I’ve been continuing along in my Newbery Medal reading, but I’m behind on reviewing…so today I thought I’d do a three-for-one of three very different books, connected only by that shiny gold stamp on their covers!
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
Set in first-century Galilee, Jewish Daniel is acutely aware of his people’s oppression by the Romans. He is driven by rage and the desire to avenge his father’s death at the hands of the Romans; he believes the way to achieve it is with a group of Zealots hiding in the mountains. His path turns when he has to assume responsibility for his sister Leah, so frightened as a child by Roman attacks that she can’t leave the house or meet strangers. Daniel chafes at being held back by Leah—but is also beginning to wonder if this new preacher in Capernaum, Jesus of Nazareth, might be the answer to Roman oppression after all.
This book intrigued me with the promise of a story set in first century Galilee that wasn’t the Nativity, Passion or ministry of Jesus. Not that there aren’t a lot of good stories centered around those—but there are a lot of them. And when Jesus entered into this story after all, I was fascinated to see him from an outside perspective. Daniel isn’t an apostle, or even an ongoing follower. He’s just one of the five thousand when loaves are multiplying, one of the people crowding the beach to hear the preacher. Continue reading “A Newbery Three-fer”
Summer has begun and it’s time (a bit past!) to say farewell to the Once Upon a Time challenge. I’ve been very laid-back and rather unfocused this year, but I did get in a number of fantasy reads…though I reviewed less than I read!
After quite a few YA parallel world books, I wanted to find some more adult ones. Here, There and Everywhere was quite different from the YA ones I’d been reading, and Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid is also about adults…even if it’s another love triangle (sort of).
This week’s question for 
Continuing my Shakespeare challenge this year, I’ve done all comedies so far and so decided to go for a tragedy. I’ve been intrigued by Coriolanus for years, but never actually explored it–so this seemed like the time!
Tales of the Marvelous 