Book Challenge -- Day 21

21. Books I'd Recommend:

Not all of these are books I loved, or even books I liked, some of these are books that changed how I think about the world and myself, others are books that I've turned to in order to stop thinking about the world. For more books I've read you can visit my blog: Picks Off the Bookshelf.

1. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
4. Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul by John & Stasi Eldridge
5. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
6. A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare
7. Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carlson Levine
8. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
9. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
10. Dearest Mary Jane by Betty Neels

Book Challenge -- Day 20

20. Favorite covers

Clockwork Princess
Cassandra Clare

Chronicles of Narnia
C.S. Lewis

Entwined
Heather Dixon

The Queen of Attolia
Megan Whalen Turner

The Map of Time
Felix J. Palma

The Grim Legacy
Polly Shulman

The Faerie Ring 
Kiki Hamilton

The Undead Pool
Kim Harrison

The Thirteenth Tale
Diane Setterfield

Book Challenge -- Day 19

19. Favorite OTPs (One True Pairing)

Some of my favorite romantic relationships are the ones written for characters.Though there are some I'd like to see or that make more sense than what was written.

1. The Hollows by Kim Harrison: Trent Kalamack and Rachel Morgan
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth: Tris Prior and Four
3. Troubling A Star by Madeleine L'Engle: Vicky Austin and Adam Eddington
4. The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson: Lucero-Elisa and Hector of the Palace Guard
5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters
6. Cinder by Marissa Meyer: Cinder Linh and Prince Kai
7. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare: Tessa Gray and Will Herondale
8. Emma by Jane Austen: Emma Woodhouse & George Knightley

Book Challenge -- Day 18

18. Eight Quotes from Favorite Books (part 2)

A Ring of Endless Light:

"Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light."

The Fellowship of the Ring:

All that is gold does not glitter, 

Not all those who wander are lost; 

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the fost. 

From the Ashes a fire shall be awoken, 

A light from the shadows shall spring; 

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king. 

Early to Death, Early to Rise:

"The mistakes don't matter. It's what you do when you mess up that does."

Book Challenge -- Day 17

17. Eight Quotes from Favorite Books (part 1)

The Fault in Our Stars:

"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."

A Ring of Endless Light:

"There was no light. The darkness was deep and there was no dazzle."

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." --Dumbledore

As You Like It:

"The Fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."

Book Challenge -- Day 16

16. "Comfort Books"

The Challenge wants seven.

1. A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carlson Levine
4. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
5. The Hollows by Kim Harrison
6. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
7. The Good Master by Kate Seredy

I do realize a couple of these are series, but I do have a lot of books I love to come back to. And it's the entire story is what I'm looking for when I'm hoping for a comforting book. 

Book Challenge -- Day 15

15. WTF just happened book endings (part 2)

A fifth ending I set the book down confused on was Life of Pi. At first I thought the fantastical story was real, then I was unsure if the narrator was telling a story to the fictional writer. Then I was even more confused whether or not the fictional writer was the author or a character. The first time around I finally gave up and picked up something else. The second time I read the book I was more confused if the story was a fantastic fairy tale or if it was an allegory--I read it in college that time--and the story didn't happen exactly as told, but in a variation. The longer I think about it, the more I'm confused.
     Another ending that launched me into the next book was Catching Fire. Fortunately I read the Hunger Games books after the trilogy was complete so I was able to set Catching Fire down and pick up Mockingjay within literal seconds of finishing. The cliffhanger ending just left me thinking "what?" and picked up the next book and understood within pages. It wasn't too bad, but I can imagine that initial readers would have been jolted by the lack of ending.
     The final book, and one that probably relates most to early readers of Catching Fire was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. After the battle in the Ministry, how could Fudge even pretend not to believe in Voldemort's return? And Sirius died, it was heart wrenching. I remember setting down the book and calling a friend who'd finished before me and sitting on the phone reliving the entire book. Like most books the next in the series answered a lot of questions, but I was still reeling. 

Book Challenge -- Day 14

20. WTF just happened book ending (part 1)

My top answer for this prompt is still The Giver. I read the book in middle school and was frustrated with the lack of ending. Now that other books have come in the series I'm more accepting of it, but I still ache for something to close the book out. Hopefully Son will have a concrete answer to ever reader's question: "What happens?"
   One book I finished recently that fits under this heading is Nobody's Princess. Helen of Sparta just gets in a boat and we know her adventures continue, but there's no concrete ending. It becomes frustrating when her entire story leads up to what must happen in the sequel.
     City of Bones's ending was weird, to say the least. You're expecting some of what happens, but the majority of it is stunning. Then there's a bit of down-time where you can assimilate the info before the actual no-more-pages ending. The ending definitely launched me into the second novel, and I'm still working on figuring out what exactly happened.
     Similarly the end of Clockwork Prince I wanted to go back and re-read the last couple chapters. This time around, though, it was more a sense of "I can't believe the author would do that" rather than "I don't get it" or even "Huh?". Clockwork Princess tied up some of the loose ends, but I still have to sit and think about it any time I drop back in on the Shadowhunters.

The Challenge wants seven endings, the rest will be in tomorrow.

Book Challenge -- Day 13

13. Best Scene (Part 2)

As I said, the Challenge wants six best scenes. My fourth choice is from Cinder: there is a poignant moment when Cinder returns home one night to find her best friend has been destroyed--the android had a dysfunctional personality chip which gave her an actual personality and passion for celebrity tabloids. Cinder walks into her room and discovers the pieces of the robot on her bed, the only thing she takes from the pile is the chip--the only important part of her friend.
     In Rae Carson's The Girl of Fire and Thorns there is a scene when Elisa washes her laundry and discovers how much physically changed she is after her trek across the desert. She holds up a nightgown and measures it against herself; at the beginning of her journey she was fat, but now she is merely chubby and, now she is used to hard work, unwilling to go back to the girl that life happened to. Her transformation was most clear at that moment--not that she wasn't fat anymore, but that she was an agent in her own future and willing to work at changing her own life.
     One scene that stands out to me, not for its worthiness to the plot or any literary reason, but for the scenery and what I imagine to be vivid color is in Anne Osterlund's Exile. Aurelia is captured, but meets her mother. The former queen lives in a room decorated entirely in blue--from pale robin's egg and sky blues to crisp slate blue-grays. The image they create is beautiful and fascinating.

Book Challenge -- Day 12

12. Best Scene Ever (part 1)

My favorite scene is from A Ring of Endless Light when Vicky has been in a haze for several days. She holds a small child as she dies from seizures related to untreated epilepsy and the shock throws Vicky into a semi-blackout. Her entire family tries to bring her back, but it takes Adam and the dolphins to bring her back. When she returns from the walking coma, Vicky realizes Adam has proven his affections, just as she has proven her strange ability to speak with her mind over distances. A Ring of Endless Light is my favorite novel.
     The Challenge wants six best scenes, so another favorite is also from A Ring of Endless Light. When the Austin children learn their grandfather is dying, Rob Austin asks about heaven and he and Vicky have a conversation about how heaven is something we cannot explain, like trying to explain colors to a blind person. Rob's sincerity and honesty are fascinating and after reading the scene I have to agree with Rob--there's something inexplicable about whatever comes after this.
     From Pride and Prejudice my absolute favorite scene is when Lizzy reads the letter from Darcy and realizes that she does care about him. What makes it better is when she receives news of Lydia's adventures and discovers what Darcy has done for her family--she is awkward and unsure of herself, self-recriminating and frustrated with what she can and cannot do. The entire progression from the letter to standing in her father's study when he asks if she'll have Darcy--that she wanted nothing to do with him before--is one of my favorite moments in literature.

Book Challenge -- Day 11

11. 6 books from to-read list

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
2. Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
3. Persuasion by Jane Austen
4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
5. Vampire Academy by Rachelle Mead

Since I posted on Twitter I've finished Cinder (I highly recommend it). Some of the rest are from throughout the list. 

Book Challenge -- Day 10

10. Top 5 female characters

1. Elizabeth Bennet - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. Vicky Austin - Meet the Austins, The Moon by Night, The Young Unicorns, A Ring of Endless Light, and Troubling a Star by Madeleine L'Engle
3. Hermione Granger - Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
4. Rachel Morgan - The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison
5. Tris Prior - Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Like with the male characters, I don't have a preference for order of these characters. They're listed here in the order I was introduced to them. I love Elizabeth's spunk and the fact that, though she does need to marry to survive after her father's death, she wants more than to just like her husband--she does meet her match in Darcy and is willing to concede her initial opinions were wrong. Vicky grows up through her series, she starts as one of four children, becomes an angsty teen, then grows into a confident young woman able to realize when she needs to look beyond herself for support. Hermione is smart, but her best quality is her compassion. We all know Harry would never have made it through his time at Hogwarts, let alone defeated Voldemort without her help, support and willingness to tell him he's an idiot. I love that Rachel isn't brilliant or completely put together--that's what Ivy is there for. Sometimes she fails, but she always picks herself back up and fights to survive. Tris is adventurous. She challenges the status quo, but is just as unsure of what will come as she is at was has already happened. Tris isn't willing to let a comfortable situation sit when there's even a chance of something better--though she didn't really get a choice in the matter. 

Book Challenge -- Day 9

9. Top 5 male characters (5)

1. Fitzwilliam Darcy - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. George Knightley - Emma by Jane Austen
3. Adam Eddington - The Arm of the Starfish, A Ring of Endless Light, and Troubling a Star by Madeleine L'Engle
4. Four - Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant by Veronica Roth
5. Rob Austin - Meet the Austins, The Moon by Night, The Young Unicorns, A Ring of Endless Light, and Troubling a Star by Madeleine L'Engle

I don't have a particular order of preference for these characters. Though Knightley is one of my favorite romantic interests, Darcy is an arrogant jerk with his own set of redeeming qualities. Adam is the guy next door and a great friend while Rob is the epitome of younger brother and just a wonderful human being. Four is a great example of someone who has fought to redefine themselves and succeeded. 

Book Challenge -- Day 8

8. Best prologues

The Hobbit is a prologue of epic proportions--a whole novel telling setting up the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I enjoyed the Trilogy and The Hobbit, and now that I'm working on The Samarillion I appreciate The Hobbit even more.
     If I had jumped right into Hamlet I'm sure I would not have understood what was going on. That Shakespeare's plays all have a brief overview in the prologue helps when the story begins to twist and turn.
     The Challenge asks for five prologues, but most books I'm reading lately don't have prologues. Occasionally a "Chapter 0.1" (the best way to describe some prologues) shows a scene from between books and I've read several that do enrich the story--Entwined, Nobody's Princess, and Short-Straw Bride are some examples. It seems the recent trend is to jump straight into the exposition and set-up. Depending on the story this works, but there is something to be said for a good prologue.

Book Challenge -- Day 7

7. Characters from series you'd want to meet

I would love to meet Vicky Austin and Adam Eddington from A Ring of Endless Light and Troubling a Star. They seem like down-to-Earth people that I could get along well with and might create strong friendships. I also think meeting the main characters from one of my favorite books could be a lot like stepping into the pages of those books.
     I'd love to meet Noah Calhoun from The Notebook. I realize there is a real person out there who is probably very much like Noah (the book is based on a true story) but Noah the character is probably a concentrated version of this person and his devotion and faith are inspiring. The book isn't one of my top picks, but is a good read. After fourteen years of not seeing Allie, he is willing to go through the heartbreak again for a chance at forever. While it's stereotypically romantic, it's also very brave; I don't think I could do it.
     The final character I would be fascinated to meet is Lucero-Elisa from Rae Carson's The Girl of Fire and Thorns and its sequel The Crown of Embers. Elisa started out life as a princess whose only merit was her rank and her inquisitive mind--she believes the reason behind it is that she isn't slender and beautiful like her sister. I would love to meet a young woman who withstands as much as she does and still manages to rule a foreign country without spite for the women who belittled her upon her arrival.

Book Challenge -- Day 6

6. Favorite dystopian books

I didn't read a lot of dystopian fiction until recently. Most of it has a lot of zombies, and I really don't need to be imagining them more than I already am with shows like the Walking Dead around.
     I picked up The Hunger Games when the first movie came out and enjoyed the story of a girl who didn't want to become morally bankrupt so she broke the rules. For me, Katniss's rebellion was always about protecting her family from extinction and herself from becoming the killer the Capitol wanted her to be. The second book just showed how broken resistance made her, then the final story gave her a purpose to fight for again, and though Katniss didn't always do as she was told, I think I'd respect her as a person if I ever met her.
     Divergent, however, was completely my choice to pick up. At first the cover caught my eye (hey, everyone falls prey to a pretty cover now and then) and the story seemed a lot like Harry Potter meets Hunger Games. Tris chooses who she wants to align herself with then discovers one faction wants to take over the government sparking war. I liked that Tris wasn't completely sure of herself or completely paralyzed by her own insecurities as so many heroines are portrayed. She lives in this post-apocalypse and hasn't ever known a world outside it, but she's willing to fight for something she's never imagined. I liked that.
     The Challenge wants two more books, but I haven't read a lot of dystopian fiction--something like Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe might qualify. When I first read Robinson Crusoe I didn't understand why it was such a big deal that a man survived on a deserted island without civilization. Then I re-read it and realized most of the amazing-ness was that Crusoe survived twenty-eight years on an island, the first several by himself and the last few with only one man as companion. And he made it back to civilization able to be part of society. He retained his sanity in an environment man was not thought to survive mentally, by contemporary expectation he would have gone insane. I enjoyed reading the story and how Crusoe survived and even kept time.
     One that I would not consider Dystopian, but is classified as such is Cinder. Though there is an element of post-apocalypse the world is not collapsing (at least not in Cinder) only being disrupted by plague. I enjoyed the story and am looking forward to more of Marissa Meyer's books. Cinder is a cyborg and an important one that few people know of. In her first book she just wants to be normal and fit in, but it is impossible for a half-machine person to be a person. Cinder isn't just a Cinderella story and that's why I enjoyed it so much.

Book Challenge -- Day 5

5. Favorite fantasy books

I don't really have favorite fantasy books, I have favorite series. They are usually vivid stories with characters I can relate to or adventures I wouldn't mind being a part of. And there's usually some kind of magic.
     The Chronicles of Narnia are some of the most powerful stories from my childhood--talking animals, political intrigue and unrest, aboard-ship voyages, family relationships that aren't perfect "everyone-gets-along" or "we hate each other" relationships, friendships that are based on mutual respect, and magic. The biggest draw was probably the talking animals and the magic when I was younger, but as I re-read and think about them more I enjoy the politics and the language of the stories. And the fact that the characters grow older and move beyond Narnia.
     Kim Harrison's Hollows series is more adult, featuring a sassy witch who is just as unsure of herself as the rest of us, only better at hiding it from everyone else. Rachel is passionate and concerned about doing the best she can with the life she's been given, the only problem is that everything keeps going wrong. I can identify with Rachel's struggles (more in the empathizing sense) and I enjoy that she learns to depend on the people who love her. It does help that she's got some kick-ass magic and moral dilemmas to deal with.
     The single novel A Game of Thrones is fascinating--I've only read the first book, but the series is complicated and intricate, it takes me forever to get through a single story because I constantly want to skip over to a different character and finish their story before moving on to contemporaneous events. Though I know it wouldn't make sense to do so because of spoilers, I like hearing about one line before moving on to the next. So much happens in A Game of Thrones and the characters are so powerfully imagined that I just want to dive back into their world, as much as I don't really want to live there.
     The language of the Lord of the Rings drew me in immediately: it is fluid and graceful while still having peaks and valleys. Tolkien was a master linguist and it shows in his storytelling. He knows how to keep the audience invested in the tale without making it seem like it couldn't happen. While some stories rely on surprises to keep the reader going, you expect the plot and it makes the story just as thrilling because the author has built an expectation and delivered on his promise of a fantastic story.
     My attachment to Harry Potter is more nostalgic than any of these stories (probably excepting Narnia) because I was part of the Harry Potter Phenomenon. When the books came out I was the same age as most of the characters; I stood in line to check out the books; I waited with baited breath for the titles of the new book, and begged my parents to take me to the movies when they finally arrived. The Harry Potter series was a huge part of my childhood, as it was for many of my peers and every time I pick up the book I remember how I felt the first time I read them and I discover some new tidbit I didn't catch last time. Still, I am reminded how the stories of Harry, Ron, and Hermione gave my siblings and me a time to be together as a family imagining and talking about something with anticipation. I imagine my mom reading the books to us was like the great classics of the nineteenth century being released weekly in the newspaper. And it is a powerful tradition.

Book Challenge -- Day 4

4. Favorite platonic friendships

Like most kids who grew up along with the Harry Potter Series, I am a fan of the Harry-Hermione platonic friendship (there was a time when I thought it might go romantic, but despite Rowling's comments about Hermione ending up with Ron, I think it turned out just fine). They are friends who support each other and are there for the good and bad times. There are moments during the series where Harry wants to be the hero and rescue Hermione, but she's not having it and shows him up with one of her clever plans. At the same time Hermione sticks around when the horcruxes begin to turn Harry dark and though most of us know she could have saved the world without his directionally challenged self, she kept Harry around. The two characters compliment each other without overwhelming or expecting more from the other.
     A lot of the friendships in literature don't tend to stay platonic. I enjoyed Annabel and Percy from Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books, but after a while they shifted over into the romantic zone. Percy and Grover, however, have that snarky relationship that is all so common in today's reality, but is difficult to convey into a written world without becoming cruel. Like Harry and Hermione, Grover and Percy are there for each other while they attempt to accomplish the impossible. The relationship between Grover and Percy is more like that of Ron and Harry, though. They have Annabel as their brains, and they are the adventure and implusive behavior behind her plans.
     A completely different friendship I enjoyed was in the Thief of Eddis series: Gen and Sophos. The two begin their association while on a quest to retrieve legitimacy for Gen's cousin--a stone bestowed upon the ruler of Eddis by the Thief. Helen (Eddis as she is known) cares for her cousin and their friendship is strong enough to last through his trials and triumphs. Sophos is the heir to a neighboring kingdom and a scholar rather than any kind of warrior. The two boys become friends, but are separated by nations when Sophos is sent to learn his country and Gen goes to fetch the woman he loves and become king. When next they meet, Sophos is Sounis and Gen is Attolis--kings of their respective countries, but still young men looking for friendship. They each have their own responsibilities and desires, but they learn to respect each other and be young men together under and outside of the ceremony of their offices.

Book Challenge -- Day 3

3: Saddest character death

I still remember the first time I read Aslan's death in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I was at first stunned at how easily he went to slaughter, and how Susan and Lucy allowed him to die for them, then angry with Aslan for giving up his role in the revolution to fight. He was probably the first character I remember being actually upset about. I now understand why Aslan had to die, but am still relieved every time he comes back to life.
     The character I remember actually crying and having to set down the book and come back to was Hedwig. She was with Harry from the beginning and cared for him unconditionally--the movies don't show it as well as the books, but Hedwig was the only friend Harry had at Privet Drive. The frustration that anyone could harm, let alone kill, a creature that had little to no efficacy in the story was overwhelming; Hedwig was for moral support, and yes, she made letter-writing a little easier, but she didn't have an irreplaceable role in the fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.  Most lingeringly I remember the deaths of the hound dogs in Where the Red Fern Grows as being sad, it was sixth grade, so I'm not sure how I'd feel about it now. The puppy with his innards coming out is heartbreaking. Really any book where the pet dies a horrible death is sad and miserable, and people should stop doing that!
     From my favorite novel, A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle, Binnie is a little girl with epilepsy whose father doesn't believe in medication. The entire novel centers around death and loss and what it means to actually live in the face of eventual extinction, so I understand why L'Engle has this child and her illness appear. While the main character is dealing with her grandfather's slow death she is plunged into depression when a beautiful little girl she meets in the hospital dies in her arms after an epileptic fit. Binnie's death is so unexpected in the context of the story that all the tension surrounding loss is suddenly focused in the one event.
     Really any story where a character is either slowly or pointlessly (in the story's universe) killed off is sad. Aslan was a character I became attached to quickly and easily; Hedwig and the dogs from Red Fern were loyal and had no reason to be killed other than they were in the wrong place at the wrong time; and Binnie was a bright child and had so much she could have lived for, but was killed through no fault or choice of her own. I understand the phenomenon as a plot device, but it still upsets me every time.

Book Challenge -- Day 2

2: Most satisfying Character Death

My response of Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars was understandable, at the time I'd just finished the book and was annoyed with John Green (he's a wonderful author I just wanted to throw something at him for making me feel that way). I don't want to give too many spoilers, but TFIOS is about kids with cancer falling in love and dealing with this messy world. Augustus succumbs to his cancer, but in a long, drawn-out manner. I accepted his death long before he actually died and it was finally a relief to see him gone.
     The Challenge asks for two deaths. I still accept Augustus's death as pretty satisfying, the other is more difficult. There are so many characters that die--usually villains and their deaths are expected and therefore don't usually elicit a response.  I recently read A Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and, *Spoiler Alert* the king Elisa marries dies. His death isn't expected--the romantic arc has just begun and the king is about to fall head-over-heels for Elisa--but it serves the overall tale. If the king were to live and show his sudden fascination with his secret wife Elisa's transformation from wallflower to confident woman would have been for naught. She still would have become one of many princesses that falls for the king and allows the king to fall for her position and her looks rather than the character she's built. The king's death probably wasn't satisfying in the same way Voldemort's is, but I was satisfied, and approved, of how it directed the story.

Book Challenge -- Day 1

1: Genre you read most

I posted my first tweet a whole two days after I challenged myself to begin the challenge... yes, I already was behind. But not this time!

I read a lot of Young Adult fiction and Romance. While I enjoy science fiction and mystery, and pretty much every other genre out there, stories centering around and for teens are fascinating.
     YA stories have the automatic suspension of disbelief that makes for a good story--so what if something doesn't fit into the plot or something is missing, that one detail is not going to destroy the overall story. Teen and young adult books take into account that the reader hasn't been taught to scorn a creating where something might be a little bit off from reality. For example, fantasy abounds in YA Fiction, and it's always fantasy that has all the elements we expect from reality--a set of laws governing the physical world, rules and regulations garnering social interaction, etc. People might live on the moon or be part machine, but there are still rules that tie fiction to our world.
     My fascination with Romance is rooted in the easy-to-read storylines and no-thought-necessary plots. I can open a Betty Neels book and know within the first chapter who is going to marry whom. I enjoy the historical romance sub-genre because the romantic storyline is submersed in actual plot--it becomes more than just boy meets girl, they fool around, they fall in love, they get married. Historical Romance gives context for that romance, and the romance adds motivation for the rest of the plot.

Book Challenge

The Challlenge

Earlier this year I attempted a "Daily Challenge" on Twitter; while wandering around the internet I found an image of a Book Challenge and thought I could manage to send out a tweet each day for 18 days. Needless to say, I did not take into account the fact that I'm terrible at keeping track of days--I managed to only go two days in a row without a post for the entire month I attempted it. I came across the image and thought I'd try it again, only this time in a more extensive setting.
     I'll post my answers from Twitter along with either an explanation or updated answer. If I succeed in this challenge I may even add covers of the books I'm referencing.

                               Stephie