Fairest of All

 Fairest of All By Serena Valentino

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book and at first, I was skeptical. But after I finished it I gave it some thought and realized. This could be a great way to showcase how negative vices can destroy not just an individual, but an entire family and even society. In the case of this book vanity is what was the ultimate demise of Snow White's step-mother. This story introduces us to a young woman who grew up in a home with an emotionally and verbally abusive father. Then met the king and found not just love with a wonderful man, but a new family being able to be a mother to a cute little girl. After the death of her husband the queen fell into a grief that she didn't want to face and instead became obsessed with being the most beautiful woman in her kingdom that eventually lead to her demise.

When you Wish Upon a Star

 

When you wish upon a star By: Elizabeth Lim

This story was different from what I thought it was going to be. It makes sense though. I like most people grew up watching Pinocchio and know his story well. But this is the back story behind the blue fairy even before she turned Pinocchio into a living puppet. This is one of those stories that brought out all different types of emotions. Honestly, if this book was anything like the football games my parents like to watch, I probably would have sat and yelled at the book. 😂 That just means it was very well written to be able to produce that sort of emotion. I have really enjoyed the Twisted Tale series and I cant wait for more to come out.

The Last Battle

 

The Last Battle By: C.S. Lewis

The story started off well and good and somewhat familiar to the books before it. But it quickly changed and even had me a little anxious. So anxious in fact that I had a hard time putting the book down because I wanted to know what would happen next. After I had finished the book, not gonna lie I may have cried a bit. All I could think of is how amazing it was and how much I enjoyed it. I have tried to come up with a way to review it that will remain neutral like most of my other reviews and not involve religion that i believe all these books convey. But with this book I cant seem to find a way to do that unless I leave this post here saying the book was amazing. For those not wanting my religious views of the book. End here and thank you for reading.

This whole series has made me feel almost like a symbolic Sunday school lesson. First you have the creation of Narnia and with good versus bad in The Magicians Nephew". Then comes The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe which has a lot of symbolism but I will simply say focuses on the Atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. From then on, The horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of The Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair are all about our mortal experiences here on earth and always looking to Jesus Christ (Aslan) for help, comfort, guidance, etc.

Then you come to The Last Battle which is pretty much the book of revelations. :) The battle with good and evil comes to a point that evil has done all its can and wickedness prevails so much with false gods, prophets and impersonators saying they are the real Jesus (Aslan). The only way evil and Wickedness could be cleansed from the land of Narnia was through a return of Aslan and the end of the world. Or in our case the second coming of Jesus. 

The last king of Narnia meets Diggory and Polly (The Magicians Nephew) as well as The kings and queen of old. High king Peter, King Edmund and Queen Lucy. It was mentioned that Queen Susan wasn't there because she didn't believe in Narnia anymore and said it was just a silly game that they played as kids. This to me this is symbolic of those that turn away from the saviors teachings and his gospel and are more concerned about what the world says and thinks rather than Heavenly Father and Jesus. 

Reading this book has been such a wonderful experience simply for the story as well as for the gospel message that I found imbedded within the story.

The Slver Chair

 

The Silver Chair BY: C.S. Lewis

I really enjoyed this book. I know I've read it before but I honestly couldn't remember any of it. Its always fun having returning characters mixed with new character in book series that act as separate stories but all tie in together. In the case of this book, it was fun to have Eustice and Caspian back. Aslan too of course but he's always reoccurring in all the book. He's the ever constant in The Chronicles of Narnia. In the silver chair, the evil was again a witch that cast an evil enchantment that had to be broken. This witch a lot like the white witch in the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, also declared herself royalty when she wasn't. This story is just another great story and example of good triumphing over evil.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

 

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader By: C.S. Lewis

Its been awhile since I read this so it was fun to be able to re-read it. I forgot parts of the book so it was fun to rediscover this story. I remember when I first read this I wasn't to pleased with the story and the way it flowed. But the second time I didn't see any of the issues of flow from when I first read the book. In fact the flow of the story made more sense the second time around. 

Prince Caspian

 Prince Caspian By: C.S. Lewis

This is one of those "passing of the torch" kind of stories from one king to the next. But I did enjoy it a lot. Its fun to go back to the original story and relive it instead of always going for the movie. Which I think they did ok with the movie, but there are certain things they added in the movie that are a little annoying that arent in the book. For example in the movie Peters character is sort of arrogant, but he's nothing like that in the book. But at the same time I find Susan a little more annoying in the book then the movie, so both have their up and downs. :) Overall a really fun read and story to revisit.

The Horse and His Boy

 

The Horse and His Boy By: C.S. Lewis

I have read this before a few years ago and there is a lot that I remembered, but there was a lot that I didn't remember too. It was kind of fun re reading this and feeling like it was new as well. I really enjoy this story and think it is one of my favorites in the series so far. A really fun read and it was nice because it has the characters of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy as well but they aren't the main part of the story. So it was nice to have them there but also fun to hear a different story from different characters during their reign. 

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

 

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. By: C.S. Lewis

I love reading this book and it seems like I find something new every time I read it. The spiritual symbolism in his books are so amazing. 

The Magicians Nephew

 

The Magician's Nephew By: C.S. Lewis

I know there is debate about the order in which to read this. But I always like to start the series with this book for two reasons. #1 it makes the whole series flow a lot better and #2 its how C.S. Lewis stated the series should be read. Who am I to question one of the all time greatest authors ever on how to read his books. :0)

I really love this series and it seems like I can have a different take away every time I read it. The characters are so fun and likeable. The symbolism in this book and series is so amazing. It has been years since I have read these books, so I am excited to finally re-read them again.

Braiding Sweetgrass

 

Braiding Sweetgrass By: Robin Wall Kimmerer

This was a recommendation by my husband. It was a very interesting and eye opening book to a whole new culture that I don't know much about. It was also interesting hearing about some of her tribes folklore, legends and religion and how it so closely aligns with some of the same stories and beliefs that I grew up with and believe in. I also learned a lot about various plants, trees, flowers, etc. and their varying attributes. Honestly it did make me a little sad that I am unable to have my garden anymore. Listening to her stories of spending time in her garden with her kids did make me homesick for my garden and for my families garden growing up as a kid. It is definitely something I am really hoping I can have again in the near future (5 year plan).

I really enjoyed her relation of the legend of the windigo to modern greed and discontentment. That was really very eye opening and made me reevaluate where I stand and if I am letting the windigo take over meand my family. This book was also a great reminder of gratitude and being thankful for what you have. I am very glad I read this book.

The Collapse of Parenting

The Collapse of Parenting By: Leonard Sax 

This book was AMAZING. It has helped open my eyes to some parenting concepts that either I was using or some I was questioning. He covered so many areas and answered a lot of my questions. One was  regarding how much freedoms that kids should get verses how much freedom that they are getting. He also talked about how much schools have changed over the last 20 years and the culture of disrespect among kids and teens today. I learned so much from this book and have started to put into practice what he teaches. Such as spending and enjoying more time with my kids. Turn off all devices and actually have sit down dinners and such. Its amazing the change I have seen in my kids in such a short amount of time by putting these and a few other of his suggestions in practice.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is a parent

Almost There

 Almost There By: Farrah Rochon

This was such an interesting take on The Princess and the Frog. I enjoyed seeing more of the dynamic of the friendship shared by Tianna and Charlotte. I also enjoyed the historical significance of life in the late 20s in New Orleans between both the varying classes and races. The character of Tianna seemed to remain fairly similar to that of the movie. But the book added more depth to the characters of Charlotte, Naveen, The Shadow man and even Luis. It also introduced a number of other characters that play an intricate role in Tianna and Naveen's story. This wasn't one of my favorite of the twisted tale series, but I still enjoyed it.

What once was Mine

 

What Once was Mine By Liz Braswell

I am excited to be listening to the twisted tale series again and this book was next. The way it started out was a little confusing at first. With a brother and sister in a hospital rom while she received her chemo treatment. But I thought it was endearing that the story of Rapunzel was told to the sister by the brother in his own version of the story. What a version it was too. Instead of being healed by the Sun drop flower, it was the moon drop flower that was found. This gave Rapunzel's hair a whole new form of magic that makes things more complicated. I don't want to reveal any spoilers so if you would like a different Rapunzel story I recommend this book.

It Happened in Utah

 

It Happened in Utah By: Gayen Wharton

I found this at my local library, I have been wanting to learn more about the history of Utah for awhile, I know a lot regarding rather large events and such. But there are a few small towns or ghost towns that I've always been interested in learning its history. I thought this book might be a good start. At first I will admit the author came a ross as unprofessional in regards to written as a history and even seemed rather biased at times for a historian. But the more I read it changed and I was able to learn a lot from towns that I either have lived in or live near by, and much more. 

Out of the Shadows

 

Out of the Shadows Understanding Sexual Addiction. By: Patrick Carnes, Ph.D.

I read this book as a request from my husband and his therapist. It was very insightful and helped me to understand a little more about sexual addiction and the stigma behind it. It also helped me to understand how this addiction can have an impact on the family and those that are associated with the addicted party. It was very difficult to read as most self help books are but very insightful.

The Hiding Place

 The Hiding Place By Corrie Ten Boom

When I first purchased this book I actually went off the cover and just assumed it was another memoir of a survivor of the Jewish faith from a concentration camp. However Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian woman who was involved in an underground effort in Holland to find safe places for persons of interest to the Nazi's. Not just jews but also young men who they take to put to work, people with a mental handicap, and more. She had a very specific and intricate system of coded communication with all the various people associated with the underground operations. Eventually her and her family was found out because of a mole associated with the gestapo. They were sent to a prison and then eventually ended up at a work camp. 

Her story was so impressive and inspirational to me because of the faith that her and her sister had, despite the horrible conditions they were subjected to. She is such a remarkable woman who always looked to Christ in every situation she faced. Her faith was so strong that she was able to witness and be apart of some amazing miracles. To go through what she went through and not only keep her faith intact but also have it strengthened because of her circumstances. After the war, she went on to tell her story and help spread the message of love and hope through Jesus Christ. As well as set up foundations to help anyone affected by the war.  I HIGHLY recommend reading this book.

Eyewitness Auschwitz

 

Eyewitness Auschwitz By: Filip Muller

This was an interesting read right after reading the eyewitness account from Dr. Miklos Nyiszli. because of what i assumed was the close proximity of where the doctor was located in conjunction to the crematoriums of Auschwitz. I was curious to see if Filip Muller and the Dr had any contact or communication with each other. Filip never mentioned Dr. Nyiszli by name however there was a story that he told that could very well have been correspondence between the two. 

I also found the "voice" or tone of the two books to be so startling different that it made me realize how the individual trauma and how its handled is so vastly different and for the lack of a better word individualized. While both eyewitness accounts are gruesome and horrifying, It seems that one of the survivors experienced caused such different scarring trauma that its harder to overcome than say the other survivor. This concept is something that should have been an easy thing for me to see; a "no brainer" if you will. But I think with the history of events surrounding the holocaust is sometimes lumped together as the events of the Jewish people during WWII. That often times the survival stories get lumped together as well and makes it feel as one big cohesive story rather than Individual people and their individual experiences that created these stories. 

So a goal I'm setting for myself going forward reading these survivor stories. Is to look past the lumped up "generalized" story, to make sure I am hearing the voice of the individual person trying to express what they personally went through and witnessed. Not just the generalization of the slaughter that was the holocaust. 

Auschwitz: A Doctors Eyewitness Account

 Auschwitz: A Doctors Eyewitness Account  By Dr. Miklos Nyiszli

I have been studying the holocaust for many many years and have read a lot of books written by survivors telling their stories. But I have never read a story quite like this one. Dr Miklos was a Hungarian jew that was sent to Auschwitz with his wife and 15 year old daughter. But instead of being sent to the gas chamber or to the work side of the camp. He was hand picked by the nefarious Dr. Mengele to work along side him at the crematoriums dissection room. His story is one that brings even more fresh new horrors to the Nazi atrocities that occurred during World War II. But as horrible and hard to read as these survivors stories are. It is important to read them, know their stories and remember these people as well as know what really happened. So in the future ,we may be able to do our best to prevent history repeating itself in such a gruesome and atrocious way. 

The Crown

 

The Crown By: Kiera Cass

This is the final book in the series and I have really enjoyed reading this whole series. This is one of the books that you feel as it gets closer and closer to the end. You are constantly wondering how in the world was everything going to be wrapped up with so little book left. Then the author does an amazing job at wrapping up everything in a pretty little bow.

This book had so many twits and turns and its funny because when something "came to light" it was like an oh yeah moment for me. Like a puzzle piece that's always been there but it was just hard to see the picture till you were finally able to set it in the right spot. then everything becomes clear. I know this review is a metaphor riddled catastrophe. But honestly this is the only way I feel I was able to express this book other than the simple, generic and boring, "It was great I really loved it". 

This is a series that sometime in the future I could see myself thinking about again then realizing I couldn't remember some details and would want/have to revisit. SO i guess in a way you can say that this series has become a good friend and I cant wait to revisit this old friend again in the future.

The Heir

 

The Heir By: Kiera Cass

I was excited to continue this series. But I wasn't expecting the huge jump in timeline. The story of Maxine and America continues, but now they have been King and Queen for a number of years and this is the story of their daughter and her struggles as she learns what it would take to be queen someday and having to go through her own selection as 35 eligible men move into the palace to try and win her heart and hand in marriage. 

Although I wasn't expecting the big leap on the timeline. I am still loving this series. Its actually been a lot of fun to see Maxine and America all grown up, and to see the addition of their children into the series and their varying personalities. I'm jumping right into the next book right away to see what happens next.

Brunelleschi's Dome

 

Brunelleschi's Dome By: Ross King

This was a very love hate book for me. The topic and content was very interesting. But the narrator for the book was very dry and made it very difficult to listen to. I may have to re-visit this book in paper form.

Goodbye 2023 Hello 2024

I was able to not only make my reading goal for 2023 but I exceeded it immensely. I think this was due to the fact that I have been able to listen to more audiobooks while driving to and from work now. For the upcoming 2024 year I have set a goal to read 25 books. I am hoping to be able to accomplish this. Wish me luck.

Here is the list of my 2023 books that I was able to read..

• Once Upon a Dream
• A Grief Observed
• The Last Jew of Treblinka
• Dawn
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• The History of Art in Japan
• As Old As Time
• Reflections
• Part of Your World
• Mirror Mirror
• Conceal dont feel
• Straight on Till Morning
• So This is Love
• Unbirthday
• Inkspell
• Picasso and the Painting that Shocked the World
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
• Go The Distance
• Chernobyl The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe
• The Selection
• The Elite
• The One