Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art

30 May 2005 by Melissa

Madeleine L’Engle

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I picked this up a couple months ago, but put it aside, because I’d been reading so much religious/spiritual stuff that my head was getting clogged. I’m glad I waited, because this book, really a series of essays, was refreshing and inspiring.

L’Engle’s been a favorite author of mine since I first read A Wrinkle in Time when I was seven or eight, and I’ve read much of her fiction (both fantasy and not) over the years, as well as her Crosswicks Journals. It seems I always find a L’Engle work in my hands just when I most need one.

THIS book included the author’s reflections on what makes a Christian book, or a children’s book, and included some interesting etymology on words like “whole” and “holy.”

I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, but if you’re inclined to this sort of reading, definitely add it to your list.

Industrial Magic

23 May 2005 by Melissa

Kelley Armstrong

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The fourth installment in the Women of the Otherworld series picks up just a few months after Dime Store Magic, and continues the story of Page and Savannah, this time throwing in a series of murders of young Cabal relatives as the mystery plot. Paige and her sorcerer boyfriend Lucas must track down the murderer while protecting their young ward, and maintaining their new relationship.

As with the previous novels, it’s a fast-paced, entertaining read.

Dime Store Magic

16 May 2005 by Melissa

Kelley Armstrong

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Dime Store Magic the third installment in Ms. Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series changes its focus from Elena the werewolf to Paige the witch and foster-mother. It’s as much a tale about mother-daughter relationships as it is about witchcraft and sorcery, with not a little romance thrown in. A delightful read, and consistant with the world Armstrong has introduced to us in the previous two novels.

STTNG: A Time for War, A Time for Peace

9 May 2005 by Melissa

Keith R. A. DeCandido

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This last installment in the A Time To… series is my favorite. Not only does it wrap up all the lose ends in the series itself, but it also ties in nicely with Nemesis.

Even better, it shows us that the Federation isn’t limited to Starfleet, by showing us the politics of the presidency.

To describe the plot would be to spoil it – just go read it.

STTNG: A Time to Kill & A Time to Heal

2 May 2005 by Melissa

David Mack

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The seventh and eighth books in this series bring in more and more political intrigue, giving a minor taste of TNG meets The West Wing, with the Tezwa and their illegal Federation-supplied defense system, and rumblings from the Klingons.

Worf is part of the action once more, acting as the Klingon ambassador, and Riker and Troi are finally engaged. There could be more Data – but then I always think that – and most of his best moments are overshadowed by other things – but it’s interesting that Riker uses Data’s position as one of his reasons for accepting command of the Titan.

The more I read of this series, the more I loved it, and I really have to go back and re-read a lot of it.