I am a huge fan of fairytale stories, and this novel does an excellent job of finishing the story of the Seven Swans, focusing on the boy who is left with one swan wing and one human arm. Ardwin is a boy who wants happiness, and he is dedicated to achieving it. He finds ways to do everything the two armed boys can, often surpassing their skills. He wants to be in control of his life, as he has been given both a handicap and a strength he had no choice in.

There are plenty of moments of joy in this story, just as there are moments of pain. The confrontation between Ardwin and his sister who did not complete the seventh thistle shirt in time is a prime example. How Rose Red feels guilt, and at the same time, anger toward not being thanked fully for her attempt at complete savior of Ardwin has a spotlight in this novel, which I greatly appreciated.

Yes, as all fairy tales do, this one ended with quite a contrite “Happily Ever After.” I’m not sure I would have wanted it any other way. Yes, there are moments of “too easy” from a story line perspective, falling into the trap of fate and someone’s greater plan But it fits in the mold of every other fairy tale out there.

It was a fun read, beautiful and lyrical at times, but still with maintenance of the plot. While I wouldn’t necessarily suggest it for all age groups (as there are plenty of graphic images of blood and death) any child who can accept the original Grimm’s tale can accept this completion.

The Well and the Mine is a story that starts with a mystery, but becomes more about learning that life is full of compromises in your world view. Each character is fully fledged, with their own specific voice and takes on the world, which wraps you up in each of them. Most authors have difficulty getting one voice to be so strong, and Gin Phillips is able to make five voices stand out from one another.

This is a book that was able to sweep me away to a time and place that is not my own, make me appreciate the culture and the needs of a family so foreign to my own.

While the ending is less than full force, I think it makes the novel that much more powerful. Sometimes life is life, sometimes you need to sit back and think, contemplate, wonder. Sometimes you need to take steps to correct the path life is on, and sometimes, you need to learn the path is just the path, and be satisfied with it.

Of all the Hallmark Holidays, Mother’s Day is by far my favorite. Granted, I am a mother, so I might be a bit biased. But I take the fully blown appreciation when I can get it.

The weekend has been beautiful, and despite some conflict because of all the stuff that still needs to be done, all the money that still needs to be spent, and all the waiting that still needs to be suffered through for the condo sale, it’s been a good Mother’s Day Weekend.

The boys brought home gifts from daycare (one of my favorite parts of the whole daycare experience is the ample supply of crafts we get to cherish - and then um, *cough* lose), and I enjoyed pretending to not be able to see through the tissue wrapping paper until this morning.

Gabe was a picture of himself (far from the most flattering of my baby boy) holding a sign saying he loved me. His handprints are on either side. Baby handprints break my heart. I loved it much.

Hayden’s was even better. I got a picture of roses. The petals we his handprints, the stems were his arms, the thorns were his thumbprints. (This explains the laundry I did this week.) I also got a picture of him, with his name and a sticker rampage done by the amateur artist himself. (To my knowledge, he hasn’t made any money off of his masterpieces yet.)

I was reminded what it meant to be a mother, as the first thing Hayden said to me this morning was, “Have you washed my Power Rangers shirt yet, Momma?” Though, the spontaneous hugs and kisses have helped much to remind me of that role, too.

The trip to the local zoo went smoothly, even if the stroller wasn’t much help. Gabe is much more independent than Hayden was at this point in his life, and he wants little to do with the restriction of the stroller. I love being a member, as we got there 10 minutes after opening, spent $0, and left with no remorse for not having seen every animal.

Now, naptime is a bit bumpy, but I think I’m going to go read to Gabe. I’m thoroughly enjoying the novel I am reading to him right now. (Birdwing - a story based on the fairy tale of the seven brothers turned into swans.)

I’m smiling just thinking of reading to him, which means it is time to sign off.

This is one of the best memoir concepts I have ever had the pleasure to read. How does an agnostic man deal with every rule he finds within the pages of the Old and New Testaments? And how does his wife deal with him?

The answer, with humor, compassion, and a further appreciation of what he can’t know in this world (and the wife does the same, as far as I am concerned). A.J. Jacobs follows his mission to some interesting places, sharing insight from those religious fanatics who tend to be given only superficial roles in people’s examinations of belief. (Snake Handlers, especially… though the experiences with the Evangelicals Concerned - a group of homosexuals who are also evangelical Christians was a close second for me.)

No, A.J. Jacobs does not accept Christ into his heart, nor does he determine that he is comfortable with Orthodox Judaism. But he does find himself more appreciative of life, more willing to give thanks for anything and everything, more accepting of all of the interpretations of the bible - especially those he can’t reconcile in his own mind.

The final pages of his memoir are poignant. Yes, every believer is a “Cafeteria Believer,” picking and choosing the rules and guidelines he feels best fit with his idea of the good life. After over a year of not allowing himself to be such a believer (instead being forced to sample just about everything from the Judeo-Christian smorgasbord by his commitment to live the bible literally) he tends toward the “nurturing dishes (compassion), the healthy ones (love thy neighbor), not the bitter ones.”

While he doesn’t come out ans specify what exactly he sees as the bitter dishes offered by the bible, my take is that the bible itself isn’t bitter. You just need to be careful of who is salting the dish before serving you a plate.

The Last Bridge is certainly a dark book, full of one family’s skeletons, but it is written with grace and was cherished by this reader. Cat is a woman who has to learn to take care of herself, and when no one in her world has been able to do so (not a mother, not a big brother, certainly not a father) she turns to alcohol as her only support network. This choice does not lead to success, and most of her story is heavy with flight rather than dealing with her past. Often in stories such as this, I find myself yelling at the main character, asking her to suck it up and get on with her life already. Not so with this work. Here, I was drawn into the pain of Cat’s life, finding myself understanding all of her poor choices, and realizing she had other options, but not growing tired of her inability to make stronger decisions.

This is the story of Cat’s pain, and and her final realization that she can gain back some power over her own life, though, so readers need to be forewarned that it is a gloomy, depressing, and heartbreaking novel. Be ready to be sucked into her world, to have pain well up within you, to cheer for her, but to feel moments of disappointment in her, too. Coyne writes the story of Cat so well that I was able to appreciate the disappointment as necessary to the story, rather than being irritated by it.