Children of Dune by Frank Herbert

The strange combination of power and humanity plays out in a constant battle in the third book of the Dune saga. I admit that watching Alia succumb to evil was heartbreaking, but it was also expected. After Paul's rule, much of his story and ideas still plague the land through the unstable empire that Alia rules. And wise beyond their years, Leto II and Ghanima decide to avoid the spice trance and refuse to see the future. This plan was used to avoid the mistakes their father made, but a preacher still talks of Muad'Dib and makes an effort to challenge both Alia's rule and the religion of Paul Atreides. The story of this novel played with the notion of human and god. This is shown through Leto II more than anyone, who knows his fate and accepts it for his sister's sake. Leto and Ghanima have been left with a task to redeem Paul's failure. They must overcome power and decide which path they will take to keep the spice flowing and their humanity preserved.
This story was more complicated than the first two, but I still recommend it after Dune Messiah.

Happy Birthday Pride and Prejudice!

 Then and now still a great story.

http://crystallizedheart.blogspot.com/2013/01/happy-birthday-pride-and-prejudice.html

Bookworm earrings ;)

I made these today :) Love wearing the Pride and Prejudice pair.
Actual post with details here:
http://crystallizedheart.blogspot.com/2013/01/book-earrings.html

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This book was beautiful. There are many words, but the complexity of the story just can't be simplified. It's a novel about living. What life really is, regardless of your situation in life. It's a deep and inspirational story. Hazel Grace is an amazing character and narrator. She is gifted with the ability to say what she feels, and be blunt without coming across that way. Augustus Waters is a happy go lucky guy, and an entertaining person. From his obvious metaphors to his random comments, in many ways he is every girl's dream. But Hazel's fear of that dream is understandable, she has cancer. Constantly aware of her situation, Hazel hesitates in one of the most important moments of her life. A life that Augustus seems to enjoy and encourages her to be a part of. Their story is an amazing slice of life tale with reality and fantasy meshed into one.
This book was like candy, and I couldn't put it down. I literally read it in four hours. But every hour was worth it. As Hazel learns about life in all it's complexity, the reader begins to understand the beauty in reality.

I recommend this novel to anyone who wonders what beauty and love truly are.

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

Power always comes with a price, even for Paul, who has gained more power than he can handle as Emperor and the religious figurehead of "MuadDib", and he is aware that he is headed towards a down fall. The impending doom comes in the form of a ghola, a reanimated and resurrected  body in the form of Duncan Idaho. Even Paul's sister Alia is aware of a terrible plot, but both are blind to all the details, and are estranged often from the everyday aspects of life.
This novel played out like a Greek tragedy, but it held such a human tone that I actually forgot it took place on a far off planet in a made up universe.
While the Harkonnen was Paul's enemy in Dune, "MuadDib" became his enemy in Dune Messiah. The expression of a fool saint was used often throughout the book and foreshadowed Paul's inevitable fall. But the way the story was told was once again philosophical and epic.
Paul is almost three people in the novel: The emperor, the prophet and the human. The emperor seemed lost and confused, overwhelmed at times, but he was still a threat to his enemies. The prophet was a force of evil in the guise of good that grew more an more into a threat as the story progressed. Then Paul, forced to deal with the past, future and present was trapped in a web of his own making, and longed for the simple life, living with Chani as a freeman of the desert.
This story played with the danger of a man becoming a god, but oddly enough, we watch through Alia's eyes. Alia is Paul's sister, the reverend mother and someone else all together that she doesn't understand. Her struggle to fit in, be normal and just be human was a very strange and yet familiar story. It was the hero's journey to discover the self, and the goddess's journey to become human at the same time.
Once again Frank Herbert created a layered epic with powerful and human characters.
I recommend this book after Dune, but I admit it was a struggle to view Paul as an antagonist, protagonist or both, which might have been Herbert's point. What I will say is regardless of his many faces, Paul was human.

Dune by Frank Herbert

This book literally blew me away! It was so detailed and had a rich library of cultures, religions, languages and myth that foreshadowed the story of Paul Atreides. The excerpts at the beginning of each chapter (written by Princess Irulan) added a substance to the story and immersed the reader in the world of Arrakis and the politics, mysteries and people that existed on the desert planet.
It is one of those novels that I would recommend to everyone at one point in their life. It makes you think, and keeps you invested in the story at all times. It also makes you extremely thirsty and while reading about people living in a constant desert, you can't help appreciating the value of water.
This is a great novel, but it's one you have to pay attention to. Everyone the narrator tracks is an important piece on the chess board of politics, religion and legend.
One of the charms in the novel is the omniscient point of view that frequently dips into characters' consciousness and reveals information you wouldn't understand in the first person point of view by Paul or Jessica.
It is a philosophical story, with allusions to important elements in the culture of both the Freemen (inhabitants of Dune) and the Bene Gesserit (a female order of scheming minds).
One of the most important subjects of the novel is the spice or melange, an element that only exists on Arrakis and is extremely addictive.
I don't want to mention too much of the story, to ruin the mystery and the theatrical way the events are presents. All I will say is that Dune is an engaging story that makes you pay attention, and reflect on philosophical topics. I enjoyed this novel, and instead of rating it, I will simply recommend it. Some people like it, and some don't, but your perspective of the story should be your own.

Belle: More than a bookworm

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

 
Summary: "When orphaned young Maria Merryweather arrives at Moonacre Manor, she feels as if she's entered Paradise. Her new guardian, her uncle Sir Benjamin, is kind and funny; the Manor itself feels like home right away; and every person and animal she meets is like an old friend. But there is something incredibly sad beneath all of this beauty and comfort- a tragedy that happened years ago, shadowing Moonacre Manor and the town around it- and Maria is determined to learn about it, change it, and give her own story a happy ending. But what can a solitary girl do?"

When I first bought this book, years ago, I saw J.K. Rowling's comment, "I absolutely adored The Little White Horse". This was during my unicorn phase, where I was searching anywhere and everywhere for books about unicorns.

The Little White Horse is a story with many elements and themes. History repeats itself and after twenty years, Maria's arrival at Moonacre Manor is an important event. She meets many unique and interesting characters and discovers that not all is what it seems. Maria herself, is curious, proud and impatient, character traits of a true Merryweather according to her uncle Sir Benjamin. Moonacre Manor is a magic place where Maria has her own room, built for the Moon Princess ages ago, but with a door that only she and few others could fit through. The room is described as her sanctuary, and Moonacre Manor, her true home.
She arrives  at this new home with her governess, Miss Heliotrope and her dog Wiggins, who have been with her for most of her life. But as time goes on, Maria discovers more important characters and learns of the dark mystery surrounding her lovely home, one that speaks of murder.
Maria learns the history of her bloodline through the Old Parson at the church in the village. Pride has always been the Merrywaethers' downfall and that has never changed over the course of history. Woven in the past of the Merryweather bloodline is also the tale of the Moon Princess, who comes but cannot stay due to the curse of the Manor and Paradise Hill. Once Maria listens to these stories, she becomes determined to break the curse and mend the rift of two feuding families.
But she is not alone in this quest, her friend and companion Robin, a character much like Puck and Peter Pan, must help her to break the curse and both are destined to change history for the Merryweather bloodline.
This book is in a word, charming. The narrative is fun and playful, with a witty voice and memorable characters. The story is a fairytale adventure using symbolism of the Christian religion. Wrolf, the Merryweather dog is eventually revealed to be a more symbolic animal, and the little white horse also has an important role to play. Much of the visual elements involve night and day, moon and sun, and of course light and darkness. The wild men of the wood are described as shadows that steal and cause havoc on the valley. The Old Parson describes them as lost sinners who must find their way.
Once the history is revealed, the story becomes a parable. The book as a whole is an enjoyable read and an imaginative journey in age old wisdom. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and mythology.
Five out of five pearls.

Have you read this book?
What did you think of it?

A New Year, and a new Reading List

I have admired Book Review blogs for a while now and decided to create one of my own.
I decided to start by linking to book reviews of the past, and listing my titles to review for the future.

Book review for Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst

Book review for A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

Book review for What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Book review for How to Be Like Walt by Pat Williams

Book review for Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono

Book review for Beastly and Lindy's Diary by Alex Flinn

Book reviews for Where The Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of Sky by Grace Lin

Book review for The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler

Book review for Stravaganza: City of Ships by Mary Hoffman

I also have recommendations on books about Greek Myth here

And books on writing here

Five books that changed my life

More life changing books

Book Reviews for the Future:

I'd like to rewind and read some of my favorite books from childhood

First Book:

 The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge.

Second Book:

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Feel free to comment and send recommendations. This could be a virtual book club if you'd like ^_^
The main thing is to have fun and share what you thought of the books. Swapping Titles would be fun too.