Rachel Kovaciny's Blog, page 28

"The Murder of Mr. Wickham" by Claudia Gray

Well, I did read the whole book, which I kind of thought I wouldn't at one point.  And I'm glad I did, because the ending was reasonably satisfying.
The Murder of Mr. Wickham has a fun and clever premise: the characters from Jane Austen's six major novels are all related or know each other somehow.  George and Emma Knightley host a house party at Donwell Abbey to introduce Juliet Tilney, daughter of Emma's friends Henry and Catherine Tilney, to good society.  They invite Captain and Anne Wentwort...

"The Convivial Homeschool" by Mystie Winckler -- Guest Review

I reviewed The Convivial Homeschool for the homeschool blog Blest the House this week -- you can read my full review here.  Overall, I found it very helpful and encouraging.
I want to share my favorite parts here with you so you can get a taste of how good this book is.  And so I can refer to them whenever I need them.
Particularly Good Bits:
Our job isn't to figure out how to make everything go smoothly and easily; it's how to glorify God in all things (p. 14).
Tears are a normal response to diffic...

"Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers

I liked this book SO MUCH BETTER than I did when I was a kid!  I read two or three of the original Mary Poppins books by P. L. Travers when I was young, and I just didn't find them very fun.  And I found parts of them downright creepy.  Or bizarre.  Or dark and weird.  I much preferred the Disney movie.
Don't get me wrong -- I still love the Disney movie.  But this book makes me laugh aloud multiple times now!  I used to think Mary Poppins in the book was kind of mean, and she IS much sterner and...

"Crown and Cinder" by Kendra E. Ardnek

This is another completely delightful mashup of Jane Austen and a fairy tale!!  In fact, I think I liked this Pride and Prejudice -meets-Cinderella story even better than book one in this series, Rose Petals and Snowflakes.
Lizzy is a Cinder, which means things catch on fire if she touches them too long, and she can control fire to some extent.  She also has ties to the Forest, which was controlled by the evil Mistress until the events of the previous book.  The Mistress tried to use Lizzy to inf...

Revealing the Cover for "My Rock and My Refuge"

Here it is!  I'm officially revealing the cover for My Rock and My Refuge, the next book in the Once Upon a Western series.  

I love the cozy, sweet feel, yet with a hint of mystery and danger.  It completely captures the feel of the book.
Here's a synopsis:

Beauty and the Beast... re-imagined...
When a German baker and her brother take jobs serving a wealthy recluse, they're only hoping to earn enough money to help their parents regain the family's bakery. But they soon learn that gold and silver a...

Giveaway Winners and Tolkien Blog Party Wrap-Up

Thank you for joining my tenth Tolkien Blog Party!  I will be catching up on comments and posts over the next few days, but right now, it's time to announce the winners of this year's giveaway!
Eva -- Prize 1 (Journey to Mordor Game)CC -- Prize 2 (Sticker sheet)Samantha -- Prize 3 (Four bookplates)Rose -- Prize 4 (Four bookplates)Bethani Theresa -- Prize 5 (The Battles of Tolkien)Ivy Miranda -- Prize 6 (Coloring Book)
Congratulations, winners!  I will be emailing you this morning to get your maili...

Answers to Tolkien or Not? Quiz

Here are the answers to the "Tolkien or Not?" quiz!  Scores are below.
1.  In doubt, a man of worth will trust to his own wisdom.  Tolkien!  (Hama says this in The Two Towers.)
2.  I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.  Tolkien!  (Gandalf says this in The Return of the King.)
3.  To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand.  NOT!  (It's from Hamlet by William Shakespeare)
4.  Help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the wise falter. ...

Answers to Middle-earth Locations Unscramble

Here we are!  Answers to this year's unscramble.  Everyone's scores are at the bottom.
1Therolloin = Lothlorien
2Beeror = Erebor
3Boniboth = Hobbiton
4Klownate = Laketown
5Soreda = Edoras
6Leldervin = Rivendell
7Gloitisha = Osgiliath
8Omira = Moria
9Deemsdul = Meduseld
10Workdiom = Mirkwood

Scores
Bethani Theresa - 10Charlotte (MotherOwl) - 10Olivia - 10Rose - 10Eva - 9Ivy Miranda - 8
Well done, everyone!  

Roll Your Own Middle-earth Adventure: A Party Game

All you need to play this game is either an ordinary six-sided die or an online number generator.  The numbers you roll determine how your Middle-earth adventure will go!

Share your adventure in the comments so we can all enjoy it.  (Yes, comments are still on "moderation" because of the previous games, but I will approve these as soon as I see them.)  You can elaborate on the different bits of your story as much or as little as you like.
You
Roll to determine what Middle-earth race you belong to:
1...

Tolkien or Not? Quiz

All you have to decide with the quotations that are here given to you, is whether or not they were written by J. R. R. Tolkien.  More than half of them are his, but I won't tell you exactly how many.  But I will tell you that I got his quotations from his books, not from the movies, so they are truly Tolkien's writing. 

Put your guesses in the comments, which are on "moderation" and won't appear instantly (so no one can cheat off each other).  I'll post the answers and all your scores at the end ...