Recent Reads {The True Saint Nicholas}

The True Saint Nicholas - Why He Matters to Christmas by William J. Bennett - This little book was a great read for the Christmas season, and would be a good  choice for a family read-aloud too, in my opinion.  Bennett retells what little is known about the historical Nicholas of Myra along with many of the legends and stories that have been told about him over the years, and also explains how the stories of this good bishop traveled the world and were embraced by so many cultures.  And how in more recent history, he became Santa Claus and part of Christmas traditions even though his feast day is at the beginning of December.  I thought Bennett did a nice job of putting the fantasy and magic associated with Santa into perspective in its place in the celebration of Christmas.  If I remember, I may get this book next December to read aloud with my kids.

Recent Reads {Taliesin}

Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead - This wasn't the first time I've read this book, and I'm sure it won't be the last.  I'm a confirmed Lawhead fan.  This book is the first in the Pendragon Cycle, a series of five novels based on the King Arthur legends.  The tale starts with parallel stories of a princess of the island kingdom of Atlantis, and the mysterious child Taliesin in Britain.  The Atlantean princess Charis foresees the destruction of Atlantis and coordinates the escape of many of their people on ships, which eventually wind up on the western shores of the Island of the Mighty.  Taliesin himself grows up as a greatly respected bard and prophet, and the histories of his people and the transplanted survivors from Atlantis intertwine.  Christian priests have also come to Britain and Taliesin is one who accepts their message.  As I've come to expect from Lawhead, the combination of history, legend, and fantasy makes for a page-turner, even the second time around.

By the same author:  Patrick, The Skin Map,  and the other books in the Pendragon Cycle: Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon.  My first comments on Taliesin can be found here.

Recent Reads {Beloved Castaway}

Beloved Castaway by Kathleen Y'Barbo - I bought this book ages ago, basically because it looked kind of pirate-y and the price was right.  For whatever reason, it took me until my vacation a couple weeks ago to read it.  I was surprised at how good it was!  Honestly, I was sort of expecting a cheap, formula "Christian romance" which just happens to involve a ship's captain.  The story is actually more complex than that, with some intriguing twists and turns, despite the fact that it's obvious from the very first that the two main characters will fall in love.  That part, at least, sticks with the formula.  Isabelle Gayarre is desperate to escape from New Orleans and slavery, hoping to reach abolitionists in England.  She must trust Josiah Carter, a ship's captain, to help her get away, even though what she's heard about him doesn't inspire trust at all.  Some improbable coincidences, extenuating circumstances, and tragedies along the way conspire to thrown them together, and to learn to trust God as well.  It's hardly a spoiler to say that it is a happy ending, although how it all works out makes for a pretty good read.

Recent Reads {The Romance of Tristan}

The Romance of Tristan by Beroul, and The Tale of Tristan's Madness, translated together by Alan S. Fedrick - It seems to me that the Tristan and Isolde stories vary so widely that it's hard to believe any of them come from a common source.  I was looking for a version of the story that was suitable for kids and never did find it, but I did pick up this translation of a very old written source.  Beroul's epic poem - or, the portions that remain of it - is thought to be the oldest extant version of the Tristan and Isolde narrative, and it is translated into English prose by Alan S. Fedrick.  There are amusing and odd details throughout, and the story is quite a bit different from the Avalon novels I read recently, and different from almost any popular version I've ever heard.  The story-telling style is also a departure from what modern readers are used to, but Fedrick's introduction does a fair job of explaining how troubadour or jongleur stories were commonly told and how the tales may have developed before and after the time of Beroul.  Of Beroul himself, nothing is known, except that his poem dates from about the middle of the twelfth century.

The introduction is more detailed reading than the stories themselves, but I do recommend it for background.  The opening and closing sections of Beroul are lost, so this book offers a summary based on a reconstructed narrative from another scholar.  The translation of Beroul's work begins with The Tryst Under the Tree, and from that point it reads like a simple chapter book, although not all of it is suitable for children.  I found it a quick and interesting read - almost like a cheap romance from medieval times.

Recent Reads {Mozart: His Life and Music}

Mozart - His Life & Music by Jeremy Siepmann -  We recently studied (briefly!) Mozart in our homeschool, and I was disappointed that I was unable to get my hands on biography books suitable for the kids on time.  In my library search, I found this biography geared for adults and decided it looked interesting.  I was impressed with how very readable it was! Not at all a dry biography, but a very interesting survey of Mozart's life and times, with alternating chapters focusing on life and career events and on the music.  Mozart's own letters and writings of his contemporaries are quoted often.  The chapters entitled "Interludes" which describe the music are detailed enough for music students, with numerous insights into the influences and nuances of the compositions, yet I don't think they are too technical for a reader who has not studied music.  In any case, there is a glossary of music terms at the back of the book to help out!  There are two CDs of music included with the book, and any time a specific composition included on the CD was mentioned in the text, there was a convenient sidebar giving the track number.  I read the book while on vacation and without a CD player, so I wasn't able to listen as I read, but I would have loved to!  I will be listening before I return this to the library, and I've already ordered the book about Beethoven to read next.

Recent Reads {Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt}

Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt by Joyce Tyldesley - I decided to read this biography because I'd recently read a couple of novels set in Cleopatra's Egypt and was curious as to how accurate some of the fictional portrayals of the queen, her court, and her city were.  While the book was definitely interesting and went into great detail separating the myth from the facts about Cleopatra, it is not exactly light reading and is probably more "scholarly" than would appeal to the casual reader.  Much of what most of us think we know about Cleopatra has been influenced by the popular movie portrayals so our concepts of what she looked like and how she behaved have been modernized and shaped by Hollywood to a greater extent than we are aware of!  Tyldesley gives a great deal of background on Egypt under the Ptolomaic dynasty, and explains the culture and politics and many other details exceptionally well.  One thing I found confusing at times was that the book was arranged more topically than chronologically.  However, I learned much that was new to me and very interesting.

Recent Reads {Sunrise of Avalon}

Sunrise of Avalon by Anna Elliott - This novel of Trystan and Isolde completes the trilogy by Anna Elliott.  Elliott retells the legend with a few twists, combining the Arthurian legend with the historical setting of sixth-century Britain.  The story picks up where the second novel ended - Trystan and Isolde have married, a secret which very few people know, and she is pregnant - which only she knows.  Trystan has been called away in the ongoing tribal wars in the country.  The storyline is full of intrigue and danger - personal danger to the lovers, and an imminent threat to Britain as the Saxon invaders seem to gaining strength and the alliance of Briton kings is tenuous.  Elliott based her retelling of the legend on the earliest written version of the Arthurian tales and gives the whole a satisfying ending.

By the same author:  Twilight of Avalon, Dark Moon of Avalon