Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by Rk Rowling

Whew, read it and liked it and that is that. I still consider it a Broken and Healing book. Anyone want to debate that one?

Harry Potter?

Which Hogwarts House Would You Be In?
	The Sorting Hat would put you in Hufflepuff. You are reserved, rational, and down-to-earth. You work well with others, are a great team player, and you always take a stand against injustice.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Mansfield Park by Jane Austin

I had to finish this book before I went and saw Becoming Jane the movie. (Finally figured out the babysitting and my two sister in laws and I went to a matinee) I loved this book. I liked the movie but wasn't too impressed with the PG-13 places in the movie. Way too much buns for me. AND the movie focused on Pride and Prejudice not her other writings. The movie also focused on only one part of her life. She did quite a few more interesting things even though she didn't get married.

Back to the book: Mansfield Park was really long. She took over 200 pages just setting up the characters. There is a lot of stuff about manners, what is proper and improper. A bunch about money and marriage. At first you think the heroine is a rich girl but it turns out to be the quiet unlikely to ever get married or fall in love poor girl.

My favorite character was Edward. He is kind to everyone and tries to do the right thing no matter what. I don't want to give away the ending but it sure ended different then I thought. The main characters were very happily married for ever after like all her books but it still had a few surprising twists to get there.

She focused most of the book on moral choices and their emotional consequences. After seeing the movie I understood a bit more about why she had so many people eloping. Great book, complex and classic! WHOLE BOOK

Dragonsong by Anne McCafferey

This is volume one of the Harper Hall Trilogy. I love these books! My grandfather used to read them and actually got me hooked on the dragon books at an early age of 11. I haven't read them in so long this book was brand new to me.

Dragonsong is about a world called Pern. There is a whole society there with customs and creatures...also humans live there. A planet or star orbits close to Pern and drops dangerous silver Thread, a micro-organism of some sort that eats everything it touches. There are also large Dragons on the land that humans can impress to be kind of like soul mates with, or best friends, they can talk to each other through thoughts...anyway the Dragons can burn up the Thread with their firey breath. They fight it off so it doesn't fall on the people below and ruin everything.

A girl lives in one of the Halls and she loves music. Unfortunately traditionally only boys can be good at music. Her family is embarrassed that she is so musically talented...anyway without giving it all away she ends up making friends with smaller dragons called fire lizards and she teaches them to sing. She has such an intriguing story it was hard to put this book down. Plus if you have ever read any of the Pern books they are so addictive you can't get enough of it's fascinating dragon lore. I love science fantasy books!

Whole book

Under the Same Stars by Dean Hughes

What would it have been like to have lived during the early days of the Mormon church? This book is about a boy named Joseph Williams. He is about 9 yrs. old. His family moves to Jackson County Missouri in 1832. They followed the prophet's counsel and set up homesteads, started plowing and planting the land. Joseph W. learns about differences and loyalty. He also learns the hard way about violence and hatred. Through the trials he faces and his family faces he learns how to rely on the Lord when you have done your best and all you can do. The mobs come and run his family and the Mormon's our of Missouri. They had to leave everything behind. Joseph W. has to be strong and help his brother to safety after he is shot in the leg. His father is beaten and his mom has to give birth in a makeshift shelter in the pouring rain. The shelter also leaked. But they persevere and their faith is strengthened.
This was a historical novel and I think it was lacking a bit in something. It was interesting but also not quite , I don't know...anyway I probably won't encourage my son to read it. I found it at DI while in Utah and it looked like a good book about a Mormon boy for a Mormon boy to read. oh well.