A great autobiography for anyone who follows the Wilson sisters or for anyone who loves horses and the allure of wild horses in general. These three girls have so much experience and knowledge to be shared. I’m not big into show jumping like they are but it was still fun to read about their winnings and achievements. The parts about creating bonds with the wild horses were the best parts, though. The amount of patience and compassion these girls have for these wild horses is beyond anything I’ve ever heard of. They truly are naturals.
Recently, I got back in touch with my artistic side. I drew, out of nowhere having not drawn in over 15 years since my senior year of high school, a sketch of Captain from a photograph. It turned out great! And I had so much fun doing it. I was blessed with the idea to start a horse art business where I would do custom sketches and paintings, and even get back in touch with my photography side and offer mini photo sessions for portraits. It combined two things I loved dearly and enjoyed to no end, but lost touch of after high school until now, my mid-thirties; horses and art. The author of this book, Kelly Wilson, was an inspiration to me to do this throughout the entire book. I, like her, want to live outside the confines of a 9-5 job. I would love to work from home, be my own boss, and set my own schedule. Who wouldn’t? Kelly made me realize that it’s actually possible with horses and art. There were many inspirational nuggets in there that you could walk away from the book with, feeling confident that you can make your dreams come true, whatever they are.
My favorite quote was “Our talents are God’s gift to us but what we do with them is our gift back to God.” This really hit home with me and made me feel like I was on the right track with my horse art business venture. It was a way for me to take the talents God blessed me with and put them out there into the world to bless others with them and give God the glory for it (Something I feel is lacking in my 7-3pm job).
I highly recommend if you are a horse lover like me! And if you’d like to check out my art you can do so with the links below. My custom sketches and paintings are available throughout the US. My photography sessions are available in Northwest Indiana.
This is a massive book and I’m sorry the review won’t be quite as impressive in length. I love all the ground this book covered. It started when the islands were formed from the volcanoes and ended all the way in 1954, close to when James Michener wrote the book and had it published.
The beginning has to be my favorite part. I love the beautiful language used to describe the formation of the islands and I love hearing of how people came to inhabit these islands. It’s so interesting to me to hear about tribal cultures and all they believe and do that’s so different from our own. It felt like the main characters of the story were the missionaries. Their stories seemed to go on the longest and hold the most impact for the islands.
I loved how whenever a new family was introduced I knew they were going to play an important part in Hawaii’s history somehow, they would intermingle with the other characters somehow, and they always seemed to be from some other nationality than Hawaiian. We have the white missionaries, the Chinese, and the Japanese. Very briefly does the author talk about true Hawaiians other than Kelly Kanakoa who is descended from the last rulers of Hawaiian culture. Hawaii is such a cultural melting pot by the time the book is over and you can’t help but love each of these families and their contributions.
I lived in Hawaii for a few years back in my early 20s, which is why I chose to read this book. It’s the first book I’ve ever read by James Michener. I can tell he put a lot of research hours into forming this book, even though all the characters are fiction, most are based off of real people or are composites of real people. The situations he tells us about are definitely representative of things that really have happened in Hawaii’s past. I loved learning about how pineapples came to the islands because it is such an important part of the island and its culture now.
I feel like I’ve been reading this book forever! This was my work book so if I ever finished work early and had time to spare before I could leave, I read some of this and then I got to the point where I just wanted to be done with it so I could read something else so I also read it in the mornings before work. It’s huge! It’s definitely a commitment and won’t be for everyone, especially if history and genealogy aren’t really your thing, but if they are and you have an interest in the islands then this is a good book for you!
1. They believed Black to be so dangerous that when he escaped Azkaban they even announced it to the muggles through their news. They just didn’t say where he escaped from.
2. It was really terrible and traumatizing for a 13 year old in a class he’s struggling in to have his teacher force him to use his potion on his beloved pet toad, knowing it could poison and kill the toad. Snape really wasn’t only terrible to Harry. Poor Neville.
3. Peeves is in the HP books throughout the series so far so much it makes me wonder why they didn’t include him at all in the movies. He would have been a character the kids would have probably loved.
4. Crookshanks was one good, smart cat, always going after Scabbers. He knew something was evil and not right about that rat!
5. If Fred and George snatched the Maurader’s map without any guidance how’d they ever guess the way to make it work was to say “I solemnly swear that I am up to nog good”. Even for them, it’s not a phrase they’d utter a lot. Quite a good guess on their part.
Things I didn’t catch as a kid or forgot about:
1. The wizard pets were supposed to have magical powers. The lady at the pet shop asked Ron what Scabbers’ powers were and Ron couldn’t think of any. But what were Hedwig, Errol, or Crookshanks powers??
2. Harry’s sneakoscope was always going off around Ron because Scabbers was there and Scabbers is an untrustworthy “rat”.
3. Hagrid had a dozen hippogriffs, not just Buckbeak, and Harry volunteered to be the first in the class to approach them.
4. I completely forgot about flobberworms and how gross they are.
5. Sir Cadogan and his fat pony! He is such a great little side character, even though he’s just a moving portrait. Funny and heartfelt. I really wish he had been in the movie. Oh well. They can’t put everything in.
6. Hagrid’s motorbike was given to him by Sirius Black the night he took Potter to the Dursley’s.
7. There are “Hit Wizards” in the ministry. Like a hit-man?
8. The boys were a lot meaner to Hermione in this one than I remember. They don’t talk to her for months out of the school year and blow her off because of what they think he cat did to Scabbers. Poor girl must’ve been so lonely.
9. It wasn’t just Harry who disarmed and knocked Snape out in the Shrieking Shack. Ron and Hermione and Harry all hit him at the same time.
Best Quotes:
“Don’t let the muggles get you down!” -Ron Weasley
Harry Potter is one of those stories you can read over and over again. I was eleven when the first book came out so it was especially magical for me to grow up with the trio, the same age as them. I read through the entire series as it came out, once more as a fresh twenty-something in college, and now I have reread the first one as a 34 year old wife and mom. It’s funny how when your perspective changes the stories seem to change as well. I find myself relating and listening more to the teachers and adults in the stories than the kids, which is great because they have some really fantastic wisdom to impart. I wanted to share my journey of rereading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as an adult with you, sharing the things I forgot about and also the things I noticed as an adult that I didn’t notice as a kid.
Things I Forgot About
The entire first chapter is all about the Dursleys and from their point of view.
It is so simply written. There are no big fancy words or poetic descriptions. She was blonde and bony or he was fat with a great big mustache. That’s it. I love how simple it is!
The Ministry of Magic actually wanted Dumbledore to be Minister but he turned it down, of course, to stay at Hogwarts and that’s how Cornelius Fudge got the job.
Hagrid knits.
All the students at Hogwarts had to have name tags on their clothes.
First years were not allowed their own broomsticks.
Griphook was the goblin that took Harry to his vault the first time.
Harry met Malfoy at the robe shop in Diagon Alley for the first time, but they weren’t properly introduced then so Malfoy didn’t know who he was talking to, though he revealed his true nature to Harry.
Hedwig was named after someone in the book A History of Magic.
Neville met the three headed dog too with the three.
Malfoy challenged Harry to a midnight duel with the plot to tell Filch he was out of bed and get him in trouble. That’s how they accidentally found Fluffy in the first place.
Norbert but Ron on the hand and he had to go to Madam Pomfrey because it turns out his fangs were poisonous. And it was Hagrid’s idea Charlie take Norbert to release into the wilds of Romania.
Things I Noticed as an Adult that I missed as a Kid
The mention of brandy. Uncle Vernon is handed a glass when he’s flustered by Harry’s glass disappearing act. I don’t know if in the UK maybe grade school kids already knew what Brandy was but I’m pretty sure I didn’t at eleven when I first read this.
Dudley had to have his pig’s tail removed surgically at a muggle hospital in London. How do you think they explained that one?
Ron didn’t get his wand at Olivanders. It was a hand-me-down from his older brother which made me wonder, did witches and wizards upgrade wands? I had always thought the wand chooses the wizard and then it was a forever bond. Why had Charlie given up his wand to Ron? He obviously has another.
The Weasley twins were throwing snowballs at Voldemort’s face without even realizing it. Imagine what he was thinking under Quirrell’s turban while this was going on.
Hagrid drinks a lot, even Professor McGonagall gets tipsy at one of the Hogwarts dinners. And it’s so normal to the kids that adults drink. Harry comments on it offhandedly like of course Hagrid was drunk and let it slip. That’s just funny to me because it’s so different from my own American childhood.
As writers and authors, it’s perfectly understandable how we can get caught up in our work. Sometimes it takes over and before you know it you’ve been at it for four hours without a break. Once you’re on a roll it’s hard to stop! But it’s important to find balance in your life. It’s ok to take a break to go to the bathroom and eat a meal. The idea will still be there, I promise! And if you’re too worried it won’t be, write the thought down quick before you walk away. As a sedimentary job, breaks should also include walking around or exercise, and oh yeah we still have families and friends and pets and other responsibilities too. When are we even supposed to find time for reading, the very thing that gave us the idea to be writers in the first place?!
Reading Makes You a Better Writer
Not only is reading an enjoyable pastime, it’s also a very important part of the author job. We want to keep learning, growing, and getting better as writers. If we don’t get out there and explore different styles and genres our work might start to feel like the same thing over and over again because we don’t know how to do anything else. I know for me personally I have been reading Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and it has had a great effect on my writing. It has taught me what appeals to readers and to use a new style of writing that adults can enjoy as opposed to always writing on a Young Adult level. This broadened my horizons as an author and opened the door for me to write in new genres that I could potentially do really well in. If I hadn’t read this series, I might never have realized how much I like Historical Fiction and how to use a new style of writing for an older audience.
Not only do you gather more tools for a broader and better writing style by reading, but you also learn to grasp grammar and book layout better. Just by reading many books I learned that when you have a double space between paragraphs you don’t indent the first sentence. I’ve also found common headers that appeal to me as a reader and have implemented similar designs into my own layouts. And let’s face it, just because we are authors doesn’t mean we know much or anything about grammar. For some of us it comes naturally, but for some it’s a real struggle. By reading as much as you can you will start to pick up on the correct use of words and even learn new words that you can use in your own writing. You will start to understand why those commas are where they are and what the use of a semicolon really is. You don’t need a degree to learn these things. You can learn them just by sitting down with a coffee, a blanket, and a book and reading away the hours.
It Gives You Something to Talk About with Readers
Some of my biggest engagement posts are not the ones where I’m trying to sell my books or are even pictures of my cute cat, but they’re book reviews! I post on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub and my blog. Whenever I finish a book I’ll throw up a review. Usually it’s nothing too in-depth and it’s certainly not a professional review that’s pages long. I try to touch on characters, setting, story, and style and my followers on social media really seem to like this. They like seeing that an author they follow has read the same book they’ve read, or even better you lead them to a great new read they might never have learned about. It’s all part of building an author community on our social media. You don’t want to come off as self-centered or like a salesman. A great way to break up the sales posts is to post other books you enjoy, books on your shelf, bookstacks of the same genre or color or author. Talk about what you like as a reader and your followers will start to see you as a human being instead of the almighty author behind the cover of the book you’re selling.
Authors Supporting Authors
How can you expect others to read your work and be interested in it if you’re not willing to do the same? I feel like it’s just good book karma to keep reading other author’s books in the hopes that someday they might read mine as well. It’s also a great way to make connections with other authors. If you find their email on their website or you follow them on social media you can reach out to them personally and tell them how much you loved their book and that you left reviews. No matter how big the author is, these little messages will make their day! Even if they don’t have time to respond to every single one they get, they saw it and they loved it. And who knows, you might form a connection and someday they will return the favor. You could possibly find a new exchange buddy for ARCs. The possibilities are endless when networking and building your author/reader community.
Inspiration
I don’t know about you but reading what other people can do with writing inspires me. It gives me great story ideas of my own, helps me to develop more realistic characters that readers can relate to, and even just inspires me to write in general. It reminds me that “hey, this person didn’t give up and look what came of it! This is awesome! I can do this!” I truly believe the best way to gather inspiration, no matter what creative profession you’re in, is to indulge in the work of others. You might never have wanted to write a story about Vikings and their life way back when until you read your first Viking fiction book recommended to you by one of those bookstagrammers on instagram you follow. And then bam! You’ve got a new story that seems to just flow from your fingertips like it was heaven sent.
Writing can take over our lives as authors, but we should still always find time to squeeze in some reading too. It keeps us sharp, fresh, and entertained. Why do you think writers should also be readers? Tell me in the comments and as always Happy Reading!
