The Mark of Athena

Title: The Mark of Athena
Author: Rick Riordan
Published: 2012

Welcome to book three of Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series. This, of course, is the sequel series to his previous Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This one picks up immediately where The Son of Neptune left off, with Annabeth, Jason, Leo and Piper arriving at Camp Jupiter in the Argo II, an airship built by Leo. It was difficult for me to really remember everything I needed to remember going into this thing since it's been a little over a year since I read the last book. But the author is nice enough to fill in the gaps along the way.

The world is still in peril. The earth mother, Gaea, is still in the process of waking from her slumber. Her plan to fully awaken and destroy mankind is progressing nicely, despite the young heroes' attempts to stall her. Each action taken by the heroes, though seeming to be the right thing to do, generally ends up playing right into the dirt napper's muddy hands.

In this installment, we follow all seven of the demigods who are identified in the great prophecy that predicts Gaea's awakening. Particularly of interest is Annabeth. Being a daughter of Athena, her role in a book titled The Mark of Athena seems undeniably important. While the entire group is on a quest to stop Gaea from waking, Annabeth must undertake a side quest of her own, following the mark of Athena to find an important object that could heal the rift between Greece and Rome. This is a rift that has been there for thousands of years, so her task is not an easy one.

But before Annabeth can follow the mark of Athena, she and her fellow heroes have to face obstacles all along their path to the Old World. Leo is briefly possessed by an evil spirit that forces him to attack Camp Jupiter (this really doesn't help with that rift between the Greeks and Romans). They come across the ultimate narcissist, Narcissus. They meet up with Bacchus, the Roman version of Camp Half-Blood director Dionysus. And as they enter the Mediterranean Sea, they meet the legendary Hercules, who turns out to be a pretty big jerk.

Like with the previous novels in this series, the heroes have to face a giant or two. Unlike the previous novels in this series, that battle with the giants is somewhat anti-climactic. The real excitement is saved for Annabeth and her side quest. She faces Arachne, the woman who once challenged Athena to a weave-off and, according to the myth, lost. As punishment for her arrogance, Athena turned her into a spider. It seems that all children of Athena have an innate fear of spiders for this very reason. But Annabeth succeeds and is reunited with the other heroes just in the nick of time but then... I won't say what happens. But it's good. And it's a cliffhanger, which I hate. Because I have to wait until next year for the next book in the series to come out.

All in all, I give it a thumbs up. And if you're interested in going back and reading my thoughts on the previous books in the world of Percy Jackson, the links are below.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Last Olympian

The Heroes of Olympus
The Lost Hero
The Son of Neptune

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Title: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Author: Washington Irving
Published: 1820

This is a story I've heard and seen in probably a dozen different versions but never actually read. It's a classic and it's really not long at all. So when I looked for a free ebook to read around Halloween, I figured this one would do just fine.

If you base your knowledge of Sleepy Hollow on the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie that came out a few years back, you might be disappointed. Other than character names, it has very little to do with Washington Irving's tale.

Ichabod Crane is a school teacher. He's new to the area and catches the eye off young Katrina Van Tassel, daughter of a well off landowner. The reality of the situation is more likely that she caught Crane's eye, as he fantasized about what it would be like to inherit all that land. She seemed more interested in using the schoolmaster to make Brom Bones jealous. It worked.

It isn't long before Crane has a run-in with the locally legendary Headless Horseman. A series of events and Ichabod's own superstition lead him to believe the ghost is chasing him home one night. And he's never seen or heard from again. It all seems very suspicious. Especially when Brom and Katrina wind up married not long after Ichabod's disappearance.

It's a good, simple read. Kind of makes me want to watch the old Disney animated version. Just to compare notes.

Stories from a Teacher

Title: Stories from a Teacher
Author: Jonathan Flores
Published: 2012

I have to say a quick thanks to Erynn. Not too long ago, she liked or posted something about BookBub on Facebook. It's a service that provides information about free and discounted e-books that are available. This encouraged me to sign up. Since then, I've downloaded about a dozen free books to my Kindle. Stories from a Teacher is one of them.

Generally, I'm drawn to true-life anecdotal books revolving around the workplace. Depending on the author, a lot of these stories can turn out to be really humorous. That's why I decided to download this free copy. And the fact that I currently work in a school and hope to soon be a teacher myself just made the book that much more appealing to me.

Jonathan Flores begins his book with the lighter side of teaching. The stories are funny and even make the reader feel kind of good. As he progresses, the stories become more somber and even a little heartbreaking. Through it all, it's easy to see Mr. Flores' passion for helping his students. Sadly, passion was not enough to keep him in the teaching profession for more than four years.

It's a little disappointing to know that Jonathan Flores resigned from his teaching position at the end of his fourth year. It becomes clear throughout the book that he becomes discouraged by students, parents, fellow faculty, administration and even the school system. Working in a school, I see many of his frustrations manifested in the teachers I work with.

Thankfully, I haven't been discouraged myself.

Treasure Island

Title: Treasure Island
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Published: 1883

For a very long time, I've steered clear of books that are considered classic literature. In most cases, I'm sure it's out of a fear that somehow my 11th grade American Lit. teacher will appear from nowhere and expect me to write an exhaustive paper on the hidden symbolism found within.

But the thing about classic literature is that, most of the time, it's free to download on my Kindle.

That was the case with Treasure Island. It's a book that I've known only by reputation for most of my life. I've never seen a film adaptation. Not even the Muppet version. The only thing I knew for sure about Long John Silver was that he could cook a mean fish and fries combo meal.

Now, having read the novel, I know a lot more about Silver, Flint, and young Jim Hawkins, who narrates most of the tale. Some of the language takes some getting used to, but what would you expect from a story written over a hundred years ago which takes place over 250 years ago. It's a fun read: adventure, intrigue, and even a bit of comedy thrown in. Well, I thought it had some funny parts, anyway.

It's made me appreciate classics a little more. Good thing since that's the majority of what's on my Kindle. Maybe I'll go back and read The Scarlet Letter or The Red Badge of Courage, both of which I allegedly read in 11th grade. However, Mr. Isaacs, I will not be looking for any symbolism. Sorry.

Firestarter

Title: Firestarter
Author: Stephen King
Published: 1980

I feel like I've been reading this book forever. I started it back when I was still living in Roanoke. If you've been keeping up with me that long, that means I started reading Firestarter in April at the latest.

I'm usually a speedier reader than this. And this should be no reflection on Mr. King's writing. This book may not have been as exciting as, say, Carrie or The Shining, but it wasn't boring.

My big excuse? I moved twice over the summer. So the book spent a lot of time in a box. Still, I suppose I could have finished the story in less than a week if I'd really put my mind to it. But I didn't.

The novel follows a young Drew Barrymore and her dad, the jerk from Major League. Just kidding, that's just who played them in the movie. Charlie McGee is a little girl who has an amazing ability. Spoiler alert: she can start fires... wait for it... with her mind.

Her father, Andy, and mother, Vicky, met in college while participating in an experiment involving a drug known as Lot-6. The drug gave them some psychic abilities, which were passed on to Charlie in an extreme fashion. A shady government agency wants to control and study and eliminate the family. After Vicky is murdered, Andy and Charlie take off.

Roughly half the book depicts the McGee's as they hid from the Shop (that shady agency I mentioned). Eventually they're caught, leading to the second half of the book. While in captivity, Charlie is manipulated into showing off her mental flamethrower. When she finds out she was manipulated and betrayed... Well, you know that thing they say about a woman scorned? Imagine that woman is a slightly unstable little girl who may or may not be able to cause a nuclear explosion with a stray thought.

Not my favorite of Stephen King's work, but a decent read nonetheless, despite the length of time it took me to complete it. Much better than the movie, which I actually saw many years ago. Not sure what I'll read next, but I know it'll be on my Kindle. No room for real books anymore.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

Title: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Author: Donald Miller
Published: 2011

Donald Miller made a splash in the world of Christian non-fiction with his bestseller Blue Like Jazz. I never read it. But I know it was a big hit among folks in my age group at the time.

For a long time, I only remembered the title of Miller's book. I couldn't have told you who wrote it or even a little bit of what it's about.

Then I was in a bookstore with Mark, who was looking for something inspirational and encouraging for where he was in his life at the time. Blue Like Jazz came to mind for him. The book had recently been made into a movie, so the title had slipped back into our consciousness. Not that either of us had seen the movie. We just remembered its existence.

Mark asked me to text Andy. Since he works in ministry, it's generally assumed that he has his finger on the pulse of Christian popular culture. Andy suggested A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, believing it may speak to Mark a little more than Blue Like Jazz at this time in his life.

So Mark made his purchase and we exited the Barnes & Noble. As Mark drove away from the store, I pulled his new book out of the bag and began reading the introduction. I was intrigued. When we went our separate ways, I asked if I could borrow the book once he finished it.

Like I said, I never read Blue Like Jazz. But I could tell I would like Miller's style from the first few pages of this book.

It seems to me that this is an unofficial follow up to Blue Like Jazz. On the surface, it's the story of making that book into a movie. Scratch the surface, and it's really about Miller's attempt at living a better story.

As a person who finds joy and therapy in writing, Miller's journey struck a chord with me. I know what it's like to take a character and thrust them into situations that will cause some kind of change within them. Why should our own lives be so different?

What kind of stories are we living? Miller points out the reality that most of our stories will be boring. Not that there aren't exciting moments that come along. But the majority of the time is kind of dull.

But what stops us from living a more exciting story? What keeps us from living a story with purpose? With direction? Fear keeps us from challenging ourselves so much of the time. We become content with complacency and it holds us back.

That's where I was a year ago. I was in a job I hated, but because I had become comfortable, I was okay with it. As long as I got that paycheck every two weeks.

I didn't know it at the time, but I wanted a better story. I stepped away from what I knew, what was comfortable. I found myself in a challenging job that I really had no business doing. After a few months, I believed it had been a mistake, making the move I made. Turns out, it was what Miller calls an inciting incident.

This challenging career move and my utter failure in it incited me to find something better for myself. And I've moved forward, changing in ways I wouldn't have thought possible a year ago.

For the first time in my life, I'm certain of what I want to do. I'm certain of what kind of story I want to live.

I want to live an inspirational story. I want my story to encourage and interact with other people's stories. I want to live an adventure story. I don't want to explore the Temple of Doom, but I no longer want to be content with watching others' adventures come to life on the screen. I also want to live a love story, believe it or not. I want to be able to eventually share my story with someone who wants to share her story with me.

God's the writer here. I'm one of his characters. And I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to him writing some more inciting incidents into my story. Not necessarily because I want to be challenged, but because I know my character will grow and change as a result of those challenges.

Safe Haven

Title: Safe Haven
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Published: 2010

Listening to True Believer renewed my interest in Nicholas Sparks. It's not like I have fuzzy feelings toward the guy, but I was just in the mood to pick up another of his titles.

So I picked up this one.

The story opens up on Katie. She's the new girl in town and it's obvious that she wants to keep to herself. Soon, it becomes apparent that she doesn't want to be found. But we really don't learn that too early in the novel.

We are also introduced to Alex. He's a widowed father of two small children. Katie meets Alex because he owns a small grocery store near the house that she's renting. At first, she's hesitant to interact with him. But it's a Nicholas Sparks novel and, of course, sparks eventually fly between these two major characters.

It isn't long before we find out that Katie isn't really Katie at all. She's Erin and she's on the run from her abusive husband. Thing is, Erin stayed in a nightmarish situation for years. She was beaten, manipulated and emotionally crippled by a guy who she once believed would love her forever. Eventually, she determined that she could leave and survive or stay and die.

In a way, I enjoyed this novel a lot more than most of Nicholas Sparks' work. It was dark, it was gritty, and there was a real sense of realistic foreboding in these pages. In another way, I didn't like it, and it's probably for the same reason.

See, I've known people like Katie/Erin's husband. Abusive, manipulative, controlling... They're scary kinds of people. When the story switched to the husband's point of view, it was pretty spot on for a sociopath. It's almost like Sparks did a character study of someone I once knew. In that sense, it was kind of scary how realistic it was.

That being said, it was a nice change of pace. I've never read a Nicholas Sparks book that gave me a suspenseful feeling as I reached the climax. The whole time I'm waiting for someone to die, so I really wasn't sure what to expect nearing the end.

I'm not saying that I'll rush out and read the rest of the guy's reading list, but this one was a good read.

John's Story

Title: John's Story: The Last Eyewitness
Author: Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
Published: 2006

And here's another one I listened to on CD during my drive to and from work. I was still waiting for The Hunger Games to be available. I read the Left Behind series years ago, so I was kind of interested to see how those authors would take on the life of John, an actual historic figure in the Church.

I'll be honest, I wasn't all that impressed. I thought I would be. Or maybe I just thought I would be a lot more interested in hearing this story than I was. After all, I majored in Christian Studies in college. And my emphasis was in Church History. I love this stuff.

But this novelized account of John's life just didn't grab me the way I expected it to. A lot of the time I felt kind of bored. And I couldn't help but wonder how many of these events actually transpired and how much was made up in an attempt to make the story more compelling.

The way it's told, a lot of these things make sense. They tell of a heretical teacher moving into town and drawing early Christians away from the church with his teachings. This is the reason John felt lead to write his version of the Gospel, despite the fact that three versions already existed. John wanted to combat the heresy of Gnosticism which seemed to be spreading. But did that decision really stem from being confronted with a Gnostic leader who was setting up shop in Ephesus?

And then there's the story of Caesar's apparent attempt to boil John in oil. The way the authors tell it, the Romans tried and failed to kill John. He escaped through a miracle and was then sentenced to exile on the island of Patmos, where he would go on to write Revelation.

It's been a while since I took a course in Church History, but I really don't ever remember reading anything about John being boiled in oil before being exiled.

Sidebar: I did some checking. According to extrabiblical tradition, Domitian did attempt to boil John in oil. When John survived, the audience of the Coliseum was immediately converted to Christianity. John was then sent to Patmos.

In the long run, the book on CD was okay. But it didn't cause me to want to run out and read or listen to the other entries in the series.

True Believer

Title: True Believer
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Published: 2005

I know what I said after I read At First Sight. I said I was done with Nicholas Sparks. I said that I hated the man and that I was stupid for continually picking up his novels and subjecting myself to the torture of reading them.

But let's call this a loophole. I didn't read this novel. I listened to it.

See, back when I was making the long drive from Roanoke to Indian Valley day in and day out, I decided I needed something to help pass the time. After all, I spent 3 hours of every day in my car. Don't get me wrong, I am a great lover of music. But all that time driving took away from free time that I normally would have spent reading a good book. So I decided to see what the library had by way of books on CD.

I had just seen the film version of The Hunger Games. At that point, I really wanted to read the book again, but I loaned it to the Most Awesome Person I Know before I left North Carolina, so reading it was out of the question. I put myself on the waiting list at the local library for the CD version. I thought it might be interesting to listen to someone else read the story to me. But it would be a couple months before it was available.

So I browsed. And I came across True Believer. I remembered this being the story that took place before At First Sight. And I figured, why not? After all, I already knew the heart wrenching ending of the second part. The first part must have a pretty happy ending, right?

And you know, it wasn't bad. Like with the book I already read, this one was about Jeremy and Lexie. Only this time, it's about how they met and fell in love. And it kind of explained some of the trust issues that Jeremy has in the second book.

Jeremy is a divorced journalist who has made a career out of debunking myths and legends, especially those pertaining to the paranormal. He gets a letter from a lady in a small North Carolina town about these lights that keep showing up in a local cemetery. Jeremy decides to take the time to check the story out for himself.

Upon arriving in Boone Creek, he's introduced to Lexie, the librarian and granddaughter of the woman who sent the letter that piqued his initial interest. Jeremy's smitten from the start, but Lexie doesn't want anything to do with the guy from New York. She's not interested in becoming the small town girl who is saved by the boy from the big city.

But, since you know there's a sequel, you can probably assume they end up together. I hope that wasn't much of a spoiler. I'm assuming you figured out that since they're together in the second book, they'd wind up together by the end of the first. Come on, guys, use your brains.

So I've decided to give Sparks another shot. I didn't cry this time. Probably helped that I was too busy focusing on the 90 minute drive to work to deal with the emotional scenes in the book on CD.

The Power of Six

Title: The Power of Six
Author: Pittacus Lore
Published: 2011

I actually finished reading this a few weeks ago. I've just been slacking a lot when it comes to keeping up with my blog. There's a lot going on. But this post isn't about how much I've been slacking on the blog. I'm fairly certain there are several other posts that cover that subject.

The Power of Six is the sequel to I Am Number Four, the story of aliens among us. Naturally, the story continues right where the last book left off. Except we come at it from the perspective of an entirely new character.

At the start of the novel, we're introduced to Marina, who is actually Number Seven. She's living in an orphanage in Spain and is keeping close tabs on John Smith's (Number Four's) plight via the internet. She's not happy about living in an orphanage in Spain. What I found odd about this town in Spain is that no one seemed to speak Spanish. But I don't think that's why she didn't like it there.

Her guardian, Adelina, pretty much turned her back on their Loric heritage. She had become a nun. Well, if not an actual nun, practically a nun. Not that there's anything wrong with one's choice to pursue God full-time. She just happened to ignore the fact that she and her charge were kind of in the middle of a war. Made things a little complicated for the girl who was developing secret super powers.

The book switches back and forth between Marina's and John's perspectives. While Marina is dealing with her problems in a Spanish orphanage, John and his fellow fugitives are on the run. He's making his way around the country with his human friend Sam and Number Six, the Loric Garde member who showed up in time for the epic battle that demolished a high school in the previous book. That's why they're on the run. While the human powers that be don't know about Number Six, they do believe that Number Four is a terrorist and that he has either kidnapped Sam or coerced him to help in his unholy quest for global domination.

Things get complicated for the trio. As tends to happen in novels involving teenagers, a love triangle develops. It's old. It's played out. Seems pretty standard when it comes to the young adult fiction. Meanwhile, Marina's world gets kind of rocked when she's discovered by the bad guys. On the plus side, Adelina decides to come back around and help the girl. Also, she's joined by the tenth member of the Loric Garde, a girl that none of the original nine knew existed. At least, that's the way I've read things thus far. They have their own epic battle as they make their way out of the Spanish town.

I don't want to give anything else away. It was a pretty decent read. I thought it progressed the overall story nicely. And I do look forward to the next installment. Sadly, I'll have to wait until later this year to get my hands on it. In the meantime, I'm working on Stephen King's Firestarter. But I'm taking my time. Like I said, things have been kind of busy around here.

I Am Number Four

Title: I Am Number Four
Author: Pittacus Lore
Published: 2010

I've been reading this book for a while now. I know that, for the most part, when it takes a long time to read a book, it means that the book isn't holding my attention. It isn't causing me to turn page after page to find out what happens next. It's kind of boring.

That's not the case with this book. My reading of this book was interrupted by a great deal of illness. December got kind of rough there in the health department. I'm not saying I was at death's door or anything so dramatic as that, I was just kind of miserable. And when you're miserable and taking a number of sleep-inducing medications, well, it's kind of hard to focus on the words on a page.

But it's a pretty good book. I actually saw the movie before I read the book. But I honestly don't remember much about the movie, other than it had the girl from Glee. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention when I watched the movie last year. I got it from the Redbox when I was still living in North Carolina. It's possible that I had every intention of watching it, but ended up having it as background noise while I did other things in my apartment.

I think it's a good thing that I forgot most of the basic plot threads. It helped me to read the book with a fairly fresh outlook on things. Basically, it's about a kid and his guardian. They just happen to be aliens from the planet Lorien. They're being hunted by a different, brutal race of aliens called Mogadorians. Their home planet was basically destroyed by these Mogadorians. Now, John and Henri have taken refuge on earth, along with eight other specially powered kids and their guardians.

For the Mogadorians, there are certain rules when it comes to hunting down these special children, known as the Garde. While they can all eventually be killed, they must be killed in order. As we begin the story, the kid described as Number Three is found and killed. John is Number Four and becomes aware that he's next on the list.

John and Henri make their way to Paradise, Ohio, where they attempt to once again create a normal life for themselves. All they while, they learn more about John's developing powers, or Legacies. He discovers that he can create light with his hands, is impervious to fire, and has powerful telekinesis. Apparently, this is just the beginning.

As is usually the case, just when things seem to resemble a normal life, things get shaken up and they are discovered by the bad guys. Chaos ensues and it makes for a pretty exciting climax for the novel. During the battle, John is discovered by not only the Mogadorians, but by another member of the Garde, Number Six. Together they drive off into the sequel, prepared to join the remaining four Garde members to take the fight to the Mogadorians. Their eventual goal is to return to their home planet and rebuild their civilization.

That last part is an assumption on my part. I guess I'll find out more when I read The Power of Six, which is the next installment in the series. Hopefully it won't take another month to read part two.