I expected a book about sixteenth century convent life and its nuns to be boring. What I did not expect was Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant (978-1400063826), her third (and probably her best) novel set in the Italian Renaissance (following In the Company of a Courtesan and The Birth of Venus). I was instantly captivated by the sisters of Santa Caterina, a fictional convent comprised of a group of highly sophisticated women as embroiled in politics, scandal, and deception as their courtly counterparts. Dunant achieves for nuns what Ken Follett did for monks in his epic Pillars of the Earth.
This novel opens with the newest novice sixteen-year-old former noble, Serafina. More rebellious teen then a dutiful daughter, Serafina is too expensive and too much of a liability to marry off, so she is passed over in favor of her younger sister, and forced to take the veil. (This practice Dunant notes is very common though cruel). Serafina is highly valued to the convent both for her beautiful singing voice, and the generous dowry her family has promised. However the only vow Serfina makes is to herself--promising to escape at her earliest opportunity.
Serafina is contrasted with Zuana, a once defiant and now compliant nun. Zuana takes Serafina under her wing to try and ease Serafina’s transition from court to convent. Both women soon become embroiled in the shifting alliances of the convent and rapidly changing religious atmosphere which could forever alter Santa Caterina as they know it.
Dunant’s sumptuous rendition bestows life into the convent and the time. The setting becomes an examination for the roles of women. The convent offered a surprising amount of freedom and protection for those within its walls—a truth which Dunant does not fail to capture. The plot is secondary to the historical context of the book, but still remains engaging. The only disappointment is the story’s ending which not only borders on blaspheme but also seems out of the character for the women as the reader knows them. And so, I’ll be recommending it to everyone except my intensely Catholic grandmother. Still, Sacred Hearts is an obviously well researched and breath-taking work of Historical Fiction. 
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
Monday, July 13, 2009
Snow Melts in Spring by Deborah Vogts
When I was given the chance to review Snow Melts in Spring, I jumped at the chance. The book description- Mattie Evans is a female vet living on a ranch in Kansas - reminded me of my mom, so I figured I would enjoy the book. And I did. Mattie Evans is a vet with a stroke of bad luck. First, her parents get bought out of their land and have to move to the city, then a number of her animals die, her clinic burns down, and to make matters worse, she meets a former professional football player name Gil McCray. Mattie loves the prarie and hills she's grown up on and can't stand the fact that Gil gave it all up to play in the NFL. And can't understand why not that he's retired, he won't move back and make ammends with his father and their land.
Not surprisingly, the book is about Mattie and Gil and how they work through their differences by horseback riding, talking, and their faith in God. Both are extremely stubborn and stuck on their own ways, and the only way to come together is through compromise, which neither seems to like a whole lot. After some good sound fatherly advice, the book ends with a touching but happy ending. This book was well written, well thought out, and very enjoyable. The characters are relatable and well developed, and I was rooting for both of them to win by the end. I actually tried to take a nap with about fifty pages left and just kept thinking about what was going to happen. I didn't get that nap in. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a wholesome love story, animals, horses, or a struggle to compromise. Or anyone really, I'll be giving it to my mom to read next. 4 stars.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
I Hate Wasting Time Reading Bad Books
I just went through my "to read" bookshelf (right by my bed) and realized that I keep pushing back books I've been dying to read as I get new ones. You see my book shelf has two layers, and the ones in the back never get looked at as I replaced the ones in the front with new books. I'm one of those people that once I start a book I have to finish it no matter how bad it is. I would much rather just not start the book so that's where you come in. Have you read any of these books? Are there any on this list that you would say I shouldn't waste my time with? I'd much rather just not even start the book (because like I said, I'll spend the time finishing it even if it's bad). So help please.
- Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
- Saturday by Ian McEwan
- The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
- Lovely Bones and Lucky by Alice Sebold
- The Last TIme They Met by Anita Shreve
- Remember Me and the Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella
- Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
- The Firstborn Series by Karen Kingsbury
- When the Bough Breaks by Kay Lynn Magnum
- Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser
- Enchantment and Magic Street by Orson Scott Card
- Chocolat by Joanne Harris
- Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson
- Nanny Diaries by Emma MacLaughlan
- One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
- Summer by Edith Wharton
- The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
- Ever After by Johnathan Swift
Friday, July 10, 2009
Sunset Beach by Trish Perry
I was sent a copy of Sunset Beach by Trish Perry to review by the publisher. When I first read the back cover I thought this was just going to be another "beach novel." Fluff, chick-lit, whatever you want to call it. Something worth reading while laying out at the pool, but that's it. Surprisingly, it wasn't. The book is about Sonny Miller, 24-year old recent graduate in pyschology, trying to find out who she is- literally. Sonny's mom Teresa has avoided any questions about Sonny's past including who her father is, if she has any relatives, and how she came about. The only thing Sonny knows is that her mom has a sister, Melanie; Sonny hires a private investigator who finds this sister and invites her to spend a week at a beach house with Sonny and her mom. Without telling her mom.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity by Keri Wyatt Kent
Rest by Keri Wyatt Kent is one of those books that I was really excited about reviewing. The back cover asks the question, "Is it possible to learn how to rest so that we have the energy and focus to live a meaningful and joyful life?" I was hoping the book would provide an answer to the overwhelming nature my life has taken on recently. And it may have. It definitely gave me a lot of great ideas that I'm planning to try out.
The book goes through six different aspects of the practicing the Sabbath, each piece tied into the big picture of just stopping for a moment (or a day) to regain our strength and push through the next week. Each of the six aspects was covered in a chapter with a good explanation of the concept, examples of how other families made it work for them, and best of all, real life suggestions for making it work for you. Some people can't take an entire day off so she suggests just a couple of hours to start. A lot of great examples and suggestions made me feel as a reader that this was something I could do.
I'll admit, Sundays are the Sabbath for me right now but I could do a lot better with making it more of a defined rest day. I don't go shopping, run errands, or workout. Anything that would be forcing someone else to work, I don't do. But there is so much more I could do to make the day more restful and peaceful, a day to rejuvenate for the coming week. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so burnt out by the end of the week.
The six concepts she emphasizes in her book as part of the Sabbath are:
- Resting- I loved this quote, "They say insanity is when you keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting the same results. So if running like crazy equals getting nowhere, then it's a little crazy that more running could ever equal getting somewhere." Just stop and take a break from everything.
- Reconnecting- taking the day to reconnect with yourself, the people around you, and God.
- Revising- Creating a restful Sabbath takes practice. It's not something that you write down on paper once and do it that same way for the next 100 years. You try something out, revise that plan and try something else. Just start and keep adjusting until you've gotten it right. And when that is no longer right, try something else.
- Pausing- One of my favorite parts of the book was an analogy between people and breathing. There are three parts of each breath- breathing in, breathing out, pause. Repeat. This is how our lives should work as well. This section also talks about giving up multi-tasking for focusing on each part of our lives for chunks of time. People are more productive that way and are able to give more attention to that specific thing. Back to the whole just stopping thing.
- Playing- I'm good at this one. Kent goes through the importance of playing, really just playing for the fun of it (not to win) and how everyone lets down their guard a little bit while playing games. I completely agree with this and loved this section. I've always been a board games type of girl and really think it's the way to connect with new people.
- Praying- Kent brings the book full circle in the final section where she explains the importance of using the Sabbath to reconnect and build an intimate relationship with God. Whether it's through prayer for ourselves, for the poor, or for anyone else, prayer is again a way to just stop and enjoy ourselves without getting caught up in the details.
So overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love Kent's style of writing because not only did she provide facts (e.g., there is a pause between each of our breaths), she also provided every day examples of ways to incorporate these ideas into each of our lives. And even if you're not religious at all, I recommend this book to anyone because all of us can benefit from the reminder to just take a step back and take a break so that you can keep moving forward.
Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford
“Waiting is not living,” says, Sam, girlfriend of our narrator Hal in Mackenzie Ford’s debut novel Gifts of War. Sam is referring to waiting for the return of her missing paramour, Wilhem—a German soldier during WWI at a time of obvious anti-German sentiment. Her statement affects Hal differently, for he’s been waiting for Sam to discover the truth about how he manipulated his way into Sam and her young son Will’s life. During the Christmas Truce, an actual event in history where the enlisted refused to fight and even fraternized with the enemy to honor the Christmas sprit, Hal met Wilhelm. Wilhelm asked Hal to deliver a message to Sam that he had never stopped thinking about her, but instead Hal meets Sam and falls instantly in love. Hal goes to great lengths to care for and protect Sam and Will. Sam’s statement also has an impact on the reader because we know this story can not end well for Hal, or the makeshift family he has built.
I’ll admit that the plot begins a little soapy. However the historical details transport the reader into the time period which is engaging enough until the story takes off. A combination spy novel, war story, and romance plot is mostly utilized to explore the ideas of family and love. The Christmas Truce is an interesting crux on which to build the novel allowing Ford to tell a unique and vividly researched story. The ending is surprisingly touching (I cried), and I couldn’t help but be pleased with the thorough way in which all elements of the story are tied together. A rare novel with heart that I can strongly recommend to anyone, and I for one will keep an eye out for Ford’s next work.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Blindness by Jose Saramago
by Jose Saramago: interesting but I'm not sure if I liked it. It's an ugly story, well-told. Citizens of a modern city are suddenly afflicted with blindness, not just a few of them, but most of them. Quickly all the trappings of civilization are shed as the nameless citizens kill, rape, and misuse one another. Saramago narrates all this without benefit of quote marks, indentation, or other normal paragraphing, giving it all a breathless rushed feeling, as if he has to get the story out before either he or I are also struck with the white blindness.Of course, Saramago is telling a bigger story, one in which we are reminded that we are one disaster away from savagery. As I said, it was interesting, but I'm not sure if I liked it.
Jane and the Barque of Frailty by Stephanie Barron
Oy. Where to begin?
The General Idea
Brace yourself, Jane Austen fans. Do you remember that old Angela Lansbury show Murder She Wrote? Well, replace Angela Lansbury with Jane Austen. No, I'm not kidding. This is a whole series too. I'm not at all one for murder mysteries, but my mom wanted me to read this, as we are both Austen fans, so I basically read it out of obligation. In this installment, Jane Austen attempts to solve the murder of a Russian princess.
The Good
Let's see. The good. Well, Barron has a genuine writing talent (which she unfortunately consults far less than her thesaurus) and definitely did her historical research. There were also editorial notes to explain bits of history or language.
The Bad
(In which I attempt not to take the Lord's name in vain) Sweet mother of... of.... of all that is literary and... um... whatever (This is starting to read like an Avril Lavine song). There ought to be a law against this sort of thing. I mean, Jane Austen was a real person. A real person with a huge international fan base even now, a genuine literary icon, who basically invented the ideal heartthrob. It should not be allowed for someone to take this real woman's life and turn it into a Wednesday night whodunit. Making matters worse, my mom told me (and if my mom told me it must be true!) that Barron is actually related to Austen, which in my book gives her even greater accountability. That is my first objection.
I do not see the Jane Austen of my heart in this book, I see Angela Lansbury in period costume. In fact, I think Jane Austen would be horrified at this representation. Jane Austen dressing up as a hooker? Jane Austen telling lies harmful to her own reputation to a jeweler in order to protect a woman of dubious reputation that she doesn't even like? Jane Austen attempting to solve mysteries that have nothing to do with her based on the most circumstantial evidence you can possibly imagine? Don't worry Jane, I've got your back!
My second complaint is that Barron seems to rank among those writers that need to step away from the thesaurus, and Wikipedia. In her case she needs to step away from whatever historical linguistic references she uses. Let me give you an example. In an editorial note she lists the common phrases used in Jane Austen's time for "mistress." These include "barque of frailty," (with no explanation as to what the heck a barque or a frailty might be), "snug armful," "muslin company," "Cyprian,"and more. Every time her characters refer to these women, they must use a different term. It's like Barron is afraid to be repetitive, so instead she gives us the linguistic sampler package. It hurts to read. It's embarrassing. Here is an example of my own, because a baby is sleeping on me at the moment and I can't reach the book. "For a Cyprian, you'd think she'd spend more time with the rest of the Muslin Company. Who can a Snug Armful turn to for friendship if not another Barque of Frailty?"
Then there's the excessive use of punctuation. Yes, I know how to use a semi-colon, and I'm going to prove it by using as many of them as I can possibly manage in a single sentence! And, I also, just love to, use, so very many commas, as to appear, as historically correct, as possible, because you know, those Englishers, back then, just loved, their punctuation!
The Ugly
And perhaps worst of all, depending on your priorities, she doesn't even solve the crime! She pulls that old Murder She Wrote trick of just assembling everyone involved in a room and pretending you know who did it to get them to spill the beans. The inspector hides behind a curtain, the amateur detective behind another. I kid you not, she really did this, curtains and all. And her characters confess to all manner of things, except the friggin' murder! What kind of murder mystery is this anyway? You never find out who really killed the princess, you just get a general idea of what led up to the murder.
Also in one scene Austen's sister-in-law is bashed in the head with a cobblestone and a mysterious woman is seen running away. But you never find out who did this or why.
Fear not, I have solved the mystery. Barron herself, so confused about her own plot and overwhelmed by an excess of characters, herself stepped into the book, rented a hackney, and bashed Eliza in the head. Thus she was able to lay Eliza up in her bed for several days of plot, safely out of the way, so Barron could navigate her Lansbury Austen through the streets of London less encumbered.
Avoid!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Mine and the Well, by Gin Phillips
This is Gin Phillips first novel, and if this book is any indication of how well written her future novels will be, I most certainly look forward to them.
"After she threw the baby in, nobody believed me for the longest time. But I kept hearing that splash."
Thus begins the The Mine and the Well, a novel set in the small Alabama mining town of Carbon Hills during the Depression. It follows the lives of the Moore family...nine-year-old Tess, her older sister Virgie, her younger brother Jack, and their parents, Albert and Leta...and what happens to them after Tess witnesses a woman tossing a baby into their well.
To the sisters, it's a mystery that needs to be solved. They go about town (population about 3,000) looking for a woman they consider crazy enough to throw her own child in a well. As they see life around them, from the woman who feeds her 10 children with scraps of food, to the children that have to work their parents cotton fields, they begin to see how good they have it in life. For the first time, they begin to feel compassion towards their fellow townspeople, and even begin to understand what would drive a woman to do such a thing.
To their parents, it's just another reminder of how rough life is sometimes in their small town. Albert works in the mines in order to provide for his family, and he's troubled by what is happening in their town around them. Men are losing their jobs, families are going without food, and the black miners he works with are being discriminated against. Leta does what she can with the little food they have, even if it means taking from her own plate, or pretending to have eaten earlier.
The book is narrated by each character, though it is Tess that you learn the most about. However, even though she is the "main character", her voice does not stand out from any of the others. They are all well-developed, and by the end you feel as though you were standing there beside them as they talked and shared their views of the world with you.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and was sad for it to end. Ms. Philips did a fantastic job of bringing her characters, and Carbon Hills, to life with her gentle and poignant writing. Her writing is simple, yet filled with depth and meaning. Consider this short passage, one of my favorite in the book:
"We sank into the mattress, with the weight of two bodies and all the tiredness and the work and the bills to be paid. Usually he'd squeeze my leg and I'd nuzzle his neck and we'd fall into sleep without saying a word. All the words and the moving and all the thinking were used up by dark."
I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good southern novel.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Katka by Stephen R. Meier
Katka is a novella, only 107 pages long, but that was long enough for me. There's not a whole lot to this story. The plot is simple- Gavin, Katka (Gavin's girlfriend), and Simona (Katka's best friend) are involved in a mail order bride scam business in the Czech Republic. Gavin and Katka plan the ultimate scam on an American man by sending Katka with him. She's supposed to get away from him in the airport and doesn't. The book is about Gavin dealing with the aftermath of selling his one true love.
Though the plot is simple, the writing technique is complex. Meier takes the reader back and forth between past and present to build the storyline and fill in any missing gaps, and that itself is fascinating. There's a happy ending, but a predictable. If you can get past the F word every other sentence and all of the sex (these are mail-order brides after all), the story and writing is decent. 2.5 stars.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
I'm a Tough Critic when It Comes to Stars
I've gotten to the point where I'm reading at least a book a week and realized something- I'm a tough critic when it comes to giving out stars. I started reviewing books back in February 2008, I've only given out five "5-star" reviews. I've given out plenty of 4's and 3's, but 5's are hard to come by. I don't know if it's the books I'm reading or just me being tough, but looking back I still agree with my ratings. I'm sure we all do this differently, but here's how I rank my books.
- 5 stars- the book was amazing, well-written, and I could recommend it to anyone (assuming they would be interested in the subject matter). These are the books I will remember when I'm trying to give someone a good book recommendation.
- 4 stars- The book was really good, well-written but may have had a few things in it (e.g., sex, language, other subject matter) that I would have to warn about before recommending. Or maybe the book was just great and not amazing.
- 3 stars- The book was well-written and a good story, but it wasn't anything new. A plot or idea I've seen again and again, forgettable. These are also the books that have potential but are just poorly written either due to lack of editing or an author's language barrier.
- 2 stars- The book was okay, not something I would ever read again. This also includes any books that I couldn't feel good recommending to anyone because of the amount of sex, language, violence, etc.
- 1 star- The book was poorly written, not interesting, or lacked some other major component I consider a part of good writing.
Most books fall somewhere in between 3-4 stars as most books I read are at least enjoyable and decently written. There are only a few that hit the two extremes of being what I would call amazing or horrible. How do you rank your reviews?
Worth a Thousand Words by Stacy Hawkins Adams
Worth a Thousand Words is a book I received from Tywebbins Blog Tours to review. It's a book about a mid-20s woman named Indigo that has everything going for her. She's got a partial scholarship to a visual arts school in NYC to pursue photography, a boyfriend who loves her, a wonderful family, and a strong faith. The book is about how she deals with things when that perfect world begins to fall apart piece by piece. How she learns to make decisions for herself rathre than for other people, and how she learns to lean on God for help in making those decisions.
I thought the book was okay but nothing ground-breaking that I hadn't read a hundred times before. The writing was well edited and easy to follow, and the characters were well developed, but I didn't lose myself in the story like I have with other books. I won't give away the ending, but from about 100 pages in, I already knew what the ending would be, and it was exactly what I'd predicted. All problems were resolved, and Indigo found her niche in the world. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a happy ending, a good wholesome novel, or a book written about faith that all things work out. 3 stars.
