2:30 p.m.

You may have read in my profile by now that A Ring of Endless Light is one of my favorite books of all time. I think part of this is because I was an only child growing up. I spent most of my time hanging around adults, and as a result tended to seek friends who were older than I was, or at least more mature than the average person of my age group. Vicky, the main character in the book, is in a similar situation. She is doing real research with dolphins, but none of her family takes her-- or her research-- seriously.

I also think that my own dealings with deaths of close family members make this book more easy for me to relate to. The book begins at the funeral of a family friend, and over the course of the novel Vicky also deals with her grandfather growing more and more ill from cancer. Her family is very down to earth, and the book is plainly written, which makes it that much more approachable.


Of course, it could also be the dolphins. What little girl doesn't love dolphins? When I was in grade school I wanted to be a marine biologist.

Everyone knows Madeline L'Engle for her Time Quartet series, but I still think that this is one of her best works. It doesn't have as much of the fantasy that is so appealing in her other novels, but in this book it is not necessary to make it memorable-- her messages about life and death are powerful enough.