The Primrose Way - Jackie French Koller

Title: The Primrose Way Author: Jackie French Koller Genre: Historical fiction, YA Rating: 9/10 # pages: 313 Date read: April, 2008

Summary: Living in a rough Puritan missionary settlement that borders an Indian village, sixteen-year-old Rebekah is forced to choose between two cultures when she falls in love with a defiant Pawtucket medicine man.

Review: Many, many years ago, a good friend of mine recommended this book to me as it was her favourite. This was before the Internet became as big as it is now, and interlibrary loan wasn't as well developed either, so I was unable to find it anywhere. Though I have long lost contact with said friend, I still think of her from time to time, and when I accidentally stumbled across the book I knew I had to buy it.

A great book, and I understand why she recommended it to me, but it reminded me of everything that annoys me about religious fanaticals (Puritans here) and the treatment of the Native Americans. It always frustrates me when people tell others how and what to think, and especially when they use the Bible to back up ridiculous theories. Bah!

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Tris's Book - Tamora Pierce

Title: Tris's Book (The Power in the Storm) Author: Tamora Pierce Genre: Fantasy, YA Rating: 7/10 # pages: 208 Date read: April 2008, September 2010

Summary: Four elements of power. Four children to control them. Alliances are tested, friendships forged and betrayed, and pirate queens fought in this second installment of the Circle of Magic quartet.

Review: I think this is my least favourite in the Circle of Magic series. Not that it's not still good, but Tris has always been the one of the four I was the least interested in. The book also seemed rather rushed, but I think that may be a general thing for the entire series, and not just this book in particular.

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Daja's Book - Tamora Pierce

Title: Daja's Book (The Fire in the Forging) Author: Tamora Pierce Genre: Fantasy, YA Rating: 9/10 # pages: 194 Date read: April 2008, September 2010, February 2025

When Daja was cast out of the Trader community, she made her own family with her fellow mages-in-training. But when danger faces the Traders, it is up to Daja to save the people who turned her away.


From the worst in the series, to the best in the series, this one is definitely my favourite. I think this is better written than the others, probably because Tamora Pierce doesn't try to do as much and keep tract of as many different plot lines in this one. I enjoy reading about Daja's interaction with the traders and her work with metals and fire fascinates me.

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Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster

Title: Celebration of Discipline Author: Richard J. Foster Genre: Christian non-fiction Rating: 3,5 # pages: 200 Date read: April 2008, March 2016

When Richard Foster began writing Celebration of Discipline more than 20 years ago, an older writer gave him a bit of advice: "Be sure that every chapter forces the reader into the next chapter." Foster took the advice to heart; as a result, his book presents one of the most compelling and readable visions of Christian spirituality published in the past few decades. In succinct, urgent, and sometimes humorous chapters, Foster defines a broad range of classic spiritual disciplines in terms that are lucid without being too limiting and offers advice that's practical without being overly prescriptive. For instance, after describing meditation as a combination of "intense intimacy and awful reverence," he settles into such down-to-earth topics as how to choose a place and a posture in which to meditate.


Reread in 2016: Exceedingly weird... my opinion of this book keeps changing!

I read this in 2004 and absolutely adored it. Back then I'd have rated it 5+/5 because of how much it touched me.

I reread it in 2008 and was slightly disappointed that it couldn't live up to my expectations. I downgraded the rating to 4/5, as I thought it still started out really good and I learned a lot from the inward disciplines (prayer, meditation, study, fasting) but the outward (simplicity, solitude, serving and submission) and the corporate disciplines (confession, worship, guidance and celebration) seemed less important and less poignant to me than I felt they ought.

Then I reread it again this year, figuring that with lower expectations, it wouldn't disappoint me yet again... but that's exactly what it did. The contents of the book is still fine, but the writer's voice annoyed me exceedingly and I did think he made some arguments I didn't feel there was suitable reasoning behind.

Probably not a book I'll revisit - a shame, as I loved it SO much back when I first read it.