I’m still in the process of catching up to where I “should” be on my 75 book challenge. I have read 7 books so far this month. I have two more books that I plan to read this week, plus tomorrow I will read the kids the last chapter of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Those last three books will have to be reviewed in next month’s round up, but it will still bring me to a total of 10 books for April. If I manage to read 9 more books in May, I will be all caught up! That will be nice, because then I’ll be able to squeeze in some of the longer books that I’ve been wanting to read.

So, here are my reviews for April!

Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Dumb Ox by G.K. Chesterton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t know much about philosophy, but this book really brought into focus some important concepts about Christianity, logic, and science. It’s hard to write a summary of all the ways I felt enlightened by this book, by ideas such as: that things can neither be good nor bad, only thoughts (or intentions) can be; that the senses are given to us by God in order to discern truth, and can therefore be trusted; and especially that there is only one truth — that science and religion are both paths to understanding that same truth. I especially liked Aquinas’ notion that revealed religion is simply a kind courtesy on the part of God, revealing truths that the common man simply does not have time to discover or reason out for himself. I very much enjoyed Chesterton’s style of writing, and even his frequent asides. I can’t wait to read his biography of Saint Francis!

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a sweet, sad story of kindness and courage during World War II. It is the story of two Danish families, one Christian and one Jewish, living under the German occupation of Denmark, and their bravery in helping the Jewish family escape to Sweden. It’s really the story of thousands of families, who really did help most of the Jews of Denmark escape the Nazis, and it made me even more interested to read the biography of one of those real-life brave Danes, Corrie ten Boom. However, I did not realize that this was intended as a children’s story, and it wasn’t quite developed enough to be really enthralling for me. Which is sad, since Lowry’s The Giver is one of my favorite books. I am planning to read Number the Stars to the kids, though, and I think they’ll enjoy it.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I know it’s not Christmas, but I have always wanted to read this perennial classic, and I happened across it while downloading some other books from Project Gutenberg. As usual, I really enjoyed reading a well-known, well-loved story in the original author’s words. Although, being the giant Whovian geek that I am, I could not help but hear the narrative in the voice of Simon Callow, who played Dickens in the Doctor Who episode, The Unquiet Dead. LOL. I would absolutely recommend that anyone who loves Christmas, or loves any of the many adaptations of A Christmas Carol, go ahead and immerse yourself in this wonderful work. I know I’m planning to read it to the kids at Christmastime.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first time reading this book, and I just loved it. It starts out a bit slow, just a story about a mother mouse with a sick child, and I worried that the kids wouldn’t give it a chance to get to the exciting parts. But they didn’t complain, and soon we were all completely lost in a story of intrigue, adventure, and new hope. If you have ever seen the movie, it is completely different. In fact, I hardly thought the movie was worth my time. The book, on the other hand, definitely is.

Doctor Who: Forever Autumn by Mark Morris

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Forever Autumn was a pretty good Doctor Who story. The Doctor and Martha were well-written (which is always important to me), the monster was interesting and believable, and the plot was not overly contrived. Towards the end it started to become a bit more horror than sci-fi, but I guess you can’t be a Whovian without enjoying a good scare.

Doctor Who: Sick Building by Paul Magrs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While this book checks off most of my “must-haves” for a Doctor Who story (the Doctor and Martha are recognizable, the monster is believable, the ending isn’t too contrived), I did have a hard time with the beginning. I can’t imagine why the Doctor chose to stay on Tiermann’s World after finding out that the humans already knew of the approaching danger, and already had plans to get out of there. I also couldn’t understand why the Doctor wanted to pick a fight with Ernest Tiermann. It seemed thoroughly out of character for him to hang about arguing with an old man when there really wasn’t anything for him to do, or anyone for him to save. (Though I did enjoy the irony of Ernest — the unfeeling, cold-hearted human — telling our favorite passionate Time Lord that “only humans” have emotions.) Of course, later the true danger reared its head, and things really got interesting.

Doctor Who: Wetworld by Mark Michalowski

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was definitely one of the best Doctor Who books I have read in a while. The story gripped my attention right from the very beginning, and kept me interested all the way through. The best part, though, was that every page was full of the Doctor’s witty quips and beaming, confident personality. This kind of good stuff is the reason we all watch the Doctor in the first place, and it absolutely poured out of Wetworld. (Ha! Pun intended!)

This year I am trying to read 75 books. Check out the to read list I created when I started this project, or my books category to see all my past reviews.

Join in on the book review fun! Leave a comment below, and find other participants at 5 Minutes for Books: What’s On Your Nightstand? and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?