Double Duty

Hello, again!

It’s been a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading. In fact, I’ve read several books, and now it’s time to play catch-up on my reviews.

So, when I started my reading goal, I just started going through my bookshelf, reading the books in order as they were there, whether or not I actually wanted to start reading them in the first place (some books just sound more appealing than others, ya know?). Well, I was doing that, and then my sister let me borrow 2 books, so I put my bookshelf on hold and read those.

First was The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. It’s a good read, and she has some great stories and tips in there, but to be honest - a book about tidying just wasn’t doing it for me. So, I ended up reading only about half of it. But it’s by no means a bad book! In fact, it’s really good, and I picked up a few tidying tips that I’ve implemented into my home.

It might have been difficult for me to stay engaged with a book about tidying because I knew what book was next, and I just wanted to get to it. You see, the second book my sister let me borrow was Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. And the Harry Potter nerd in me just wanted to get to it right away!!

So, today’s book review is on The Cursed Child because I actually read all of that book :)

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is the story of Harry Potter’s son, Albus, some 17 years after Harry finishes school at Hogwarts. The book itself isn’t very long, and the fact that it’s a play script makes it easy to read even faster-- I ended up reading it in like 2 days, haha. I just couldn’t put it down!

But, the story focuses on Albus and his friend, Scorpius Malfoy (whom I love, by the way), as Albus strives to prove himself. It’s a story of complicated father-son relationships, loyalty, friendship, deception, self-discovery, and triumph.

And it’s wonderful.

While the book’s main characters are new to us, the authors work the story in a way that they bring in a lot of old and familiar faces, which brings a sense of nostalgia to those who have read the original Harry Potter books. I’m not going to get into details because I don’t want to give anything away, but even though this book is a play script, it does a fantastic job of keeping the reader engaged in every way.

I will say that this book kind of made me not like Harry even more than I did before (Harry was never my favorite character in the series). In The Cursed Child, Harry feels more like a whiner to me. But, the authors do a good job of also helping me realize that he’s also just trying his best. And, he didn’t have parents to set an example for him. All he had was the unloving Dursleys for his example of being a parent. So, I can see more of where he’s coming from in this book...but he’s still not my favorite. But, The Cursed Child does make me like Draco a lot more, and his son, Scorpious, who really is awesome.

So, if you’re a fan of Harry Potter, definitely go read The Cursed Child. It won’t take you long, but it will definitely be a memorable read!

P.S. IMBD says that there will be a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie in 2020, which, if true, I am so excited for! Seriously, as I was reading this book, I could picture it all in my head, and I think a movie could be awesome (granted, if they have a good director, etc.). I was also |this| close to seeing the Broadway play, which would’ve been awesome, but that didn’t work out. So, next time. For now, I will just enjoy the book :)

Bookworm Book Review: Follow the River

Hello!

It sure has been a while since our last visit. Almost a year, in fact.

It's not that I have forgotten about you. I would have fleeting thoughts every now and then about writing something, but then I'd forget before I actually sat down and did anything, and the cycle repeated a couple of months later.

Then, today, something awesome happened. You know how just about everyone says they do their best thinking in the shower? Well, that's not me... until today. Although, I wouldn't call what happened 'thinking.' It was more of a mild epiphany.

There I was, taking a quick shower after the gym, and I was thinking about how I wanted to wrap up in a blanket and read all night. Then it hit me-- you should write book reviews about the books you're reading!

You see, I have this laundry list of books that I've been meaning to read, and only recently did I actually start getting into it. I absolutely love reading, but it's hard to find the down time to do it. But, I just decided that I would grab a book and take it with me everywhere I go, and every time I had a few spare minutes, I would read.

So, that's what I did.

And here I am! I've been reading some pretty great books, and I want to share them all with you as I finish them. Now, although I write just about every day at work, I have never done a book review. Like ever. So, don't set your expectations too high as I figure out how to do this. And keep in mind that these reviews are by no means professional or endorsed. It's simply me blurting out my thoughts about these books I'm reading.

So, without further ado, let's get started!

Book #1
Follow the River, by James Alexander Thom 

The story of Follow the River takes you on the terrifying and courageous journey of a woman who was captured by Shawnee Indians in 1755 and later escaped. Based on a true story, James Alexander Thom worked with the ancestors of the heroin, Mary Ingles, and traveled part of Mary's trail to provide a realistic portrayal of what Mary experienced. And, let me tell you, it is fascinating.

This book spares no time before jumping into the story. While the entire book is a captivating story and excellent history lesson, I must warn you that it can get quite graphic. Thom begins the story by jumping into the Shawnee's attack right in the first chapter... and he gets quite detailed about how some of the settlers were killed.

I'm not going to lie- as I read this first chapter, I wondered if I'd be able to make it through this book. I even put it away for a few days because I just felt icky about the incredible imagery that Thom provides. Eventually, though, I picked the book back up and kept reading. That first chapter is by far the most graphic, and there are only a few short instances throughout the rest of book where Thom gets a little extra descriptive.

Now, my goal is to not give anything away in case you choose to go read the book yourself. But, in a nutshell, about half of the story talks of Mary's capture and journey back to the Shawnee village, where she stays for a short time. The other half of the book talks of her escape and journey through one thousand miles of wilderness in early winter as she tries to find her way back home.

As I read this book, and as I reflect on the story, I am simply in awe of this woman. I've often wondered if I would have made it as an early colonist or pioneer. I don't think I would have. Yet here was this woman, captured only a few days before giving birth to her third child, who faced her worst nightmare yet still resolved to be the source of strength for the small band of prisoners. How she did it, I don't know, but it truly is amazing.

During the story, every ounce of Mary's emotions are twisted and torn apart. She faces the death of loved ones and friends. She faces the constant terror of upsetting her captors to the point where they would harm her, or worse, her children. She faces the struggle of being spared harm because of the Indian chief's favor towards her yet being despised by her fellow prisoners because of it. She faces the conflict of occasionally seeing the Indian chief as an actual human being instead of the man who ordered the massacre of her village. She faces and clings to the hope that her husband was not found during the attack, and the fact that she is coming back him. She faces the mental struggle of wanting to die because of physical pain and starvation, yet persuading herself to keep going one more night. She faces the life-crushing anxiety of wondering if she went the wrong way. She faces the degradation of being sold as property and the fear that her new owner would try to force himself upon her. She faces the agonizing separation from her children. She faces the terror of fighting for her life with the one she most trusted in her time of need. She faces the indescribable relief that comes from finding her way back home. She faces the uncomfortable reunion with her husband as a woman who no longer looks like the one he married.

I have never once faced anything even remotely close to what Mary Ingles faced so many years ago, but Thom's portrays her thoughts and journey with such skill that you can empathize and almost feel all that this woman feels throughout her incredible journey.

If you are looking for an inspiring tale of courage, heartache, and survival, Follow the River is it.