Noontide Ponderings

I stand within the shadow of the trees

Watching leafy silhouettes quivering in the breeze

As if a thousand timid butterflies

Hesitate before taking flight

Or a great restive feathered beast

Shudders as he settles to rest.

Perhaps someday the mimic butterflies will float away;

The comic beast will fly.

For now both beast and butterflies

Appear content, though restless on their captive perch.

The counterpoint of shadowed sunlight and silhouetted silence

Gently settles into stillness.

All is well.

Between Two Worlds

Marquardt, Elizabeth. Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2005.

I found this book by visiting the blog of Lauren Winner, an author I have recently discovered. She had chosen to read this book because she said she saw herself on every page. Although I generally avoid the victim mentality that often comes from reading books about how traumas in a person's life have warped that person so he or she cannot choose to behave differently, I was intrigued by this particular book.

This book is the culmination of a study of children who both came from divorced families and completed at least one college degree. The author's hypothesis was that such children would generally be considered successful by the world around them, yet she wanted to see how growing up in a divorced home changed the way children think and feel and approach the world.

I am nearly finished with this book, but it definitely merits a second reading. I am not looking for excuses at all - my sinful behavior is the result of my wrong choices, and I bear the responsibility for that. However, it is comforting to know that at least there is an explanation for why I tend to think or react a certain way to events in my life (like the stress of moving, yet again, and packing my life into boxes).

Ring of Fire

Baccalario, Pierdomenico. The Ring of Fire. Random House, 2009.

I was not impressed with this book. It reads much like a Dan Brown novel written for teens. The characters are flat, the mystery is not that mysterious, and the suspense was, well, unsuspenseful. I was glad to be done with this book.

The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade

Gardner, Sally. The Red Necklace. Dial, 2008

Gardner, Sally. The Silver Blade, Dial, 2009

These are both good stories of the French Revolution. The second book does become a bit tedious, but the information about the French Revolution is accurate and the relationship between the Gypsy boy and the aristocratic girl is interesting. Again, a good vacation read.

The Dragon of Trelian

Knudsen, Michelle. The Dragon of Trelian. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2009.

I like dragon books, but I will admit that they can often run in very predictable patterns. Not so this book. This twists in the plot and the connections between the mage's apprentice and the princess were entertaining. It is obvious that another book in this series could be forthcoming. This was a good vacation read.