More Daring Adventures

I just finished a collage for the art class I'm taking this spring. This online class is lots of fun and easy to fit into my day. Students post their work on Flickr, so we have a chance to share our work with the group. Seeing all the different interpretations of each assignment is inspiring!



This week we will be "following our compass" as we explore the idea that our experiences and ideas are "guiding us and show up in our artwork. From the colors we like, to the imagery we choose, to the texture and influences from travels and life experiences that find their way into our art making." (Mati Rose McDonough)

Daring Adventures in Paint

It sat half-finished for months. It wasn't impatient. It wasn't afraid. I was both. Impatient with myself; fearful I would mess it up. Then I read a blog entry by Mati Rose McDonough.

The Daring Adventures in Paint & Life e-course starts tomorrow.

Kidnapped

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While this story was mostly fast-paced and exciting, it did drag a few times. Redeemed from its reputation as a boys' novel (maybe that's why I never read it as a child?) and now considered a classic, "Kidnapped" held my interest and inspired several Internet searches into Scottish history. My favorite characters were the supporting ones, especially the wicked and greedy Ebenezer Balfour, the wily Highland cardshark Cluny Macpherson and the Latin-quoting lawyer Mr. Rankeillor.

My favorite quote: “I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both; and I believe they both get paid in the end; but the fools first.”

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The Hour of Peril

The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War by Daniel Stashower
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Suspenseful story about the Baltimore plot to assassinate President-Elect Lincoln on his way to inauguration in Washington in 1861. I was chewing my nails, even though I knew the outcome. That's good writing!

The famous detective Allan Pinkerton was hired by a railway executive to make sure his trains were safe, when he stumbled onto a plot to murder Lincoln. Kate Warne, the first female detective, was instrumental in helping Lincoln pass through Baltimore undetected by the assassins. I'll never listen to "Maryland, My Maryland" without thinking of how close our country came to a very different history in 1861.

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Etiquette & Espionage

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not having read very many YA novels, I don't have much knowledge of this genre. I did a pre-read of this title to make sure it's OK for my daughter to read, because these days "ya never know..." The Droll Sense of Humor and silly character names were quite funny. Bumbersnoot the mechanimal (this is steampunk, after all) and Lord Dingleproops sound like characters from a Monty Python skit. The plot was a little thin, but as the introduction to the Finishing School series, I think that can be forgiven.

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A Crimson Warning

A Crimson Warning by Tasha Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've consistently rated the books in the Lady Emily series with 3 stars up until now. I'm giving this one another star for Longevity in a Series. This is #6, so something has piqued my interest. I'm pretty sure it's a combination of the time period (I really like Victorian England for a setting) and the bookish, Liberty-gown wearing character of Lady Emily. Her scandalous love of a fine glass of port after dinner is fun.

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A Dangerous Inheritance

A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Richard III has been in the news recently: his bones discovered under a car park in Leicester. Much of this story involves the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. I liked the dual storyline and the character flaws of the two main characters. Overall, I think I prefer the author's non-fiction because the powerful and fascinating men and women of that time are thoroughly compelling. Here the fiction seemed to be a bit in the way.

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