Week Two of our Spring Sports Odyssey

Because of rain, our week of activities was actually shortened, but the kids still kept us busy and entertained.

Lexi only had one meet this week (which they won), and she ran the 100m and 200m, and long jumped. She did a very good job and is continuing to learn more and improve during her first track season. Plus, I think she is becoming the unofficial encourager of the team. She really enjoys standing at various places around the track and cheering her teammates as they try to do their best. It's pretty cool; I'm beginning to believe that encouragement is one of her spiritual gifts.

Cami had two (rather than three) games. They did not win either. Cami's team is 10u, but they don't have many, if any, 4th graders, while the teams we play have at least some. That experience is really noticeable on the field. However, the girls keep playing hard. The first game of the week saw Cami play catcher for an inning, and make her first contact while at bat. She hit a ball hard down the 1st base line, but it just went foul. In the second game she was a lot more involved. She was hit by a pitch and ended up scoring, and then hit a hard shot at the pitcher, who made a nice play on the ball, grabbing it right out of the air. Cami also pitched two innings. She struck out another girl, and fielded several balls, throwing a girl out at first. She was much improved over her first outing. It is clear to see that she is improving with every game, particularly with her pitching.

Griffin tried a shooting clinic at the Indiana Basketball Academy, on top of his normal session. He did a terrific job. His shot is getting better and better as his form continues to improve. My favorite part is when he looks at me with a little grin of pride when he does everything correct and the ball goes in. It is an affirmation that he is getting better.

More of the same in the week to come.

Book Review

Over the last year or so, I've been on a Sci-Fi/Fantasy kick.  Along with that, I usually read mysteries, sports biographies, leadership/coaching books, and parenting/family/spiritual growth stuff.  But lately its been mostly fantasy.  I've read almost all of Brandon Sanderson's books (waiting on Way of Kings in paperback), Patrick Rothfuss and Scott Lynch (long waits for really cool and inventive characters), Steven Boyett's Ariel and Elegy Beach, Ken Scholes's Psalm's of Isaak series, and Daniel Abraham's The Long Price Quartet.  Somewhere in there I read some reviews of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series.  I'm hesitant to dive into long, drawn out series, for fear they will never be completed, but Erikson's 10 volume series is nearing the end (book 9 is out; 10 is on the way).  So anyway, I decided to read Gardens of the Moon, the first book in the series.  It was awesome.

Erikson drops the reader into the middle of the action as a world conquering Empire is working it's way through another continent.  Several groups of characters are introduced within the first 100ish pages (it checks in at 650+).  The reader must work to understand and connect the dots as the story unfolds, with hints of past history dropped every now and then.  Erikson very ably juggles the multiple characters, and includes a very handy index of names to help out.  The story moves swiftly, without ever feeling rushed; and it doesn't give too much away too quickly.  I never felt like I had it all figured out, but (after the initial adjustment to a new and unfamiliar world) I never felt lost, either.  One thing that stood out about the characters is that I never was quite sure who to "root" for.  So many books in this genre have a clear delineation between good guys and bad guys, that it's easy to know who to "like" and who to "dislike".  Erikson paints his characters with broad gray strokes.  Until the very end, it's hard to know who's motivations are good, and often it depends on the particular character's viewpoint.

All in all, I really enjoyed Gardens of the Moon.  I will definitely be reading the next book in this series, Deadhouse Gates.