tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734588425323938222024-03-05T22:00:34.025-05:00Morgan Elizabeth HunekeMorgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.comBlogger518125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-68086931396660826832023-05-30T06:00:00.001-04:002023-05-30T06:00:00.205-04:00My Journey Through Becoming Free Indeed<div style="text-align: justify;">I was going to call this a review, but it really isn't. It's less of a review and more of my thoughts on and experiences with legalism after reading <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Free-Indeed-Story-Disentangling/dp/1400335817/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1685103463&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Becoming Free Indeed</a></i> by Jinger Duggar Vuolo. Though I will say, I highly recommend this book, especially if you have any past with legalism, however big or small.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Honestly, I don't have nearly the legalism experience or damage that I see in a lot of people I know. Definitely nowhere near Jinger's experience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My parents were always very careful to not promote legalism. They came from a Catholic background, and so they were wary of things that were about external rules and works-based models. The only things vaguely along any of those lines I can remember hearing from my parents were the purity culture ideas of chaperones and saving your first kiss for your wedding day. And while I heard a decent amount of purity culture ideas from various sources growing up, I didn't even know IBLP/ATI existed until I was in my mid to upper teens.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Even so, my personality and personal experiences primed me to be susceptible to legalistic ideas when I encountered them as a high schooler.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm a very literal person. Sure, I like discussing philosophical ideas, but if you're around me long enough (actually, it doesn't take that long), you will notice that I almost always discuss those more abstract things by relating it to a story. I need analogies. I need something more tangible in order to truly understand. It is also very difficult for me to not have something physical and tangible to do. For instance, while I know in my mind that prayer <i>is </i>doing something, and it is doing something very important, I frequently feel as if I'm not doing anything about a situation if all I am doing—if all I <i>can</i> do—is pray. Even if I'm praying about it constantly.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My early experiences also primed me to find purity culture very attractive. When I was very small, my primary experience with boys was a very contentious relationship with my cousin. (Ironically, he's the cousin I get along best with now—and yes, I 100% credit <i>Star Wars</i> with the shift in our relationship because that was the first time we had something to talk about that didn't involve fighting.) But because of that, I labeled all boys as jerks and wanted nothing to do with them. So all the purity culture ideas were a great excuse for me to avoid all males.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The idea of stay at home daughters and being under your father's protection (though I honestly knew very little of what was behind those ideas and how it tends to play out) was intriguing to me because I'm kind of a homebody <span>(though I do easily get stir crazy if I go nowhere for more than 2 or 3 days...try to figure that one out)</span>, I like being able to control my own schedule, I'm not a risk taker, I get along well with my parents, and the things I enjoy working at are mostly arts-oriented things, and, well, I've said many times that "starving artist" is a thing for a reason. However, once I was a few years out of high school with no marriage prospects, no sign of ever making a living writing or teaching music, and also no possibility of making enough to pay for my life working at the public library, I did start to reevaluate my plan because I've never thought it was right to expect my dad to pay the majority of my bills indefinitely simply because I'm female.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally, I've always known I'm a perfectionist, and I've had to admit finally that I'm also something of a control freak. I like to have my plan, I like to have a say in what happens and how things play out, and I have a really hard time accepting that most of the time I don't. And while I'll say all day long that no one is perfect, practice makes better, God's grace is sufficient for all our mistakes and imperfections—and I have <i>no</i> problem extending that grace to other people—I have a <i>really</i> hard time accepting that grace for myself. To the point I actually had a professor tell me I should just let go about a math homework problem I accidentally skipped and wanted to make up. It was very hard to just let it go, even though bonus points on the tests more than made up for the points lost by that homework problem.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But still, as a child and preteen, I really never thought about rules. I didn't think about all the external things that these legalistic systems promote.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That isn't to say that I didn't want to know God better and serve Him more. Becoming a Christian gave me a hunger for God that wasn’t borne out of rules or fear or other people’s expectations. There was definitely a time when I changed from looking at the maps in my Bible when I was in trouble because I knew my mom wouldn't yell at me for reading if it was the Bible to truly desiring to read the Word. I wanted to please God, but out of love, not out of external rules.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But then things changed, when I was about 15 years old. And I'm only now realizing and unpacking what those harmful ideas were and how they affected me. When a Bible verse triggers a meltdown in Sunday School because said verse brings up all kinds of fears and doubts you've tried to bury but can't leave behind, well, it's kind of hard to deny it all anymore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I was 15, we started attending a church that preached a lot of legalistic ideas and sowed a lot of fear. Two passages in particular I remember being used frequently at this church in a manner that seemed designed to scare you into following God: <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%207:21-23&version=ESV" target="_blank">Matthew 7:21-23</a> and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+11%3A27-29&version=ESV" target="_blank">1 Corinthians 11:27-29</a>. Jinger actually deals with the 1 Corinthians passage in her book, so I'll get to that in a minute. But the Matthew 7 verses were actually the ones that triggered my freak-out in Sunday School a few months ago. My current pastor preached those verses in a way that focused on grace. But for 2 1/2 years as a teenager, I heard them in a manner that caused me to doubt the sincerity of my faith. Coupled with other legalistic ideas at this church—such as strict ideas about Sabbath-keeping and the idea that Nativity scenes were probably breaking the second commandment by containing an image of Jesus, as if we’re worshiping our Precious Moments Nativity scene with the Lincoln Log stable at Christmastime (and yes, I did at the time think maybe we shouldn’t put it up even though previously I was all about the parts of Christmas that focus on Jesus)—I was constantly worried that I wasn't a good enough Christian. I needed to do more things to serve God so that God wouldn't tell me He never knew me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's only recently that I put together the (slight, compared to some) anxiety I tend to have over taking communion with the emphasis of 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. I was (and sometimes still am) afraid that some unconfessed or unrealized sin will mean I am taking communion unworthily. This is something Jinger struggled with for years. In her case, she would abstain from communion if she thought there was any chance she could be taking it unworthily. I've never abstained from communion, but not for any better reason than she did abstain. The majority of the churches I was raised in emphasized that anyone who was a Christian could take the Lord's Supper. And so I have always been concerned that if I skipped, people would think I'm not a Christian and since I didn't want that, I would take it anyway, hoping that I wasn't taking it unworthily and condemning myself. This pattern has been in place as recently as this year. What Jinger pointed out is that the whole passage is condemning those who use the Lord's Supper to feast and get drunk. That's not what the Lord's Supper is for. It is to commemorate Christ's death on the cross, to remember that He died to pay for our sins so that we can be free of our sin and someday live with Him forever in Heaven. We literally can't come to Him sinless and without fault. If remembering and confessing and repenting of every little sin we've committed was necessary to take communion worthily, none of us could. No one can actually identify and remember every sin they've committed, and I really don't think God wants us obsessing over all our mistakes. That just leads to constant guilt and condemnation rather than freedom and grace, which is what Jinger covers in her book far better than I am doing now. The point of the Lord's Supper is not to get us to worry and wallow in fear and condemnation, but to remember and celebrate that Jesus' blood has washed away our sins. And I hope that through God's grace, next time my church does communion, I can partake without any worry and guilt about my worthiness.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Something else that Jinger covered in her book that really hit home was on Bible reading. Reading your Bible is a very good thing. It is important to dig into the Word of God, to spend time with Him, learning about Him, growing closer to Him. But it is not supposed to be a burden or an obligation. When I first became a Christian around the age of 9, I remember truly wanting to spend lots of time reading the Bible. I still have wonderful times when I dig into the Word and really enjoy seeing what God has to say. And during my horrible fall semester when I was so sick and overworked, I spent a lot of time drawing comfort from Psalm 46. But I, like Jinger, have also had many times when I felt like a bad Christian if I didn't read my Bible because I was sick or having a migraine or whatever life thing that happened to make it difficult. For Jinger, sometimes it's things like kids getting up earlier than expected, something which doesn't apply to me. But the thing is the same. What she said about it really stood out to me: </div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">"I still have feelings of guilt when I don't read the Bible as much as I think I should....In those times, when guilt wants to rise in my soul and condemn me, I remind myself that the Bible doesn't tell me how much I'm supposed to read it. It does tell me to love it, understand it, and believe it. By not condemning myself when I miss a morning, I'm no longer being stricter than Jesus." (pg. 186-187)</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">I've spent a lot of time over the last decade feeling like I'm not a good enough Christian because I haven't spent "enough" time reading the Bible on a given day. But Jinger's right, God doesn't tell us how often to read the Bible, how much at a time, what time of day to read it or any of that. It says to know the Word, to hide it in our hearts, to love God, and all that. But honestly, I don't need to feel guilty if the first thing I do when I wake up isn't open my Bible. Because it's really okay that I'd rather not be half asleep when I read it. And it's okay if I miss a day because I had a migraine for hours. Or if I can't keep up with a read-the-Bible-in-a-year plan because that's just a lot and there's a lot on my plate now. But it is hard to not feel guilty about it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />That church wasn't the only place I found legalistic ideas that were harmful to me. Around that same timeframe I was a part of a Bible study that was based on material by Sarah Mally. I want to be clear that I do not hold the Bible study leader responsible for any of the legalism I experienced from Mally's materials. That leader is a very dear friend of mine who has been an incredible influence in my life and I still respect and look up to her tremendously (literally and figuratively, lol). I also still do not feel as if the lessons she actually taught pushed legalism. But the fact remains that it was through that that I received Mally's materials and I dutifully read all of it. There was one handout in particular that I really remember, one on polluting influences. In it, Mally discusses how her family got rid of their TV. She also discusses the bad influences of rock music and romance novels, things which I now recognize as being quite reminiscent of ATI teachings. When I read about how her family got rid of their TV, my first thought was that it seemed a bit extreme. But then worry and guilt crept in. Did I only think it was extreme because I was too attached to TV? Maybe it was a sign I wasn't actually willing to cut out polluting influences. What other things might I have in my life that I should get rid of?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The handout actually encouraged a TV fast. And I legitimately considered it. Ultimately, I didn't do it, because I had a feeling if I suggested it to my parents it probably wouldn't fly. I still don't think it would have. My mom cautioned me against legalism as a teen. But it did plant seeds of doubt about if I was a good enough Christian. If my family was doing enough to be Christlike. If I was holding onto things that were pulling me away from God by watching television. And honestly, the stuff I watched when I was in high school wasn't anything anyone should have worried about. Honestly, if 17-year-old me knew that 25-year-old me would watch <i>The Office </i>and enjoy it, well, to say I'd have been horrified would be putting it mildly. But that fear does still sometimes crop up. <i>Should</i> I have watched <i>The Office </i>as an adult? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This, and <i>Understanding the Times</i> by David Noebel, caused me to start to even question the acceptability of speculative fiction. Yes, <i>I </i>questioned whether I should be reading <i>Narnia </i>and watching <i>Star Wars</i>. This was honestly, looking back, probably what pushed me into sorting out where I stand on writing fantasy magic. I do think it was a good thing that I sorted that out. I needed to know what I believe on it, and it was important that I do that research and prayer and soul searching. While I don't feel like I did a fabulous job articulating where I landed back when I was writing <i>Time Captives</i>, I haven't really changed where I ultimately landed. But it was a rough time for me, filled with guilt and worry.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's pretty commonly known what the oppositions are to magic. <a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2022/02/speculative-fiction-dangerous-occultism.html" target="_blank">I've already written about that</a>. But I didn't really write about the fact that <i>Understanding the Times</i> made me think for years that it was probably sinful for me to watch and enjoy <i>Star Wars</i>. That book had frequent "pop culture connections" that used pop culture to illustrate different worldviews. <i>Star Wars</i> and <i>The Lion King</i>, I remember, were always cast in a negative light, used to showcase the dangers of cosmic humanism. My small comfort was that at least <i>Narnia</i> and LOTR were always in the Christianity section, so maybe at least those were okay. Now, I will admit that my initial <i>Star Wars </i>obsession was excessive and I badly needed to take a break. But I finally came around to the point of view that it's not inherently sinful for me to like <i>Star Wars</i>. Was <i>Understanding the Times</i> correct that there are some things in it that are incompatible with Christianity? Absolutely. But what I didn't get then, and by God's grace do now, is that it's actually helpful in developing your worldview to be able to sort out the good from the bad, to see the things that are true and helpful, and discern the things that are not. None of us will ever be able to read or watch things that we 100% agree with, and I did see that back when I read the "polluting influences" handout. But what I worried back then was that that meant I shouldn't be enjoying any of these stories that weren't 100% biblically accurate. Maybe I shouldn't watch anything secular. Maybe I shouldn't read anything with magic. And let me tell you, the idea that I possibly shouldn't read <i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i>, even knowing how many scriptural truths it illustrated for me, was one of the hardest things I ever had to work through. I definitely should have discussed it with my mom more than I did because she would have steered me away from this legalism, this worry that all these stories I grew up on were actually polluting and dangerous. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am very grateful that speculative fiction is one issue I have fully (or at least I think fully) worked through and put behind me. But writing about it, remembering that time, is making me tear up because it was hard. It was a heavy burden. But as Jinger pointed out in her book, God didn't put us under a burden. That burden is manmade. Stricter than Jesus. Because what Jesus actually said is that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Come to Him, all who are weary and heavy laden, and He will give you rest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’m a checklist person. And while this is incredibly helpful in making sure I turn in my school assignments on time, it’s very <i>un</i>helpful in understanding Christianity. It makes me feel the same as when I put too many things on my to-do list and can’t get them all done in the day: unworthy, guilty, ashamed, a failure. That’s not what God wants for us. It says in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+3&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Galatians</a> that the law is a tutor to point us to Christ; in other words, it’s there to show us we <i>can’t</i> be perfect, but that we don’t need to be because Christ did it for us. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is why the “you are enough” thing is such a pet peeve of mine. I do personally struggle with thinking I should be enough, that I need to do more to be a good enough Christian. And like Jinger says, we should want to be more like Christ. But we’re never going to be able to follow enough rules to earn God’s favor and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A7-21&version=ESV" target="_blank">that’s not how He does it anyway</a>. God in His perfect love sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Not because we loved Him, but because He loved us. We don’t have to clean up our lives before we go to Him. We don’t have to fear that we’ll mess up and cause Him to turn away from us because His perfect love casts out fear, He died for us while we were yet sinners, and any that come to Him, He will not cast out. It’s not ever anything we do, it’s what God does. His love is perfected with us that when the day of judgment comes, we can have confidence and not fear. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are so many verses about God’s love. Yes, God hates sin and He is very clear about what sin is and what the punishment is. But the Bible isn’t a rule book, something Jinger explains in depth. The Bible is God’s story, a book that tells of His character and His love for His children that is so great we really can’t even begin to understand it. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A7-11&version=ESV" target="_blank">God gives good gifts to His children</a> because He is good and He loves us. So there is no need for us to be stricter than God and place extra burdens upon ourselves and others. Jesus died for us so that we could be free of the burden and punishment of our sins, and so that we could be with Him forever. And in Him, we are free indeed. </div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-21282923288834091362023-05-22T06:00:00.001-04:002023-05-22T06:00:00.134-04:00Chuck vs. the Subplot<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhNiaGsZIRAZMUGj_Ef0MvEogPoJFf5NypnTh0UssKdf0aRdau37kxM2-3EvIWoslupZz3tPeUSwVJGCzk8rCcrwfRLccas7L_evnBVmrF5NOOZ2yu0We_UWAL0myGi-KRytUEfo7Hi7X7lqqYEgz3Cs8Rb50Q4y9Ljx3HobB92GjgS50HDj_jinuIA/s1920/Chuck%20banner%20s4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhNiaGsZIRAZMUGj_Ef0MvEogPoJFf5NypnTh0UssKdf0aRdau37kxM2-3EvIWoslupZz3tPeUSwVJGCzk8rCcrwfRLccas7L_evnBVmrF5NOOZ2yu0We_UWAL0myGi-KRytUEfo7Hi7X7lqqYEgz3Cs8Rb50Q4y9Ljx3HobB92GjgS50HDj_jinuIA/w400-h225/Chuck%20banner%20s4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hi, I'm Morgan. Here are a few things you need to know, or maybe you just forgot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ahem.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's been awhile. Pretty good semester on the whole, but I'm not here to talk about that. Rather, I'm here to talk about the show I watched throughout the semester. That show being <i>Chuck</i>.¹</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="290" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ATRgllo_9aE" title="YouTube video player" width="520"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This year, my family <i>finally</i> watched <i>Chuck</i>. I say finally because I've wanted to watch it for years (I only knew that it stars Zachary Levi and <a href="http://jgracepennington.com/" target="_blank">J. Grace Pennington</a> likes it, but that was enough for me), but any time we were ready for a new show, it had gone off streaming. Until now.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the first episode, I was super confused, partly because I didn't actually know the premise (computer nerd accidentally downloads government secrets into his brain, becomes a CIA asset and eventually a spy himself—in a nutshell, it gets <i>way </i>more complicated than that), but it wasn't long before I was completely hooked. About halfway through the series (I just watched the finale and I <span style="font-size: small;">DON'T WANT IT TO BE OVER</span>), it hit me that one of the main reasons I enjoyed it so much was because it is actually well-written. Shouldn't be a novelty, right?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, I'm not going to pretend <i>Chuck</i> is a perfect show. It's not, no show is. There were definitely some story arcs that felt less developed than others and I didn't love every narrative decision. But overall, on the whole, it's an extremely well-written show and I think there's a lot that can be learned from it as a writer. And the first thing that struck me about the writing was the handling of subplots.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5ebHDkVStA6UMVzOMWlEl_ZI0jTOcpSH49PXXr5W9YipyT2z9MsVyYoGw_V54BWRpmJOeZFSl0d-BtyMT9pzyZ45sPK2WZc-xjkcJi-q6YeA_yWb66RqSdTT-tvZ9oYmkRJ4w2hvcXbEgzuMdy_ozSj2LrbTTaQMXxXJGXjjOcUtLyj6U3up9r-K0A/s624/buy%20more.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="624" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5ebHDkVStA6UMVzOMWlEl_ZI0jTOcpSH49PXXr5W9YipyT2z9MsVyYoGw_V54BWRpmJOeZFSl0d-BtyMT9pzyZ45sPK2WZc-xjkcJi-q6YeA_yWb66RqSdTT-tvZ9oYmkRJ4w2hvcXbEgzuMdy_ozSj2LrbTTaQMXxXJGXjjOcUtLyj6U3up9r-K0A/s320/buy%20more.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Subplots can be tricky. I've seen a lot of complaining about subplots in various newer shows, and I can't exactly argue with that. A lot of shows handle subplots poorly, and I have to admit, it has caused me to quit some shows. *cough* <i>The Flash</i> *cough* I'm just theorizing here, but I think it's at least partially due to a misunderstanding of the role of subplots and supporting characters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pulling a definition off the internet, subplots are "A literary technique, subplot is a secondary plot, or a strand of the main plot that runs parallel to it and supports it. It is usually found in plays, novels, short stories, television shows, and movies. It is also known as a “minor story,” or as “B” or “C” story. Its purpose is to add complexity and depth to the story, and thereby increases tension – a state of high interest and suspense about events in a story....The function of subplot is to describe hidden impulses behind actions of the major characters. While this secondary strand has two effects on a storyline, mostly it ties directly to the main plot and characters, putting an immediate effect on situations and characters. However, an alternative way is that subplots run parallel to the main story. This serves as a contrast to explain decisions of the leading characters." —<i><a href="https://literarydevices.net/subplot/" target="_blank">LiteraryDevices.net</a></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFqkHpJtQcxjTdWhKTm4BnMKKV5KcPgZGLSEBSU4AlA5Ja8AZO5AQtD6_eqCZVpbV3hL8AKxVTzJf3HFrkAB23EA51cr8vgV2YTqbCTgVhIMiuEagWx-pN5s3KIwxpcyWhosyCq82jXOQvqaabdRqdGCFHNcBzU9Tg8Quzi31597VTyz6fhG_5QCRuw/s1024/mandalorian-grogu-1024x573-3450235074.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="1024" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFqkHpJtQcxjTdWhKTm4BnMKKV5KcPgZGLSEBSU4AlA5Ja8AZO5AQtD6_eqCZVpbV3hL8AKxVTzJf3HFrkAB23EA51cr8vgV2YTqbCTgVhIMiuEagWx-pN5s3KIwxpcyWhosyCq82jXOQvqaabdRqdGCFHNcBzU9Tg8Quzi31597VTyz6fhG_5QCRuw/s320/mandalorian-grogu-1024x573-3450235074.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">What I've seen in a startling number of shows—but not in <i>Chuck</i>—is that the subplots and secondary characters take over the main narrative to the point that the main narrative practically doesn't exist anymore and the protagonist is constantly sidelined, sometimes barely scoring any screen time. Two examples: <i>The Flash</i> season 6/7 on <span style="font-size: small;">(I don't remember exactly; it's been awhile and 6 and 7 kind of bleed into each other due to the filming of 6 being interrupted by COVID lockdowns)</span> and <i>The Mandalorian</i> season 3. In <i>The Flash</i>, which I loved for the first several seasons, it got to a point where episodes were constantly focused on the stories of minor characters, such as the episode where Cecile was psychically trapped in a mental hospital, the episodes that were all about Killer Frost, and the episode about Allegra and her cousin that occurred while Barry and Iris were on vacation and barely cameoed. It got to the point where by the end of season 7, I was constantly hoping in vain for an episode to actually be about the titular character and then quit the show in frustration. Occasionally I check IG comments on the official account to see that it hasn't gotten better; if anything, it's gotten worse. In <i>The Mandalorian</i> season 3, we really got very little about Din and Grogu at all. For most of it, they were just kind of there and it was pretending to be Bo Katan's story. And yet, then we had the episode about Dr. Pershing, which I did find to be interesting, but that took almost the entirety of the screen time of the episode and then had very little effect on the finale compared to the time they devoted to it. Same sort of thing in <i>The Book of Boba Fett</i>. There was an entire episode all about Din Djarin, just so that he could be in the finale and Grogu could be back with him in Mando season 3. In a show that was purportedly about Boba Fett becoming a crime lord as he takes over what used to be Jabba's (and Bib Fortuna's in the interim).²</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are two problems here to unpack: Narrative purpose and screen time allocation. Both are things that, generally speaking, <i>Chuck</i> does very well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Screen time allocation is a little quicker and easier to discuss, so I'll address it first. In an episodic, serialized format, it is a bad (very risky at best) idea to devote an entire or nearly entire episode to the development of a subplot. I admit, I'm a little biased here because I'm the sort of person who tends to zone out during chapters in books that aren't about my favorite characters. However, it doesn't take a detective (or at least, it only takes a FB detective) to see that there is a significant portion of people who are also frustrated by this trend of taking leave of the main narrative and main characters for an extended period of time to develop a subplot and minor characters. <i>Chuck</i> doesn't do this. Just like it does a good job of balancing action and emotional scenes, it does a really good job of allocating adequate time to subplots without overwhelming the main narrative. Typically it does this by interspersing quick scenes that flash (get it? <span face=""Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Noto Color Emoji", "Android Emoji", EmojiSymbols, "EmojiOne Mozilla", "Twemoji Mozilla", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji Compat", emoji, noto-emojipedia-fallback" style="text-align: left;">🤪</span> yes, I know I'm a dork) back and forth with the main story, which often has longer scenes and more of them strung together. In a novel, you can afford to make your subplot chunks a little larger, though I would warn writers against spending <i>too</i> big a chunk of time on a secondary plot. As a Narnia fan, I love the book <i>Prince Caspian</i>, but other disagreements with the film aside, I do think it was a wise decision to intersperse Caspian's storyline with the Pevensies' rather than taking a break from their story to have Trumpkin tell Caspian's story in full. Same deal with the structure of the LOTR movies. Particularly in a visual medium, this works better. And when you are working with a serial format, it's <i>especially</i> important not to spend large chunks of time with a subplot because then your installment for the week has nothing to do with the main characters and a lot of viewers are liable to quit. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That leads to my other, more important, point. The narrative purpose of a subplot is to flesh out and support the main narrative. The subplot is the B story. It should never be given more time than the A story, and it should never take away the focus from the main narrative. As stated in our definition, it should add complexity and depth to the main story, describe the motivations of the main characters, and tie directly into the main plot. While screen time allocation could be relatively easily fixed by deleting some scenes and chopping up the remaining sequences to intersperse with the main narrative, this poor understanding of the purpose of a subplot is a major structural, storytelling problem that takes a lot more work and understanding of story to fix.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNsU813KV85RchK3KnWv6X8FyTxP0JxlBiIoj9W7vOiS1kSxa1hMusN0NbugQ_qRaa3LFK9N1_H9X5Z-Y0KngClQh8LIw6DoaqLdjaiN-5u1WSF1IQdV4LiCijRjfaOHmI8GuY0yqQBx2Z3qkki1p56Pkl82i7tsYyq2U4Cj8z58ovBYmjoLtyHukCQ/s2880/the-flash-barry-allen-523539040.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="2880" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNsU813KV85RchK3KnWv6X8FyTxP0JxlBiIoj9W7vOiS1kSxa1hMusN0NbugQ_qRaa3LFK9N1_H9X5Z-Y0KngClQh8LIw6DoaqLdjaiN-5u1WSF1IQdV4LiCijRjfaOHmI8GuY0yqQBx2Z3qkki1p56Pkl82i7tsYyq2U4Cj8z58ovBYmjoLtyHukCQ/s320/the-flash-barry-allen-523539040.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">When we take a look at the later seasons of <i>The Flash</i> and season 3 of <i>The Mandalorian</i>, it's actually difficult to discern what the main narrative actually <i>is</i>. Does it have one? Does it involve the protagonist? What does the subplot have to do with the main plot? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://arrow.fandom.com/wiki/Rayo_de_Luz" target="_blank">The <i>Flash</i> episode about Allegra and her cousin while Barry and Iris are on vacation</a> doesn't really seem to have any role in supporting any story Barry is involved in. In fact, it is the third episode of a set literally considered an "interlude." Maybe Allegra's story is interesting. Maybe it ought to be told. But reality is, the show is <i>The Flash</i>. The first several seasons were Barry's story. Barry was established as the protagonist and so any subplots ought to function to support Barry's story. Whereas at this point in the show, Barry really doesn't have much of a story besides the ongoing drama of when he and Iris will have a baby and whether or not it will be the same Nora they know from the future. And if the subplot you're writing <i>is</i> the more interesting one where there's actually a story to tell, you need to reevaluate the story you're telling. Perhaps you're telling the wrong one. If you're several seasons into a show and resorting to turning subplots into main narratives and secondary characters into protagonists while sidelining the original protagonist, it just might be a sign the show has gone on for far too long and you should have wrapped it up already. And if this side character's story is one that needs to be told, the better way to tell it is by creating a spinoff, not by hijacking the original show.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4tYyKTEcSZueRiXVfmqBFnwBQW3ajEumivMeeTLWu7V-dQkkUyrlgDWs978qt0_PImxVKMr8rwDcm0-es1yV3Eg7HQxEwpr3jHDXO7Rl7nTEM-Tx-fKu28GWMYci4v89YkW9o4JWNb6jRpjPKAiQDXGB9RVmUJOSfQ5U5-73AlihJjoShaVyKp3Nvg/s1400/din-djarin-grogu-bo-katan-explosion-3451203011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1400" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4tYyKTEcSZueRiXVfmqBFnwBQW3ajEumivMeeTLWu7V-dQkkUyrlgDWs978qt0_PImxVKMr8rwDcm0-es1yV3Eg7HQxEwpr3jHDXO7Rl7nTEM-Tx-fKu28GWMYci4v89YkW9o4JWNb6jRpjPKAiQDXGB9RVmUJOSfQ5U5-73AlihJjoShaVyKp3Nvg/s320/din-djarin-grogu-bo-katan-explosion-3451203011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Mandalorian </i>season 3 suffers the same issue. The first two seasons were clearly about Din and Grogu. They had clear series goals. And while there sometimes seemed to be too many side quests and filler episodes, there weren't large chunks of time devoted to other narratives. I'm not really sure what the point of season 3 was. You had Din's goal of rejoining the Children of the Watch, resolved at the beginning of episode 3 before diverting to Dr. Pershing for the majority of the episode. You had Bo's quest to take back Mandalore which was disjointed and interrupted by side quests that really didn't feed into the goal in any obvious, significant way (like Jack Black and Lizzo's planet). You had the Dr. Pershing episode, which I did feel like was going somewhere...only it didn't. I guess the point was to show that <a href="https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Penn_Pershing?so=search#The_Amnesty_Program" target="_blank">the greater galaxy wasn't going to find out about Gideon's cloning experiments</a>? When there's no clear main narrative and the protagonist gets sidelined, even the subplots end up feeling purposeless. What are they supporting and fleshing out? Not really anything. It leaves everything feeling disjointed and pointless. Honestly, my favorite parts of season 3 were seeing the purrgils, Zeb's 30 seconds of screen time, and Gilad Pellaeon's hologram appearance...all nods towards the upcoming <i>Ahsoka</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVK_H2QkRuY9M3AmiTe9wSS0wSSwjk6uZWF8GcQeeYo6jM2FHLs72AIPSwOphfoulluzbYFPfHHhXqv8RM-eK-Gf_funG7imDjLANfm9MrABkLYIZLffcy8gajRsitO-UKCUqC8W-sqJpmiMmhwMT2Iv9Q50hwrhFituXvf-65FBL4yecOUzvhKIvXGw/s1280/jeffster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVK_H2QkRuY9M3AmiTe9wSS0wSSwjk6uZWF8GcQeeYo6jM2FHLs72AIPSwOphfoulluzbYFPfHHhXqv8RM-eK-Gf_funG7imDjLANfm9MrABkLYIZLffcy8gajRsitO-UKCUqC8W-sqJpmiMmhwMT2Iv9Q50hwrhFituXvf-65FBL4yecOUzvhKIvXGw/s320/jeffster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then we come to <i>Chuck</i>. <i>Chuck</i>'s subplots really fit within our definition of a subplot. They support and flesh out the main narrative, develop Chuck's actions and motivations, parallel the main narrative in meaningful ways, and feed into the climax of the main storyline. I cannot recall a single episode where I felt that Chuck Bartowski was sidelined (being told to stay in the van is a different matter entirely, lol) or where the subplot seemed to overshadow the main plot or be irrelevant to the narrative. Again, not saying it's perfect—I think the latter half of season 4 could have been developed a little better/more cohesively had those episodes not been ordered after the first 13 had been developed and begun airing—but it's much better done than a lot of shows I've seen in the last few years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I do think there is a bit of a shift in the role of the subplots as Chuck gets more settled into the spy life and more of his friends and family find out about it. Some characters, such as <a href="https://chuck-nbc.fandom.com/wiki/Morgan_Grimes?so=search" target="_blank">Morgan Grimes</a>, shift from being primarily B story characters to being primarily A story characters and some secondary characters, such as <a href="https://chuck-nbc.fandom.com/wiki/Ellie_Woodcomb?so=search" target="_blank">Ellie</a> and <a href="https://chuck-nbc.fandom.com/wiki/Devon_Woodcomb?so=search" target="_blank">Awesome</a>, are more relevant to the A story than the B story and vice versa simply depending on the episode. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In early seasons, the subplots do a lot more to contrast Chuck's old normal life with his new spy life. Dinner plans with his sister Ellie that get derailed. Jeff and Lester being, well, Jeff and Lester and Chuck having to manage them. Emmett coming to take over the Buy More and having a problem with Chuck being constantly gone though all the employees say that Chuck is the one who keeps things going, provides their moral compass, and holds the team together. Ellie and Morgan bonding over missing Chuck. These sorts of things don't always necessarily relate to the plot per se, but they always do something to flesh out Chuck as the main character, to develop who he is, what his motivations are, what he's giving up to be a spy, who he is trying to protect.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But often times, they do also relate to the plot itself. A few examples.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In "<a href="https://chuck-nbc.fandom.com/wiki/Chuck_Versus_the_Aisle_of_Terror" target="_blank">Chuck vs. the Aisle of Terror</a>" there's a subplot that involves Jeff and Lester being put in charge of decorating the Buy More for Halloween. They create the "Aisle of Terror" based on a psychological experiment Jeff was once involved in that shows images meant to be terrifying and disturbing to the psychotic (public showers, babies in snail costumes, old people, etc.). It might seem random, but in the end, Chuck and the bad guy of the week get infected with a toxin that causes terror, and when they go into the "Aisle of Terror" Chuck is able to use the images to incapacitate him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Throughout several episodes in season 2, there is a recurring subplot where Ellie delegates some of the wedding planning to her fiancé Awesome and his search involves letting Jeff and Lester audition as their band Jeffster. They're pretty terrible. But then in the season finale, Ellie's wedding is crashed by evil Fulcrum agents and they need to delay the ceremony. Out comes Jeffster. And Jeffster recurs throughout the series to the point where in the series finale, they play at the end of a symphony in order to buy Chuck time to defuse a bomb that will explode when the music stops. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpnA47686VAh0VP4oZLohI7ape0_MVDUckb4e2j3I7fXKQWwrJ139lBzvS9H05V1NTFvuGT1EuNFZ3Dt-vXUkTpYdlx_nZ0Eao4LBqnKqblZ4RMhNR610CXptf8B0eZGCxWZzlbn2KzE_bCL-qfSBC0L_Y901He8jJeWHl8tKVweFBfkMn3cRfyer1Q/s725/orions%20laptop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="725" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpnA47686VAh0VP4oZLohI7ape0_MVDUckb4e2j3I7fXKQWwrJ139lBzvS9H05V1NTFvuGT1EuNFZ3Dt-vXUkTpYdlx_nZ0Eao4LBqnKqblZ4RMhNR610CXptf8B0eZGCxWZzlbn2KzE_bCL-qfSBC0L_Y901He8jJeWHl8tKVweFBfkMn3cRfyer1Q/s320/orions%20laptop.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally, throughout a good portion of season 4, there is a recurring subplot wherein Ellie inherits her and Chuck's dad's laptop and is trying to access the files and discover why he left it to her—actually to both her and Chuck. It's something that pops up in occasional scenes involving Ellie and Awesome (and quite a few Buy More employees 😂), and eventually leads into a join with the main storyline and the discovery of Agent X...which...okay, I won't spoil everything but that's an important plot element in season 4.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are many more examples I could give, but this post is already more than long enough and if you're still with me, congratulations on your long attention span and devotion to my ramblings. The point is, these subplots in <i>Chuck </i>do exactly what a subplot should: flesh out the main character and feed into the main plot. Rather than taking away from the main storyline or muddying the waters and making it unclear what the main storyline <i>is</i>, they enhance it, deepen it, and support. it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So when you add a subplot to your writing, make sure you know what purpose it serves. Make sure it supports the A story, fleshes out or supports the main character in some way, isn't irrelevant, and is given an appropriate amount of space in the narrative. The moment it distracts from the A story is the moment you need to consider rethinking it. But a well told subplot can truly make a story great.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And on that note...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lvoX9FeKLxhnz_nl08rG98cdSP3MVs_lAeX8VwoAkgXiwTCjucBAO6ZFb1bha5P18udMtYfJ7fQds-98B_aeiS31rUlx6v9Uh3BT3g7UJOTqfKzvJ3EPJxOP3RX3tEG-uhdbFa5SBuOaozM6Y_GoMdCLjfgLe4LBBQqoL5T9jXWo5ZRJMPXDaK-gbg/s429/20230503_125139729_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="429" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lvoX9FeKLxhnz_nl08rG98cdSP3MVs_lAeX8VwoAkgXiwTCjucBAO6ZFb1bha5P18udMtYfJ7fQds-98B_aeiS31rUlx6v9Uh3BT3g7UJOTqfKzvJ3EPJxOP3RX3tEG-uhdbFa5SBuOaozM6Y_GoMdCLjfgLe4LBBQqoL5T9jXWo5ZRJMPXDaK-gbg/s320/20230503_125139729_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Disclaimer: Storytelling is an art form, and art by nature contains subjectivity. Nothing in this post is intended to disparage anyone who enjoyed my negative examples or those who created them, nor is it intended to shame anyone who did not enjoy my positive examples. It is only intended to be an academic analysis of why certain stories worked for me and many others while other stories did not. If you disagree with my conclusions, you are 100% entitled to that opinion, but do note that my opinion on this matter is settled and as I am starting summer classes soon, I have better things to do with my time than argue on the internet about storytelling.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">¹ <span style="font-size: small;">While I adore this show and highly recommend it for adults, it is NOT a children's show. Therefore, I do not recommend it for children and strongly encourage parental discretion for teens based on your family's content standards. </span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">² I still consider myself a <i>Star Wars</i> superfan and CW's <i>The Flash</i> remains the only DC property I've actually really loved, but reality is, both made some mistakes in writing. Also, I am not saying these things to trash either property, but simply to illustrate my point for educational purposes.</span></div></div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-11058001683912396652023-02-27T06:00:00.001-05:002023-02-27T06:00:00.262-05:00The When and the Why<div style="text-align: justify;">The other day, my mom brought up a 2019 post of mine about following God's calling that dealt with why I had decided (at the time) not to pursue an elementary education degree. At that point in time, I had thought the answer to that question was "no" when in reality the answer was "not yet."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'd honestly forgotten about that post. Skimming through it now, there are a few things that make me cringe, and I see some of the reasons why I thought I would be a bad match for classroom teacher are things I still worry about today—managing a whole class, meeting every child's needs, differentiating instruction in a classroom setting. But what I mostly see is something I have thought about often even though I totally forgot about the post: I was considering teaching for all the wrong reasons. And even though it turns out the "what" wasn't ultimately wrong and outside of God's plan for my life, the reasons I was considering it and the things I would have been abandoning for it made it wrong at the time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's easiest and most straightforward to talk about why the "when" was wrong. Because I'm glad I didn't do it then for timing and logistical issues. For instance:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">I didn't yet have my own car as I was still sharing my family's old minivan with my sister</li><li style="text-align: justify;">I didn't have enough savings to pay for tuition until scholarships kicked in, let alone to weather quitting my primary job during my last year and a half of school</li><li style="text-align: justify;">I not only would have had to take more classes due to it being before KSU pared down the education program to 120 hours, I would have been in school during COVID shutdowns</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Building on that, I would have started my field experience during the 2020/2021 school year and yikes</li><li style="text-align: justify;">I wouldn't necessarily have had the same opportunities in my classes to share things about God and the Bible, and I may not have had the same professors and definitely not the same classmates</li><li style="text-align: justify;">I wouldn't have had the same kids in my field experience and I just can't imagine not working with those same children</li><li style="text-align: justify;">I also would not have gone to Realm Makers, gotten to meet Jaye L. Knight and Tricia Mingerink in person, or published <i>The Void</i>—but those things honestly fit more in the "why"</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The wrong "why" is a lot more personal, and a lot more important. Because I'm realizing that in life there are a lot of things that may not be wrong in and of themselves, but our motivation and attitude can make them wrong. And that's primarily what was wrong with me considering teaching back in early 2019.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the reasons was that I felt like my writing was going nowhere so I was going to give it up entirely. I'd been dealing with massive writer's block, I wasn't selling many books, and I was just going to walk away from all of it. Forever. That was something God didn't want me to do. I went to Realm Makers that summer, which revitalized my passion for writing, gave me the tools I needed to get <i>The Void</i> into publication shape, and—this I consider to be most important—was the avenue by which I was finally able to meet Jaye and Tricia. I'd known Jaye online for years already, since back when she was publishing as Molly Evangeline, but I hadn't met her in person and I barely knew Tricia. After that Realm Makers our friendship deepened and now, despite our geographical distance, I consider them some of my very best friends. And I really couldn't imagine life without their friendship. And while college is causing writing to be slow and painfully sporadic and my schedule makes getting together with my friends much more difficult, I know it's for a time, and it's not forever. And writing and these friendships are something I don't ever want to do without.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other reason I was considering teaching was escape. I had some things going on in my personal life at the time that I just <i>really</i> wanted to escape. And I've had to realize that running away from difficult things is not the way to handle it. You have to face it, work through it, not just ditch everything and run. Life is hard. That's just a reality. We're promised trials in life. God will get us through them. But it's not a good idea to do something else—even if that thing might be good in and of itself—just to get away from our troubles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But pursuing something for the right reasons is a different thing entirely. Pursuing it because that's what God is calling us to <i>now</i> is a good thing. Pursuing teaching because God has gifted me in teaching and this is how He seems to be leading me to use that gift in this season is right. Pursuing it because I have a heart for children is a good thing. Pursuing it because God has opened those doors now is a good thing. And yes, there were financial reasons involved in the decision as well because that's the reality of the world we live in, but I've approached even those financial aspects of the decision from a different perspective and motivation than I did four years ago.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It all goes back to the heart. Even when we do things for the wrong reason, God can still use it for good because He's sovereign and He works all things for good for them who love Him and are called according to His purpose. But it's so much better when we seek Him not only for the what and the when, but to get our hearts right in regards to the why. <i>So</i> many things go back to our attitudes and motivations. No matter what we're doing, let it all go back to this:</div><div><br /></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." </div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">—1 Corinthians 10:41</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Note: Doing the wrong thing for what we might consider the "right" reasons is also a problem, but that's a topic for another day.</span></div></div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-45718667805754604582023-01-02T06:00:00.006-05:002023-01-02T06:00:00.206-05:002022 in Review<div style="text-align: justify;">2022 has been quite a year. It's been rather a mixed bag—lots of good things happened, but also it was rather rough for reasons I'll get to in a bit. But really, there <i>were </i>a lot of great things, even if it's been long and hard.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I started off the year with new piano students and 6 classes. Yes, I decided to do a crazy and take 18 credit hours last spring. 4 of the classes were online, so schedule-wise it wasn't actually horrible, but it certainly <i>was</i> a lot of work. As part of one of my classes, I volunteered with MUST Ministries for about 6 weeks. It was a really great experience and I was glad to see firsthand the work they do helping those in need and connecting people with jobs that suit their needs and skillset. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also did fun experiments like shine a flashlight on a Styrofoam ball to model the phases of the moon. 😂 Elementary education, amiright? (That lab kit of a flashlight, Styrofoam balls, and ziplocs of sand and potting soil was so overpriced for what it was, but I digress.) I also took American history last spring, which I was unsure about to start, but ended up really enjoying. I <i>love</i> American history and I picked the class that covered my favorite eras, but I was concerned about the perspective. As it turned out, my professor was fairly balanced and I got along really well with him. AND I got to write a paper on the Salem Witch Trials using transcriptions of the original court records from the Trials and it was SO COOL. I might have written most of it with an ice pack tied to my head so I could muscle through a headache and get it done on time, but I did it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnDU-gCtuuaaEywsCc-KtG1DgkT6xmCFjjMFH67qaSm1U2HR_87S_83lBPr-qZxHNvd19JIq94-AinXzQKWlzVRwLXRHtBmDO_8vJanp20K9npZSzxklZd6NsUKkE5iWZYHfCdFoWCxLWR8yhU4PdFEV0z5MFkbxFPVJ92YMe75NCfosNbxIT1x6R5g/s4032/20220223_163927324_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnDU-gCtuuaaEywsCc-KtG1DgkT6xmCFjjMFH67qaSm1U2HR_87S_83lBPr-qZxHNvd19JIq94-AinXzQKWlzVRwLXRHtBmDO_8vJanp20K9npZSzxklZd6NsUKkE5iWZYHfCdFoWCxLWR8yhU4PdFEV0z5MFkbxFPVJ92YMe75NCfosNbxIT1x6R5g/s320/20220223_163927324_iOS.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phases of the moon with my <br />overpriced Styrofoam ball</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA26vYpBbPatluLitm5g7utRWpprHCnTha4p3FyRunuvtK1Ri4NLsDScZPTsYHDqKSqkrLRYZBaOCL4-eEP9werGC-I3XY5KyirTEBKqAK8J9tKWjpfpMdFN59H_zmhKfxn7F9kRGmPITpF_B5spgIeDgOFzKistguZx26RGORYCZnmpvtEpAHp0ohBA/s4032/20220214_230020386_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA26vYpBbPatluLitm5g7utRWpprHCnTha4p3FyRunuvtK1Ri4NLsDScZPTsYHDqKSqkrLRYZBaOCL4-eEP9werGC-I3XY5KyirTEBKqAK8J9tKWjpfpMdFN59H_zmhKfxn7F9kRGmPITpF_B5spgIeDgOFzKistguZx26RGORYCZnmpvtEpAHp0ohBA/s320/20220214_230020386_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fun display a coworker and I made at the library</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegSpdzDPmVBMIGq2VWeJbqlJvNoagKrKAc6t4p-t5HPNh8a2YFotuq6vYYeMWCDQhegmrw3CLmXcgT75YNqeHFNneXadQegiNfc7fV3WsDrWLjWy8Opp6jH6N_oshtgcZecyLAy5235mxEC3sXAnnj23ALBWkEae3YUPZipqU8_AvhhZUummeAlbrPw/s4032/20221018_201435470_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegSpdzDPmVBMIGq2VWeJbqlJvNoagKrKAc6t4p-t5HPNh8a2YFotuq6vYYeMWCDQhegmrw3CLmXcgT75YNqeHFNneXadQegiNfc7fV3WsDrWLjWy8Opp6jH6N_oshtgcZecyLAy5235mxEC3sXAnnj23ALBWkEae3YUPZipqU8_AvhhZUummeAlbrPw/s320/20221018_201435470_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made this one in the fall, but anywho,<br />I'm rather proud of it</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Throughout this semester, we started watching <i>Psych</i>, which was a super fun, low commitment show for a busy semester. Shawn and Gus may be immature, but they're hilarious, and I totally shipped Shules from early on in the show. "Last Night Gus," though. That's the best.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpyoLRK1Pm5cMh4owWYx9BBSzcfoNSQyPuHWI_wAkp8JuEghjoewx7Y1dBSJNhxVaDmnlCB46EipYYVfEOcTxgN233m4roxts58D1iiIBOinOHYqpY48vRCBJrRRpPO-t_5TU4H7EKK751yl6gyiC5sJOGoXtIh82UXT5vSBKGo62w3ELZp_Qh5cvUw/s500/psych.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="500" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpyoLRK1Pm5cMh4owWYx9BBSzcfoNSQyPuHWI_wAkp8JuEghjoewx7Y1dBSJNhxVaDmnlCB46EipYYVfEOcTxgN233m4roxts58D1iiIBOinOHYqpY48vRCBJrRRpPO-t_5TU4H7EKK751yl6gyiC5sJOGoXtIh82UXT5vSBKGo62w3ELZp_Qh5cvUw/s320/psych.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cast of <i>Psych</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had a lot of homework, but I did manage to take spring break to make some new dresses...after I got fabric on a whim going into Hobby Lobby for colored popsicle sticks. Eh, it was a week off. And I needed some dresses. And then I spent some of the time leading into finals reading <i>The Selection</i> series instead of studying. But I still got straight A's, so it didn't hurt me any.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then May was great. My sister Addy and I drove up to meet our good friends Tricia Mingerink (also known as Tara Grayce) and Jaye L. Knight at an adorable cabin we rented by a lake in Kentucky. We visited the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter, kayaked on the lake, watched <i>Clone Wars</i>, practiced a few sword fighting stances, brainstormed solutions to problems in our stories together, wrote and edited, talked and talked and talked, and had just as hard a time as ever saying goodbye. Our group of evil authors helped tremendously in helping me figure out the plot of <i>Acktorek 2</i>, though I haven't had the time to put that plan into action yet. And really, it was just so great to get to hang out with them. So much fun!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJDcajquAnsHSyfQ4TvruFwGSoJO3RUvh3i5wh9Ee03IBM8ctHgDNEnI4-OVrnlzIInzg3gybxfWhkoEnB9zoaiiEZnpW0d_sHMoW-zL9Rm-eMrTFMsulF0lmr9AQzrUP58-e6qu9uLb1QVT8wObdALDJJBiwtkstF58UGLbIMj3Q6ZMfmHiwmm3Zhg/s4032/20220515_230806134_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJDcajquAnsHSyfQ4TvruFwGSoJO3RUvh3i5wh9Ee03IBM8ctHgDNEnI4-OVrnlzIInzg3gybxfWhkoEnB9zoaiiEZnpW0d_sHMoW-zL9Rm-eMrTFMsulF0lmr9AQzrUP58-e6qu9uLb1QVT8wObdALDJJBiwtkstF58UGLbIMj3Q6ZMfmHiwmm3Zhg/s320/20220515_230806134_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adorable little loft perfect for writing!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgbquzgBqpxJR0NkMC4pcq6Bf4nyCi-UaiUmC83UaRAfYgjk3C2b77RlmyMEAAoc6k3yKXTBpUDhiRwULkx7MMEVdALW4XDvySmr-Ad7epOX77Uk2anKFz_TLabCf74IbYo3LH_GmeoV6gs24CY9GLQuKEzhWXGy6hLekLh-htZ9OYjtuG2VusuKCQQ/s4032/20220515_232514387_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgbquzgBqpxJR0NkMC4pcq6Bf4nyCi-UaiUmC83UaRAfYgjk3C2b77RlmyMEAAoc6k3yKXTBpUDhiRwULkx7MMEVdALW4XDvySmr-Ad7epOX77Uk2anKFz_TLabCf74IbYo3LH_GmeoV6gs24CY9GLQuKEzhWXGy6hLekLh-htZ9OYjtuG2VusuKCQQ/s320/20220515_232514387_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lake down the hill from the cabin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WGdS-WB4379r-27PlZK5YoGdBT8LxI_FhaIHorzWT4r-cfw8p59qkfg1WdcccseIXjRnbfQxkm8uIhFuRKFD9956eysN2Yg7mffmycRGQOlkOYGQt6C8fXPeXnskiYfjfylPBoYpWw9ZZ2Wd8G7g7R455LhGvUf560xXSq88-xlWykJa1klwd9YTaA/s4032/20220516_182830310_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WGdS-WB4379r-27PlZK5YoGdBT8LxI_FhaIHorzWT4r-cfw8p59qkfg1WdcccseIXjRnbfQxkm8uIhFuRKFD9956eysN2Yg7mffmycRGQOlkOYGQt6C8fXPeXnskiYfjfylPBoYpWw9ZZ2Wd8G7g7R455LhGvUf560xXSq88-xlWykJa1klwd9YTaA/s320/20220516_182830310_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Ark!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL25KQSqMeXyqjAKMKUjlTAlCl0jtuuvfqVeKjLwjGJ8RRTkfbu5qxLGpSKF4jJkYCEBIX3mBu7j14Pu8FlaQ7nKKZp5s3aJ-o04bzPylyAf7jhyLEx74ovL3dBLBRcZT1lDHfcoDJodKxmX-e0VqplY9AmMXJvELFpmuTeNKyiUGQML85eFzSWdTFVw/s4032/20220516_183158022_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL25KQSqMeXyqjAKMKUjlTAlCl0jtuuvfqVeKjLwjGJ8RRTkfbu5qxLGpSKF4jJkYCEBIX3mBu7j14Pu8FlaQ7nKKZp5s3aJ-o04bzPylyAf7jhyLEx74ovL3dBLBRcZT1lDHfcoDJodKxmX-e0VqplY9AmMXJvELFpmuTeNKyiUGQML85eFzSWdTFVw/s320/20220516_183158022_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's so huge!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyZDMEcR-PMR0LZzEan-egBKLu7wSraO3R0coU6Wr7dScUuW-iBL4-gbsVXSbO2dXc_drXvoc6jcLn5DiHbC86PEkEAVXMwsfne-8kdDzvlT-cQc81uEYu-ptvv7Ux7ZzmjJ5J1rWJArbVdYoxlsJhmAibYyoCB5Y4g_grJbu4S43ZD-kgzJuTWWD1w/s640/20220520_212846844_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyZDMEcR-PMR0LZzEan-egBKLu7wSraO3R0coU6Wr7dScUuW-iBL4-gbsVXSbO2dXc_drXvoc6jcLn5DiHbC86PEkEAVXMwsfne-8kdDzvlT-cQc81uEYu-ptvv7Ux7ZzmjJ5J1rWJArbVdYoxlsJhmAibYyoCB5Y4g_grJbu4S43ZD-kgzJuTWWD1w/s320/20220520_212846844_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wishing we didn't have to say goodbye</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Once we got back, it was time to jump into both summer school and music recital. I always love seeing how much my students have progressed, and I was super proud of them for all the things they learned. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I took 3 classes over the summer, which ended up being pretty chill after my 18 credit hour semester. One of my classes was basically a music appreciation class, online, and I had to watch 3 concerts and write papers on them. Only requirement was that they had to be at least 50 minutes long. So I watched a super cool <a href="https://youtu.be/d3gh9l37Yt8" target="_blank">Stephen Spielberg and John Williams concert</a>, the <a href="https://youtu.be/v3V1Fo8Uask" target="_blank">Candlelight Processional</a> from Disney World, and <a href="https://youtu.be/yJ6JpRctnrk" target="_blank"><i>Doctor Who</i> at the BBC Proms 2008</a>. It was pretty great. Also, the summer had me watching <i>Obi-Wan Kenobi</i>, which I absolutely loved, and walking in my hometown's Independence Day parade.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the end of summer my family went to Disney World! It was hot and I am <i>not</i> a fan of Lightning Lane, but we still had a good time. We got to go backstage and pet a rhino named Dugan (sadly they don't allow pictures backstage), rode our favorite rides, met cool characters, got swindled by Hondo Ohnaka on Millennium Falcon Smuggler's Run (also, I might have been reading <i>all</i> the aurebesh signs in Galaxy's Edge—I taught myself aurebesh in like an hour when I was bored once), went to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review at Fort Wilderness, and waited out a thunderstorm in Mickey's Philhar Magic. It may not have been our favorite Disney trip, but there was still a lot to enjoy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jSuyOlqXFHOv7IK5D3CWsW_KALPza90yVLi9IP6qMd7fe-rF_Mr1CmwF25a_rtoSDLcdYz6kwLRTM9zcFfTgoMhnY-6f54G1wnc2Zr97j-HowBGE95V24WHBdkl7FoWmKWPJjhMa9zszYbU2gbRy42bhl3ad_5RaHsoXCrQySsC8df1b94EeVfeNUQ/s4032/20220807_005914292_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jSuyOlqXFHOv7IK5D3CWsW_KALPza90yVLi9IP6qMd7fe-rF_Mr1CmwF25a_rtoSDLcdYz6kwLRTM9zcFfTgoMhnY-6f54G1wnc2Zr97j-HowBGE95V24WHBdkl7FoWmKWPJjhMa9zszYbU2gbRy42bhl3ad_5RaHsoXCrQySsC8df1b94EeVfeNUQ/s320/20220807_005914292_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoop-Dee-Doo was loads of fun!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3DOxWTYglsIQwjd-C2vDrJSxFwhYKwih2qas-Pd_sCyOJl2do33EACZ4QcbJmk6Ugb7EEtXBPAsJ2JV9V1i6yaIolF5DHoj6e3rIqUXQDhcL_eKYXl7sAGFGNsxtGEsT_KlYFggLVv6Yw8SUGYZYsRZtDjApbG51dw18zPebgzZjHajLlYZW-Aqn1Q/s4032/20220812_194801666_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3DOxWTYglsIQwjd-C2vDrJSxFwhYKwih2qas-Pd_sCyOJl2do33EACZ4QcbJmk6Ugb7EEtXBPAsJ2JV9V1i6yaIolF5DHoj6e3rIqUXQDhcL_eKYXl7sAGFGNsxtGEsT_KlYFggLVv6Yw8SUGYZYsRZtDjApbG51dw18zPebgzZjHajLlYZW-Aqn1Q/s320/20220812_194801666_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The drawing class at Rafiki's Planet Watch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqI4sqkUX7Q95sd3-4cVOZwAvTKk6Xy5KvIy7z2BmhdT56ESE4cUuLKsneweFPiHHII46qJxf7gIIxzYqrJu53HlXlVIxgPUJu9hVLtTF6eyz4Tf34WENQhXX3-szviplKBTQYRgfqXT7BcKuM0eFab-B88qUjv4TAY-pkG607KkrsvFYeShLFW0Y5A/s960/299334956_10222631722686465_6352537350580580436_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqI4sqkUX7Q95sd3-4cVOZwAvTKk6Xy5KvIy7z2BmhdT56ESE4cUuLKsneweFPiHHII46qJxf7gIIxzYqrJu53HlXlVIxgPUJu9hVLtTF6eyz4Tf34WENQhXX3-szviplKBTQYRgfqXT7BcKuM0eFab-B88qUjv4TAY-pkG607KkrsvFYeShLFW0Y5A/s320/299334956_10222631722686465_6352537350580580436_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After we saw Dugan!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnQapUZYMCPTvRPrwga3ZySz9VMT85Em0V0roRkmJlLmR1ZVaVj9re6OOsQhlpDEV6BrgcF0unh_XariZI29d_daduwtYjUfE-0DpPojtg4bKfP_xnwBrKfD-QFisghdrWSZw-toMnSHLdTDOmEQdvbh4z5pJi7jVgvV8JDK_Wiwp0pyiNV4dMgFmrA/s4032/20220807_123712570_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnQapUZYMCPTvRPrwga3ZySz9VMT85Em0V0roRkmJlLmR1ZVaVj9re6OOsQhlpDEV6BrgcF0unh_XariZI29d_daduwtYjUfE-0DpPojtg4bKfP_xnwBrKfD-QFisghdrWSZw-toMnSHLdTDOmEQdvbh4z5pJi7jVgvV8JDK_Wiwp0pyiNV4dMgFmrA/s320/20220807_123712570_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time on the Ratatouille ride</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54rlYHnJZABox-wl9932d-dZhe7dZjK7OcKyDCU9BGVOZ4t0FVjUYYfo0jCIWfXiysMtuF_F2QyS5qL87OU3Utw13AQCPR4BVJWmehUb2u_BOIHwuqncpgtg13Nkw1Fu5r8Yz6Ko7OxMKgMpFlggIe_mGje9RnxpRBecAo6bOSSQqqM4mozAg2ZLllw/s4032/20220811_015250535_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54rlYHnJZABox-wl9932d-dZhe7dZjK7OcKyDCU9BGVOZ4t0FVjUYYfo0jCIWfXiysMtuF_F2QyS5qL87OU3Utw13AQCPR4BVJWmehUb2u_BOIHwuqncpgtg13Nkw1Fu5r8Yz6Ko7OxMKgMpFlggIe_mGje9RnxpRBecAo6bOSSQqqM4mozAg2ZLllw/s320/20220811_015250535_iOS.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spaceship Earth</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQ9_1DVhTVlN-pMHfBqNG_B0i1pcNiZcJF-SNVYY4RxKbEcKQy-YwH1lDf1RgZspKe7Hd3hz8A0zg4Jf1XGY6ADqqsDfglNpG8_IlFEa0kG1FnZJ4lx78GfKIW4lGyxbDhH2bCseftiOCxXLHIIFWU7npLJtg9SJ2IJ2yqDuRAf09bRj3AzxOs26lWw/s4032/20220809_120401537_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQ9_1DVhTVlN-pMHfBqNG_B0i1pcNiZcJF-SNVYY4RxKbEcKQy-YwH1lDf1RgZspKe7Hd3hz8A0zg4Jf1XGY6ADqqsDfglNpG8_IlFEa0kG1FnZJ4lx78GfKIW4lGyxbDhH2bCseftiOCxXLHIIFWU7npLJtg9SJ2IJ2yqDuRAf09bRj3AzxOs26lWw/s320/20220809_120401537_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rise of the Resistance!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03Usaq9M4XlcV4MpgsK3yeCxqfVB6QvBsewq9ydMwHUps3YWuJpe6tQOuzAggH3ByvYnnldazffdLXDV_4vi2T9Jl1DrXMVAY6TEPeu4692_8LCPszUoOVgXjD5RZ_fdia_Xy0vw3IwnpY555IC94EEtbhdArpviuT54BgWh2UGwsaXxSAfhcnRdamg/s4032/20220813_152351120_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03Usaq9M4XlcV4MpgsK3yeCxqfVB6QvBsewq9ydMwHUps3YWuJpe6tQOuzAggH3ByvYnnldazffdLXDV_4vi2T9Jl1DrXMVAY6TEPeu4692_8LCPszUoOVgXjD5RZ_fdia_Xy0vw3IwnpY555IC94EEtbhdArpviuT54BgWh2UGwsaXxSAfhcnRdamg/s320/20220813_152351120_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the Beauty and the Beast show!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihBA8w9BfXqEWaAlZFMR4u-XbmJvnExS2OJiKrVihgnuaZECUdE8TA6D_lV3sDJEBWO5ZjTAYDV7hYa8HkQhrzyrZmfOVPOWeXjXlGb_hw_ZTM36mfw-dXqlUdiywAw1Nl5wEk5IPdbwuEqQS_jEHiE6fabcAKMcHqK02E9ipYXhYJ5poo68crkvQCg/s4032/20220808_115228834_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihBA8w9BfXqEWaAlZFMR4u-XbmJvnExS2OJiKrVihgnuaZECUdE8TA6D_lV3sDJEBWO5ZjTAYDV7hYa8HkQhrzyrZmfOVPOWeXjXlGb_hw_ZTM36mfw-dXqlUdiywAw1Nl5wEk5IPdbwuEqQS_jEHiE6fabcAKMcHqK02E9ipYXhYJ5poo68crkvQCg/s320/20220808_115228834_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking into Magic Kingdom!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvyXv2-spoQ60yvLfQvSVWv9yNHE_B07AGfh9dCWOev0CiVu6lfw8U6p5VqX-IMEXMxCQ1aHXwuUobQV7047mPBgThV0RhqFwfKRrQ59flX8bSSiK-U7Tl1WFjKuILBlv8OnIRMIqVZRySH749nroLAp5A5KVX7FFA2_F7-Ffu2wPpWqLuS_pOufqZQ/s4032/20220808_191029027_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvyXv2-spoQ60yvLfQvSVWv9yNHE_B07AGfh9dCWOev0CiVu6lfw8U6p5VqX-IMEXMxCQ1aHXwuUobQV7047mPBgThV0RhqFwfKRrQ59flX8bSSiK-U7Tl1WFjKuILBlv8OnIRMIqVZRySH749nroLAp5A5KVX7FFA2_F7-Ffu2wPpWqLuS_pOufqZQ/s320/20220808_191029027_iOS.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thunderstorm rolling in over the castle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkY0-U_cB2iFU4lpzDsYubs85upZGWI82KGTcnA6yI7NimZcMt4BFasIz6x2QuxLwf-GKth8UOIUrzMAiFdNLWsLmNj43MsDnCG6toFkhx0vGNZxOhPF_HBWHA4qrpqcXeYg3IbCNzL5BUn64LU4UZq4m97hceofEk6XzoUUuHwZZiLDySuvq32O92w/s4032/20220811_164105007_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkY0-U_cB2iFU4lpzDsYubs85upZGWI82KGTcnA6yI7NimZcMt4BFasIz6x2QuxLwf-GKth8UOIUrzMAiFdNLWsLmNj43MsDnCG6toFkhx0vGNZxOhPF_HBWHA4qrpqcXeYg3IbCNzL5BUn64LU4UZq4m97hceofEk6XzoUUuHwZZiLDySuvq32O92w/s320/20220811_164105007_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the unloading area backs up on Pirates,<br />you can actually get some pictures</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHY42CHLasw3FMU1RHfF3GrMQk4xbWCqZnVZBr-hKpo73R27gUnNjzLUtfcon1fZVzvDi84RVsh_ub6Rxor-efpZEMWP1A-rEyjVjccQgDatEiGzLZ_WIkFFuqGvACnt0kai97kJjVq3FLAqxX5EDg5RHpawVWKdHM_vGIqoCp2QzFj5N4fNS6tnTKg/s4032/20220811_164159652_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHY42CHLasw3FMU1RHfF3GrMQk4xbWCqZnVZBr-hKpo73R27gUnNjzLUtfcon1fZVzvDi84RVsh_ub6Rxor-efpZEMWP1A-rEyjVjccQgDatEiGzLZ_WIkFFuqGvACnt0kai97kJjVq3FLAqxX5EDg5RHpawVWKdHM_vGIqoCp2QzFj5N4fNS6tnTKg/s320/20220811_164159652_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">And then we get to fall semester, wherein I all but dropped off the face of the internet. It wasn't all bad, it really wasn't, but it was most definitely the hardest semester I've been through. Thing is, elementary education classes aren't hard content-wise, but the program is still very demanding and stressful, and coordinating all the moving pieces of classes and field experience and jobs is basically a nightmare. Add in kid germs spreading around colds and flu and strep and whatever else, and it's no wonder all of us prospective teachers are so stressed out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now. It had some really great moments. I absolutely loved both the preK class and the 2nd grade class I was in for field experience last semester. I worked with some really great teachers and both classes were full of really great students. I practiced planning and teaching lessons and got to work both in small groups and one on one with the kids and it was fabulous. I spent a lot more time with the 2nd graders, and while before starting the program I had decided I wanted to teach 4th grade because of the social studies standards, I'm no longer so decided. I really loved 2nd grade. Part of it might be that I lucked out with a great teacher and class (I know it's not always like that, I've heard stories), but it's a really fun age. I miss the kids so much, and I'm so glad I got to work with their class.</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">But...working with kids has downsides. Namely germs. It only took one day at the preK for me to come down with a nasty cold and, well, that was pretty much the end of me being well. I came down with the cold September 13 (I know because it's the day <i>Wishtress</i> and <i>Flight</i> came out) and that weekend, it turned into a sinus infection. I went to the school clinic for antibiotic #1. Infection mostly went away, but not completely and after I'd been finished with the antibiotic for a few days, the symptoms came back pretty much full force, along with some gland pain in the glands under my chin. So I went back to the school clinic, got another prescription for an antibiotic along with a steroid course, took a math test feeling totally miserable (thankfully it was easy and I got an A on it in spite of how I was feeling), and had to hang around Walmart for a good while waiting for them to actually fill the prescription. That prescription mostly kicked out the infection, but the steroid kept me from sleeping which really badly messed up my stomach (I had to ask my professor to let me go home in the middle of class. I don't do stuff like that). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then a little while after I finished all of that, I took my car over to the shop because it was having trouble starting in the cold as my glands started to feel like they were swelling again. The next morning, a Saturday I was supposed to work, I woke up with my glands so swollen I practically had a double chin. Not to mention it hurt like crazy. So instead of work, I went to urgent care and got antibiotic #3. Then spent the rest of the day miserable on the couch instead of at work.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That weekend was also the weekend registration for spring classes started. During the fall semester, I had barely been able to fit classes, teaching music, field experience, and work at the library into the week. The way registration was shaping up, it was looking even more difficult. And with the lack of time I had for homework, let alone rest, I had to come to the difficult decision that something had to go. And the thing that made the most sense was my library job. I was going to have to quit to do my student teaching in fall of '23 anyway, so it would just be a semester earlier. At that point, it was just a few more weeks until the end of the semester, so I figured I might as well tough it out and make it to the end of the year. But the end of the year would be it. I just knew that I couldn't do a semester like this again, being so overworked and constantly sick, not to mention having more migraines than I used to.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The swelling went away with antibiotic #3, but not all of the congestion. I'm still not consistently off all the Mucinex and antihistamines and extra vitamins.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The semester started to wrap up, things got easier to keep up with as I finished all my major assignments, and, well, then I got another cold with a nasty lingering cough that made it difficult to sleep for a little while, but that did go away. We visited family for Thanksgiving, school officially ended, and then some of my family went up to Indiana to surprise my great grandma for her 90th birthday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMVeFBOyEoH9aNASaRT6Et6nI473Ct-uyPxEHiSdfnZyGaqSqxm5gmLj7eDA2hLhiDqAe7Qdx8SY0ny5J5o4ys8z0IaYj3wJOMfCBK8Op_09tzjGbXOL0-HfkiWUQ3ZV82Cm7mfyrEBCYTVgny2jkppJweGDkClYzQ7MJBpMOBeQCXiVKk8KJMJyk_A/s1169/family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1169" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMVeFBOyEoH9aNASaRT6Et6nI473Ct-uyPxEHiSdfnZyGaqSqxm5gmLj7eDA2hLhiDqAe7Qdx8SY0ny5J5o4ys8z0IaYj3wJOMfCBK8Op_09tzjGbXOL0-HfkiWUQ3ZV82Cm7mfyrEBCYTVgny2jkppJweGDkClYzQ7MJBpMOBeQCXiVKk8KJMJyk_A/s320/family.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everybody at the surprise party</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I got to do the library's special Christmas programs one last time, which was fun and a little bittersweet. And I spent many evenings rewatching <i>Timeless</i> with the cat, which was fun. I really love that show.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDhwTgUVFxKrnwkq7I9QuastlsZv7tK6M8oIc3qmbgVJajHA38f7JybbXUwjq4HLjZPiu-HfLstvwfmepLUoaeFW6Tn_91bFro6Xxkeizi0iqdM_4Jg5i3MJTGihxeq1daW0k6ZwmR1QFEbfTLPFWSa1Y8bB-_IfRQ9dexUWpkmOrtYrFNIhE7QzF3g/s4032/20221201_031035162_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDhwTgUVFxKrnwkq7I9QuastlsZv7tK6M8oIc3qmbgVJajHA38f7JybbXUwjq4HLjZPiu-HfLstvwfmepLUoaeFW6Tn_91bFro6Xxkeizi0iqdM_4Jg5i3MJTGihxeq1daW0k6ZwmR1QFEbfTLPFWSa1Y8bB-_IfRQ9dexUWpkmOrtYrFNIhE7QzF3g/s320/20221201_031035162_iOS.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pippin watching <i>Timeless</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And then the week before Christmas I got swollen glands again. This time though, due to the lack of other significant symptoms, the doctor was pretty sure it was allergies, and the fact that Benadryl caused significant improvement supports the theory.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So it's no wonder, really, that I haven't really written anything in the last few months. A few small snippets here and there, but not really anything of note. And I haven't done much reading in the last few months either. My brain just hasn't had the opportunity to recover from the last semester yet.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Going into 2023, my life looks rather different. I've worked at the library for 7 years, so it's very strange that I'm not there anymore. I'm still teaching music, so I have that. I'll have 5 classes and field experience in a 4th grade class, and that's what I have to keep up with. It seems like so much less than last fall, but I guess we'll see how that actually looks when the semester starts. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Will I be able to read and write now that something is off my plate? I don't know. I hope so, but I just don't know. I do know that I'll make it through the semester, take my summer classes, and then jump into student teaching in the fall. But what else will this year hold? Only God knows, and I'm trusting that whatever it is, He'll get me through it.</div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-71224592684888083862022-12-21T06:00:00.006-05:002022-12-21T06:00:00.216-05:00Top Twelve Books of 2022<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm officially making this a "top twelve" thing now because I'm just that kind of reader who can't narrow down favorites very well. It's been a long, kind of rough year (I'll get into that in my year in review post), and I wasn't sure based on my slow reading lately if I'd have a good list...but I read a lot of great stuff before this semester, and a few things since. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before I get into my list for the year, I have to mention my notable rereads/relistens because they don't qualify for the list, but y'all, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P2N1LBV/" target="_blank">Blood of Kings</a></i> is even better the second time around! And so is <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1943442002/" target="_blank">Blades of Acktar</a></i>. Such great stories, and they got me through a very rough semester for sure. Even while I'm sick, Vrell and Achan still make me so happy. And it's even better that I got most of them on sale via <a href="https://www.chirpbooks.com/" target="_blank">Chirp Audiobooks</a>!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWam0stl9eKl8G1SmP8mYiCsTknFFoLX4Fhq-BteUigsnsm1piWL5WM1Lbp9xW2YX692y8KkUulCN6ZjWKLx7obzvcZhWFEhvVO0zhJPaR7yMnHl12qIN7j2NAo87lTn-bwfNPPis7ZrxyXrJWvntuwCUQ9j5wBN8aBdGULGvMK0CfIdzbS0R21sByw/s1200/selection-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWam0stl9eKl8G1SmP8mYiCsTknFFoLX4Fhq-BteUigsnsm1piWL5WM1Lbp9xW2YX692y8KkUulCN6ZjWKLx7obzvcZhWFEhvVO0zhJPaR7yMnHl12qIN7j2NAo87lTn-bwfNPPis7ZrxyXrJWvntuwCUQ9j5wBN8aBdGULGvMK0CfIdzbS0R21sByw/w200-h200/selection-1.png" width="200" /></a>1<span style="text-align: left;">2. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Selection-Kiera-Cass-ebook/dp/B006564VQC/" target="_blank">The Selection</a></i> Series by Kiera Cass</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I really wouldn't have thought I'd want to put this on my list. When I first started it, I was extremely underwhelmed. It's basically a dystopian <i>The Bachelor</i> with a prince and at first I found it rather eyeroll worthy. When I got to the end of the first one, I still didn't think it was that great, but strangely wanted to know how it played out. And then book two happened. I'd been listening to it, but I got to a certain part where things were going crazy, so I got the kindle version from the library, read during dinner, and less than 24 hours later, I'd finished the initial trilogy. As I was going into finals week with a lot of homework to do. And then the next week read the two books about the next generation. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">America Singer doesn't actually want to compete for Prince Maxon's hand in the Selection, but she enters anyway, and leaves behind her boyfriend (who I don't like anyway) for the palace. Where she challenges their caste system, causes all sorts of trouble, and ends up falling in love. And Maxon is the kind of guy that once you learn about his backstory, you want to wrap in bubble wrap. Such a fun series.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg02DkrqlCbeyEmctVD6iGi0xvmaE0Avg2aPVVezP6Eg_WBl44cX4q_03Rb9pvsP8e09viS1_QaWBCmrN-xllkkyThXXBtclm0uWW1hhT3tmL6Hlk1J_sZJ-B7ayOjoGSz5GGHK8UZfOC--3vkuAJ6NG2ujEcCu4GFDFi-o9hJKHW-E253TE21YX4Kg/s1440/20220805_150739723_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg02DkrqlCbeyEmctVD6iGi0xvmaE0Avg2aPVVezP6Eg_WBl44cX4q_03Rb9pvsP8e09viS1_QaWBCmrN-xllkkyThXXBtclm0uWW1hhT3tmL6Hlk1J_sZJ-B7ayOjoGSz5GGHK8UZfOC--3vkuAJ6NG2ujEcCu4GFDFi-o9hJKHW-E253TE21YX4Kg/w200-h200/20220805_150739723_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>11. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cass-Teen-Novel-1-Kiera-ebook/dp/B075CJRN79/" target="_blank">The Betrothed</a></i> duology by Kiera Cass<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Had to put this on too because I actually liked it better than <i>The Selection</i>. I checked the first one out from the library on a whim because I'd enjoyed <i>The Selection</i>, didn't get around to it until it was almost due, then read it in basically one night and decided it was a good thing the library didn't have the second one on kindle because I would have gotten no sleep. Hollis Brite is the king's love and is looking forward to being queen. But when a family from a neighboring country arrives as refugees, everything changes, true natures begin to be revealed, and deadly secrets are shared. Lots of political intrigue, and holy cow, the way the first book ended! No spoilers, but I was in shock. I had to wait a few days for the second book to come in at the library, but I read the entire thing in the car on the way to Disney and loved every bit of it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJC8K-U9KKn2cCqMxdQleiZSwLFDBf1AI_Czq6H_BLG30ipojuZ2Mki8YqnsaPPRzb7cIO69d_kH47YXp53yRzru4kr3Nd4sLtQr8OaCuWC4rBTMm4dFMU4iMNSlCE5ICGI25SxQuFvxSExrryJQqStF0AQo4ZoQGbZS02ehU4NP3jX2gKOXUvqTEfew/s2400/olivia%20twist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1570" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJC8K-U9KKn2cCqMxdQleiZSwLFDBf1AI_Czq6H_BLG30ipojuZ2Mki8YqnsaPPRzb7cIO69d_kH47YXp53yRzru4kr3Nd4sLtQr8OaCuWC4rBTMm4dFMU4iMNSlCE5ICGI25SxQuFvxSExrryJQqStF0AQo4ZoQGbZS02ehU4NP3jX2gKOXUvqTEfew/w131-h200/olivia%20twist.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>10. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072TNMPSY/" target="_blank">Olivia Twist</a></i> by Laurie Langdon</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This one caught my attention years ago while browsing my library's ebook collection. Then I saw it on Kirk DuPonce's banner at Realm Makers (he did the cover). Then I got into an <i>Oliver Twist</i> mood and decided to rewatch the musical. And then saw Kara Swanson mention Laurie Langdon as one of her author friends and requested it from the library. Finally, I read it just the other day. I kind of feel like this book is for a particular audience, but I also feel that I fit that audience to a T. Like the author, I fell in love with the musical as a child (only unlike her, I was in a local production, I didn't just go see it), and then read the book later. And so I loved all the nods to the musical and the original book. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Olivia Brownlow was disguised as a boy from birth to protect her, going by the name Oliver Twist, but when she was taken in by her uncle Brownlow after the Artful Dodger picked his pocket, she learned how to be a lady. Well, sort of. Ollie the street kid isn't totally gone, even though she's grown and expected to find a match. She still sneaks out in disguise to help street kids, and while she is technically engaged to a respectable young man, she's actually in love with Dodger, who is now going by his real first name of Jack (though not his real last name). And Monks is out there and dangerous, especially where Olivia is concerned.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioAdIrZ9Cnt1k6DguHCtioCpzmDJJp7l_Fmx2XNVhWj3xNhP6Vo5xiitQuB9a4TO3RvqpEOw6SLCHSTV0cmdY97oV9YJaNP3yEIJW_sYNjfm-_PtWW1FkHvVS9ilEs5uqSAlUvgcjxRHCtwOQPY9G5FcybHECwzncK65amC7oFm5t09tRLENjNf4sQw/s2100/wonderland%20trials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1365" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioAdIrZ9Cnt1k6DguHCtioCpzmDJJp7l_Fmx2XNVhWj3xNhP6Vo5xiitQuB9a4TO3RvqpEOw6SLCHSTV0cmdY97oV9YJaNP3yEIJW_sYNjfm-_PtWW1FkHvVS9ilEs5uqSAlUvgcjxRHCtwOQPY9G5FcybHECwzncK65amC7oFm5t09tRLENjNf4sQw/w130-h200/wonderland%20trials.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>9. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VT7LMN7/" target="_blank">The Wonderland Trials</a></i> by Sara Ella</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For this one, I actually got an ARC, and I really very much enjoyed it. It's sort of a dystopian Alice in Wonderland where those with the Wonder gene can access the Wonderland Reality. Alice's sister disappears and Alice herself receives a cryptic invitation to compete in the dangerous Wonderland Trials, during which many players go missing every year. I hadn't thought I was super familiar with the original before I read this, but I kept picking up different references and ways she wove in elements of the original that just made me appreciate it more. But it was still a very unique and original take on Wonderland and, as a nearsighted person myself, I loved that Alice wears glasses. And then the end leaves you hanging and ready for the Looking Glass!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXpjWrNyAiSAcApFY1Gu1KTok4TSfJL5S8Vu2bCJi5LKGCuPI2x_ntVAtlTZLbBtgbARMPmBno2q_gSU1PtG8M3vO2BO3bwTSvdvIZ6eEWPnfI_HtS1uSKjqH-YmZ6S8plzl2BaSxTa17BmzBLNTaVuqGAf0DCvzwc-nssTfTIibqkL4tgOk0IMtjSw/s400/Secret%20Letters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXpjWrNyAiSAcApFY1Gu1KTok4TSfJL5S8Vu2bCJi5LKGCuPI2x_ntVAtlTZLbBtgbARMPmBno2q_gSU1PtG8M3vO2BO3bwTSvdvIZ6eEWPnfI_HtS1uSKjqH-YmZ6S8plzl2BaSxTa17BmzBLNTaVuqGAf0DCvzwc-nssTfTIibqkL4tgOk0IMtjSw/w133-h200/Secret%20Letters.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09NW37S6H/" target="_blank">The Secret Letters</a></i> by Margaret Peterson Haddix <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As always, when a new Haddix book is released, it makes my favorites list. (There were actually two this year, both really good, but I decided to put the other on honorable mentions.) I'd been sick and overworked and barely reading, but one Sunday I read this entire book. And it felt great to read a book in a day, especially when it's as good as this one. Colin's mom helps people get rid of their junk. Neveah's dad sells people's junk. And when Colin finds old letters in an attic he and his mom are cleaning out, he sets out to unravel a decades old mystery and find out why two children from the past ended a friendship. And what that means for the future. It's just a really, really good story and I enjoyed it immensely.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4ZC4b9J1AUlTOsWjam02zp4EEq9cRyYKdJFXD-X00a606cKDFI8MyFu_BNnf6UQguCN0wRgI2toRiN9xwRhj4TThNmcWIEkvTeJRijbYrcqkzBO4NTdU7-7rdJJZIIQ3Tea7JNDW4eHLFovhAwg6IZhG1X0dd61R_0Xxdw5YGh9cZfL66ts6d8lfdQ/s515/wishtress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="338" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4ZC4b9J1AUlTOsWjam02zp4EEq9cRyYKdJFXD-X00a606cKDFI8MyFu_BNnf6UQguCN0wRgI2toRiN9xwRhj4TThNmcWIEkvTeJRijbYrcqkzBO4NTdU7-7rdJJZIIQ3Tea7JNDW4eHLFovhAwg6IZhG1X0dd61R_0Xxdw5YGh9cZfL66ts6d8lfdQ/w131-h200/wishtress.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>7. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09N8R65R9/" target="_blank">Wishtress</a></i> by Nadine Brandes<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I preordered this and then got sick the day it came out, so it was a good while before I managed to actually read it. But I finally did and it was so good! Myrthe's tears grant wishes, but then she is cursed that her next tear will kill her. Bastiaan can stop time with a snap of his fingers, but in doing so he was responsible for the king's death. Myrthe wants to break the curse and Bastiaan wants to get rid of the Trials protecting the Well that gives people talents. And danger and deception and all kinds of great stuff. And the themes that came out in the end really made me think. I always love Nadine's books, and this one is definitely no exception. Plus it's a cool concept with intriguing worldbuilding. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKH1CBkVm_qvRx0Zg5jYWNfs2BTM03yUaKpv_KObW-Gbb6jUZJDlCWeKtdg16ZuRagHSDqYIt6TF3mCgRRLSTaM8OBZAqtDBenBdYMEdC6RtCq7P5JpVttCMFtHsp0kbFR_adh1-rx2-PfICbaoZfIKh6ahTT68SrAdd7RxWZ_oYqPMwoj9kjDEb0iw/s318/kisses%20from%20katie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="318" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKH1CBkVm_qvRx0Zg5jYWNfs2BTM03yUaKpv_KObW-Gbb6jUZJDlCWeKtdg16ZuRagHSDqYIt6TF3mCgRRLSTaM8OBZAqtDBenBdYMEdC6RtCq7P5JpVttCMFtHsp0kbFR_adh1-rx2-PfICbaoZfIKh6ahTT68SrAdd7RxWZ_oYqPMwoj9kjDEb0iw/w200-h163/kisses%20from%20katie.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>6. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004U7HRT6/" target="_blank">Kisses From Katie</a></i> by Katie Davis Majors</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This one I got on audio at a library book sale. It had a few scratches but was mostly intact, and wow did it make me cry. Like, a lot. But it's so good. This is Katie's story about how God called her to move to Uganda when she finished high school and all about her ministry there and the girls she adopted. It's very inspirational, very God-focused, and honestly heartbreaking seeing the poverty some people live in. But it's so wonderful seeing her testimony, how God can use anyone to touch people's lives, help them, and share His love. It's beautiful, but definitely prepare to cry. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02S99qOLx7Gd-Ere2tgzJ7iKEuql-30XO-GnMe1Psa5njZGhAUpdteJPOVzH1aFqmssuxa38elQ1CWQO00cnJO0VnWgQleEyJnbP8pYfRIzNqIhsYpmBr_xPaIH6bNAlFqaKvSgHGXIBPSyVhECeTNX1jY0QiKbtVIl3-pfAxP811f1_hkytU1B10Sw/s1700/single%20isn't%20second%20best.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1700" data-original-width="1100" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02S99qOLx7Gd-Ere2tgzJ7iKEuql-30XO-GnMe1Psa5njZGhAUpdteJPOVzH1aFqmssuxa38elQ1CWQO00cnJO0VnWgQleEyJnbP8pYfRIzNqIhsYpmBr_xPaIH6bNAlFqaKvSgHGXIBPSyVhECeTNX1jY0QiKbtVIl3-pfAxP811f1_hkytU1B10Sw/w129-h200/single%20isn't%20second%20best.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>5. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B9HMNZW2/" target="_blank">Single Isn't Second-Best</a></i> by C.E. White and Philip Wilder <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, technically I haven't quite finished it because I had a couple chapters left when I got sick and all my reading was derailed, and then my sister took it to read and I just got it back from her. But I've read most of it and it's really good and important (and not just because I'm quoted it it). Most Christian books about singleness are focused on "until you get married." The church seems to perpetuate this, and it's not really uncommon for singles to feel invisible and to get sick of well meaning people making suggestions about how they can find a spouse. <i>Single Isn't Second-Best</i> takes a very different angle to singleness, addressing the trials of singleness, acknowledging that singles often feel like second-class citizens even though we're not, addressing marriage myths, exploring what the Bible actually says about singleness, explaining the worth singles have in the body of Christ, and really shifting the perspective on singleness. An important read for singles and people who know singles (which pretty much comes down to everyone).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9BO-LW--eFZrWR5PAbNE-XWoMg5y0K6Ql0QnN_o1IswsX96oOcWbqDBzMIUOebrO0ISGeBZTCu0HtKI0q-_etE8XLeMKpuq3GHO34geOinf4nWBSDJWaLEkO7PKUrfZTUg9HWdscjiOYsQA8Zt8hhok8LtdrNGIOgB8U8QGWeIZV-KgH7vJYI3S4Xw/s800/Dust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="520" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9BO-LW--eFZrWR5PAbNE-XWoMg5y0K6Ql0QnN_o1IswsX96oOcWbqDBzMIUOebrO0ISGeBZTCu0HtKI0q-_etE8XLeMKpuq3GHO34geOinf4nWBSDJWaLEkO7PKUrfZTUg9HWdscjiOYsQA8Zt8hhok8LtdrNGIOgB8U8QGWeIZV-KgH7vJYI3S4Xw/w130-h200/Dust.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>4. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085LRMR37/" target="_blank">Heirs of Neverland</a></i> duology by Kara Swanson</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I actually went to the launch party for the second book, <i>Shadow</i>, at Realm Makers 2021 before I'd read either of them. But I fully intended to read them. And finally did read the first book on our Disney trip in August. And I have to say, it was an interesting experience reading it at Disney surrounded by Peter Pan stuff. And goodness, I loved them both so much! I love Claire and Peter, and Peter is such a mess but he has such a wonderful character arc, and so much danger and traumatic pasts and bad choices and sacrificial love and it's just so good! I read <i>Shadow</i> in pretty much one day once we got back from Disney and I was able to get a copy from the library and I had such a book hangover. Kara did a great job of continuing the story of Peter Pan while both honoring the original and making it unique. And now I want to go reread them both.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vk1vbFnrEzYbD_gplXX2dxjUCMAn_Q35VuUP8wf9-I875JdKmnOZP6TsYowYYXwqIOE4tutEJo_RcLSa7GQFBWU4wNJszjB5vyx44LEAib8ua1Ys-v0VuVpMsdmI4qNh7hncH_7xs6IpTKAYUGJcq71BvzxBbZs6K8SuJP7K0aqITHYwTt_A4lwN1A/s2560/shield%20band.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vk1vbFnrEzYbD_gplXX2dxjUCMAn_Q35VuUP8wf9-I875JdKmnOZP6TsYowYYXwqIOE4tutEJo_RcLSa7GQFBWU4wNJszjB5vyx44LEAib8ua1Ys-v0VuVpMsdmI4qNh7hncH_7xs6IpTKAYUGJcq71BvzxBbZs6K8SuJP7K0aqITHYwTt_A4lwN1A/w125-h200/shield%20band.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>3. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PZBXMD6/" target="_blank">Shield Band</a></i> by Tara Grayce <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">New <i>Elven Alliance</i> book? Of course it's on my list! Now, naturally I assume Tara Grayce books are going to be good. Not just because she's my friend, but because she's a great writer with books that I always love. But I wasn't sure how invested I'd be in this one since Essie and Farrendel are no longer POV characters and it's focused on Essie's brother Julien and his intended troll bride Vriska. There was no reason to have any doubts. I came to love Julien and Vriska very much and they're just adorable and she's a great fighter but does actually have a soft side. And there's a deadly illness and suspicions of traitors and fighting and danger and romantic fluff and they're just so well suited for each other. I just love their story, and maybe I don't love them <i>quite</i> as much as Essie and Farrendel, but I still love them dearly. And seriously, if you haven't read <i>Elven Alliance</i> yet, DO IT NOW!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxfP59PpEc4LFrKnccvSPLjA013qkUj2DuBVCf7IJ1aeNdXNwXlz0wfJDR1k7o0vH59xUwFspqqm6-t263rh5tT-zj7b4lYyRwYg_flgwwTq_9NaT8fZ813-T1x9cgrOUadiFbNh6tM-1eftimuJABtRBxT3UjUHDu3zIdrZaiHZ4nVSaR4_0BQ5Gog/s1349/daican's%20heir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="898" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxfP59PpEc4LFrKnccvSPLjA013qkUj2DuBVCf7IJ1aeNdXNwXlz0wfJDR1k7o0vH59xUwFspqqm6-t263rh5tT-zj7b4lYyRwYg_flgwwTq_9NaT8fZ813-T1x9cgrOUadiFbNh6tM-1eftimuJABtRBxT3UjUHDu3zIdrZaiHZ4nVSaR4_0BQ5Gog/w133-h200/daican's%20heir.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>2. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN26TZMJ/" target="_blank">Daican's Heir</a></i> by Jaye L. Knight</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I debated how to rank these last two, almost decided to put them in a tie, but then decided to put the one you can actually read now first and the one you have to preorder second. And that's literally how I made the decision because they're both such amazing books that I love so much and have waited literal YEARS for.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ahem. I FINALLY GOT TO READ THE ILYON CHRONICLES FINALE!!! Y'all. This book is amazing and so worth the wait. So much Jayrin fluff, and also danger and fighting and injuries (is this a theme in my favorite books? maybe?) and so many things brought full circle and Davira is scary evil and it's time for her to go DOWN and I just don't know how to be coherent right now. They're ready to go head to head with Davira for Arcacia, but of course things can't possibly go smoothly. I don't want to spoil anything, but you should definitely go reread the previous books so you can experience the full glory of this amazing book. Plenty of action and danger and torture, but also plenty of fluff and lots of time to wrap up all the story threads and I just can't wait for it to be released so y'all can read it! (The kindle version is available for preorder, but if you want a paperback like I do, you'll have to wait for the actual release to purchase.)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVT_Bd-5bjR-dV4RWpRa3QwEOmYfSbUISjY6S2n-Rwr9Z9lMAwikTfBg-1SXHDDmzya3Pe8FwKJI_vTUGoaRpkFOD9h3G-ICtRXDveyLo5c9vC9GLIKbZ_YjhAjTU1PF9OxAGFtol6OSgdKYHZqNKKIPfxD0c3njCh3daCz0sVEQk5Ha19b48T6pZ0g/s1590/Eleftheria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1032" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVT_Bd-5bjR-dV4RWpRa3QwEOmYfSbUISjY6S2n-Rwr9Z9lMAwikTfBg-1SXHDDmzya3Pe8FwKJI_vTUGoaRpkFOD9h3G-ICtRXDveyLo5c9vC9GLIKbZ_YjhAjTU1PF9OxAGFtol6OSgdKYHZqNKKIPfxD0c3njCh3daCz0sVEQk5Ha19b48T6pZ0g/w130-h200/Eleftheria.jpg" width="130" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BHM3M82V/" target="_blank">Eleftheria</a></i> by J. Grace Pennington<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is the book I waited literally almost nine years for. Not a joke, not an exaggeration. My beloved Elasson was introduced in <i>In His Image</i> which I read on Christmas 2013 and now in 2022 I FINALLY got to read the book wherein he returns! And it was everything I could have hoped for and more. Well, I still don't have confirmation of my ship, but I'm still pretty sure I'm right. Most of my favorite things about this book are spoilers, but I'll say this: The <i>Surveyor</i> finally gets to return to Kainus Ge while Andi's life is being turned upside down by an attorney who's calling them out for infractions of policies and such (like Andi helping in medbay even though she doesn't have official medical training), and they get to see Elasson again and things go crazy and Elasson is as adorable as ever and I just want to unleash the fangirl squealing. Definitely worth the nine year wait and I'm even more excited about future installments than I was before. Such a fabulous series and it's another one of those that if you haven't read it yet, I don't know what you're doing with your life. So good!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And for honorable mentions: <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/School-Whatnots-Margaret-Peterson-Haddix-ebook/dp/B09688W6LM/" target="_blank">The School For Whatnots</a></i> by Margaret Peterson Haddix, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-Screen-Terri-Blackstock-ebook/dp/B07Q79M56P/" target="_blank">Smoke Screen</a></i> by Terri Blackstock, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Back-Purity-Culture-Rediscovering-ebook/dp/B089W1GN6C/" target="_blank">Talking Back to Purity Culture</a></i> by Rachel Welcher, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elite-Collective-Underground-Book-2-ebook/dp/B09573JT1M/" target="_blank">Elite</a></i> by Kristen Young, and <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stern-Chase-Brotherband-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B09RMSJS9X/" target="_blank">The Stern Chase</a></i> by John Flanagan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What are your favorite reads of 2022?</div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-54399948137543546242022-12-02T09:31:00.002-05:002022-12-02T09:31:42.984-05:00Daican's Heir Cover Reveal<div style="text-align: justify;">The <i>Daican's Heir</i> cover is here!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had the great privilege of reading an early version of this book a few months ago, and let me tell you, this book is FANTASTIC!!! I CANNOT WAIT to read the final version. It's been a good while since we got new Ilyon, and this book is so totally worth the wait. All the angst and danger and also fluffiness, and Jace and Kyrin are just SOOOO ADORABLE. So many things to bring the series full circle, again, so much angst and so much fluff too. I can't wait for y'all to get to read it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And now.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yes, I'm trying to make you have to scroll down to see the cover.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here it is.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsJz2Z3xQA8Yyb0O33GqSTZzDZ68zvNtt09BnMsgfsYxmnBvepyuYKW191_IJsrKOyjjMkC5YN4atVt3K17EyzlH8i5Ueek5d0CDqIWma-JEGOMDboUoym--1YjyVxPBT-GuLQS0D_Zac5R7EPUtmdGcmrVbMdi7ChRXungXmqPM4CR0-Y0BxFAtXJA/s1349/DHCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="898" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsJz2Z3xQA8Yyb0O33GqSTZzDZ68zvNtt09BnMsgfsYxmnBvepyuYKW191_IJsrKOyjjMkC5YN4atVt3K17EyzlH8i5Ueek5d0CDqIWma-JEGOMDboUoym--1YjyVxPBT-GuLQS0D_Zac5R7EPUtmdGcmrVbMdi7ChRXungXmqPM4CR0-Y0BxFAtXJA/w266-h400/DHCover.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Don't you just love it? Davira is just...she's so evil and it's time to take her DOWN.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ahem.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here's the description, and make sure you check out the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Daicans-Heir-Ilyon-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B0BN26TZMJ/" target="_blank">preorder</a>!</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>For three years, the Resistance has suffered under oppression—first from Emperor Daican and now from his daughter. In her quest for vengeance, Davira has ripped Arcacia apart, and more blood is spilled every day. Newly married, all Jace and Kyrin want is to be able to live their lives in peace. In order to do that, they must help restore the rightful heir to Arcacia’s throne.</i></div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Carrying the weight of everyone’s hopes for the future, Daniel works every day to be the leader and king they have all fought so hard to see him become. With the Resistance and their allies from all across Ilyon united behind him, he prepares for a final confrontation with Davira. But to do so will require facing the full might of Arcacia’s military and Davira’s wrath.</i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>When Jace and Kyrin become the primary targets of her ravenous hatred, Daniel finds himself in a race against time to stop his sister and avoid the bloodbath she is determined to unleash. Can he find a way to protect his loved ones and bring peace to Ilyon or will Davira succeed in bringing them all to their knees and destroying everything they hold dear?</i></div></i></blockquote><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></div></i><div><br /></div><div>And an excerpt from chapter 1!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Jace didn’t like ships.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His stomach had threatened to heave itself up his throat since he’d re-boarded the talcrin vessel an hour ago. So far he’d managed to keep it in place, but Holden wasn’t so lucky. He had already lost what remained of his supper over the edge and now leaned heavily on the railing. Clearly, it would take a lot more than the two days they’d previously spent on board, sneaking the Militia into Samara, for their stomachs to get used to the sea.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A low groan rumbled from Holden’s hunched form. “Remind me never to set foot on a ship again after this. I’ll happily stick to dragons.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jace had to agree with him there. As much as he hated heights, he’d far rather fly with Gem right now. And it wasn’t just his churning gut that bothered him. Despite only small waves rippling the sea, each dip and tilt of the ship robbed him of balance. The lack of solid footing left him feeling vulnerable. Not that he had any threats to worry about just yet. Those awaited him on shore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Footsteps passed behind him, and he looked over his shoulder. Though pre-dawn darkness cloaked the ship, and they’d forgone any lanterns that could give away their position, General Torva strode across the deck with a confident stride. He made an impressive figure, as most talcrins did. He reminded Jace of Sam, especially in stature, though his hair was long and gathered into small braids, and his eyes flashed a cunning copper.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Their talcrin allies were obviously masters of the sea. Jace hadn’t seen any of them on the verge of losing their stomach contents, though maybe that had not been the case when they’d first left Arda a few weeks ago. Somehow, Rayad and Trask didn’t seem affected either.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Torva stopped at the railing a couple yards away, feet planted and fists on his hips as he stared out over the dark sea. His bronze scale-mail glinted faintly like dragon scales. Jace had never seen armor quite like it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We should be nearing the city.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jace scanned the horizon. He could barely make out the shore from this distance—just a black line against the indigo water and sky. No signs of a city, but the talcrins would know better how far they had traveled.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Someone else drew near. Jace shifted, and Rayad put his hand on his shoulder.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“How are you doing?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jace wasn’t sure if the question was in regards to his queasiness or what lay ahead. He shrugged. He still thought Balen should have chosen someone other than him to lead this mission. Someone with actual leadership skills and experience. But then, he was the one who could see in the dark, and their plan to take back Samara’s capital depended on infiltrating the city undetected. Logically, he offered the greatest chance of success.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rayad gave his shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll be right behind you.”</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It'll be here before we know it! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-68683206642088180702022-11-21T06:00:00.003-05:002022-11-21T06:00:00.246-05:00Firmament: Eleftheria Review<i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoADoptGDUynmKibqNN79cciPz2pMedwf4MLZWpNAOswQPCmU-lhDwATCfPvd-WXn8C05btfr72Apc2a9i8oBcTYbkJWXhUQuc3CwH0s0mdvKw8WKrqUb9nIA33DkhENf6qTGuONX4Ial9YUhMiRG9G9jsUEsEBkAUVnxqp0uF3mFNcnbxTzUkpOoHQ/s1590/Eleftheria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1032" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoADoptGDUynmKibqNN79cciPz2pMedwf4MLZWpNAOswQPCmU-lhDwATCfPvd-WXn8C05btfr72Apc2a9i8oBcTYbkJWXhUQuc3CwH0s0mdvKw8WKrqUb9nIA33DkhENf6qTGuONX4Ial9YUhMiRG9G9jsUEsEBkAUVnxqp0uF3mFNcnbxTzUkpOoHQ/s320/Eleftheria.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>They're finally going back.</i></div></i><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Several months after the discovery of Kainus Ge, the Surveyor's crew has a new mission – to gather more information about the planet and try to negotiate a treaty with its ruler. Andi is excited at the prospect of seeing Elasson again, but the arrival of a legalistic attorney on the ship threatens to once again turn her way of life upside down.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>How has Elasson fared on the treacherous desert planet in their absence? Can the crew find a way to help the people of Kainus Ge, or will their presence throw the civilization into chaos? And with loved ones absent and rules and regulations forcing unwanted change on her home, how can Andi find her place in the world?</i></div></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">*********************************</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*cue the fangirl squealing*</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Seriously, though, I'm not sure how I can make it through this review without dissolving into a puddle of fangirly happiness and totally spoiling the whole book.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ahem.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Y'all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I waited almost nine years for this book and IT WAS WORTH EVERY SECOND. See, I got book 2, <i>In His Image</i>, for Christmas in 2013 and proceeded to devour it, fall in love with Elasson (who I still 100% ship with Andi), and proceed to pester Grace for, well, the next nearly nine years about when I was going to see Elasson again and by the way, is my ship canon? Well, I still don't know if my ship is canon though there were moments that (okay, maaaaaaybe I'm just seeing what I want to see, but I don't think so) had my sister and me squealing and speculating. Even though Andi's still super annoyed with the Captain not so subtly trying to set her up—</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aaaanyway, trying to not be spoilery but ELASSON IS BAAAAAACK. Or rather, the crew of the <i>Surveyor</i> gets to go back to Kainus Ge and see Elasson again. *big cheesy grin* </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Why is it so hard to not spoil the whole thing?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's just SO GOOD. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But it's not all sunshine and roses getting to go back to Kainus Ge. A legalistic attorney is pointing out all the violations that are just a normal way of life on the <i>Surveyor</i>—like Andi working in medbay with the Doctor—and that's just the beginning. Helping the people of Kainus Ge with Basilius, Elasson's brother, being just as unfriendly as ever while not violating the rules and causing total upheaval to their way of life is hard enough...and then things go <i>crazy</i> and I had so many emotions, from anger to shock to elation to, well, fangirl squealing...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And oh, why are the things I love the most about this book spoilers?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love seeing my Firmament family again, I LOVED revisiting Kainus Ge, I loved the roller coaster of emotions I went on as I read it in a matter of hours, and after this one, I am beyond excited for upcoming books. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I really cannot express how much I loved this book, though if I admit that at 26 years old, thinking about certain elements of the story make me squeal and actually literally jump up and down, that might give you something of an idea.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Go read the <i>Firmament </i>series. I know I've said that many times over. But really, truly, I love it so much and I want y'all to experience the awesomeness too.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And we got to see Elasson again!</div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-24128103668158270282022-09-26T06:00:00.001-04:002022-09-26T06:00:00.240-04:00"Don't Like, Don't Read"<div style="text-align: justify;">"Don't like, don't read" is a tag/disclaimer I've seen used a number of times on fanfiction sites. It makes me sad that people feel like they need to state that, but...I've seen the comments left on certain fics.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But I've been thinking about that tag lately beyond the context of fanfiction. Because it really applies to so much more.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't think you have to spend much time on the internet to see the fandoms getting stirred up, to see people tearing apart franchises they supposedly love, rage/hate watching things for the express purpose of trashing it publicly. I can't say I've never watched something I knew I wasn't going to like for the purpose of seeing how bad it was. I can only think of one time I did it purposely, but I did do it once. I can't say I've never publicly stated that I didn't like X for Y reasons. I did try to be dispassionate, but I did it, and now I question the wisdom of it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Because if you don't like something, <i>you don't have to read or watch it</i>. And you don't really need to talk other people into hating it either.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's something I do struggle with. I'll admit to telling people the reasons I disliked <i>Harry Potter </i>or the <i>Star Wars </i>sequel trilogy in the hopes that they'll come around to my point of view. But really, what difference does it make to me if someone else likes something I consider to be poorly written? What difference does it make to other people if I <i>do</i> enjoy something that other people think is full of plot holes or clunky dialogue?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It doesn't.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are plenty of things I've decided not to read or watch, or decided I didn't like for reasons pertaining to worldview, writing craft, and personal taste. But does it really do any good to argue with strangers on the internet about it? Not really.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not saying to compromise your convictions. And I'm not saying not to talk about it to anyone either. If there's a good reason to have a civil, productive conversation with someone you actually know about it, by all means, do it. You might both come out of it with a new perspective, and pending the story, reasons, and audience, you might have a perfect opportunity to share the Gospel in a relevant, impactful, loving way. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But if you're just yelling at people that they're stupid if they think X was a good movie, or that their kids are going to become devil worshippers if they let them read Y, then all you're really trying to do is pick a fight.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let people have their preferences. And if you don't like it, <i>you don't have to read/watch it</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's another reason I think you don't really need to give any time or attention to movies and books that aren't very good. Think about this: How many mediocre movies have come out in the last decade that people are still talking about? Thought of any? I haven't. Because reality is, if the movie isn't very good, unless there's a big internet explosion over it, people tend to just forget about it. If no one cares, it usually ends there. If a movie bombs at the box office and does just as poorly in whatever the current equivalent of home video sales is, it's unlikely to get a sequel. If a TV show doesn't get good enough ratings for the advertisers, the network cancels it. If a book sells poorly, it goes out of print. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the other hand, rage views still count as views. Going to the movie to see how bad it is still results in a ticket sale. Buying a book and throwing it in the trash because you hated it that much is still a sale. And bad press is still press. You can't pay me to believe that no director has "leaked" something about a project known to trigger certain groups to get people talking about it and buying tickets to see if it's really what people say it is. It gets people talking, it gets people curious, it gets people watching. And that's all they really want. Because views/sales equal money, whatever the reason people are watching or buying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Full disclosure: This post is largely prompted by the constant fighting in the <i>Star Wars </i>fandom and the months-long complaining over <i>Rings of Power</i>. And I don't think it's hard to figure out that I've liked some of what's come out of Disney <i>Star Wars</i> and some of it I haven't. And that I do like <i>Lord of the Rings.</i> But I've come to realize that not only do I not have to watch everything from franchises I like, I don't have to convince others that certain things are bad or not worth watching either. If they ask, sure, I'll say, but that doesn't mean I have to convince them of my point of view either.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not watching <i>Andor</i>. I watched the trailer and it didn't excite me, so I decided not to bother. Is it good? I legitimately don't know. Will I change my mind later and decide to watch it after all? I also don't know. But it doesn't really matter. If you want to watch it, you can, and we don't have to try to convince each other that the other is wrong. And if you're not bothered that they pushed back <i>Bad Batch </i>season 2 from September 28 to January 4 the way I am, that's also okay. I can be disappointed and you can not care.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Same goes for <i>Rings of Power</i>. Is it good? I don't know, I've heard very mixed reviews. I'm not watching it myself because I don't care. Maybe I'll have to turn in my fantasy-lover card for admitting this, but I'm not what you would call a Tolkien fanatic. I love watching the <i>Lord of the Rings</i> movies and I prefer the extended edition to theatrical, I mostly enjoyed the books when I read them, and I think the music from the movies is amazing. But actually...it took me a year to read <i>The Hobbit</i> and <i>Lord of the Rings</i> back when I was a young teen, and I only started reading it because my mom made me. She convinced me to read <i>The Hobbit</i> by telling me Tolkien was friends with C.S. Lewis, and had to literally make me read <i>Fellowship of the Ring</i> until they got to Moria. Also, I totally missed the fact that Frodo went into the west at the end because my sisters were watching <i>Up </i>in the same room where I was reading, and I didn't get very far in <i>The Silmarillion</i> before I quit—that was over a decade ago and while I've since acquired my own copy I've yet to feel compelled to pick it back up. This is as much to say, I don't really care enough to have an opinion on <i>Rings of Power</i>. You can watch it or not watch it, like it or not like it, and we really don't have to argue about it. If you think you won't like it, you really don't have to watch it, and you don't have to convince people your position is the better one either. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So if you don't like something, you don't have to read or watch it. If you get a little ways in and realize you don't care for it, you can stop and move on with your life. None of us really need to waste time and energy antagonizing each other over stories we do and don't like. It's not worth it, and it's only serving to add even more nastiness to an already sinful and fallen world. Let's not waste our limited time here on earth rage watching and picking fights about things that don't really matter. And above all,</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Be ye kind, one to another." —Ephesians 4:32a</span></div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-20070651873540755282022-07-11T06:00:00.002-04:002022-07-11T06:00:00.215-04:00How to Get Professors to Like You<div style="text-align: justify;">1. Come to class regularly. They know when you're absent.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Participate meaningfully in class discussions. Professors don't really like acting like Dora the Explorer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpics.onsizzle.com%2Fcollege-classes-are-like-a-dora-the-explorer-episode-the-6245438.png&f=1&nofb=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="500" height="212" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpics.onsizzle.com%2Fcollege-classes-are-like-a-dora-the-explorer-episode-the-6245438.png&f=1&nofb=1" width="292" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Show genuine interest in the subject. They don't like blank stares either.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Turn in assignments on time. Who really likes constantly nagging people who don't turn in work?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Put effort into your assignments. Professors can usually tell when you wrote your whole paper in less than an hour before the due date.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Be respectful. No one likes a jerk.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. If you're struggling with the material, seek out help in the way suggested by the professor. They (well, some of them, anyway) do want you to succeed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And if you do these things, chances are your professor will like you.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Note: This post is meant to be (somewhat) humorous, but seriously, if you're nice and respectful and apply yourself, you're much more likely to be liked by your professor than if you're a rude slacker.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, this is what comes out when I run out of prewritten posts and I still have homework. But I am dabbling here and there at <i>Acktorek</i>. See y'all...sometime!</div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-61285201904934610722022-05-23T10:22:00.000-04:002022-05-23T10:22:50.750-04:00Speculative Fiction: The Truth About Fairy Stories<div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyNeyuGQt6fQY14xHvwZGR5936w5BPhBdUZ1Gyo3dmOJ1p9GuDaUaNAxTHc3uXr_8VsNeBrj2zDwVSOjxb0zBcRYDww6j15hNSIifTr1JxgJhOOvXf14HliSdZei5ZIgLAbYYdKlk-QrosHVjUVKg-wmanwRt7LaTbyRSE4OxJicwUH4Ku86-bOQuoNQ=s10276" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4257" data-original-width="10276" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyNeyuGQt6fQY14xHvwZGR5936w5BPhBdUZ1Gyo3dmOJ1p9GuDaUaNAxTHc3uXr_8VsNeBrj2zDwVSOjxb0zBcRYDww6j15hNSIifTr1JxgJhOOvXf14HliSdZei5ZIgLAbYYdKlk-QrosHVjUVKg-wmanwRt7LaTbyRSE4OxJicwUH4Ku86-bOQuoNQ=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br />“<i>Sometimes fairy stories may say best what’s to be said</i>.” (Lewis, <i>On Stories and Other Essays on Literature</i>, 45)</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It often happens that theology in ordinary settings becomes meaningless through over familiarity. Being preached at often raises defenses. Yet experiencing a gripping, imaginative story with relatable characters, vivid imagery, and settings that are out of this world makes faith new, more palatable, more beautiful.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">“<i>I thought I saw how stories of this kind could steal past a certain inhibition which had paralysed much of my own religion in childhood. Why did one find it so hard to feel as one was told one ought to feel about God or about the sufferings of Christ? I thought the chief reason was that one was told one ought to. An obligation to feel can freeze feelings. . . . But supposing that by casting all these things into an imaginary world, stripping them of their stained-glass and Sunday school associations, one could make them for the first time appear in their real potency? Could one not thus steal past those watchful dragons? I thought one could</i>.” (Lewis, <i>On Stories and Other Essays on Literature</i>, 47)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The trappings of church can obscure the wonder of the Gospel. The infighting in many congregations can disgust even true Christians. The hypocrisy of many prominent leaders can turn people away, even when they are seeking that purpose beyond this world. But speculative fiction breaks free of the stuffiness, the infighting, the hypocrisy. It goes beyond the preconceived notions we all have and shares with us the effects of faith, the heart of the Gospel, the nature and power of God in a way we cannot otherwise experience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At times I have felt distant from God. The circumstances of life press down, I see the evil in the world increase, and it becomes difficult to remember that God is still here and in control even throughout all of these pains and sorrows. During these moments of hopelessness, I remember a passage from Lewis’s <i>The Horse and His Boy</i>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">“<i>I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.</i>” (164-165)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">God is here. He is with us all the time, even when we do not realize it. And fantasy stories can remind us of that. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Certainly one must be careful when writing stories of science fiction and fantasy. There are pitfalls that must be avoided and these tropes and plot devices must be used intentionally and within biblical parameters. However, these genres truly are powerful vessels for exploring truth. They present the Gospel in new ways. They make faith real in ways that nothing else can. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Therefore, far from being instruments of harm to Christians, speculative fiction is of great benefit and ought to be welcomed as a creative expression that glorifies God and furthers His kingdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lewis, C. S. <i>The Horse and His Boy</i>. Scholastic, 1995.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="Citations"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Lewis, C. S. <i>On Stories and Other Essays on Literature</i>,
edited by Walter Hooper, Harvest / HBJ, San Diego, CA, 1982.</p></div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-88486728894631799482022-05-09T06:00:00.002-04:002022-05-23T10:23:24.591-04:00Speculative Fiction: Suppose There Was a World...<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFNjXvJQjpk9metO5RCEGFsE2XEgSullyXNUqDU814aQCY9y1t_DDBU7AS6Go8RuWHwiiwGIrQZ6Z8oBHPJkToTLjIWOOO_Ot3USxMvaWSJNnAXVm8pcfD5kfFXAyJcnbTONM5b4B1P6PP_SXHQxKRGhMQOhhn9Ggz_8tihvEY8jYltquPj12G_0gvYA=s10276" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4257" data-original-width="10276" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFNjXvJQjpk9metO5RCEGFsE2XEgSullyXNUqDU814aQCY9y1t_DDBU7AS6Go8RuWHwiiwGIrQZ6Z8oBHPJkToTLjIWOOO_Ot3USxMvaWSJNnAXVm8pcfD5kfFXAyJcnbTONM5b4B1P6PP_SXHQxKRGhMQOhhn9Ggz_8tihvEY8jYltquPj12G_0gvYA=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br />We have seen throughout this series that stories of imagination and wonder need not be inherently harmful and that Christians who write in these genres have no intention of leading their readers astray. But are these stories simply neutral or can they have a greater purpose? Could they possibly further God’s kingdom, spread the Gospel, and enhance Christian faith?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Many believe that rather than obscuring truth, these stories actually illuminate truth, give us a <i>better</i> picture of reality (Ryken), and artistically represent truth: “Yes, these tales <i>are</i> intended to reflect and embody many important Christian ideas. But they do it <i>thematically</i>, <i>symbolically</i>, and <i>imaginatively</i>, somewhat in the style of the parables of Jesus” (Focus on the Family).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">J.R.R. Tolkien expressed a similar sentiment: “Fantasy remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker” (52). Furthermore, he explains that fantasy used properly evokes a joy that reflects the same joy and picture of reality of the Gospel story (64-66). Creativity and imagination reflect aspects of God’s nature and present metaphors that can aid in understanding of Scripture and show readers the wonder of God in a new way.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One method that has long been used in Christian fantasy is that of allegory. Bunyan’s <i>Pilgrim’s Progress</i> was a very strict allegory and has come to define the method of writing for Christians. Every character, every place in Christian’s journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, was a strict metaphor for some element of the journey that is the Christian life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Personally, I believe this method is too on the nose. Authors of allegories run the risk of focusing so hard on their allegorical message they neglect to develop their characters—such as occurred in Chuck Black’s <i>Kingdom</i> series—and thus end by diminishing the ability of the reader to simply enjoy a good book, reducing the overall impact of the allegory. That said, <i>Pilgrim’s Progress</i> style allegories have their place in the canon of Christian fantasy. For instance, when read in conjunction with his partial autobiography <i>Surprised by Joy</i>, Lewis’s <i>The Pilgrim’s Regress</i> is a fascinating allegorical exploration of his conversion. Still, there is a more effective and enthralling use of speculative fiction in regard to faith.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><i></i><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i>“Suppose there was a world like Narnia and it needed rescuing and the Son of God (or the ‘Great Emperor oversea’) went to redeem it, as He came to redeem ours, what might it, in that world, all have been like?”</i> (<i>C. S. Lewis Letters to Children</i>, 92)</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What, indeed, could spiritual truths look like in fantastical worlds far different from our own? This question of what if?—commonly referred to as a supposal, based upon Lewis’s explanation—forms the basis of the majority of Christian fantasy in the modern era. Where this differs from the allegory is that allegory originates from a message and builds a story around it, causing every element to directly represent something else. A supposal begins with a story and the biblical worldview of the author naturally informs the what ifs to create a story that is far more powerful, universal, and accessible to the masses than allegory. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Ilyon Chronicles</i> by Jaye L. Knight is a supposal in a similar vein to Narnia. Narnia “began with a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood” then grew to contain the supposal and Christian themes when “suddenly Aslan came bounding into it” (Lewis,<i> On Stories and Other Essays on Literature</i>, 53). <i>Ilyon</i> began with the concept of a half-blood in a world where half-bloods are unaccepted and grew into a series with parallels to Ancient Rome and Christian persecution, centered around substitutional atonement when Elon, the Son of God in Ilyon terms, sacrifices himself for the protagonist Jace, assuring him of his worth and the existence of his soul. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jill Williamson’s <i>Blood of Kings</i> trilogy may not contain substitutionary atonement, but it nonetheless contains strong themes of following God and using gifts for Him. Half of the country of Er’Rets is covered in darkness, and Achan must learn to use his bloodvoicing ability—which incidentally includes telepathy among other spiritual abilities—given to those of royal blood by the true God Arman, to fight against evil in dedication to Arman in order to banish darkness from Er’Rets, thus providing a parallel of spiritual warfare among other things. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Additionally, these kinds of biblical themes and parallels can be found even in secular works (Greisinger). For instance, the BBC series <i>Merlin</i> shows numerable instances of Arthur being willing to sacrifice his own life for those of his people, which is a beautiful picture of how Christ—our King—sacrificed His life for us on the cross. Also, my favorite episode, “A Servant of Two Masters,” illustrates Matthew 6:24 perfectly by showing that Merlin cannot serve two masters. Either he serves his king unreservedly or—under the enchantment of Morgana—he works actively against him, attempting to kill him. He cannot do both.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Seeing these pictures of biblical truths in these stories of wonder and magic and imagination, as well as in stories of space travel and technological advancement, casts them into a new light, causing them to resonate with us in entirely new and powerful ways.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Speculative Fiction: <a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2022/05/speculative-fiction-truth-about-fairy.html">The Truth About Fairy Stories</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Focus on the Family. “Questions about Christian
Fantasy/Fiction.” <i>Focus on the Family</i>, Focus on the Family, 7 Jan. 2011,
<a href="https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/questions-about-christian-fantasy-fiction/">https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/questions-about-christian-fantasy-fiction/</a>.
Accessed 30 Sept. 2021.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="Citations"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Griesinger, Emily. “Why Read Harry Potter? J. K. Rowling and
the Christian Debate.” <i>Christian Scholar's Review</i>, vol. 32, no. 3, 2003,
pp. 297-314,314-316. <i>ProQuest</i>, <a href="https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/why-read-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-christian/docview/201277855/se-2?accountid=11824">https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/why-read-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-christian/docview/201277855/se-2?accountid=11824</a>.
Accessed 21 September 2021.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Lewis, C. S. <i>C.S. Lewis Letters to Children</i>. Edited
by Lyle W. Dorsett and Marjorie Lamp Mead, Macmillan, 1985.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Lewis, C. S. <i>On Stories and Other Essays on Literature</i>,
edited by Walter Hooper, Harvest / HBJ, San Diego, CA, 1982.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Ryken, Leland. “In Defense of Fiction Christian Love For
Great Literature.” <i>Desiring God</i>, John Piper, 10 Aug. 2021, <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/in-defense-of-fiction">www.desiringgod.org/articles/in-defense-of-fiction</a>.
Accessed 9 September 2021.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Tolkien, J. R. R. “On Fairy-Stories.” <i>Tree and Leaf</i>,
Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA, 1988, pp. 9–73.</p></div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-77993032875094054772022-04-26T08:49:00.001-04:002022-05-08T21:26:43.776-04:00Speculative Fiction: Is Science Fiction Inherently Humanistic?<div style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjniYX_TI8UEJMstvVQl-P6zGl_aSXjbHHwiNFcRmLY47CJsxEaC8QjJxsgAXcRSx4lXrQJ7fvPfO4llaT3h1t89n3klvs7RU3bJOY8_XomS62e07zDirH9nBgDZBmIi3zMqF3G0jcD-doXysyzEI0VNkiF0Ua2jOJwahKaZWOG6T1UUFnN_b6s2UQWxQ=s10276" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4257" data-original-width="10276" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjniYX_TI8UEJMstvVQl-P6zGl_aSXjbHHwiNFcRmLY47CJsxEaC8QjJxsgAXcRSx4lXrQJ7fvPfO4llaT3h1t89n3klvs7RU3bJOY8_XomS62e07zDirH9nBgDZBmIi3zMqF3G0jcD-doXysyzEI0VNkiF0Ua2jOJwahKaZWOG6T1UUFnN_b6s2UQWxQ=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br />Science fiction. A genre in which I freely admit it is difficult to find quality works that are not totally incompatible with Christianity. In fact, it's super easy to rank in Amazon's top 100 Teen and Young Adult Christian Science Fiction category. But does that mean it's all bad and must inevitably turn readers away from God?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">What I found in my research is that many object to science fiction on the basis that it
promotes humanistic ideals and elevates both man and science to the level of
God, thus replacing Him. Science fiction is often based upon Darwinism,
excludes God from the narrative, promotes the idea that our salvation rests in
the technology and inventions of man, and encourages moral relativism, as well
as building its pseudoscience upon ideas easily disproven by true and commonly
accepted science—some prominent examples of such an attitude being the works of
Arthur C. Clarke and certain episodes of </span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">Star Trek: The Next Generation</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">
(Laughlin, Manlove).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Yet a predisposition towards humanism is not a necessity
in science fiction: </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">“Typically, science fiction and faith are circles that don’t
intersect. In the instances when they do meet, however, it is usually one
throwing stones at the other . . . . Bradbury’s stories
weren’t like that, though. He wasn’t afraid to revere the Bible in his seminal
work </span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">Fahrenheit 451</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">, or to allegorize man’s search for a savior (whether
on this planet or the next) in short stories like </span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">The Man</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">. Rather than
despising faith, he often embraced it, and sometimes—horror of horrors—even
glorified it” (Nietz).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Furthermore, there is nothing inherently wrong with pseudoscience. Sure, hard sci-fi readers won't appreciate it, but if you're writing pseudosciencey stuff, <a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-word-on-technobabble.html" target="_blank">are they really your readers</a>? Pseudoscience and technobabble are plot devices and elements of worldbuilding, just like magic can be. They're ways to tell stories. They're methods by which to explore themes. They're a manner in which writers warn people about future dangers of many kinds. Is it evil to use FTL travel in your book when it will probably never actually exist? Will it damage people's faith to write about time travel? I certainly don't think so. They're <i>stories</i> and stories that can be used for amazing purposes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Science fiction can and
has been used to explore faith rather than to elevate humans above God. It is a
creative way to explore creation and an apt genre for exploring the dangers of technological
and social ills. For instance, Jill Williamson’s </span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">Safe Lands</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> trilogy
explores the vices of ancient Babylon in a futuristic setting, speculating about
the evils Christians would face when trapped in a city ravaged by STDs and filled
with debauchery, forced to reproduce to maintain the population because they
are the only ones uninfected. </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Kathy Tyers’s </span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">Firebird</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> series takes a
different path by imagining what would have happened had humans gone to space
prior to the arrival of the Messiah. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">These writers may be few and far between,
but truly, science fiction can explore themes of faith, God, ethics, humanity,
the dangers of trying to play God, and much more. It does not have to promote
anti-Christian ideals and can indeed do quite the opposite.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Besides, sciencey things and pseudosciencey things are fun and cool and just one of many ways to use our God-given imaginations.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Speculative Fiction: <a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2022/05/speculative-fiction-suppose-there-was.html">Suppose There Was a World...</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><b>References</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Laughlin, David. “Science Fiction: A Biblical
Perspective.” </span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">Answers in Genesis</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">, Answers In Genesis, 1 Aug. 2001, </span><a href="https://answersingenesis.org/culture/science-fiction-a-biblical-perspective/" style="text-indent: 0in;">https://answersingenesis.org/culture/science-fiction-a-biblical-perspective/</a><span style="text-indent: 0in;">.
Accessed 30 Sept. 2021.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="CitationsCxSpLast"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Manlove, Colin N. <i>Christian Fantasy from 1200 to the
Present</i>. Macmillan, 1992.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Nietz, Kerry. “What I Learned From Ray Bradbury.” <i>Enclave
Publishing</i>, 9 June 2012, <a href="https://www.enclavepublishing.com/what-i-learned-from-ray-bradbury/">https://www.enclavepublishing.com/what-i-learned-from-ray-bradbury/</a>.
Accessed 30 Sept. 2021.<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-53960827975048843482022-04-11T06:00:00.002-04:002022-04-26T08:49:41.084-04:00Speculative Fiction: Real or Not Real?<blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0lWSbsqlNZBTXlCUe-tIgaULa_3QdTnYRsQBGJrBY44q4H_n4p5zjQl5Q2uwooGazFEsnj0Guuy5XCU_7XPEOl1fP-xW2c_LxZKvAK0gScqJloJn71dZp4EUSuP7vrn2xWSmjlMOtmaWn5d3JYJFh-lFDqQXTNVigPo2nz38sWQQQzuOL5_fQOp_k0Q=s10276" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4257" data-original-width="10276" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0lWSbsqlNZBTXlCUe-tIgaULa_3QdTnYRsQBGJrBY44q4H_n4p5zjQl5Q2uwooGazFEsnj0Guuy5XCU_7XPEOl1fP-xW2c_LxZKvAK0gScqJloJn71dZp4EUSuP7vrn2xWSmjlMOtmaWn5d3JYJFh-lFDqQXTNVigPo2nz38sWQQQzuOL5_fQOp_k0Q=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br />"In the quiet that follows, I try to imagine not being able to tell illusion from reality. Not knowing if Prim or my mother loved me. If Snow was my enemy. If the person across the heater saved or sacrificed me. With very little effort, my life rapidly morphs into a nightmare."</i></div></blockquote><blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"> —<i>Mockingjay</i>, Suzanne Collins</p></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Upon one occasion, I spoke with a library patron regarding her concern with allowing her upper elementary-aged son to read <i>Percy Jackson</i>. She was worried that it would cause her son to believe in mythology, thus causing problems with his Christian upbringing. I assured her that he was more than capable of understanding that <i>Percy Jackson</i> and Greek mythology is fiction, and she can simply tell him that it is imaginary. Children understand.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As I researched objections to <i>Harry Potter</i> as a part of my English paper, I came to see that this is not an uncommon concern. Parents are afraid their children are unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While in the early 20th century it was believed that children as old as preteens “struggle with this confusion” between reality and imagination, more recent studies indicate that children as young as three have a good sense of what is real and what isn’t (Taub and Sevarty, 57-62). There certainly may be children who have difficulties distinguishing fantasy from reality, but in most cases, a simple statement from a trusted adult that a particular thing is not real or is imaginary is enough to set the child straight. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Truly, the only situation in which I can ever remember being confused as to the difference between fiction and reality was <i>Little House</i>. It's a fictionalized account of real people and events, and in any such based-on-a-true-story book or movie it is difficult to discern what is real and what isn't without thorough knowledge of the true events. But I never believed Oz was a real place, or that I could get to Narnia, or that I could tesser across the universe. I never thought I was really in an Annie-like orphanage, or that I lived on the frontier, or that my Barbies were sentient, whether they were running for public office or trekking to Oregon in covered wagons. Nor have I ever interacted with a child—either as a child myself or while babysitting—who appeared to believe their imaginings were real either. In fact, when playing we lived during the American Revolution with a battle raging outside with some friends, one little girl, under five at the time, appeared to be genuinely scared. Slightly worried about it, I asked her if she was really scared or just pretending. She instantly snapped out of it, said "just pretending," then went back to acting terrified.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Imagination is a wonderful thing. Yet some people simply don't see it as such. In fact, there are people who—apparently discounting the creative ability of children—believe that imaginary friends are actually demonic in origin. I had imaginary friends as a two-year-old (I credit <i>Barney</i> with the early development of my imagination; I read in a book once that children don't typically have imaginary friends until they are a year or two older). My sister and real-life friends have had imaginary friends and imaginary adventures. I still in a way have imaginary friends. They're called fictional characters. But I'm fairly certain none of us ever believed that the things we pretended were reality.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Certainly there are mental conditions that can cause people to believe things exist that are not real, but that is not the average child, and not the average speculative fiction reader. I may have enjoyed playing Jedi Temple training, having lightsaber battles, pretending to go on rescue missions chasing down bounty hunters, and wishing there was a live-action series based on <i>Jedi Quest</i> wherein I played Darra Thel-Tanis, but I never once actually thought Jedi were real or that I could use the Force.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So this is as much to say, parents may very well be concerned about their child's ability to distinguish fantasy from reality, but I believe that except in rare cases, they need not worry. And this concern from parents is simply a perfect opportunity to discuss literature and truth and philosophy and much more with their children, something that is beneficial to the building of a worldview regardless of the strength of the child’s grasp on reality and rather increases the benefits gained from speculative fiction.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2022/04/speculative-fiction-is-science-fiction.html">Speculative Fiction: Is Science Fiction Inherently Humanistic?</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Reference</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Taub, Deborah J, and Heather L Servaty. “Controversial
Content in Children's Literature: Is Harry Potter Harmful to Children?” <i>Harry
Potter's World: Multidisciplinary Critical Perspectives</i>, edited by
Elizabeth Heilman, RoutledgeFalmer, 2003, pp. 54–57.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="Citations"><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><o:p></o:p></p>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-70688856050823341812022-03-28T06:00:00.003-04:002022-04-09T18:32:40.708-04:00Speculative Fiction: The Matter of Mythology<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf9ruYvMZX8kS-VisuBBaFs8IMW2l0gATXW2hGmXmEzcXl1GbiJpLM9KFDDbCMgDuD738_1xXe2cO5fZQG0nxRY4l9CAPNigVs-NG4lwD_TR9dpHWvc3GT0_Ba3SUkA0yM-rjzokQfdrICUofRZx_tSmeH9bVuQr-tl-9ls6jgkWs8W3Kd-8qzp5teMQ=s10276" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4257" data-original-width="10276" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf9ruYvMZX8kS-VisuBBaFs8IMW2l0gATXW2hGmXmEzcXl1GbiJpLM9KFDDbCMgDuD738_1xXe2cO5fZQG0nxRY4l9CAPNigVs-NG4lwD_TR9dpHWvc3GT0_Ba3SUkA0yM-rjzokQfdrICUofRZx_tSmeH9bVuQr-tl-9ls6jgkWs8W3Kd-8qzp5teMQ=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br />Confession: I have never been a big fan of mythology. I've just always thought it was kind of dumb. People really believed in those stories? How is that possible?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">But I still read Greek myths, and I never batted an eye at the mythological creatures that inhabit Narnia. Furthermore, I very much enjoyed the <i>Percy Jackson</i> series, and was super excited when the official greenlight on the Disney+ adaptation was announced.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I do see why someone would be concerned about the inclusion of elements of mythology: mythology is inherently anti-biblical, presenting
a view of the world that is based upon false gods and imaginary spirituality. Some
have asserted that such use of mythology—particularly in Christian stories such
as </span><i style="text-align: left;">The Chronicles of Narnia</i><span style="text-align: left;">—distorts the truth and causes readers to
become dangerously comfortable with alternate worldviews and religions, that
even Christ-figures such as Aslan are problematic and draw readers away from
the truth (Kjos). </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Certainly stories that assert as their premise that mythology
and false gods are real—the </span><i style="text-align: left;">Percy Jackson</i><span style="text-align: left;"> series by Rick Riordan, for
example—could be challenging for young readers and readers with little discernment,
though I would suggest that mature, discerning readers can enjoy these tales
simply as entertaining fiction. Yet it is possible to include mythological
creatures and even gods in a way that is not inconsistent with Christianity. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">In
Narnia, for instance, fauns, centaurs, dryads, and even Bacchus and Silenus are
created beings subject to Aslan just as much as the Talking Beasts are—simply a
part of the worldbuilding. Indeed, leading children astray by familiarizing
them with myths and setting up false pictures of Christ was not Lewis’s
intention, nor is it the intention of any writers of Christian fantasy I have
encountered. Rather, Lewis’s intention was to enhance rather than destroy
children’s faith as is evident from the letter he wrote to the mother of
Lawrence Krieg. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Lawrence was concerned that he was “loving Aslan more than
Jesus” but Lewis asserted that “the things he loves Aslan for doing and saying
are simply the things Jesus really did and said. So that when Lawrence thinks
he is loving Aslan, he is really loving Jesus: and perhaps loving Him more than
he ever did before” and then suggested a prayer for Lawrence to pray that further
exemplifies this intention (</span><i style="text-align: left;">C. S. Lewis Letters to Children</i><span style="text-align: left;">, 52-53). Like
magic, mythology and symbolism must be used wisely and with caveats, not
elevating these mythological figures to a status that replaces God, but within
a proper framework, it too can be a powerful storytelling and worldbuilding
tool even in Christian speculative fiction.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Besides, even though mythology was created as an alternative explanation for the universe, the stories and creatures are often highly creative and perfectly useful to fantasy writers. Certainly, deep worldbuilders may look down on you for not inventing something entirely new, but there is nothing new under the sun and I see no less reason to incorporate fauns and centaurs into your worldbuilding than elves. Though one must naturally take care to put one's own twist on things. While straight-up copying out of copyright things may not technically be illegal, it's still lazy. And there's so <i>much</i> that can be done with mythological creatures and tales.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Speculative Fiction: <a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2022/04/speculative-fiction-real-or-not-real.html">Real or Not Real?</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Kjos, Berit. “Narnia Part 1: Blending Truth and
Myth.” <i>Crossroad</i>, Kjos Ministries, Dec. 2005, <a href="http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia.htm">http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia.htm</a>.
Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="CitationsCxSpFirst"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="CitationsCxSpMiddle">Kjos, Berit. “Narnia Part 2: A Four-legged Creator
of Many Worlds.” <i>Crossroad</i>, Kjos Ministries, Dec. 2005, <a href="http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia-2.htm">http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia-2.htm</a>.
Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="CitationsCxSpMiddle">Kjos, Berit. “Narnia Part 3: Christian allegory +
Mythical gods = Deception.” <i>Crossroad</i>, Kjos Ministries, Dec. 2005, <a href="http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia-3.htm">http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia-3.htm</a>.
Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="CitationsCxSpLast">Kjos, Berit. “Narnia Part 4: Awakening Narnia with
Bacchanalian Feasts.” <i>Crossroad</i>, Kjos Ministries, Dec. 2005, <a href="http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/caspian-4.htm">http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/caspian-4.htm</a>.
Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Lewis, C. S. <i>C.S. Lewis Letters to Children</i>. Edited
by Lyle W. Dorsett and Marjorie Lamp Mead, Macmillan, 1985.<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><o:p></o:p></p>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-44690818415377993622022-03-14T06:00:00.002-04:002022-03-27T17:21:04.893-04:00Speculative Fiction: The Question of Magic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEix2wh1OiOLN_3yL3TRtdZ9lXeQTwH0th-OX_Zn5bru7QRr-EHevsoHQ0wuQCNqODfAP0ijCl1tzEkF1gFPtmm1mvR-DQGgL--1F88vUivETdSjnGMEnBxd0MMtK5evYiiLLpVAXp882w0s3zOISk_DLKMlAHk7X3uLTvoUK875bHNXG21y80tOkKGiPQ=s10276" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4257" data-original-width="10276" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEix2wh1OiOLN_3yL3TRtdZ9lXeQTwH0th-OX_Zn5bru7QRr-EHevsoHQ0wuQCNqODfAP0ijCl1tzEkF1gFPtmm1mvR-DQGgL--1F88vUivETdSjnGMEnBxd0MMtK5evYiiLLpVAXp882w0s3zOISk_DLKMlAHk7X3uLTvoUK875bHNXG21y80tOkKGiPQ=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Magic. Ah, for the most controversial aspect of fantasy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's understandable why people are so concerned. Witchcraft is a very real and very dangerous thing. And it has often been asserted that fantasy magic inevitably promotes witchcraft and other aspects of occultism. Most notably, the <i>Harry Potter</i> series has come under fire for purportedly containing “actual beliefs and practices associated with witchcraft and paganism including: divination, astrology, numerology, familiars, pagan gods/goddesses, spellcasting, potions, necromancy (i.e. communication with the dead/ghosts), mediumship/channeling, crystal gazing, palmistry, charms, arithmancy and magick” (Abanes, 173). Even some of those Christians who find Rowling’s brand of magic to be imaginary are still concerned that the positive portrayal of witchcraft and wizardry in <i>Harry Potter</i> will lead children into the discovery of real witchcraft and other occult practices (Greisinger). I'm not a big fan of <i>Harry Potter</i> for reasons I'm not going to get into here (you can read my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2998004013" target="_blank">Goodreads review</a> if you're curious), but I'm personally not in the <i>Harry Potter</i> is real witchcraft camp. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Furthermore, even books such as <i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> have been accused of containing potentially harmful positive depictions of divination, astrology, and magic (Kjos). Yes, Narnia, with it's suppositional portrayal of Christ's sacrifice, with its positive impact on Christians.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I do not believe this concern should be taken lightly, and indeed there are fantasies that truly do promote occultism and witchcraft. Yet including magic in a story does not inevitably cause the book to be harmful and evil. It must be handled carefully, for the <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=deuteronomy+18%3A10-12&version=ESV" target="_blank">biblical prohibition of witchcraft</a> is a serious one, but it can be handled in a way that does not violate biblical principles. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Considering the source of the power and making it clear that purportedly good magic does not come from evil sources is essential. Supernatural power may very well originate with demons, thus constituting evil magic, but supernatural power can also originate with God, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+7-8&version=ESV" target="_blank">as evidenced by the biblical story of Moses versus Pharaoh’s sorcerers</a>, and in many fantasies and science fictions, abilities that seem supernatural to humans are simply inherent abilities of fictional species. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is so much room for creativity, even within boundaries. Certainly, a Christian writer should never condone a protagonist using actual occultish magic for evil purposes, or indeed, using it with good intentions, for such a thing would promote <a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2018/04/doctor-strange-violet-baudelaire-and.html" target="_blank">end justifies the means philosophy</a>. I would even venture to say that it's unwise to go into the details of bad guys doing actual occultish magic. But not all magic falls into real-world practices. For example, Cinderella's fairy godmother waving a wand and singing "Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo" isn't going to conjure up demonic power. Neither is Elsa's ice magic.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What I have come to love in recent years is magical/supernatural abilities that are either gifts of God (e.g. bloodvoicing in <i>Blood of Kings</i>) or inherent abilities of species or characters (e.g. elven magic in <i>Elven Alliance</i>, Merlin's magic in BBC <i>Merlin</i>). There's so much you can do with that as a writer, and in those cases, it's evident the characters aren't calling on demons for their power. And the interesting thing is, even with things such as that, the characters aren't always going to use it for good purposes, which can make for some interesting and powerful themes. Human nature twists even things that are meant to be good. For instance, in <i>Blood of Kings</i>, bloodvoicing is an ability given by Arman to those of royal blood, and some use it to fight for good, some to enact evil. It's the same thing in <i>Merlin</i>. Merlin tries to use his magic for good (and when he uses it for selfish or stupid reasons, it always ends badly), but there are also lots of bad guys using magic to try to kill Arthur and/or Uther. Therefore, it is not even necessary to have bad guys calling on demonic power to create magic-related conflict. After all, evil is in the hearts of men, not necessarily the tools they are using. People have even twisted Scripture to justify and promote various forms of abuse.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: start;">Additionally, as Lewis and Tolkien did, confining good magic to entirely imaginary sorts used in other worlds by characters who are not the protagonists is a potential way to handle magic well. <a href="http://decentfilms.com/articles/magic" target="_blank">This article</a> was foundational in my formation of my beliefs surrounding fantasy magic and, though long, is well worth the read. Used thoughtfully with caveats, magic and superpowers need not be harmful and can add great value and potentially allegorical meaning to a story.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Though perhaps less prominent than the attacks on fantasy, science fiction has also come under fire for promoting anti-Christian ideals. It has been said that common science fiction elements such as telekinesis and telepathy are occult, New Age, Eastern Mysticism concepts masquerading under supposedly “ ‘scientific’ terms”, the Force in <i>Star Wars</i> being a prime example of this occultism and Eastern Mysticism brought into a futuristic setting (Laughlin). Yet it is not impossible to see unintended faith metaphors in secular fiction, as <i>Star Wars</i> author Kathy Tyers stated in an interview with <a href="http://theforce.net/jedicouncil/interview/tyers.asp" target="_blank">TheForce.Net</a>. Certainly one must approach these scenarios with caution because they tend to mix in elements that are not strictly Christian, but if one views science fiction through the lens of a biblical worldview, it is just as possible to see limited elements of Christian spirituality in the Jedi, particularly as written by authors such as Tyers, as it is to see a picture of spiritual rebirth in the regeneration of Time Lords in <i>Doctor Who</i>. They may be imperfect pictures, but a proper perspective can see value in these purportedly occultish and New Age science fiction elements. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Furthermore, these sorts of plot and worldbuilding elements can be used in purposely Christian science fiction stories. Madeleine L’Engle’s <i>A Wrinkle in Time</i> has often been accused of promoting occultism and “New Age spirituality,” though it is full of Scripture quotations and written as a way of exploring the author’s faith through science (Bailey). She had no intention of promoting evil by including telepathic abilities and other strange elements such as tessering and kything in her stories—rather, she was writing about defeating the darkness with the light of love, and science fiction and fantasy elements provided a perfect storyworld for this message. Besides the fact that kything is just plain cool, and so is tessering.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Speculative Fiction: <a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2022/03/speculative-fiction-matter-of-mythology.html">The Matter of Mythology</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Abanes, Richard. <i>Harry Potter and the Bible: The
Menace behind the Magick</i>. Horizon Books, 2001.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="CitationsCxSpFirst"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="CitationsCxSpLast">Bailey, Sarah P. “Publishers Rejected Her,
Christians Attacked Her: The Deep Faith of ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ Author Madeleine
L’Engle: Her Famous Book is Sprinkled with Scriptural References” <i>WP Company
LLC d/b/a The Washington Post</i>, Washington, 2018. <i>ProQuest</i>, <a href="https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/publishers-rejected-her-christians-attacked-deep/docview/2012009596/se-2?accountid=11824">https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/publishers-rejected-her-christians-attacked-deep/docview/2012009596/se-2?accountid=11824</a>.
Accessed 21 September 2021.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="CitationsCxSpFirst">Greydanus, Steven D. “Harry Potter vs. Gandalf.” <i>Decent
Films</i>, 2001, <a href="http://decentfilms.com/articles/magic">http://decentfilms.com/articles/magic</a>.
Accessed 31 Oct. 2021<o:p></o:p></p><p class="CitationsCxSpLast">
</p><p class="CitationsCxSpLast">Griesinger, Emily. “Why Read Harry Potter? J. K.
Rowling and the Christian Debate.” <i>Christian Scholar's Review</i>, vol. 32,
no. 3, 2003, pp. 297-314,314-316. <i>ProQuest</i>, <a href="https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/why-read-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-christian/docview/201277855/se-2?accountid=11824">https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/why-read-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-christian/docview/201277855/se-2?accountid=11824</a>.
Accessed 21 September 2021.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="CitationsCxSpFirst">Kjos, Berit. “Narnia Part 1: Blending Truth and
Myth.” <i>Crossroad</i>, Kjos Ministries, Dec. 2005, <a href="http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia.htm">http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia.htm</a>.
Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="CitationsCxSpMiddle">Kjos, Berit. “Narnia Part 2: A Four-legged Creator
of Many Worlds.” <i>Crossroad</i>, Kjos Ministries, Dec. 2005, <a href="http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia-2.htm">http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia-2.htm</a>.
Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="CitationsCxSpMiddle">Kjos, Berit. “Narnia Part 3: Christian allegory +
Mythical gods = Deception.” <i>Crossroad</i>, Kjos Ministries, Dec. 2005, <a href="http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia-3.htm">http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/narnia-3.htm</a>.
Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="CitationsCxSpLast">
</p><p class="CitationsCxSpLast">Kjos, Berit. “Narnia Part 4: Awakening Narnia with
Bacchanalian Feasts.” <i>Crossroad</i>, Kjos Ministries, Dec. 2005, <a href="http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/caspian-4.htm">http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/caspian-4.htm</a>.
Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Potts, Michael, and Kathy Tyers. “Jedi Council - Interviews:
Kathy Tyers.” <i>TheForce.Net - Your Daily Dose of Star Wars</i>, The
Force.Net, Nov. 2000, <a href="http://theforce.net/jedicouncil/interview/tyers.asp">http://theforce.net/jedicouncil/interview/tyers.asp</a>.
Accessed 7 Nov. 2021<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Citations">Taub, Deborah J, and Heather L Servaty. “Controversial
Content in Children's Literature: Is Harry Potter Harmful to Children?” <i>Harry
Potter's World: Multidisciplinary Critical Perspectives</i>, edited by
Elizabeth Heilman, RoutledgeFalmer, 2003, pp. 54–57.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-40546192081634204952022-02-28T06:00:00.002-05:002022-03-12T20:12:52.007-05:00Speculative Fiction: Dangerous Occultism or Witnessing Tool?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3DPldAGfL4eBrZlgRIphoO1NlBPJDi7Hk6qK3EWOqm6H4f1ccWK8aq31OihuaxRtU2xr75IBamsjJutSxEv17OUAkAB_yNxBBE-pD0agp1UrO1z7vQqZBVpFdjJAXOCviw2EJ4ZsRgGHmtDlMlurCEcsezFg2f3YKeHqzKm8csEEbPwRgdv5FdPQsLA=s10276" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4257" data-original-width="10276" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3DPldAGfL4eBrZlgRIphoO1NlBPJDi7Hk6qK3EWOqm6H4f1ccWK8aq31OihuaxRtU2xr75IBamsjJutSxEv17OUAkAB_yNxBBE-pD0agp1UrO1z7vQqZBVpFdjJAXOCviw2EJ4ZsRgGHmtDlMlurCEcsezFg2f3YKeHqzKm8csEEbPwRgdv5FdPQsLA=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">It's impossible to know me and be unaware of how much I love science fiction and fantasy. It's just a big part of what makes me <i>me</i>. And so it's not probably a surprise that when my English professor said we could write our research papers on pretty much anything as long as we could research it and make an argument about it, I decided to write about speculative fiction. More specifically, the role speculative fiction plays in the Christian community.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's not really a secret that said role can be rather controversial. One need only look at <i>Harry Potter</i> to see that. So I set out down a rabbit hole of research on the objections to and defenses for science fiction and fantasy in the Christian community. It was a fascinating research subject, and I wanted to share the results. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some believe speculative fiction is occult and evil. Some believe it is a good thing that can be used for God's glory. Where do I fall? I'm sure you can guess, but go on this journey with me anyway to explore my conclusion and how I came to it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Speculative Fiction: Dangerous Occultism or Witnessing Tool?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I was young, I went through a phase where I struggled to understand the efficacy of prayer. I believe God is sovereign and in control, and that nothing happens that is outside of His will. So what good does it truly do to pray? As I pondered this, a passage from C. S. Lewis’s <i>The Magician’s Nephew</i> sprang unbidden to my mind:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>“Well, I do think someone might have arranged about our meals,” said Digory.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>“I’m sure Aslan would have, if you’d asked him,” said Fledge.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>“Wouldn’t he know without being asked?” said Polly.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>“I’ve no doubt he would,” said the Horse (still with his mouth full). “But I’ve a sort of idea he likes to be asked.”</i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgdxCeG0q5fwjt3J8-REtTjSe_hicTY-fqANPRETELw68G8fANhrrarDHPLAGjVxMgc3RdJ0clvXLZasQpGsrFlpWANO7kN1NLaMBEyhavyoa0WCjkD5NeNen_NFlqwCQ5lvdsICK5b-5UDjmb_X5oC9Hb_sdV8OjIZ4RuPOb-xMfv9WZTdl_SUgBchA=s474" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="474" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgdxCeG0q5fwjt3J8-REtTjSe_hicTY-fqANPRETELw68G8fANhrrarDHPLAGjVxMgc3RdJ0clvXLZasQpGsrFlpWANO7kN1NLaMBEyhavyoa0WCjkD5NeNen_NFlqwCQ5lvdsICK5b-5UDjmb_X5oC9Hb_sdV8OjIZ4RuPOb-xMfv9WZTdl_SUgBchA=w200-h191" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From this I understood instantly that while God does know everything and He is sovereign, He still wants us to pray, to deepen our relationship with Him as well as our understanding that everything we have comes from Him. He wants us to ask. From that point forward, I ceased to struggle with this particular issue—all because of a few lines in a fantasy story. And this is only one example of spiritual understanding gained from speculative fiction. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yet some allege that these very stories and others like them which deepened my understanding of Scripture, illustrated biblical truths, and enhanced my faith are inherently harmful and evil, rather promoting such things as occultism, humanism, and witchcraft. Many of my fellow writers within the Realm Makers community have faced backlash from family and church family for writing stories of magic, dragons, aliens, and more. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Is there merit to these accusations that these stories we write tamper with the forbidden? Or is it rather true, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OelI7pD6-jQ&amp;t=73s" target="_blank">as others assert</a>, that speculative fiction is the perfect vessel for spreading God’s truth and reflecting the creative aspects of His nature? I contend that while these genres of fantasy and science fiction must be handled with care and a solid grounding in Scripture as a result of certain genuine concerns, they are nevertheless effective vessels for conveying God’s truth and furthering His kingdom by exploring truth in new and imaginative ways.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Speculative Fiction: <a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2022/03/speculative-fiction-question-of-magic.html">The Question of Magic</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>References</b></div><br />“Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Explained.” Performance by Steve Laube, <i>YouTube</i>, Enclave Publishing, 10 Sept. 2015, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OelI7pD6-jQ&t=73s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OelI7pD6-jQ&amp;t=73s</a>. Accessed 30 Sept. 2021.<br /><br />Lewis, C. S. <i>The Magician's Nephew</i>. Scholastic Inc, 1995.Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-26433838318275660292022-02-07T06:00:00.001-05:002022-02-07T06:00:00.245-05:00A Word About Legalism<div style="text-align: justify;">Rules.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Check boxes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Formulas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Works.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The longer I live in this world, the more I see that legalism doesn't work. In fact, more often it creates even more problems.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My family didn't have a lot of rules when I was growing up. Sure, we had some:</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Don't go past Hannah (next door neighbor)'s house. (Our parents wanted to be able to see us when they looked out the window.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">No dancing in the kitchen. (Um, I still turn pirouettes in the kitchen and I never got in trouble for violating the rule...I just try not to dance when there's something hot on the stove or someone's walking around with a knife.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Read the book before watching the movie. (Mostly just applied to me, but I still generally try to abide by it because the book usually came first which means it's the original version.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But my parents never wrote up a list of moral rules for us to follow. They never bought booklets telling them that if they just did these things they'd automatically have good children.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That isn't to say everything was permitted. That isn't to say we didn't have a moral code. That isn't to say we never got in trouble. (Looking at the chief culprit right here.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But it was never about the things we do externally. It's about the heart. And once you get the heart right, the behavior follows. Out of the heart the mouth speaks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've known a number of families who are or have been legalistic, and I've watched others from afar. And it's disheartening how badly it turns out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Girls can only wear skirts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Filtering kids' shows through ClearPlay, or not even owning a TV.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bible reading as punishment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Don't do any kind of work on the Sabbath, ever, without exception.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Shunning stories that contain magic, even if they have positive, or even Christian, messages.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Refusing to celebrate traditional Christian holidays because the traditional celebration is not spelled out in the Bible, even if the reason we celebrate is.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">No grace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't want to get into the weeds here. I'm sure if you're reading this, you can think of plenty of legalistic rules, and maybe have been raised according to them yourself. The point here isn't what precisely the rules are. The point is...that rules aren't the point.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What I've seen in my personal experience is that those who are most legalistic are very likely to have their children walk away. Even if those children at one point seemed to be fine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Because what I've seen is that, even back in Bible times (think of the Pharisees), those who have lists of rules are just following rules. Sometimes they seem to think that they must do x, y, and z in order for God to be pleased with them. And often—not every time, but often—I sense a holier-than-thou attitude out of these people. Like they believe God is more pleased with them because they follow more rules. And then, often, this attitude turns people away. Is a lost person likely to want to come to know Christ if His representatives act like self-righteous jerks who turn up their noses at those who don't follow the same standards?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">"No one knows what we're for, only what we're against when we judge the wounded.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What if we put down our signs, crossed over the lines and loved like you did?"</div><div style="text-align: right;">—"Jesus, Friend of Sinners," Casting Crowns</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."</div><div style="text-align: right;">—Romans 5:8</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's not about rules. It's about the heart.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's not about works. It's about grace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's not about making people conform. It's about showing the love of Christ.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">See, we <i>can't</i> follow all the rules. That's the point. It's completely and totally impossible. And the more you try to follow all the rules, the more you overanalyze and beat yourself up for not measuring up, the worse it's going to get. And when you impose those impossible standards on your children, you're very likely to lose them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not trying to toot my own horn or plug my book, but I want to share a bit out of <i>Acktorek: The Void</i>, spoilers redacted, of course.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal"><i></i></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><i>“Emma, no one iss ever worthy of God’s love and care,” he murmurs.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I slowly sit up, pulling my hands away to rest on my knees,
as his hand comes to rest on my shoulder. “Were you listening to me?” He has no
right to spy on me like that. But . . .<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>He cocks his head just slightly in a noncommittal gesture.
“Emma.” Even through what I guess is a translator like Dad said, he sounds so
soft and gentle. So kind. So caring. No one has ever said my name like that
before. “God doess not love us because we are worthy. He doess not care for us
because we have earned it. He loves us and cares for us because we are created
in His image. We are all unworthy—you, me, Carla, Grace, Brian, everyone. You
must not believe you are required to prove you are worthy for Him to [Spoiler]. That iss not how this works.”<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>“I’m not enough. I’ve never been enough for anyone, least of
all God.” The words come out hoarse.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>“You must cease trying.”<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>My forehead furrows. If he’s going to go into a stop trying
and just do lecture, I’ll smack him.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>He pulls me closer and looks me right in the eyes. I still can’t
decide if this is okay or extremely uncomfortable, but I can’t pull away.
Something in me doesn’t want to.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>“I have been trying,” he says. “I am guilty of much. [Spoiler] <span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I </span>feel as if I will never do enough to compensate for the hand I played in all of these things.</i> <i>The truth iss that I
will not. I cannot. However, it iss also true that I do not have to compensate
for it. I do not have to carry the weight of all my mistakes because Jesus
already paid for them. He hass washed away all of the blood that iss upon my
hands. I am not adequate, you are not adequate, but He iss. He iss the only One
who iss adequate. You were correct that He iss the only One who can [Spoiler] and deliver us from this situation. But His doing so doess not rest upon your
worthiness. It doess not rest upon me recompensing my mistakes. The only thing
that matters iss that Jesus iss worthy and He hass paid for all of our sins
upon the cross. Surrender to Him, Emma. Allow Him to be worthy within you.”</i></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><i></i><o:p></o:p></p><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We can't do enough to please God. Ever. That's why we need Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the law <i>for</i> us. He lives <i>in</i> us. We are not enough, but that's okay because <i>Jesus</i> is enough.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That's not to say that everything is permitted. That's not to say that our lives shouldn't be transformed by Christ. By their fruits you shall know them. But it's not about following a set of rules. It's not about the letter of the law. It's about loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. It's about how it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not rules.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But the transformative, unconditional, eternal love of Christ.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="230" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BY6VAy9y_iQ" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-57441206754491953192022-01-03T06:30:00.012-05:002022-01-03T06:30:00.213-05:002021 in Review<div style="text-align: justify;">It's apparently been a couple years since I actually did a year in review post. Interesting. I guess there hasn't been much in recent years that I wanted to relive, what with my dog dying in 2019 and the fiasco that was 2020. But somehow despite all the Covid stuff continuing in 2021, I actually on the whole feel good about 2021. Who knew, right?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">January started off with my library branch finally, <i>finally</i>, FINALLY opening to the public, and though it was a gradual process that annoyed me with rules that kept me from properly doing my job the way I used to, I was SO glad to be able to interact with our patrons again. Sure, I can't really listen to audiobooks at work anymore, but I CAN help kids find the perfect book to read. I've even been able to help with programs again (now that we're DOING programs again) and it's heavenly. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also got myself an animatronic Grogu. 😁 Forgive the messy hair. I'm terrible at selfies, but I really don't care.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHoMdks0Cf9nLpGRlvAIxwt9oLdq2N9U2MQ-jaALJrOIYulGUvOBaJEJuINjknCC2mHsXKIhLM9V1xVDaVE3jGHqbxCZdwoEEcl1lreS96HjjHmUi4uI6F95unosSO5ja137p-c_mktwRKFigjDoN6MnoNl8R0Lt9_qpxUgJj49phQtp26pZSviaUZvg=s2576" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2576" data-original-width="1932" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHoMdks0Cf9nLpGRlvAIxwt9oLdq2N9U2MQ-jaALJrOIYulGUvOBaJEJuINjknCC2mHsXKIhLM9V1xVDaVE3jGHqbxCZdwoEEcl1lreS96HjjHmUi4uI6F95unosSO5ja137p-c_mktwRKFigjDoN6MnoNl8R0Lt9_qpxUgJj49phQtp26pZSviaUZvg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And we started planning for Realm Makers. 😁 My friends and I all stayed up to register as soon as it opened just to be sure we got spots. And it was totally worth it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was also spending a lot of time studying for the SAT. Which I admit was kind of nerve-wracking, but I ended up doing fine. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Early on in the year, I tried writing the pirate book I've been wanting to write for like eight years now. I really tried. But I don't know, I guess I just wasn't in the right mindset for pirates. It's not permanently abandoned. I still very badly want that book. But what I really wanted to do was go back to <i>Acktorek</i>. Which is what I did. I won Camp NaNo in April, which was bittersweet because I knew it was going to be my last NaNo for awhile. (Yes, I was pretty bummed last November watching so many other people prep for NaNo knowing I had too much homework to do it myself. Someday I will do NaNo again, but that is not this day.) I really got a lot of writing done, but I still wasn't very happy with what I had. More on that later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Round about this time, I was also working on Jedi costumes for Realm Makers. I dyed fabric for the first time ever, which was an adventure, and I'm pretty proud of how the costumes turned out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYkXtvIwgp8KdvQ3VUYPOStk7coNGhJOHLNLV0iIKu-7wLXkroT9IaBrU-tVggJtPdEK6H7fPfHJ2k3dKVGCrgDmQurYoyqZzEH6pszRJRZJ76vUjlBZRD2gI5aTSGdd8e9B3sbrGpfzwIdx2uscHraRHD1z_auBhtxL6CZRCjIEU545MIB4t3sO5Nlw=s2576" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2576" data-original-width="1932" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYkXtvIwgp8KdvQ3VUYPOStk7coNGhJOHLNLV0iIKu-7wLXkroT9IaBrU-tVggJtPdEK6H7fPfHJ2k3dKVGCrgDmQurYoyqZzEH6pszRJRZJ76vUjlBZRD2gI5aTSGdd8e9B3sbrGpfzwIdx2uscHraRHD1z_auBhtxL6CZRCjIEU545MIB4t3sO5Nlw=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First look at Obi-Wan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgC3rMC9C9mzLsM6gjyMrkqBqyPooaAFhIuknj1Thou-JGwvYsFZSTUjGdfc32V5dW7NWhX3JmeDT8cIUxFq_pnceNBi7cQIY-mwBnFQoD9kAMVuxw31dx2jZ56VjRirzSMdPgbOUelVNwWUW6OOoLRl-lJ1QRBf_sKXNY4Yp2uqBXAqjn3cdYFSSqhQQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgC3rMC9C9mzLsM6gjyMrkqBqyPooaAFhIuknj1Thou-JGwvYsFZSTUjGdfc32V5dW7NWhX3JmeDT8cIUxFq_pnceNBi7cQIY-mwBnFQoD9kAMVuxw31dx2jZ56VjRirzSMdPgbOUelVNwWUW6OOoLRl-lJ1QRBf_sKXNY4Yp2uqBXAqjn3cdYFSSqhQQ=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First look at Anakin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I got accepted into Kennesaw State University and promptly went crazy with CLEPs. I studied for and passed five CLEPs in two months while also brushing up on German to make sure I could get into the class I needed. I'm still not sure how I did it. Especially since algebra and especially biology were a bear. But the English CLEPs didn't take much effort, and I got a near perfect score on the College Composition Modular test. Good thing too, since I'd told the lady at the testing center that I'm an author. I wouldn't want to talk all about my books and then turn out to be terrible at English! 😂</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We watched <i>Timeless</i> early in the year, and I may have gotten slightly obsessed. Time travel+history+Matt Lanter. I mean, how could it not be fabulous?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHkJ-7hm0IAIhv4chbxUsWGXxurPzQhmrXkb1ydk5-xDpQKKJyW5QfhxD-8z7b0tG9y3aAAOjp7gl2iD_Rg52bApnVzTMqginh5EdmiARx7TUwtfgDDpdzeTbznEptEyvFk8bf3WRPLATqDYsv3CA_cNqODbuaOSrWXIct3UTC8S9byEE8ITKYF0LB5A=s667" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="666" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHkJ-7hm0IAIhv4chbxUsWGXxurPzQhmrXkb1ydk5-xDpQKKJyW5QfhxD-8z7b0tG9y3aAAOjp7gl2iD_Rg52bApnVzTMqginh5EdmiARx7TUwtfgDDpdzeTbznEptEyvFk8bf3WRPLATqDYsv3CA_cNqODbuaOSrWXIct3UTC8S9byEE8ITKYF0LB5A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I held a recital for my violin students and they all did a great job! They've all learned so much. I also had arranged a <i>Return of the Jedi</i> medley to play with my sister, which was a ton of fun.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Once Jedi costumes were declared complete, we did a photoshoot, attempting to recreate poses from the <i>Revenge of the Sith</i> promo materials. I normally hate photoshoots, but we had a blast with this one. And naturally I had to add lightsaber blades. <a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2021/07/costume-pictures-realm-makers-is-almost.html" target="_blank">See more photos here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7A8u-hdnqIS5g4zU0zXu6RVqo23p0yBVySTBguZKQPkzYjo4nR3eMLbuSEwQ4-znBGfSPEmH09iZJ52k0AD05yg9plk-Z4kHMIkuYT_fu2t3z841_aH_pNVux5swjIPKiRdS3UAOME-Wa2tRb9HAFr6W7dFAo5p7umPsjJiQZVai1iZxV1dQglZungw=s5184" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7A8u-hdnqIS5g4zU0zXu6RVqo23p0yBVySTBguZKQPkzYjo4nR3eMLbuSEwQ4-znBGfSPEmH09iZJ52k0AD05yg9plk-Z4kHMIkuYT_fu2t3z841_aH_pNVux5swjIPKiRdS3UAOME-Wa2tRb9HAFr6W7dFAo5p7umPsjJiQZVai1iZxV1dQglZungw=s320" width="213" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I went on a campus tour for part of orientation, got separated from the group when I picked the wrong time to go to the bathroom (I seem to have a knack for that) and came out to find the group had left for the dining hall without me, pulled out a book to read when the opportunities arose <i>during</i> the tour because that's just how I roll, understood nothing of the layout of campus because I was hopelessly turned around, and had to finish up my visit with an exploration of the campus library. I love the campus library. They have a lot of 90s <i>Star Wars</i> books. 😁 The first book I ever checked out from the campus library was <i>Truce at Bakura</i>, though all the other books I've checked out were actually for research for my English paper. And I know my way around (relevant) parts of campus now. Though I'm still not 100% sure how to get to the dining hall. Doesn't matter. I know where the Chick-fil-A is, and that's what really counts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">THEN REALM MAKERS!!! Definitely the highlight of the year. It was my first time driving on a road trip (my dad always drove on family trips) and I had very little interstate experience, so that was definitely nerve wracking. Migraine-inducing. Stomachache causing. But we managed to get there and back again and had a fabulous time while we <i>were</i> there, so it's all worth it. And I have a TON more interstate experience now because of my commute to school, so interstate driving and traffic don't really bother me anymore. I mean, when you have to sit for an hour in horrific traffic because of big accidents and end up late for your history midterm (I still completed it and got a 96 so it's all good), you kind of end up getting over interstate anxiety.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And Realm Makers was seriously amazing. Getting to hang out with Jaye L. Knight and Tricia Mingerink was awesome, and I got to meet Frank Peretti and Nadine Brandes and Sara Ella and Dave Wolverton and Carla Hoch, and I learned so many things, and our group cosplay was loads of fun, and you can find my full recap <a href="https://morganhuneke.blogspot.com/2021/07/realm-makers-2021-recap.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I don't know when I'll be able to go back, but I already can't wait. There's nothing quite like Realm Makers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZt2Yz2ZleKUC_lEAXPciYRqCH_FP8gJpeaJbIJopv4RRtGm1AhvaOdJges5vcasaEexLzaL0RbRw_ml0Gi_3aqcvfVhnIa9V42DcLwmsufS3H2wL5CoF11g5oMQZeP2FS-tkN2cGTVZEl9esiyxjqZKlSR1W1bWV704r5fKjToCHrVufa9wxKnTy1kQ=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZt2Yz2ZleKUC_lEAXPciYRqCH_FP8gJpeaJbIJopv4RRtGm1AhvaOdJges5vcasaEexLzaL0RbRw_ml0Gi_3aqcvfVhnIa9V42DcLwmsufS3H2wL5CoF11g5oMQZeP2FS-tkN2cGTVZEl9esiyxjqZKlSR1W1bWV704r5fKjToCHrVufa9wxKnTy1kQ=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Frank Peretti!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8t_j-ma3Szg2Ci5foX3XUdQxrZgB2VkIR_9ktDKcv97h2vispihIuu7afBhKteceNlrlZatI7PymOyjfSeFJ-6CTir5xvKi6ghYwT4n4QkXrcV5EUwBrWm4T1TlfEGmUZXC1vD1NyCCbutj0w3Fuzs_U1O47S8PoMf9CftGmfXLBo3jMt4xJTX7AdLg=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8t_j-ma3Szg2Ci5foX3XUdQxrZgB2VkIR_9ktDKcv97h2vispihIuu7afBhKteceNlrlZatI7PymOyjfSeFJ-6CTir5xvKi6ghYwT4n4QkXrcV5EUwBrWm4T1TlfEGmUZXC1vD1NyCCbutj0w3Fuzs_U1O47S8PoMf9CftGmfXLBo3jMt4xJTX7AdLg=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rex (Tricia), Anakin (Addy), Obi-Wan (me), and Ahsoka (Jaye)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgASVyYpW2KPpOVNzyrhvpiqrfrUfl-ahoczvGfiC5aGz1fIhKetggPVlv2tEh4FK6EhbKF5bd-PbhNg95s3JzmJ2qwBjsZi0avlaBTyCwCOmEO8KUvGu9DNxLj700M-w3Ol_Z5depTlEszRpAtu3lW6yGTakcPoQAyiLC0ZmMroP5ubWRZzA6hnU-nzA=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgASVyYpW2KPpOVNzyrhvpiqrfrUfl-ahoczvGfiC5aGz1fIhKetggPVlv2tEh4FK6EhbKF5bd-PbhNg95s3JzmJ2qwBjsZi0avlaBTyCwCOmEO8KUvGu9DNxLj700M-w3Ol_Z5depTlEszRpAtu3lW6yGTakcPoQAyiLC0ZmMroP5ubWRZzA6hnU-nzA=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying goodbye is the worst</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Then we got a kitten! I admit, I still prefer dogs. And no animal will ever replace my Labrador Sophie. But I do love Pippin. He's adorable, and he can be so sweet and cuddly when he wants to be. Unfortunately, he also sometimes displays a teenage attitude (he's an adolescent kitty right now, so yay). But when he's in a good mood he's just so sweet that it totally makes up for the attitude. And he loves watching TV, which is hilarious to me since Sophie couldn't care less about it. And I may have filled up my phone with cat pictures.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNjbdAawMTzkh5SSpmjskTEhejO3ToZuX8XahzmFV0zkTN5avUng9i45dZ_AC-lMu46B2e5X2q9-_iZM-jydNHPhLO-p2IOMsVKdHXb7aLOmKEy_5kHDA4gBoiCJh5Uv6V5Iay-ibazdwCG1jMV8QhdOI9c3wH1eEEkt5RljUiKj8-ThnPUQyet6ccBw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNjbdAawMTzkh5SSpmjskTEhejO3ToZuX8XahzmFV0zkTN5avUng9i45dZ_AC-lMu46B2e5X2q9-_iZM-jydNHPhLO-p2IOMsVKdHXb7aLOmKEy_5kHDA4gBoiCJh5Uv6V5Iay-ibazdwCG1jMV8QhdOI9c3wH1eEEkt5RljUiKj8-ThnPUQyet6ccBw=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjydmY2pYw8HAyOnDwEKKasQbO7ahKHbGpHEfM3_RL-oP45BffKVnKs3U5M97P0BF8kIAyw0_mfOYvFhpn3ooNm2esvWhBw6UzGZjFQK1xtju77NeU_43iv-AxK1oebaZfYqi-dqdksXdolsxdB4-XAGxdlmJXIiXAG18zAD9vevYhkFWd6IvrlSU3RGQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjydmY2pYw8HAyOnDwEKKasQbO7ahKHbGpHEfM3_RL-oP45BffKVnKs3U5M97P0BF8kIAyw0_mfOYvFhpn3ooNm2esvWhBw6UzGZjFQK1xtju77NeU_43iv-AxK1oebaZfYqi-dqdksXdolsxdB4-XAGxdlmJXIiXAG18zAD9vevYhkFWd6IvrlSU3RGQ=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching church with me while sick...<br />I'll get to that.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNMR0hHXwplydhCSushdgxO8cJryzfMbB5AF4d-zH7q2W8fshzXi-ZCwuQJrUdq60wqsN5lGa_s56hnScI5Y-yR347iL26Qte8A-hXHxTIVJ98iGZa6OP72QoMxR7aP3UntxvD-ey3obX-ydEeV_0IykzL1FaQGK-Aw8XoC7zvCqeqZBgS-1ukapi_cA=s3088" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNMR0hHXwplydhCSushdgxO8cJryzfMbB5AF4d-zH7q2W8fshzXi-ZCwuQJrUdq60wqsN5lGa_s56hnScI5Y-yR347iL26Qte8A-hXHxTIVJ98iGZa6OP72QoMxR7aP3UntxvD-ey3obX-ydEeV_0IykzL1FaQGK-Aw8XoC7zvCqeqZBgS-1ukapi_cA=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of his favorite spots</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLJqLPMGwwRDahtTl8J6bJ4EYmlfRIfTT7AqReKXDB8cD7CQKGPBPUoz2srTFj_44u4wuIjjJuczSTycOU9BqauF4EIi3x3z-AfzEoxOWf49xZUQpq3M5KwtbmRDGp-7tvFUh2BRdwL_PoxaaHmEWNeT9TZMvT7fVZG65nE6ntku_TGkV6W6B9yiiofg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLJqLPMGwwRDahtTl8J6bJ4EYmlfRIfTT7AqReKXDB8cD7CQKGPBPUoz2srTFj_44u4wuIjjJuczSTycOU9BqauF4EIi3x3z-AfzEoxOWf49xZUQpq3M5KwtbmRDGp-7tvFUh2BRdwL_PoxaaHmEWNeT9TZMvT7fVZG65nE6ntku_TGkV6W6B9yiiofg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjE6NSSPs3BKY3NQmPhjIAiyjMfNvK7Z8JBoOq8fDpvsbI85vGjEtrJ6mOXleA3WUDrq4S0rxgPGwcXLXK_g9Z2xVja8LQKlC5-K9NwXVwpRpZrUwmfAkQ95wXgj4Qp3-wSoJS73OzeSFDM14cahoK14oA2RGDyfdXzdMLd7FfvJ6JSavLCE_khId_Kw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjE6NSSPs3BKY3NQmPhjIAiyjMfNvK7Z8JBoOq8fDpvsbI85vGjEtrJ6mOXleA3WUDrq4S0rxgPGwcXLXK_g9Z2xVja8LQKlC5-K9NwXVwpRpZrUwmfAkQ95wXgj4Qp3-wSoJS73OzeSFDM14cahoK14oA2RGDyfdXzdMLd7FfvJ6JSavLCE_khId_Kw=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching <i>Merlin</i> with me</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Then school started and it consumed my life. I mean, not totally, but mostly. Hey, I got to write my English paper on speculative fiction in the Christian community and it was great. And I loved stats too. It was a good semester, even if it was a bit of an adjustment. I did even get to the point where I was able to dabble at planning out the rest of the <i>Acktorek</i> series. I figured out that I needed a series plan, a general one, anyway, so that I had an actual series arc. Important stuff, knowing where you're going with a story. It was slow going, but it <i>was</i> going.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aaaaand then we got Covid. It was miserable, I'll admit. But all in all, it didn't really turn out to be any worse than having the flu. Kind of interrupted my series planning, but now we've been through it. And I was still able to mostly keep up with my classes virtually. So it worked out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fall really was mostly school, school, and more school. And kitty cuddles. And watching <i>Merlin</i> while working on my paper because for some reason I couldn't focus on writing that paper without something like <i>Merlin </i>on in the background. Not complaining. It's my favorite show for a reason.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But then we had Thanksgiving break wherein I read three books and also discovered that LEGO <i>Star Wars</i> has an IOS version. Maybe a bad discovery? Anyways. We had some family over for Thanksgiving and had leftovers for days. And then back to school for a week of class and then finals. But hey, I finished my first semester of college with straight A's and with my CLEPs I'm officially a sophomore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And I was able to take some time Christmas break to catch up on stuff. Like finishing that series plan. (Well, finish is a relative term. Parts of it are still rough and purposely so. I need room for my characters to take charge. But I have enough of a plan I think I can finally write book 2 properly. If I can find the time.) And I made the theory pages I need for my students AND finished the bulk of photoshopping on a new picture book I'd put on hold since like May. Not sure when it'll be <i>done </i>done since it still needs a cover and a title and to go through the whole proofing process (and school starts up again in a week), but it's significant progress.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I participated in <a href="https://youtu.be/dSdPZ1ZMW00" target="_blank">my church's Christmas program</a>, singing in the choir and playing violin, and it was great. I may have been quietly singing the alto part of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" while shelving at the library. A lot. And I played the conductor for my library's <i>Polar Express</i> program.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And my sister and I saw <i>Spider-Man: No Way Home</i> opening weekend. I loved it so much! And I REALLY want to see it again. It was SO GOOD.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We had Christmas at home with colds (yippee), and I got <i>Star Wars</i> books and watched <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i>, so it's all good. Then I got a new computer because my old one had a crack that was popping out the corner of the screen. 😜 Still not thrilled about that since all I thought I needed was a new battery, but I'd rather not have my computer totally break in the middle of the semester. We then rang in the new year with more <i>Lord of the Rings</i>, and it's 2022 now!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who knows what kind of year it'll be? I know for me it'll be filled with lots more school, and hopefully some writing, but beyond that, just about anything could happen. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!</div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-81223611773462287162021-12-13T06:00:00.001-05:002021-12-13T06:00:00.216-05:00Top Twelve Books of 2021<div style="text-align: justify;">Sorry, even with omitting rereads and combining series into single entries as per usual, I just can't get it down to ten this year. I've read <i>so many</i> good books this year that I want to tell y'all about. And I'm also going to have honorable mentions because I can't not. Before I get to my list, though, I want to mention my rereads of the year, because obviously they're good enough to get attention: <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ruins-Gorlan-Book-Rangers-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B001QNVPKY/" target="_blank">Ranger's Apprentice</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cinder-Lunar-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B005KJJ4F8/" target="_blank">The Lunar Chronicles</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B002MQYOFW/" target="_blank">The Hunger Games trilogy,</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Thief-Percy-Jackson-Olympians-ebook/dp/B00280LYIC/" target="_blank">Percy Jackson</a></i>, all on audio through my library. They're great stories that were definitely worth the revisit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now to my top twelve new-to-me books of 2021.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiKEe1NcZWwzTkFTmEtY_Khjss_y7ilocMLpRUCoutmKV6BhJQyiUEqYY4QiA7D7FpJFs1muPF26SZsVrqKxQNY7Y2pzJTgdmTgK7DSzrcUH8jlWDj0xJFd1tkgF5Rl9VUl97ZmDZ-X_D/s475/Balance+Point.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiKEe1NcZWwzTkFTmEtY_Khjss_y7ilocMLpRUCoutmKV6BhJQyiUEqYY4QiA7D7FpJFs1muPF26SZsVrqKxQNY7Y2pzJTgdmTgK7DSzrcUH8jlWDj0xJFd1tkgF5Rl9VUl97ZmDZ-X_D/w133-h200/Balance+Point.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>12. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345428579/" target="_blank">Balance Point</a></i> by Kathy Tyers</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <i>New Jedi Order</i> series has been rather hit or miss writing-quality-wise so far, but I consider this one to be solidly in the better half of the series. Plus, Kathy Tyers is a Christian, a Realmie, and an Enclave author, and how cool is that? <i>Balance Point</i> is somewhat towards the middle of NJO, and one of my favorites partially because of the author, but also largely because this is the book where Luke and Mara find out they're expecting Ben. Ben Skywalker is precious to me, and Kathy does a really good job writing Luke and Mara. After all, she shipped them right off when she first read <i>The Thrawn Trilogy</i>. This is also where Han and Leia reconcile after Han's difficulties dealing with Chewie's death, and there's great stuff with the Solo kids too. It's well written and on the whole, Kathy does a good job with the characters. It's a good one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">11. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Traitor-Star-Wars-Jedi-Order/dp/034542865X/" target="_blank">Traitor</a></i> by Matthew Stover <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzoEgPd_7N4iv_THMMjyX5MqF1KZnL2jyy6V7ra5bItFKDa8_eCzQvc9V2gngIhN3wYNCDLLHoKJTwSk-wcR65qVxauWefumwk4kOyByR2pn6oemWsaKUv3PLq88DVko8Lv0_fPyokgZr/s3024/20211029_145844416_iOS.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzoEgPd_7N4iv_THMMjyX5MqF1KZnL2jyy6V7ra5bItFKDa8_eCzQvc9V2gngIhN3wYNCDLLHoKJTwSk-wcR65qVxauWefumwk4kOyByR2pn6oemWsaKUv3PLq88DVko8Lv0_fPyokgZr/w200-h200/20211029_145844416_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Matthew Stover has the kind of talent writers dream of. It's hard for me to put my finger on exactly what about his writing is so good, but his talent seems to be well recognized among both the fandom at large and the other Expanded Universe writers. This is the story of Jacen's experience as a Yuuzhan Vong POW, and it just really delves deep into who Jacen is, philosophy, emotions, torture...all the things. What really floors me is how he can effectively switch between past and present tense in a way that feels totally natural and really packs a punch and is just perfection. I'm not sure many—if any—other authors could pull that off. And for Stover it works so well. It's a very character-focused book, which I love, really explains a lot of what Jacen does in the future, and is just <i>good</i>. The bit where Jacen went home to his family's apartment on Vong-formed Coruscant and sat there lethargic and hallucinating his dead brother broke me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vgadszdcmki9bsKTD66_4yDo-SUiJNOcqUuBN5xeLQBJpVkrrbteE3hBYoXTJIO9MQtz9uZ9NKosvIA7vGilWyW7okIAZ6NKsG9uzgIybom84r_NC28t2eslPmKE_H2OD7nTOdwtdHVU/s1440/20210423_145335987_iOS.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vgadszdcmki9bsKTD66_4yDo-SUiJNOcqUuBN5xeLQBJpVkrrbteE3hBYoXTJIO9MQtz9uZ9NKosvIA7vGilWyW7okIAZ6NKsG9uzgIybom84r_NC28t2eslPmKE_H2OD7nTOdwtdHVU/w200-h200/20210423_145335987_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>10. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Soulminder-Timothy-Zahn-ebook/dp/B00JL1CI4K/" target="_blank">Soulminder</a></i> by Timothy Zahn</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This one was rather different. It's not exactly a novel so much as several stories about the same topic. Dr. Adrian Sommers, who lost his son in a car accident, devotes his life to developing Soulminder—a technological marvel that temporarily captures the human soul to be reunited with the body once the body has been repaired. A device that could have saved his son’s life. But not everyone thinks of Soulminder as simply a medical miracle. There are other ways to use it, and the ways it is corrupted get worse and worse. Sommers was warned that Soulminder could become a demon. And now he has to decide what to do about it. It's odd, but fascinating, and really makes you think deeply about your immortal soul, ethics, death, and what it truly means to be alive. It's also the only non-<i>Star Wars</i> Zahn book I've read and I do believe I should read more.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">9. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rain-Reign-Ann-M-Martin/dp/1250073979/" target="_blank">Rain Reign</a></i> by Ann M. Martin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNWXbrqyO2G4josEwWiGyZhqMOGGDaBegW83o5EaVdjjHvEnNYDN0SUGfV397VQmZwgsAYs_ueH1mumxsD_Ela1sAMwEaELFXRjoOjOsm3FUhkgENILKP_hxPwEbNxrVYeHJzYT64HOe2/s2048/20210409_133532253_iOS.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNWXbrqyO2G4josEwWiGyZhqMOGGDaBegW83o5EaVdjjHvEnNYDN0SUGfV397VQmZwgsAYs_ueH1mumxsD_Ela1sAMwEaELFXRjoOjOsm3FUhkgENILKP_hxPwEbNxrVYeHJzYT64HOe2/w200-h200/20210409_133532253_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>Full disclosure: This one made me cry. I was 100% bawling in the car on the way home from teaching violin while I was listening to this book. Rose Howard has high functioning autism, a single dad who doesn’t understand her and only gets mad when she acts like herself, a beloved uncle, a beloved dog named Rain (reign, rein), and an obsession with homonyms and prime numbers. (I personally prefer numbers that are a power of a whole number, but that’s okay. Rose can like her prime numbers.) Rain gets lost during a hurricane and Rose has to find her. But what ensues, well, some things happened that I wasn’t expecting and there were jaw drops and tears. While I was driving, mind you, since this was my car audiobook. I don’t want to give spoilers, but read this book. The ending felt a tad abrupt, but that’s really the only complaint I have about it. I love Rose and I love Uncle Weldon, I can’t stand Rose’s dad, and I have so many emotions about this book. So just go read it.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rZnoARLTpsum2XHpJbB8f0Mb07uDGj6iPMcPdsEeqMVki79BiP8FP5ktjdpWNEkdmSdpj21_UcTCwnWB9fYgsePR6tLfTw5pNVksCcyduYkgm2zL-KqthmWqdant4v1LV3NXTO6LxPiU/s400/the+messengers.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rZnoARLTpsum2XHpJbB8f0Mb07uDGj6iPMcPdsEeqMVki79BiP8FP5ktjdpWNEkdmSdpj21_UcTCwnWB9fYgsePR6tLfTw5pNVksCcyduYkgm2zL-KqthmWqdant4v1LV3NXTO6LxPiU/w132-h200/the+messengers.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Greystone-Secrets-Margaret-Peterson-Haddix/dp/0062838431/" target="_blank">The Messengers</a></i> by Margaret Peterson Haddix</div></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Did Margaret Peterson Haddix release a new book? Yes? Then obviously it's on my top books of the year post. I reread the previous books in this series via audio in preparation for the release, and I'm glad I did. This series, like the rest of Haddix's books, is fabulous. Secret codes, mysterious events, the kidnappings of children with the same names and birthdays as the three main characters...putting duct tape over my mouth right now because if I say anything else I’ll definitely tread into dangerous spoiler territory. This one was very good and I feel like it was especially relevant. Seek truth. Make your own choices. Don’t blindly believe what your leaders say. Don’t live in fear and despair. And love others. Help them. Because nothing combats fear and lies like love and truth. Is it the strongest book of the series? No. Ending series still isn't Haddix's strong suit, though I'd certainly argue that this book was a far better ending than the final book of <i>The Missing</i> (which is still my top favorite Haddix series despite the last book having a different protagonist than the first seven). And while I may not have talked up Haddix books on here the way I have others *cough* <i>Elven Alliance</i> *cough* y'all definitely need to check out her books. There's a reason she's one of my favorite authors and I already have her next book on hold at the library even though it doesn't come out until March.</div><div><br /></div><div>7. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Thirst-Duology-Jill-Williamson/dp/0998523089/" target="_blank">Hunger</a></i> by Jill Williamson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O23SCMM-ckKwBfbcw5XjfUCJ6mCWchf2lNE75KLOJmyiAJIC9KCfo9YcCgXOEj02HaytWbRrxEGP_ceAGQEiQPOK6JSdR8LyNvyyL9jNUH9fvLlyF_hpqyWDbdwRMLsAjakg0JdyNAJ-/s2048/20210416_145214992_iOS.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O23SCMM-ckKwBfbcw5XjfUCJ6mCWchf2lNE75KLOJmyiAJIC9KCfo9YcCgXOEj02HaytWbRrxEGP_ceAGQEiQPOK6JSdR8LyNvyyL9jNUH9fvLlyF_hpqyWDbdwRMLsAjakg0JdyNAJ-/w200-h200/20210416_145214992_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Now, I probably should have reread <i>Thirst</i> before I read <i>Hunger</i>. I had to pull it out a few times to refresh my memory. ("Wait, how did Hannah hurt Eli's hand again?") But even so, it was great. Having read <i>The Safe Lands</i> now, it was really cool making all the connections about why different things became the way they were, how different family lines ended up in different places, etc. I'm not quite sure what to say about this book that won't spoil it and/or <i>The Safe Lands</i>, but disease, questionable “government,” danger, intrigue, PTSD, drama 🙄 Jaylee 😜, Eli is awesome, I love Hannah, and go read these books and <i>The Safe Lands</i>. Because they’re awesome. I wanted to reread <i>Safe Lands</i> after this, but I'd have to get the first two from the library, and I've had so many new-to-me books to read I just haven't gotten to it. Plus, I do most of my rereading on audio these days. Hint, Jill?</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkxYAfQVaesUEmRVvPEbbZPodZKR1p85vX2WBQGNNdudshSnGhvMOnd9c471YPKWJSGA8SK6H0jRa2F_26AnRsjdLMXaCzcVu3eep3NjCMNT2hmPA7qBG0FOh6sOPoLpW7KQNjCQtPqY1/s400/Dark+Journey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="241" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkxYAfQVaesUEmRVvPEbbZPodZKR1p85vX2WBQGNNdudshSnGhvMOnd9c471YPKWJSGA8SK6H0jRa2F_26AnRsjdLMXaCzcVu3eep3NjCMNT2hmPA7qBG0FOh6sOPoLpW7KQNjCQtPqY1/w121-h200/Dark+Journey.jpg" width="121" /></a></div>6. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Journey-Star-Wars-Order/dp/0345428692/" target="_blank">Dark Journey</a></i> by Elaine Cunningham</div><div><br /></div><div>So far, this is my favorite NJO book for a couple of reasons. (1) It's character-driven and well-written. The writing of some <i>Star Wars</i> books is mediocre at best, but that's certainly not the case with this one. (2) The author read the <i>Young Jedi Knights </i>series before writing this and it shows. There are certainly times when characters get mischaracterized in SW, particularly when children's book characters are brought into the adult books. Not the case in <i>Dark Journey</i>. Elaine Cunningham showed herself to have an in-depth knowledge of the Solo kids and their friends. (3) Hapan politics is fascinating. Hapes is a mess of power plays and backstabbing and assassination attempts, and it makes a fascinating and dangerous setting for Jaina to work out her grief over the loss of her brothers...a grief that leads her towards the Dark Side. (4) Jag Fel is back! I've loved Jag since I first met him in <i>Fate of the Jedi</i> (yes, I read SW ridiculously out of order), but when early in NJO he told off crooked, conniving, self-centered, just plain awful politician Borsk Fey'lya, he cemented himself as one of my favorite SW characters. Jag is just 😍. Plus I'm a big fan of Jaina Solo. Even though she's spiraling into a dark place in this book. I mean, she just tragically lost both her brothers and she's too much like her father to handle it well. (Apparently the GR reviews of this one are mostly bad? Whatever. I loved it.)<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>5. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Dangerous-Secrets-Story-Agnarr-ebook/dp/B0866FD469/" target="_blank">Dangerous Secrets</a></i> by Mari Mancusi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZ1Ncb_WeNfYDS0j8VPwUxGvCmkprWWJfiHNk3EYxctsQzMk5AOSA9gthLnFWy2DsRAKxVIs3m31O6fPmMAELZpSjB_DtP4FYDU_AglUBrrqV9HSjaUynbe6-SBwmPksKFH4dst5eh_cv/s2048/20210119_150640597_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZ1Ncb_WeNfYDS0j8VPwUxGvCmkprWWJfiHNk3EYxctsQzMk5AOSA9gthLnFWy2DsRAKxVIs3m31O6fPmMAELZpSjB_DtP4FYDU_AglUBrrqV9HSjaUynbe6-SBwmPksKFH4dst5eh_cv/w200-h200/20210119_150640597_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I may be a little stitious because after starting off 2020 with a <i>Frozen II</i> tie-in novel, I wasn't sure I wanted to start off 2021 with a <i>Frozen II</i> tie-in novel. But my love of <i>Frozen</i> won out and I got it from the library anyway. Did it cast bad luck on 2021? Maybe. 😂 Anyway, this is my favorite <i>Frozen</i> book I've read. I mean, I've only read three, but still. This is the story of Iduna and Agnarr, Elsa and Anna's parents. It took me a few chapters to get into it because it started off just rehashing backstory from <i>Frozen II</i>, but once it got into original material, it was fabulous and amazing and I loved it. Iduna is keeping the secret that she's actually Northuldra, but she can't do that forever. Especially since she and Agnarr are becoming more than just friends. It was just a really good story, it really pulled me into the world of <i>Frozen</i>, and I'd consider it a must-read for every <i>Frozen</i> fan.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmlpog0VhrgYwNGkFp3IiYWVvu2Us8sDxdUrGUMcYDmexgrVVd6ttzI7duXe6LxwG4qbMsgHIyXDJrS6IJgyXHll8kwOCuNBB5LzN5qRVyp2_lbzLW1DnnPSCC-wI7OIDyS7stbjc1_ct/s1440/20210730_153116532_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmlpog0VhrgYwNGkFp3IiYWVvu2Us8sDxdUrGUMcYDmexgrVVd6ttzI7duXe6LxwG4qbMsgHIyXDJrS6IJgyXHll8kwOCuNBB5LzN5qRVyp2_lbzLW1DnnPSCC-wI7OIDyS7stbjc1_ct/w200-h200/20210730_153116532_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>4. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Apprentice-Collective-Underground-Book-1/dp/1621841405/" target="_blank">Apprentice</a></i> by Kristen Young</div><div><br /></div><div>Realmie book! The instant I saw this book in the Realm Makers bookstore, I knew I had to have it. The cover just <i>spoke</i> to me. Then when it won several Realm awards and they read an excerpt during the announcement, I doubly knew I had to have it. I didn't get around to it until Thanksgiving break, but then I read it in two days. And now I desperately need book 2. Apprentice Kerr Flick remembers everything... except for anything that happened to her before she was five. She wants to be the best of the best in the Love Collective, and her perfect memory may get her there, but then she starts having strange and frightening hallucinations that threaten to disrupt her understanding of all she knows. It's a dystopian, and as a dystopian reader, it's pretty obvious what the Love Collective truly is, even if it isn't to Kerr Flick, but that didn't matter to me. I still loved it to pieces and dreamed about the characters the night I finished it. Sif! 😭 And I need <i>Elite</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>3. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Ranger-Falaise-Rangers-Apprentice/dp/0593113489/" target="_blank">Escape From Falaise</a></i> by John Flanagan <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XAXz5YV8yOA-uH6HCtjjzTtQLvyP3NZcVFsEu4tEtqclpK5EqRWBd8-pKVQglrWrExJNrUWarcWTCuUkNP_uhCCvtbdvLmRcfrem_cYF5ePWpCyFCqDHvv-4jOj6KlglKWD4GEmK6zsm/s1440/20211102_173101243_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XAXz5YV8yOA-uH6HCtjjzTtQLvyP3NZcVFsEu4tEtqclpK5EqRWBd8-pKVQglrWrExJNrUWarcWTCuUkNP_uhCCvtbdvLmRcfrem_cYF5ePWpCyFCqDHvv-4jOj6KlglKWD4GEmK6zsm/w200-h200/20211102_173101243_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div>New <i>Ranger's Apprentice</i> book? Of course it's on my list. (I feel like if you've been following me for a couple years and have a general knowledge of what books came out in a given year, you can pretty well predict a good portion of my list.) I may have told multiple professors about this series the week it came out because I just couldn't help myself. I may also have jabbered on about the series to coworkers. I wouldn't say <i>Escape From Falaise</i> is the strongest book in the series since at times it felt a little rushed, but I still loved it and read it in two days during Thanksgiving break. Will and Maddie and Halt and Horace! I love them all so dearly and any time I get to spend with them is well worth it. At the end of the last book, Will and Maddie <span style="color: white;">were captured </span>while trying to rescue a kidnapped prince, and this book sees them out of that cliffhanger and through the end of the adventure. I definitely listened to the "one more chapter" lie way too many times when I was in the middle of this book, but I was on break. Sleep deprivation is okay. Also, if you haven't read <i>Ranger's Apprentice</i> yet, seriously, what are you waiting for?</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2NvtugtMxI3P0bgZNnXmmkP0I71Hn_Yi_by2XGcKkPmMiMEXApMk0HY0GJgVfBbPUkEdupCft-oGp4KwNEzy0NAjaFAVLw18LNkrEnaVoe6IEXhdkXNXQuvs00pd6yZLRbEBX5qkGDkZ/s1440/20211203_152531207_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2NvtugtMxI3P0bgZNnXmmkP0I71Hn_Yi_by2XGcKkPmMiMEXApMk0HY0GJgVfBbPUkEdupCft-oGp4KwNEzy0NAjaFAVLw18LNkrEnaVoe6IEXhdkXNXQuvs00pd6yZLRbEBX5qkGDkZ/w200-h200/20211203_152531207_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>2. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785251723/" target="_blank">Once Upon a Wardrobe </a></i>by Patti Callahan</div><div><br /></div><div>I cried. And then I walked up the stairs and handed it to my mom, and she cried too. Megs Devonshire’s little brother George, who has a terminal heart condition, becomes captivated by the new book <i>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i> and has to know where Narnia came from. Since Megs goes to Oxford, he begs her to find out. Jack and Warnie invite Megs over repeatedly to tell her stories of their lives, but it doesn’t explain Narnia to her…or does it? It may not be able to be explained in a concrete, mathematical manner like Megs wants, but it’s life changing nonetheless. I read this book in a single day, the last day of Thanksgiving break, and I loved it so incredibly much. As a Narnia and C.S. Lewis fan, it filled something in me I hadn't realized needed to be filled, and it's just such a beautiful (and heartbreaking) book. Narnia fans everywhere, <i>do not</i> miss this book.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Troll-Queen-Elven-Alliance-Book-ebook/dp/B08GV2WFV7/" target="_blank">Troll Queen</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YX8MP5F" target="_blank">Pretense</a></i> by Tara Grayce <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKIo0avak07bKld9brZFdsGxiS2Uaa8RVyKFfcP9AoSHz9aHnXqPtRerDbGaxqp_H5HaM4O4HxRSWbjS-D_egVL2nSqVWrRPB5vlJgtU9nBXdAMgUy1aa9O2IeDYr-Glt_kJ3ZTdl-l4u/s2048/20210416_145237729_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKIo0avak07bKld9brZFdsGxiS2Uaa8RVyKFfcP9AoSHz9aHnXqPtRerDbGaxqp_H5HaM4O4HxRSWbjS-D_egVL2nSqVWrRPB5vlJgtU9nBXdAMgUy1aa9O2IeDYr-Glt_kJ3ZTdl-l4u/w200-h200/20210416_145237729_iOS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I don't yet have a copy of <i>Pretense</i>, so this photo will have to do. ESSIE AND FARRENDEL ARE SO ADORABLE AND EDMUND AND JALISSA ARE SO ANGSTY BUT THEIR STORY IS PERFECT AND ALL THE DANGER AND INTRIGUE AND ALL THE FLUFFINESS AND YES, ALL CAPS ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Ahem. I can't say a ton about the storyline without giving spoilers for earlier books, but <i>Elven Alliance</i> remains amazing, I read them as quickly as is possible, and I want a Farrendel. Farrendel as a college student is adorable and Farrendel excited about becoming [redacted] is even more adorable and I love it so much. Also, I really like the fake dating trope, which is how Edmund and Jalissa's story plays out. And...okay, I'm having trouble determining what would be spoilery and what wouldn't, so I'd better put some duct tape over my mouth now just in case. Read <i>Elven Alliance</i>. And fangirl over Farrendel with me.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Honorable mention goes to the <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unblemished-Trilogy-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01CXE9LOG/" target="_blank">Unblemished Trilogy</a></i> by Sara Ella and <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Brand-Light-Droseran-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B07XF5F4XS/" target="_blank">Brand of Light</a></i> by Ronie Kendig for being awesome, though it was a little difficult to keep all the characters straight, and to <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bluebeard-Outlaw-Villains-Ever-After-ebook/dp/B093ZHVLQN/" target="_blank">Bluebeard and the Outlaw</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Midsummer-Bride-Brides-Fae-ebook/dp/B08ZMCLCJD/" target="_blank">Stolen Midsummer Bride</a></i> by Tara Grayce for also being awesome, if a little short. For the full list of books I've read in 2021, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/25204651" target="_blank">click here</a>.</div></div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-91686011531202961902021-11-15T06:30:00.009-05:002021-11-15T06:30:00.224-05:00My Brain is a Series of Gifs<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFM0emSLhtZG4btwPyay_tRSKcoJfyVZivRBnUnclVjbJLWLEC7idAfPAQHzaGjlEhRtW2mpA1F0rCsyzXc7PcbjjphI_bxXjlMJPfLkyVJfnpCr7YPWUhrHhmdbIqKaNufAdWMmViQezz/s480/Obi-Wan-Hello-08182017.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="480" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFM0emSLhtZG4btwPyay_tRSKcoJfyVZivRBnUnclVjbJLWLEC7idAfPAQHzaGjlEhRtW2mpA1F0rCsyzXc7PcbjjphI_bxXjlMJPfLkyVJfnpCr7YPWUhrHhmdbIqKaNufAdWMmViQezz/s320/Obi-Wan-Hello-08182017.gif" width="320" /></a><br /></p><div><span style="text-align: justify;">It's...been awhile. Partly because school, partly because at the beginning of October I got Covid, and then once I was better I had to play catch up on life/school and now it's getting towards finals and yeah. It's been crazy.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOqHtl34Lssz-d1ueGxVJlejZKFGfBtLUC_TYHrHN3Dd0ffuDXtHK6C9Ie4x_kbRN6Syo6RpRNMCzMdcFXKznv6JHi5LuVPEZ2k2EQBBdIFUdBFeV7VRBX2RJVJ9KW0cautNLljSmk3P_/s480/20211112_011720946_iOS.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOqHtl34Lssz-d1ueGxVJlejZKFGfBtLUC_TYHrHN3Dd0ffuDXtHK6C9Ie4x_kbRN6Syo6RpRNMCzMdcFXKznv6JHi5LuVPEZ2k2EQBBdIFUdBFeV7VRBX2RJVJ9KW0cautNLljSmk3P_/s320/20211112_011720946_iOS.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So yes, I survived Covid.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvvtHcOxpPlV5nO0Zpr8UuXePqilaL1AYGonOGkWYjDWkUNGAeIF_RTQB631yX5XRxoJmrGy8CgD_7noiQ4yYOxmndaPm0QnmVc7aYSvTi-DChX6AFuGJ5eFJHA1HOMXYxi5ZI_nM7TjR/s480/yoda+surprised.GIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvvtHcOxpPlV5nO0Zpr8UuXePqilaL1AYGonOGkWYjDWkUNGAeIF_RTQB631yX5XRxoJmrGy8CgD_7noiQ4yYOxmndaPm0QnmVc7aYSvTi-DChX6AFuGJ5eFJHA1HOMXYxi5ZI_nM7TjR/s320/yoda+surprised.GIF" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Sorry/not sorry for all the gifs. If you can't spam people with gifs, what's even the point in life? Also, this is the state of my brain right now, and I don't even have as many papers to write as my sister.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_z9EcwXNuxNcU7ANwfyI9i6IswjbKToMNH4j5MvEeiEuLhxP7UbJCW0eyQyjSAm1D_gLUa1lsLOaIsGvdLH0h1bIa1DJqf9zMY9qSrTu-Z-of8sPR0WQtK0yd-cFjzSBHotgpL0sf_9UN/s400/the+pit+of+despair.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="400" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_z9EcwXNuxNcU7ANwfyI9i6IswjbKToMNH4j5MvEeiEuLhxP7UbJCW0eyQyjSAm1D_gLUa1lsLOaIsGvdLH0h1bIa1DJqf9zMY9qSrTu-Z-of8sPR0WQtK0yd-cFjzSBHotgpL0sf_9UN/s320/the+pit+of+despair.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Ahem. I mean my experience with Covid. Actually, while I was pretty miserable for a few days, it wasn't like I was being tortured with The Machine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeTRUbvKx_1vbgGb5q2EPRKvLuQGSnglLhee7mXzwnQqvUSkfC0WGIjLzYj2hkFatHXhQgDkBZUPNBi7nJYdNDqumw0jcom6_ZatYztP1jANTXQNK5FPePQ0sN_tqB7xlG6tB3cll_KT6/s352/rugen.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="352" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeTRUbvKx_1vbgGb5q2EPRKvLuQGSnglLhee7mXzwnQqvUSkfC0WGIjLzYj2hkFatHXhQgDkBZUPNBi7nJYdNDqumw0jcom6_ZatYztP1jANTXQNK5FPePQ0sN_tqB7xlG6tB3cll_KT6/s320/rugen.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Fever: not fun. Stomach ache: also not fun. Exhaustion: not fun either. The migraine that messed up my stomach again when I thought I was on the mend: super annoying. Strange/reduced smell/taste: bizarre. But I only ran a fever for about two days as opposed to over a week last time I had the flu, and also, I got bronchitis last time I had the flu and no secondary infection with Covid. And thankfully, my taste and smell seemed to go back to normal after a week or two. But it was weird while it lasted. And hey, I'm recovered now and yay for natural immunity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Um...what else has been happening? School. I'm pretty much done with my argument paper about speculative fiction in the Christian community. It's been a fun paper to write. And for some reason, even though I never used to be able to write with the TV on, with this paper, I can't seem to write <i>without </i>it. Cue the <i>Merlin </i>binge.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRH3faajMtrw7ZQ4vVuacEfGd8SEcs2nZD-81Po_WrRYPnpDk3X0IpMX33DSjHi7MfC6etD4nfKbyzp-dXf-Klxof3KGg7aKqzKBQoQXsDgZYpLH9m55ogSN6nq4VJ1y5wWwUy6XuO2mt/s300/the+dolma.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="245" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRH3faajMtrw7ZQ4vVuacEfGd8SEcs2nZD-81Po_WrRYPnpDk3X0IpMX33DSjHi7MfC6etD4nfKbyzp-dXf-Klxof3KGg7aKqzKBQoQXsDgZYpLH9m55ogSN6nq4VJ1y5wWwUy6XuO2mt/s0/the+dolma.gif" width="245" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Best. Show. Ever.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTem_mctALszwKkOb3tMqLwDjWROv9kou5peXBeG1wEBXOGlog8iiegQ4a7_sPSkg2_UCSf3Ctvj83reY6icACsY0cDO5PcTf3UU4edwQwqTyldJPNtvQALrXmUAAQ0Dx6aN-tsnY4XC9k/s352/arwen-kiss-405-arthur-and-gwen-26402928-352-196.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="352" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTem_mctALszwKkOb3tMqLwDjWROv9kou5peXBeG1wEBXOGlog8iiegQ4a7_sPSkg2_UCSf3Ctvj83reY6icACsY0cDO5PcTf3UU4edwQwqTyldJPNtvQALrXmUAAQ0Dx6aN-tsnY4XC9k/s320/arwen-kiss-405-arthur-and-gwen-26402928-352-196.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Should I ramble on about this show and how absolutely, positively fantastic it is and how much I love these characters, especially Arthur because in spite of his flaws he has such a good heart and he grows so much and is one of my all time favorite fictional characters? No? Maybe? Or, well, I've done that a couple times already. It's seriously the best show, even though it throws me to go back to the beginning and see good Morgana again. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was also watching it while writing a history paper about how the Magna Carta challenged King John's absolute power...while watching Uther exercise his absolute power to sentence Gwen's father to death for consorting with a sorcerer. And all I could think was</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUS3ECYz2sRVWa2ALIgOsVKzS_DXFmmm5eS5x2zBEe-3CMV_7KsH_h3sq2vmqZpEvkA6hDEALm_FOQg8PiQVhi1s-AUaUYD8mpkpgE4JG69PAL3Lugcjia3X1N9NQYuE9KuIsNMtLPPxv/s319/ironic.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="319" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUS3ECYz2sRVWa2ALIgOsVKzS_DXFmmm5eS5x2zBEe-3CMV_7KsH_h3sq2vmqZpEvkA6hDEALm_FOQg8PiQVhi1s-AUaUYD8mpkpgE4JG69PAL3Lugcjia3X1N9NQYuE9KuIsNMtLPPxv/s0/ironic.gif" width="319" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Uther is so awful.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhsfveum8AbAzPkL5EKjNhoHa3EMaX9JoOq15ALmrJL84htxldZ3n3L8KSAWcbF8H71TZm-GlJmooU06Gv94n0W7i2-WVloM76wRATna13Hw_64jfAdQgNcB-5wQH31ow0hyphenhyphenyTiUn6QgQ/s500/uther.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="500" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhsfveum8AbAzPkL5EKjNhoHa3EMaX9JoOq15ALmrJL84htxldZ3n3L8KSAWcbF8H71TZm-GlJmooU06Gv94n0W7i2-WVloM76wRATna13Hw_64jfAdQgNcB-5wQH31ow0hyphenhyphenyTiUn6QgQ/s320/uther.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Though NO ONE is as bad as THIS guy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2T0-6VLwVfiChN3mgFUCqJyEuoxoVA5aGL4cXIOxjl104ucxZAZ2XO_5D0sZMrHAvirKoRK4jCo22QR0QXrTKwAQZxX9yNi-04fhLmfxKtFF-dchyphenhyphen_3AcHPs09QK5CLPEF0RMaporH0R/s400/agravaine.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="400" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2T0-6VLwVfiChN3mgFUCqJyEuoxoVA5aGL4cXIOxjl104ucxZAZ2XO_5D0sZMrHAvirKoRK4jCo22QR0QXrTKwAQZxX9yNi-04fhLmfxKtFF-dchyphenhyphen_3AcHPs09QK5CLPEF0RMaporH0R/s320/agravaine.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">He's seriously THE WORST. All the hatred for Agravaine for manipulating Arthur into making horrible decisions, keeping Arthur and Gwen apart, sabotaging Camelot, getting Gaius kidnapped and tortured, making Arthur doubt his true friends, and just being an all round horrible human being.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, I meant to have a more profound, coherent blog post than this. But this is apparently the state of my brain right now. (And also dreams that are basically modern AU self-insert <i>Star Wars</i> fanfics where Jacen Solo holds me hostage and I escape him by going into a library where my dad rescues me...even though I avoid both modern AUs and self-inserts like the plague. Modern AUs are stupid. And my brain is a strange place.) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, Thanksgiving is next week, and I always hate to be like this because Thanksgiving isn't about shopping, but it does mean I'll have several of my books on sale (or free!) on kindle for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. And like most years, there's a group of us involved in the sale. So stay tuned!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And <i>Acktorek</i>-wise...Covid derailed my series planning, but that's on my Christmas break to-do list...along with watching <i>Lord of the Rings</i>. Extended edition, naturally. I might have mentioned I'm looking forward to Christmas break in several different German assignments. I know it'll go by way too fast. But I plan to enjoy every second of no homework and no 8 am classes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Because once I get to Christmas break, for this semester, at least</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxx0FMFt7aEDWYpMoh0rXFzvnATaK67Z-bRrx8xL92uOV_QoXCOadlmCM67crfxPpAW76YHRQilhBkhpOrIaH6JQeNvvU1ktA3dYT41Wg-9gK8IFGx9FvKaURazWeIafH9LzamUHje2W8/s480/frodo.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="480" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxx0FMFt7aEDWYpMoh0rXFzvnATaK67Z-bRrx8xL92uOV_QoXCOadlmCM67crfxPpAW76YHRQilhBkhpOrIaH6JQeNvvU1ktA3dYT41Wg-9gK8IFGx9FvKaURazWeIafH9LzamUHje2W8/s320/frodo.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So, um</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOPQTmoeQY6r0BKgRfoVd1yl80y7Yn6t_A7fJpRTB3-BlYgC54gW4vmpSP9nVyzD2cgWAvJQgmoW5e0X_Xnj95hl6GKUIk__DKAHl8nZz9kk4Q43o_9iCFqhyitB7m8tLFrGrLh9k0xnf/s400/that%2527s+all+folks.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="400" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOPQTmoeQY6r0BKgRfoVd1yl80y7Yn6t_A7fJpRTB3-BlYgC54gW4vmpSP9nVyzD2cgWAvJQgmoW5e0X_Xnj95hl6GKUIk__DKAHl8nZz9kk4Q43o_9iCFqhyitB7m8tLFrGrLh9k0xnf/s320/that%2527s+all+folks.gif" width="320" /></a></div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-68214253396649699502021-09-20T06:00:00.004-04:002021-09-20T06:00:00.356-04:00I Still Exist!<div style="text-align: justify;">Sorry I've been gone so long. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it on here before, but I've never been good with change or disruptions to my routine. And starting college has definitely been a major change in my routine. Especially since this night owl scheduled herself 8 am classes every day. 35-40 minutes away on a good traffic day, leaving early enough to beat the rush hour traffic. Knowing that she'll get migraines and/or stomach aches if she doesn't get enough sleep which means going to bed several hours earlier than she likes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Wasn't I brilliant?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So yeah, it's been a pretty major change and a little overwhelming, and a lot of other things going on including routine but expensive car repairs and finding out I have osteoarthritis in my right foot (yay, ballet!). But I think I've finally started to settle in and get a handle on what I'm doing (I say as I just finished a 4 test week that had me swamped). Hey, I've started sneaking in a few minutes of reading when I'm waiting for my classes to start, I'm on my fifth <i>Ranger's Apprentice</i> audiobook of the semester (commutes are good for something), I'm loving my statistics class (who knew? actually, I was really looking forward to that one), and in general I like being in school. Which I guess is a good thing given that I'm getting a degree in education so school will be my life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Writing? What's that?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, so I haven't exactly been <i>writing</i> other than adding bits and pieces to random fanfics, BUT that isn't to say I've been ignoring <i>Acktorek</i>. See, going to Realm Makers always seems to tell me I'm missing major pieces in my current WIP. And while the sessions didn't point out <i>all</i> of the missing pieces, they started a snowball effect of noticing all the pieces I don't have. One of the big ones was a series goal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">See, this episodic series format is TOTALLY different from anything I've ever written before. The only series I've written was <i>Time Captives</i> and that actually wasn't intended to be a series. It was one book that kept ballooning until I had to split it into first two then three (two <i>really</i> didn't work structure-wise). Also, <i>Acktorek</i> wasn't originally intended to be a series at all. It started out as a short story from a writing prompt, became a non-serious novel project just to learn to have fun writing again no-stress, then became a serious novel, then I decided to leave it open for a sequel in case I had ideas, then I had a tiny spark of a concept idea and jumped into a sequel knowing next to nothing about what I was doing with it. Sounds like a terrific process, right? Nope.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I want it to be a series because I love the concept, I love Emma and Mitchell, and I have tiny sparks of ideas that I want to develop into full novels. Like space pirates. But even aside from my book specific villains not having a well-defined plan (obvious issue), I realized I really needed something more coherent to tie everything together.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I started looking at series that I enjoy for guidance. Primarily <i>Timeless</i> (somewhat similar concept except time travel, not world travel), and <i>Jedi Apprentice</i> (one of the major inspirations behind Acktorek the company and the concept of the series/structure). I also looked a bit at <i>Jedi Quest</i>, <i>Young Jedi Knights</i>, <i>Monk</i>, and <i>Ranger's Apprentice</i>, though not as much. Some things I noticed were the existence of overarching storylines, recurring villains and other characters, multi-episode/book story arcs and a finale that brings it all together (sometimes that finale is for the series overall, sometimes it's just for the story arc...or sometimes both). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For instance, in <i>Monk</i>, it may not be explicitly mentioned in every episode, but a series long storyline is Trudy's murder. There are pieces along the way that drive it forward, but it's not actually solved until the series finale. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In <i>Timeless</i>, they may be in a different time period with different supporting characters in each episode, but you've got a recurring villain (first Flynn, then Rittenhouse and I'm not going to explain that any better because MAJOR spoilers). You have continuing storylines, like Lucy trying to get her sister back after she was erased by their first trip. You also have Wyatt trying to Back to the Future his dead wife back to life. (And things get way complicated and are not at all what you thought they were, but anyway.) And something the writers said about how they chose where to send them stood out to me. They looked at where they needed the characters' emotional arcs to go in that episode and then picked a time period/historical event that could do that for them. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Jedi Apprentice </i>has multiple story arcs: Xanatos (which has a couple of mini arcs within it, like Melida/Daan), Jenna Zan Arbor, Tahl's kidnapping...and a couple of other books that are more like standalone adventures (my favorite was <i>The Fight for Truth</i> because of baby Siri, but I also liked how the last book brought things full circle by placing Obi-Wan in a situation reminiscent of Melida/Daan and showing how much he's grown and matured since the early part of the series). Then <i>Jedi Quest</i> picks up some of those threads from the previous series with Xanatos's son Granta Omega being the recurring villain, working alongside Jenna Zan Arbor (and Zan Arbor then was a fairly major factor in <i>Last of the Jedi</i>). Not every <i>Jedi Quest</i> book contributes explicitly to the Granta Omega story, but those that don't are still crucial in developing Anakin's emotional journey as well as his relationship with his friends Tru Veld and Darra Thel-Tanis and his rival Ferus Olin, which contributes immensely to the final book titled—wait for it—<i>The Final Showdown</i>. (Super obvious title aside, that book destroyed me as a kid, and again rereading it as an adult, and every time I reread the ending when I pick it up for a moment at the library. I'm never going to get over it. Or the end of <i>Secrets of the Jedi</i>.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All of this is to say, I've been thinking about how episodic series actually work, and what makes them coherent stories even when each installment takes place in a different time or on a different planet (or in a different world). And I've been brainstorming how to accomplish this in <i>Acktorek</i> based on unexplained things in book one, background worldbuilding I did for the post-RM rewrite of book one, and other things that pop into my head. I'm not going to say what I've come up with because (1) it's not solidified yet, and (2) *River Song voice* spoilers, but I'm coming up with stuff. Hopefully it will revolutionize the series and make things really work (and be amazing, obviously). And you're not going to know where it's all heading for awhile because I'm not going to spill, but it <i>will</i> be heading somewhere. (And then maybe I'll rework a plot I came up with for a different project as a next generation story. I'm actually pretty excited about the idea of doing that.) Don't know how long it'll take—I'm not the fastest writer even when I'm <i>not</i> in school—but things are happening, if slowly and not in ways that are easy to see and measure.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And now I'm going to go read because every once in a while I manage to find a little time to do something fun.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ta ta for now!</div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-75161424565910566242021-08-09T06:00:00.020-04:002021-08-09T06:00:00.180-04:00The Mysterious Benedict Society Show Review<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBwwNQRkWJ8xTKBUaEOl6qg2CxwW-WmslxClwT7bvYzBYVxYiipH3zWAuUY9TCzgh4prxsq3bl6SCx2jrqiJGvlW78Ga-UwW_ltF0GxtjRRQBZaFX6AEf2N4ht0Ze1vbKHeUqcgNwqLxU/s1083/The-Mysterious-Benedict-Society-.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1023" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBwwNQRkWJ8xTKBUaEOl6qg2CxwW-WmslxClwT7bvYzBYVxYiipH3zWAuUY9TCzgh4prxsq3bl6SCx2jrqiJGvlW78Ga-UwW_ltF0GxtjRRQBZaFX6AEf2N4ht0Ze1vbKHeUqcgNwqLxU/w378-h400/The-Mysterious-Benedict-Society-.jpeg" width="378" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Mysterious Benedict Society</i> season one is complete!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I first read the book years ago and loved it, then listened to it this year to refresh my memory in preparation for the show. I can't say the details of the book are completely ingrained in my head—twice isn't quite enough for that—but still, it's a book I love and I was anxious to see a well done adaptation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There will be two parts to this review: Spoiler Free and Spoiler Filled (where I'll mostly be talking about specific changes from the book and how I felt about them. Don't worry, I'll give a warning before I head into spoiler territory.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First, what it's about, for those of you who may not know. </div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>After winning a scholarship competition, four gifted orphans are recruited by the peculiar Mr. Benedict for a dangerous mission to save the world from a global crisis known as The Emergency. Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance must infiltrate the mysterious L.I.V.E. Institute to discover the truth behind the crisis. When the headmaster, the sophisticated Dr. Curtain, appears to be behind this worldwide panic, the kids of the Mysterious Benedict Society must devise a plan to defeat him.</i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">On the whole, I really enjoyed the show. Hollywood has a strong history of completely ruining books, totally missing the point, and stripping out the heart of the story. (<i>A Wrinkle in Time </i>2017 comes to mind...) This show stuck to the heart of the book, to the message of it, to the main point. It had the same quirky feel, most of the main characters were true to their book counterparts (I'll get into the ones that were not in the spoiler section), and most of the major plot points were the same.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The kids were well cast. The only one I wasn't sure of for a while was Kate, because I just wasn't feeling a lot of emotion from her performance or seeing a lot of variety of facial expression, but she grew on me. And, I mean, she had her bucket! The bucket's a <i>pretty</i> big deal when it comes to the Great Kate Weather Machine. Reynie was great (I've always felt like I related to him the best), Sticky was pretty spot on, and then there's Constance. Constance was fabulous. They did age her up from the book, which I understand was quite necessary and they completely avoided specifying her age, but man. That personality was spot on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, I'm not sure how much more I can say without a spoiler tag, so here's just some generic comments. It's clean, quirky, fun, relevant to today even though the book came out nearly 15 years ago, enjoyable for all ages, and on the better end of book to screen adaptations, even if it's not at the top of the scale.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>****SPOILERS****</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like I said, the casting of the child characters was good. Each child did a good job embodying the heart of his or her character. Constance especially. She's supposed to be obstinate, stubborn, and, well, in the book she's two. Obviously, they couldn't pull that off, but she still managed to embody Constance Contraire's essential contrary characteristics and just make me feel that she <i>is</i> Constance. Number Two, Rhonda, Milligan, and Miss Perumal were well cast as well. The only thing I'm not sure I care for with the casting of Number Two relative to Mr. Benedict is that she doesn't look significantly younger than him. In the book, both Rhonda and Number Two passed Mr. Benedict's tests, but he couldn't put together a team before they grew up, so he ended up adopting them. TBH I thought Kristen Schaal was older than Tony Hale, but she is younger...just not enough for it to make sense for Mr. Benedict to adopt Number Two. So I guess it's a good thing they never really explained why Number Two and Rhonda are there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr. Curtain, or rather Dr. Curtain as they call him in the show, well, he's different. In the book, Mr. Curtain is in a wheelchair and always wears dark glasses so no one will be able to tell when he falls asleep due to his narcolepsy. In the show, no wheelchair, no glasses, and not only do they not really touch on his narcolepsy until the last episode, when Sticky says that his trigger is anger (as it was in the book) Reynie corrects him that it was actually feeling vulnerable. I feel like they tried to humanize him, particularly by making S.Q. Pedalian his adopted son. In the book, S.Q. was an adult executive who was very loyal to Mr. Curtain, didn't see his evil, and wasn't particularly bright, likely all because of being repeatedly brainswept (having his memories erased). In the show, he's a kid, Mr. Curtain's adopted son, and I guess he is still pretty loyal to Mr. Curtain, but a little more willing to see that something's wrong. They also changed up Mr. Curtain and Mr. Benedict's backstory by having them together in the orphanage until they were twelve, at which point, Mr. Benedict was adopted and Mr. Curtain wasn't. This did create some interesting drama between the brothers, and illustrated how even from a young age Mr. Curtain was all about controlling others, but it completely contradicts <i>The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict</i>. I don't know, I'm not really on board with the changes to Mr. Curtain and S.Q. It kind of worked, but I would have preferred for them to stick to the book on that. Also, just in general, it seems like they forgot about narcolepsy all together for several episodes. Mr. Benedict should have fallen asleep a lot more than he did, and Mr. Curtain shouldn't have waited until the finale to show any signs of narcolepsy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I did like how they added a storyline about the adults. The book is primarily from Reynie's POV, so from the time the kids arrive at the L.I.V.E. Institute until the adults actually join them on the island at the end, we really don't know what they're up to, other than watching from shore and sending the kids messages via riddles in Morse code. So it was cool for them actually to have stuff to do. I felt like it added to the story rather than detracting, and it felt authentic to the tone of the whole story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">TBH, I didn't really like the whole tetherball storyline. It wasn't in the book, and it served to make Martina Crowe a sympathetic character. See, in the book she's a dedicated messenger and she hates the Society, mostly, I think, because she feels threatened by how well the boys are doing and how quickly they become Messengers. She's a minor antagonist to them (minor because Mr. Curtain is obviously the primary antagonist). In the show, Kate fake-befriends her to get her keycard (rather than using a code found on a note S.Q. left for himself), then betrays/frames her, then Kate confesses and that makes Martina decide they're friends after all so she helps defend Kate in the finale. It was kind of weird. I don't want Martina to be good.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Which somewhat leads into another change I was disappointed about, though maybe I shouldn't have been? See, in the book, when Kate gets back from her scouting mission, her sneakers are wet, so Reynie spills orange juice on them so there's an obvious reason for that. Jackson and Martina, trying to track down a spy (Kate), don't find the clues they're looking for in her bucket, so the kids think she's safe. Until it's mentioned that Jackson lost his licorice, which is on the bottom of Kate's shoe. The kids pass it around to get it away from Kate, but Constance eats it, and looks a little green, which they blame on a fake stomach bug the boys supposedly had earlier in the book. Which gives the kids the idea to make everyone get a "stomach bug" to ensure that Sticky and Reynie are the only Messengers available for use in the Improvement wherein Mr. Curtain will boost the power on the Whisperer and totally control everyone. They...skip all of that by having Sticky be Mr. Curtain's favorite Messenger. I guess maybe they thought everyone at the Institute puking was a little gross or something, but I was disappointed they changed it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Whisperer was (mostly) done very well. The only thing I didn't like about what they did with it was that they had it get to Sticky to the point that he was turned against the Society for about an episode and a half before he snapped out of it. But it was that perfect soothing that's actually secretly sinister and Constance breaking it by simply being her obstinate (and also somewhat psychic) self was fabulous.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All along the way, though, there would be little things out of the books that made me very happy. There were almost no changes to the tests at the beginning, even down to Number Two mistakenly saying that children caught cheating would be executed. 😂 Reynie gave Mr. Curtain ribbon bookmarks so they could spy on his notes, they had to help the girls cheat in class, they did get rid of the mud in the Waiting Room but I guess that's a minor thing, a lot of the riddles were from the book, Milligan was very Milligan and while they didn't delve into his proper reunion with Kate what they did give us was sweet, Miss Perumal still wanted to adopt Reynie, they broke the Whisperer and Mr. Benedict got Mr. Curtain's men to stand down by pretending to be his brother, Mr. Curtain got away so he can wreak havoc in the next installment...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>****END SPOILERS****</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the whole, <i>The Mysterious Benedict Society</i> on Disney+ was an enjoyable, satisfying adaptation. Even if they deviated from the storyline and certain character portrayals at times, they did appear to understand the true heart of the book and Mr. Curtain's plot, as well as who each of the four kids truly is.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yes, I'm going to nitpick the differences. Always. <i>The Hunger Games</i> movies are pretty darn high on my book-to-screen satisfaction scale and I still nitpick the changes they made with those (particularly the omissions of Madge Undersee and Delly Cartwright and how splitting <i>Mockingjay</i> into two parts totally messed up the story structure...and how they made Gale a nobler character by totally changing the reason he was whipped in CF).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Even so, this is an adaptation I'd watch again. That's definitely a recommendation from me, since I flatly refuse to rewatch <i>Johnny Tremain, Ella Enchanted, The Secret of NIMH, Caddie Woodlawn, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, A Wrinkle in Time </i>(2017)<i>, The Westing Game, The Tale of Despereaux,</i> won't even try <i>Percy Jackson</i>...you get the picture. This show isn't perfect, but it's still a good one. The book is still better, as it always is, but this is a good adaptation that hopefully will lead to more of my beloved Society. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">P.S. I don't honestly know how much I'll be blogging going forward. School starts in a week, and until I'm in it, I don't know how much I'll be swamped with homework. Also, with that limited time, working on <i>Acktorek 2</i> will be more of a priority than blogging, which I'm sure <i>Acktorek </i>fans will appreciate. But I'll try to pop in here once in a while to let you know I'm not dead. 😉</div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-29548661604705047582021-07-26T06:00:00.026-04:002021-07-26T06:00:00.201-04:00Realm Makers 2021 Recap<div style="text-align: justify;">Realm Makers was awesome! Still one of the best experiences of my life. There's nothing quite like Realm Makers. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before the conference started on Thursday, I, my sister, and our other roommates, Jaye L. Knight and Tricia Mingerink, went over to the St. Louis Science Center. It was cool and we had a good time hanging out. Then it was time for the conference!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Frank Peretti's keynote was really inspiring, and I had no idea he was so hilarious! He talked a lot about having a long term perspective rather than being focused on the difficulties of our current circumstances and really, about how God knows what He's doing. The things that seem bad now may actually turn out to be the best things for us. We don't want to end up marrying Hephzibah. 😉 It was also really great having a mentor session with Frank Peretti. Tricia hadn't gotten an appointment, so I invited her to come along to mine just as she'd invited me on her appointment to see Jill Williamson last time. I really enjoy doing mentor sessions together. It's a lot of fun. And we had a good conversation that reminded me to go back to the basics when plotting my stories. I really think I've been overcomplicating things.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1764ZGHA37iEMYP7AxwIwbH57L4kpqruSpRKGBFP9FktGxaZoE34yz6Q4bDamcJDGmUt9g2KMLI2FEh6E3hKUrKnqXb4sqqClPxHwMgVi446yIY1TegyqTGfVK2DZAEH5gIOLJ9wpOITo/s1024/20210716_195507364_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1764ZGHA37iEMYP7AxwIwbH57L4kpqruSpRKGBFP9FktGxaZoE34yz6Q4bDamcJDGmUt9g2KMLI2FEh6E3hKUrKnqXb4sqqClPxHwMgVi446yIY1TegyqTGfVK2DZAEH5gIOLJ9wpOITo/s320/20210716_195507364_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Frank Peretti after my mentor session</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Kara Swanson's <i>Shadow </i>launch party was a lot of fun, though I didn't get any pictures. I still need to read <i>Dust</i>, but I'm certainly planning on it! It's been on my (way too massive) library to read list for awhile and I'm looking forward to it. So many books, so little time!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I went to all of Caleb Breakey's marketing sessions, and they were good. The biggest takeaway I had was that we should all be ourselves. God made us unique from each other. He put His thumbprint on each one of us. We can admire other authors, but we can't be them. We have to stick to the truth of who we are. If we try to be someone else other than who God made us to be, we'll only be miserable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also, I met Nadine Brandes!!! She is so super awesome! I even got a hug. 😊 Yes, I carted all five of her (not exactly small) books to St. Louis and had them signed. I had to! My backpack was a lot lighter once I took them and my signed Frank Peretti books back to the room... Seriously, though, meeting Nadine was one of the big highlights of the whole experience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7HNjq-AQwLNh4ty27JFhS57M7RhwR48HrICsIDMD5ruoJWy2L4_2vA02pjAa8qrOA6OLROYaXcioDTTCJvqyP7Rs59bpVP5RfzYVEnPd5SgqQFlNFyxj2Z_JD59JsJnpHFbviwMKi_3i/s2048/20210718_011232705_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7HNjq-AQwLNh4ty27JFhS57M7RhwR48HrICsIDMD5ruoJWy2L4_2vA02pjAa8qrOA6OLROYaXcioDTTCJvqyP7Rs59bpVP5RfzYVEnPd5SgqQFlNFyxj2Z_JD59JsJnpHFbviwMKi_3i/s320/20210718_011232705_iOS.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadine is so awesome!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of meeting authors...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDmxvI9mTe5U0AFwpwENlpCUupfx6HKc11bb27RY46zHGTtckivGhwuOwQB3b7OpJQmTtClsbjURZ0GaJJ6KRAUPe-GXQ7ys1PgblrWJklhoSEcOGXDybu-oocU_xkXPkX8G9hvfq5v0j/s2048/20210716_162617238_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDmxvI9mTe5U0AFwpwENlpCUupfx6HKc11bb27RY46zHGTtckivGhwuOwQB3b7OpJQmTtClsbjURZ0GaJJ6KRAUPe-GXQ7ys1PgblrWJklhoSEcOGXDybu-oocU_xkXPkX8G9hvfq5v0j/s320/20210716_162617238_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sister and me with Dave Wolverton/David Farland!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is Dave Wolverton, author of <i>The Courtship of Princess Leia </i>and <i>Jedi Apprentice: The Rising Force</i>! I've met a for real <i>Star Wars</i> author! We didn't realize it was him beforehand since he was listed as David Farland, which is the name under which he writes fantasy. But yes, it's the same guy, and yeah, we were totally fangirling over his <i>Star Wars</i> books when we went to meet him. I haven't been able to watch his sessions yet (he was in the room they were having trouble streaming and I've been too busy playing with our new kitten to watch them even if they were available last week, though as of yesterday, they're finally up), but my sister went to them and they sound pretty awesome. He was really cool and my only regret is that I didn't realize ahead of time who he was and order a copy of <i>The Courtship of Princess Leia </i>to have signed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My favorite sessions were Carla Hoch's. She's hilarious ("No one's getting stabbed sloppy on my watch." "This is a bullet wound. It's all cleaned up and ready for church.") and super informative. She taught three classes on wounds and fighting and they were all really cool...in spite of some graphic wound pictures. 😝 She initially took one self defense class because she needed to write a fight scene, and then she just kept on taking classes on all kinds of different fighting techniques and learning about all kinds of different injuries. She wrote <i>Fight Write</i> to share her knowledge and help other authors with their fight scenes, and I can't wait to dive into it! Also, I had a really productive mentor session with her where she helped me brainstorm some much needed worldbuilding for <i>Acktorek: The Vanished</i>. She's great.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3zQq19ES-SK07r888a9QuZ6ToRFC_dLu3UB8QbkBV1NXHpCN8l8KYrNTrbJA1n2zgRZ7ER_Af88tPZOHtxKFUePjsvKwYB5lOlgVF7GfnHPYNCzXfIwA7tcUY5l93ilDnoUr6p9plJA2/s2048/20210717_150149563_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3zQq19ES-SK07r888a9QuZ6ToRFC_dLu3UB8QbkBV1NXHpCN8l8KYrNTrbJA1n2zgRZ7ER_Af88tPZOHtxKFUePjsvKwYB5lOlgVF7GfnHPYNCzXfIwA7tcUY5l93ilDnoUr6p9plJA2/s320/20210717_150149563_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At my mentor session with Carla Hoch</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course I have to talk about the awards banquet. It was so much fun! SOOOOOO many people stopped us for a picture. It was great. I even had a little boy (who was dressed as the Eleventh Doctor) ask me "Are you Obi-Wan?" Certainly made me happy. 😊 And mostly it was fun because it was a thing we did together. I mean, the four of us did a lot of things together (including eating at Fuzzy's probably a few more times than was good for us), but doing a group cosplay is tons of fun. And there were lots of other great costumes as well. My favorites were probably Kate Wetherall, Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope, and of course Baby Toothless and Family (Hiccup and Astrid). I mean, how can you really beat a baby dressed as Toothless? It was the most adorable thing. And some really awesome-sounding books won awards! Between my sister and I, we brought several of them home, and I can't wait to dive into them!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikIvm8yAiqL2Ta9WZUK5Y3wxge7smlNbs1kkPewf-9NbooCHUgyBWULDyit2Ah8C0jN_wFmd-Lq1-0yy-40gSFA_CqDT1hZsMrVxKR3E-htn87lccnQQt84fiwG4qSgLq2sLn5MFFiQvh/s960/20210717_043954423_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikIvm8yAiqL2Ta9WZUK5Y3wxge7smlNbs1kkPewf-9NbooCHUgyBWULDyit2Ah8C0jN_wFmd-Lq1-0yy-40gSFA_CqDT1hZsMrVxKR3E-htn87lccnQQt84fiwG4qSgLq2sLn5MFFiQvh/s320/20210717_043954423_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rex, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka before the banquet<br />AKA Tricia, Addy, Me, Jaye</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The book festival was fun too. Chocolate covered strawberries and meeting Sara Ella who was also really awesome and hanging out with my friends and chatting with fellow Realmies and just wishing it wasn't all about to end. Then Addy, Jaye, Tricia, and I went out to the fountain to chat about everything from our characters to the Bible, again, trying to forget that it was coming to an end.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-CT4Uw61XaBrK_r2J6s3NaTbNQONXhTZv1iSQ3Q2sK2tk_dRp7Dg-x57wcpw5NmDWufl5hbTUCHuj6H-BL0szcLtoR8ttW163RQw3sB0648gdOjI2QeMnbM5UZfvd-mZvPlnusWnE_q6/s2048/20210718_005555911_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-CT4Uw61XaBrK_r2J6s3NaTbNQONXhTZv1iSQ3Q2sK2tk_dRp7Dg-x57wcpw5NmDWufl5hbTUCHuj6H-BL0szcLtoR8ttW163RQw3sB0648gdOjI2QeMnbM5UZfvd-mZvPlnusWnE_q6/s320/20210718_005555911_iOS.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Sara Ella at the book festival</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The worst part of Realm Makers is saying goodbye. It's a really unique group of people, and there's really nowhere else that's just as (if not more) focused on building your faith as on building your writing craft and author platform. And Jaye and Tricia are some of my very best friends. I'm very glad we text each other all the time, but it's not the same as hanging out in person for days, talking about everything under the sun, learning new things, meeting cool people, and building up and supporting each other. But alas, the time always comes to go home.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_miodDQV9fnLwl2oPxkbOJ3i5ynWk-aXVbmn5WiHwgn_eJyNEYIoec-3wWLW5S8OpHn5pcWXLud8qtpYtwjOXOdbc1gr1kK4TRwSaKnG86PQKLODtxzimxEJ4PY7cXOQ-e6v2caRAf7v8/s1024/20210719_020927094_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_miodDQV9fnLwl2oPxkbOJ3i5ynWk-aXVbmn5WiHwgn_eJyNEYIoec-3wWLW5S8OpHn5pcWXLud8qtpYtwjOXOdbc1gr1kK4TRwSaKnG86PQKLODtxzimxEJ4PY7cXOQ-e6v2caRAf7v8/s320/20210719_020927094_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last picture before going home 😢</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Still, I now know that I am capable of driving halfway across the country, even through cities (though I'm still not sure I'm ready to tackle downtown Atlanta...metro is enough for now). I may not like it, but I can survive. And audiobooks like <i>William Shakespeare's Star Wars</i> and <i>Thrawn: Alliances</i> make the drive much better.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And then last Tuesday we got a kitten! I know it's not really Realm Makers related, but I have to mention him, because he's super cute and 100% the reason I haven't gotten much done this week. He's sleeping on me as I'm writing this, and it's the sweetest thing ever. His name is Pippin after Peregrine Took, his birthday is Star Wars Day, and even though I've never been much of a cat person, I already love him dearly. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9v2fbZiOokp5nQBa_g9D_zAbEqklsI50dios5SRbcIF0uYv33H740DfaS_BXV-nXGDz8B0ctElfpr_gXD_A2oA_da4Xof6Ezhz7iAOQcXc0D5lCR_sBP1osWmDZOhymtG8yI21D51LOa/s2000/20210721_175343271_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1501" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9v2fbZiOokp5nQBa_g9D_zAbEqklsI50dios5SRbcIF0uYv33H740DfaS_BXV-nXGDz8B0ctElfpr_gXD_A2oA_da4Xof6Ezhz7iAOQcXc0D5lCR_sBP1osWmDZOhymtG8yI21D51LOa/s320/20210721_175343271_iOS.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamCDrXuAX_okbwshc8KcC2Y3DoJ3zJOfhywIu49QXWns67Kuwzd-MuvnH3RoKL9S4wegA23DcI5XXp8s5Dzm12AMxypZ8_D9Cn9YVi2DP5NX7ivzTttuyX4U4VPoBvw4DECAbK616whmc/s2048/20210721_200549883_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamCDrXuAX_okbwshc8KcC2Y3DoJ3zJOfhywIu49QXWns67Kuwzd-MuvnH3RoKL9S4wegA23DcI5XXp8s5Dzm12AMxypZ8_D9Cn9YVi2DP5NX7ivzTttuyX4U4VPoBvw4DECAbK616whmc/s320/20210721_200549883_iOS.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pippin watching <i>The Clone Wars</i> 😍</td></tr></tbody></table>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-64911016207637939122021-07-12T06:00:00.001-04:002021-07-12T06:00:00.224-04:00Costume Pictures, Realm Makers is Almost Here, and I Actually Wrote Something!<div style="text-align: justify;"> Yeah, I don't have a fun, snappy title for this.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, I passed my last CLEP test last week, so I've gotten back into writing. It's not going as fast as I wish it would, since I'm blazing a new trail right now, but it's interesting, and, as my friend reminded me, "books are written one word at a time." Still, I'm determined to finish this draft of <i>The Vanished</i> before I start school in mid August. I <i>really</i> want to have it done by then. And maybe this time the second half will work well enough to just edit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's my writing update. Can you tell I've already killed my brain with studying? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, Realm Makers is THIS WEEK!!! I CANNOT WAIT. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But I know what you really want to see after that title. Costumessssssss.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I finished them! And of course my sister and I had to try imitating the poses from the <i>Revenge of the Sith</i> promo photos. Which was fun. If you're on my email list, you've already seen some of these, but I have more. Here ya go. Let me know in the comments what you think!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMuctKEzifctJlqLSpwuXez8xNbrcklTCBa1nd_IQtQInqSSv4ELZGJfQTk7CVJMGK0iJRcBw3BmaJfOYTMiGSeN4pbYFTDDvpNUkyb65By4mYm4CpXxXA7ziM6f0E_MUoN4H2ozFHnoq/s2048/IMG_3294+w+lightsaber+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMuctKEzifctJlqLSpwuXez8xNbrcklTCBa1nd_IQtQInqSSv4ELZGJfQTk7CVJMGK0iJRcBw3BmaJfOYTMiGSeN4pbYFTDDvpNUkyb65By4mYm4CpXxXA7ziM6f0E_MUoN4H2ozFHnoq/w266-h400/IMG_3294+w+lightsaber+2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2YwKpsas8ra0Z6CyWOq4ZurpWt4PNtawHp6-9noDRfKmd_0x5p4bfMJ4VzUQmdL0Wp2wXcClFNfHwnH0MIwvVbcuaJFKrp_ho2pr_6-4OEocuv9sxlX6q3vELaQzRUECTdp8XLm5hFeT/s2048/IMG_3296+w+lightsaber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2YwKpsas8ra0Z6CyWOq4ZurpWt4PNtawHp6-9noDRfKmd_0x5p4bfMJ4VzUQmdL0Wp2wXcClFNfHwnH0MIwvVbcuaJFKrp_ho2pr_6-4OEocuv9sxlX6q3vELaQzRUECTdp8XLm5hFeT/w266-h400/IMG_3296+w+lightsaber.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguItmzS6Z5hy1mUwD_Was76mOT3eTkWzy4mPeWH87PqnU7RctM3EXO7v5aCppS9iNs9EFzNOoohzg4NkR_BLyNUgFcuyT7yBI_CnKfRdIbXAgWa3LFanLtQPp4jp3qhMqYxeb7mo3L4Nn4/s2048/IMG_3303+w+lightsabers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguItmzS6Z5hy1mUwD_Was76mOT3eTkWzy4mPeWH87PqnU7RctM3EXO7v5aCppS9iNs9EFzNOoohzg4NkR_BLyNUgFcuyT7yBI_CnKfRdIbXAgWa3LFanLtQPp4jp3qhMqYxeb7mo3L4Nn4/w266-h400/IMG_3303+w+lightsabers.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhk4CblTnHAc-oyyMXxtOtf7hW8r4-9aFzfYHkMEBHyZgY6LF31peS_1rDLG_AlpR5RAFavgY5npeyFgcV_ALtPyI36iOlk-UOzDcDeITNTAKThgLs2Nqoc8C_u5ijzF-bu636bXlR5G0/s2048/IMG_3372+w+lightsabers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhk4CblTnHAc-oyyMXxtOtf7hW8r4-9aFzfYHkMEBHyZgY6LF31peS_1rDLG_AlpR5RAFavgY5npeyFgcV_ALtPyI36iOlk-UOzDcDeITNTAKThgLs2Nqoc8C_u5ijzF-bu636bXlR5G0/w266-h400/IMG_3372+w+lightsabers.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273458842532393822.post-23643825058705593742021-06-21T06:00:00.001-04:002021-06-21T06:00:00.204-04:00Interview with C.E. Stone, Author of Starganauts<div style="text-align: justify;">Today C.E. Stone is visiting my blog to talk about her new Christian space opera, <i>Starganauts</i>! I haven't read it yet, but it sounds pretty cool. I mean, how could it not? She was inspired by <i>Star Wars</i> and LOTR. 😊<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First, a little bit about the book.</div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfit6u0zf39rv6MLN2uYFWt0iVSOYNRnouPDlv6tQjx8-JkjZiD8glfm60EMKaNJAjorm83buHwIbAcj6jZEvUVi5NHaLNv_JrYJYgtVYZIML2ool6BO1LG4SuqyNM3mpRRpt0wDzoUGYL/s2048/SG+Cover+John.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1349" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfit6u0zf39rv6MLN2uYFWt0iVSOYNRnouPDlv6tQjx8-JkjZiD8glfm60EMKaNJAjorm83buHwIbAcj6jZEvUVi5NHaLNv_JrYJYgtVYZIML2ool6BO1LG4SuqyNM3mpRRpt0wDzoUGYL/s320/SG+Cover+John.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">K<i>aity Anderson was a new bride on her wedding day. Samantha Harris was an engineer who had given up all to follow God.</i></div></i><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Kaity’s reception is ruined when an alien gunship incinerates the surface of Earth. Rescued from the apocalypse by a strange prophetess, Kaity, her husband, and five others are drawn across the galaxy. While the prophetess promises God has a plan, Kaity grows increasingly desperate as their chances of survival—and water supply—dwindle.</i></div></i><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Samantha didn’t ask to be God’s prophetess. Yet once she answers the call, the Spirit leads her to an inhospitable world with Kaity and several of Earth’s survivors. Hounded by the master of the gunship, the Earthlings search for water as their alien pursuers and dehydration close in. Only God’s promise of a future in a distant city gives Samantha any hope of survival. But could the answer to all their problems lie in eight, mysterious orbs? The discovery of these crystals will change their lives—and the destiny of galaxies—forever.</i></div></i><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Thus begins Starganauts, a clean, compelling Christian space opera adventure by C.E. Stone. Fans of Star Wars and Star Trek will enjoy this series that explores how God’s plan prevails, even against impossible odds.</i></div></i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://buy.bookfunnel.com/cfskgfxq1i" target="_blank">Buy Now</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And now for the interview!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Where did you get the idea for <i>Starganauts</i>?</b></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I can’t give you a single source. The idea first came to me as I was playing Legos as a child, and grew as I continued watching many sci-fi shows and movies. <i>Star Wars</i>, <i>Star Trek</i>, <i>Starcraft</i>, <i>Lord of the Rings</i>, and <i>Titan A.E.</i> all influenced it. I grew up with the first 2 franchises, which cultivated my love of sci-fi. “Knights of the Old Republic,” in particular, inspired some of my characters’ backstories. The <i>Lord of the Rings</i> inspired me to create an expansive history and universe. The video game <i>Starcraft</i> influenced my actual stories and peoples, as I literally created <i>Starganauts</i> stories using their world-builder and making mock video game campaigns. <i>Titan A.E.</i> is where the premise comes from: the end of Earth was their beginning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Which of the characters is most like you?</b></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kaity Anderson. I’ve often been described as empathetic, cheerful, and an encourager. I like to be there for others in hard times. Yet I’m timid by nature, I don’t like being in the spotlight, and change is hard for me. My character Kaity is very much like this. She’s a quiet, behind-the-scenes encourager. She likes to make sure everyone is okay, and she prefers a predictable life. Indeed, the only great differences in our personalities are that I’m a fairly content/cheerful person and I don’t have trouble letting go of the past. Kaity is discontent, struggling to accept reality and move on from the loss of what she wanted her life to be.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What was the hardest part of writing this book? The easiest part?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Figuring out the science. I have a great love for science, and God’s creation continually blows my mind. Unfortunately, I have a terrible memory for scientific facts! I can read about infrared sensors and 100% understand how they work, in the moment. 15 minutes later, I’ve forgotten most of what I just read, so I have to reread everything again to incorporate scientific elements into my story. I lean heavily on my husband to help me, because facts and data are my weakness. He’s got a brain wired for science, and will give me answers that often blend actual science with theoretical. It helps immensely when I’m writing space opera.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The easiest part was world-building. I’d already created a rich history, distinct worlds, and varied aliens over 7 years of Lego play. It was super fun finally realizing all these cultures and planets on the page. I also enjoyed updating some of my sillier childhood ideas, making them sound plausible or even cool. I enjoy world-building and, if anything, I have to scale back from including TOO much detail. 😂</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is your favorite thing about writing?</b></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Writing is a way I connect with God and glorify Him through my words. My favorite moments are when I’m typing away and the Holy Spirit suddenly fills my mind with an idea. I know it’s totally not what I had planned, but I go with it…and the result is an incredible scene. Consequently, my favorite thing about writing is being inspired by the Holy Spirit. And those exact scenes are often the ones that touch people the most.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What do you hope readers get out of <i>Starganauts</i>?</b></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That God works through even the most impossible odds. He is living and active in our lives, and has a plan and a purpose for us. That He can bring beauty out of the deepest tragedy and that He loves us, not for what we accomplish on our own strength, but for the simple fact that He made us. Our identity rests securely in Him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Those are the messages I hope to convey as an encouragement to fellow Christians. For those who aren’t believers, if they do read my book, I hope to demonstrate that Jesus is real, relevant, and that His grace and mercy are only a prayer away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks for interviewing me and for your fantastic questions!</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You're welcome! It was great to have you!</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Make sure you go check out <i><a href="https://buy.bookfunnel.com/cfskgfxq1i " target="_blank">Starganauts</a></i>! </div><br /> </div>Morgan Hunekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090224903186681429noreply@blogger.com0