BOOK 19: The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: Mary Lennox, a plain, spoiled, bad-tempered little girl is sent to live with her uncle on his huge estate. There she meets the master's ailing son Colin, and her maid's brother Dickon. She discovers a secret garden, shut up for 10 years since the death of her uncle's wife. She shares her discover with Dickon and Colin and together the children make the garden grow and bloom once more.

This book starts out slow for me. I remember starting to read it as a child, but never finishing it. In fact, when I pulled it off the shelf the other day, my bookmark was still in place on page 84. And this time around, it took me beyond that point to really get into it. But it was worth sticking with, to watch these children blossom and bloom along with their garden.

I love the themes in here: The healing powers of nature, laughter, friendship and exercise. The importance of letting kids be kids. The power of thoughts over the body, both good thoughts and evil ones. And the value of having a sense of purpose -- something to look forward to when you wake up in the morning.

BOOK 18: The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: For Milo, everything's a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he's got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things are different. He learns about time from a ticking watchdog, and embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason. Along the way, Milo realizes life is far from dull.

Delightful. Absolutely delightful. I loved this book as a kid, and I love it even more as an adult.

This is a sort of "Alice in Wonderland" trip of words. Everything is a play on words, and it's outrageously clever and insightful. The one-liners were wonderful -- I wanted to highlight every-other sentence. It's jam-packed with morals and cautionary tales, but the overarching theme of wisdom, knowledge and intellectual exploration are priceless -- and timeless.

Here are a handful of my favorite lines from the book:

"You often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons."

"Expect everything, I always say, and the unexpected never happens."

"The only thing you can do easily is be wrong, and that's hardly worth the effort."

"What you CAN do is often simply a matter of what you WILL do."

And of course:

"Brevity is the soul of wit."

BOOK 17: Simple Steps, by Karen Miller

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: Over 300 activities (and hundreds of variations) based on the developmental needs of infants, toddlers and 2-year-olds.

I borrowed this book from my 2-year-old's preschool. And I wish I had it with my first child! It is chock-full of fun ideas of how to play with your child, help him/her learn new skills, and encourage him/her to try new things that are developmentally appropriate.

Each activity has a suggested age, from newborns, through age 2+. And I found that I could adjust some of the ideas to include my 6-year-old in the fun, too. The activities are broken down into different categories: social-emotional, language, fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, music & movement, sensory, creative and dramatic play development, as well as a section on outdoor and nature appreciation.

I ended up flagging about 3 dozen activities to try. This will definitely come in handy as I try to pack more fun and learning into my kids' day.

BOOK 16: I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak

Rating: 3 stars

Cover synopsis: Ed Kennedy's life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence utnil he inadvertently stops a banik robbery. That's when the first ace arrives in the mail. Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?

The premise of this book intrigued me. Unfortunately, that premise became more and more contrived as the story went on. And the ending was incredibly unsatisfying and unbelievable. Not to mention Zusak's infatuation with profanity gets old really quick.

But still, I appreciated the message of the book: That by losing yourself in service to others, you find yourself.

BOOK 15: Queen Victoria, by Elizabeth Longford

Rating: 2 stars

Cover synopsis: Queen Victoria is the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Her decendants were to suceed to most of the thrones in Europe.

Some members in my book group saw the movie, "The Young Victoria" and decided they'd like to learn more. But this was not the right book for the job. I just feel even more confused!

The book's main redeeming quality: It's short. Only 118 pages. But it took me about 2 weeks to read it because it was mind-numbingly boring. I felt like I was reading a history textbook. It was all names and dates, and the author would refer to people by their nicknames, their given names and their titles interchangably so I couldn't keep them straight. She also started using initials for political posts -- and since I am not knowledgable about English politics or history, I had no idea what what going on most of the time.

The author would occasionally bring up interesting tidbits, but would merely reference them -- giving no clue as to what happened in the situation. Anecdotes! Give me anecdotes!

If I had some English background, or a strong interest in Queen Victoria, this book might have been more interesting. But as it is, I was relieved to finally finish it. Not sure how much I'll be able to add to my book group's discussion, though...

BOOK 14: East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: Set in the rich farmland of California's Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.

This novel is Epic with a capital "E." Incredibly well-written and mind-blowingly insightful. I tried to boil it down into one main theme, but that was impossible! This novel is about love, jealousy, agency, inheritance, good, evil, race, guilt, forgiveness, ambition, America, and character -- just to name a few.

I struggled with whether to award this book 4 or 5 stars. The first half of the book moved rather slow for me, and although it was interesting, I had a hard time relating to the characters. But the second half made up for it, and tied everything together from the first half. And I must admit, that the more time that passes after my completion of the book, I like it more and more. There's so much to think about.

I'd love to discuss this in my book group! But when I casually mentioned that I was reading Steinbeck, I got a lot of groans and averted eyes that said, "please, don't make me read it!" I can see how he's an acquired taste, but this book was well worth any effort.

BOOK 13: The Hostile Hospital, by Lemony Snicket

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: Within these pages are such burdensome details as a suspicious shopkeeper, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anesthesia, heart-shaped balloons, and some very startling news about a fire.

I have been growing weary of this series for a while, and this book fanned the embers of my interest a bit more.

Of course, it followed the formula, but it had some differences, such as the absence of Mr. Poe, and the way the book ends. Plus, there were some intriguing clues to the overarching mystery...though Snicket has done his job in leaving me no hope that things will turn out the way it is being hinted at. Still, I'm actually anxious to pick up the next book to see what happens next.