Hello You Women of Valor!

A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did not expect to enjoy A Year of Biblical Womanhood as much as I did. In my head, I thought it would be like A.J. Jacobs book The Year of Living Biblically, which had me chuckling throughout.

There is also some humor in Evan's book, but all in all it was a bit more reflective and serious. This was a pretty big plus for me. Much of what she has to say is reinforced by what I've learned from the Teaching Pastor in my own church, lending authority to her voice.

I loved how she described the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina:

"Lectio Divina, or "holy reading," isn't really about reading at all; it's about listening. It's about approaching the text as you would a sanctuary and inviting God to inhabit the words."

There is much to like throughout the book, but I especially liked the chapter on the Proverbs 31 woman. The Proverbs 31 woman is like, so perfect that I, at least, could never hope to attain her magnificance.  Evans explains that the Hebrew (eschet chayil) that describes the wife in question as virtuous or excellent is actually best translated "valorous woman".

This is what her Jewish friend Ahava says about Proverbs 31:

"Take Proverbs 31 for example. I get called an eshet chayil (a valorous woman) all the time. Make your own challah instead of buying? Eshet chayil!! Work to earn some extra money for the family? Eshet chayil!!. . . Every week at the Shabbat table, my husband sings the Provers 31 poem to me. It's special because I know that no matter what I do or don't do, he praises me for blessing the family with my energy and creativity.

I find this beautiful. According to Evans, this is not unique. Jewish men memorize Proverbs 31 and say it to their wives at the Sabbath meal. I love this chapter because it reminds me that I am surrounded by "women of valor" every day, and that we should celebrate each other more.

Evans is passionate about the role women play in all areas of life. She did a great job of bringing out the value that woman played in the Bible and as lovers of Jesus, both historically and today. She did a nice job of bringing her husband's thoughts into the book as well.

Bottom line is, we are all, man, woman, child, valued members of the Kingdom of Heaven. I agree with one of her ending statements:

"It's not our roles that define us, but our character. A calling, on the other hand, when rooted deep in the soil of one's soul, transcends roles."

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Racial Injustice Revealed Through Story

The Round House by Louise Erdrich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an excellent book - not only was the story captivating, but the relevance to issues for people of another culture (in this case the Indian culture) are still current. I rarely think about the prejudices that other people incur since most of the folks I hang out with are from the same culture and upbringing. Books like this are so valuable for jolting us awake to the problems we have in our neighborhood and world right here in the good old USA.

"Oops", the main character in the story was very real to me. Oops and his friends lived a pretty normal life up until a racial attack on his mother. The way he and his family, as well as his community, react to this was so believable. It was very easy to empathize with all the characters in the story. Injustice always captures the imagination, but since the basis for the tale was based on very real facts, the story becomes even more compelling.

The ending was a little abrupt for me, but it fit with the overall tale.


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Food. Beautiful, Functional, Delicious!

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book rates a 5 just for the fact that is making me rethink the way I do food in my house.

First, this author loves food and her writing affirms this. Take eggs for instance:

"Good eggs are worth it, as long as your stance egg in hand isn't automatic. As long as you stop before cracking it and think: "I am going to softly scramble this egg," or "A bowl of yesterday's rice would be delicious topped with this one . . . A gently but sincerely cooked egg tells us all we need to know about divinity. It hinges not on the question of how the egg began, but how the egg will end. A good egg, cooked deliberately, gives us a glimpse of the greater forces at play."

This is how Waters talks about every food - with respect, love, and a little bit of amazement at all these riches the earth delivers to us.

Since God created the earth to so richly provide for us I want to prepare the food at my table with a grateful heart. Have you noticed how really beautiful vegetables are? I'm not talking about that canned stuff we buy in the store, but the carrot or onion dug out of the dirt? Compare the taste of that freshly purchased leek from the Farmer's market to the leek you bought from the produce section at the grocery store--the taste, and even the small, can't compare. (Leeks are a new vegetable for me,I'm telling you this book has inspired me!)

So, to date, these are the changes I've made at my table.

You know those rotisserie chickens? Well, I buy those here and now, and I have been so wasteful with them. Now I take what's left and boil the carcass on the stove to get every leftover piece of chicken I can and a delicious broth as well. You can do this with raw chicken too. I bought a boiler, let it cook overnight in the crockpot and in the morning the meat just fell off the bones. This worked great other than waking me up multiple times in the night because of the delicious smells.

Onion/Leek tops - throwing these in the freezer to toss in with chicken or beef to flavor the broth.

Bread - I have a bread machine, and we never seem to finish the loaf after that first yummy, warm out of the oven freshness. Now I cut off the crusts and make croutons.

Picnic ham cooked down for 2 meals - scalloped potatoes with ham, and pea soup (I used both the broth and the ham for this).

Beef - cooked for dinner, and have leftover beef and broth in the freezer for at least two more meals -  most probably stew and soup - or, it could be transferred into hot roast beef and mashed potatoes on toast.

One of the things I have not done yet is to take fresh root vegetables from the Farmer's market, roast with some olive oil and salt in the oven and then freeze for future meals.

An Everlasting Meal is all about respecting our daily provisions and being thankful for them, whether they are animal, fruit or vegetable. No more wasting chicken lives for me!

I gather this book is a classic--I thank my friend, Sara, for recommending it to me, and recommend it to all of you!


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Libraries, Tourette's and Morman Upbringing in One Book!

The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You will learn so much by reading this book, and about so many things.

Josh Hanagarne writes in such an engaging and warm manner that you'll feel like you're having a conversation with a friend. His love for books, his struggle and description of Tourette's, and his growing up as a Mormon are all shared honestly and with a self-deprecating humour throughout the book.

Don't you think people with Tourette's are often laughed about behind their backs, even though this disability must be so painful for them. What is the world about except being perfect and acting correctly, and Tourette's tears that all down. I think Josh described as best he could what it feels like to have his tics just waiting to explode on him. He tries his best to help us understand what that feels like, and how it feels to know how people may judge him because of it.

The story is about so much more than Tourette's though. It's about how his family supports him, how reading helps him control and escape his disability, and how he continually learns what he can to help him overcome his disability. It's about his love of books, and his job as a librarian and a little peek at what a real live librarian's world looks like. It is quite different from how I imagined it. In his quest to learn more and defeat his tics, Josh tries many things, and the people that help him most along the way are unconventional and surprising. Josh learns some unexpected things about the strategies that help him through these folks.

I have to say that what I love most about this book though, is how Josh loves libraries and what they stand for. I have to share some of the book to demonstrate his passion - a passion that I and many of my friends share, for libraries:

Recently a man approached the desk . . . "I never could have imagined a place like this in Nicaragua . . . I've been traveling for a long time, to this country. I hope you know what you have. In my towns we had nothing like this. And if we did, we had to pay for any information. And just because we were willing to pay for it didn't mean there was anything there worth reading."

A library is a miracle. A place where you can learn just about anything for free. A place where your mind can come alive.

. . . a good library's existence is a potential step forward for a community. If hate and fear have ignorance at their core, maybe the library can curb their effects, if only be offering ideas and neutrality. . . A community that doesn't think it needs a library isn't a community for whom a library is irrelevant. It's a community that's ill.

I want people walking through the doors. I don't care what their reasons are. . . Once they're here, we'll work on why they return. Once they're here they've entered an institution dedicated to fighting ignorance and providing a space without ideology. ..Anyone could enrich their life by spending some time here, if only they were willing to look around.

I appreciate borrowing books on my kindle and finding information on the internet, but the library is still important and necessary. We should do whatever we can to protect it and create community from it. (Seth Godin has a great section on this in his Stop Stealing Dreams Treatise.)

So now I'm off my library rant, but do give this book a try, it's very informative and enjoyable.

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Murder . . .Not My Typical Genre

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't usually read murder-mysteries, but I like Chris Bohjalian, and when I saw he had a new book out, jumped at the chance to read it. There were several times that I thought I had the plot figured out, and each time I was wrong--that's a huge plus for me. I like that I was kept guessing as I read and as a result I was engaged for the duration of the book.

There are many facets to The Light in the Ruins, as well as to the main characters Christina and Sarafina. Their stories are weaved between the years 1943 and 1955, giving you a chance to know them in both their past and present lives.



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Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is about two sisters who have ESP. One of the sisters embraces this aspect of her personality, and the other rejects it. This theme is a consistent undercurrent throughout the book.

In the opening chapters, the book seemed pretty ordinary to me, but as the story went deeper into the lives of the characters, I began thinking, "oh, please, don't let that happen", and then something did happen, but not what I thought. I really can't say much more than that without revealing the story line. Suffice it to say that for the last third of the book for sure, I kept wondering what was going to happen when I turned the page.

I did come away with a favorite quote though, and one that I think is true:

"We all make mistakes, don't we? But if you can't forgive yourself, you'll always be an exile in your own life."

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Creepy Goodness

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 This book is like Grimm's Fairy Tales for adults. It's a tiny bit creepy and you just want to keep reading to find out what will happen next. I read it in an evening and had to force myself to slow down so I wouldn't miss anything.

I pulled these two quotes from this book because I think they are oh, so true. But, to find the context you'll have to read the book.

"Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have . . . The truth is, there aren't any grown ups. Not one, in the whole wide world"

"Different people remember things differently, and you'll not get any two people to remember anything the same, whether they were there or not. You stand two of you lot next to each other, and you could be continents away for all it means anything."

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Gail Godwin's Newest Novel

Flora by Gail Godwin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked Flora, but it's not one of my favorite Gail Godwin books. It's interesting, I noticed in the reviews of Flora one person saying how much they disliked the Father Melancholy's Daughter, and yet this rates as one of my favorites.

Helen is a 10 year old girl whose mother died when she was just a toddler. While her father is away, Flora, her mother's 22 year old cousin, is caring for her. Helen and Flora are pretty much quarantined in their home as there is a polio scare, and Helen's father wants to keep her safe. Flora is described as being "simple hearted" and Helen doesn't really respect her. In fact, as the book goes along one could easier see Helen as the somewhat cynical adult figure, and Flora as an innocent.

I am distracted from my review having just read a review by Leah Hager Cohen in which she points out that the whole book is full of orphans. It's true! I am kind of tickled, for some strange reason, by this observation. To read Cohen's review visit the NY Times book review go  here.

Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was how Helen loved her house. Her home used to be a place of recovery for TB survivors and others and many of the rooms were named after the "recoverers", keeping their stories alive. In fact, you could say the house was a character in the book.

Why should you read this book? Well, the writing is good, and despite Helen's condescending behavior towards her cousin, I liked her.

I do like Gail Godwin as an author. This isn't my favorite of her books - I loved Father Melancholy's Daughter and Evensong. I liked "The Good Husband". I wasn't so crazy about Evening's at Five. Flora was good enough that I recommend you give it a try.


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Meet the Murphy's!

Everybody Was So Young: Gerald and Sara Murphy: A Lost Generation Love Story by Amanda Vaill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's always curious to pick up a book about history and find out about people who you know nothing about, who influenced the past. Gerald and Sara Murphy are no exception. They were friends to many of the movers and shakers of their day - Hemingway, Cole Porter, Dorothy Parker, Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald, and Picasso to name a few.  They invited these artistic and intersting people into their homes, supporting them in their chosen careers, and often supporting them financially when they were in artistic slumps. They saw the beauty in the negro spiritual and had one of the most complete collections of this music, which they loaned to other artists for plays and movies. Gerald Murphy was an artist in his own right (I had never heard of him). They themselves, were interesting people and created a life for themselves that was a life to their liking - never mind society norms. They were determined to enjoy every bit of their time with each other and friends. This is not to say they didn't have hardships in their lives, because they did. Like all of us, they had personal struggles to work through, and grief to wade through.

What I didn't like about this novel. It seems we were visiting and revisiting Gerald's sexual orientation. The author was always pointing to his deep, deep love of Sarah,but also to the supposition that he really was a homosexual. This detracted from the story for me, because her evidence seems to primarily be anecdotal evidence. The other thing that bothered me is that the author was always trying to interpret Murphy's art to make suppositions about Gerald's life. This annoyed me. I felt there was no basis for it.

However, all in all, I thought it was a very interesting bit of history. I liked getting to know Gerald and Sarah, as well as their connections to other famous people. The fact that I had never heard of them before was a plus for me. I had fun looking up some of Gerald's art online, and reading and looking at pictures about them on the internet.


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Adventure, Love and A Womanly Hero!

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I do believe I am enamoured of this book. I read it through once, and now I'm going back again and again to my favorite parts.

"A storm is rolling in, and that always makes me a little sad and wistful so I got it in my head to set to paper all these things that have got us this far on our way through this heathen land."

Thus we meet the narrator, Sarah Agnes Prine and learn about her journey and life through the Arizona Territories. I was hooked with that first sentence.

What can I tell you about Sarah? I so admire her. She is tough, resourceful and brave. She wants to learn to read and write. She feels things deeply, but not everyone knows that. She can shoot, and do what needs to be done to survive, yet, she wants to be a lady. She protects her friends and her family. She's loyal. When we meet her, she's single--I get a kick out of how she refers to a book "The Happy Bride" for advice on being a lady and on men. She's real. Here's a scene that I can relate to:

"I wouldn't be fit to keep company with a grizzly bear lately. My hands are raw and cracked open from being wet all the time and working in the cold, my hair had a tangle I couldn't get out so I cut it loose and now there is a short place on one side, and I caught sight of my face reflected in the window while I was washing up from supper and I looked meaner than a scorpion."

Who hasn't had a day, or days, like that!

There is a tastefully spicy chapter that deals with love and the Song of Solomon that was sweet. Additionally, this book has one of the best love letters ever!

The "feel" of this book reminded me of Peace Like a River in that it was a wonderful yarn full of adventure, love and loyalty. If you have a Kindle or a Nook, you are in luck - you can purchase it for $1.99! Finish up your summer with this wonderful story!

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You Won't Want to Put This Book Down!

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't believe I never reviewed this book. I have just finished a 2nd reading, and yes, it was just as good as the first time through.

Vida Winter, is a prolific author who has invited Margaret Lea to write her biography. This is an unprecedented invitation as Ms. Winter has never divulged her history to any journalist during the course of her career, instead, inventing one fantastic story after another, leading them all down a wild goose chase and no true facts about her history.

Margaret Lea is more at home with books than people. She did write one biography to limited acclaim, but that's it. Why was she chosen?

At first Margaret is inclined to say no, but after reading Ms. Winter's books is drawn into a desire to meet her and know more.

So begins the mysterious telling of Ms. Winter's story. Comprised of madness and mystery, ghost girls and dysfunctional families, Margaret begins to "live" the story of Ms. Winter along with her own secret story that colors her own family dynamics.

You can't go wrong with this book. I have recommended this book to so many, and of them all, only one couldn't get into the story - a bookphile herself I am still totally surprised by her disinterest.

If you have not yet read Thirteenth Tale, start today!



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An Attention Grabber

Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lewis and his mom, who happens to be Jewish and divorced, are ostracized in their neighborhood. I'm not so sure it's because of their Jewishness though . . . it seems to me it had more to do with Ava's curves and the way the neighborhood husbands looked at her. But I digress.

The story actually revolves around Lewis and his friends Jimmy and Rose. Jimmy and Rose also don't have a dad - he died when they were young. So these three friends hang out and love each other. They are practically inseparable until Jimmy mysteriously disappears.

The story revolves around what happens to their lives during all the tomorrows after Jimmy's disappearance. We see the perspective of Ava and Lewis, of Rose and Rose's mom Dorothy, and the neighborhood.

I reached a point in "Is This Tomorrow" where I was riveted, and stayed up much later than normal to find out what was going to happen next. There were some surprising twists and turns. I could hardly stand it when I realized I wasn't going to be able to finish the book for two more days!

What is it what grabs our attention in a story? I don't always know, but this one certainly grabbed mine.

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It's About Lydia and What She Done To Help Her Mama

Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One thing I like about "Child of the Mountain" is how the book is written in mountain dialect through the eyes of Lydia, a young girl who, obviously, lives on the mountains.

Each chapter starts with "It". "It's about how BJ ended up going to Ohio" or "It's about having nothing to do and my real smart brother", or, Chapter 1, "It's about my problem.

Here's a bit from the first chapter to entice you:

"My mama's in jail. It ain't right. Leastwise I don't think so. Them folks that put her there just don't understand our family."

Lydia is forced to leave her mountain and go to school where everyone knows her mama is in jail and treats her meanly. If it wasn't for Mr. Hinkle, her teacher, and Ears the dog she wouldn't have anyone in her corner. And then of course there's Anne. That would be "Anne of Green Gables" who Lydia felt she had a real connection with. She often retreated to reading this when she was feeling low. I did like that connection in the story.

This is a good book to while away an afternoon when you just want something to take your mind off, but don't want to think too hard.

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Auggie - He's a Boy You Want to Meet

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an excellent little book about a young boy who was born with a facial deformity. It is mostly told from this boy's perspective (August, or Auggie for short), although we do get to hear from his sister and others as well. We meet Auggie as his parents are considering having him attend a real school, instead of being home-schooled by his mom. Auggie, is very realistic about what he looks like and how people react to him, so he doesn't have high expectations.

I like Auggie a lot. He reads people very well, and even though he's afraid, he's also courageous. I'm not going to tell you much more, because I want Auggie to be the one to share his story with you. (This is fiction, but believable fiction.)

This would be a great book to read with your child - many of Auggie's experiences would be fodder for some interesting discussions.

Loved the ending but I can't share it here :-)!

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Meet the Smoke Meat Community!

Thin Blue Smoke by Doug Worgul
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes you like a book, and you're really not quite sure why. That's how I've been feeling about "Thin Blue Smoke". This book is about black people and white people, poor people and rich people. People who've made big mistakes and picked themselves up and started over because their families and communities loved, cared for and supported them.

This may sound funny, but I grew to care about the characters in the book. . . LaVerne, A.B., Periwinkle (yes,Periwinkle) and Ferguson to name a few. They all have their own stories, but they all connect with each other through LaVerne's restaurant, Smoke Meat. Their lives are not always easy, but they carry on, just as all of us ordinary people do.

I loved the tough conversations that are held with friends, and wise advice that the older folks give to the younger ones. For example, Uncle Delbert to LaVerne during a tough time in LaVerne's life:

"You can lose many years of life in bitter and sad, LaVerne. I did. And I was very alone. It is lonely when we make our hearts like stones."

Or what about this thought from LaVerne to A.B.

". . . love can only exist of its own free will. If God manipulates all our choices and decisions; if we're nothing more than his playthings, then we have no real relationship with him. . .It's only when we're free to commit monstrous acts of murder, that we're also free to love God and each other."

"Thin Blue Smoke" does jump between characters and times in the character's lives, which I know some people struggle with, however I did not find it disruptive to the story line. I feel kind of sad to have to say good-bye to the everyone I met in "Thin Blue Smoke". I'm going to miss connecting with them of an evening!


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Love DOES!

Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been telling so many of my friends the stories that Goff shares in his wonderful book "Love Does". In fact, once I start sharing it's hard to stop, because they are so funny and fabulous. They hardly even need to read the book once I get done!

I find the way Goff talks about loving Jesus and honoring Him with our lives so engaging and inviting. I do not have his personality, so I find his, "why plan, just do stuff" (an oversimplification) way of living a little daunting . . . but yet . . . he has so much energy, and has such a passion for loving people. It's actually quite wonderful.

I'm having a hard time deciding which story I should entice you with . . . should I share about how when his kids turn 10 they can choose the adventure they want on their birthday? The filming of National Treasure 2? How he snagged his wife? But no, I think I'll choose the September 11 story.

I'm going to give you a very synthesized down version - it's September 11,2001. Goff gets his family together, and he asks his kids - what could we do so something like this doesn't happen again? The solution? We need to have relationships with each other. How do we make that happen? As a result of this family meeting, his children wrote letters to foreign dignitaries all over the world, sharing their idea and asking if they could come visit to talk it over. Guess what - many said yes. Their family traveled to visit the "yes" people and had great conversations. They gave each person they visited a key to their home and said, anytime you want to come see us, just give us a call. As a wonderful follow up, someone did come visit them at their home. Isn't that great! The book is worth the price for this story alone, and don't worry I didn't spoil anything - there is way more to the story than my synthesized version.

I borrowed this book from the library, but am planning on buying multiple copies to gift to my friends. It is a quick, funny, engaging and convicting read.

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Thought Provoking!

The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been recommending this book to many of my friends--I found it to be thought provoking and think it would make worthwhile discussions with both Christians and non-Christians.

This is how the author starts:

"One: We believe everything the Bible says, therefore. . .
Two: We practice whatever the Bible says.
Three: Hogwash!"

The author posits that no-one can believe the Bible literally - it's just not possible. We all take verses or passages and put our own spin on them. He reminds us that the Bible is relevant for every generation.
The author further states that God spoke to each generation in that generation's ways, and the Bible is always relevant for whatever generation we are in. The author says:

"Our task is to take the timely timelessness of the Bible and make it timely timeliness for our world."

"God gave the Bible so we could live it, so we could be mastered by it."

The chapters on Eikon (being created in God's image) and the story of Adam and Eve are especially profound for me. God created Adam in His Eikon (and remember, it is three in one: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit), and then to assuage Adam's loneliness He split him in two, "into an Ish (man) and Ishah (woman). The man and the woman come together to form one flesh. The author states:

"God wanted 'The Adam' to enjoy what the trinity had eternally enjoyed and what the Trinity continues to enjoy: perfect communion and mutuality with an equal. . . God wants the Adam to be two in order to experience the glories of communion with love and mutuality".

The author further says:

"God is a Trinity, three equal persons in one(ness). God designs Eikons for oneness in love. God makes 'The Adam', who isn't one with an equal. So, God splits 'The Adam' into two so Adam and Eve can enjoy oneness."

"When Eikons are at one with God, self, others, and the world, the glory of the One God illuminates all of life."

Sin, of course, "distorts oneness because the Eikon is now cracked . . . Oneness has becomes otherness".

As you go deeper into the book the author states:

"The fall turned the woman to seek dominance over the man, and the fall turned the man to seek dominance over the woman. A life of struggling for control is the way of life for the fallen"

Then the author states: "The church has too often perpetuated the fall as a permanent condition."

Okay stop,and think about this - do you think it's true? When you think about your marriage in terms of the oneness like in the Trinity, does it stop you in your tracks? It kind of does for me. And the statement of the struggle for dominance between men and women, instead of lives of oneness! It's a lot to think about.

The whole book has this kind of thought provoking narrative in it. It would be a great small group study, or just good information to talk about with friends. You should definitely add it to your booklist.

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Lovely Language Enhances This Story

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book will hold your interest from start to finish. As I told a friend, it's good, but it's not what I'd call a happy book--not quite grim, but not really hopeful either.

The author uses some lovely language:

"In certain seasons, in certain shades, memories alighted on him like sharp-taloned birds".

Or consider this, about how we talk to each other

"He considered those times in life when he uttered words to a person. . . he wished he had never uttered, or had uttered differently, or he thought of the times he remained silent when he should have spoken as little as a single word."

Now there's something for all of us to thing about.

In a way, this captures the essence of the story - Talmedge, the orchardist, is always hesitating to take action, or to speak, and then wishing later that he had reacted differently.

Angelene, Talmedge's "adopted" daughter says this about poetry:

"poems--that seemed crafted to relay some secret, and even more than that, some secret about herself. . . what was available for her to know? What secrets did the world hold? Which secrets would be revealed through the soil, and which through words?"

And this description of darkness:

"The darkness was almost beautiful. It was wet-black and rich, smelled of soil."

The story itself is of the man who owns the orchard, Talmedge, and his accidental, but intentional decision to help two young pregnant girls. Angelene is the daughter of Jane, but Della, Jane's sister takes up much of the story. These girls were damaged through a relationship with a man who had no scruples. Talmedge tries to care for and protect them, but, as noted above, often hesitates instead of taking action, and then, has regrets.

When Talmedge does decide to act, it doesn't exactly work in his favor.

I would describe this book as sad, but true to life. The characters find beauty each day,but don't always claim it for their lives. Something for all of us to think about as we go about our days.


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What Hidden Prejudices Lurk in Your Heart or Community?

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved "Olive Kitteridge" which is why I was eager to begin another one of Strout's books. I am conflicted about the story though. On the one hand I liked it, on the other hand, I did not. It is very real and true to real life - no fairy tale, rose tint glasses views at all.

Strout does a good job of capturing our unconscious prejudices and judgments of people that are different from ourselves. She also captures the dysfunctional family dynamic really well. You know, how families seem like they just don't like each other, but, when push comes to shove, they are there for each other? She got that down--the dysfunction is always still there, but they come together.

Without giving too much away, I hated how Jim treated his brother Bob. I didn't like their sister Susan in the beginning of the book, but I was liking her at the end. Jim's wife Helen wasn't really likable either. Two of these characters grow into being more of their real selves, actually, I guess they all grow, just two positively and one not so much. The depiction of Susan's son Zach was a little heartbreaking. I loved the Somalian man, Abdikarim. His confusion, his compassion, his realization of Zach as a child who is afraid and not an intentional perpetrator of a hate crime.

This is what the story revolves around, Zach is accused of a hate crime, and the ripples that result from this in bringing his family together, and the Somalian community, and the community of his town, are what the story revolves around. Actually, there are two stories that come to fruition in the book, the story of Zach, and the story of the Burgess brothers and the accidental death of their father. For one brother, life unravels, but for the other, life becomes more solid. That said, the ending was very unsatisfying to me . . . I hate it when that happens.

It took me a while to get into the book - in the beginning I was mostly not liking it, but then, all of a sudden I was hooked and needed to find the time to finish it.


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For Lovers of Paris

Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an excellent book, but at 832 pages don't expect to have much time for anything else but reading (at least not if you borrowed the book from a library as I did).

Right from the start I'm going to say that this is a book to buy so that you can read through at your leisure. I borrowed this on my kindle, so had 14 days to read. If I had more time I would have been on google checking out the accuracy of the history, and the places referenced, such as Champs Élysées.

If you have ever been to Paris, this book should be interesting as you discover the history of the different locations around the city. If you have not been to Paris (like me), and plan a trip soon (not like me), then this would still be a great book to read prior to your trip. The author did a great job combining history and fiction.

This truly is an epic novel following multiple families and generations. I found the chapters that dealt with building the Eiffel tower particularly interesting and will be checking the internet on the accuracy of these pieces. Historical novels always leave me wondering what bits are true and what bits are untrue.

Rutherfurd does jump around with his time frames and his characters so you have to pay attention to the story. I don't usually have trouble with this, but had a few times in this novel where I had to stop and get my bearings.

An excellent job blending story and history (this is redundant I now, but I thought it worth repeating)!



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More Flavia!

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Flavia's adventures continue. More trouble with her sisters! More murders to solve! More information about her mother.

I like Flavia's sense of self - most of the time she's pretty confident. But, she also has a hole in her life when it comes to her mom. When her sisters torment her and tell her she was unloved, that pierces her heart. I'm looking forward to this area of her life being revealed more in future books. Her relationship with her father is also interesting--they are not openly affectionate with each other, but, in this book especially, it is clear that they love each other.


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The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession by Charlie Lovett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Based on the reviews for "Bookman's Tale", I was expecting that I would disappear into the story and forget that I even had a family for a day or so. It's a good story but I didn't quite disappear into another world.

Peter is grieving his wife's death and has isolated himself from everything and everyone. He's not suicidal, but he's not exactly living a cheery existence either. Besides all that he occasionally see's his dead wife's ghost. This part was a little disjointed to me - I really think you could leave it out and the story would not be affected that much.

What brings Peter back? He finds a mysterious picture and is obsessed with finding the painter. While pursing this mystery Peter bumps up against another mystery. Is there really a Shakespeare, or was another person really the author of the plays attributed to him.

During the story line you will learn some interesting history about the making and binding of books, those pieces were woven in quite nicely.

If you love books, murder and mystery, this may be a book for you.


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The Little Way (Hint: It's Four Letters)

The Little Way of Ruthie Lemming by Rod Drehr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm giving this book a 5 because it stayed with me after I finished it.

I read this book because it seemed to be getting a lot of hype from booksellers. In the first quarter to third of the book I kept thinking, this book is interesting, but it's not all that good. I found that the deeper I got into the book, the more the story resonated with me.

Rod grew up in a small town that was too small for him. He was (is) intellectual, and did not fit in. He couldn't wait to leave his hometown of St. Francisville, Louisiana, and he does leave. He becomes a successful journalist, marries, and has children. During his young adult to adult years he continues to come home to visit, staying in touch with his sister, Ruthie and his parents. When Ruthie gets cancer, he is pulled home more often, and he notices how the entire community supports his sister, her family, and his parents. He begins to feel a desire to come back home.

There is, of course, so much more to the story than just this. These are the two things that I came away with.

1) He talks about people who "abide" with his parents - just being there for them and with them. Isn't "abide" a great word. When do we ever take the time to abide with each other, patiently bearing each other up? This is something I want to think more about, and a habit I'd like to adopt.

2) He mentions that when he and his wife tell his friends they're moving back to his small hometown they expect that they will be greeted with astonishment and ridicule. Instead, many are envious that they have this option. One friend says, "I have many friends but I wouldn't trust one of them to pick up my daughter from preschool", and another says, "I am surrounded by people but I am alone".

I find this so sad. All the ways we have to connect in the world, and yet, we remain disconnected.

For these two points to ponder alone, it's worth while to read the book. And oh, Ruthie's little way, it's all about love.


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Good Book Club Book

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very good book! Elizabeth, American born and bred, has Armenian ancestors, although she is very far removed from what that actually means. She goes on a "mission" trip with her father, and learns about a world very different from the one in which she is brought up, and falls in love with an Armenian soldier. Elizabeth's group is in Turkey to help the war torn refugees. She sees women marched naked through the town, she sees orphans torn from the camps, she understands that men and boys are killed so that their population will die out.

Elizabeth manages to help a widow and a child by housing them with her in the American compound. It's not a popular decision, but she stays her course.

Threaded through the book are the stories behind the widow, the child, her Armenian love, and herself. She weds her lover, and ends up living in the states. Her grand-daughter becomes obsessed with finding out her grandmother's story (Elizabeth) and we learn how that impacts her and her family.

I'd recommend this for a book club group - there would be lots of great discussion.


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For Mature Readers

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ha! I thought the title of this post might get your attention. This book really will resonate more with a person in their second half of life.

I borrowed this book from the library--it is now overdue (my apologies to the next person on the hold list)!

You can't read this book quickly. It took a while to wrap my head around some of the concepts that Rohr shared. There was much I liked, and much I still need to think about. For this reason I most likely will end up buying "Falling Upward".

Some ideas I liked:

In talking about the hero or heroine's journey, and how the task he or she undertakes is really to help them to discover "his or her real self". . .

"Most people confuse their life situation with their actual life, which is an underlying flow beneath the everyday events. This deeper discovery is largely what religious people mean by 'finding their soul'"

"Every time God forgives us, God is saying that God's own rules do not matter as much as the relationship that God wants to create with us."

In talking about Homer's "Odyssey" and his coming home, Rohr says "He is free to stop his human doing and can at last enjoy his human being". This is something I should learn - stop all this crazy business, all this doing, and learn to just enjoy, well, everything!

I love this statement about the apostles:

"They barely ever got the point, and seem as thoroughly foolish as we are; but God still used them, because like all of us they were little children too."

Lovely bit from Augustine's "Confessions":

"You were within, but I was without. You were with me, but I was not with you. So you called, you shouted, you broke through my deafness, you flared, blazed and banished my blindness, you lavished your fragrance, and I gasped."

I think we forget that God is always ready to lavish His love on us. . . scripture is always telling us about God lavishly supplying us with the Holy Spirit, with His love.

In Chapter 13, Rohr says:

"God will always give you exactly what you truly want and desire. So make sure you desire, desire deeply, desire yourself, desire God, desire everything good, true, and beautiful. All the emptying out is only for the sake of a Great Outpouring. God, like nature, abohors all vacuums, and rushes to fill them."

I also loved this: "The true Gospel is always fresh air and spacious breathing room".

Chapter 11 is very interesting, talking about our shadow selves. . . "Your shadow is what you refuse to see about yourself, and what you do not want others to see". This chapter is one I have to think about a bit.

I felt, sometimes, that I wasn't smart enough for this book. I really do need time to wrap my head around some of his ideas. It's a good "thinking" book, and if you like solitude and reflection it will resonate with you.

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Flavia DeLuce - Female Investigator

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had a girlfriend who really loved this book series, which is why I picked it up. I like to read young adult fiction--usually they are a quick read, and sometimes better than the adult fiction that's out there.

Flavia is fascinated with chemistry, particularly the chemistry of creating poison. The youngest child in her household, Flavia is often picked on by her older siblings. With no mom, and a dad who is reserved and fascinated with his stamp collection she often retreats to her laboratory.

Flavia finds a dead body in the garden and the police arrest her father! Even though she's only 11, her curiosity and desire to clear her father sets her on a series of adventures.

I liked Flavia right away, but in the first half of the book I thought, well, this is good, but I don't know why Lara is so in love with these books. But. . . then I got hooked, staying up past my bedtime trying to finish it.

I just finished the second book in the series, "The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag" (which I will give 5 stars, for some reason just liked that one better) and am eager to begin the 3rd "A Red Herring Without Mustard" which I have on hold at our local library.

This would be a fun read-aloud with your kids or classroom. Visit the Flavia DeLuce website to learn more about this series.

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Talking and Listening to God

66 Love Letters: A Conversation With God That Invites You Into His Story by Larry Crabb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really love this book, and began reading it without following the author's intent, which is to read the book in the Bible first. As always, I am too eager to find out if I'm going to like a book or not.

Each chapter in "66 Love Letters" deals with a chapter in the Bible, beginning in Genesis and ending Revelation. The intent is for the reader to read the chapter in the Bible, and then read the corresponding love letter, or conversation with God. As stated previous, I was eager to get into this book, without getting into THE Book. What I have found, as I'm moving along, is that "66 Love Letters" makes me want to get into God's book, so I can have the deeper understanding that the author is going for. Therefore, I am starting over and will begin again, reading my Bible chapter before reading the "Love Letter" chapter.

I will tell you, the conversations in the book are written with such love,and they feel so authentic to me, feelings I myself may have, and responses from God that are so encouraging that I can highly recommend this book to you.


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Fact and Fiction Make an Interesting Read

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novel, which mixes fact and fiction is told through Anne Morrow Lindbergh's eyes. She is depicted in the book as being overshadowed by her husband's personality, which I believe to be true. We don't see much of the Lindbergh who wrote "Gift from the Sea", although she emerges more at the end.

As always, for me, I want to separate the fact from the fiction and the author does us a favor but clarifying some of these points in the afterward.

Anne did have a hard life it seems to me, but still an exciting one. I liked how this book brought out that she was a pilot in her own right, and was her husband's co-pilot in a number of flights. She was the first woman to get her glider pilot's license. So, even though Charles was given the spotlight, she had accomplishments of her own. I always like it when we find out how strong women really are. In fact, if you google her you will see that she received multiple awards for books that recorded her travels with Charles.

I came away feeling like I've often felt after reading one of Anne's books that she had a hard life, but that she persevered. Whether you know a little or a lot about Anne, I think most readers will enjoy this book.

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Making Choices

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I could not put this book down. I almost always like Picoult's writing because it makes you really think. The Storyteller is no different. In some ways it reminded me of The Book Thief, particularly the last half of the book.

Sage works in a bakery. She likes it that way because she doesn't have to interact with any other people--it's her safe place to hide and work through her grief at losing her mother and living with the scar that's left on her face from the accident they were in. Curiously though, Sage continues to go to a grief group where she contributes little to nothing. However, it is here in the grief group that she befriends a man, Josef Weber.

Josef has a secret that he shares with her and it changes everything in her life, as well as how she views Josef. He was her friend, to be truthful, almost her only friend, but, by sharing his secret it's practically impossible to remain his friend.

We also meet Sage's grandmother who has her own story to tell. She has secrets too, that Sage eventually persuades her to share.

As these stories entertwine, we see both the good and evil in the characters and in each other. Given the circumstances of the characters lives, we would have made choices. Would we have made the right choices? I was reminded, while reading, how choosing not to take a side, or take a stand, but to remain aloof from a situation is also a choice. That's the comfortable choice many of us make in our lives without even thinking about it. I think Picoult is a master at using her stories to make us think about judgements and choices we make in hard situations. I can't wait for my friends to read this--it's pretty hard to review it here and not give away any of the things I want to talk about!


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Another Kindle Freebie: Edith Wharton

Summer by Edith Wharton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book I've read by Edith Wharton I think (it's possible I read "The Age of Innocence" but I'm not 100% certain).

This book centers around a girl, her name is Charity, who is, in fact a charity case. She was brought "down from the mountain" which, in her town, would be where all the undesireables live. Charity has a complicated relationship with her guardian, Mr. Royall. Although he is the one who brought her down from the mountain, she views him as a hard man who does not care for her. Like many young people, Charity tends to view her situations with extreme emotion - sometimes full of despair, sometimes joy. She thinks she understands situations and makes impulsive decisions which are sometimes based on what she feels is certain knowledge, but in fact is not.

Charity, like many of us in our youth, falls in love. The man she loves is more educated than she is, and she often feels her ignorance in their conversations. But, when you're young and in love you dismiss these thoughts and enjoy each moment. She sortof knows this may not work out, but has hope that it will.

I'm not sure I liked the ending of this book. It ended with a sort of equal feeling of despair and hope. It reminded me a little of Tess of d'urbervilles which I also liked yet didn't like.

Perhaps these stories are a little too real for me. Real life consists of despair, hope, and it doesn't always end the way we want it to. This book certainly displays the characters clearly, and shows both their good and their bad.


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I Never Knew About This "Classic"!

A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This quaint, old fashioned book caputured my interest for most of this Saturday morning. The writing style reminded me of Anne of Green Gables, The Two Altheas or How Green Was My Valley. There is something to be said for books like these that capture what are now considered old-fashioned values and contrasting them with the transient enjoyments of society.

Elnora has no father and her mother treats her resentfully due to the circumstances that surround her father's death. Much of the book centers around Elnora's doubt of her mother's love and the tension in their relationship because of this. Her mother seems a hard woman and because of the lack of warmth Elnora finds relief and comfort in nature. Elnora is smart! She collects moths and butterflies and arrowheads which she sells to collectors so that she can pay her way through high school. She dearly loves to learn. Elnora is proud and doesn't like to accept help from her Aunt and Uncle, or really anyone for that matter. She has self-determination and figures out what she needs to do to succeed.

Although Elnora lives a life of hard knocks, she demonstrates the virtues of kindness, love, forgiveness and self-denial. That last virtue is one that we don't seem to value so much in our current culture of instant gratification. Her patience and understanding surrounding the circumstances of her life eventually lead to healing with her mom, and peace for her soul.

There are bits in the book that I love as relating to her relationship to "the Almighty". If you are one that's annoyed by those references this may not be the book for you. I however, enjoy them, if only for the picture it gives us of how people wrote about God in the past.

I would read it again (lucky for me, it's on my kindle so I can do that whenever I please). As an additional bonus, it was free (thanks Amazon).

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Of Pirates and Kings and Adventure!

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review actually covers both The False Prince and The Runaway King, books one and two of The Ascendance Trilogy. I learned about the series from a friend of mine whose middle school son had recently read Book One and declared it good.

If you have children or students who love adventure, pirates, fighting and intrigue, this is a great series to get them started on. I read both books back to back and now I am so frustrated that I have to wait for Book Three. I want to know what happens next! (I am not known for being a very patient person.)

The royal family is dead and there are no survivors. Three orphans are chosen to impersonate the royal prince who was lost at sea, "resurrected" and become the crowned King. Who will it be? Sage? Roden? Tobias? And what of the Princess Amarinda? Is she friend or foe?

Will the newly crowned King be able to rule his kingdom wisely and well? Will the regents who guide him accept his sovereignty, or will they undermine his rule?

You will have to read the books to find out as I don't want to spoil one minute of your reading pleasure.

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Secrets make Good Books!

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an excellent book, one of Kate Morton's best.

I read this while on vacation so lots of fun stuff interrupted my reading time. If I had been home, I would have probably read this in one day.

Morton will keep you guessing as you read through "Secret Keeper". I read it on my kindle, which kept me from reading ahead. I know many people are appalled to learn how often I read ahead because I am impatient to know what is happening, but it really does not ruin stories for me. In this particular case though, I think the anticipation of getting back to the story and having to wait for then ending added to my enjoyment.

The book revolves around Laurel, her mother, and a secret. We know part of the secret early on, but it is only as you complete the book, that the larger secret becomes known to you. ALong the way you will meet several characters--Dorothy, Vivien, Jimmy, and of course Laurel herself. How their stories entertwine will eventually become clear to you.

If you don't like moving being characters and times, the book may cause a bit of a struggle for you. However, I would still encourage you to give it a try.

I like all of Kate Morton's books, but this was one of my favorites!

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A Dollar Store Find!

The Truth About Sparrows by Marian Hale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got this book at the dollar store, for, you guessed it, $1. I liked it so it was a dollar well spent.

As a girl who moved multiple times during her growing up years, I could understand Sadie's angst about leaving her home, best friend, and having to start somewhere new. Her struggle with her angry feelings and her desire to be a good person also resonated with me.

The author did a good job of describing Sadie's feelings as she transitioned from one type of life to another. I would recommend this teen fiction book to both adults and teens.

I enjoyed the interview with the author at the end of the book. When asked what she (the author) wished she could do better, she responded: "Everything! But being imperfect is not such a bad thing. I like to think we're all like jigsaw puzzles with pieces missing here and there. The lessons we learn, the people we meet and come to love, simply fill in the missing pieces and help complete the picture of who we are."

I think this perfectly describes what happened to Sadie in "The Truth About Sparrows".

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A Mystery Steeped in History

The Cutting Season by Attica Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Cutting Season is not the typical genre of book that I read. I was enticed into reading this because of the reviews on Goodreads. As a bonus, I could borrow it for my kindle from my local library so decided to give it a try. I'd call it mystery and suspense, although I see some descriptions call it a "thriller". I don't know why, but I typically veer away from those types of books.

Caren Gray is an African American woman who manages a plantation in the South. What's fascinating about this is that her grandparents were slaves on this plantation, and her mother brought her up there. Caren had been determined to escape from the past, and left to pursue a law degree. The birth of her child and a sorrow pulled her back home. I would say she has a love/hate relationship with the plantation and it's owners. The prejudices that follow Black-Americans can't be understood by me, a white woman, but you can feel the tensions in the story.

Caren finds a body on the plantation and the story revolves around who committed this murder, as well as the disappearance of a slave ancestor from her family history. In the meantime, her failed love story, her failed dreams and her daughter's isolation all collide--will she find a way to get back to those dreams and start life anew?

I was always eager to get back to the book to find out what was going to happen next (I read this while on a cruise so I didn't have uninterrupted reading time) and will be trying more of Attica Locke's books.


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The Cove by Ron Rash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Cove is not a book I would normally choose--it ended up in my hands because it was rated as one of the best for 2011-12 on some review that I read. I'm not 100% certain how to describe it. The words "haunting" and "beautiful" are two words that come to mind. They don't seem like they go together do they? If you've read Cold Mountain, or seen the movie The Piano, perhaps you will understand why I choose those words.

The Cove is set in a mountain community in the southern United States during the World War. The mountain people hold on to many superstitions and the main character, Laurel, is ostracized due to their ignorance. She describes herself as feeling a "lavish of aloneness". In fact, she was so alone that sometimes when she looked in the mirror she wasn't sure she was real.

A stranger, Walter, comes on the scene, and she begins to feel she has a friend. She remarks how it feels good to have someone look her in the eyes. Eventually, Laurel discovers Walter has a secret--that secret puts them into a danger.

What's so haunting and troubling about this situation is that it really doesn't need to happen. If it wasn't for one person's foolish pride, pompousness and desire to be admired, the outcome could have been different. As is always the case with people who are full of themselves, others egg them on and escalate emotions that lead to irrevocable circumstances shaming to communities.

Life is full of both beautiful and troubling moments isn't it? The best books capture both, and for me, The Cove succeeded.

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