Mic's Picks

Eoin Colfer - "Artemis Fowl The Eternity Code"

2011-07-12T14:32:00.002-05:00

The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, Book 3)

     Well, ol' Artemis is at it again. This thirteen-year-old criminal mastermind is once again looking for a grand scheme to increase the holdings of the Fowl family coffers. This time though, he's less motivated by money and world domination and much more motivated to save the life of his long-time bodyguard, Butler.

     The book opens with Artemis negotiating a deal with a greedy businessman, and it goes very very wrong! Artemis has created a C-cube, that uses fairy technology (gleaned from previous encounters with the fairy folk) to basically scan all kinds of electronic devices and allows the user to basically commandeer them. During this scene Artemis realizes that the cube is capable of "tracking" the underground fairy technology and is therefore very dangerous to the magical creatures below. The deal goes poorly, and ends in a shooting match. Butler ends up saving Artemis' life (again) by literally taking a bullet to the chest. Artemis is then highly motivated to retrieve the stolen cube so as to protect his friends, but he also needs them to help save his beloved Butler's life. In exchange for using fairy technology to save Butler and get the cube back, Artemis agrees to succumb to a mind wipe which will eliminate all memories and knowledge of The People.

     With Butler on ice (literally), Juliet Butler, Mulch Diggums, Holly Short, and Foaly all work together to not only to get the cube back, but to get the greedy, tricky businessman put behind bars. As always, our favorite juvenile criminal mastermind has concocted a genius plan that covers all bases, and accomplishes all that he sets out to do.

     I have to give Mr. Colfer props for being so imaginative in his books. He does a good job of marrying the real and fantastical worlds into an interesting and fun read. I love how Artemis is this amazing genius mastermind, yet he still isn't old enough to drive; he has so much knowledge, but he still has to experience "growing up." Another theme that runs throughout the book is that Artemis Fowl Sr. has regained consciousness and is healing nicely, and as he's returning to health, he vows that the Fowl family will be putting their life if crime behind them. He introduces the idea to his son that there are more important things in the world than money. This idea is brought to the forefront for young Artemis as he experiences the possible loss of Butler, his friend.

     As in all Fowl books, there is a unique code along the bottom that adds another level to the story. I had to buy a book from New Zealand (thank you Abebooks.com!) to get the edition with the "non-Gnomish" code. Apparently the American versions are all in Gnomish, so I had to do some research to get the unique code.  Thank you for not commenting on how ridiculous I can be sometimes ;)

Happy summer reading!

J.K. Rowling - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"

2011-06-26T14:28:00.001-05:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)

Ahhhh, I love that feeling you get when you can check something off of your to do list. I can finally do that for all 4,100 pages of the 7 Harry Potter novels. (Yes, it's an EXACT page count; please withhold all comments regarding my nerdiness, I already know.) It was a thrilling ride, and I have to say that I was missing out on something great whilst I was refusing to read them simply because they are popular. (Again, refrain yourself from making the dweeb comments.)

This book picks up right where the last left off, with Harry newly returned to number 4 Privet Drive days before his 17th birthday. He is grieving the loss of Dumbledore and is also trying to figure out how to accomplish the mission of destroying the remaining 5 horcruxes Voldemort has created in order to attempt to achieve immortality. The action in this last book starts right from the get-go when 6 members of the Order of the Phoenix ingest Polyjuice Potion to make themselves identical to Harry so as to hopefully confuse the Death Eaters as to which Harry is the real one while they attempting to move him to one of the Orders' safe houses. There is a massive airborne battle between the 2 groups, and the ever-growing list of casualties continues to grow.

The majority of the book is spent following Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they try to figure out what and where the horcruxes are, as well as how to go about destroying the one they already posses. Throughout their travels, this little group also learns (by means of the items that Dumbledore bequeathed the trio in his will) of the possible existence of the "deathly hallows" - a trio of objects that allow the beholder to overcome death itself. Now their search is expanded to include those items as well. This little band of friends accomplishes a few pretty amazing feats, not the least of which is ***spoiler alert*** breaking into Gringott's bank, rescuing a dragon, and attempting to steal a valuable item right out of the ministry of magic. ***

One of the ideas that runs throughout this novel is that there is a shadow cast upon the reputation of Dumbledore. Harry genuinely questions the character of his greatest mentor, and it's a struggle that Harry must deal with throughout almost the entire story. Also, the idea that either Harry of Voldemort will have to die in the end is brought to the forefront of the story as the end draws neigh. There are also seeds of discord sown into the tight little group of the three friends as tensions run high. It's interesting to see how all of these intricately woven ideas exhibits themselves through the story to provide the reader with a fantastic piece of literature to enjoy as we watch the tensions build and the ensuing war finally take shape.

As expected, this is the most "adult-oriented" book in the series, and it tackles some really intricate ideas.. It was really really exciting to see all of the loose ends get neatly tied up as the book (and series) drew to a close. Ms. Rowling did an extraordinary thing with this entire series by being so intricately detailed. i could really see that she had the whole storyline drawn out before she even wrote the first book. It is evident that she knew what she was trying to accomplish from the very inception of the books. It's hard to accept that the series has come to a close, and that there is no more for me to enjoy, but it was a great ride while it lasted, and I hope this isn't the last we hear from such an amazing writer.

Cheers to you Ms. Rowling!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Loraine Despres ' "The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell"

2011-06-15T00:35:00.001-05:00

    The spirit of Sissy LeBlanc lives on! In a more technical sense, it BEGINS with Belle Cantrell and her bad behavior, actually. Loraine Despres has created another literary gem in the same vein as Ms. Sissy's story. This is the story of Belle Cantrell, Sissy's feisty grandmother, and it serves as an entertaining prequel to "The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc." It's set again in the small town of Gentry, Louisiana in the 1920 during the age of jazz, prohibition, the rise of the KKK, and woman's suffrage. Just as in Mrs. Despres' previously published work, the reader will find themselves pouring through this book that is full of strong women, romance, murder, young love, and controversial issues of the day, not to mention a healthy dose of adventure and sharp wit.

     At the tender age of 16 Belle is passionately in love with Claude Cantrell, and very soon afterwords comes to find herself a young mother and bride. Claude is called off to war leaving his wife and daughter to live on the family farm with his mother, Miss Effie. Upon his return home, he is murdered, and Belle feels herself responsible. Talk about a bad day!

     After a few years of recovery from Claude's death, Belle starts to set her sights on advancing the rights and roles of women. As with all great new periods in our lives as women, it begins with a fabulous new hair cut. She begins this journey of promoting the "fairer sex" by getting her hair bobbed, buying a cloche, and attending suffragette meetings. I think from the get-go Belle knew the rules of society as she was practically raised by the well-bred and proper Miss Effie; however, I feel that she finds the execution of said rules a bit harder to carry out and somewhat unsavory to her free spirit.

The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell: A Novel

   The bob is just the beginning of Belle beginning to live her life as a liberated and unfettered woman. She and her unsinkable spirit woos the eligible bachelor Rafe Berlin (who just so happens to be her best friends' brother). He is down in Gentry from Chicago to help the Rubenstien family get their business streamlined and in tip-top shape. Part of this involves collecting old debts from some of Gentry's oldest families. This, in addition to an unwillingness to accept the fact that times were changing, irks the ire of the newly re-established Gentry chapter of the KKK. One of the other ways in which Belle outwardly bucks society (other than kissing a man in public and wearing her form-fitting riding breeches right into the middle of town) is to takeover the position of "foreman" and to work the fields of her very large family farm once the infamous Bouree LeBlanc is dismissed from that position. Some of the controversial issues of the time that are addressed in Mrs. Despres' second novel include her characters dealing with racism, birth control, prohibition, adultery, woman's suffrage, even the mention of free love.

   Throughout this delightfully twisting tale of friendship, love, determination, and the idea of standing up for what one thinks is right we see our heroine not only endeavor to take on the world and to pass the benefits on to future generations, but also we see her inspire others to stand up for themselves and what's right. Another thing that I love about this book is Belle's ongoing references to the "Primer of Propriety" and the "Southern Girls' Guide to Men and Other Perils of Modern Life." They are the "literary"version of the "good angel / bad angel" that resides on each of our shoulders. They also exhibit the contrast between the small town old guard and the new, brash generation that came behind them almost as dramatically as the characters of Miss Effie (who refers to automobiles as "a good time house on wheels") and Belle (who was caught making out in a closet at a party by her daughter), and I found them quite entertaining and even practical for many situations.

   All in all, I'd say it was a good read! Loraine does a great job of making her characters easy to relate to and describing her settings well. I felt myself get frustrated with some of the thing that Belle felt encumbering her and found myself thinking Rafe was a hottie. I even felt a sense of pride when the girls got the final count from the senate and gained the right to vote. I think in some ways this book is "tamer" than Sissy's Scandalous Summer, and I enjoyed it from cover to cover! I think you should do the same.

   Summer is upon us, stay cool!

J.K. Rowling - "Harry Potter and the Half - Blood Prince"

2011-06-08T00:03:00.000-05:00

Welcome once again to the wonderfully weird wizarding world of young Mr. Harry Potter. Of the six books that I've read so far, this one is quite different. I think it may even be my favorite one so far too. This book opens with a description of how there seems to be a cloud of misery over everything and everyone as well as a very mysterious meeting between Severus Snape, Malfoy's Mother, and Aunt Belliatrix. From that droll scene, the reader is transported to Harry's bedroom at the Dursley's. He's grieving his lost Godfather when a letter from Dumbledore arrives telling him to be ready to take a little trip with him then head to the Burrow to spend the rest of the summer with the Weasley family.

Pretty much from that point on, it's a non-stop magical ride. Harry and Dumbledore make a stop on their way to the Burrow for the purpose of visiting Horace Slughorn in order to persuade him to resume his post as the Potions Professor at Hogwarts. Once again the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is empty after another year, and Snape finally gets his dream job! In the last book, Dumbledore assigns Snape to take Harry on for private lessons, and it did not bode well. So this time Harry begins private lessons with Dumbledore himself in which Harry learns a lot about Voldemort's personal history. At the end of the last episode there is a prophecy revealed that basically states that there will be a great fight between Harry and Voldemort and one will end up killing the other. This is one of the reasons that it is so very important that Harry learn as much about Voldemort as he can; he must know what he's up against as well as the weaknesses of his greatest enemy. One of the most interesting things that our hero discovers is the reason for Voldemort's "immortality."

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)

      Not only is this whole novel a wild ride for Harry, but also for those reading along! Young Mr. Potter yet again finds himself in situations that far exceed his level of education, yet he still manages to overcome them, even if it does require a little help from time to time. But then again, don't we all?

   I do have to say that even though this was one of my favorite Potter books so far, I did have quite a few unsettled questions at the end. It left me hungering for more, craving the satisfaction that only answered questions can provide it's readers. ***Spoiler Alert*** It was also downright heart-rending when Harry has to literally force a questionable potion down Dumbledore's throat in order to complete their mission, even as Dumbledore begs him to stop.*** This book was not as riddled with teenage angst as the previous, but there is a lot of attention placed upon the growing love interests of our main characters. Harry Potter is growing up, right before my very eyes.... Yes, I am FULLY aware of how terribly nerdy I am, thank you very much! ;)

     I really have enjoyed this series so far, despite the fact that I really didn't want to read it in the first place. This book is no exception; it's a great read from start to finish. Check it out, and let me know what you think.

     Summer is here, what better time to delve into a stack of amazing literature!?

Ted Dekker - "The Martyr's Song"

2011-05-24T12:41:00.000-05:00

The Martyr's Song (The Martyr's Song Series, Book 1)

     There may only be 144 pages between the two covers of this book, but they are a powerful 144 pages! This novella is the first book in "The Martyr's Song" series, and is a beautiful melding of two stories in one. One story is set in modern day (Atlanta, 1960's), and involves an elderly lady who works as a florist and takes an interest in a young "outcast" girl named Marci. Eve, the older lady, notices Marci and the troubles she's having at school and invites her to her house and offers to change her life. To say the least, Marci is skeptical, but shows up on Eve's doorstep anyway.

     Eve proceeds to tell Marci that the story she is about to hear will change her life and make her beautiful. Marci is instructed to listen and to figure out which of the characters in the story she relates to most, in essence, which character she is and what part she plays in the story. The worn red book that Eve begins to read from transports both the reader and the listener to a small Bosnian village back in WWII.

     The villagers, composed only of women, children, and an old priest are celebrating a birthday for one of the little girls in town when five soldiers arrive on the scene. The commander of the small group is incenced that this small village church is still standing and that the town seems to have been unaffected by the war. Karadzic, the leader, proceeds to wreak havoc upon the villagers and their beloved priest.

     Although the things that the soldiers did were atrocious, to say the least, there was a silver lining to it. Throughout the terrible and torturous things the priest had to endure, he kept finding himself awakening in a beautiful field of white flowers that is filled with laughter and singing. He finds that as he endures extreme physical pain for the sake of his Lord, he sees that the world in which his body occupies is not the true reality, and he longs to relinquish his hold on his life in order to enter into the world that he knows he was destined for.

     Marci finds herself not only enraptured by the story she is told, but finds that she can be made beautiful by it, as are all who hear it, and seek out their place in the story.

     As in some of the other books that I've read by Mr. Dekker, I found myself completely immersed in the story. He is an amazing storyteller with a way of pulling his readers into the pages in a very vivid way. Just like Marci, I wondered where I fit in. I found myself longing to have the kind of strength of faith that the priest and his flock of women and children exhibited. I want to know that should I find myself in the situation where I am to deny Christ and live or to stand by Him and die, that I would have the fortitude to make my stand. Like I said, it's a powerful story...

J.K. Rowling - "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

2011-05-16T01:11:00.000-05:00

What has young Mr. Potter gotten himself into this time? It is now Harry's 5th year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, and so far it's one of the most stressful yet as his O.W.L. exams are fast approaching. The story begins as usual with him trying to survive life with his miserable muggle family, the Dursleys. Summer is coming to a close and all the while his two best friends, Hermione and Ron are totally incommunicado, and there has been no word whatsoever about the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named despite the fact that Harry saw Voldemort return to his own body with his very own eyes. Just as Harry is at his lowest, a pair of dementors from the wizard prison, Azkaban, approach him and his terrible cousin, Dudley, right there on bland ole' Privet Drive! Harry casts a charm to defend himself and Dudley, and comes to find out from his crazy neighbor, Mrs. Figg (a person from a wizarding family that isn't able to do magic), that the man assigned to protect him had fallen down on the job and Dumbledore would not be pleased to hear about it.

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

   It's at this point that Harry finds himself being rescued from his locked bedroom at the Dursley's house by a motley crew of witches and wizards who scuttle him off to the headquarters of the order of the phoenix. This "order of the phoenix" Harry discovers is a secret society of magical folk dedicated to raising up an army against the newly arisen Voldemort. This group includes the Weasley family, Mad-Eye Moody, Sirius Black (Harry's godfather), Professor Snape, Dumbledore, and a number of other characters. Just as the Order is beginning to from a resistance to the Dark Lord, the Ministy of Magic is taking it's own strides to deal with the recent turn of events. One of these ways is to discredit Harry and those who believe his talk of Voldemort's return, as well as to attempt to meddle in the education of the Hogwart's students. This is where Hogwart's newest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Deloris Umbridge comes into the picture.

     We have seen in previous books that Harry has a fairly active dream life, but it is even more so in this episode. Harry has a reoccurring dream throughout this book that involves a long dark hallway with many doors, and usually some kind of strong emotion. It's very interesting to see how this function plays a significant role in the telling of this tale. One other prominent storyline involves the beautiful Cho Chang. In the last book she had caught Harry's eye, but at the time she was dating the now deceased Cedric Diggory. Just as in the last story, Harry finds himself attracted to her, but he actually begins to find himself wanting to impress her and to get closer to her, but is at a loss of how to go about doing so.

   This is almost a 900 page book so there are NUMEROUS different threads of storyline wafting throughout it's copious pages, and this is a poor attempt to sum up quite so many pages. As usual, I recommend reading the book to get a taste of what's going on in Mr. Potter's life. Also, as I've said in previous blogs that the overarching story matures with it's readership, and this is especially true in this novel as Harry begins to explore the world of girls, and is having to begin to think about his future after his education is finished at Hogwarts. I would say these are characteristics that most 15-year old's deal with; I would also say that in this book, Harry is especially "angsty" and anxious just as most kids are at that age. It makes me think that Ms. Rowling has had some pretty in-depth experience with teenagers. Of all of the book in this series that I've read so far, this one is probably my favorite because it really feels like there were a lot of questions answered, and there were MANY events that take place that make the story feel like it's really starting to progress quickly. This book, more so than it's predecessors, begins to paint a picture of what is to come as the series draws to a close. ("The Goblet of Fire" (book 4), in my mind, gives this one a run for it's money for the title of "favorite so far" just because that one was so imaginative and generally fun to read.) It was a little tough to read this one as poor Harry was pretty "riled up" most of the time, but I think that is just something that goes with the territory of being a teenager...

     What does the future hold for Harry James Potter? I guess we'll find out soon...

Baroness Emmuska Orczy - "The Scarlet Pimpernel"

2011-05-02T16:57:00.000-05:00

     If you're in the market for a good historical fiction, filled with lords and ladies, crafty disguises, sneaky spies, dire situations, and ingenious escapes, then I recommend you check out this much beloved classic! This tale has been retold in various movies, and stage productions, but in my humble opinion, the book is always better ;)

     Our tale opens in 1792, "the year of grace" with a captain in the army of the republic bragging about how none of the sneaky members of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel have gotten any royal refugees past his barricade because of his keen eyes! Shortly after, a loathsome, haggard old woman takes her vegetable cart through that very same barricade to visit her grandson with smallpox. Lo and behold, that very same"woman" was in actuality the man, the myth, the legendary Scarlet Pimpernel himself!

     According to Baroness Orczy, during the French Revolution, there was a band of English spies who risked life and limb to smuggle those who were headed to Mme. Guillotine out of the country to their neighboring refuge, England. This group consisted of about 20 young, gallant, and even wealthy English gentlemen who were lead by one resourceful and daring genius who called himself The Scarlet Pimpernel (named after a small red English flower).

The Scarlet Pimpernel

     Some of the main characters are Sir Percy Blankney, Marguerite (his wife), Armand St. Just (her brother), Chauvelin (a malicious French spy), Andrew Ffoulkes, and a hoard of other minor characters.   Marguerite is a young French woman who is hailed as the wittiest woman in Europe, and everyone is surprised when she marries Sir Percy as he is said to be somewhat dimwitted and foppish (a lovely English term used to describe vain man who is mostly concerned about their appearance and dress). With Sir Percy's vast fortune and lovely wife, he is touted as one of the luckiest men around, as well as one of the most popular and fashionable as he is always impeccably dressed for every occasion. Marguerite and Percy have been married about a year at this point in the story and their love has grown cold, she feels trapped in a marriage that began wonderfully, but due to an earlier indiscretion on her part, they grew apart. She tries throughout the story to re-ignite that love.

   One of the biggest plot lines that comprises this story is that of the rescue of The Comte de Tournay. At the beginning of the story, Sir Andrew delivers The Comtesse de Tournay and her two children to the Fisherman's Rest, a little inn near the coast of Dover, England. As this plot is unfolding, Chauvelin makes his way to England in an attempt to solicit information regarding The Scarlet Pimpernel so that the next time our hero sets foot upon French soil, he can be arrested and escorted to the Guillotine. As fate would have it, Chauvelin discovers information about Armand St. Just and uses it as leverage against Marguerite. He offers her a deal: She finds out what she can about The Scarlet Pimpernel and his identity, and Chauvelin will personally see to it that Armand gets out of France safely.

     What happens????? You'll just have to read it to find out! This is certainly an action packed story that boasts some pretty tense moments throughout. There is a fair amount of mystery and suspense within these pages as well. I do have to say, that it took a chapter or two to really grab my attention, but from that point on, it was a page-turner, through and through!!!!

Jim Butcher - "Storm Front"

2011-04-16T14:12:00.000-05:00

Question: what kind of story do you get when you add 15 years to Harry Potter's age, mix in a little sci-fi, stir in some strange murders, gently fold some of Dean Koontz style + dry humor in, and set it in modern-day Chicago? Answer: The Dresden Files, a series by Jim Butcher. I knew I would like the book a) when one of my best girlfriends (who openly admits that Star Trek is cool) thrust the book into my hands AND b) when I read the mini-bio about the author on the back flap... "A martial arts enthusiast whose resume includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives in Independence, Missouri, with his wife, his son, and a ferocious guard dog." along with this photo:

Go ahead, admit it... YOU LOVE HIM!!!!! I know, I know, I do too :D and you may not have even read the book yet. Is your appetite whetted yet? Oops, did I just let my inner-geek show????

Harry Dresden is a wizard who has literally set up shop in Chicago as, well, I'll just let you read for yourself: "HARRY DRESDEN – WIZARD Lost items found. Paranormal investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable rates. No love potions, endless purses, parties, or other entertainment." He's serious and dry witted with a side of quick thinking and honesty to boot. The story opens with a brief introduction to our main character, Harry. The next thing you know, he is called in by the Chicago P.D. to help investigate a pair of gruesome and certainly paranormal murders.

This is a geniusly written novel, and I love how Mr. Butcher mixes the extra-ordinary in with the ordinary to create a tale that is comfortable and doesn't force tooooo many mental exercises, but also allows the reader to expect the unexpected. Even though it's a pretty serious story, I found myself giggling too. It was the kind of book that kept me thinking about it when I was at work, and all I wanted to do was be at home in my fuzzy socks with my nose firmly in place within the pages of this book. There were twists and turns, trolls and mob bosses, potions and VW Beetles, faery's and Chicago pizza; I told you, this tale has it ALL. The author does an astounding job of placing the supernatural into the mundane.

Although it contains faeries, wizards, and the like, I would not by any means call it a kid's book! It's most definitely a grown up "fairy tale." It's got the elements of the classic white magic vs. black magic, but is much more complex that just that. As I mentioned above it hints at Koontzesque elements of the macabre. I highly recommend this book (maybe even the whole series, I bought the next 2 novels the day after I finished book one) for a quick, exciting, "something out of the ordinary" kind of read.

Cheers Mr. Butcher!

Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)

Janet Evanovich - "Fearless Fourteen"

2011-04-10T23:50:00.001-05:00

At this point in my literary life there are only two more Stephanie Plum novels available for my viewing pleasure. (Three if you count the "seasonal" novels.) So until I find out that Mrs. Evanovich has written another for my consumption, I'm trying to make these last two Plum-tasty books last, and I find that to be a bit of a challenge as I tend to begin reading them and find that they're over in a mere matter of days :(

Stephanie, Morelli (yum), Ranger (sigh), Lula (of course), Rex, Bob, Connie, Grandma Mazure, and a few other zany characters find their way into "Fearless Fourteen." This episode starts when Stephanie goes to apprehend an FTA (failure to appear - to court) named Loretta. Loretta, who also happens to be one of Morelli's cousins, is willing to go in without a fight, but only if Stephanie promises to collect her teenage son from school while she's going through the process of getting re-bonded. For sake of ease, Stephanie commits to do so. Guess how long the paperwork process lasts for poor Loretta? Guess who's now stuck "parenting" a teenage boy who is obsessed with an online RPG (role-playing game) called Minionfire? You guessed it, 1. a long time, and 2. Stephanie.

Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum)

   In the midst of all of the "usual" in Steph's life, she find herself helping Ranger and his cronies to work private security for one of the biggest entertainers and Divas of all-time, Brenda (think of a Cher + Dolly Parton in Paris's wardrobe). Brenda is a handful to say the very least! She's got a bad attitude, a crush on Ranger, a nasty temper, and a penchant for hogging the spotlight, and not being on time. While juggling all of these items, Stephanie and her crew are thrust into solving a ten-year old bank robbery. She is involuntarily involved in the solving of the case because the robbers (and the rest of Trenton, for that matter, seem to believe that the money is buried in Morelli's house) Does this poor girl EVER catch a break?!?!?!

   I was a little disappointed that not one car got blown up. I suppose the fact that Bob the hungry dog got spray painted will suffice. Overall this was much better than the previous few books in the series. I was giggling quite a number of times throughout Ms. Plums escapades. I find these books comforting to me like a favorite pair of shoes. You know, the kind that aren't too dressy, they're not too casual, and even though they may not always be practical or all that "flashy", they're the most comfortable one's in your closet, and sometimes you are simply compelled to wear them despite their lack of appropriateness for the outfit. Okay, maybe you don't know what that's like, but it's the best I can do for now.

   Check out this book if you need a quick read with a few laughs and are expecting the unexpected. Bye for now...

Louisa May Alcott - "Little Women"

2011-04-07T18:55:00.000-05:00

     Long time, no blog, I know, but here is the latest edition, and it's hot off the press too! I've just finished Louisa May Alcott's famous classic, "Little Women." I read it when I was a kid, and have enjoyed the movie over and over so I figured it was time to revisit this much beloved book. I don't even know if I can do this book justice here in my humble blog. It's so good, and I'm afraid there's nothing I can say here that will express the greatness that is this story. Seriously?!?!?! What does one write about "LITTLE WOMEN"??? I'll give it a go regardless...

     This lovely little gem tells the story of four sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March. It is both written, and set in the 1860's during the Civil War. The story starts in the winter while their father, Mr. March, is away doing his duty with the Union army as a chaplain, and the five March women (the four girls and their beloved mother, "Marmee") are home waiting for his return. The family is suffering financial poverty, and the book tells of how they all learn to make do with what they do have. The story begins when the girls are young, Meg is about 16, Jo 15, Beth 13, and Amy is 10 or so, and it follows their lives throughout their, "coming of age."

    Each of the girls has their own passions that are explored throughout the length of the novel. Meg is a very prim and proper young lady who longs to have a carefree life, and to be able to "live in the lap of luxury" as some of her wealthier friends do instead of have to work as a governess. She's very conscious of others' view of her. Jo is a tomboy who fancies herself a playwright, actress, "man of the house," adventurer, poet, and author. Beth is quiet and caring; she's a homebody, the mother to a family of dolls, the care-taker of cats and their kittens, and a gentle domestic servant of the household. Beth is the musician in the family; she loves to play her piano, and continually longs for new music to learn and play for the family. Amy is a precocious little blond girl who wants to marry a wealthy man and be a gracious and elegant gentlewoman in the upper echelons of society as well as a great artist.

Little Women (Oxford World's Classics)

The story tells of both the public and private lives of all of the characters, and I found myself getting attached to them all. Each girl's story is about their own struggles they face as they experience the rites of passage one encounters on their journey to womanhood. It's an interesting peep into what life was like for girls in that era. So much has changed since then, some things for the better, and others...not so much.

     There is a very strong "message of morality" woven throughout the book, and for the most part it is truly, "woven into" the story as opposed to being preached outright. The girls all make decisions throughout their coming-if-age and are all experience the consequences. These little women are encouraged to live rightly and to become good women.

     As I said before, there's no way I can do justice to such an enduring classic, and I haven't really, so I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the past, and what it was like to live as a woman then. As cliche as it may sound, reading this made me want to be a better person. It contains a truly heartwarming tale, and I'm so glad I re-read it to refresh my memory.

     Enjoy the classics; they're "classic" for a reason ;)

Francine Rivers - "Unafraid"

2011-03-12T14:57:00.000-06:00

She's most certainly done it again! This is the fifth book in the "Lineage of Grace" series by Francine Rivers based upon the five women listed in Matthew's account of the genealogy of Christ. I've read the other four books in the series, but this was my favorite. This is the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus as told from her perspective. It is based on the Biblical account of her life as well as some of the events in Jesus' life. Mrs. Rivers prayerfully takes artistic license throughout the story to create dialog, character feelings and motivations, and the like to create a poignant picture of what Mary's life of obedience very well might have been like.

Mary was an average, poor peasant girl in Nazareth, but she chosen by God to bear his son, Jesus, the Messiah. She was probably about fourteen years of age when an angel appeared to her and delivers the message that God had chosen her as his vessel. She was betrothed (engaged) to Joseph at the time. Could you imagine having to tell your fiance' that although you are a virgin, that you are pregnant with God's baby. GULP! Although there is not too much mentioned in the Bible about Mary's life, Mrs. Rivers delivers a beautiful telling of this woman's tale.

Unafraid: Mary (The Lineage of Grace Series #5)

     Mary (and Joseph for that matter) is a inspiring example of obedience regardless of the cost. She said "yes" to what God asked of her. She said "yes" to being willing to become pregnant as an unwed woman in a culture that stoned adulterous people. She said "yes" to following her husband from place to place when God told him to go regardless of the seeming absurdity of it. She said "yes" (though with some difficulty) to releasing Jesus into his season of ministry even though it meant having to wonder who would provide for her and her family.  Astounding!

     I pray I have the courage to say "yes" to what God asks of me. Mary had "built a history" with God in her faith by trusting Him in the everyday little things. As she chose to follow God in the little things, He asked bigger and bigger things of her. Because she had seen His faithfulness in earlier examples throughout her life, she trusted Him with the big things too. Kinda' like "practice makes perfect;" practice saying "yes" and trusting and it becomes easier to do over time. He always showed Himself faithful to her even when things didn't turn out as she expected. Does it EVER happen that way?

     Please read this book, it is TRULY inspirational, and in my case brought about a renewed fervor to examine my life and the choices I make. God has blessed Francine Rivers with a talent, and she in turn, honors Him with it. Lovely!

     I encourage you to read this and then step back a little, and see what God does.

Emily Giffin - "Baby Proof"

2011-03-09T20:06:00.001-06:00

     I've had this book on my shelf for who knows HOW long, and I finally got to! I have read two of Mrs. Giffin's other books, "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue." I stumbled upon her work when I was the cafe' girl at Barnes & Noble quite a few years back. There was an ARC (advance reader copy - A copy of the book that is given to the store before the book is actually released so the staff can familiarize themselves with it.) in the break room that I got to read, and I really liked it. Thus was my introduction to Emily Giffin's talents.

     In this story our protagonist is Claudia, a 30ish woman, and editor for a small publishing house, who, from very early on in her life, KNEW that she just never wanted to have kids. She relishes the idea of a life of total freedom, and a completely unfettered lifestyle. All of her boyfriends have not been able to make a future with a woman who does not want kids, until she meets Ben... He shares her sentiment on the subject of procreation as well as a great many other ideals; he is her soul mate. They wed and are blissfully happy until one day Ben realizes that he wants a baby. Claudia feels betrayed and refuses to have a baby just because of Ben's "passing" whim. At some point Claudia must make a decision: have a baby with Ben, or don't have a baby and be without Ben. I'll let you put two and two together (or you can read the book...) and see that a split is "inevitable."

   Our heroine flees her apartment to the refuge of her best friend's (and former roommate, Jess) apartment and back to the lifestyle of the single Manhattaner. Throughout her divorce and its aftermath, Claudia has a lot of time for introspection and is able to take a long, hard look at her life before Ben, with Ben, and after Ben. She moves on with her life with some difficulty, but ends up dating Richard, a publicist for her company and finds herself "moving on." Or does she???

     I have to say that it took me three days FLAT to read this book. I admit, I unexpectedly had some time to kill this week, but I really had a hard time putting it down. I don't know if I could actually call this a "page turner," but I certainly did feel compelled to know what was going to happen next. I think that's a sign of good writer; they don't have to end the chapter or paragraph with an obvious cliff-hanger, but you still feel an express eagerness to resolve the issue (plot point) at hand, and QUICKLY! I mean, your head cold explode with possibilities of which way things could go. Seriously, I've seen it happen... Okay, not REALLY, but it SURE feels that way sometimes.

The author does an exceptional job of creating very real, very easy-to-relate-to cast of characters as well as slew of situations. I mean, everyone has had the experience of running into an ex and being at a loss as to why you have ice cream, complete with rainbow sprinkles slinking it's way down your arm while he stands awkwardly and introduces you to his Barbie Doll companion. We've all been there at one time or another. Mrs. Giffen really breaks down the emotions one feels when dealing with heartache, introspection, new love, regret, and a myriad of other raw feelings. I really enjoyed the story and the way she tells it. Claudia's family is good for a few laughs, as is her roomie, Jess. I wouldn't say it was a laugh-riot, but there were certainly a few chuckles sprinkled in for good measure. I found myself really invested in this one. PMS? Maybe. I found myself choking up and being somewhat stressed out throughout the course of the story because I have had similar experiences, and the writing just drew me in completely.

     In conclusion, you should check this one out. It's certainly falls within the genre of bubblegum literature, but this one has a little substance behind it. There were some really valid questions and point asked and made, respectively, between the covers that is somewhat of a rarity in this subset of literature. Let me know what you think.

Baby Proof

Well done, Mrs. Giffin, now that I find myself in a somewhat sappy mood, I think I'll read some Francine Rivers. It's about time, don't you think?

Rick Riordan - "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief"

2011-03-07T22:45:00.000-06:00

dan

The Lightning Thief (Movie Tie-in Edition)
(Percy Jackson and the Olympians)

     Well, well, well, my young mythology fans, I have JUST the thing for you... I've been in need of something lighthearted as well as something that would be a quick read. This was recommended to me by not one, but two of my friends as just what I was looking for, and I do believe that they were right.

     Percy Jackson is an average New York middle schooler who struggles with dyslexia, tends to get into fights, and only really enjoyes Mr. Brunner's Latin classes. His best friend is a little whimpy, and strange things always seem to happen to him, and they usually mean he gets kicked out of school every year. It's not until his class trip to the art museum that things REALLY heat up for him. I mean, it's not everyday that your Algebra teacher suddenly grows bat wings, fangs, and makes an attempt on your life, although, of all the teachers I've had in my life, I'm fairly certain that it WOULD be the Algebra teacher that has such capabilities. (Chemistry teachers aren't far behind either!)

     He discovers after the "Algebra teacher affair" that things are not always what they seem. For example, his puny best friend, Grover, isn't actually puny, he's a satyr who's job it is to protect Percy until he can get to Camp Half-Blood. After an exciting series of events, that involve a trip to the beach, a destroyed Camero, and a Minotaur, Percy and Grover reach their "home base" of Camp Half-Blood. It's at this point that Percy learn's that he's actually the son of one of the ancient Greek gods which is why he has never really "fit in" anywhere.  Upon his arrival, Percy isn't exactly sure which god he's a product of, but will soon find out. Shortly after his appearance at the camp, Percy is summoned by the camp director, Mr. D(ionysis), and is issued a quest to complete aided by two companions to retrieve what was stolen...

     I loved this book! It was written in first person from Percy's point of view, and Mr. Riordan did a great job of really getting inside the head of a 12-year-old boy. Percy has a great character and a cute sense of humor as well as a strong sense of honor. This book was action packed from cover to cover, and did a fabulous job of teaching Greek mythology to young (or not so young) readers by making these powerful beings of yore literally spring to life. It was educational and fun to read! Think of it as the Kix of the literary world: "Kid tested, Mother approved."

     I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did; I'll be reading the sequel soon...

Stieg Larsson - "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

2011-02-28T14:39:00.001-06:00

If Dan Brown and Dean Koontz had a literary baby, it would be Steig Larsson. His writing is fast-paced, highly detailed, well thought out, filled with many layers of mystery, a puzzle of multi-layered plot lines, and macabre (if not bordering on grotesque). Once I go to the 1/2-2/3 point, I COULD NOT put it down until it was finished!!! Of course I had to because at this point in my life, I am only rarely able to dedicate entire days to my favorite hobby, AND although I fancy myself a fast reader, I'm incapable of reading 350+ pages in the space of a few hours. I digress...

One of my dearest regulars from work lent me his copy to read, and I'm so glad I did finally get to it. I resisted reading it at first because it's such a popular series right now, and in my opinion, being popular doesn't necessarily mean it's any good. I suppose I was waiting for a recommendation from someone I know. The story begins with Mikael Blomkvist, a respected investigative journalist who is convicted of libel because he had "false" information regarding one of Sweden's wealthiest businessmen. The other main character is Lisbeth Salander, an emotionally troubled, and very mysterious girl who is not what she seems. She works for a security company to be a researcher. She's hired to find out all she can about Blomkvist for one off her company's biggest clients.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The next thing you know, Henrik Vanger, one of Sweden's oldest and wealthiest industrialists hires Mikael to spend a year trying to solve a forty-year-old mystery that has been haunting Mr. Vanger. It involves the disappearance of his niece, Harriet who mysteriously vanished a lifetime ago. Henrik gives Mikael the pretense of writing a chronicle of the Vanger family so there are not too many eyebrows raised at all of the research. As Mikael digs further and further into the case, he finds some literal skeletons in some of the Vanger family's closets as well as some very dark and somber secrets.

This is a long and involved story, and it's somewhat "unorganized" in it's delivery. Don't get me wrong, it's a good story that takes you by surprise time and time again, BUT I had a little trouble sometimes figuring out where I was in the story. This may be due in part to the fact that it has been translated from Swedish into English, or to the fact that it was published posthumously, or that it's just the way it is. Maybe I'm just a little slow on the uptake? The chapters are very long, but have various "breaks" throughout to switch between story lines a la Dan Brown. All in all, I have some mixed feelings about the book due mostly to the graphic and violent nature of some of the content. I have found over the years that the stories I read have a way of slithering into my dream life, so I am somewhat sensitive to certain subjects and in order to protect my coveted "sleep time" I have to watch what I read. That may not be the case for you, but now you know just a little more about me than you did yesterday.

I do like how involved and engaging the story is, I was constantly wondering, "well what's gonna happen next?!?!?!" Also, the character if Lisbeth Salander (aka the girl with the dragon tattoo) is so intriguing. She in herself is an enigma and is, I believe, a truly unique literary character. She has piqued my interest enough that I'll will most likely be reading the next book, which promises to reveal a little more about Lisbeth's personal history.

Until next time...

Steve Dublanica - "Waiter Rant"

2011-02-10T11:57:00.007-06:00

     Did I just stumble onto my own autobiography???? I wonder if anyone's ever thought that before? Ummm, this may seriously be in my top three best books EVER!!!! (After you count all of Francine Rivers' works, naturally.) A little, personal side note about me: I've been waiting tables now for about a decade (plus or minus a few months here and there while I tried my hand at other professions) and have been a server in the fine dining arena for over four of those years. I ate this book UP (pun totally intended!), which was recommended to me by a waiter friend of mine. I cannot wait to run out and buy Mr. Dublanica's second book. Hubby had to literally tell me, "Babe, I'm glad you're so entertained, but you either need to stop reading or go in the other room." on not one, but TWO different occasions as I read through this book.

     So a few years ago, "The Waiter" began his blog, www.waiterrant.net to detail and sometimes rant about his life as a server in one of New York's fine dining establishments. He is a college educated middle-aged man who through a topsy-turvy stream of events finds himself thrust into the restaurant business aka service industry at the age of 31. It's a great insight for those of you who've never worked in the retail or service industries. Eventually his blog garners quite a bit of attention, which at some point leads to a book deal. And here we are...

     Steve's memoiresque (yes I created a word... just go with it) book contains snapshots of what it's like on the other side of the table and in the typical commercial kitchen. Now, do keep in mind, this is one person's take on it, but honestly I can say that in my nigh ten years of experience I've run into 85% or more of the exact situations. Honestly, for the VAST majority of this book, I seriously wondered if someone had planted a bug in my brain. I am fortunate in that I work for a great company with fair and respectable management and owners, and most days, I really enjoy my job, but that has not always been the case for me (or for Steve and probably the majority of waitstaff everywhere). He has very accurately (and cynically - he warned you on the cover of the book...) relayed the "waiting experience" in an easy-to-read, relateable way that is laced with humor, honesty, and a super quick wit.

Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter (P.S.)

     He articulates a lot of things that go on in an restaurant in a way that pretty much anyone can understand, relate to, and hopefully use to get a glimpse into the life of the average American server. He is correct in saying that, "80 percent of customers are nice people just looking for something to eat. The remaining 20 percent, however, are socially maladjusted psychopaths." If you have ever worked in a restaurant, you KNOW it's true.

     Throughout the book, Steve paints poignant portraits of life in a restaurant. He talks sincerely and humorously, and cynically not only about the woes or working in as a server (of which there can be many) but also about the really great times and people he got to meet throughout the course of his employment as waitstaff. I love that's he's given a voice to the 2 million servers in the U.S. As a matter of fact, I think Mr. Dublanica should be nominated for sainthood; Server Steve - patron saint of waitstaff everywhere. I think he's dead on when he "breaks down" the various types of guests as well as what it's like to work any of the major US holidays. If you are a server, enjoy the camaraderie that you feel, and if you are a regular diner, see what it's like to wait on folks; you may learn something about something you didn't know before?

   One more note on my newest favorite book, there is a LOT of profanity in there. It is a normal part of working in the industry, and the book would've lost a lot of it's true-to-form-nature had he excluded most of it. Steve actually explains why he thinks this much profanity is part of the "behind the scenes" look at a restaurant staff in the book.... Just so you're warned, now, go and read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

J.K. Rowling - "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

2011-02-07T13:22:00.081-06:00

(My normally busy life + the super bowl being hosted in my neck of the woods) /  the fact that I work in the service industry     =   Not much time to read

     I'm not exactly AWESOME at math, but I think it all adds up to give you a semi-accurate picture of my life as of late. We did just experience an "arctic blast" (Texan for cold weather coupled with frozen precipitation that doesn't melt immediately) that did allow me a few days off to catch up on reading. You may think, "With all that time, you should have been able to finish a book or TWO?" Yes, I should have, but this is a 734 page book. Plus, I got beaucoup amounts of housework done, including, but not limited to: laundry, ironing said laundry, sweeping, cleaning the shower, vacuuming, hanging all of the wall art that we bought for the new place and haven't had time to hang prior to now, washing dishes by hand due to the line to the beloved dishwasher being frozen, AND giving myself a hard-earned pedicure. Oh, yeah, and I read some...

     Now, on to the good stuff!  Of the four Harry Potter books that I've read, this one is so far, my favorite.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)

As I've said in previous Harry Potter posts, this series "grows with its readers," and this book really proves that point to me. Harry is now 14 and entering angsty teenage-hood along with his cohorts, Ron and Hermione. Also, as I said in the last Potter post, this book and it's most recent predecessor both have grown a little bit "darker" than the one before. In the last book Harry was pursued by creepy beings called Dementors while Voldemort's power slowly grew. ***spoiler alert*** In this book, Voldemort grows even stronger, and Harry actually comes "face to face" with Voldemort, and for the first time in a Harry Potter book, someone bites the dust! ***end of spoiler***

   Another thing I liked a lot about this book is that there were quite a few different story lines drifting in and out of the spotlight. I know all good books have few different threads of story peeking out every now and again, but this one had at least five or six; a couple of those were not just interwoven tales, but were mysteries in themselves. What I mean to say is that there was a lot of mysteries to be solved throughout the various stories.

   I really didn't have many gripes about this book at all. It was a bit long, and I did have a harder time "getting into it" that it's predecessors. Once I was about 200 pages in, I was hooked and had trouble putting it down (except to do all of that grizzly housework). This book was also a little "scarier" that it's ancestors,
too, but I don't know if I'd call that a gripe, per se.

     I do have something to say about the movie though. Yes, this IS a BOOK blog, but my movie-loving Hubby insisted that we watch the flick. I believe the movie in itself is as entertaining as all of the others, and it was just plain fun to watch. It did leave a LOT to be desired when compared to the book though. There were so many parts left out, that it felt like it only covered half of the contents of the beloved book. I know it would take six hours to watch a movie that had all of the book in it, but I was still sad to see so much missing. This just proves that I was right to read the book first so as not to be disappointed in the book that takes much longer than 157 minutes to read. On the flip side, if I had seen the movie before reading the book, I may have just been pleasantly surprised to see that there was more between the two covers than the movie had led me to believe. Hmmmm, it'll always be a mystery...

     Well, looks like there's more snow headed my way, I'll try to avoid the housework and keep my nose in my literature. ;)

Lauren Willig - "The Masque of the Black Tulip"

2011-01-25T14:39:00.005-06:00

     Hello one, hello all! It seems like it's been an eternity since I've had a chance to blog. Of course my blogging involves me having the time to FINISH a book so I have something interesting (or not, depending on the book in question) to blog about.

     I've just finished the second novel in Lauren Willig's "Pink Carnation" series. This is a series of books set in the late 1700's - early 1800's (during the Napoleonic war) in various European countries (namely England and France).  There are actually two distinct story lines throughout the book; one is in the aforementioned era, and the second is current day. The more modern story's star heroine is Eloise Kelly, an American grad student who is in England doing research for her dissertation on espionage during the Napoleonic wars. She's primarily interested in the Pink Carnation (and discovers that the Pink Carnation was actually a woman!) and comes in contact with an elderly woman who is a descendant of the Purple Gentian (yet another flowery-named spy). Mrs. Aderly allows Eloise access to personal documents regarding her family history and Eloise's topic of interest. It's also very convenient that Mrs. Aderly's grandson who is in charge of these historical documents happens to be a good-looking intelligent guy named Colin. Never a bad thing, right?!

     As Eloise is pouring over the old correspondence and journals of Colin's ancestors, she becomes totally immersed in the story of Miles Dorrington and Henrietta Selwick. Henrietta is the younger sister of Richard Selwick, otherwise known as the Purple Gentian, and Miles is Richard's best friend since their childhood. In the last book, "The Secret History of the Pink Carnation," Richard and Amy (his now wife) were the main subjects of the story, but this one picks up where the last book left off, and shifts it's focus from them to Miles and Henrietta.

     We learn in this book, that the Black Tulip, a notorious and dangerous French operative is in London! With Richard and Amy out of the picture (read the previous book) the English War Office recruits Miles to help discover the identity of the renown spy and capture him. Henrietta is an adventurous and precocious (not to mention verbose) seventeen-year-old debutante who is dead set on being a spy and contributing to the war effort. All this while Jane Wooliston, the Pink Carnation and Henrietta's cousin, is in France attempting to sabotage the French operations and asks Hen to act as her eyes and ears on the English front. The two women write copious amounts of letters to one another in a specific code designed to bore anyone who might happen upon it to tears whilst still imparting important information.  They use terms like "Coffee, the taking of" which REALLY means "a situation of extreme peril, frequently requiring urgent assistance." Pretty clever if you ask me. On a more personal note, Richard asks Miles to keep an eye out for Hen as he is no longer available to play the protective big brother. As you can guess, just as in the last book, the two main characters end up falling in love. Didn't see that one coming, right?

     Overall this book is a fun, very entertaining, and adventurous read. Ms. Willig does a great job of researching the time period and goes so far as to correct any inaccuracies she made in the name of artistic license in the back of the book. I love how easy it is to really picture yourself in the time period that the story takes place. The author has created a colorful cast of characters who are easy to relate to along with an espionage story line that keeps you guessing. She transitions nicely between the modern and historical story lines and does a great job of creating necessary tensions without causing the reader stress. It was a good, quick read for me with AWESOME vocab. (If you hadn't noticed by now, I'm a HUGE fan of parenthetical phrases and authors with impressive and creative vocabularies.)

     I do have to say that this is MOSTLY a chick-lit, historical fiction novel, but it can easily be construed as a historical romance as well. Yes, most bubblegum reading has a strong love story contained between the covers, I do realize that, but not all of them have a fairly detailed "bodice-ripping scene" or two among the pages. Definitely a PG-13+ scene or two in here. In defense of the scene-in-question, (and keep in mind that this was characteristic of the time period) **mild spoiler alert** the lovers didn't love until after their wedding.**end of possible spoiler** However, there might have been a "flash of brief nudity" nestled in the "dating" stage of the relationship. Yes, I may be old fashioned, I may use too many "quotes," and I may like some romantic elements in my "pink" books, but I'm really not a big fan of detailed love scenes. There, you've been warned.....

     Happy reading!

                   The Masque of the Black Tulip (Pink Carnation)

Janet Evanovich - "Lean Mean Thirteen"

2011-01-03T15:06:00.002-06:00

Crappy cars, chocolate cake, crazy grandmother, good looking guys, poison green spandex mini-skirts, murder scenes, disappearing awful ex-husband, and exploding rodents are just a few things that our heroine encounters this go-round. Wonder Woman? Bat Girl? Joan of Arc? NOPE, you guessed it... the one and only Stephanie Plum! She's back again with yet another Jersey-style adventure in "Lean Mean Thirteen."

Just as in all of her other exploits, Stephanie finds herself surrounded by junk food and mayhem. The story opens with the disappearance of her terrible ex-husband, Dickie Orr and what seems to be a murder scene. Steph's main concern in this situation is that she is the prime suspect! Talk about being motivated to solve the mystery. As she and Ranger delve a little deeper into Dickie's case, she finds herself in the middle of something big and something terrible.

Lean Mean Thirteen [LEAN MEAN 13] [Mass Market Paperback]

     Whilst attempting to get to the bottom of the Dickie disappearance, Stephanie is also juggling a few FTA cases (big, bad bounty hunter stuff). With the help of some of her trusty amigos (Lula and even Grandma Mazur) Stephanie traipses after a grave digger with a twelve-foot python, a taxidermist with a penchant for exploding stuffed animals, and is being hunted by a bad guy who seems to think that she has the "key" to his missing $40 million (EEK!!).

     While this is an easy-reading, entertaining tale, it's not the best of Mrs. Evanovich's work. I usually find myself laughing-out-loud, but not so much in this book. The plot was full of the eccentricities that are common and expected of a Stephanie Plum novel, but it just didn't quite make the "hysterical mark" I was expecting. While it was good book, there was something missing... I can't quite put my finger on it, but it fell a little shy of the "awesome" that this series usually inspires. I'm not going to complain about a book that I consumed in three days, but you should read it for yourself and let me know what you think!

     I hope everyone had a healthy, prosperous, and enjoyable New Year!

J.K. Rowling - "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"

2010-12-31T14:29:00.005-06:00

     Well, here we are on the dawn of a new year, the year 2011. I hope you have had the opportunity to read some wonderful books, as well as to enjoy some of the finer things in life, such as loved ones, good food, and of course, coffee!

     Mr. Potter has done it again, he's managed to break almost every rule in the book, and not get expelled from Hogwarts for yet another year! Harry, Hermione, Ron, the usual cast of characters, as well as some new characters appear in book three to grace us with the latest enthralling episode of the life of Harry Potter.

     Once again, we see poor Harry's miserable life with the Dursleys while he waits for the next term at Hogwarts to begin. Harry accidentally causes his awful aunt Marge to blow up like a balloon after she continually taunts him throughout her visit. Needless to say, this does not go over very well with Harry's guardians! Harry decides that anywhere is better than staying there, so he grabs his trunk and heads off on foot. As Harry is angrily running away, he senses that he's being watched, and he is... Harry finds himself being observed by a very large black dog; as he backs away and stumbles; suddenly the Knight Bus appears just in the nick of time to whisk him away to the Leaky Cauldron.

     Once Harry finds himself back among wizarding folk, he discovers that Sirius Black, the man apparently responsible for the death of his parents, has escaped from azkaban and is now after Harry to kill him too. Because Siriuis is on the loose, azkaban prison has sent Dementors (scary, azkaban guards that literally suck the happiness out of you) to stand watch over Hogwarts. It is discovered that these terrible creatures have a unique effect on little Harry. Also, new to the Hogwarts scene is professor Remus Lupin, the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. He proves to be a wonderful ally to Harry throughout the tale.

     As the year progresses full of homework, classes, Quiddich matches, and all sorts of mischief, Harry finds himself haunted by the Dementors, the Grim (an omen of death that appears as a large black canine), as well as the threat of Mr. Black's dark desire to kill him. Throw in a magical Marauder's Map that shows all of the secret passages in and out of Hogwarts as well as where everyone is in the castle, and I would hazard to say that you have a fairly exciting and entertaining premise for a story! Once again, Ms. Rowling whisks her readers away to a universe where the "norm" is far from normal and where natural laws only apply sometimes.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) (Hardcover)
      As was true of the previous Harry Potter book, this one too is a little darker than its predecessor. It really is true that this series "grows along with it's readers." I think Ms. Rowling has done a great job of weaving a tale that always has you on your toes or the edge of your seat, depending on whether you are standing or sitting... There is always a way around a situation, a possibility to make things happen that isn't possible in the muggle world, an animal that is completely unknown to the natural world, and so many "otherworldly" objects and actions. I can see why she's a bestseller!

I hope you have a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year!

Jeffrey Eugenides - "Middlesex"

2010-12-27T14:29:00.005-06:00

     I hope the Holidays are treating everyone well! I know that some of the time off has afforded me some time to plow through a few extra books :) Always a bonus!

     I have been working on "Middlesex" now for a couple of weeks. Overall I generally have mixed feelings about the book, but I did enjoy reading it once I was about a third of the way through. I was kind of on the fence both about the style of writing as well as the content, though, as I neared the end, I think I can admit that both had grown on me over the course of the 500+ pages. I'm not a HUGE fan of the book, but it definitely met my criteria of, "I need something 'different' to read right now...hmmm?"

     Although this is the story about Calliope Stephanides, a Greek-American girl born in Detroit in 1960, it is also the story of the two generations before her and their unique journeys. The book is a narrative by Cal, a forty-one-year-old man living in Europe and working for the US government as an ambassador. He wants to tell his story and decides to start beond the beginning. After he introduces himself, he launches into his entangled family history opening with his grandparents Lefty and Desdimonda Stephanides and their tiny little town in Greece at the turn of the century. It tells of their hardship there, and their harried and necessary emigration to Detroit in the early 1920's.

     Upon arriving in Detroit, Lefty and Desdemona live with cousin Sourmalina and her bootlegging husband. Through many twists, turns, and various other situations, they raise two children Zoe and Milton. Milton grows up to serve in the US military through WWII, start a family (including Callie), fall in love with Cadillac cars, and start a restaurant empire (Hercules Hot Dog stands).

           by Jeffrey Eugenides (Author)Middlesex: A Novel (Paperback)

     Now we finally arrive at Calliope's turn to be the star. She grows up as a normal girl who loves her family, has excellent grades, is annoyed by her older brother, and is just trying to survive junior high.  Aside from being a bit of a "late bloomer" everything seems to be normal. After realizing that she may be a little different than the other girls, she becomes a bit of a loner, but is unwilling to believe that anything is wrong.  Only after an accident that lands her in the hospital is her secret revealed. Although at birth she appeared to be a normal little girl, puberty launched a few changes that revealed another truth entirely.

     The last few chapters detail how Cal (formerly Callie) began to cope with this new reality. As he details his first few tragic months of learning to live as a male, you get a glimpse of the darker side of San Francisco in the 1970's as well. All throughout the book, there are brief interjections that update you of his current life as he tells you of his past.

     Again, all in all, I think it was an ok book, but it took a little "try" to get through the first third or so of the story.  From the get-go, I had a hard time with the vast amount of detail in which Mr. Eugenides described every bit of the story; towards the end, I had accepted this fact of his particular writing style. He has a truly unique way of using words to bring images to the readers' minds; it's quite poetic. You also have to give him kudos for writing an entire epic novel from the perspective of a hermaphrodite. That had to be quite an undertaking!

     I did really enjoy "experiencing" what it was like to live through a lot of the different historical happenings that these characters went through. I know it's a work of fiction, but the author did an outstanding job of really making you feel like you were right there in the story. (I guess all of those details did indeed serve a purpose???) There were certainly some very tragic elements to the story, as well as some parts that were hard to read due to the nature of the unusual content, but Mr. Eugenides handles a lot of these issues with a measure of poetic vernacular (as opposed to solely literal and graphic terminology).

     This work sated my need for something, "off the beaten path" for sure, but I'm not certain if it's something that I would wholeheartedly push someone to read. I leave you to decide...

     Happy Holidays to one and all!

J.K. Rowling - "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets"

2010-12-09T17:42:00.004-06:00

   Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)

   What to do, what to do, It's my first day off in 11 days???? Laundry, ironing, exercise, organize the recipe drawer, continue to unpack from the move, make the bed, or read Harry Potter for 4 1/2 hours. I'll let you guess. I read the last 2/3 of the book curled up on my couch on my day off with the gingerbread latte that was a sweet surprise from Hubby. Is there anything more perfect, I ask? Not in my world...

     I usually try to avoid reading two books from the same series too close together in order to avoid what I call, "Runover." You know it, where the end of the previous book "runs over" the beginning of the next book, and you can't recall what happened in which book. I experienced this throughout the Twilight series, and have tried to space my series books out a little since then. Maybe what I should be doing instead is to work on my reading comprehension / retention instead?

     So, this book picks up with poor Harry right back at the dreadful Dursley's house, basically a prisoner, he's mighty discouraged as he's not heard a peep out of his friends from Hogwarts. The next thing you know, Dobby the pitiful house elf appears in his room and warns Harry not to return to Hogwarts because danger awaits him. After an eventful evening with Dobby, Harry finds himself in a flying car accompanied by the infamous Weasley twins and his best friend Ron who've come to rescue him from the Dursleys. Through a fascinating series of events, Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts, and yet again find themselves smack-dab in the middle of yet another mysterious scenario. People (and animals) are becoming petrified by a dark magic that is very powerful. Once people find out that Harry is a Parselmouth (has the ability to speak "snake") they naturally suspect him of these mysterious happenings.

     Another year at Hogwarts unfolds as Ron, Harry, Hermione, and the usual cast of characters try to discover who is behind the petrification epidemic, as well as clear Harry's name in the process. After a few twists, turns, and other plot line happenings, the case is solved, and the trio of amigos is headed home to enjoy their summer break before returning as third year students.

     I've only read the first two in the series, and I'm already catching a glimpse of the "grows with it's readers" phenomenon. This episode was written to a slightly older audience than was the previous. What I mean to say is that the vocabulary was a little more broad, the plot was a little "twistier" and the experiences that the characters go through would appeal to someone on the cusp of "junior high" and still not be too far above a ten-year-old kiddo. (For example, Hermione and the other Hogwarts girlies hint at a crush on Gilderoy Lockheart, the "celebrity heartthrob" of the wizard community.) This book was ever so slightly "darker" than the last, I think mainly due to the broaching of the subject of "possession" of a person's actions by Voldemort. There was some of it displayed in "The Sorcerer's Stone," but this story seems to exemplify it in a more concrete way.

     I must say that Ms. Rowling certainly knows what she's doing to sell 325 million books! Just as in the last book, the plot is full of mystery, adventure, and the unusual. Her characters are both eccentric and quaint, and the "universe" that she has imagined and set her story in, is enthralling to say the least. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

     Cheers to you, and yours!

Willingham, Medina, Leialoha, Hamilton - "Fables: Legends in Exile"

2010-11-30T14:28:00.007-06:00

I was telling one of the guys that I work with about me reading my very first comic (Artemis Fowl) a few weeks ago, and he immediately told me about the "Fables"comic series. The whole series is based upon all of the fairy tale characters that we grew up with, but with the twist that their adventures are set in a modern day urban setting rather than the typical, "far far away" or "long long ago" scenario.

I thought it was so clever that when each of the fabled characters was introduced, they had their own unique (and usually corresponding) character in the "mundane" world. For instance, Old King Cole was the mayor of "fable town" and Bigby Wolf was the investigating detective throughout the mystery that serves as the center of this story. Overall it's just terribly witty and clever!

                              Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile

     The story opens with a murder scene, presumably the murder of Princess Rose Red, sister of Snow White. Jack, of beanstalk fame, rushes in to alert Bigby of the terrific tragedy. Detective Wolf begins his investigation of the crime, and in the process of, encounters many of our favorite story-book characters such as: Blackbeard, Cinderella, The Frog Prince, and Prince Charming. Quite a few other legendary characters make brief cameos throughout the story as well. Not only are Bigby and Snow (the Director of Operations of Fabletown) investigating suspects to solve the murder, but Princess White is trying at the last minute to pull together the annual "Rememberance Day" celebration. As in most fairy tales, modern or not, everything finds itself working out to a "Happily ever after"... almost. "Why almost?" you ask, well you'll just have to read it for yourself to discover the answer to that one.

     That was a nice little break from real life, now, back to reality.... *sigh*

J.K. Rowling - "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone"

2010-11-29T23:42:00.015-06:00

.     I've finally succumbed to the Harry Potter craze. Yes, I DO realize I'm like a whole decade behind, but I like to take my time about things. You know, let other people test out the waters first, and it seems that this is a series I'll be working my way through as well!

     I've obviously not read the whole series, but I've been told that it's a series designed to "grow with it's readers." The tale begins with ten-year-old Harry living a miserable life with his aunt, uncle, and awful cousin believing that his parents had been killed in a car crash when he was a tiny baby. This same crash is where his lightning bolt shaped scar is supposed to have originated as well. On the eve of his eleventh birthday he receives a letter in the mail addressed to him. This has never happened before! His aunt and uncle destroy it because they know it contains things that point to Harry's past, and they are of the belief that the past is best left in the past. It's through this that Harry's true nature as well as pieces of his past are revealed to him.                               Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)

     Harry is in fact the son of a witch and a wizard and is, in fact, a wizard himself! The letter that he receives in the beginning of the story is his acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where his parents met and where, unbeknownst to young Mr. Potter, his name is famous as being the first person to survive an attempted murder by Voldemort. Through a long, eventful, and magical adventure, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his newfound friends Ron and Hermoine.

   Throughout the course of the story Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves entangled in a plot to prevent the heist of the very powerful sorcerer's stone by one of the Hogwart's professors. As the trio works towards their end, they discover that it takes the skills and strengths that each of the three possesses in order to protect the precious stone from falling into the wrong hands.

   The story is cleverly written and highly entertaining to readers of all ages (I'm rapidly nearing the big three-oh...It doesn't look so scary when it's spelled out in letters rather than numbers). I love how Ms. Rowling has truly created an entire world of her own down to the smallest detail. She writes in a way that is easily understandable to her "intended audience," but is not so easy that it's beneath it's older readers. Every time I opened the book, I was (as cliche' as it is...) whisked off to a land far, far away. I highly recommend it to readers of all ages!

      Now I just need a few weeks of undisturbed reading to get through the rest of the series.

Francine Rivers - "Her Daughter's Dream"

2010-11-26T15:05:00.000-06:00

Her Daughter's Dream (Marta's Legacy)

     I've said it before, and I will say it again, and again, and again, and well, you get the point... I LOVE FRANCINE RIVERS' BOOKS!!! She writes stories with "real life grit," with spiritual truths embedded, with pictures of extravagant love, and with a poignancy that is truly nothing short of a gift. I was up till almost 3 a.m. finishing this one, because I simply could NOT put it down!

     The story picks right up where the previous book left off. Hildemara Rose's daughter Carolyn is a small child in the early 1950's who is being raised mostly by Marta, her "Oma" due to Hildie's health problems and hectic work schedule. This causes a lot of resentment on Hildie's part because it feels like Marta's taking over. Through the 50's, Carolyn grows up with loving her Oma dearly, while misunderstanding her own mother's feelings and desires.Carolyn graduates high school, and is off to UC Berkley in the mid 1960's.

   It's at this point in the book where Carolyn experiences a great loss in her life and throws herself headlong into the turbulent Haight-Ashbury drug-leaden counter-culture hippy movement. She experiences all manners of things from life in a communal house, the summer of love, the loss of her best friend, to living life as a starving homeless woman in golden gate park. It is during her last few desperate days as a homeless woman, that she has an encounter with Jesus Christ, and her life is truly touched. Through a series of events (that you will have to discover on your own as you consume this book...) Carolyn ends up back in her parents' home, pregnant with her daughter.

   May Flower Dawn is born in the early 1970's and is primarily raised by Hildemara. (Just as Carolyn was raised by Marta.) Throughout high school, Dawn lives the life of a church-going-Christian, but through her relationship with her first love, Jason she comes to the realization that her relationship with Christ is only skin-deep. Throughout her college years, Dawn delves into knowing God wholeheartedly. After spending her whole lifetime being pulled from both sides by the two women she loves most, (as well as growing us with a misconception of her own mother's sentiments towards her) and experiencing her own life struggles, Dawn seeks to act as a bridge between Carolyn and Hildie and their tempestuous relationship.

      There are so many different story lines and plot points throughout this two-book series, it kinda' makes my head spin, but each different story is so well thought out, delicately told, and not to mention, is beautifully woven throughout the fabric of the whole story, it's worth the read. Undoubtedly! Just as in the first book, the delicate subject of the mother-daughter relationship is depicted in a difficult-to-read way. It's hard, as the reader, to know just how each character really feels, but to see them all misconstrue and misinterpret each others' responses and intentions toward one another. I really like the way that Francine was able to use the actual history of the US as part of the context of the novel that helped to shape each of her characters in a very tangible way. It would not have the same depth without it. This saga is an amazing work of art that should be read by women everywhere!

     I hope that you are not confused after reading this post! I have to say that is was very difficult for me to not give the heavily layered and detailed story away and still put together a coherent review. My suggestion...read the book for yourself!

Awaiting the next Francine Rivers book with bated breath...

Eoin Colfer - "Artemis Fowl The Arctic Incident"

2010-11-13T14:30:00.001-06:00

    Can I just admit that in my next life, I too want to be a super wealthy, brainiac in Ireland complete with unlimited resources, a connection to fairy-folk, and an live in a fantastical universe? One can dream.... I think I liked this book even better than the first installment. (It was a nice refresher to read the comic of the first book before I read this novel; it had been a while since I read the original "Artemis Fowl" novel.)

     In this book, Artemis discovers the whereabouts of his MIA father and in a roundabout way, enlists the help of the fairy LEPrecon unit that he bested in the last book.   Out of nowhere, Artemis receives word that his father is alive and being ransomed by the Russian mafiya. About the same time, our underground characters discover human-made batteries are being smuggled in by goblins. The LEP force needs to find out who the above ground source is, and why they are needed by the goblins. After their previous encounter with Artemis and his entourage, the LEP reason that he is a primary suspect. What ensues is an extremely creative and highly entertaining story of mutual mistrust as well as mutual need for one another's resources.

     Mr. Colfer has a unique wit about his characters and his writing, and is incredibly creative in his story-line and settings. He also does a great job of using his story to make a statement about how we as humans have lost some respect for the planet. He shows it in the contrast between the underground fairy network and the above ground "mud men" territory. It's always good to read an author that makes a positive statement through their work, without letting it get in the way of the story, and who also uses it to actually enhance the story itself.

Just like in the last book, there is an encoded message along the bottom of the pages for the reader to crack and discover. Genius, really! I believe the code is only a part of this particular book's first edition, or maybe it's only in the non-US release. I'm not sure which, but I had to do a little research and find a Puffin published book from England. Call me a nerd, I'm okay with that.

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident

I hope you choose to join Artemis, Butler, Holly Short, and the rest of the gang for this enthralling episode. Until next time, I bid you, "Adieu."

Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano, Paolo Lamanna - "Artemis Fowl, The Graphic Novel"

2010-11-09T15:02:00.014-06:00

I've just read my very first graphic novel. I feel so "with it." I'm in the midst of reading "The Arctic Incident," and it's been a while since I read the first book in this delightful series. The details of the first novel were a bit fuzzy; I've slept since then.... I was chatting with my hubby in his office, and my eye was drawn to this book. I know he has a small collection of graphic novels and comics, so I was pleasantly surprised to find one that appealed to me, and was extremely relevant to my current predicament of pre-senior moments and memory loss.
Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel

It only took me about and hour or two to read through it, and I must say it was pretty good. It was easy to follow; it rehashed the story perfectly (from what my feeble mind can recall), was imaginatively illustrated, and was very entertaining. I guess that's what one looks for in a graphic novel??? At least that's what I look for... I'm not much of a connoisseur, but what more could you want? The story introduces, 12-year-old criminal mastermind, Artemis Fowl. He goal is to restore his family's VAST fortune by kid-napping and ransoming a fairy. Genius! (If only it were that easy...) Mr. Colfer and friends do a wonderful job of constructing and bringing-to-life a quirky cast of characters and an entertaining plot.

Despite me liking the book so much, I don't know that I'll be continuing to read many comics/graphic novels. The reason is the same one I have for not usually watching movies based on the books that I've read... I like to imagine the scenery, characters, actions, etc that are penned in books on my own. Every person's mind constructs the mental images in their own way. When books are illustrated or made into movies, it puts a defined "picture" of events, characters, scenery, etc into your mind. Sometimes those images match up with your own, and sometimes they don't. Either way, I prefer to enjoy my own little constructs rather than have them defined by another. I just like the ambiguity, I think, but again, it's just my own opinion.

If you do decide to embark upon this pictorial adventure "down the rabbit hole" with Artemis and his crew, I hope you enjoy it!

Scarlett Thomas - "Going Out"

2010-11-01T13:56:00.001-05:00

What a unique premise for a book... It SOUNDED interesting... Ok, I got conned! I can admit that, I was suckered. How, you ask? My old roommate cleaned out her bookcase and handed over the goods. She usually has amazing taste, so I accepted her offerings with gusto. I have made my way through the box over the years and have generally enjoyed her taste in literature, but not so much this book. I doubt she even finished reading it (which is probably why it was in the "give away box" now that I think about it.

The book is primarily about Luke and Julie. Luke is suffering from a very rare disease/allergy to sunlight that keeps him from being able to be exposed to any sunlight. Julie is a mathematical genius, but is scared of everything from planes falling out of the sky and onto her to ingesting LSD that had been slipped into prepared foods by an angry food processing employee. Her brilliant mind allows her to calculate probabilities for just about anything, and despite the low probabilities of some of these things happening to her, she is still afraid. Sounds interesting right? (if in no other way than the "train wreck magnetism" of it all )

Going Out

     So long story short, Luke is basically trapped at home his entire life due to his illness with no real contact with the outside world with the exception of TV, books, Julie, and a limited number of friends from the neighborhood. Julie is "trapped" in her own way as well, although it's more emotional/mental than physical. To help balance the cast of characters out a little, there are quite a few "free spirits" thrown in for good measure, namely Charlotte; I love how they refer to her "type" as hippies throughout the book.   While in the end, Julie and Luke find freedom in one sense or another, it was not achieved in what I found to be a gratifying way. What I mean by that, is that when Luke finally reaches the man claiming to heal his condition, it was merely an existential conversation that took place. It may be that I'm just too dense to follow the conversation, or that I just didn't like it because it wasn't what I was expecting. Who knows for sure???

     I do have to say, that although I didn't really enjoy the book, I was fascinated by how intelligent Julie was in regards to numbers, math, and mathematical theories. That shows me that Ms. Thomas either knows something about math, or at least really knows how to write intelligently regarding math. It was also interesting to see how she constructed a character who has no experience in the outside world other than basically TV. It was a little extreme just how out of touch Luke was though. For example, he got lost in an elevator and a stair well in a hotel, and truly had no grid for how they work or how to use them. I find that a little bit of a strech, but then again, maybe that's actually how it would be if you never left your house.

     Now... on to tackle something less existential and more Artemis Fowl, dum, da, dah, dum, DUM!!!!!

Rhoda Janzen - "Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home"

2010-10-30T13:39:00.002-05:00

     I came by this book in a very round-about-way. Mom and I were on a "girls' trip" to see my sisters in Atlanta, Ga, and our flight home got delayed by something like four hours. Mom had finished the book that she brought and needed a little something to help pass the time. Off to the book stand we go...  I had seen this book a few other places but hadn't really given it much thought until I was trying to help Mom find a little light reading that would be "up here ally."  Here was my thought process: 1. Well she doesn't really like thrillers or some of the darker mysteries (rule out the Stieg Larsson trio) 2. Romance is a no-go (rule out 70% of the books in the store) 3. Politics/business/economics aren't exactly light reading or are not in any way relevant to the situation (rule out the other 28% of the store's selections) 4. "Mennonite" hmmmmm...didn't Mom take us to visit a Mennonite community when we were kids??? They make great soap and DELICIOUS ice cream. (Ahhh hah! This seems like something she'd like)

     I have very little exposure to the Mennonite people, but probably more than your "average Joan;"  it was really an interesting look not only into the lifestyle that Rhoda Janzen grew up in, but also delightful insights into her own family. She experiences a few major life-crises' (ie. Her husband leaves her for a man he met on gay.com), and she elects to move home for a while to regroup.  The memoir came about because during her time at home, she kept all of her friends up to date with some quaint anecdotes about her family and their unique culture. Her friends were intrigued and suggested she put together a memoir. I'm glad she did...

     Ms. Janzen talks about her life growing up as part of the Mennonite culture. I loved the chapter about "shame-based-foods." She tells of being "that kid" who opens her lunch bag to a thermos full of delicious, but odorous Borscht. There is nothing like already dressing differently than your whole school, but also having the "smelly lunch." I love the way she talks about her perky, peppy, ultra-honest-to-a-fault mother. The same mom who despite the heightened sense of modesty, has no problem examining a rash on the undercarriage of her future daughter-in-law just as they've met for the first time. You have to love the irony there.

     I experienced smirks aplenty as well as more than one belly laugh whilst immersing myself in this literary delight. I love her honest, tongue-in-cheek wit and sense of humor, and the fact that she can look back at her roots and see the pro and cons of her childhood lifestyle. The author is no longer an "active" member of the community; as soon as she was able, she high-tailed it into the life of academia and never looked back. I do have to say that it was I little disappointed in the fact that she very blatantly slams some of the spiritual beliefs that are held so dearly by her family. While I do understand that different people have different belief systems, I also think that maybe she should show a little more flexibility on the matter. She fled the lifestyle and belief system in search of "freedom" so, following that same logic, shouldn't she allow freedom to her still-practicing family. It's clear that, despite the differences in her spiritual beliefs and her family's, there is a lot of love between them all.

     I found the book to be a good mix of hilarity, eccentricity, as well as some sadder moments. I think it's a great thing that she included all these different aspects because that's exactly how life is; it's a mixture of both the up's and down's. Also, as a side note, keep your dictionary handy throughout your reading. Her vocabulary is EXTENSIVE; she is an English professor and all.

Seriously, if you get a chance, check out the ice cream...

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home

Francine Rivers - "Her Mother's Hope"

2010-10-19T14:06:00.003-05:00

Well, well, well, she's done it again! Francine has crafted yet another entrancing novel that is impossible to tear your eyes away from. This is the first in a two novel series; the second book is titled "Her Daughter's Dream." I can't WAIT to read the conclusion to this story!

Her Mother's Hope (Marta's Legacy)

Francine has eloquently tackled the delicate intricacies of the mother-daughter relationship in this novel. This story is set in the late 1800's through the 1950's beginning with Marta's early life in Switzerland and following her relationship with her family, namely, her mother. She's a very driven woman who grows up to make a very full life for herself. Part of Marta's journey includes marrying and raising four children, a son and three daughters. Just like any family, each child has their own personalities and gifts, but the real heart of the story is the relationship between Marta and her eldest daughter, Hildemara Rose.

     Hildemara is a very different person than Mara both by nature as well as by nurture, (as you will see in the book, because you should read it!) and this causes a lot of tension between these two main characters. I don't want to give the story away, because I would love for you to read it and enjoy it as I have.

     I do have to say this book was a little hard to read due to the fact that Francine does a marvelous job of creating a necessary tension between her characters. There is a lot of strain that weighs on the relationship between Hildemara and Marta; it has a lot to do with what each of them doesn't know about the other. As the reader, you know each character's background, motivations, and though processes, but the characters are not communicating that to each other thus creating another level of tension woven into the fabric of the novel.

     Sorry for the long gap between entries, but we moved two times in the past month, and that doesn't really allow much time for reading, but I will start the conclusion to "Her Mother's Hope" SOON!

     I recommend a good book, a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, and a super comfy chair to help soothe all of your "fall"-in-Texas allergy symptoms.

Anna Godberson - "Splendor"

2010-09-18T14:17:00.001-05:00

     I think "Didn't see THAT coming..." is a more appropriate title for this too-hot-to-handle novel. Once again Ms. Godberson delivers yet another dose of 350+ pages filled with glamorous girls, scandalous secrets, and gobs of expendable cash. This book is another snapshot of pretty young girls living life at the pinnacle of high society with too much money, too much time, too many dirty little secrets, and entirely too many opportunities to twist a plot. Kinda' makes me wish I was an upper echelon debutante then and there and with that much money.

   This is that last of the four-book series and the author does a great job of wrapping up each of the story lines. She doesn't necessarily end the various plots in ways that one would expect either. That was very refreshing, especially since it falls under the "young adult" genre.  The writing style remains the same throughout the series, and this book is no exception. Each chapter begins with a few sentences that give you a veiled preview of the chapter to come, and each chapter is usually about a different thread in the plot line tapestry which keeps the pages turning. You never know what is coming in this series. One of the things I really liked about the novel is that the characters all pretty much "got what was coming to them," meaning that all "had to face the music," or "reap what they sowed." Ok, enough with the cliches! They all had to live with the consequences of their actions. I LOVE IT! It's a novel idea (pun totally intended) in the teen fiction genre. Yes, it's a fairy tale, and a lovely one at that, but it isn't so out of touch with reality that the totally unrealistic occurs.
Splendor: A Luxe Novel (The Luxe)

     The book is a great way to expand your vocabulary, especially in relation to textiles, colors, and French decor. The style allows for easy reading, but it's not brainless reading. I almost tangibly felt the grandeur of some of the fancy parties the diva-like debutants attended in the plush mansions and hotels of that era (and socio-economic status) as well as the floods of emotions that these characters experience throughout the book. I love the sensation of closing my book and letting the realization hit me that, "Wow, I was here the whole time, not actually tippling expensive champagne or dancing with Henry, Teddy, or the Prince of Bavaria in my magnificent gown!" I'd say the author does an outstanding job when that's your experience...

     I think the series as a whole was entertaining, especially this last edition. I discovered that Anna Godberson has begun work on a new series "Bright Young Things" which seems similar in nature, but is set in the roaring 20's as opposed to the turn of the century. I don't foresee myself delving into the next series soon (if ever). I just have too many other literary delights on my plate, awaiting my consumption before I start the next "teen queen" series.  (I don't mean that in any way derogatorily, it's just my opinion on the matter.)

Until we meet again: eat, read, and be merry!

Francine Rivers - "Unspoken"

2010-08-31T22:12:00.012-05:00

     I love Francine Rivers' writing so much! She is probably my very favorite author of all time, but that's really hard to say so, just to keep from losing sleep over it, I'll rank her in the "Top 3" for now. I actually got to "meet" her at a Barnes & Noble book-signing this past May. As embarrassing as it is, I was totally star-struck. For being such a verbose person, it was very unsettling to not be able to utter a single cohesive sentence. Hubby to the rescue! Yes, I did drag my dear sweet, tolerant husband to a Francine Rivers signing. There were about 200 women, and about 6 very patient men in attendance.

     When my turn came to put my newly purchased copy of "Her Mother's Hope" (soon to be read!) on the table, I could not make my brain send words to my mouth. I just kept thinking, "Oh my goodness, it's REALLY her. The woman who actually writes down the words to the books that I can't put down!" I put my copy of "Redeeming Love" down as well, hoping against hope that the B&N event Nazi wouldn't publicly harass me for not obeying orders to only bring the pertinent book to the "Her Mother's Hope" signing. I was so hoping she'd sign my copy of "Redeeming Love" because that book changed my life. I have owned about 6 or 7 copies of it throughout the years because I keep lending it out.  All of the people I lend it to end up asking me if I mind if their friend so-and-so reads it. I answer "Sure! as long as they pass it on as well." Needless to say, this copy will not get lent out! Mrs. Rivers did sign both books and even included a scripture reference in each book.

     As I was standing there dumbfounded, my always apropos Hubby strikes up a conversation asking her what her advice to aspiring writers was, and even made the comment, "I hear you like gardening.  I want to start a garden too."  (I had just finished "Leota's Garden" and had told Hubby my little "back of the book trivia" for the day, that she not only writes, but also has a garden.) She said, "Never give up." He offered up his little writer's notepad that LIVES in his back pocket for her to sign as well. A very elegant, gracious, Godly, and ingenious woman!

   Now... on to the good stuff.                                    Unspoken: Bathsheba (The Lineage of Grace Series #4)

     "Unspoken" is the novella Mrs. Rivers wrote about Bathsheba, one of the five women mentioned in Matthew's account of the lineage of Christ. She was the wife of Uriah, one of David's trusted mighty men, and was very beautiful. David saw her bathing one day, and decided that she should be brought to his personal chambers for some illicit quality time. They ended up having an affair that produced a son. In an attempt to cover up their sin, David ends up having Uriah killed. Double whammy!

     What is so beautiful about this story is how, despite some very grievous sins (aren't they all?!), God still called David, "A man after God's own heart," and He still honored Bathsheba by giving her a place in the bloodline of Jesus Christ himself. This is obviously a work of fiction, but it is hemmed in prayer and stems from a heart that desires to please God and honor His Word. She says from the get-go that there is artistic license taken throughout the work, as there almost has to be in order to round out the story.

     This work does an outstanding job of showing the mercy and grace that God freely extends to us despite our most despicable and deplorable behaviors. King David fornicated, murdered, tried to bring an honest man into sin to cover his sin, and STILL God calls him a "Man after God's own heart." Amazing! As always, Francine Rivers captures your imagination and heart from the beginning of the story, and gives you a vehicle by which to feel as though you are a part of the story. History comes alive. I felt my heart race a little when David summons Bathsheba to his room and woos her. I felt guilt and shame right along with the characters, as well as joy when God blesses them despite it all. Don't get it wrong, there are still some pretty hairy consequences for their actions that they must face, but that's the nature of the beast, I think.

     It's so easy to empathize with these characters when the writing is so wonderful. When I finish one of her books, I am always inspired me to want to live my life for God in a more passionate way than before I had read the book. God has gifted Mrs. Rivers in an awesome way, and I for one am thankful for it.

     And now, for something completely different...

Randy Alcorn - "Lord Foulgrin's Letters"

2010-08-30T13:25:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I admit, I bought this book not, because of a desire to grow my spiritual life, but merely because I shared his last name for 26 years of my life. For all of 30 seconds, I felt famous. Shallow? Maybe, but it was still worth reading...

Lord Foulgrin's Letters

     This book was written in the same vein as C.S. Lewis's, "Screwtape Letters," which I do own, and DO intend to read; I've just not quite gotten there yet. This is the story of Jordan Fletcher and his family. Each everyday vignette is followed by a letter from Lord Foulgrin to his subordinate Squaltaint instructing him to destroy, confuse, deceive, and distract Jordan and his family at every opportunity. Squaltaint is specifically assigned to Jordan to keep him from learning the truth about God, to distract Mr. Fletcher from doing anything that would honor the Lord, as well as to do anything to destroy "the maggot-feeder" in all areas of life.

     The author writes in the Afterward that he has spent much time in prayer and Biblical study regarding fallen angels, their abilities, their motivations, as well as their realm.  He also As with anything in the spiritual realm, it's hard to translate it into words. As Mr. Alcorn states, he does his absolute best to present his work truthfully, but he is human and thus prone to error, so don't take this work of fiction as truth. He also quotes G.C. Berkouwer saying, "There can be no sound theology without a sound demonology." I think there is something to that; one must understand their enemy in order to oppose him.

     I think that while this isn't totally an original idea for a book, it is very creative. I personally had a little bit of a hard time with some of the book, not too much with the content, but with his style of writing. It was a little cliche' for my taste. There were a very few ideas/statements that I thought were a little on the "overly conservative" side of the spectrum, but there's nothing wrong with that at all, it's merely my humble opinion of things. Overall I think it's worth reading just to give you a different perspective on the battle in which we are entrenched, but from which we will one day emerge victoriously.

     Amen and let it be so!

Flavia Bujor - "The Prophecy of the Stones"

2010-08-16T14:56:00.001-05:00

The Prophecy of the Stones: A Novel

     Flavia Bujor is a young french writer who had this book published by the age of fifteen. I've never had anything published with the exception of this "self-published" blog and an essay or two (if you call Mom's refrigerator "published"). So I may be a really awful, hypocritical human for saying this, but this book is terribly overrated! I literally had to force myself to finish it so I would be able to: 1. say that I finished it, and 2. give my readership a review on the entirety of the book.

     I would be horrendously wrong to not give her credit for writing a very creative story, and have it published all before she even finished high school. I give her "mad props" for that.  This is a story with two main plot lines, and a very few subplot lines. Story one is about three, fourteen-year-old girls named Jade, Opal, and Amber. It's set in what appears to be medieval Europe, but resembles something more like "Middle Earth" replete with Tolkien-esque creatures. Story two is about another fourteen-year-old girl nicknamed "Joa" (Jade, Opal, Amber - a creative acronym if you ask me) who lives in modern day Paris and is dying of a horrible sickness.  She has dreams of another world which is the one where Jade, Opal, and Amber reside.

     The three girls are given three stones on the occasion of their fourteenth birthdays and find that when they all hold their stones, close their eyes, and think about the same thing, stuff happens.  I enjoy some fantasy fiction, for sure, but this particular one is not my cup of espresso.  The reason being that the characters were underdeveloped as were their dialogue and motivations for taking the actions they did, the story was lacking sufficient descriptions leaving giant plot holes everywhere, and there was no real conclusion. Ms. Bujor made an excellent attempt at trying to build a complex set of story lines, but didn't quite pull it off, nor did she really tie the ones she had going together very will. As I said before, I'm impressed that it was written by so young an author, but I think it could have really been a lot better with some editorial guidance. Better luck next book, Missy!

     My advice to survive the summer, stay inside and read! It works, I promise...

Mark Haddon - "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"

2010-07-31T14:13:00.008-05:00

     So, how does one describe "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"? I would start with: curious, intelligent, heart-warming, creative, eccentric, and just down-right greatness! Mr. Haddon has crafted an exquisite work that definitely keeps you on your mind on it's toes and your heart on a rollercoaster.

     It is the story of 15 year-old Christopher, who is quirky to say the very least. The story begins during one of his late-night wandering spells, Christopher discovers that his neighbor's dog, Wellington, was murdered. Christopher loves animals; he feels like he relates to them better than he does to humans. He determined to become a detective, in the same vein as the great Sherlock Holmes and discover who killed Wellington. Christopher's mother passed away a few years previous, and he lives with his father in a small English town; he goes to his school, likes the color red, hates the color yellow, and wants to sit for his A level maths test (something like AP math here in the States). He worms his way into your heart through his tale.  It's true!

     Although the story is written as Christopher's book about being a logical and observant detective, it also includes a look at his everyday life. In some ways he's very organized and methodical, and in other ways, he's total chaos. For instance, as a child he made a timetable for his toy train set to follow, but he totally flies off the handle if someone touches him. I cannot emphasize enough just how much this character not only LEAPT off of the pages, but also how much I want to hug him. (No, I've not TOTALLY lost my marbles, I'm just lacking in the creativity department today. Not enough coffee, I suppose...

     I read in Mr. Haddon's bio that earlier in his life, he had spent some time working with autistic children. It really shows through in this book that he understands them.  Because it's a narrative, you really get a glimpse of what it must be like inside one of those kids' heads. I realize it's a work of fiction, but it is still really neat to read.

     I seriously cannot think of one negative thing about the book! I did have some difficulty in understanding a few of the English terms like, A level maths, but that is no fault of the author. I realize it's not a lot of fun to read a review with nothing in the "Cons" column, but I really really really enjoyed it and have been recommending it to all of my friends.

Please, taste and enjoy!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Janet Evanovich - "Twelve Sharp"

2010-07-19T20:29:00.001-05:00

I'm currently struggling to decide if I want to continue feasting on my Stephanie Plum novels, or if I want to stop completely. My rationale being that I've just flown through number twelve and, as of yet, there are only sixteen Plum delights on which to sustain my voracious appetite for clumsy women, sexy law enforcement agents, doughnuts, psychotic kidnappers, and the other random chaos in which hilarity ensues. (That one's for you, Rum Fitts.)

As always, our heroin, Stephanie is dropped smack-dab (I have no idea where that phrase came from, but it seemed appropriate in this context...) into the center of a crazy man's scheme, a too tight pair of leather pants, an adult store mishap, a bar brawl, and the newly renovated Stiva's funeral home. In this episode, Ranger is accused of kidnapping his daughter, Julie. Did he do it? Did his dark side finally get the better of him? I'll let you find out in this scintillating story of Stephanie Plum at her best. I do have to say I was a little disappointed that she managed to own only one vehicle throughout the entire book; she didn't even sustain ANY too permanent damage to it. Strange, right?

Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum, No. 12)

     Stephanie is definitely "sharp" in this story; she manages to keep her wits about her in the midst of all the craziness that is "The Burg" and the Plum family. I think the highlight of this work is not only the ongoing tension between Steph, Joe, and Ranger (Yum! *lip lick*) , but also Grandma Mazur and Lula's stint in "The What" band. I'll let you get an idea of what that may look like to you, and then I'll recommend that you read the book and totally obliterate your own picture with something more asinine that only Mrs. E could conjure.
     Things between Stephanie and Morelli heat up right at the end, but I don't want to spoil a great thing for you. I'll keep this review short and sweet simply because I'm afraid I'll spill the beans...

   Until then...

Stephenie Meyer - "The Host"

2010-07-16T23:21:00.005-05:00

     Boy, does this girl know how to write a love triangle or what!?!? I read all of the Twilight books, and have to admit that it was the kind of reading that goes something like: "One more chapter," and the next time you look up and it's 4 a.m., and you wonder how that happened and how you're going to peel yourself out of bed in a few hours, all the while debating if it's worth it to even TRY and sleep because you will be tired no matter what at this point, and if you forgo the iota of sleep you may or may not get you will probably be able to finish the book completely which would give you an excuse to go to the used book store and buy the next one, hoping you don't run into anyone you know as you fiend for the next little bit of the story...
WHAT?!?!?! It's not like it was that way for ME?!?! It was merely a hypothetical situation. (or was it? - you decide...)

     I didn't feel the need to utterly devour The Host the way I did the Twilight series, but it's still worth the read. Stephenie says this is her first novel for adults, but honestly, it's not too far off the "teen scene." There is a little less "high school" going on, and a few more in-depth themes woven throughout the work. It's a beautiful blend of the sci-fi and romance/adventure genres. I'm not a huge sci-fi reader, but despite the alien invasion premise, the story is very easy to relate to. It's set mostly in the desert of Arizona, and centers around a group of humans who have managed to not only survive the invasion, but also to escape detection. Though it is a bit of a stretch to relate to hiding from aliens, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine yourself hiding yourself and your family from bad guys. That seems plausible to me; I've never had to do that, thankfully, but I could imagine what it would be like.               The Host: A Novel

     Right off the bat Ms. Meyer does a stunning job of constructing a love story, as twisted and triangle-shaped as it may be. It's not an original idea to write about "body snatching aliens," but it is a novel idea (pardon the pun) to make the body snatching alien "go native" and join humanity's side (at least as far as I know). I like the how the love triangle is constructed and complicated by the fact that it's between three bodies, but four entities. It will make you think!

   It was, I felt, a little redundant in some areas of the plot. The plot definitely moves forward at a fairly paced jaunt, but it seems to linger a little in some seemingly random places. I feel like the book could have been about a hundred pages shorter, but, hey, I didn't dream up the story. I like all the inner monologue that takes place throughout the story. There is a lot of it due to the fact that one of the main characters only exists inside another character's head/body.

   My recommendation is to read it for yourself. I don't think it's in my top 10 or anything, but it's not all that bad. It's an interesting idea for sure, and it really gives sci-fi another facet, that's usually missing (the love story...I don't want to be THAT girl, but I also don't really crave sci-fi in general.) I feel like she's made science fiction a little more "female friendly."

     Let me know what you think!

Loraine Despres - "The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc"

2010-06-28T00:19:00.019-05:00

I had this book recommended to me by "Smokey," a very good friend of mine, and moved it up in my reading que to "next" while bumping my next Stephanie Meyer book down to "next next." It took all of five whole days to read it cover to cover, and even re-read some of her witty little quips out loud to my dear sweet, patient hubby.

The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc: A Novel

   I was hooked at the beginning by it's vaguely similar qualities to "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," a very special book to me for sentimental reasons. It's reminiscent of my beloved Ya-Ya's in that it is set in a small town in Louisiana (near New Orleans) and takes place mostly during the early 1940's-1950's, and it is a story of a strong woman in a time when that was truly a novelty and even a threat.

     On a very un-Ya-Ya note, there are some ***VERY "ADULT" SCENES*** in this delicious and entertaining tale. (It's wouldn't be a very "scandalous summer" without them, but be warned this gets graphic in spots and deals with some very mature issues!!!) You've been warned...

     I like that Mrs. Despres deals with some very real and inflammatory issues of the time, such as desegregation, as well as some very provocative, age-old issues like adultery and murder. I know, sounds pretty heavy for summer chick lit, but there's plenty of brainless fluff and cute wit to keep it light.

   I admit that reading this was a bit of an emotional roller coaster experience for me, ranging from embarrassment, horror, and frustration to pride and joy. (Thank you, Mr. Stevie Ray for providing me just the right words I needed AND for such a classic song). I think my favorite thing about this book is Sissy's own literary endeavor, The Southern Belle's Handbook. Okay, it's not exactly something the character wrote, but it's an ongoing train of thought in her head, and it's pretty cute, though somewhat misguided and possibly even manipulative?

   This is the story of Sissy LeBlanc, wife, mother, fundraiser, hell raiser, and very charmingly unpredictable and outrageous "Southern Belle." I use that term loosely, but it still fits, even if it's only in her mind. The other main characters include Peewee (her husband), Parker (high school sweetheart), Borree (her father-in-law), and Clara (her cousin). There is a rather large "supporting cast" that is typical of Smalltown, Deep South. The character developement is a little lighter than I generally prefer but is still effective.

     While there is levity, humor, happiness, and a few snicker-worthy moments, there are just as many, or more, terrifying, overwhelming, and downright aweful moments that comprise this twisted tale of tangled triangles of love (or at least lust). She starts out as a pretty normal teenager, takes some twists and turns somewhere along the way, and things end up a little differently than she had originally planned. (Can anyone else relate?) Some of the scandalous, sticky situations she finds herself in are self-induced, some are out of her control, but regardless, she must deal with them, and take them on headfirst. (Just as is necessary in real life sometimes) It's interesting to see how she deals with each situation with gusto; all the while she continues to amend and update her handbook for living. Even though I wanted to walk away at some exceptionally disheartening points, I could not tear myself away from the novel. I couldn't wait to see what happened next!

     I do recommend reading the book fully before making your assesment. If you had asked me at the two-thirds mark what I thought of the book, I would have answered, "It stresses me out, and yet it still keeps me flying through the pages trying to find some resolution!" Once the drama unfolds completely, it has unexpected resolutions, and makes for one heck of a conclusion. Check it out if you're into a somewhat gritty (even smutty at some points) snapshot of scandalous Sissy at her best.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!!!

Charles Dickens - "A Tale of Two Cities"

2010-06-20T12:56:00.007-05:00

     One memorial service, one and one - half months, three mini vacations, and one VERY LONG Brit. lit classic later, "The B!+@h is Back" - Sir Elton John (I thought I'd stick with the British theme one second longer).

     The way this came about is mainly because I needed to soothe my conscience. "How?" You ask. Toward the end of my senior year of high school I was supposed to write a book report on this timeless classic. I had a perfect GPA (no, seriously), a bad case of "Senioritis," and no desire to ACTUALLY read this book. I know, it surprises me too. I did, however, write a report worthy of a B+ based on the CliffsNotes version of it. Sorry Mrs. Brown! A full decade passed before I decided that it was time to make amends.

     It actually took FOREVER to read this book, partially because my brain hasn't had to digest Victorian English and it's extensive vocabulary for just under the ten year mark, and also because I've had an extremely full plate over the past month and a half. I discovered that it's difficult to read classics when there is anything else going on in your life (music, work, cats, car sickness, etc) which is probably why I've never read it until now.

A Tale of Two Cities

     That's right, I still have my mom's copy from 1962. An interesting side note: Whoever worked for Scholastic Publishers the year that this edition went to print should lay off the drugs. The reason being that one of the MAIN characters, Sydney Carton, has his name spelled as such. If you read the summary on the back of this edition it's written Sidney Carton. Hmm... Now, enough about my personal life, and on with the show.

     When I first began the story it was like pulling teeth to read. I didn't understand a lot of the language (or much of the history of the French Revolution, for that matter). Lately I've mostly only consumed books that don't take much brain power to digest. I have to admit, once I got through the first 364 (of 468) pages, I began to see where it was going, and to actually WANTED to finish it. Sad, right? Anyway, as I began to get a picture of what it was like to be there in Late 1700's France and England, according to Chuck, it started to make a little more sense. I do own up to visiting http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/twocities/for some extra comprehension, and I actually made a 96% on their quiz too!

   I must admit, that despite all the difficulties, I really enjoyed the way Dickens weaves together this twisted and somewhat dark tale of kharma, altruism, and a love triangle set with the bloody French Revolution as it's backdrop. I'm not saying that I am ready to jump into another classic right away, or that I like a book to take +/- 1-1/2 months to complete, but I am saying that I feel like I've made amends with my conscience and have the bragging rights to say that I've now read one of literature's greatest.

   The characters in this book were written in such a way as to represent a people group ("Jaques" the mender of roads), or to act as a full personification of a character trait (Lucie displaying ultimate gentility and compassion; Madame Defarge is a prime example of one who will stop at nothing to extract revenge whether it be deserved or otherwise). Dickens even uses their names to help convey the depth or extent of their portrayal of a trait (Mr. Stryver strives for a better position in life).

   The plot is very well written to where the different plot lines and plot points are so delicately weaved into the story that when the end comes, it catches you off guard. At least it did in my case. I do have to say that I'm glad I finally read it, and enjoyed it (at least the end). It was really hard to get through a lot of it because I had trouble seeing where it was leading me, however; in the end it was worth it.

     I hope you enjoyed my brief and fairly inarticulate opinion of one of literature's greats. Please come back for my next episode right here at the same bat time on the same bat channel.

Until then, my friends Adieu...

Eoin Colfer - "Artemis Fowl"

2010-05-05T14:55:00.005-05:00

I know, I know, it's been a really long time since my last post. Forgive me, it's also been a really really long time since I got to sit down and read much. I did however like the first book in the "Artemis Fowl" series.

It's defiinitely written to a pre-teen - young teen audience, but it was really well written and there was plenty of action to keep you turning those pages. Artemis Fowl is the youngest member of the very wealthy and notorious crime family. This is a fanciful tale of how he is trying to find a way to restore his family's fortune and restore their "good" name. He decides to rob leprecon of his pot of gold. Sounds simple, right? Not so much! It involves blackmailing a fairy, evading a troll, kid napping an elf, and even stopping time, all in a day's work.

Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, Book 1)

Mr. Colfer does a great job in instilling his work with creative touches everywhere. The most notable is the hieroglyphic-type code that he has created. It runs along the bottom of each page and is showcased on the cover. He offers an extra challenge to the reader to crack it and get a sneak peak into the tale's future. It was a lot of fun to decipher. He is also very creative in the naming of his characters; it's very "punny." I really enjoy subtle humor like that.

It was an entertaining, quick read that did not require too much thinking. I heard they made a graphic novel out of this character and his series, but have not yet explored that particular avenue. I do, however; look forward to the next book in the series. You should check it out if you need a quick break from "heady" literature. I am starting "A Tale of Two Cities" and thought Artemis Fowl would give me a nice "break" before delving into old school British classic literature.

Enjoy your fat free, low carb, low calorie literature to the fullest!

Valerie Hurley - "St. Ursula's Girls Agains the Atomic Bomb"

2010-04-15T20:40:00.011-05:00

     Soooo, I've not been reading as much this week due to the recent addition of a Blackberry to my life. It took me SEVEN HOURS just to learn how to use the darn thing! Ok, I know I'm slow, but give a girl a break, it's my first smart phone (that just so happens to be smarter than me.)

     Ok, on with the good stuff! I just finished "St. Ursula's Girls Against the Atomic Bomb," a novel about a high school senior (for the second time), Raine Rassaby, and her guidance counselor Al. Raine is a full-steam-ahead kind or Quixotic girl who is more concerned with ridding the world of evil in the form of atomic bombs than finishing high school. I like Raine's quirky and "take charge" kind of personality, but could not for the life of me get into this book.      St. Ursula's Girls Against the Atomic Bomb

    The language as well as many of the references were pretty "high-brow" for my idea of how the book should be. I understand it goes a long way in illustrating how intelligent and well informed Raine is, but I had a hard time getting a grasp on how wading through all of that enhanced the story. Maybe, again, I'm just slow?


     Al Klepatar is her "one step behind" ally that is desperately trying to get her head out of the clouds and into the classroom, but to no avail. He is involved with turmoil of his own when his wife of 14 years decides to bail. Instead of forcing Raine to keep one foot on solid ground, he allows himself to get swept into her own little idealistic world.

     I guess it's the story of two wandering souls that meet up at just the right time to impact each other to the fullest, but the plot felt like it wasn't going anywhere fast. I also didn't get much closure at the end of the book. There was one pretty good surprise in the middle that became my second wind to get me to the end, but I won't ruin it for you. Overall, I didn't really enjoy it, but I think there IS something to be said about how it is a beautiful thing when two people on opposite side of the spectrum find a way to meet in the middle and are better for it.

     Now that I have a grasp on the workings of my "smarter than me" phone, I'll be able to plow on through the next one in the stack.

Whew!

Janet Evanovich - "Eleven on Top"

2010-04-04T14:20:00.016-05:00

     I was introduced to Stephanie Plum by my husband;s boss. She said, "You will either love it or hate it by page 25" as she handed me a copy of "One for the Money." I was not expecting great things, but here I am, devouring each novel as fast as I can.

     "Eleven on Top." I don't exactly know what it mean, but Mrs. E and Ms. Plum are most definitely on top this go round. This book is super fast paced with a couple of didn't-see-that-one-coming-twists. I love twists: lemon, licorice, pretzel, French, and plot; they all keep life exciting. This is no exception.

Eleven on Top (A Stephanie Plum Novel)

     Spoiler Alert***** Stephanie has another car blown up. (two, actually)***** Seriously, what else did you expect? Most of the usual cast comes to play in this one. Stephanie is done with chasing bad guys and is still not able to say the "L" word. Lula is as sassy and spontaneous as ever, especially now that she's a newly promoted bounty hunter. Morelli is super sexy, leery of Ranger, and only has one thing on his mind, even with a broken leg. Ranger, in this episode, is steamy and good-smelling, like always; mainly because he's Ranger, but also because he's her newly acquired boss. Some girls have all the luck! *sigh* Valerie and Albert make a surprising move that ends up leaving Mama Plum giving up the hooch and Stephanie swearing off sugar. Yeah right.

     What is it about Stephanie that just attracts mayhem that affects her and all those around her? Whatever it is, that special power keeps me laughing. The conclusion to this composition caught me pretty off-guard. I love surprises! Maybe that's how it's written, maybe I'm just slow on the up-take. Read it for yourself and let me know.

     I love the way that Evanovich can write a food fight, a steamy "love" story (or two), an old lady who thinks that funerals are the epitome of a fabulous social event, and a mystery/detective theme into one amazing novel. As always, Mrs. E delivers a hilarious ride to the finish line.

I hear there may be a secret revealed in #12...We'll see!

Ron Hall and Denver Moore - "What Difference Do It Make?"

2010-03-29T20:39:00.005-05:00

Yeah, what difference DOES it make???? Sit back, relax, and find out exactly what kind of difference one person can make.

    What Difference Do It Make?: Stories of Hope and Healing

     This is the second book by these two fine gentlemen, the first being "Same Kind of Different as Me." A man in our church, passed a copy of each of these books around for all to read, and both of them rocked me. They are a true testament to the ultimate sovereignty and goodness of God.

     Their first book was the story of Debbie Hall, Ron's wife, and how one single, radical person can drastically change the world around them. Debbie was passionate about loving God and loving others, and through that, she changed the face of Fort Worth, Texas, and the lives of Ron, Denver, and many more, forever. YOU SHOULD READ IT! http://samekindofdifferentasme.com/video.aspx

     "What Difference Do It Make" is a follow up to show how the Lord has used that story to make a difference. It's composed of two different types of content. 1. Biographies: it delves even deeper into the lives of Ron, Denver, and Debbie, both past and present. 2. Real Life Stories: it has passages from readers detailing how "Same Kind" impacted their own lives. Stories of children reaching out to make a difference, marriages being saved, and entire churches banding together to impact their communities. Both kinds of content blend into one another to create a heartwarming and inspiring read.

   It illustrates, in real lives, God's perfect plan. His mercy, grace, and forgiveness are unending, and powerful. He can use the most "unlikely" people or events to accomplish amazing things. Things beyond your wildest dreams. These stories are proof; don't take MY word for it, READ THESE BOOKS!!!! I love how, like the parables in the Bible, God uses our past experiences and our own unique perspectives on life to reveal magnificent truths to us; He is a personal God. Denver is one clear example of how the Lord does this. (The story of Jose in the book is a beautiful illustration of finding the profound in the ordinary.)

   Both works by Ron and Denver are written in an "easy to read" language, that expresses profundities and wisdom everywhere, while still being "real" and letting you in on the weakness of man. The transparency of the authors is bold and beautiful.

For real, Read these books, and keep a box of tissues handy!

Anna Godbersen - "Envy"

2010-03-29T14:09:00.081-05:00

Envy (Luxe, Book 3)

     Aahh, the continuing drama of the early 1900's high society teen queens, what's more entertaining? This is the third book in the "Luxe" series by Anna Godbersen. I have to admit that I bought the first book "Luxe" for the cover. (Shh, don't tell anyone!) The series is full of money, manipulation, pretty girls, gossip, more money, pretty boys, love, lust, bad timing, good timing, and a bunch of guff pertaining to the "rules of society."

     It's most definitely a result of the latest teeny-bopper idea of the "frienemy," you know them; the kind of girl who is your friend for the sake of not rocking the boat amongst your whole group of friends, but is really a horrible passive-aggressive manipulator. It's all in the same vein as the movie "Mean Girls." If you have questions, please start your research there with Tina Fey, Lindsay Lohan, and Rachel McAdams. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFP68RpX1Fg&feature=related

     Ms. Godbersen writes uses very formal language, and a style that keeps you on your toes. I really like that each chapter starts with a little blurb relating to the contents of the upcoming section. It's like an amuse-bouche for your literary eyes. (I can't get away from the dining terms; I relate everything to food, sorry! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amuse-bouche) Though the chapters generally move forward through the timeline and plot, each one is generally not about the same character or storyline as the one before it. You never know what (or who) you will get next. I did have to keep my dictionary handy though. Kudos for that, Anna!

     The author also does a good job of weaving many twists and turns into the plot, some predictable, some not at all expected. Her villain, Penelope, is one of the craftiest girls around; there is no end to what she will do to keep herself on top. She's truly vicious. One way that Anna keeps you turning the pages is to intermingle a good amount of verbal misunderstandings, visual misinterpretations, as well as unfortunate timing on the part of some of the main players a la the demise of "Romeo and Juliet." All of these contribute to a tumultuous ride that gives you just a hint of what the characters experience, meanwhile all the characters are stuck within the strict social framework of New York's high-society circa 1900.

     I'm not a huge fan of cattiness, and gossip, so the subject of the book is somewhat hard to stomach, but the way it's presented is amusing. If nothing else, you can stare at the pretty cover.

It's not always wrong to judge a book by it's cover, just don't make a habit of it...

Sue Monk Kidd - "The Secret Life of Bees"

2010-03-16T12:47:00.010-05:00

Where to begin? As much as I don't want to admit it, I absolutely loved "The Secret Life of Bees". I don't like being lumped in with that group of people who buy a book just because the New York Times deems it great, or with the group of "chick lit" readers who only read Nicolas Sparks and Sophie Kinsella novels. It's not that those groups are bad, I just don't like being told that a book is good by someone else, or buying a book simply because it's part of a particular genre. Don't get me wrong, the YaYa's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A_TpKeK-Oo) brought me to my best friend. Maybe I'm just a snob?

The story is an extremely heart-warming coming-of-age story set in the 1964 in South Carolina. It's happening just as the Civil Rights Act is signed, so the backdrop of the story is that of increasing racial turmoil....de-segregation, in the South, in the 60's.... Enough said! Lily is the main character who, for many a reason, runs away from her troubled home toting her nanny, Rosaleen, along. They arrive at the pink house not knowing it would change their lives forever.

August, June, and May Boatwright are the occupants of said pink house, and with mixed opinions, open their house, and hearts to the duo. Just like all good stories, it contains love, laughter, and life lessons along with a few injustices and triumphs. (Hey, I don't want to spoil it, I just give overviews.) These three women in their own way all come to embrace Lily and Rosaleen, and to help heal their hurts, as only women can. My best friend put it this way once, "There's just something about being in the company of women."

This book is beautifully written, and does a fantastic job of showing how love can transcend race, logic, age, hurts (past or present), and any number of seemingly impossible obsticles. Ms. Kidd has written a gritty and powerful tale of redemption, and the healing power of the love of women. It's like a more serious and complexly layered version of "The Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood." Despite my snobbery, I enjoyed this to the fullest, and recommend you to do the same.

Love your literature.

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thesecretlifeofbees/

The Secret Life Of Bees

Elizabeth Kostova - "The Historian"

2010-03-13T14:32:00.013-06:00

Holy Cow, this was an enormous undertaking of a novel! It's right about 650 pages of Dracula lore, diary entries, and research. This was Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel, and has won a few awards, which is somewhat uncommon for a first publication. I truly have mixed feelings about the book. It was lent to me by a fellow bibliophile, English professor, author extraordinaire, and good friend, one Mr. Rum Fitts. He also expressed similar mixed feelings.

The book is a mixture of narrative by an unnamed teenage girl, oral accounts, journal entries, and written correspondence. It is also an amalgamation of genres including: adventure, historical fiction, and horror. It's the story of a young girl living in Amsterdam with her father; together, they travel all over Europe, and have a simple, loving relationship. One day, she finds an old book in her dad's library that piques her interest, and spurs her desire to purse knowledge of Vlad Tepes, more commonly known by his legendary name, Dracula. Between her own research, her father's journal, and eventually following in her father's footsteps (literally), she discovers her family history, what really happened to her absentee mother, and a lot of eastern European history and folklore.

HISTORIAN / A NOVEL

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book as light reading, or even as an attention grabber (despite it being a vampire novel, in essence). The plot starts off at a pretty jaunty pace, but slows to a dreadful crawl somewhere between half-way to two-thirds of the way through. Don't get me wrong, there are some unexpected twists and turns, but I had to really "want it" to read to completion. I think overall, if you have nothing better at hand, go for it, but go ahead and carve out a chunk of undisturbed reading time to accomplish this feat.

Upon beginning the story, I had high expectations of a page turner, and a high adventure story; I was somewhat disappointed in the lost potential. Also, the climax was definitely not what I wanted. For all the 600 pages of build-up, I expected more of a "bang." The plot was well constructed, and well laid out, but there was an unsatisfactory ending that felt hastily "tacked on."

I did however; enjoy Kostova's ability to really allow the reader to be present in the settings. Her descriptions of sights, smells, sensations, and overall scenery were outstanding. One could really imagine the physical aspects of the scene as it took place. Good job, Elizabeth! The thing I liked the most, however, was how every character, from the narrator, to the minor foil characters, and even including Dracula himself had an immense appreciation and deep love of books and all things literary. Each character in their own way, passionately immersed themselves in research whether historical or otherwise. How can a dedicated reader not eat that up?

Maybe this book will give you something to do over your spring break "staycation."

Janet Evanovich - "Ten Big Ones"

2010-03-06T14:18:00.026-06:00

Well folks, she's done it again! Stephanie Plum has blown up yet another vehicle. Are you surprised? I'm not. Here's yet another great book crafted by Janet Evanovich. In "Ten Big Ones," the plot was a little weaker than are the ones previous, but as always, the characters are truly stellar.

Ten Big Ones (Stephanie Plum, No. 10)

Stephanie is joined by a whole host of notable characters. Lula, of course is riding shotgun for our heroine, while Grandma Mazur displays her knowledge (or lack thereof) of aliens and gangs. Morelli takes a bit of a back seat while Ranger moves to the forefront in a sexy, stealthy kind of way. What has she done now?!?! I know, I felt the same way, but it works out well... Also, (drum roll please) Sally Sweet, our favorite rock star in drag, reappears doing what he/she does best, swearing, accessorizing, and looking totally fabulous!

One point of interest in this novel is that while hiding from an angry, murderous street gang, Stephanie "stumbles" upon one of the "Rangeman Enterprises" facilities. Is it the mysterious bat cave we all wonder about? Hmmmm...

While not the best plot Mrs. E has crafted, it's most certainly an entertaining, quick read. I love starting a new Plum novel because you literally have no idea what will happen next. It's such an adventurous and humorous ride. I definitely recommend it!

Stay tuned!

Francine Rivers - "Unashamed"

2010-02-27T14:02:00.007-06:00

Yay! My favorite author ever! I have a love / hate relationship with her books. Let me explain, I love them and devour them so quickly, and I hate that they have to end. She is a former Romance Author turned Christian Fiction master. She has done two different series of novellas based on various Biblical characters and much, much more. "Unashamed" is part of the "Lineage of Grace" series based on the five women mentioned in Saint Matthew's account of the Lineage of Christ.

Unashamed: Rahab (The Lineage of Grace Series #2)

This book is based on the passage in Joshua that talks about Rahab the Jerichoan harlot. Rivers uses artistic lisence for sure to create dialogue, charater's motivations, as well as romantic inclinations. She does so in a way that gives you a special and tangible way to relate to this woman who lived in a different time, place, and culture. It makes me stand in awe of God's power to do the miracles He does, and of the way He works in the hearts of man. Rivers helps bring the Bible's account of the battle of Jericho to life through this short, well written novel.

One of the reasons I really adore Rivers' works is that she truly knows the workings of the human heart. She writes of love (for the Lord and for others) in such a way, it makes the reader's heart relate and come alive. Who doesn't enjoy that? I am always inspired by her literature. I hope you give her a try and come to love her writing as I do.

Stay thirsty, friends (for books)!

Nancy Moser - "Mozart's Sister"

2010-02-23T14:07:00.010-06:00

I love the sense of accomplishment that accompanies the finishing of yet another book! It's such a great feeling to add another work to the continually growing "already read" stack of books. Can anyone relate, or am I just that big a bookworm?

Mozart's Sister

I just finished "Mozart's Sister," an historical fiction by Nancy Moser. I've not read anything else she's done, and am not really tempted to. Is it wrong of me to not give her a second chance? I love Mozart, and have since I was a child. His music is beautiful and inspiring, and his life story is interesting and tragic. I even got to visit his childhood home in Salzburg, Austria. I was hooked. Oh yeah, and he had a sister.......

Thus the premise of the aforementioned novel. I knew he had a sister, but never knew much about her. She was six years, his senior, and just as talented as Wolfgang, but was overlooked due to her sex. Simply because she was a female, she was not really even given a chance at notoriety (outside of her childhood performances with Wolfgang), or even an opportunity to do much composing. It was an intriguing (and depressing) look into 18th century life. I had not really realized how utterly dependent women were made to be upon men.

I like the idea of the book, but not so much the presentation. I can't really put my finger on why I didn't really enjoy this book as much as I expected to, but I'll give it a shot. It is rare that I start a book, and have to really push through it by force of will to get to the end, but this took a little work. The information it contained both about the time period, and about the Mozart family piqued my interest, but I found her writing style to be a little bland. Generally I really enjoy reading stories written in the first person, but I found this one to be dull. It was a little "whiney" and riddled with "daddy loves you more" sibling rivalry syndrome. I understand that is what it was probably like, but it just got old after the first few chapters. The last few chapters of the book about her later life were intriguing, but I understand not much information is available about that period of her life. The Mozart family wrote and saved much of their correspondence to one another, and Ms. Moser used those as part of the research for the book, but most of those letters were written during her childhood and young adult years.

Reading this novel makes me appreciate indoor plumbing, and antibiotics all the more. I am also grateful that for me, in this country, at the time in which I live, opportunities are so much more available to me as a woman. Maybe one day I'll have made my way through the ever-growing stack of "to be read" books and find myself reading another Nancy Moser novel. I'll let you know!

For now, just keep your nose in a book.

Dean Koontz - "Forever Odd"

2010-02-08T14:57:00.025-06:00

Hello Again Friends,

I've just finished the second book in Dean Koontz's "Odd Thomas" series. As you can see, I am currently in the throes of many an author's series. It's a good place to be! I generally am not one for horrific or scary in any form, but Mr. Koontz does a good job of keeping the reader on their toes, and the pages turning. Some of his other books ("Hideaway") are a little too full of gore for me, but "Odd Thomas" and "Forever Odd" were more suspenseful then gory.

Once again our hero, Odd Thomas, is faced with a group of homicidal maniacs who put into jeopardy, ones he loves. I enjoy the way Odd's character is written to be humble, humorous, and heroic without meaning to be. He has the special gift of seeing the lingering dead and through it is able to sometimes solve or prevent a crime. The chase that ensues in this novel keeps the reader constantly wondering "what will happen next?"

Forever Odd (Odd Thomas Novels)

Dean Koontz weaves a plot thick with psychotic killers, Elvis, bomb threats, the supernatural, and the need to keep a dictionary close. He is truly a master of description, and he uses the perfect vocabulary to do so. I recommend this book and the series that surrounds it to anyone looking for "something different." Kootz's books are generally pretty morbid (as is this one), but in this series, the focus is Odd, not so much simply the macabre. Odd's personality, naivete, and depth of character, not to mention his adventures, are enthralling! I hope you too fall in love with Odd Thomas.

As always, more to come. Keep reading!

Janet Evanovich - "Visions of Sugar Plums"

2010-01-30T01:57:00.012-06:00

Visions of Sugar Plums: A Stephanie Plum Holiday Novel (A Between-the-Numbers Novel)

Well,

This is my first attempt at not only "publicly" reviewing a book, but also at this phenomenon called "blogging." I figured I would begin this adventure with one of my favorite authors, Janet Evanovich. I started consuming the Stephanie Plum series over the summer and have fallen head over heals in love with not only the character, but also the author. I highly recommend them to you, and hope you enjoy them as well!

Visions of Sugar Plums is one of the books that falls between the numbers in the series and is the first of the so-called "between-the-numbers" novels. It is a little shorter than your average Plum novel, but is still just as packed with humor, adventure, car explosions, strange (and generally gorgeous) men, hilarious mishaps, memorable characters, and of course Grandma Mazur's antics.

Stephanie is an average Trenton girl who overnight, goes from being a lowly lingerie buyer to an unequipped and hysterical bounty hunter. In this episode, she is chasing and FTA (person who Failed To Appear for court) named Sandy Claws when all the usual Plumness takes place. She starts the book (and her day) by walking into her kitchen to discover an uninvited "Diesel" (a new man of mystery to add to her repertoire). Just like the rest of the men in her life, he's full of muscles, good looks, and information he's not going to share. In the hunt for Claws she is, attacked by elves, scolded by her mother for not sending out Christmas cards (or having a tree, or cooking, or not having a job at the button factory for that matter), convinced that Diesel may actually be a superhero, trapped in a collapsed building with four men and no bathroom, still not any closer to getting her holiday shopping done, and is in the market for a new car (because, as usual, hers blew up).

As per the usual Plum novel, I found myself laughing out loud at not only the situational humor, but also Steph's inner monologue. She says it like it is in a very witty manner as is characteristic of her. She may be nerves of steel on the outside (yeah right!), but on the inside she is Everywoman simply funnier, and as Lula says: "You (Steph) got the market cornered on hot (men, that is)." What's not to like?

My few complaints regarding this particular book are: 1. That it isn't long enough (they never are), and 2. That there is "supernatural" activity that goes without further explanation. Diesel's appearance, disappearance, and other modes of transportation are noticeably unexplained. The same lack of commentary is noted in the villain's motives and his use of electricity. I suppose therer are worse things...

Overall, the book is a good way to entertain your mind for a few hours, but not my favorite of all books Plum. I believe it is one of those that lets you enjoy yourself in the journey. I hope you are inspired to embark on the path that Mrs. Evanovich has laid before us.

Read on, my friends!

To All My Beloved Bibliophiles...

2010-01-14T21:52:00.003-06:00

This is the first of hopefully many more to come. I look forward to reading and reviewing literature at its best (or worst, whatever the case may be).