Ronja Røverdatter - Astrid Lindgren

Title: Ronja Røverdatter (Ronja Robber's Daughter)
Author: Astrid Lindgren
Genre: Childrens
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 226
Date read: December 2011, October 2021

On the night Ronja was born, a thunderstorm raged over the mountain, but in Mattis' castle and among his band of robbers there was only joy - for Mattis now had a spirited little black-haired daughter. Soon Ronja learns to dance and yell with the robbers, but it is alone in the forest that she feels truly at home. Then one day Ronja meets Birk, the son of Mattis' arch-enemy. Soon after Ronja and Birk become friends the worst quarrel ever between the rival bands erupts, and Ronia and Birk are right in the middle.


I grew up with Astrid Lindgren's books, and "Ronja" is still one of my favourites. Ronja's fearlessness in exploring the forest, and her growing friendship with Birk never fail to charm me. This read-through was no exception, and went to prove that "Ronja" passes the test of time better than most.

The Christmas Dog - Melody Carlson

Title: The Christmas Dog
Author: Melody Carlson
Genre: Christian fiction
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 176
Date read: December, 2011

Betty Kowalski isn't looking forward to the holidays. She just can't seem to find Christmas in her heart. There's church, of course. But who can she bake for these days? And who would care whether or not she pulled out the Christmas decorations? Her new neighbor just adds to the problem. He's doing home improvements that don't appear to be improving much of anything. These days when Betty looks out the window, she sees a beat-up truck, a pile of junk, lots of blue tarps, and--horror of horrors--an old pink toilet. But when a mangy dog appears at her doorstep, the stage is set for Betty to learn a very important lesson about what Christmas is all about.

On the saccharine side, but I guess that's pretty par for the course for Christmas books. I liked it well enough, even if I did occasionally want to shake Betty for her bad decisions and interesting assumptions.

A quick read, but more of a feel-good story than an actual Christmas story.

The Librarian (Book One: Little Boy Lost) - Eric Hobbs

Title: The Librarian (Book One: Little Boy Lost)
Author: Eric Hobbs
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 200
Date read: December, 2011

Wesley Bates thinks his life pretty much sucks. He's landed at the bottom of his school's popularity ladder, and bully Randy Stanford seems to be waiting around every corner.

The troubled teen thinks he's found a way to escape his real-world problems when he stumbles upon strange doorways in Astoria's local library that seem to lead into the extraordinary worlds from all his favorite books. Oz, Neverland, Wonderland -- they're all a reality with Wesley's new discovery. Wesley teams with best friend Taylor Williams to embark on a great adventure, both ready to leave the drama of middle school behind.

But the two kids quickly find themselves embroiled in a centuries-old battle for the library and the magic hiding within. Now, fighting alongside the eccentric old man who's vowed to protect the building's power, the pair must help ward off an attack by a shadowy group with a strange tie to Wesley's nemesis, forcing Wesley to face the fears he's been dodging... and one of the most terrifying bullies of all time!

I'm hard pressed to say exactly what I think of this book. The plot was spot-on and right up my aisle. I loved the idea of being able to visit different books, and even - ala "The Eyre Affair" - influence the plot enough to change endings.

I wasn't too impressed by the writing though. It seemed unfinished somehow. Had this been a draft, I would have said it had great potential, but I think the editors did Eric Hobbs a disservice by not getting him to polish it off properly.

So 4 stars for the plot, and -1 for the writing. I'm intrigued enough to want to read the next book in the series though.

Soul of the Fire - Terry Goodkind

Title: Soul of the Fire
Author: Terry Goodkind
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~24hrs

Richard Rahl has traveled far from his days as a simple forest guide. Emperor of D'Hara, war wizard, the Seeker of Truth - none of these roles mean as much to him as his newest. For Richard Rahl is now husband to Kahlan Amnell.

But their wedding is the key that unlocks a faraway spell, and now a deadly power pours forth across the world.

Separated from the Sword of Truth, stripped of their magic, Richard and Kahlan must journey across the Midlands to confront a secret from their past, and a trap that could tear them apart. For there's no place so dangerous as a world without magic.

I still enjoy this series, but boy there was a lot of sermonizing and politics in this installment! I'm sorry, I don't care to read about politics - not even fictional politics.

Apart from that, I did enjoy the book though. I'm glad that Richard and Kahlan actually got to spend most of this one together for once! I did miss Zedd though, and hope we get to hear more about him, Ann, Verna and Nathan in the next book. Oh, and whatever happened to Addie? Anybody remember?