Fiction of 2015

Here are my favourite fiction books from the past year. These are books I read in 2015, not ones that were published in 2015. They are in no particular order.

1. Terry Pratchett: Unseen Academicals, The Dragons of Crumbling Castle, and The Truth. I always enjoy Terry Pratchett, although I didn't read much from him this year. Of the three, The Truth was my favourite.

2. Agatha Christie: around 43 books! I won't list them all, but this was my summer for Agatha Christie (and by "summer" I mean June-August, and then a few into the fall, and one last week). I like Miss Marple more than Hercule Poirot, and really enjoyed the Tommy and Tuppence series.

3. Benedict and Nancy Freedman: Mrs Mike. I read this years and years ago (I think I was about 15) at my grandparents' house. It's my mum's favourite book, which is how I read it again this year.

4. Kersten Hamilton: Tyger, Tyger; In the Forests of the Night; The Stars Throw Down Their Spears. This trilogy made me laugh and cry, and held my interest straight through. It didn't fall into the bad habit that seems to plague so many recent trilogies for young people, where the third book becomes too preachy in its attempt to get across its message. There is a message (books in general have some sort of theme that tends to teach something, no matter how unintentional), but it's just part of the story and not in your face.

5. Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities. Yes, it's long (he was definitely paid by the word), but so worth it. I devoured the final few chapters because I had to see how it ended.

6. Manga Classics: This is my new favourite way to read some of the classics! I read three of them this year:
The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne (Story Adaptation by Crystal S. Chan; English Script by Stacy King; Art by SunNeko Lee)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin (story adaptation by Stacy King; Art by Po Tse)
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (story adaptation by Crystal Silvermoon; English Script by Stacy King; Art by SunNeko Lee)

7. Leonie Swann: Three Bags Full. Someone has killed their shepherd, and the sheep are determined to figure it out. It's fun to read, especially since the sheep, of course, don't quite understand the human world. The author did a great job of writing from their perspective.

Those were the best (at least in my opinion). I read a lot of other books, some from my childhood (The Secret Garden, The Story Girl, a few books by Monica Hughes) and others that were good, but not at the top of the list. I read one that would have made the list, but around page 350 the young heroine goes into the magician's room and they spend the night together (and it gets a bit too detailed for a couple pages). It really bothered me, because the story is good, but I can never recommend it to anyone because of 4 totally unnecessary pages.

Tomorrow I'll look at the non-fiction of the year.

2015 Reading Challenge

Much to no one's surprise, I finished the 2015 reading challenge (at the beginning of November). It was a good way to expand my reading habits at least a bit. Of course, many of the books I would have read anyway fit into at least one category, but there were some books that I searched out to fit the categories.

Here are some books that I enjoyed but wouldn't have found if I hadn't been doing the challenge:     

1. A book written by someone under 30: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. He's pretty interesting (I also read Paper Towns) and not as depressing as you'd think given the popularity of The Fault in Our Stars.
2. A book set in a different country: The Ink Bridge by Neil Grant. This one takes place in Afghanistan and Australia. It's interesting and sad.
3. A book based on a true story: The Great Pearl Heist by Molly Caldwell Crosby. This is about the theft of the most expensive necklace in the world, and gives some information on the formation of Scotland Yard, London a hundred or so years ago, and the jewel trade.
4. A book that scares you: Dracula by Bram Stoker. It's not a book I'd read just before turning out the lights, but I really enjoyed it.
5. A book based entirely on its cover: Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton; also In the Forests of the Night and When the Stars Throw Down Their Spears. It took three tries to find a book based on the cover that I was willing to finish, but this one was really good (enough that I read the trilogy). It's based on Irish mythology.
6. A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. London and Paris both, and a story that had me staying up to finish the last chapters.
7. A graphic novel: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin (the Manga Classics version; story adaptation by Stacy King; Art by Po Tse). I liked this format enough that I also read the Manga Classics version of Les Miserables and The Scarlet Letter.
8. A book that takes place in your hometown: Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger. Granted, much of the novel takes place in the states, but they do have to travel to Thunder Bay and the surrounding area.
9. A book originally written in a different language: Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. It's about sheep who are detectives, trying to find out who killed their shepherd. What's not to like?

      There were more, of course, but these ones were my favourites. At some point over the next few days, I'll give you my top picks for fiction and non-fiction over the past year. And then I'll get started on this reading challenge: http://www.challies.com/resources/the-2016-reading-challenge. I'm planning to do the light, avid, and committed reader, with some forays into the obsessed reader (but I don't think I'll finish that). Granted, I read 135 books in 2015, but a lot of those were light reads, children's lit, and the like. I think 2016 will be a deeper reading year, and that tends to slow down the number of books read.

The Day After Christmas

Christmas was lovely. There was a lot of food and a lot of laughter (and really good presents). Today is my recovery day, the one day of the year that I try to do nothing: I don't make plans, I don't leave the house, and I don't feel any obligation to be productive. Even as a student, for those six years of the masters program, this was the only free day that I didn't feel any guilt about not doing school work. My plans include Lego and classic Doctor Who.

Just so you know, I am planning some "not a video" posts for next week. They're all about books, of course; it is time for the end-of-year book round ups. And then I plan to post more regularly next year than I did this year.

For now, though.....

Happy Christmas Eve!

Third Sunday of Advent

Second Sunday of Advent

About Christmas

Christmas sometimes makes me feel like a bad Christian. A lot of my church friends on Facebook are posting about Jesus being born, and remember the Reason for the Season, and all about how excited they are to celebrate the Savior's birth, and Scripture and stuff.

Listen: I agree with them. I really, really do. I love Christmas because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and the incarnation and Jesus and salvation and the Light of the world.

I also love Christmas because: presents, coloured lights, Christmas music, baking, turkey and stuffing, family, secrets, concerts, Christmas trees, peppermint drinks at coffee shops, Christmas stories and movies.....all of Christmas!

And I feel a bit bad because I don't only focus on Jesus at Christmas. I focus on everything that makes up Christmas. Christmas is fun!

There's room in my Christmas for the serious, important parts. I just don't think we have to sacrifice fun to prove that we're real Christians and we haven't forgotten Jesus.