saturday since it was going to cut into my reading time with this book.

Just Me: Blast! Why does this freeway have to be so curvy! It's making me too sick to read.
Husband: I chose this way cause it's faster than the other freeway.
Just Me: Faster! Why would you pick the fast way!!??

It's a thing. At least I was able to put the book down after some of the action had wrapped itself up.

This book moves forward like a runaway train.


"Magic, adventure, mystery, and romance combine in this epic debut in which a young princess must reclaim her dead mother’s throne, learn to be a ruler—and defeat the Red Queen, a powerful and malevolent sorceress determined to destroy her.

On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown.

Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust.

But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun—a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend . . . if she can survive."

I can not wait to read the second book. I just heard there is a movie being made.


* There is, at times, some rough language, and there are some things happening in the kingdom that are pretty rough. There are hints at rape, and there is other abuse of many women. Although some believe this is a young adult book it is not. Just a caution.

The Choosing

By: Rachelle Dekker

This book surprised me. I loved it! I thought it was going to be a Christian slant on Selection or Divergent. It is dystopian and there is selection to it but it’s not what I thought. I didn’t think there’d be a serial killer or the strong message of worth.

The book deals with different strong issues.* Loving ourselves not because someone chose us but because we were born loved by a loving God. It’s a story about how not everyone can live up to the governments/populations standards. But what if those standards are wrong? Sound familiar?

Another issue, for me at least, is the misinterpretation of the Veritas by men who then make the rules for others. I was wondering as I read it if they were skipping pages or were the pages missing. But then this wouldn’t be the first time that men have completely convoluted God’s holy word.

If you are a fan of Ted Dekker this book was written by his daughter. However, she has her own voice. She won a Christy award for Young Adult novel.

I read this book in one evening, not because it’s short but because I couldn’t put it down!

*There is no cussing, or sex but there are some strong, violent couple of scenes of torture. This involves kidnapping, pouring bleach down the throat for cleansing, and finally death. So if you are not the type for this, you might want to skip it.

Soldier Sister, Fly Home

by: Nancy Bo Flood

I really enjoyed this book about a part Navajo/part white teen, Tess, who has to spend the summer on her own when her sister, Gina, not only enrolls in the Army but then is deployed to Iraq. Tess learns who she is, how to befriend her sister’s dreaded, half-wild horse, Blue, and mostly how to forgive and let things go.

I loved not only the diversity of this book but also the close family relationships portrayed that are so often missing in teen fiction.  I loved her poetry and her voice. I also loved the included pronunciation guide to the Navajo language included in the text. The descriptions in this book are beautiful.

Also, there is information about Lori Piestewa who, a real-life soldier, was killed in Iraq (the first native woman killed in a foreign war) and was a member of the Hopi tribe.

Another Reading Challenge...

How fun is this!! I can't wait to give this a try. Check it out -



FULL HOUSE READING CHALLENGE 2017 SIGN UP



Challenge Guidelines:

Challenge will run from Jan 1st to December 31st 2017
Write and publish a post stating your intention to participate. In the post please include the Challenge graphic and a link back to this post. Then link your intention post at the bottom of this post.  Make sure it is the actual post and not just a generic link to your blog.
Add your reviews back here on the link in this post. At the end of every three months there will be a U.S. $12 prize with a book of your choice from the Book Depository or U.S. Amazon voucher, for the entries. There will be a new linky then for the next quarter and so on to the end of December.
Reviews are not mandatory and if you prefer to keep a list of the books read and the category they cross off the card, then you can still enter for the completion of a Full House by linking to that list on the final linky or in a comment. The list could be kept on somewhere like Goodreads or in a Google doc.

Link Ups
Jan - March   now open
Each review can only be linked up once in the year. However it doesn't matter when you read the book in 2017 - which month, just link as you remember or have time. So if you read it in January you may not get around to linking it until say... May. That is fine.
Books may cross over from other challenges that you are doing. However a different book for each square, one book cannot cover two squares.
There will be a final post to link in a summary post for the challenge for those who have completed a full house. This will close on the 2nd January 2018  and a winner will be chosen using random.org for a U.S. $30 prize which again can be used to buy books at the Book Depository or be received as an Amazon voucher.
Completion Link will go here.
Complete the card below.  You can do it in any order you wish.  You are allowed "one free exchange", if there is something on the square you really dislike you may change it to something of your choice. Once you have played this free choice that is it. Mention the exchange in the final summary post.
Full House Reading Challenge 2017
* Book about books.  This can be fiction or non-fiction. It can be anything for example where the setting is a book shop for example.

* Not really for you.  This can be a kind of book you don't usually read, or it could be one you just DNF, or one you just didn't enjoy that much.
* Diversity.  Think ethnic, cultural, religious, and gender diversity and you may come up with something you think of as well, as the list is basic.  But it must be somehow quite different to you.

* Book from a list.   There are heaps of lists out there, from bestsellers to numerous Goodreads ones.

*Authors  UK/European author reads   UK or European author.

*Size Word in Title   e.g small, little, tiny, huge, large, big, mini....etc.

Update, Friday!

I did it! I read 4 books today. I admit they were small-ish but still I read all the books I wanted to read for Bout of Books. I work the next two days so there will be little time to read.

This has been a fun jump start to my reading year!

Now back to my regularly scheduled classics challenge.

Jane Eyre.

Happy Reading!

Books Read for BoB challenge:

Works of Edgar Allan Poe: Graphic Novel
Dracula: Graphic Novel
Frankenstein: Graphic Novel
Surprise the World
Christmas at Tennant Hall

Friday??, I've lost count...

Is it really Friday or is my calendar playing tricks on me?

I'm half way through my chosen reading, except Jane Eyre. I've polished off 25 pages of that little beauty and am on my way. I hope poor little Jane finds some happiness. So far her life looks pretty bleak.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just finished the graphic novels and Surprise the World. I liked The Raven part of the Poe graphic novel. The rest of it read like B movie stuff. I didn't care for Dracula. Why did I pick such scary books? Surprise the World was good. I had some good takeaways from it.

I have another Christmas book to read and then I'll have finished my goals for Bout of Books. It was a good getting started challenge.

I've been enjoying Jane Eyre but like I said, I hope things start to look up for her soon. Bullying at it's finest by children and adults. Oh my!

Day 2, #boutofbooks, FAIL

Day 2 found me working, and laundry, and dishes, and, yeah that stuff!

No reading today, except for maybe 2 pages!

"Tomorrow is another day!" Scarlett

Day 1, #boutofbooks, and Classics

First day of bout of books:

I read my first graphic novel. Frankenstein. Boy was it depressing but really well done. I liked the illustrations but found that I ignored them as I plunged through the words.

I think I like the pictures that come out of my own imagination. I have a routine when I read, as I read images pop into my head. It was rather distracting to have my images, words and the illustrators images all at the same time.

Classics Challenge:

I've started Jane Eyre. It's much thicker than I thought it was. It shouldn't be hard to get through though. So far, it's beautiful.

Bout of Books

Happy New Year! 

I hope you had a wonderful season of holidays. I also hope your 2017 is full of joy, calm, and books! 

I recently signed up to participate in Bout of Books for this first week in January. I'm pretty excited. Although it's just a week long, I think it's a great way to activate your reading, especially if you're in a slump like I was. The holiday's, responsibilities (yes, I do to much), and illness (colds and flu bugs), really wore on my reading habits like an elf with a candy cane. Horrible analogy, I know, but still, onward...

My very short TBR for Bout of Books is as follows:

Surprise the World! - Michael Frost

Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven: A Graphic Novel

Frankenstein: A Graphic Novel

Dracula: A Graphic Novel

Christmas at Thompson Hall

and that's it. Remember, I will also be starting Jane Eyre!

I hope I can get through them all. I've had the graphic novels for some time. I'm not really a graphic novel reader but I'm willing to give it a try. I hope they aren't too scary!

What's on your reading list for January?