Polishing Mud Balls: May 2009

Friday, May 29, 2009

A Breath Of Snow And Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

A Breath of Snow And Ashes

by Diana Gabaldon

Back Cover:

The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.

With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports

Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.

First Sentence:

The dog sensed them first.

I loved this book. Loved it! Loved it!

It captivated me. It amazed me. It pulled on my emotions. It had my heart racing. It left me sighing. It had me wondering and questioning as the story moved at a nice pace. It left me with answers. It left me knowing that Jamie and Claire are truly my most favorite fictional characters. It left me wanting to read more of their story. It left me in awe.

A Breath Of Snow And Ashes is the sixth book in the Outlander Series and yet it was fresh. What do I mean that it was fresh? Goodness, the characters are all the same, we are still in North Carolina during the mid-1770's. I mean, it was fresh in the sense that the storyline took us more and more into the lives of Jamie and Claire. The storyline was not once stagnate. The storyline was fulfilling and satisfying.

Yes, the story took my breath away as it filled me with details of daily life, historical aspects, the daily-emotional lives of the Fraser family. While the story was told from the view points of Claire, Jamie, Brianna and Roger - I felt a sense of connection with each character as they connected with one another. I felt this connection through their thoughts, fears, worry, laughter, joy and love.

Even though the story is told from different view points, I felt that A Breath Of Snow And Ashes focused in on Jamie and Claire. Their relationship continued to be rock-solid while they grow older. I am thinking that they are in their fifties at this point. We see Jamie and Claire travel through a crisis that, at the time, I could feel a shift in their relationship. Not necessarily a negative shift but one where Claire is put into a vulnerable position of having to deal with emotions. This is a crisis that had potential to have long-term implications which could devastate their relationship. Does it? The thing is, both Jamie and Claire are fighters. They do not give up on what they take to heart, what they believe, what they love.

A Breath Of Snow And Ashes continued to show the characters of Jamie and Claire to be real, solid, flawed, earnest in their love, faithful and vulnerable. They argue with passion yet remain respectful toward each other. They come to an understanding even if they do not completely agree. They speak their truths. The disagreements show how real the author has made Jamie and Claire.

Jamie, god - the man is rock solid in his belief and love for Claire. He is patient, kind and loving. Yet, he is a strong and honorable leader.

Claire, while she is strong she is almost a bit too stoic at times.

This need to be stoic, I believe, shows her true vulnerability in that she does not want to look weak. Thus, this is why the crisis was so strong felt. Claire, however, is amazing in her strength of resilience. She is also so incredibly forgiving and understanding of past situations. Claire is rock solid in her belief and love for Jamie.

The ending - gosh, the ending is gripping and satisfying. You must read the epilogue, it should not be skipped.

A Breath Of Snow And Ashes is one of my favorites in the series along with Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber.

Rating: 5/5

Quotes/Passages that stood out to me:

There comes a point when the body has simply had enough. It snatches at sleep, no matter what menace the future may hold. I'd seen that happen: the Jacobite soldiers who slept in the ditches where they fell, the British pilots who slept in their planes while mechanics fueled them, only to leap to full alert again in time to take off. For that matter, women in long labor routinely sleep between contractions.
In the same manner, I slept. p.237

He seized my free hand, hard, and looked down at me.
"You may have it," he said. His voice was very low, but he met my eyes straight on. "All of it. Anything that was ever done to me. If ye wish it, if it helps ye, I will live it again." p.258

The above emotional passage starting at the top of page 258 - mid. 260 really shows Clarie's vulnerability, shows Jamie's strength and love for Claire. I really felt the intensity.

-but there was always food in the house, and without any particular fuss, Jamie and Ian had equipped themselves in short order with the remains of a cold partridge pie, several hard-cooked eggs, a dish of piccalilli, and half a loaf of bread, which they sliced up and toasted over the fire on a fork, buttering the slices... p.279

I am always amazed at the food which is consumed on Fraser's Ridge. Jamie and Claire have certainly had their times and fair share of going without food...Fraser's Ridge is not one of those times.

"But not my will be done, but Thine," he said very softly. "I chose my way when I wed ye, though I kent it not at the time. But I chose, and cannot now turn back, even if I would."
"Would you?" I looked into his eyes as I asked, and read the answer there. He shook his head.
"Would you? For you have chosen, as much as I."
I shook my head, as well, and felt the small relaxation of his body as his eyes met mine, clear now as the brilliant sky. For the space of a heartbeat, we stood alone together in the universe. p.470

There is a prayer that Jamie says over an animal upon slaughtering. I really liked how this scene was done...it was several pages.

The following is the prayer in English although Jamie says in Gaelic.

"O Lord, bless the blood and the flesh of this the creature that You gave me,
Created by Your hand as You created man,
Life given for life.
That me and mine may eat with thanks for the gift,
That me and mine may give thanks for Your own sacrifice of blood and flesh,
Life given for life."

Check out A Breath Of Snow And Ashes review by Melanie of Novel Ideas by Mel.

Outlander Challenge 2009

100+ Reading Challenge

Internet Readings: A La Carte - Week of May 25

spiritual, cooking, activities, crafting, funny, serious, life...

A La Carte....Enjoy!

THE Easiest Potato Corn Chowder

Spotlight: Author/Illustrator Allen Say

Allen Say has written and illustrated some wonderful children books. We own several. We like reading his books.

How to start teaching my little one to read?

Spring 2009 Book Swap Sign Up

March 2009 - 2009 Newbery & Caldecott Winners

From Caterpillar To Butterfly

Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

Fine Motor Friday

Make Your Own Family

Heartfelt Award

The Heartfelt Award

Caspette from The Narrative Causality has awarded me The Heartfelt Award. Ahh...thanks so much Caspette!!!

The Rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog/post.

2. Nominate up to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside.

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.

5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

I would like to pass the award on to...

Morninglight Mama from My Thoughts Exactly

Annie from Reading, Writing and Ranting

Melanie from Novel Ideas by Mel

The Happy Housewife

Shari from Random Ramblings

Jennwa from The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman

Let's Talk: Special Needs, part one

Why talk Special Needs?

There are many children that suffer from some form of disability that would deem them as a special needs child. For every child there are parents. Parents who need to learn what is best for their child. Parents who need to understand their child's disability. Parents who need to educate themselves to be the best advocate for their child. Parents.

My husband and I are parents. We are parents to six wonderful children and within this group of children we are parents to one child whom is deemed special needs.

Our 5 year old son is a special needs child. His disabilities: speech delay and developmental delay. The following are some of what "I" displays: motor speech disorder, expressive language disorder and receptive language disorder. Lack of coordination and other symptoms involving the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Has difficulty with his sense of self in space. Lacks safety awareness. Impulsive. Uses large, less refined movements when completeing motor tasks.

“I” does not have a neat and orderly diagnosis that gives us insight. A diagnosis that has a foundation, an organization that provides resources, information. "I" is a little bit in "no man's land". No one can say if he will gain intelligible speech which allows a flow of conversation. No one can say if he will gain great strides to decrease his development delay significantly. No one can say, therefore ... No one can say he cannot.

We have a special needs child yet it took me a bit of time to become comfortable with the term "Special Needs". Comfortable stating that my child has special needs. Why? I think, mostly, it was because he did not have a diagnosis beyond speech and development delay. For me, the term delay conjured up an image that it is transient. That the delay will not last, it will be gone rather quickly. Hmmm...I was wrong. My husband and I have a special needs child.

This is a journey that started 4 years ago, a journey of evaluations, testing, therapists, and school. This is a journey to learn about special needs laws, special education, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, insurance requirements, apraxia. I feel that we have learned much . Yet, there is still a vast amount of understanding and knowledge that we need to gain. This is a journey.

Our fuller story will be told in Let’s Talk: Special Needs, part two

Resources, etc will be put into Let's Talk: Special Needs, part three

I am writing the Let's Talk: Special Needs posts for three purposes:

1. To tell our story.

2. To pass along some information that may have been helpful for us.

3. Special needs advocacy - if I were to become politically involved, I can see myself becoming involved in the area of special needs advocacy.

Taken from Wikepedia

Special Needs: Special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. For instance, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases 9th edition both give guidelines for clinical diagnosis. People with Autism, Down syndrome, dyslexia, blindness, or cystic fibrosis, for example, may be considered to have special needs.

Taken from Wikepedia

Special Education: The term Special needs as a short form of Special Education Needs.[1][2] and is a way to refer to students with disabilities. the term Special Needs in the education setting comes into play whenever a child's education program is officially altered from what would normally be provided to students through a Individual Education Plan which is sometimes referred to as a Individual Program plan. [3]

Taken from Sloan Work and Family Research Network

Interesting Facts: "Special needs have generally been identified through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Young children who have been diagnosed as having developmental delays, or any child who has been evaluated as having one of a limited list of disabilities specified in IDEA are considered as having special needs when they require special education and related services (20 U.S.C. 1401 and 34 C.F.R. §300.8). Nearly 7 million children with disabilities receive special education services under IDEA, including 270,000 infants and toddlers, 715,000 preschool-age children, and 6 million students from ages 6 through 21 (U.S. Department of Education, 2007)." (Brennan & Rosenzweig, 2008)

Are not the above numbers staggering? My gosh, we had no idea until we found ourselves as parents struggling to help our child.

I hope that information which is posted in regards to Special Needs will be of some value to someone along the way. Mostly though, for me,this is therapeutic.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Dark Lover

by J.R. Ward

Back Cover:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...

The only purebred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed - orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate - Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead...

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both...

First Sentence:

Darius looked around the club, taking in the teeming, half-naked bodies on the dance floor.

Dark Lover is categorized as paranormal romance fiction. Yes, I like romance books even those which are bit on the fluff side. They are fun, easy reads. For the most part, they take no brain effort to understand the plot line and so forth. However, I usually tend to become bored with these books about 1/2 through but keep reading because it is fun and I want to know the ending. Dark Lover, no surprise, is big on the romance end...you know, sexual tension and what not. The surprise is how I was not bored.

Dark Lover, yep, surprised me. The plot line was meaty enough to capture and hold my attention. The romance angle, while predictable it was, had enough desire (on my part) to know the couple that I did not become bored. There are intimate moments that books such as these have, but the moments in this book was not so bam in your face. While the intimate scenes did happen -several times - I did not feel these scenes were the soul purpose of the storyline. You know, where the storyline is written only with the purpose on how many times and how many ways the author can get the leading couple into bed. Nope, the story was meaty enough so that the intimate scenes flowed right along.

Another prevailing aspect found in romance novels is the male. He is the rescuer to the damsel in distress. He may have a dark side but...oh...is he ever sweet to the one that is his "other half", his "mate". The other aspect is the woman. She usually is not a true damsel in distress but she certainly is in need of the male's strength, protective nature towards her and his undying need for her. She, by the way, more times than not, does not fall at his feet right away. Convincing of some nature must be done by the male.

Dark Lover surprised me a bit on the prevailing aspects. Wrath, dark and powerful, must take on a role that does not make him comfortable. For some reason, he appeals to me. One other thing, Wrath is a vampire. I must say, the vampires in this story are very cordial. They live differently than other vampires that I have read about. Beth, she is a bit of a damsel in distress but she is not pathetic. She holds her own very well. Wrath and Beth together is appealing. They communicated fairly well with one another. I will say, sometimes, I did roll my eyes and say "come on" as there is so much "you are my mate" stuff going on but with that said, it was not overly done.

The plot line, I actually liked the plot. There is some action and intrigue even though I knew our main character would not come to serious deadly harm. There is thought put into the society both human and vampire. There is an order, a rank with some devious stuff that can lead to danger. I can see how this plot can be utilized and explored in greater depth in future books of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Overall, Dark Lover delivered as it was an entertaining and easy read. The couple were appealing in both their nature and looks. The plot line was intriguing enough to capture and hold my attention. If you like paranormal romance then I will venture to say, you will like Dark Lover.

Rating: 4/5 stars

1st in a Series Challenge

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Halfway to the Grave

by Jeaniene Frost

Back cover:

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father; the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership. In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner; are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her new found status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

First Sentence:

I stiffened at the red and blue lights flashing behind me, because there was no way I could explain what was in the back of my truck.

This is one paranormal romance novel that I truly liked. Halfway to the Grave had the paranormal element, action and romance. The characters of Cat and Bones had depth. We, the reader, are brought into their world. We read about who they are and what they want. I liked that their was depth to their character instead of fluff to just keep the story moving. Cat is fierce and determined. She has weakness and strengths. Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, exudes incredible power. The two together make a powerful team.

The great thing was, this paranormal romance had a great plot that contained twists and turns. Not only that, the plot did not simply exist so that our couple could "get it on" in bed. The plot had a purpose.

I like romance stories for they satisfy my need for a quick and easy and fun read. Usually, I do become bored with the couple a good 3/4 way thru the book. Usually , although fun reads they are, the book falls short of a good read beyond "it was ok".

Halfway to the Grave surprised me in that I was not bored with the couple, the plot entertained me and I simply thought... "This is a good read. A good paranormal romance".

Rating: 4/5 stars

1st in a series challenge

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Wonderous Words Wednesday - A Breath of Snow and Ashes

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion's Weblog. This is where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun by going to Bermudaonion's Weblog - leave a link to your post or comment here on my post.

My words have come from a book that I just completed titled:

Obstreperous - I was much to old, much to obstreperous-and much too notorious. p.226

(adj.) From Latin obstreperus Date: circa 1600

Noisily and stubbornly defiant.

Aggressively boisterous.

Succinctly - "Difficult," he repeated. "Aye, ye could say that." And proceeded to lay out the situation succinctly. p.366

(adv.) from Latin succinctus having one's clothes gathered up by a belt, tightly wrapped, concise

Date: 15th century

expressed in few words; concise; terse

characterized by conciseness or verbal brevity.

Marauding - but the new crops of pole beans, onions, turnips, and radishes were planted, the cabbages weeded and culled, and a dozen large peanut bushes had been pulled up and hung to dry on the garden palisades, safe from marauding squirrels. p.394

(adj.) French- marauder, deriv. of maraud rogue Date: circa early 1700

engaged in raiding for plunder, esp. roaming about and ravaging an area

Beguile - "Ye must beguile someone before ye can betray them, no? p.648

(verb) Middle English bigilen : bi-, be- + gilen, to deceive Date: circa 13th century

to influence by trickery, flattery

to charm or divert

Uxorious - Jamie Fraser was an honorable man, he was deeply uxorious.. p.720

(adj.) Latin uxorius uxorious, uxorial, from uxor wife Date: circa late 1500's

doting upon, foolishly fond of, or affectionately submissive toward one's wife.

Seismic - and little wonder, too, that the echoes of the hidden conflicts between her parents had reached Brianna, like seismic disturbances that travel through miles of earth and stone, jolts from an upwelling of magna, miles deep beneath the crust. p.722

(adj.) from Greek. seismos "earthquake," from seiein "to shake." Date: circa mid 1800's

having a strong or widespread impact: earthshaking

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

What's On Your Nightstand? June 2009

5 Min utes f or B ooks asks once a month - What is on your nightstand?

I am posting about my goals for the month of June.

The following are the books that I have on my plan for reading.

Outlander Challenge 2009

Seriously, I so love...yes, love this series!

I have completed books 1-6. They are tremendous! Must reads!

I am now going to read the Outlandish Companion. Yes, I am a bit of geek with this series. I am curious and want to know more.

The Outlandish Companion

This book is not apart of the challenge. I have listed here because it makes sense.

2009 TBR Challenge

The Host

by Stephenie Meyer

1st in a Series Challenge

Impostress

by Lisa Jackson

Hot Blooded

by Lisa Jackson

Dark Ruby

by Lisa Jackson

Royal Romance Reading Challenge

A Garden in the Rain

by Lynn Kurland

Once Upon A Time III Challenge - Quest the First

Radiant Darkness

by Emily Whitman (Mythology)

U.S. Presidents Reading Project

J ohn A d a ms

by David McCullough

I am using S.Krishna's approach to reading. I think this approach has been helpful. I will say...this book, so far, is a good read. I am enjoying learning about John Adams. It has been cool to read the Outlander series as I am now leaving book 6 and we are in the year 1776 - John Adams time period. Very cool to read fiction and non-fiction set in the same time period.

Ok...Help!

I am not reading this book as quickly as I would like. I mean, I have been plugging away at it for 2 months now. Why? The above approach to reading has been helpful but I do find myself only choosing to read this book maybe once a week. Once a week and I can only tolerate reading roughly 50ish pages at a time. Why 50? Well, I am finding that reading non-fiction is a much slower boat than fiction because I *need* to pay attention far more closely.

Has anyone else experienced difficulty in reading non-fiction? This book is good. It really is...what is my problem? **sigh**

Mom-Musings : Kids' Choice Pick (this is my own personal challenge - I want to read at least one book/month that one of my girls are reading or read.)

and

Read Together Challenge

Ereth's Birthday (EJ -9)

by Avi

This Lullaby (EM - 13)

by Sarah Dessen

The Hunger Games (EM and ED) (Read together with EM)

by Suzanne Collins

Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (book 3) (EJ)

by Eoin Colfer

So... a few of Kid's Choice are from last month. I really like the intent of Read Together so I am going to keep this purposefully in mind during June.

For my own personal non-challenge enjoyment

The One Year Chronological Bible

Scarlet

by Stephen Lawhead

A Song for Arbonne

by Guy Gavriel Kay

A Reliable Wife

by Robert Goolrick

This is my plan. Will I finish all these books? Not sure. I know that I will most likely add in books based on my whim...whim of moods. Goodness, my reads for April prove that I have whims. :)

I am excited about all the selections for the month of June.