Turn The Page ... Tuesday

A classic and one that sat on the bookshelf for too long .... The Magicians Nephew (from Amazon): In this unforgettable story, British schoolchildren Polly and Digory inadvertently tumble into the Wood Between the Worlds, where they meet the evil Queen Jadis and, ultimately, the great, mysterious King Aslan. We witness the birth of Narnia and discover the legendary source of all the adventures that are to follow in the seven books that comprise the series.

I read this aloud to the boys and it was interesting. They actually didn't care for it. They thought the Uncle was just awful and they were upset at how disrespectful Digory was towards his Uncle Andrew (despite his own wickedness). I think I will shelve these a little while longer until the boys are a bit older and they can understand the story and who Aslan represents (God).

I just love reading books that the main characters are English. Nothing beats their sense of humor or timing. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is just one of those books. Again, I think Amazon has a great summary:

In the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary in the English countryside lives Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson’s wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, the Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother’s death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and regarding her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?

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You will have to read it to find out if their relationship does survive ... it's worth taking the time!

Ever read one of those stories that claimed to be true but the further you get into it you think "no way" but you find yourself hoping that it is all indeed true? Modoc is one of those such stories. If you read Water For Elephants and liked it, you most likely will enjoy this book too. I found myself at times shaking my head at the unbelievable events that are claimed to have a happened and then on the next page thinking 'well, maybe ...'. If you are an animal lover and want to throw in a bit of fantasy (in my opinion) pick up this book; and if you are anything like me - get ready to Google Modoc and come up mostly empty. drats. I'll just have to settle for what the book gave me ... which was a great story.

Now that 2011 is wrapping up I've been thinking of a reading challenge for 2012 ... I still plan to pull from my shelves and try to keep pecking away at my to-be-read-books but I wanted to mix it up a bit too.

2012 is going to be Series & Sequels.

Let's see how many books you can find that you can read through the whole set. Maybe it's The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, or Lemony Snicket for me (which would also make a dent in my TBR). I don't know but I'm going to have fun working my way through it in 2012. Will you join me?

So how did you wrap up your 2011?