Aquila is a Decurian in the Roman calvary in Britain – not a Legionnaire, as the Legions have been gone from Britain for decades. When his unit too is summoned back to Rome, marking the end of Roman presence in Britain, Aquila knows that he’s of Britain, and must stay. Leaving the legion behind, he […]
The Lantern Bearers – Rosemary Sutcliff Read More »
The first day of Leo’s junior year in high school, there’s a new girl at school. Her name is Stargirl (well, really, it’s Susan, but she takes a new name whenever it suits her). She’s been home schooled up until now, and it shows – she’s a total free spirit, and has no idea of
Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli Read More »
This is one of those books that have about six different threads going on, weaving around a central theme, which is in this case, is love. The true, historical backdrop: Christian IV was king of the Denmark in the 16th century. He’s still the longest reigning king, and is remembered for a number of reforms
Music and Silence – Rose Tremain Read More »
After my slight disappointment with Shiver, I’ll admit I was a little leery of picking up another Maggie Stiefvater book, but I’ve heard such great things about her (hi, Jenn!), I gave her another go when The Scorpio Races came up as an Amazon Kindle special. I’m definitely glad I did – I liked this
The Scorpio Races – Maggie Stiefvater Read More »
Lady Truthful Newington is turning eighteen, and her father has decided to mark the occasion with a viewing of the Newington Emerald. The Emerald has been in the family for centuries, and is a powerful magical tool for the women of the family. It’ll be Truthful’s when she’s twenty one. The viewing happens during a
Newt’s Emerald – Garth Nix Read More »
While we were at Tonto, we were chatting with another couple, and they mentioned the Besh Ba Gowah ruins in Globe. They’re a bit off the main route, so we had never seen any signs, but they’re worth seeking out if you’re in the area. The site is run by the city, and they have
Besh Ba Gowah – Globe, Arizona Read More »
To get to Tonto, you take Route 60 from Phoenix, up to Globe. That drive takes you over the Gonzalez pass. We’d done this trip before, but from the opposite direction, and it was at night, so we’d missed the scenery. The mountains are strikingly beautiful, but what’s even more striking is when you get
Roosevelt Lake and Dam – Roosevelt, Arizona Read More »
The last time we were in Arizona, at the end of our rather epic journey along the Apache Trail, we passed the entrance to the Tonto National Monument. It was closed at the time, so while it mentioned cliff dwellings, we had to look it up later to see what it involved. Turns out, there
Tonto National Monument – Roosevelt, Arizona Read More »
The other cool thing about visiting the Desert Botanical Garden is that it turns out they were having a Chihuly glass exhibit. One of the things I really like about the garden is how structural the cactus are, so having the glass in amongst them was a really interesting contrast. We never did
Chihuly in the Garden Read More »
So it wouldn’t be a trip to the Phoenix area for us if we didn’t stop by the Desert Botanical Garden. And can I just say how nice it was to see some green? One thing we did differently this time was check out the succulent collection. I don’t know how we’ve managed not to
Desert Botanical Garden – Phoenix, Arizona Read More »
