Meanwhile..back at the ranch..

The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell.

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Eos; 1 edition (April 15, 2003)

ISBN-10: 0060513713

This is a YA book about 12-year-old Makennam who witnessed the murder of her mother, a hedgewitch, by a priest of the Hierarch, aided by the villagers whom Makenna's mother had always helped.

Filled with fear and hate, Makenna runs away into the woods, with her mothers spell books, where she befriends the goblins (a small race of people who are being killed off by the very same Hierarch.)

5 years pass and you meet Tobin, an 18 yr old knight who takes the blame for his younger brother's role in an attempted coup. Tobin is given the opportunity to redeem himself by capturing the sorceress (Makenna) who now leads the goblins that are trying to keep their home grounds safe (from humans) for their own survival.

The story teaches them both that the world cannot be all good or all bad. Because someone is different doesn't make them bad. And because someone is righteous doesn't necessarily make them right. A gentle reminder to keep an open mind.

This book was a fast and enjoyable read and ends with a possibility of more to come, which makes me wonder if this story will have more to come. The younger of the YA readers would have no problems with it.

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Meanwhile Gandalf and my Book Wyrms have been guarding my To Be Read pile..

Below are the newest on the pile.. they just arrived today from Amazon. (with more on the way from Book Closeouts! I hope I live long enough to read them all!)

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and a little book called At the Firefly Gate by Linda Newbery. (wish me luck ..heh)

Since I completed the RIP Challenge (reading 4 books: Wild Wood/ Wizards/ Gil's All Fright Diner/ Company of Ogres) I am already 50 pages into reading Dragons of the Highlord Skies, which Carl had said could also count since one of the main characters in this particular book has been dead over 300 years and is about as evil as evil can be. So until the end of October, I'm not so sure I'm done with RIP!