Ilyon Chronicles discussion

Since other books are mentioned quite a bit on other discussions, I thought I'd create a topic devoted to discussing books other than Ilyon. 'Cause we all love to read, right? ;)

Jaye wrote: "Since other books are mentioned quite a bit on other discussions, I thought I'd create a topic devoted to discussing books other than Ilyon. 'Cause we all love to read, right? ;)"

YAY! Do you have some favorite Fantasy authors Jaye?

Ooo, choosing a favorite author, or book for that matter, is tough. Tolkien is probably my all time favorite since I probably wouldn't be a fantasy author if not for Lord of the Rings. Besides that, my two favorite fantasy series are Books of the Infinite by R.J. Larson and The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. I also really enjoy Wayne Thomas Batson's books and Ranger's Apprentice.

Though fantasy is my favorite genre, I also LOVE historical fiction. My all time favorite historical book right now is Chasing the Lion by Nancy Kimball. It's amazing. I can hardly wait for the next two books in the series. I also devour anything Karen Witemeyer writes.

My top authors are C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Bryan Davis, and Jaye L. Knight.

Do y'all have any recommendations for good historical fiction books?

well there's "the American Adventure Series" there's 3 different series with that name, one is more kids. I forget if the second series is more kid or Any age but that one is just historical I think. and there's " The Hollow Tree" by Janet Lunn. and one series about the underground railroad is the "The Riverboat Adventures" but those r all kids books but I'm not sure what others there are. OK I got a random question, if you lived during the revolutionary war would you be a loyalist or a patriot?

Elizabeth George Speare's books are some of my favorite historical fiction, as is Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes.

And I would definitely be a patriot. No doubt.

Hope wrote: "Do y'all have any recommendations for good historical fiction books?"
Any of the Dear America series are pretty good (I've read quite a few of them).
The Eagle of the Ninth. It's the first of a trilogy that aren't really related (I haven't read the rest, but I loved this one).
Killer Angels. A really in-depth fictional story on the Battle of Gettysberg in the Civil War (I liked it a lot).

I would be a Loyalist! the Patriots annoyed me especially the "Sons of Liberty" they were so mean and it wasn't the soldiers fault they had a bad king! I mean they were hated and people never even considered that they wanted to back with there family's to! but one thing most people don't realize was that England was in a war so he did have a good reason to tax but then he did get way out of hand with it! ( idk maybe I was reading books that more leaned on the Loyalists side)

Awesome! I'll have to check those out.
I'd definitely be a patriot. I value my freedom too much to be a loyalist. :D
I love Johnny Tremain! I really need to read it again . . .
I've read quite a few of the Dear America series. Do you know how many there are?

Yeah. I understand the loyalists' viewpoints and their reasons, but I have always sided with the patriots. I thought the excessive taxing was awful. I also think that King George should have let the colonies have a bigger say in Parliament. Now if I actually lived in the 1700s, I'm not completely sure which side I would be on. I think it's one of those "you don't know what you'll do until you're in that situation" kind of things. But I like to think I would be a patriot. :)

Yeah I know I definitely like my freedom to, and I'm am glad America won, but I guess I feel sorry for the solders. (also there was a lot of people in England who wanted America to win)

Really? I've never thought about that before. But now that you mention it, it does make sense.

It also makes me made that the Patriots burned the Loyalist's homes in New York

Yeah. Like with every army, there are some thieves and hate filled soldiers that steal food and raid and burn peoples' homes, and I in no way support their actions. Just their cause.

yeah I agree! wow that was fun

I love ranting

Okay. To butt in on your conversation of Loyalists and Patriots... I'd have to say I'd be a Patriot (I think anyways, you never know). It's really England's King's fault that the Revolutionary War happened. He taxed them over top of them being taxed with their own governments (it wasn't because the tax was too big). It's like living in California and getting taxed from New York (while you're being taxed from California). The Americans tried every other possible way to get out of having a war, but the King wouldn't listen (some say he was mad). So yeah, I definitely feel bad for the Loyalist soldiers and everyone who was hurt by that war.

yeah I guess I just pity the soldiers and got mad at the Patriots. (guilty as charged);)

Hope wrote: "Do y'all have any recommendations for good historical fiction books?"

Bodie and Brock Thoene's books are good. Saga of the Sierras, Zion Chronicles, and the Shiloh Legacy are the series I've read so far. I haven't read them in a while (so many books, so little time! ;)), but I'm definitely going to be rereading them soon.
From what I remember, the romance is a main ingredient of the plot (for Zion Chronicles). Not "in your face romance," but to me, it kind of seemed a bit "too fast, too quick." That might just be me, though.

Warning/note: Some of it gets pretty intense. Not graphic, but it's shocking/moving enough to make you go, "Oh. My. No. No, this can't have happened. No way did people survive through this, no way did this...just...*bite lip and fight the urge to cry*" kind of a thing.
I started reading them when I was--fourteen, I think?--and for one of the books ("In My Father's House", Shiloh Legacy), I had to set it down for almost a month before I had the heart to pick it up again and find out what happened to a few of the characters.

These are series that you go through slowly and chew on for a really long time afterwards. Then when you start to forget some of it, read them again. :)

And all this talk about Patriots vs. Loyalists reminded me of something.
A totally fun, amazing game!!!

http://www.mission-us.org/

Mission 1 is called For Crown or Colony, and it's basically a small twist-a-plot. Here's the description:
"It's 1770. You are Nat Wheeler, a 14-year old apprentice in Boston. When fighting starts, what will you do?"
I ended up leaning more towards the Patriots loyalties. ;)

Oh, and cool thing about Mission 1: it doesn't stop after the fighting ends! You get to pick what Nat Wheeler's future is going to be, and some options won't be available if you didn't play your cards right early on in the game!
Like I said, it's fun. XD

Wow that game looks super fun! I wish I could play it on my tablet

I don't have a flash player I'll have to borrow my sisters laptop so I can play it

OK I feel the sudden urge to get out of my bed and scream "THE BRITISH ARE COMING!" that's probably not the best idea considering what time it is;)

Wow guys! That game looks so cool! I'll totally check it out. :D Anyway, I'll also check out those books. They sound pretty good.

Hope wrote: "I love Johnny Tremain! I really need to read it again . . . "

It's amazing, isn't it? It's my favorite ever Revolutionary War book.

I feel like I need to say some things about the Revolution. For credentials, thanks to now Congressman Barry Loudermilk, I've grown up around this stuff as well as studying it many times in many ways, and, um, I'm the girl who reads the Declaration of Independence for fun. Because I love it.

There were absolutely bad people on both sides. There always will be. That's just human nature. It's all because of sin. We can blame Adam and Eve for that. :) And there's a reason John Adams defended the British soldiers in the incident of the Boston Massacre. He was on the side of law and justice, no matter if his side was the one at fault.

But my main thing is the taxation without representation. It seems to be the only issue that gets talked about, but of the twenty seven grievances in the Declaration of Independence it's only one. The king refused his assent to necessary laws, he forbade the governors to pass laws of pressing importance and neglected to attend to them, he called legislative bodies together into distant and uncomfortable places away from public records to fatigue them into compliance with his measures, he dissolved Representative Houses for defending the people's rights, he obstructed legal immigration, controlled the judges by making them dependent on him for the tenure of their offices and payment of their salaries, he kept standing armies among the colonies in times of peace without the consent of their legislatures, he made the army independent of and superior to the civil government (military rule), quartered troops among them (he could force people to house and feed his soldiers at their own expense), protected the soldiers from punishment for any murders they committed by mock trial, cut off trade with all parts of the world, imposed taxes without their consent, deprived the colonists in many cases of trial by jury, transported them beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences, took away charters abolishing laws and altering fundamentally the forms of their governments, declared the colonies out of his protection and waged war against them, plundered the seas and ravaged the coasts and burnt the towns, captured American citizens on the seas and forced them to fight in his army.

That's all paraphrased out of the Declaration of Independence. There are a few I skipped because I didn't want to go too long, but they also deal with these same exact issues.

The colonists tried to resolve it peacefully. Right after the grievances, the Declaration states, "In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."

I highly recommend you read The Declaration of Independence. It's actually not all that long. I also recommend HBO's John Adams miniseries. There are a few things to skip (a tar and feathering in one of the first two episodes, some of the stuff in France, and a breast cancer surgery towards the end), but it's very well done and gives you an idea of what things were really like for the Founding Fathers.

Sorry this post is so long. Bonus points if you make it all the way through. :) (and sorry if this is off topic. :P )

Wow you remind me of my brother! he's incredibly good at history to! wow that was really detailed!

Sorry this post is so long. Bonus points if you make it all the way through. :) (and sorry if this is off topic. :P )"

I made it through! XD But then I'm a total history and Rev War buff, so...

Yeah, I'd definitely be a patriot. That's what I portray when I do my historical reenactments. Oh yeah, and as long as we're on the topic, I'm George Washington's second cousin eleven (or something like that) times removed. My great aunt has the family tree mapped out to prove it. :D

oh my word that is so cool!

I would definitely be a Patriot too. (I mean, it might be different if I wasn't American.) But for all justice, I would fight for my freedom.

Thanks for the history lesson, Morgan! Wow! I like that a lot. :) I'm gonna go read the Declaration now :P

Jaye, that is really cool! :) History is awesome.

(I find it funny that we are getting extremely off-topic on this off-topic thread. That's okay though. XD)

I read The Declaration of Independence. It was interesting.

My brother just got a cool replica of it. The first thing he did was joke about seeing if there was a hidden treasure map on the back. Lol!

No way!!! I would totally do the same thing. XD I have a copy of the constitution and I told my family that I needed to check the back for a map. Hehe. (Not the same...but still. It even smelled like lemon juice.)

Jaye wrote: "I made it through! XD But then I'm a total history and Rev War buff, so... Oh yeah, and as long as we're on the topic, I'm George Washington's second cousin eleven (or something like that) times removed. My great aunt has the family tree mapped out to prove it. :D "

:) That is so super cool! We're supposedly related to William the Conqueror, but I don't think anyone's proved it, and the only thing I like about that is that it would also mean we're related to Richard, Duke of Normandy who I liked in The Little Duke.

Amanda wrote: "Thanks for the history lesson, Morgan! Wow! I like that a lot. :) I'm gonna go read the Declaration now :P"

You're welcome! I honestly really love the Declaration. Like, once I was delaying getting dressed and starting school because I was reading it. I'm definitely an American history nerd. :)

Jaye wrote: "My brother just got a cool replica of it. The first thing he did was joke about seeing if there was a hidden treasure map on the back. Lol!"

Cool! We have a copy on parchment. I tried to read that one once, but I lost my place and couldn't find it again, so I had to go find a little booklet of the Declaration and Constitution where it's normal print. We have a ton of those laying around. That actually reminds me of what Barry Loudermilk said he told a guy who works at the Library of Congress. He said the first thing he wanted to check out was the President's Book of Secrets. And the librarian apparently didn't know he was joking, and said, "You know that isn't real, right?" I find it amusing. :)

OK everyone I'm sorry to interrupt this conversation, but I ordered "Truth" a little while ago and it just came today and I just got to say, THE COVER IS BEAUTIFUL!

I haven't read it, but that is awesome!

I'm really excited! I can't wait to read it! Jaye you have absolutely gorgeous book covers!!!!!:)

I made it through, Morgan. :D And I'm totally going to go read the Declaration now.
Yeah, I absolutely love history. Specifically the American Revolution and World War II. I don't know why, but those two wars absolutely fascinate me.

And Jaye, that is so incredibly cool! I wish some famous person in history was related to me. :D I know one of my ancestors helped defend some fort {I don't remember which one} from the British.

*pokes head in* *waves shyly* I don't post much, I mostly lurk and enjoy the various conversations across the threads, but this one really piqued my interest. :)

Picking up on the American Revolution and the historical books threads, I recently read a beautiful trilogy by Roseanna M. White, the "Culper Ring" books (though for the longest time, for some reason my mind kept reading it as the Culpeper Ring - how embarrassing). The first is Ring of Secrets the second is Whispers from the Shadows and the final one is Circle of Spies. Each takes place during a crucial war in our country's history (the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, respectively), and is very rich in historical detail. (And the heroine in the final book has a photographic memory, which adds in another very intriguing layer to an already amazing book.) They get better with each book, with the final being my absolute fave in the trilogy. Besides Ilyon Chronicles (top of the list!) and the "Whispers on the Moors" books by Sarah E. Ladd (The Heiress of Winterwood, Headmistress of Rosemere, The, and Lady at Willowgrove Hall, A), they're definitely right up there toward the top of my favorite books lists. (Definitely so in the historical category, though overall it is SO hard to chose favorites. I like so many genres, sometimes I think it's unfair to compare them all against each other. So I usually wind up listing my faves by genre, instead of piling them all together. I think I'm a tad obsessive compulsive, at least when it comes to my books. I like order.) And I can't recommend anything by Karen Witemeyer enough - her work is awesome. Her newest one, A Worthy Pursuit, is my favorite of what she's written so far - I couldn't stop reading! :)

As far as whether I'd be a Patriot or Loyalist... Really, I think solid arguments can be made for both sides, and for me personally, it's one of those situations where I'd have to be there at that time to decide one way or another. But there are other parts of history which have interested me more and I've done more research on than this, so I'm not really sure if I can give too much of an informed answer on the subject, though it is fascinating to think about.

My maternal grandfather did serve in Japan in WWII, though. So I am related to someone who served in a war, though I don't think the blood of anyone famous courses through my veins. But being related to George Washington - that is so cool, Jaye! ^_^

And if you've made it through my post, I congratulate you. I tend to ramble, so my apologies. *fades back into lurk mode*

Wait, we're talking about history now?! AWESOME. I love history, mostly from the late 1700s on, and my favorite is the 1900s (I feel like so so much changed in a hundred years...).

I'm working through an American History curriculum (Ray Notgrass, if anyone knows it) for school and it is...wow. Seriously eye opening. I mean, I've studied American history since I was a wee youngin', but this has been different. It's more in-depth and goes into detail about things I'd never heard of before. The most admirable thing, though, I think, is that there's a book the same size as volume one of this textbook full of old documents. It's a lot of extra to read, but it's been amazing. I've read through the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and all its amendments, numerous poems and hymns, several short stories, inaugural addresses, the "give me liberty or give me death" speech (which was particularly moving, I must say), and other old government-type documents like the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (points to anyone who knows what those are).

One of the most memorable of these documents was actually the first I read. It's a speech called "Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are," by David McCullough, and I absolutely recommend it to anyone who wonders why history is so important to study--or, like me, loves history. So, basically to everyone, haha. :P Here's a link: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Comm...

...Anyway, so yeah. History. It's tragic and amazing and hilarious and scary and ridiculous and beautiful. I guess that's why I like it. It's...you know, a story. And I like stories. *winks*

I just finished Notgrass World History! I liked it a lot. :))

Okay, maybe we need a history topic. XD

Haha, seriously.

Lol

HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS THREAD TILL NOW?

Note of the History thing:
The Declaration of Independence was basically America saying: we want freedom.
But the Constitution is how we were going to KEEP that freedom. Today, almost no one in our government follows the Constitution. So our freedom is slipping away and will totally slip away if we don't return to following the Constitution.

Anyway! Books! To save the huge list here's my goodread's shelf of my top 30 faves: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Basically I love anything by Patrick Carman, Anne Elisabeth Stengl, and Brian Jacques . :)

EEEEEEKKKKK my very own copy of "The Kings Scrolls came today:)

Amanda wrote: "I just finished Notgrass World History! I liked it a lot. :))"

Whooo! Yeah, I did that one last year. That was pretty great too. (Slightly less to read in the way of original documents, hehe.)

Hannah wrote: "EEEEEEKKKKK my very own copy of "The Kings Scrolls came today:)"

YAY!!

Jaye wrote: "Okay, maybe we need a history topic. XD"

Seems like we need a new topic every day. xD

Stargazer wrote: "Note of the History thing:
The Declaration of Independence was basically America saying: we want freedom.
But the Constitution is how we were going to KEEP that freedom. Today, almost no one in our government follows the Constitution. So our freedom is slipping away and will totally slip away if we don't return to following the Constitution."

Absolutely. It makes me happy to know that other people know and understand that. :) Government exists solely to protect the God-given rights of the people. The Constitution is very clear what powers the federal government is supposed to have, and the tenth amendment says that all powers not given to the government by the Constitution by the people belong to the states and the people. The government ignores it, but it's our job to make them obey the Constitution. They work for us, not the other way around. We have to tell them what to do, and work to get them out of office if they don't.

And the U.S. Constitution is also recommended reading, though the Declaration is a bit more interesting. :)