The Sword in the Tree

The Sword in the Tree, by Clyde Robert Bulla

55/60 | Started 09.16.24 • Finished 10.16.24 | 4 stars

"The story is about a boy named Shan whose Uncle Lionel killed his brother, Shan’s father. Only we find out that he didn’t. With the help of Sir Gareth of Camelot, Shan is able to defeat his Uncle and reclaim Weldon Castle, his home. He finds out that his father is alive. That was my favorite part. I didn’t like when Shan and his mother had to leave Weldon Castle. I also didn’t like that Lionel was able to pretend that he didn’t know who Shan was and neither did anyone else at the castle."

Carolyn, age 7

Nathan Coulter

Nathan Coulter, by Wendell Berry

54/60 | Started 10.06.24 • Finished 10.15.24 | 3.75 stars

Another book that I enjoyed but I'm not really sure what to say about it. It's my first foray into Wendell Berry and while I wasn't wowed by the writing, I found that I cared about what happened to the characters. I'm looking forward to reading more about the people of Port William.

And both of us knew that if the time ever came it would be a hard thing to do, and a risky one. Once we’d passed him we could never be behind again. We’d have to stay in front, and it was a lonely and a troublesome place.

James

James, by Percival Everett

53/60 | Started 09.23.24 • Finished 10.06.24 | 4 stars

Micro-review: I thought the writing was very good and the story was extremely compelling while at times disturbing. It did not, however, follow the same storyline as that found in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, deviating quite distinctly in the last half of the book. Still a great read, if you can stomach the descriptions of the cruelties of slavery, and it was interesting to read literarily historic characters in someone else's voice.