"I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward." -- Charlotte Bronte --

 "It's okay to be a glow stick. Sometimes we need to break before we shine." -- Unknown --

 "Don't worry over finished work . . . don't look back, go on to the next challenge and give it your all." -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg --

"All that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither; deep roots are not reached by the frost." -- J. R. R. Tolkein --

 "Until you try, you don't know what you can do." -- Henry James --

Johnny Tremain

 

Title: Johnny Tremain

Author: Esther Forbes

Rating: ★★★★★

Ages: 12 - 18+

    Back Cover Synopsis:

    The year is 1773; the scene is Boston.

    Johnny Tremain is fourteen and apprenticed to a silversmith. He is gifted and clever and lords his talent over the other apprentices - until tragedy strikes. A crucible of molten silver breaks and the silver spills over Johnny's right hand. The hand is so badly burned, it's useless - and now, so is Johnny. 

    Since he is no longer able to become a silversmith, Johnny's life takes a new path, one that will bring him in touch with Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and other Boston patriots and with all the exciting currents that will lead to the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington. Johnny's dream of being a silversmith may be dead, but he has discovered a new dream that will make him a part of American history. 

 "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." -- Ferdinand Foch --

 "I to myself am dearer than a friend." -- William Shakespear, The Two Gentlemen of Verona --

 "Dig deep within yourself, for there is a fountain of goodness ever ready to flow if you will keep digging." -- Marcus Aurelius --

 "She was one of those happily created beings who please without effort, make friends everywhere, and take life so gracefully and easily that less fortunate sounds are tempted to believe that such were born under a lucky star." -- Lousia May Alcott --

 "Stay positive, work hard, and make it happen." -- Unknown --

 "Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would be different." -- Katherine Mansfield --

December Update

     Hello, dear readers! I hope that you are all enjoying the daily updates on this blog. The holiday season is upon us now, what with the gifts and sweets and all. Here in Alberta it is quite cold, but the hoarfrost on the trees in the early morning light is simply beautiful. It totally makes Winter tolerable.

    I must ask you readers one thing: If you have been enjoying this blog, please share it with some friends. It doesn't have to be many; two or three count. Doing so will help keep me motivated and draw new audiences in to enjoy the daily posts. 

    Once again, thank you for spending a little bit of time here on this blog. I hope that the book recommendations have given you new reads to relax and curl up with. Perhaps beside a warm fire with a hot, steaming cup of cocoa or coffee or tea . . .

    Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Swallows and Amazons

 

Title: Swallows and Amazons

Author: Arthur Ransome

Rating: ★★★★★

Ages: 8 - 18+

   Back Cover Synopsis:

     The Walker children - also known as Captain John, Mate Susan, Able Seaman Titty, and Ship's Boy Roger - set sail on the Swallow and head for Wild Cat Island. There they camp under open skies, swim  in clear water and go fishing for their dinner. But their days are disturbed by the Blackett sisters, the fierce Amazon pirates. The Swallows and Amazons decide to wage war and so begins a summer of unforgettable discoveries and incredible adventures. 

 "All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become." -- Buddha --

 "Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence, and face your future without fear." -- Unknown --

"A Man he seems of cheerful yesterdays

And confident to-morrows."

-- William Wordsworth -- 

 "I never knew how strong I was until I had to forgive someone who wasn't sorry, and accept an apology I never received." -- Unknown --

"Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man;

But soon or late the man who wins

Is the one who thinks he can."

-- Walter D. Wintle --

 "We are all fools in love." -- Jane Austen --

Letters from Father Christmas

 

Title: Letters from Father Christmas

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: ★★★★★

Ages: 6 - 18+

    Read through the adventures and mishaps of Father Christmas and the North Polar Bear in a collection of letters from Father Christmas to Tolkein's children. Captivating, enthralling, and hilarious, this book is a must read for all.

 "Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one the stars." -- Frederick Langbridge --

 "The comeback is always stronger than the setback." -- Unknown --

 "Life is not an exact science, it is an art." -- Samuel Butler --

 "Joy is not in things; it is in us." -- Richard Wagner --

 "May my soul bloom in love for all existence." -- Rudolf Steiner --

"If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life." -- Oscar Wilde -- 

Willowmere

 

Title: Willowmere

Author: Andrea Cox Christen

Rating: ★★★★★

Ages: 8 - 16

    Back Cover Synopsis:

    "To Pea, Love Mom" . . . reads the necklace twelve-year-old Pea finds stuck high in the willow tree Mom had planted long ago on their ranch. Pea doesn't know how it got there. If Mom were alive, she would ask her. 

    But when Pea takes the necklace, the tree reveals a secret tunnel to Willowmere - a magical world built by her mom's stories. 

    Pea crawls through the tunnel and realizes that Willowmere is crumbling. Frightening dangers lurk behind each tree, and magic is deteriorating into chaos. All she learns seems to contradict everything she knows. 

    But could Mom still be alive in Willowmere? If Pea can learn to trust her new friends, and harness the power of stories, she might just save the world. 

    But she'll have to save herself first. 

 "Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel." -- Augustus Hare -- 

 "As long as I love Beauty I am young." -- W. H. Davies --

 "With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

 "Colours are the smiles of nature." -- Leigh Hunt --