Book #57

I read a book that I didn't really have time to read.  I tried to make sure that I got an hour of "appropriate" reading in first, though, so I don't feel too guilty.  It was the next book in the Last Apprentice series--"Grimalkin the Witch Assassin".  This story was told from her point of view instead of Tom's, the apprentice.  Grimalkin was the witch who helped Tom bind the fiend in the last book.  It was  her responsibility to protect the severed head and keep it from the fiend's followers who wanted to reconnect it to the body.  Grimalkin was dedicated and was able to keep the antagonists at bay for most of the book.  These books really get me thinking about good vs. bad.  Can a witch be good?  If she is fighting for a good cause but uses bad magic, is that alright?  Does the ends justify the means? 

Book #49

I chose something fun and easy to read on our recent trip to Utah because I know that finding the time to study while on vacation is difficult.  I read the next book The Last Apprentice series--"Rage of the Fallen". 

I'm not sure what I like about these books.  Maybe the fantasy, maybe the good versus evil, maybe the scare factor, maybe the fact that they are a break from my normal reading.  In this book Tom, the apprentice, his witch friend, Alice, and his master, the Spook attempt to bind a creature from the dark.  In the process, Alice is kidnapped, Tom is attacked and they anger several other dark creatures. 

At one point, the Spook is explaining how the dark began.  He says, "I still believe that the dark is fed by human wickedness.  Human greed and lusts for power make it even stronger and more dangerous.  If we could only change the hearts of  men and women, the dark would be weakened--I'm sure of it.  But I've lived long enough to know that it would be easier to hold back the tides than achieve that.  We can only hope."  I agree with the Spook that changing hearts is the way to fight the wickedness that is creeping ever further into the world, and I agree that it is a hard task.  But I think that it can be done. 

The way to starve the dark is to start with our own hearts.  Then we can increase our circle of influence and help those closest to us.  Confusius once said,

The ancients who wished to manifest their clear character

to the world would first bring order to their states.

Those who wished to bring order to their states would first cultivate their personal lives. 

Those who wished to cultivate their personal lives would first rectify their minds. 

Those who wished to rectify their minds would first make their wills sincere. 

Those who wished to make their wills sincere would first extend their knowledge.

The extension of knowledge consists in the investigation of things.

When things are investigated, knowledge is extended.

When knowledge is extended, the will becomes sincere. 

Then the will is sincere, the minds is rectified.

When the mind is rectified, the personal life is cultivated.

When the personal life is cultivated, the family will be regulated. 
When the family is regulated, the state will be in order.

When the state is in order, there will be peace through the world.

From the Son of Heaven down to the common people,

all must regard cultivation of the personal life as the root or foundation.

There is never a case when the root is in disorder and yet the branches are in order.

 

Changing our hearts begins with having the right information--learning from great people--and then applying what we've learned.  I feel blessed to be surrounded by great leaders who I can learn from and associate with.  I am slowly changing one heart at a time. 



Books #24, #25 and #26

I'm a little behind on my posting so I'm doing 1 big post to catch up. 

The kids and I have been listening to the Little Britches series in the car.  A year or two ago we read the first book in the series and loved it, but our library didn't have any of the other books so we forgot about it for awhile.  Then I reread the book for a book club and the kids got interested in it again.  I was able to find audio downloads of the remaining books.  We have been working our way through the series.  We just finished book #5--The Fields of Home.  In this book Ralph Moody moves to Maine to help his grandfather on the farm.  There is a lot of frustration and a lot of growth in both Ralph and grandpa.  They learn that their way isn't always the best and change can be good.  I love that the stories are all true.






I mentioned before that I like to read a fun and easy book to help me get through the longer, harder books.  I read the next book the Last Apprentice series called Rise of the Huntress.  In this book the apprentice has to fight an evil witch, mostly with out the help of his master.  He is learning more about himself and his friend and his master.

Mr. linden's Library
He had warned her about the book.  Now it was too late.

This next books is one I picked randomly of the library shelf.  The Chronicles of Harris Burdick is a collection of stories by 14 authors.  There is a story behind the collection.  A man names Peter Wenders was mysteriously visited by Harris Burdick.  Mr. Burdick left behind 14 drawings with 14 captions and promised to return with more stories.  Mr. Wenders never saw Mr. Burdick again.  People have looked at the pictures and read the captions and tried to think of stories.  The book contains what 14 authors thought the stories behind the pictures might be.  One day we even tried.  We looked at a picture, read the caption and created a story.  Our stories were very different from the ones in the book.  We enjoyed the variety and found a new author we liked--too bad he doesn't write children's books. 

 

 

Book #3

Sometimes I have to read something fun as a reward or break to help me get through more difficult books.  I'll read my daily goal in my classic then read a chapter of another easier book.  My most recent fun book was from The Last Apprentice series--Clash of the Demons.  It is book 6 in the series.  The series is about a boy who is an apprentice to a Spook--someone who fights the dark. 

In the Clash of the Demons, the apprentice (Tom Ward) and his master join Tom's mom, a group of witches and another spook in an effort to kill the Ordeen--a dangerous creature from the dark.  They make alliances that wouldn't normally be made in order to be successful and the Spook is worried about Tom giving into the dark.

Even though the books are a bit scary, I enjoy the story and growth of the characters.