Heartfire - Orson Scott Card (The Tales of Alvin Maker, Bk. 5)

 I think I like these books, and all of Cards books for that matter, because the characters are SO logical.  I mean, they have outbursts and anger, but I love how so many of his characters are smart and emotionally intelligent enough to make sound choices regarding other characters.  Most of this book was:  "Well, that person will surely do X, so we better get game plan Y organized".  

I was delighted he addressed the witch trials aspect previously only vaguely referenced in the other books.  I could not think of a better scenario to demonstrate the range of opinions about witch trials.  He has every view covered through the collection of characters.  Though in the end, you know Alvin can do whatever he wants, so it doesn't have that gut wrenching terror that they could burn at any time and the reader is free to focus on the absurdity of it and enjoy the legal wrangling to get out of the trial.  You know the MC gets away in the end with ease, but it is a delightful journey to that point. 

I was less interested in the explanation of the different types of magic, particularly those used by slaves in this book.  I hated how the newly off-boarding slaves gave up their essence and I hated that the return of it didn't coincide with a great (but organized and meaningful) uprising.   However, I'm sure it will come up again.

When I finish all the OSC books, I think I might go back and re-read them all over again when I'm in the mood for a comfort book.

The Bears of Blue River - Charles Major

 For those of you unaware, this is a children's book written many years ago romanticizing America when it was untamed.  Coming from a different era and a completely opposite background as not only the writer but the intended audience, this book came off as beautiful but tragic.  

The MC is a boy in his early teens on the cusp of manhood living in middle Indiana back when it was sparse log cabins and even fewer dirt (mud most of the time) roads.  As a biologist, the portrayal of the untamed wilds of Indiana sing a stunning song of nature.  The angle of the book, as was appropriate for that time, was one of domination over that nature, of bringing her, through the many bears killed, to her knees.  

While I love this side of Indiana, it is now lost, and reading about what I'll never see almost made me sad.  You do want the MC to be successful, but I didn't want him to be at the same time, sort of like watching a lion chase a gazelle.  You want both to win somehow.