To me, the finale was no big surprise. I'm proud to say that the hubs and I had it all figured out several seasons ago. I did like what Matthew Fox said on Jimmy Kimmel Live about the finale being open to interpretation based on people's different beliefs, religions and philosophies. After all, if the show gave clear-cut answers to anything, it wouldn't be LOST. I also enjoyed all the montages - there were a lot of plot lines I'd forgotten about over the years, and plenty of characters I missed (Charlie, especially). Ah, memories.

Mourning LOST has made me think about the t.v. shows I've loved over the years. Without further ado, here are my Top 5 Favorite TV Shows of All Time, divided into shows I loved as a child and those I've adored as an adult. Here goes:

Childhood 5:

Little House on the Prairie
Inspector Gadget (cartoon)
Perry Mason (Seriously, I used to watch this ALL THE TIME)
The Cosby Show
Wonder Woman (I remember praying fervently that bad guys would come crashing through our front door so I could turn into W.W. and save us all.)

Adult 5:

ER (stop laughing!)
CSI (Las Vegas)
Freaks & Geeks (WHY this one got cancelled before it even really had a chance to get off the ground is beyond me.)
M*A*S*H
Scrubs/Everybody Loves Raymond (technically, this isn't 6 choices - it's a tie)

What are your Top 5s? There are plenty that I've liked over the years, but the above are the ones that sprang to mind when I thought of favorites. I'd love to hear yours ...

- One more thing, people: If you haven't signed up for my Princess for Hire giveaway, please do. I'm offering one shiny, new hardcover of the book. It's a sweet, fun, clean read that will appeal to girls of all ages. If you have a tween girl in your life, sign up now! All the details are here.

Alright, I'm done with my whining. I need to get off the computer and make sure my kids get out the door for one of their last days of school. At least I'll be able to sleep in past 6 on Friday. Nothing to complain about there!

"'Did you think wishes were like kittens, that all they were going to do was purr and cuddle with you? ... Those type of wishes have no power. The only wishes that will ever change you are the kind that may, at any moment, eat you whole. But in the end, they are the only wishes that matter.'"

- Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Fair Godmother (Page 243)

With her braids and ankle-length dresses, Kyra Leigh Carlson looks like she just wandered off the set of Little House on the Prairie. And it's not just her clothes that are different - the 13-year-old has never flipped through an issue of Seventeen, never roamed the mall, never experimented with makeup, never texted a friend. She's not like other teenagers. She's one of The Chosen.
Along with other members of the sect, Kyra lives in an isolated compound surrounded by a high chain-link fence. Although cut off from the world, she's not entirely unhappy. She excels at piano, dotes on her younger sisters, and treasures every moment she spends with her kind, handsome boyfriend. She's surrounded by a large, loving family, which consists of her gentle father, his three wives and their 21 children (with two more on the way). As one of the older kids, Kyra's expected to help cook, clean, tend the garden, watch her younger siblings, and care for her pregnant mother. It's constant work. It's also hands-on training for the fast-approaching day when she will marry and run her own household.
Kyra doesn't dare complain. Not out loud, anyway. Criticism of The Prophet is never allowed. Whatever he says, goes, no questions asked. Everyone knows what happens to those who disobey - the God Squad makes them disappear. So, Kyra keeps her sins to herself. No one knows about her whispered mutterings against The Prophet, no one witnesses her clandestine trips to the mobile library, and only Joshua knows about their stolen kisses. Until Kyra dares to defy The Prophet. Maybe God really does speak to their unyielding leader, but Kyra doesn't care - she's not going to marry her 60-year-old uncle.
Her refusal sparks fury among The Chosen's leaders, but they've dealt with rebellious girls before. There are ways to make them submit. The Prophet speaks for God - and God's commandments will be fulfilled. No matter what. If it requires beating the fire out of young girls until they stumble obediently to their marriage beds, then so be it. If it means forcing teenage boys out of the community to get rid of any competition, it will be done. Even if it means making some people vanish, it's worth it to keep The Chosen compliant.
Even as her mothers cut out the pattern for a wedding dress, Kyra plots her escape. But, how can a 13-year-old evade a force as powerful as the God Squad? Can she survive the many dangers of the surrounding desert? Does she really want to shame her family by running? How can she possibly fit in among the crude, flesh-bearing heathens of the real world, anyway? Is she safer inside her cloistered community? God cursed her with a fierce spirit - will she let it guide her to freedom? Or will she allow the weight of oppression to stomp it right out of her?
Carol Lynch Williams' Whitney Award-winning novel, The Chosen One, tells an escape-from-polygamy story that's both familiar and unique. There's the oppression, the tyranny, and the exploitation we've come to recognize through recent news coverage. However, by giving Kyra a family that cares for her, Williams allows that not all unorthodox situations are as horrifying as they might seem at first glance. She proves that fanatics are not always lunatics - sometimes, they're normal people who have been so browbeaten that they trade blind obedience for independent thought. Still, Williams maintains that no one, least of all a child, should be robbed of their own free will and choice. Even if mandated by "God."
Most of all, The Chosen One is the chilling tale of one girl's fight to live her own life. This "ripped-from-the-headlines" story brings the plights of exploited children everywhere forcefully home. Kyra speaks for them all in a tale that's so compelling it captured my attention from the first sentence, keeping me riveted right up until its last. I read it in one sitting. It was only when I closed the book - then, and only then - that I finally remembered to breathe. Powerful, heartbreaking and absolutely unforgettable, The Chosen One is not to be missed.
(Readalikes: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff)
Grade: A
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for violence, tense/suspenseful scenes
To the FTC, with love: I bought this book from Amazon with some of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.