Book Notes: January 18, 2023 - Something A Little Different

 Welcome, readers! I've got a couple of book reviews today which are in genres I haven't read much. Well, one of them, I just haven't read much like it lately, though I do enjoy it immensely. I hope you'll continue reading to see what I thought about these.

Book Review: Evangellyfish by Douglas Wilson

Evangellyfish by Douglas Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent Story!

This book was a very pleasant surprise. Douglas Wilson is an excellent storyteller. My husband and I read this together and we both got more than a few laughs out of the satire. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys satire such as Good Omens. It reminded me of that book, but I enjoyed this one a whole lot more.

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I think what surprised me most about this one was the fact that it was satire. There are a few random cuss words in it. If that bothers you, you may want to skip this one. But I will say, though I usually try to steer away from such things in a story, in this case, it was character-appropriate and helped me know what the characters' viewpoints were. 

I thought this book was awesome because I didn't know that satires about the faith were written by people of the faith, so wow! And while I did enjoy it and got several laughs from it, it's still not my favorite genre. It made for a good stretch of my reading mind, though. 

Book Review: Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki

Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful story! I love folktales and this adaptation by Hayao Miyazaki was a moving one. The illustrations were as beautiful and rich as I expected. One of the things I appreciate in his work is how he showcases the simple things in life that we Americans seem to be so eager to forget about. Honor, responsibility, and a deep sense of duty are displayed in two characters in this story. It's a joy and a relief to know such stories still circulate and our children may yet benefit from them. I highly recommend this book.

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As much as I love the films Hayao Miyazaki worked on with Studio Ghibli, this is only the first book of his that I've read. I borrowed it from my youngest daughter and she really loved it, too. She's a senior in high school right now, so that may give you a better idea of the range of ages this book might appeal to. 

Just Keep Writing: Wednesday Whimsy

If this is your first time participating in this kind of writing exercise, you're in for a treat. If you've done this with me before, just keep scrolling for the prompt.

Rules:

1. You can use any/all of the words and/or the photo in the prompt below to create a unique written work. Fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, even lyrics are acceptable.  
2. Please keep the material you write clean (ie. nothing R-rated or worse) if you wish to share the link to your work here, as well as if you link back to my site. I strive to keep my site free of such things. My readers know and expect this. I respect your right to write whatever you feel you need to write. And you're free to use my prompts. But if your material is graphic, I'd rather not view it, and most of my readers will not wish to. 
3. Have fun! This type of exercise is perfect for growing in the writing craft, or for helping through a rough patch in your current WIP. If you're looking to push your author limits and you normally write in nonfiction prose, try a whimsical collection of lyrics. If you normally write poems about real life events, try your hand at a fanfic. Give yourself some room to explore.

Don't forget to leave a link to your creation (unless you're writing graphic material) so my readers and I can check out your work. I'd appreciate a link back to this post to help me reach more readers, but it's not required. 

Photo by Mitch Lally

Please take a moment and stop by Mitch's gallery on Pexels.com. You'll find portraiture and landscapes to stir the creative soul. 

Thank you for taking some of your valuable time to check out today's post. I hope you find a new book to add to your TBR list. Or maybe you came for some inspiration. I hope you found it here. 

Tomorrow, I'll have another beautiful prompt to share with you. Please do visit again. 

Until next time,
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