I thoroughly enjoyed this book about the effect that WWI had on two of my favorite authors, how their experiences translated into the stories they wrote, and how their faith in God was strengthened and established despite the horrors of war.

This is heartbreaking to read, because it gives such detailed personal accounts of the war, the suffering and fear they went through, and the terrible losses of friends and family. But it is also wonderfully interesting to learn about the history of that time, and the misguided Utopian philosophies that were shattered by the war.

I was impressed with the scholarly yet accessible writing style, and the way in which the historical and personal information was organized and presented in each chapter. This clearly explained how Tolkien's and Lewis' personal experiences were entwined in the larger story of the war, and the popular philosophies and political thinking of the time.

It was wonderful seeing the parallels between the fictional worlds of Narnia and Middle-Earth and the real wartime experiences of Tolkien and Lewis. There is a heavy emphasis on not just the physical suffering during war, but also the mental and emotional pain exacerbated by small annoyances on the battlefront. All this is tempered by the fierce friendships, close bonds, and sudden joyful reunions of soldiers who endured these things together.

I love the way that suffering is transformed into joy, both in Tolkien and Lewis' real life and in their stories. It is shown again and again that God's presence transcends earthly suffering and brings spiritual joy to those who know Him. It was inspiring to read how Tolkien and Lewis survived these hellish experiences, threw off the cynical philosophy of their generation, and embraced the happiness that only Christ can bring.

In this fourth book in the series, Kenneth is getting involved in politics and is sadly losing the election to become a State Representative. The three nieces decide to help him in his campaign, and they fight against dirty politicians, ignorant country voters, and shady political dealings that threaten to overwhelm the campaign. Along the way, they befriend the country people, and help a farmer to find his missing daughter.

I get bored with politics, so I didn't especially enjoy the plot, but I liked how the mysteries were surprising and interesting. I loved how the girls help Kenneth to set up a rally that throws their opponent's arguments out the door, how they discover the underhanded political deals, and they aid in solving the mystery of the missing farmer's daughter.

There is some sexism in this book, but it would have been considered very progressive for its time. At the time, women could not vote in the USA, and it was frowned upon to have women involved in politics in any way. There is a lot of anxiety that the nieces will expose themselves to ridicule, but they plow ahead anyway, forming a political women's society, and canvassing around the neighborhoods to talk to wives about how their husbands should vote.

There are several instances where the men say something about how "a woman should know her place", but the nieces just go skipping along with their plans, and prove that they are more clever and formidable than they are ever given credit for. The brilliant Kenneth naturally realizes that he would be nowhere without the efforts of the girls on his behalf, and he praises and thanks them for their capable management of his campaign.

As always, I like the fresh and simple writing style, and of course, I am delighted with the sweet characters.

The Swallows and Amazons are preparing for a peaceful sail down the Channel, with Captain Flint and their new Able-Seaman Peter Duck, when they are followed and attacked by real life pirates! The pirate captain, Black Jake, is determined to kidnap Peter Duck, who knows the location of a long-lost treasure, buried on Crab Island in the Caribbean Sea. Only the brave Swallows and Amazons, with all their sailing know-how, can bring their ship safely across the Atlantic to search for buried treasure with the evil pirates at their heels.

Just as wonderful reading it the second or third time! There is so much action and adventure, I couldn't put it down! I love how the story guides you gradually from the everyday business of the ship into the fantastical plot twists, so that you barely notice that the story has taken a wild turn at the end. It all seems so perfectly plausible by the time you get there. Truly brilliant story-telling!

As always, I am completely in love with each and every character! The Walker family are so close to my heart, and the Amazon girls are deliciously full of moxie.
I especially like seeing how John and Nancy, as the two captains, are constantly engaged in a little friendly contest to see who has the best seamanship. It's never aggressive, but keeps them on their toes, since they don't want to be embarrassed in front of the other by making some mistake in their sailing. Little character details like this are what make the children so real and alive.

One of the things I adore about these stories is that in every book the characters are recognizing Susan's tireless efforts on behalf of the crew. If it weren't for Susan making sure that everyone got to bed on time, brushed their teeth, wore their scarf, and got their meals in a timely manner, there could never be any adventures. Without Susan taking care of all those things, none of them would be able to rush off to dig up buried treasure or sail anywhere. At least once or twice in each book, someone says, "If it weren't for Susan, we would be nowhere." I love how when there is a decision to be made, they all look to her for the final ruling. They respect her common sense, and know that she will make the right decision. It does my heart good to see how they all respect and appreciate her as she does most of the emotional work of the group.

Another thing I love about all these stories are the hidden lessons about telling the truth, never leaving a friend behind, obeying orders and being responsible, comforting others, being brave in a bad situation, admitting freely when you've made a mistake and apologizing, etc... But the lessons are so well-hidden within the narrative, that you would never realize you were learning them and admiring the characters who behave well although it's sometimes hard for them to do so. Wonderful writing!

Kullervo's uncle murders his father, and Kullervo vows to find revenge. He grows up wayward and wild and without compassion for anyone except his twin sister. With the help of the magical hound, Musti, Kullervo escapes the murderous machinations of his evil uncle. Kullervo has set his hand against the whole world, and he ruins crops, creates a wasteland in the forest, commits mass murder, and generally reeks destruction wherever he goes. His story is tragic for everyone involved.

This short story, one of Tolkien's very early attempts at rewriting myths, includes a great deal of poetry, a tragic plot, and the delicious rich language that characterizes all of Tolkien's works. Most of the book is commentary, essays, and notes about the story, its Finnish roots, and its influence on Tolkien's later writing.

The story itself is only 47 pages long. It's also unfinished, with the ending briefly described in an outline. I actually liked how raw the writing felt, and didn't mind that the finale is missing, since Tolkien's outline is descriptive enough to give a satisfactory ending to the bones of the story, even giving some details of possible dialogue at the end.

There is a lot of reference to the Finnish epic tales, "The Kalevala" or "Land of Heroes", a collection of poetry and songs that Tolkien was inspired to rewrite in his own way. Kullervo is essentially a retelling of the Kalevala, with Tolkien adding to the story and changing it to fit his own narrative style.

Two of the chapters in this book are Tolkien's thoughts on the Kalevala, how he was inspired by the work, and his analysis of the writing, the stories, the songs, and the bad translations into English. After reading so much of what Tolkien loved about the Kalevala, I fully expected there to be at least some excerpts of Kalevala in this book, but there weren't. It made me feel like something was really missing from this edition. After talking about the Kalevala for more than half the book, you couldn't include at least a portion of it? So much of what Tolkien said about the Kalevala went over my head, or was uninteresting, since I don't have the opportunity to actually read it.

The best thing about this book is the beautifully vivid language that Tolkien uses, and the lovely rhythm of his prose and poetry alike! Well worth the read!

Charles and Kate are visiting Cornwall to take a tour of Marconi's wireless telegraph station. There are spies and saboteurs who want to steal the latest wireless technology, and Charles is asked to look into the mysterious deaths of two of Marconi's employees. Meanwhile, Kate is trying to comfort a friend whose daughter drowned months before, and she finds out that the child's death may have some connection to the spies sneaking around the countryside.

The plot is slow in the beginning, but picks up with a little more action towards the end. I wanted more character development in this one, but I did enjoy some of the character arcs. It just felt like there could have been a deeper story there, and it wasn't as thoughtful as it might have been.

Charles and Kate are barely together for the entire book. Just one tea together, one dinner, and one hurried letter, and for the rest of the book they are apart doing their sleuthing with other people. Boo! One of the main things that has kept me reading through this entire series is that I love Charles and Kate TOGETHER. So this one was a dud in that respect.

I was surprised that the characters participate in a seance. It was certainly a fad at the time, but I never expected these characters to take that sort of thing seriously. The seance scene seemed out of character in some ways, although I think Kate would only be interested in order to glean material for her writing. At least Charles thought it was humbug and refused to participate.

I liked reading about the historical aspects of the story, the beginning of the Marconi company, and the importance of wireless for ships at sea, etc... But even that got a little boring, because they kept repeating the same facts again and again.

Overall, a fun little read, but nothing special.

The Swallows and Amazons are planning a Polar Expedition to the north end of the lake, along with their new friends, Dick and Dorothea. While waiting for the lake to freeze over so they can skate, the explorers spend their time building an "igloo", climbing the fells to "Greenland", and sailing the "Fram" through the polar ice. But when it comes time for the great Polar Expedition, a snowstorm threatens to ruin all their plans, and only the intrepid Swallows and Amazons can make it through to the North Pole!

I loved reading this for the second time just as much as the first! I am so in love with the delightful Dick and Dorothea, especially because they are not at all nautical like the Swallows. The D's have to learn how to tie knots and build campfires, but they have their own strengths too, and their own useful knowledge that makes the Swallows and Amazons appreciate them as friends.

I love the Dorothea is constantly writing stories in her head, and I love that Dick gets so focused on whatever sciencey thing he is analyzing that he forgets all about everything else. Best of all, they fit in well with the rest of the crew, while still retaining their own original personalities.

Brilliant writing, wonderful setting, and lovable characters!

Bwahahaha! So funny! So wonderful! I just love the hilarious antics of Heart and Brain. Each little comic is full of laughter and wit. And I love how even the Eyes, the Tongue, the Gallbladder, the Gut and Stomach, all play a part in the nonsense. The artwork is vibrant and fun, and each little panel brings something entertaining.
Love it!

The best thing about this comic is that the humor is clean and appropriate for all ages.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

I thought this comic was funny, but did NOT appreciate the profanity and sometimes vulgar humor. Some of the good jokes were about feminine things like nail polish, dresses, and shaving; and some of it was normal social things like feeling awkward at parties. I liked most of it, but the profanity on a few of the pages ruined my enjoyment. I liked the cute artwork though!

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This collection of comics doesn't have a continuous storyline, but little snippets of a boy and his friend the Snail, who dream of going to the moon. They watch the stars together, read books, dress up in costumes, and avoid schoolwork.

Most of the individual comics don't actually have a funny punchline. It's just sort of whimsical and random with no real point. It reminds me a little of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "The Little Prince" with the moon and stars and a dreamy child drifting along through an aimless plot.

The artwork is lovely with soft sepia tones and delightful details in clothing and facial expressions. There are books littered throughout the illustrations, sometimes being read, or in stacks on the floor, scattered across the grass, flying around in the air, and sometimes just sitting demurely on a shelf.

I really love the fanciful artwork, but the dialogue just doesn't hold up the non-existent story. I doubt this would capture a child's attention, although it might fuel the imagination of dreamy adults.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.