Sarah Holman's Blog, page 22

Kicking off Five Fall Favorites with Five Vintage Favorites

Isn't it exciting! Here we are again for some fall bookish fun. One of the things that fall makes me want to do is pull out some of my old-fashioned books and read them. Here are a few of my favorites. 

1. Patty Fairfield by Carolyn Wells
I discovered this in my late teens at a used book store. I fell in love with this story after reading the first chapter. It is such a sweet story about a young girl learning how her different aunts' manager their homes.Goodreads | Amazon
2. The Happy Hollisters by Jerry West I remember Dad reading this book aloud to us when I was little. I loved these siblings, the mysteries they uncover. The author really knew what kids loved in stories. I've recently reread them and they were so much fun to revisit.Goodreads | Amazon
3. By Way of the Silverthorns  by Grace Livingston Hill Grace Livingston Hill is among my favorite authors. She has been since I was little. I wanted her to be on this list, but it was hard for me to pick which one. I loved her Beauty for Ashes and Aunt Crete's Emancipation. This story is also close to my heart. It follows to siblings as they influence others for Christ and find love. It's an endearing story.Goodreads | Amazon
4. What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge About half-way through this book, I wasn't sure I wasn't sure that I was going to like this story. It ended up being a much more powerful book then I thought. It's a story not only of childhood but of overcoming hardship in a godly way.Goodreads | Amazon
5. The Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley I grew up loving various film versions of Zorro. However, it wasn't until recently that I finally read the story that started it all. I actually listened to the audiobook which was brilliantly narrated by B.J. Harrison. This is a fun adventure story. Goodreads | Amazon

Speaking of books....
This image means I have the book room today. Which also means a free short story! I'm offering my Easter short story If He Lives for free.

Want to see all the other lists? Check them out by clicking on the image below

Star Trek: Exploring Emotion Through Non-Emotion

 I love Star Trek a lot. Not all of Star Trek, but a lot of it. I have to say one of the things that I love the most about it is that the creators and writers knew how to tell a good story. In my humble opinion, Gene Rodenberry was one of the greatest film storytellers ever. He knew how to introduce casts of characters that people could easily connect with. 
Two of the most loved characters in the series are Spock and Data. Spock is the half-Vulcan half-human first officer in the original Star Trek Series. Data the android on Next Generation. While I could spend a lot of time analyzing these two characters, I'm going to talk about how brilliantly they were used to explore emotions through their non-emotions. 
There are many times we have all wished our emotions would just go away. We have loved and those feelings aren't returned. We get angry and are afraid of what we will do if the feelings aren't ripped out of us. We are sad and just want the internal pain to go away. These two characters do not have the same emotions as humans, so the technic of contrast is used to explore emotion. 
Spock struggles and experiences emotion, but also fights against it. I personally think that this is why he is a wildly popular character. His battle with his emotions is something we all face. My sister Rose (who doesn't like Star Trek) has told me a couple of times that I act like I'm a Vulcan in training. Translation: I tend to stuff my emotions. 
Data, being an android, does not experience feelings at all. He is often baffled by other's emotional outbursts. He also longs to experience emotion and often experiments with acting like he has emotion.
Because there is an absence of emotion in both these characters, we quickly feel the lack. One of my favorite episodes that shows this is when Data tries to enter into a romantic relationship with a girl who thinks his lack of emotions and willingness to learn will be an asset. Of course, Data's lack of emotion quickly becomes an issue. Yes, he doesn't get angry and wants to please, he also doesn't get excited, feel affection, or burn with desire. He simply finds the whole thing very interesting. We quickly see how important emotion is in a relationship. You want someone who can laugh and cry with you, someone who feels affection, and (at the right time) desires you.
As for Spock, I think the episode that really showcases a classic use of his lack of feeling is Bread and Circuses, which is my absolute favorite episode of the original series. Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy are on a planet that is technologically contemporary with the show (late 1960's) but is living under a Roman rule and has televised galdiaor fights. Now, in this episode, these free have to face fighting for their lives and Spock is faced with the fact that Kirk might be killed at one point while trapped in a jail cell. Spock keeps trying to find a weakness in the cell while McCoy goes on about Spocks lack of emotion. Finally, Spock stops and turns to face McCoy. In that moment McCoy realizes that Spock is worried about Kirk but he is not showing emotions. 
Honeslty, I think Spock (ecpscailly in this episode) is a great example that not all people show their feelings openly. Some people have feelings but cannot express them like the rest of us who are "normal". 
I probably could go on and on about the subject, but I'll leave you to ponder this.

Content notes: Immodesty is a constant in the Bread and Circuses episode as well as mild violence, and a some inuendo. Star Trek episodes vary in their content form episode to episode and should be watched with decernment. I don't recommend either series for young people or sensitive viewers. 

Villains, Purpose, and Storytelling Genius

*Spoilers in this post*I am not a fan of villain stories. In fact, I'm pretty set against them. I mean, most stories about villains (that I have both read and read about) make the villain more understandable and lickable, but no less a villain. Now I'm all for showing that villains are just as diverse and heroes, but I don't like stories that turn them into heroes. So why would I like Megamind? Mostly because it is a story of redemption.
For those of you who might not have seen this movie here is a super short summary *with spoilers* it's the story of this blue alien that is the villain in Metro City and is always trying to outwit the good guy, Metro Man. Metro Man is a superhero very much styled as a superman type. This movie deals with the aftermath of Megamind actually winning in a battle against the good guy and finding he doesn't have a lot of purpose in life without a good guy to fight.

This movie showcases choices and their consequences in a powerful way. From the beginning, when Megamind realized he couldn't be as good as Metro Man, he made a choice to be the bad guy. So when he defeats Metro Man in one of their battles, he's faced with being a bad guy without a good guy to fight.

While this story wrapped Megamind's crisis with a lot of humor, great visuals, and a sidekick to keep things from growing dark, it showed how empty victory can be. Megamind triumphs over his enemy, but it leaves him without a purpose or goal. His solution to create a new hero for him to fight.

While there is a lot in this movie that I could cover, I think I stick with this concept right here. Let me put it in a concise form:

It is possible to deal with a real, deep issue without it feeling dark.
We all feel at times like we are purposeless and going through the motions of life. Sometimes, we are doing what we know is right but it feels empty. There are also times when what gives us purpose is stripped away. Most of us who have reached maturity know this feeling at least in part.

Megamind has a moment of crisis that no one around him understands. He is feeling purposeless, but his best friend doesn't understand. His best friend just keeps reminding him that he reached his goal of defeating his enemy. Of course, the majority of people see him as a villain and assume of course that he is overjoyed at just reaching his goal.

The use of both visual ad verbal humor were used in great proportion to offset the seriousness of the crisis Megamind finds himself in. He talks out his problem with drinking bird toy. While the conversation is pretty raw, the fact he is talking to a toy makes the whole thing a little funny. Added in the piles of loot around him that also give a humorous backdrop and the fact he's in some crazy PJ's, just adds some spice. Lastly, his best friend, Minion, adds humor to the scene as well as asks questions that give the audience a better grip on what is going on.

Every time I watch this movie, I'm struck by how humor and serious are combined to bring out real emotions. As a writer, here are three takeaways from this scene:

1. Combining humor and seriousness often helps people actually listen to a hard message.

2. Giving villains their own goals and reasons is important.

3. Even houmours scenes can contain deep truths



Next up: Spock, Data, and Emotions

Content notes for Megamind: If you are not used to sci-fi or superhero genre movies, some of the concepts in this movie might not be to your liking. Megamind has a device that can dehydrate people and objects (does not kill them) and he can also change his appearance to look like other people using another device. While neither of these are used in a scary way, some people might find them disturbing. Some mild crude humor in a couple places and mild language that mainly consists of euphemisms. There is a lot of animated destruction of property, but there isn't blood or deaths in this movie.

Writing, Cinema, and a Month of fun Rambling

I've had blogger block very bad in the last few weeks. I sit down to write a blog post (or even think about writing a blog post) and my mind is such a jumble of ideas that nothing comes our right. So, starting tomorrow, I'm going to begin a series of blog posts about movies, writing, and human experience. I'm doing this for fun. Let me know what you think as we go.

Let me start things by saying that not all the movies I'm going to be talking about are for young people. While I'm going to try to include a brief overview of the movie and any issues it might have, I might also forget to do it sometimes. So please, watch with discretion. Also, if you are a young person, please ask your parents before rushing out and watching.

With that said, I won't be using any movies that I haven't personally watched and like. This is going to be a lot of fun!

What's the first film we will be talking about?


Me rewatching Megamind made me want to do this whole series

Beloved by Rachel Starr Thomson: A Review

*post contains Amazon affiliate links*Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback Age Appropriate For: 13 and up for mild romance, violence, and intensity Best for Ages: 13 and up
This is one of those stories that takes some time to recover from because they are so powerful. My heart was aching, and I felt so happy at the end of the book. I felt like crying because it was just that powerful. The left me so satisfied and aching that all other books seemed pale for a little bit afterward.

Thomson’s style is one of my favorites. It is lyrical, beautiful, and pulls me in quickly. I’ve read her Seventh World Trilogy, but I must say I enjoyed this setting better. It is classified as Biblical fantasy which I think is perfect. It has the feel of a Biblical story, yet wasn’t trying to parallel a certain one. It feels like a story out of the book of kings, without trying so hard that it feels like sacrilege.

The book is such a tangle of human motives, emotions, and choices. There were characters that I hadn’t liked that ended up surprising me with their virtue. There were characters that I loved at first that made poor, costly choices: In short, the characters felt real. They weren’t flat, making the expected choices; they were people who made unexpected ones.

As the climax drew close, the spiritual elements were vivid. Yet, Thomason still didn’t rush in to tell you what you needed to get out of it. The story spoke for itself in such a way that I think different readers will get different things out of it, but will all be moved.

I highly recommend this trilogy for those who like powerful stories, lyrical writing, and happy endings.

The Incense Road Collection

*post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for using and buying through them and supporting this blog.*
Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback 
Age Appropriate For: 15 and up for spiritual warfare, violence, and magic (used by those controlled by Satan)
Best for Ages: 18 and up
Description:   An epic quest across the sands of Arabia
In the exotic lands of the east, a secret sect of Persian magicians study the night sky for generations.
When the stars announce a strange royal birth, Misha, a first-level mage, is ready to prove himself by chasing down this new world leader.
But then an ancient document surfaces, whispering of an artifact of immense power. The temptation to seize power is too great to resist.
And Misha is not alone in his quest. The king’s general Reza seeks power to fulfill his mysterious destiny, and both he and Misha have their eye set on the Egyptian princess Kamillah, who will do anything to gain the artifact that could break her bondage to the sorcerer Zahir.
The soldier, the mage and the princess each has a secret to protect.
But if they are going to survive the dark forces warring for their prize, they must learn to trust each other—in what will surely be the journey of a lifetime.

Several years ago, someone told me about an author who was giving away some of her paperbacks to bloggers just by asking. I jumped at the change. Little did I know I would be finding one of my favorite authors of all time.

Some people won’t like this series because there is a lot about spiritual warfare, even physical manifestations of that warfare. There are even some people able to cast spells. However, I have to say that I honestly believe that such things exist. I also love how God is always more powerful than the darkness.

This book was part treasure hunt story, part spiritual warfare, and part biblical fiction. All of it was powerful and gripping.

Well researched, grounded firmly in the scriptures, this story gripped my attention from the first page and didn’t let go until I read the last one. I had a book hangover, it was so good and so powerful. I felt like I had journeyed along with these men and women. I felt like I had been changed by the events they witnessed.

My only complete was that toward the end of the third book, Higley diverged some from the scriptural account and had the magi warned Joseph to flee to Egypt.

I highly recommend this book for those who are interested in the story of the magi, those who like books that deal with spiritual warfare, and gripping biblical fiction tales.

A Very Bookish Holiday Collections will continue!

I'm so excited to tell you two more A Very Bookish installments! 
This year, A Very Bookish Thanksgiving will be releasing. I've already read some of the stories and you are in for a big treat. Five authors are part of this collection include me, Kelsey Bryant, Rebekah Jones, J. Grace Pennington, and Amanda Tero.
And next year.... We are going to have a 4th of July collection! We have the authors picked for this collection, me Kelsey Bryant, Rebekah Jones, Jessica Greyson, and Kate Willis. But it's in the early stages. But I'm so excited about this collection.
Also, there is a possibility that A Very Bookish Christmas will be coming back for this Christmas season before it goes away forever. 
So, keep and eye out! 

A Very Bookish Christmas in July Event!

Today, I’m excited to share about the release of the individual stories that were originally part of the A Very Bookish Christmas novella collection. Each story takes elements from classic books and incorporates them into the story.This weekend, three of the four stories will now be available on Kindle! Let me share a little bit about each story: Molly and Anna by Sarah HolmanWith the death of her sister near Christmas time, Lacie becomes the guardian of two girls of mixed heritage. Caring for them is harder than she ever imagined. She’s confronted daily with memories she would rather forget and her own prejudice. No matter what, she is determined to give her two nieces the best Christmas she can.Classic that inspired the story: Pollyanna by Eleanor H. PorterRandom fun fact: Jared from this story might possibly be the same Jared
featured in another of Sarah’s Christmas stories, Distorted Glass (but he was younger in that story)Find it on Amazon and Goodreads
Sincerely, Jem by Kate WillisDear Reader,My name is Jessie. I'm an expert at introversion and cheesecake eating. (#skillz) I'm trying to become a writer, but gathering inspiration = social interaction, so... no.The world's best mail carrier suggested I get a pen pal, so this is the story of that pen pal experiment and the beautiful way it opened my eyes.Merry Christmas and much cheesecake to you!Sincerely,JemClassic that inspired the story: Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean WebsterRandom fun fact: There are two Doctor Who references–one was intentional.
See if you can spot them.

Sincerely, Jem: A Book Review

Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle Age Appropriate For: All AgesBest for Ages: 12 and upDescription:Dear Reader,My name is Jessie. I'm an expert at introversion and cheesecake eating. (#skillz) I'm trying to become a writer, but gathering inspiration = social interaction, so... no.The world's best mail carrier suggested I get a pen pal, so this is the story of that pen pal experiment and the beautiful way it opened my eyes.Merry Christmas and much cheesecake to you!Sincerely,JemThis lighthearted novella is inspired by Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster and originally appeared in the anthology A Very Bookish Christmas.
This was such a sweet story. From the first draft I read to the final polished version, this story just delighted me.
Kate Willis is a strong writer who has a unique author voice. Her books aren’t like everything else out there. Her tone in this book was fun, vivacious, and real.  Jessie is a relatable, and lovable character. She loves her family, resects her parents (I just loved that she asked them for advice), and sparkles on the page.
The story itself is sweet, feel-good, and light without being stupid. Some stories try to hard to be light and sweet, this one is just that way in a very genuine way. The plot (inspired by Daddy-Long-Legs was so much fun. It felt real and had me laughing and just wanting to hug the characters. Also…I WANT A SEQUEL!! *ahem* Pretty please?
This book was a wonderful Christmas story and was light and fun without cheesy Hallmark moments. A Christmas ornament does not change people outlook, no quick and stupid romance (no romance at all, actually), and no person who learns the true meaning of Christmas. This was just…well…perfect. I highly recommend this story for those who like novella’s, sweet Christmas books, and anyone who is looking for a unique and fresh author voice in their fiction.
I was one of the authors in the A Very Bookish Christmas Collection, however, this review is entirely my own opinion and I was not required to write a review.

Christmas in July

Well, this post was supposed to go up earlier, but things happened. Anyway, you might have already started to see a theme emerging for this month.


Christmas!!

Now, I've always been a very "keep Christmas in December" kind of person. But 2020 has been an odd year. Besides, I'm celebrating the release of Molly and Anna along with the other three novellas that were part of A Very Bookish Christmas. 

Isn't the cover so pretty?

Let's also take a moment and enjoy a little Christmas music: