The Shepherd's Crown

       Our granddaughter is reading one of Terry Pratchett's books from this series and loveing every minute of it.  I wanted to talk with her about the book she was reading and looked in our local library.  Unfortunately they didn't have that book, but they did have The Shepherd's Crown.  I read it from cover to cover and found it an amazing read.
        Upon the death of the head witch, Teffany, a good witch, must take on the leadership of the entire witch's band. She is charged with protecting her community, and healing the sick, setting bones, and helping with childbirth. As her responsibilites grow, she must make decisions that affect her entire community as well as neighboring communities.
       Fear of failure, lack of time and sleep, the need to be in two or more places at once, the threat of invashion from the fairie raiders, are stressful. Will the other, older witches, back her as she takes the lead and wants to make changes in the way things are done?  Will they accept a man into their group?

Terry Pratchett has woven a delightful story with many different characters, each with their own personality, problems, and prejudices. Neil Gaiman says, "A Terry Pratchett book is a small miracle." I say Neil is right on.

A Wrinkle in Time

MADELENE L'ENGLE created a classic in her book, A Wrinkle in Time. The novel is imaginative, thought provoking, adventurous, all the elements that made me ignore everything I should have been doing, and read the book from cover to cover in one, long, satisfying setting.

Meg and Charles Wallace are 'different' and the conversational target of all those others who are 'normal'. The normals aren't called upon to confront 'evil' and save Meg and Charles' father, however. Who are the strange beings that come to Charles and Meg?  Are they spirits, ghosts, angels, or something else?

Some of the author's lines that grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go.
       "Just because we don't understand doesn't mean that explanations don't exist."

       "There are forces working in the world as never before in the history of mankind for the standardization, for the regimentation of us all, or what I like to call making muffins of us, all alike as the muffins in the muffin tin."

      "We can't take credit for our talents.  Its how we use them that counts."

     A Wrinkle in Time is a wonderful novel for any child or adult able to read and imagine a world like and yet unlike the world we live in.

Fantastic Texas

We went to our monthly NETWO meeting Thursday night and heard an interesting speaker, Lou Antonelli. Lou is editor of our local paper, the Daily Tribune. In addition to his writing for the paper, Lou has begun writing short stories. He shared his source of ideas for various stories and his adventures in getting them published.
Naturally, Mr. Antonelli had copies of his books with him. Two found a home with us. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, he was out of his latest book. Fantastic Texas, a science fiction anthology, is a collection Texas tall tales made up of a mix of pure fantasy and 'it might happen' science fiction. The stories are short, making the novel ideal for those times we find ourselves waiting in a doctor's office, for children to come out of school, or for someone to return to the line after assuring you, "Your call is important to us."
Fantastic Texas can be purchased at most book stores or from Amazon. Mr. Antonelli, like most authors, usually has several with him and is willing to autograph those you buy from him.