Swimming to Antartica (Lynne Cox)

322 pages. Autobiography about an incredible lady who twice broke the male-female world records for swimming the English Channel, swam the Beiring Strait during the Cold War, the Straits of Magellan, Glacier Bay, and a bunch of other places including a mile to Antartica in 32 degree water. Mom recommended this book to us. We (Bryan and Kristen) read it together, and it was pretty good. I think it would have been better had it not been an autobiography -- she may be a good swimmer, but we got tired of reading "I swam harder than I had ever swam before" and we particularly did not like the parts where she was talking to herself and writing it down. But there were also very good parts, such as when the people of New Zealand were cheering her on for crossing some waterway, or when she reached the Soviet eskimos after crossing the Beiring Strait. We give it two stars.

While They're At War: The True Story of American Families on the Homefront (Kristin Henderson)

We hear a lot about what soldiers go through when they go to war, but we hear less about what their loved ones experience while they are away. I enjoyed reading this book about their families' experiences while loved ones are away. For one thing, this book teaches you a little more about military culture. It was an easy and enjoyable read. It should be at the library.

MOVIE: The Big Clock (1948)

Okay, so this is a movie (based on a book I think...). We've been watching movies from the genre of Film Noir. This is a well done film. A man tries to cover up a murder he committed by trying to frame a mystery man whose identity he doesn't know. He ironically hires the man he is trying to frame, to discover the identity of the mystery man.

Two thumbs up.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls

I read this last October with Michele. We both enjoyed it, but it was a little darker than I had remembered as a kid. Apparently this was the make-or-break book in the author, John Bellairs', career. He originally wanted it to be an adult horror novel, but some twist of fate turned it into a kids' book. Others followed, and somehow or other (I think from our family bookworm, Jessica), I was weaned on these bizarre, frightening books. It was a fun read (for kids at least 10 years old)! ...But you don't have to take my word for it!

Lone star nation (H. W. Brands)

582 pages. The full title:
Lone star nation : how a ragged army of volunteers won the battle for Texas independence - and changed America. I read this sometime last year, actually, but it was good if you can handle all that history.

The Last Battle (C.S. Lewis) **

I read this as a kid a long time ago. Back then I considered it my favorite one of the Chronicle's of Narnia. It's definitely no longer my favorite, but it was still enjoyable. Kristen and I read it together.

John Adams (David McCullough) ***

750 pages. Excellent book! I am not a big history buff, but this is a very enjoyable and well-researched biography about President John Adams. I learned a lot about the Revolutionary time period and important people during that time. It is long, and took me a while to read. But I highly recommend it.

The Magician's Nephew (C.S. Lewis) **

202 pages. This is part of the Chronicles of Narnia series. It's an easy read, enjoyable, with a lot of Christian symbolism. I started reading the series after watching the movie "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". I tried to read them in the order they were written (as opposed to the chronological order like they have them in the series), but got mixed up on the last two, so this was the last one I read. I enjoyed them all, and recommend them to anyone who hasn't read them yet.