Great Young Adult Read For All Ages

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a really excellent book that I highly recommend. It was very real, and I loved the author's note at the end:

"This is meant to be a historical note, and it pains me to admit that Code Name Verity is fiction--that Julie Beaufort-Stuart and Maddie Brodatt are not actually real people, but merely products of my adventure-obsessed brain."

This book is not just about these two women and their friendship, but also about the role women played in the war. It's not just about the role women played in the war, but about doing the hard, but right thing (something that is sadly lacking in our society today). It is also a story about mixed identities and loyalty. It's about Cruelty and Courage, and yes, I mean to capitalize those words.

I read Code Name Verity twice, and it is reluctantly on it's way to the library now.

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Family: Do We Know the Real Story?

Three Daughters by Consuelo Saah Baehr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting book, covering three generations of mothers and daughters. It covers as well, an expanse of history highlighting the changes and choices that women have encountered over the years.

This book surprised me in the experiences that each of the women faced. In my limited experiences with women from the Arab Palestinian culture I pictured the women as being more submissive, more restricted . . . more, cautious I guess. This is not the case with the three women in this story. Miriam, Nadia and Nijmeh each have their own story to tell.

Miriam is strong, traditional, smart, and enticed by the opportunities that wars (yes, multiple) bring to her as a woman in her country. Although her marriage is arranged, she and her husband form a marriage partnership that works for them. Even so, Miriam falls in love with another man and begins a relationship that could put her in real danger. She knows, however, that she can never, or will never, leave her husband. Eventually, she will come to realize that she deeply loves him.

Nadia, Miriam's daughter, is rebellious. Conventional marriages and the conventional life are not for her. She resists the arranged marriage her parents desire for her, and would rather be out riding horses than living out the traditional role a woman plays in her tribe. Nadia falls in love with an older man, but is tricked into a marriage with a person from her tribe and culture. She soon realizes that Samir loves her, and she loves him too. The only thing lacking in their relationship is children. Nijmeh,their daughter, ends up being their only child.

Nijmeh's story was my favorite. She is innocent and naive, but at the same time tough and smart. In preparation for her role as next in line when the Sheikh, her father dies, she learns to live on her own in the desert. Her father wants her to learn to love the land and traditions of her family. Nijmeh also falls in love, but her father disapproves and intervenes. Through a controlled circumstance, Nijmeh ends up marrying a doctor whose family is from her tribe, and then moves to America. Once Nijmeh is in America,we begin to see the real Nijmeh emerge.

The story of each of the daughters is different than the story that their families know. I enjoyed how the author allowed us to see what other characters in the book were thinking. Some of the descriptive paragraphs were a little long for me, but overall I really enjoyed this book.

Love shines through in the end, because family is, after all, more about heart than blood. The ending, which highlights this thought, was perfect!  



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Never Home: A Fitting Title

Neverhome by Laird Hunt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Death was the underclothing we all wore."

I wonder if soldiers everywhere have this feeling tugging at their souls? War, and stories of war, never seem to go away.

Neverhome is a civil war story, told from the perspective of a woman soldier, who goes by the name of Ash Thompson. Ash left her husband home to take care of the farm, saying she was the better shot, and therefore the more logical one to fight.

I want to say, that as a woman, there is no sense in that to me. However, that is clearly not the case of the 700 or so women who fought in the civil war, and the women that fight in the military today.

Ash is very pragmatic about her duties, and about what has to be done to win the war. She's clever about hiding her femininity, and poignant in her thoughts about the husband she left behind.

As in all wars, there are sights and sounds never to be forgotten. The memories seem to weave their way into the bones of the survivors, and how they live normal lives after serving their countries is something that is beyond my capability of understanding.

How is it that civil war stories, which seem to be the war stories I read, are also strangely beautiful in language and thought? I found this to be true for this story as well, and when reviewers say a story has fiercely gorgeous prose, who can resist picking it up? Perhaps it is true, as a character in the story states

"You say something one way instead of the other often enough and maybe the thing quits crawling into your bed with you and stroking its claws at your cheek."

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Speak or Stay Silent

The Plum Tree by Ellen Marie Wiseman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"For seventeen-year old Christine Bolz,the war began with a surprise invitation to the Bauerman's holiday party."

This isn't as much a story of love, as of grit. Webster defines grit as mental toughness and courage, traits that Christine exhibits throughout the book. Yes, she loves too, deeply loves, but courage and grit are necessary to survival.

Do you ever wonder, what you would have done had you lived in war torn Germany during the holocaust? Would you have hidden a Jew in your attic? Would you have spoken against the injustice being done to your Jewish neighbors? What about your disabled neighbor, or the gypsy? Would you have said, this is wrong? Would you have stayed silent to protect your family?

Although I would like to think I would have the courage to speak out, I think I would have stayed silent. Why? to stay under the radar. Because, there is always the fear, if you speak out, your family would be harmed, perhaps even killed.

The story of Christine and Isaac will will make you ponder these questions.

We are so quick to judge other people's actions, but fear, whether out of intimidation or the desire to protect, can make us respond in unjust ways.

For me, I am not only pondering those questions for Holocaust times, but for these times. As ISIS is intimidating and killing to expand their power and territories, where will people get the courage to resist?

In a recent news story, a villager who had welcomed ISIS into their village, did so because he thought they would improve things. Evil came disguised as Hope.

Christine is aware, throughout the story, that how she chooses to react will affect not just her, but her family. Sometimes, her sense of justness, or rightness, has her acting impulsively, and there are consequences. Sometimes, as she ponders a situation, she agonizes over the thought that she may put her family in danger. Sometimes, she lies, in order to survive.

There are many stories about the holocaust, and many of them are very good. I can't really say I enjoyed this story, because it seemed full of truth to me, and truth is very hard. People were treated cruelly. People did things they would never  normally do to survive. I felt this book was written in a way that made that very clear, and that is what made this story valuable to me.


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Nuclear Poetry?

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is not a feel good book, but you will learn a lot about nuclear waste and meltdowns, and you may feel a renewed interest to visit Emily Dickenson's poetry. One of the more interesting facts was that you can sing her poem's to the Gilligan's Island tune.

This story kept me wondering where it was going. I like that in a book--I don't want to be able to anticipate the plot, and the author did a good job keeping that wondering factor alive.

The main character, Emily is writing the story, and although you can easily follow the story line, she does jump around in time. Emily is smart, but, like many teens, makes some bad choices. She is a survivor, and pragmatic about her situation. I don't think I can say that Emily is hopeful about her situation, but she is a survivor all the same.

I really enjoyed how the author wove the Dickenson poems throughout the novel, and the thoughts that the main character Emily had about them. I am intrigued to learn more about Emily Dickenson's life, and to revisit her poetry.

For me, the best books are those that have a compelling story, but still teach us something,or compel us to learn more. This story accomplished those traits for me.



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A Swashbuckling Pirate Tale

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you want a swashbuckling tale similar to The Three Musketeers or The Count of Monte Cristo, then you should like this book. I enjoy the writing style of books published in earlier eras, and am always struck by how much more sophisticated the language was. I needed a dictionary for words such as this: pusillanimity (lack of courage), depredations(plundering), execration (great loathing) and invidious (act or situation likely to incur resentment). For years, when I've read books, I just inferred the meaning of words with the story--who wants to take the time to look them up in the dictionary? However, the kindle has changed all that for me, and I love being able to find the exact meaning with the touch of a finger.

Peter Blood has been unjustly accused of murder and ordered to hang. Fate intervenes, and instead he is sent to an island in Barbados as a slave. As a physician, Peter fares better than most, but, when freedom comes in the form of capturing and commanding a Pirate ship, he takes it. Although Captain Blood is a pirate, he gains a certain respect for the way he and his men treat the crews of the vessels he captures. Peter is always mindful of his behavior, and how it might appear to a certain lady he holds in high regard.

This was a fun story, and as stated earlier, I enjoyed the language and the setting. It was a nice escape during a rainy afternoon.


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An Enticing Prequel to a New Jodi Picoult Novel

Larger Than Life by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novella was sad, but interesting.

As always Jodi Picoult has done her research, and woven a story into the facts. The story weaves between a researcher (Alice), an elephant calf (Lesego)and Alice's relationship with her mother. You will flip between present time (Alice in Africa researching elephants) and past time (Alice's memories of growing up with her mother). There are some nice connections between elephant memory and human relationship.

You will learn so much about elephants while reading the novella. It was really very fascinating, but also so sad how we disrespect the animal kingdom for the sake of greed.

A favorite passage comes from a reflection Alice has on motherhood, which is oh so true for young mother's everywhere:

"There is a reason people say being a mother is the hardest job in the world: You do not sleep and you do not get vacation time. You do not leave your work on your desk at the end of the day. Your briefcase is your heart, and you are rifling through it constantly. Your office is as wide as the world, and your punch card is measured not in hours but in a lifetime."

I was in the mood for a brief, but interesting read, and this fit the bill.

I will be looking forward to the sequel Leaving Time: A Novel.



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History for Young Readers

Numbering All the Bones by Ann Rinaldi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had the pleasure of unpacking 30 cartons of books for our English department yesterday, and borrowed this one for the weekend. I ended up reading it before breakfast this morning. A perfect way to start a lazy Saturday.

I'm giving this 4 stars because I think it has so much historical information in it for discussion.

Eulinda is her master's daughter, but lives in that strange window of being a little bit accepted by her father, but really belonging to the slave population. It is in the throes of the civil war, and everyone knows the South will lose, but the slaves have not been declared free as yet.

Near the plantation is the infamous Andersonville prison. There are many true facts about the prison woven into the story. 13,000 dead in Andersonville, did you know that? It was, in essence, as the author points out, a death camp where food, medicine and kindness were missing.

New learning for me was the fact that Mr. William Griffin, who was an ex-confederate, came to Andersonville Prison of his own accord, and, used his own money, to clean up and put to order the graves of those who died there (it was not protected and animals were disturbing the graves). Eventually Clara Barton and Mr. Griffin worked together to honor the dead. Dorence Atwater, whose job at  Andersonville was to record the dead, assisted them in identifying graves. Headstones were erected to mark the graves. Can you imagine recording thousands of dead people. One wonders how that would affect a life.

Eulinda's story, and that of her slave brothers, are the backdrop for the historical context.

As I think of the news in the world today, people being beheaded on the internet for all to see, the continued warring in the Middle East - I can't help but wonder with the Psalmist, "Lord, how long". God created us to live in peace, to live with compassion,kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3), we are doing a pretty miserable job of it!

It's good to remember that God raises up people like Clara Burton and William Griffin to help us get back on track.


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Bread and Life

Stones for Bread by Christa Parrish
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What I will remember most about this book is how the descriptions of bread making was woven into the story as a whole. In fact, I think I am intrigued enough with the sourdough recipes to try making my own sourdough starter. There is a particular recipe for a chocolate sourdough bread, with actual pieces of dark chocolate baked into it, that is especially appealing.

Liesl owns her own bakery.It seems as though bread and the making of it are an essential part of her nature. Her feelings of family, and grief (after losing her mother tragically at an early age), are all tied into her bread making. She shares her bread with customers and churches more easily than she shares herself. Liesel loves the making of bread and it is a sort of therapy, as well as escape for her life.

Liesl's bakery "Wild Rise" (a reference to sourdough starter) becomes a family place for a variety of societal misfits that come to work for her. She reluctantly loves each of them, and particularly a little girl named Cecilia.

Liesl's grandmother explains to her about sourdough, and how you must feed it with flour and water until it can be made into bread "again and again,every day so the children have brot. Always something is in this pot, waiting to eat". When Liesl says that she didn't know "bread was so hungry all the time", Oma says "We are all hungry all the time. Every living thing." And isn't that the truth. Adding to the family theme, some of Liesel's sourdough starter has been fed through the generations, coming over from the old country with her grandmother.

There is a lot of history about bread and it's role in the lives of the rich and poor woven throughout the book.

Which brings us to another underlying theme of the story, which is that Jesus is the bread of life. If you are a not a Christian, don't let this scare you off, because this theme is just part of who the characters are,and I feel it is really understated. In other words, I don't feel preached at, it's just a part of the character's stories that comes up now and again.

I do like a thought Liesl has on community:

"all of us with pieces missing, all of us starfish, but instead of regenerating our amputated parts we've replaced them with one another".

I borrowed this book from the library on my kindle, but may be tempted to purchase the book itself for the recipes.



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Twenty Years Too Busy?

Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Step 1 of learning to walk in the dark is to give up running the show."

Hmmm, that one is a hard one for me!

Although this quote only touches the tip of the iceberg in Barbara Brown Taylor's newest book, it captures, for me, my great fear of not being in control of my circumstances. God keeps reaching out to teach me, to humble me, into trusting that He is with me in every life situation that I encounter.

Taylor talks throughout the book of society's interpretation of light (good) and evil (dark). There is an assumption, or at least a willingness to equate, darkness with evil, or absence of God.

Fear of the physical dark is not something I have struggled with. Interestingly enough, my favorite time of day is my morning prayer time, when I turn out the lights, and focus (or attempt to focus) my attention on God. For me, physical darkness is essential during this time. Relationship. This is what Taylor is moving us towards. Darkness is not bad, whether it is physical dark, or the darkness of grief, or fear, or loneliness. Dark times, yes, but God is still with us.

My favorite chapter is Chapter 5, "The Eyes of the Blind". In it, Taylor tells about her experience with Dialogue in the Dark, which is a way for sighted people to learn what it is like to be blind. Participants are plunged into darkness, given a cane, and then taken through several activities so they can know what a blind person experiences every day. She writes about how she doesn't know if her fellow participants are old, young, people of color, tall or short. She goes on to say:

"Maybe someone should start an Opaque Church, where we could learn to give up one kind of vision in hope of another. Instead of wearing name tags, we would touch each other's faces. Instead of looking around to see who's there,we could learn to listen for each other's voices."

This book also reflects my current journey. I feel, or have felt, pulled into a frenetic style of living. This book reminds me, slow down, experience your emotions, look, listen, be aware of the world and the people in it.

Towards the end of the book, the author and her husband are outside, in the dark, watching the moon rise. Her husband asks, "How long has it been since we've done this",and she answers, "Twenty years". "Why?" he asks.

"He and I both know why, but the answer makes me so sad that I cannot say it out loud. We have been busy. For twenty years."

If you are a reflective reader, then this book will give you plenty to ponder.



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Faith, Hope and Love Put To The Test

Mennonite Meets Mr. Right: A Memoir of Faith, Hope, and Love by Rhoda Janzen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There is much to like about this book. Like Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, there is humor, and love of family. What I liked best about Rhoda's continuing story though, is how God was growing her. It tickles me that a woman who left the Mennonite community is now a Pentecostal attending church woman.I think it amuses Janzen a little bit too.

I liked the introspection that Janzen shared:

God respects our right to choose. Do we want to connect with Him, or do we want to live a life without him? We get to pick.

The difficulty of a marriage is that we fall in love with a personality, but must live with a character.(Peter DeVries, American Novelist).

Janzen,and other memoirists, are so honest. I don't know that I could write with such abandon and just lay myself out there like that.

It also tickles my funny bone that this modern woman, who is embracing God's Word, and working on obedience to Him is now displaying a definite conservative bent, at least from society's standpoint. What I see from this book is a woman who is moving into becoming the woman God created her to be. You will enjoy her story and learn from her!



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The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the best book I've read in a long while. It took me out of myself and into the story. The characters were my fellow journey men and women and their choices impacted my emotions.

Tom and Isabel (Izzy) are very different people. Tom is thoughtful and introspective; Isabel is  young, a little naive and playful. Like many of us married couples, they don't always understand each other, at times disappointing each other (and me!).

Izzy and Tom are bound together not just by love, but  by time and space. While living on this remote island, Isabel has two miscarriages and a stillborn birth with only Tom to attend to her. Tom tries to comfort her, but they grieve so differently and at times communication breaks down.

Out of the blue, a baby washes up on the island, and they claim her as their own. But, when their sweet Lucy turns 2, things start to unravel.

I was at times so disappointed in Tom and Izzy. They are just like you and me, people with choices. Our choices always impact people, we don't always know in what ways. They don't just affect other people, but also ourselves.  As I read I'd be saying to myself, oh no, they won't do that, will they? Their story captured my full attention. I was eager, yet sort of dreading, to see what would happen.

The author did a good job describing both the beauty and the loneliness of the Island, as well as the beauty and the function of the lighthouse. Additionally there were some nice analogies between the lighthouse and life.

I came late to this book, as it was a bestseller some while back,but I highly recommend it!



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Am I Sanctimonious?

The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am still thinking about these stories and I finished them a week ago.

These stories!

First,I am not generally a short story fan. But, I kept running into mentions of Flannery O'Connor in different articles, and her literary greatness,so I decided to give her a try. It helped that I only paid $1.99 through a Kindle book deal.

These are not warm, funny heartwarming stories. In fact, many of them are a bit macabre, and honestly, I don't know exactly why, but I was compelled to read them all. Of course, now I am just busting to talk about them and I can't find anyone who has read them.Bah!

These stories beg to be talked about. Why? Because you will come up against your own sanctimonious attitudes. Because they make you think! Because the stories make you realize it is just a reality that there are bad people and bad things in this world.

Perhaps you already know this. Perhaps you don't want to think the best of everyone you meet like I do. My family is forever telling me I am naive,and guess what -I think I prefer to stay that way.

The first bothersome thing for me in the book is the use of the word "nigger". It's as bad as that "f" word that authors want to overuse these days. Actually, worse. The author was from the South, so I'm sure she captured the dialect of the times, but it was hard to get used to. Then there's the fact that many of the main characters saw themselves as so superior to black people, to "white trash", or to their parents. The main character in most of the stories could find nothing amiss in themselves, but only in those around them. It was not possible that they were in the wrong. Stories included people who were mean spirited or just plain bad. The people in the stories did not have much patience with anyone who was not them.

O'Connor's stories made me think: How often am I, without even thinking about it, making a judgment about another person-thinking myself superior to them. I don't believe you would often catch me being unkind to someone, but what is going on in my mind, am I being unkind in there? Am I choosing to be part of that person's story, or am I distancing myself from them. Am I being religious instead of clothing myself with "compassion,kindness,humility, gentleness and patience"?(Col. 3:12). In other words, is my Christianity real?

Then there's the whole bad people thing. In one of the stories(The Lame Shall Enter First), a father befriends a boy (sadly to the detriment of his relationship with his own son), and nothing he does makes a difference in that boy's life. The boy remains bad. This story really has my wheels turning. What does that mean for me personally and as a Christian? What does that mean for the world? (I told you I was naive!)

For me, O'Connor's stories are making me take a look at myself and my attitudes about people. About what I believe and how I put that in play. They are bothering me. I don't think that is a bad thing, but be prepared if you choose to try them for yourself.

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Orphan Train

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Isn't it funny how well meaning people can disrupt the lives of the people they are trying to help?

The Orphan Train, although a novel, is based on a bit of American History, that helped some children, but perhaps other children not so much.

I liked how the author wove the story of Molly within the story of Vivian. We meet the child of today (Molly) and a child of yesterday (Vivian). We meet heartbreak and endurance. We meet love and hope. Their stories will touch your heart.

One of my favorite things is when history is woven into a novel and I learn something new. I not only make new friends through story, but it's framed in fact. Invariably this touches my heart and mind.

Can you imagine being an orphan and getting on a train and going from town to town to be "adopted"? Imagine the rejection when you are not chosen. Imagine the fear. Imagine being torn from all you know, perhaps even losing your name. It boggles the mind, and that is what the author helps us to understand.

There are some true orphan train rider stories at the end of the book,and those added to the depth of the story for me.

I would recommend this book to both the adult and young adult reader.

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Book Three of the Divergent Series

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have liked the Divergent series, but towards the end of book 2, and throughout book 3, I've been disappointed in the relationship between Tess and Four. To my mind, their misunderstandings were turning into a lot of whining, and they didn't seem to learn from them. So, that part has annoyed me a bit.

I did, however, appreciate how the author used the thought processes of her characters, and Tess in particular. The characters were often uncomfortable with the violence they had to employ, and the choices that they made. I know it made me ponder the forces of good and evil and the choices that we make. We see violence all around us, particularly in the recent events in Israel, Palestine and Russia(killing of young/innocent people).

If you have teens reading this book, or if you are a person of faith, the entire series could lend itself to some good discussion. It is my understanding the author is a Christian. I would be interested to know why she choose this story line,and what, if anything, she hoped young people would learn from the series.


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Wyoming and Women's Suffrage

The Gentle Tamers: Women of the Old Wild West by Dee Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I give this book four starts for Chapter 13, Wyoming Tea Party.

While the entire book was interesting, particularly as how the westward movement of pioneer men and women liberated women in unexpected ways, the Wyoming chapter really brings it home.

Esther Morris, described as a self-reliant "55 year old lady of great charm, who enjoyed fierce battles and was accustomed to winning them", had a tea party on September 2, 1869. Esther invited 20 influential citizens to her party. Among her guests, two candidates for the legislature, Col. William H. Bright (Democrat)  and Captain Herman G. Nickerson (Republican). She asked each of them, if elected, to introduce a bill to give the women of Wyoming the right to vote. Both candidates agreed, even though at that time, no woman in the world had that right.

Bright won the election and kept his promise on November 9, 1869. Many saw the bill as a practical joke,or an opportunity to embarrass the governer. However the bill also passed the house, with the only change being to increase the age from 18 to 21. On December 10, 1869, Governor Campbell signed the bill. And for the first time anywhere on earth,women had won the legal right to vote. Additionally,Wyoming women could now be elected to office.

When Wyoming applied for statehood 18 years later (1889) the law was in danger of being repealed due to the woman's suffrage bill. Kudos to the Wyoming legislatures who sent a telegram stating

We may stay out of the union a hundred years, but we will come in with our women.

There are many more stories of our western women and how their lives changed, but this bit of history, of which I was unaware, made the book for me.

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A One Nighter!

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I highly recommend One Came Home to the young adult and adult reader. I started and finished this book in one night. I could not stand to not know the ending! Granted I had to read through the end really fast, since I had to get up at 5:15 am(!) and go to work the next morning, but I did it. Since a book is just a friend to visit over and over again, it was no problem to go back and read through it at a leisurely pace a few days later.

I so admire authors and their imaginations. This author, Amy Timberlake, got her inspiration for this story from some actual events that occurred in 1871. She tells you more about these events in the afterward of the book (in a way that the younger reader can easily understand). So, from a smidgeon, really of history, she crafted a tale of growing up, of heartache, of mystery. I was so drawn in!

Our protagonist, Georgie, is 13. She's just buried her sister Agatha, she can't believe she's dead. How can this be so? In her denial, she decides to revisit the location they found her body. Her neighbor, and her sister's old boyfriend, Billy, goes with her. And thus the adventure begins.

In addition to writing a story you can get lost in, I really enjoyed some of the author's prose. Here are some snippets:

"But I was learning that knowing things does not mean you understand them."

"A thousand tiny hopes swarmed over me like a cloud of gnats."

"The sun burned behind the leaves like a white-hot coin."

and this really thought provoking statement:

"I hadn't appreciated before when I'd been there. But now before was where I wanted to be, before was where I wanted to live."

Don't take my word for it. Hop over to Amazon where you can read the first chapter, and see if you can resist reading the rest!

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Of Books and Bears

Brother Hugo and the Bear by Katy Beebe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is not your typical children's book. According to the publisher, Eerdman, this book is appropriate for ages 5 to 9. At first blush, I didn't really see where it would be a book a 5 year old would love. However, since there is a bear to find in every illustration, I've changed my mind.

I do like that as you read this book to a child, they are going to learn a lot. Behind the story of the bear eating books, you learn about monks, about how books were made in historical times and about how friends help friends when they have a large task to do. The prose is also written in a humorous fashion, which gives charm to the tale.

I like the language in Brother Hugo. It's old fashioned, set in the historical time frame of the story itself. (I am always a sucker for "old-fashioned" language anyway. I think it's quaint, and I guess people were just way smarter than us way back when, since they seem to have a better command of the English language than we do today.)

An added plus for me is the Author's Note and Illustrator's Note at the end. The notes are clearly written for young readers and stays with the theme of the book.

I thank Goodreads and Eerdman's for my free copy. It's always great fun to be a Goodreads winner! I will be keeping this book to enjoy with my granddaughter in future years.



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Choices

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I still can't quite figure out why I like this series. Not a great way to start a book review is it?

Tris, our heroine, struggles in this second book of the Divergent series. As we left her in Divergent, she had lost her mother, her father, her good friend Will. She feels responsible. She can't shake these feelings, and it causes some strain in her relationship with Tobias. As a matter of fact, they were having so many misunderstandings that it was becoming a little old to me, I was ready for them to move on or give up on each other.

I do think that part of the reason I like the book is because Tris does struggle with her choices. Like many of us, she can't let these feelings go, but at the same time, she doesn't seem to quite grow up. We make choices. Our choices affect others. This is a huge part of the story line. Evil exists. How do we respond?

I continue to think that this series, read with your teen, would make for great discussions.

I'm not quite sure what I think of the ending, and look forward to reading the next book in the series. Since I am 205 out of 205 on the waiting list, it may be a while!


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Bless the Women Who've Gone Before Us!

Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an interesting book!

First I'll tell you the shockers for me. Ladies, we are so lucky! We can do just about anything we want. We can complain about women's rights, but baby, we've come a long way. So, here are some of the facts:

"Beware the bookish woman" was an adage of the age"

. . . at George Brownell's school . . . those few girls who enrolled were allowed to attend only after the boys had finished for the day, and what they learned was different: boys learned to write; girls learned English and French Quilting, Imbroidery, Florishing, Plain Work, marking in several sorts of stitches"

In 1771, Massachusett's poor laws had, for the first time, required that girls be taught to write.

Jane was the sister of the famous Ben Franklin. She and Ben were close while young, and he is the one who taught her how to write. Jane was ashamed of her writing, as she knew she was a poor speller, and was always apologizing it in her letters to Ben.

Many of Ben and Jane's letters did not survive, but of those that did you were able to get a sense of her personality. She truly loved and admired her brother. She loved to read and scoured bookstores to find and read Ben's books. She loved her family. In short, she was a well rounded person who cared for herself and her family despite a fairly worthless husband and the restrictions of her day.

Although Ben was often away doing his thing for the fledgling states, he did stay in touch with Jane, and tried to see to her comfort monetarily. She really needed the help too. According to the author,

"In 1748, Jane turned thirty-six. She had been pregnant or nursing, almost without pause, since she was sixteen."

This book will not only give you a picture of Jane, but a picture of the times, and of Ben. This is what I thought of Benjamin Franklin. He was smart, he was an inventor, he was a philanderer. This book changed my opinion of him. He is really a rags to riches story--for someone of his class to become such a learner and have success is a really big thing.

So once again. I am so lucky. With never a thought I pick up a book, I read, I write. I work and enjoy every opportunity that I seek out. I really need to pay much more attention to Woman's History Month (March) and celebrate the women who paved the way for me!


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What Kind of Messenger are You?

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm giving this 4 stars because once again Zusak has given me something to think about.

A friend lent me this book (Thanks Lara!). I have to be honest, if I didn't respect her opinion about books so much, I would not have kept going. Like many of the other goodreads reviewers I find some of the beginning offensive. It's hard to talk about here without giving up some of the story, so I'll just leave it at that. But I encourage you to stick with it, if only for the pondering that will occur once you've finished the book. This is pretty much the same reaction I had after finishing The Book Thief. I didn't think I liked it, but it stuck with me, and I found I needed to talk about

I Am The Messenger revolves around Ed, and the messages he receives that are written on playing cards. Ed's job is to figure out what the message is, and then to do something about it. In essence, he has a mission to complete based on the clues on the cards. Sometimes the missions are scary, sometimes sweet, almost always they are hard. Ed is taken out of his passive life, and into an engaged life. He is forced out of selfish thinking, into unselfish thinking. He becomes a better person.

One of my favorite chapters is when Ed and his friends put in play a creative marketing plan to get people to Father O'Reilly's church. (I loved Father O'Reilly!) When Ed found the Father, he couldn't believe what an awful neighborhood he lived in. As Ed gets to know the father he thinks:

"...I now realize why he's chosen to live here. The church is too far away for him to really help anyone, so this is the best place for him. It's everywhere, on all sides and angles. This is where the Father needs to be. Not in some church gathering dust."

There is a great quote from Henri Nouwen that captures the essence of this book:

"We need to be Angels for each other, to give each other strength and consolation because only when we fully realize the cup of life is not only a cup of sorrow, but also a cup of joy, will we be able to drink it."

Ed became a sort of angel on his journey, and also realized that life is both parts sorrow and joy, and that he needs to be a part of it.

If your teen wants to read this book, I would recommend that you read it first, or read it together. You will be able to have some great discussions when you finish!



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Guilty Pleasure - Read While You Work!

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I actually listened to this book - and, not only that, but I listened to it while I was at work! This was such a guilty pleasure to me, that I could enjoy a good story while I toiled away at a tedious task (reformatting and printing pacing guides--like 200 of them).

There are so many things to like about this story. We have Russ VanAlstyne, the married, agnostic police officer, and Clare Ferguson, the helicopter pilot turned priest. There are some illicit sparks between them, and they are aware of this undercurrent in their relationship. Together Russ and Clare begin investigating the mystery of the baby left on the church door steps, and the murder of a young girl. This is how they begin to know each other and form a friendship. They respect each other, but, they also have some misunderstandings and get mad at each other--just like real life!

Russ is a bit of curmudgeon, and swears quite a bit. I did have a hard time with this - I never like swearing in a book (yeah, I know, it's supposed to depict real life), and he is always taking the Lord's name in vain. This was especially jarring since it was the spoken word, not me reading the words on the page. In my perfect world, there is no swearing (I know, I'm a dreamer). I appreciate though how the author doesn't have Clare react. Clare doesn't proselytize, she just listens, and shares her heart. She doesn't get mad or upbraid Russ, she still respects and listens to him. Russ respects Clare as well, and does begin to at least notice that he's swearing in her presence.

In the Bleak Midwinter also depicts hard circumstances--unwed mothers, poverty, incest. Russ's reactions and Clare's to these circumstances are naturally different, and both seem appropriate to the characters.

In the end, the mystery is solved. But what will happen with Russ and Clare? Even though I would never want anyone to cheat in their marriage, somehow you just want Clare and Russ to connect.

I will definitely be listening to more stories during tedious tasks, and look forward to reading the next Russ Van Alstyne and Clare Ferguson mystery!

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Surprised by "Divergent"!

Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't know how I learned about this book and why I added it as a "to read" selection. I was somehow ignorant of the fact that it was a story with some violence, similar to Hunger Games. But here's the thing - I have surprised myself because I really liked this book.

There are some similarities to Hunger Games, although I didn't think it was as grim. A young friend of mine, who likes this series, told me she felt there is more hope in the Divergent series than what we find in Hunger Games. I am inclined to agree with her. There are parts of the story that also made me think of The Giver.

What I think was valuable in this book, and what made the story palatable for me, was the way Tris, the main character, thought things through. Tris was bothered by some of the actions she had to take when she was going through her training program and when she was protecting the people in her care. I like that the author let us see Tris's thoughts, and I think those thoughts lend themselves to good discussion points with young adult readers.

All good books bring us to ask the question--what would I do in this situation? I know that I hate violence in the world, but here it is with us. How do we fight that? As a Christian, it seems like love and gentleness would lead the way, doesn't it? But love doesn't mean doing nothing--so what is the right way to react when evil disrupts our universe? Do we just sit by, do we fight? Divergence does a good job of bringing these questions to light.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book, Insurgent, and seeing what the author does with Tris, Four, and the society they live in.

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Lunch in Paris? Oui! Oui!

Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was fun. First, I once again got to learn about Paris. Second, it was about food, and Three, it was about family. Well, it was more about Elizabeth herself, but family was tied into it.

I think I'm fascinated by cooking with fresh food. While I am not adventurous when it comes to different foods, I am more and more liking being able to eat fresh food. I don't like to cook out of a can (well, that's not entirely true, there are some foods, like canned tomatoes, that do make for an easy recipe), and do like cooking with foods fresh from market. I'm not quite sure how I'd do in a meat market, but I do love going to the Butcher. To me, that's the beauty of the book, cooking with fresh food every day, and just in the amounts you need.

Elizabeth weaves in her recipes with stories about herself, her husband, family and friends. I also really appreciated how she compared the stress driven American lifestyle with the slower paced French culture. I'm attracted to slowing down in life and not letting myself be stressed by things I can't control. I have so much to learn in this area, and somehow, chopping (with a knife, not a blender), slicing and dicing does help me get in a slower mode.

To clarify, although the book was a fun read, there are some serious issues addressed--cancer, sense of self-worth, taking risks toward making dreams come true, making friends in a foreign country and more. For me though, the crowning touch of this particular book was the recipes. I mean to try more than a few.


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A Boy, A Disaster and a Goldfinch

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the premise of the story behind The Goldfinch, but I think it was a little too long. I ended up skimming much of the last 2/3 of the book, before slowing down again for the last chapter. Do you know how sometimes you just want to know the ending? It was like that for me, but instead of feeling like each chapter was leading up to the anticipation of the ending, I was just feeling like, let's get this part over with already. Additionally, there was a point in the story that I could predict what was going to happen next.

Theo's story is a sad one, losing his mother in a catastrophic accident when he is 12 years old. It is in this moment that his life becomes uncertain, and he carries that uncertainty with him in every circumstance of his life. Along the way he befriends an adult, Hobie, whom he admires, and whom he also disappoints. I love the character of Hobie for the unconditional love that he shows Theo throughout his life. Everyone of us needs a Hobie in our life!

At the center of the story is the painting, The Goldfinch. This is an acutal painting by a Dutch artist, that I at least, had never heard of, Carel Fabritius. Theo's mom loved this painting and her thoughts about the painting are one of the last memories that Theo has of her. I always do enjoy when an author uses pieces of non-fiction in their novels.

The author describes Theo's anxieties throughout the book in a very realistic manner. For me, it sometimes felt like he (Theo) was spending a little too much time feeling sorry for himself. His friendship with another young boy, Boris also takes up a lot of the book. To be frank, this also got a little wearing on me and I ended up skimming a lot of these areas.

I did however, like the way the book ended. I do agree, that art, whether it be novel, poetry, music, artwork, whatever, does speak to each of us individually and in different ways. I like how the author described it:

"That's not the reason anyone loves a piece of art. It's a secret whisper from an alleyway. Psst, you. Hey kid. Yes you.. . . yours, yours, yours, I was painted for you."

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Perfume, Paris and An Inheritance: Why Couldn't This Be Me?

The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Grace's world turns upside down when she finds out she is receiving an inheritance from a woman she never heard of, who lived in, of all places Paris. (I should be so lucky as to get a letter like this!) Grace isn't all that excited about it though--and, she's not sure she can accept this surprise gift. Who was this woman, and why did she leave her money to her? Grace is convinced that she made a mistake.

Eventually Grace leaves for Paris to meet with the lawyers and find out more about her benefactor, Eva. Along the way she discovers some of the mystery behind Eva,and, eventually, Grace also begins to discover herself.

Some of the story was believe-able, and some not so much. For example, I'm not sure I would have had the scruples Grace had as she researched the history behind the gift.

The story switches between people and times and the characters were interesting. It's a little more in depth than a beach read, and a good book to just escape to another place for a weekend.



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Losing Yourself

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was so poignant. Some things I wondered about were:

Is Alice a true representation of a person with Alzheimers (ie: is someone really cognizant of what's going on). This article about Pat Summit seems to confirm much of her early experiences.

I found much in the story that struck me as sad, which I guess is to be expected when you are losing the person you love to Alzheimer Disease. One of the saddest things ever was when Alice said: "I miss me". Heart breaker.

The story depicts the changing relationships between Alice and her husband and Alice and her children, and even, really, Alice and herself. It must be so hard and scary to know you are losing parts of yourself. There are so many good lessons for real life - be patient and kind to each other, accept each other and love each other no matter what. How fleeting might be our own memories, or the memories of another. What if this happened to me? My husband?

One thing the book didn't talk about, and that I wonder about, is the financial implications. This family could afford a nurse, and to care for Alice. The story would be so different if a family could not afford that type of care.

It feels funny to call this a "good" story,because it is a hard story, but still, it is worth the read.


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Historical Fiction At It's Best!

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a really good book that will give you enjoyment, but will also cause you to reflect. What makes it even better is that this fictional book is based on the true story of two southern sisters, Sarah and Angelina Grimke. Not only were the sisters abolitionists, but they were forerunners for women's rights and the equality of women. We need to celebrate women like this more--it's on their backs that we are able to work, write and love freely!

I loved how the author imagined the sisters lives, and depicted the lives of the slaves who worked in their household.

The slave issue is not minimized. The situations depicted in the story reflect the anguish of a people being separated from loved ones and the reality of having to submit to the whims of their white masters, even to physical cruelty. Basically, cruelty, whether it is to slaves or each other, is the attempt to extinguish the light that we all carry within us. Handful and her mauma, two of the main slave characters in this story, work hard to keep their light. Of her mauma, Handful says

"Everything she knew came from living on the scarce side of mercy"

In the novel, Sarah struggles with her belief that slaves should be free and her family and southern society's beliefs that they should not. Sarah is a brilliant scholar, and her father ultimately shuts all the doors of learning to her. (Doesn't this just make you mad!) We meet Sarah on her birthday at age 11 when her parents give her Handful as her slave. This is when her struggle begins. We are able to grow up along with her as she learns what is denied to her as a woman, as an abolitionist and as a feminist.

The story moves between Sarah and Handful. We're able to see what they think about themselves, each other, the slavery situation and their relationship with each other.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about the story was the quilting theme. Mauma and Handful are the seamstresses for the Grimke family. In the evenings and in time stolen during the day, they worked on quilts. The description of Mauma's story quilt was inspired from the quilt work of a slave woman named Harriet Powers which is now on display at The Smithsonian.

Do read the Author's note at the end of the story so you can understand the historical bits and the fictional bits of the story. I enjoyed doing some research on the Grimke sisters as much as I did the book!



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Dystopia to Utopia?

Lighthouse Island: A Novel by Paulette Jiles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am conflicted on how I feel about this book. I struggled to get through the first seven chapters, but I kept going because the review I read talked about the beautiful prose. I am a huge fan of beautiful prose. At Chapter 7, I was still waiting for it. I persevered though. On Chapter 13 I had to force myself to put the book down so I could go back to work. Still, for me, the book is really between 3 and 4 stars.

The beginning chapters describe the current world. If it was a movie, I would compare it to maybe The Matrix, or The Book of Eli. The world seems to have been annihilated and people struggle to survive. Water is rationed, people disappear, and there is little hope in this world. However, our heroine, Nadia, is both resourceful and audacious. She has a goal beyond just surviving, and that is to get to Lighthouse Island. She has books and poets to encourage her on her journey.

In her quest to go north, Nadia meets a man, James. They are instantly intrigued with each other. James uses his skills as a cartographer (illegal in this new world) to guide Nadia on her journey. Can Nadia make it on her own? Will James re-connect with her? Is there really a Lighthouse Island?

I did run across some beautiful prose:

"Small traveling elements of joy passed through her like x-rays and lit up all her bones."

and

"an elegant small skiff rocked on its painter as wave after wave boiled up under the trackway, impatient, as are all craft, to be at sea."

are two examples.

I would recommend this book, but know that it will take a while to get drawn into the story.





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The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So many people have been talking about this book that I was interested to read it. This is a perfect book club pick as it begs for discussion.

Why is death such a difficult subject in our society? Disability, death, and any situation that puts us out of our comfort zone seems to produce such banal conversations. I cannot imagine what it's like to have cancer, nor have I known any teens with cancer, so it's difficult to judge how realistic the conversations in this book are, particularly between two young people who are dealing with the disease.

I did like the conversations that Hazel and Augustus have with each other and with their families, as well as how the author depicted the thoughts these kids had about their families, themselves, and their non-cancer friends. I think those parts of the book should be taken seriously, and use them to change how we think, feel, and talk with people that walk with a life-threatening illness.

I have never been to Amsterdam, and would be interested to know if the lovely descriptions of that city are accurate. I loved the cabdriver's statement:

"Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin."

This would be a great discussion point, particularly with teens.

There is a point where the teens have a sexual relationship, which appears to be approved by their parents. I think that yes, teens are definitely pulled toward all things sexual,but having sex before you die is really not going to improve the quality of your life. Our society places so much emphasis on our sexual natures, and really Augustus and Hazel are so much more than that. Their conversations were way more intimate than that actual encounter.

Overall, a good book that would benefit from post-reading discussion.


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