Eragon

Jim has been telling me for years to read the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini, and this year I decided was the year to start it as I want to study different fantasy books to learn and write one myself.

Jim knew I would enjoy this book and he was not wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed delving in the the world of Alagaesia and following Eragon as he steps into a life he had never expected. A poor farmer boy raised by his uncle, Eragon finds a large blue stone while he's out hunting in the Spine and his life is forever changed. 

While I thoroughly enjoyed the world and the complexities of making your own world and magic system, the book was very predictable. I know there is a general outline for story telling and even more so for fantasy stories, but this was highly predictable and I definitely called much of the story as it happened. I'm still waiting to see whether some of my predictions are true as the story unfolds in the rest of the series, but most of the ones I made in the first book came to pass. 

That being said, I still enjoyed the story and will probably read this again in the future, especially if our children want to read it. For a first book written by a teenager, it is definitely well written and well thought through. I definitely felt with the characters and found myself cheering and booing internally as I read. It even brought tears a couple of times. 

If you enjoy fantasy books, I definitely recommend this one.

4 Stars 

Reading Challenges:

I'm using Eragon in the 2021 Reading Challenge by Tim Challies as a Book by an Author 30 or Younger in the Committed section

A Fiction Book for Fun in level 1 with 2021 Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge

A Book Chosen by Jim in the Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Life Challenge.

Five True Dog Stories

This delightful short read is part of our Core A curriculum with Sonlight.

This book, as the title indicates, has five stories about dogs who did heroic deeds to help humanity throughout the years. Each story had its own flare and you see how different types of dogs are geared for different things. It's neat to see dogs doing what God created them to do to help humans. One fought crime another worked to protect people crossing the Swiss Alps. It was a vast array even in five stories. 

Our children enjoyed these stories a lot with many laughs and a few tears. Each chapter was a quick and easy read so everyone could sit through a chapter without issue. This was a great read for the whole family to enjoy. 

4 Stars for this family read.

Reading Challenges:

I'm counting this as a book I've read before in the 2021 Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge. 

Our Seven Year Old Sam

 

Seven years. And what a seven years it has been since we welcomed our precious Sam into our arms!

This spunky, energetic boy has been a blessing from the start. His life brought about a new era in our family with God using Sam to push us into a deeper faith. God is still using him to do this. 

Sam loves life and loves everything in life. He wants to be a part of it ALL. When asked what he wants it is likely to change a dozen times in five minutes because he wants everything and enjoys everything. He wants to be in the middle of the party. He loves people. He loves making people laugh and Sam does this on a regular basis. His desire is to be happy and to make others happy.

Sam loves to watch anything and everything he is allowed to and then turn around and act it out for you. His memory for films is astounding and he quotes movies and educational videos left and right. He loves to learn and is growing in all his skills with books, but if he can watch it to learn it, he would rather do that. 

Right now Sam is growing in his reading skills and comprehension, basic math and writing. In the past couple of months he has really shown a deep desire to read and write and understand. It's so fun watching him put things together and get so excited that he figured it out. He is also really into schedules and calendars, desiring schedule and order, which is amazing to see in him. Sam also asks questions about anything and everything. He wants to know it all and his mind is a whirlwind of wonderings and musings and we enjoy hearing him come up with some funny ideas. He's so creative.

Sam is learning Bible and wants to know the things of God, though we have not yet seen salvation. He reads his Action Bible and talks through the stories with us. He is memorizing Scripture and growing in this. Right now he's working on James 1 and knows verses 1-8, along with other Scripture from catechism and Sunday School. It's amazing to see God working in him.

Some of Sam's preferred activities outside of movies are LEGOs, playing games and being outside. Being outside is at the top if the weather is nice. He loves to explore, pretend and imagine as he goes about our property. He does also enjoy playing in the rain when it's not storming. He loves being out in God's creation. 

Sam has a deep appreciation of food. There is not much this boy will not eat. From fish to chicken, apples to lemons, asparagus to zucchini, not to mention sweets he enjoys it all. And he loves to eat all the time. Food is definitely one of his favorite things. 

Sam keeps us on our toes and we are so thankful for this sweet young man that God has given to us. 

Father, thank You for Sam and how You have already used him to touch others. Please continue to grow him in wisdom and knowledge of You and bring him to Yourself. Continue to give him a deep love of people and of life and use that to show him yourself. Thank You for all You are doing in Sam and through Sam. We are so blessed by his life. In the Name of Jesus I pray these things. Amen!