Plumfield Moms

Plumfield Kids: On the Edge of the Fjord by Alta Halverson Seymour

During WWII, no one expected the Nazis to reside in the Norwegian village of Valcos. It was small, and its only industry was fishing. Yet they did. Maybe it was because Valcos–being on a deep fjord–had a large fishing fleet, or perhaps it was because they hoped to enlist the influential aid of Captain Engeland, who lived there. The captain was away when the Nazis came, but that did not stop them from taking up residence in his home. The captain’s son, Martin, was at school in a nearby village, leaving the captain’s wife, Fru Engeland, and daughter, Petra home to deal with the unwanted guests. With the help of other Norwegians, young and old, they did spy work and foiled the Nazis’ plans while deftly convincing their guests that they were very dull people. 
This story is fictional, but it feels as if it were true. Living in the U.S., Alta Halverson Seymour published this book in 1944. Because of that, there is no resolution on how the war ends for the Engeland family. By the end of the book, the war is still raging. We know that the family is reunited and as safe as they can be doing the dangerous work that needs to be done. The fact that there is no resolution does not, in my opinion, lessen the book in any way. As a matter of fact, I think that it makes it more incredible. 
Like Hilda Van Stokum in The Winged Watchman, and Wyatt Blassingame in Combat Nurses of World War II, in On the Edge of the Fjord, Alta Halverson Seymour shows us a different side of the Second World War. This is not the only book by Seymour that I have read. One of the first was The Tangled Skein. It is also about Norway and WWII but in a different way. It is about what happens after the war when a family is suspected of being Quislings, people who helped the Nazis during WWII. 

Reflection: Sins That Cling Closely

It won’t work for me to say to myself that I’m not going to act like this anymore. I have to look my anger and frustration in the face and admit what causes them. I covet what I don’t have; perfection in this life, everything going smoothly all the time. My selfish, unrealistic expectations have to become something else. I believe they have to become gratitude and praise.

Our Librarian Life: November 2023 with Kristi Stansfield & Sherry Early

Book Review: Dandelion Fire, Book 2 of the Cupboards Series by N. D. Wilson

A few years ago, Audible asked me to be part of a test program for a children’s project they are working on. I was asked to preview and evaluate a new series of children’s stories that were episodic and designed in the style of radio-theatre. As I listened, I was absolutely disgusted. Drawing on the premise of a fairy tale, their program included a short story that sounded an awful lot like Jack and the Beanstalk, except that the main characters were three sisters. In this “new fairy tale,” the sisters escape a giant, save a king, and do all of the things that modernity has taught us girls should do. This program was trying to convince their young listeners that young girls are smarter than kings, craftier than giants, and rescuers of fellow women who are stuck in abusive relationships with ogres. There wasn’t a worthy boy or man in the story. Oh, and, the kids are always smarter and better than all of the adults, of course.
In Dandelion Fire, we have the antidote to this poison. In the first book of the Cupboards trilogy, Henry doesn’t know who he belongs to or where he fits. In this middle book, we spend far more time inside the worlds within the cupboards. We meet Henry’s family, we discover new evil, and we spend a lot of time laughing at bureaucratic faeries. 

Reflection: Is God Your Refuge? An Imagining

Do you have what you need to fend off an attack from the enemy? The Lord equips those who ask him.
 

Book Club: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Blackout by Connie Willis 
All Clear by Connie Willis
The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Fire Watch by Connie Willis
Passage by Connie Willis
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome
Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carrol 
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame 
Arsenic and Old Lace movie
Bringing Up Baby movie
The Good Companions movie
Re-Make by Connie Willis
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
The Door by Mary Roberts Rinehart (The Butler did it.)
Bellweather by Connie Willis

Book Review: Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In our June 2023 episode of Our Reading Life, Tanya mentioned that she was reading Jennifer A. Nielsen’s Lines of Courage and loving it. I tried to find it, but it wasn’t easy to do for less than twenty dollars. It is a new enough book that it is only available in hardcover, and the paperback isn’t due to come out until February, 2024. I thought I would just wait on this one until I could get it for our library. But then a patron read it and wanted to talk about it. Motivated, I got the Audible version and enjoyed it so much that I ordered an expensive copy. Interestingly, Tanya and I loved the book, but some of our friends were less impressed with it. My patron enjoyed it, until the end. She felt like the end was just too unbelievable. I think that this one might make a good podcast book club because I thought the ending was interesting and plausible.Read More: https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/lines-of-courage/

Reflection: Don’t Turn Out to Be a Coward

I remember when, several years ago, I read one of the many instances of Jesus saying, “Fear not,” and realized it wasn’t just a suggestion. It was a command. Until then, I think I had taken those “fear nots” as Jesus kindly giving me a choice. There, there, my dear, you don’t have to be afraid if you don’t want to.
Jesus spent the time of his ministry demonstrating for the disciples why they must not fear anything. He patiently showed them that nature is obedient to his will, that he has power over sickness and evil spirits, and even over death itself. That being the case, what is left for us to fear?