Book Review: Finding Vocal Artistry

I read a book!  And I wrote about it!  Yippee!

You can read the post here on my voice blog.

(Plus I'm almost done with a fiction book, so watch for something about that in the next few days.)

Catching up (or trying to)

No, I didn't disappear from the face of the earth.  I didn't stop reading.  I didn't stop writing.  I've just had a lot of things on my plate lately, so getting posts done for this blog just didn't happen.  (Why does that sound like so many of my journal entries from my teens and twenties.)  Anyway...

If you are curious about what I've been up to, check out my voice blog and its companion FB page. You'll find me talking about lots of books there.  They are just all music books.  I'm also trying to do Camp NaNoWriMo this month, but I've been blogging so I haven't even started yet.  

When I typed up the tentative calendar for the book group posts for Emotional Freedom, I remember thinking, "This is ridiculous.  I won't need this much time to do these."  Now, months after it was supposed to be finished, I hope to get back to it.  Really, I will.  

And I'd also like to get back to writing reviews of the books I've read, but I'm not sure when it will happen so I'm going to just take some time now to tell you a little about them.  

Books I've finished reading since the last review.  

No Future Without Forgiveness by Desmond Tutu

This has been added to my list of favorite books ever.  As I mentioned before, it's not an easy read. Some parts will break your heart.  But it is also a book of hope.  A book of what can be.  The final chapter is the most beautiful and moving discussion of forgiveness that I have ever read or heard.  If you don't have time to read the whole book, read Chapter 11 and the postscript.  I promise it is worth it.  

Beyonders

A World Without Heroes (Beyonders #1) by Brandon Mull

Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders #2) by Brandon Mull

Chasing the Prophecy (Beyonders) #3 by Brandon Mull

I was a huge fan of Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series, so I was excited to find these.  They were enjoyable reads, but I didn't love them the way I loved Fablehaven.  They were inventive and fun.  I liked the variety of the wizard created races.  I was bothered by some of the sexist things in the other world, but Mull had characters comment on the wrongness of that sexism, so I guess we are teaching kids some good things.  Mostly, I laughed when I saw things that reminded me of my own writing.  At one point, the main character is trying to decide what to do and goes into quite a lot of detail thinking his way through each option.  It reminded me a little of when I am doing NaNoWriMo and I don't know where I want the plot to go so I have one character explore all the possibilities just so I can up my word count.  Maybe that's not what Mull was doing, but it made me smile anyway.  Worth reading? Yes, but if you haven't read Fablehaven, I'd go there first because it is better.  

The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine by Sue Monk Kidd

This is a beautiful book about one woman's spiritual journey.  She has made some different choices than I have, but I learned so much from reading of her experiences.  

Tai Ji:  Essential Tai Ji by Chungliang Al Huang with photographs by Si Chi Ko

This is one of two tai chi books that I purchased on a trip to the used book store in search of something else.  This books was a quick and easy read, but will be one that I return to often to explore its beauty and depth.  I would recommend it for people already familiar with tai ji.  The language used to describe the exercises is beautiful and powerful, but is not clear enough to really help you in learning the actual movement.  The pictures in this book are wonderful.  

New Spring:  The Novel (Wheel of Time 0.2) by Robert Jordan

I finally got around to starting Wheel of Time.  I've read this prequel and I think about 10 of the other books in the series, but I decided to wait until the series was complete before reading any more.  And of course, I've waited so long, that it was best to just start at the beginning.  New Spring is actually a prequel, written after the first few books, but telling what happened before Eye of the World.  I decided to go with chronological order for my reading rather than the order the books were written in.  I've heard both good and bad reports on these books.  I know I loved them before, but I'm anxious to see how I respond now.  

Since I've spent the last few years studying tai chi, one of the things I really connected with this time was when Jordan wrote about Lan "dancing the forms" as he fought off his enemies.  The names of the forms even sound like tai chi and qigong forms.  I'm also fascinated with the use of the One Power and how the women weave spells.  The way Jordan uses this was actually very influential in some of my own writing. I love the intrigue of the inner workings of the White Tower and each of the individual Ajahs.  

Books I've started reading (even though I already have a huge list going)

The Farmer's Wife Slow Cooker Cookbook edited by Lela Nargi

In the clearance section at Half Price Books, I found this great cookbook of slow cooker recipes that are not all processed foods.  The editor took recipes from The Farmer's Wife magazine published in the early 20th Century and adapted them for contemporary slow cooker use.  The recipes look good, but the best part is the ads and articles reprinted from the magazine.  

Lessons in Becoming Myself by Ellen Burstyn

This was another great find in the clearance section.  I loved the title and this from the description on the back, "What Burstyn learned taught her to stand up for herself, to battle her private demons, and to reach for authenticity in everything she did."  Looking forward to this.  

The Encyclopedia of Energy Medicine by Linnie Thomas

You know how you are supposed to use encyclopedias to look up info on a specific topic.  Well, I'm the nerdy girl that likes to read the whole encyclopedia.  I've already read a huge chunk and I skimmed the rest last night.  (Just bought it yesterday.)  I like how it is not just descriptions, but includes information on training, certification, and licensing for each of the modalities discussed.  I'm looking forward to spending a lot more time with this book as I make choices about moving forward with my goals in energy medi