tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63558745796588941042023-11-16T09:22:05.634-07:00A Literary CompulsionReviews, synopses, and general content guides from a number of literary genres. Feel free to look around and add your voice to the mix.Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-10368830901443056092011-08-17T13:14:00.004-06:002011-08-17T13:39:51.258-06:00Recovered BooksI am in love with the <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/category/re-covered-books/">Recovered Books series</a> from The Fox is Black. Gorgeous design and oh, so clever! <a href="http://thefoxisblack.com/2011/01/10/re-covered-books-the-great-gatsby/#more-14856">The Great Gatsby competition</a> is my favorite so far, and I'm on pins and needles waiting for Jane Eyre!
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oRDuhL6sGOmDhBbPBdh_0DXTY5ZYXH_7w_yPBZnQgDj7c8-LitsEY1vKRhuMqbOLs9b6yMY7ZaVm3GzGyygcuRaJOAaEZWEesMdW6UwWo7jrfMDVe3eHPdJQym0v6_jfALiJ8hXOH-Q/s1600/lauren-fundora-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oRDuhL6sGOmDhBbPBdh_0DXTY5ZYXH_7w_yPBZnQgDj7c8-LitsEY1vKRhuMqbOLs9b6yMY7ZaVm3GzGyygcuRaJOAaEZWEesMdW6UwWo7jrfMDVe3eHPdJQym0v6_jfALiJ8hXOH-Q/s400/lauren-fundora-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641911534163038834" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yoij9vv1QhuQvji1umlPMx7r8DpWyMA4CM8_R8DeYWB2UlzP0NDyg9axDV1j2iQOKtz7sTgEKYF7ZtHtBDaFZUGqvgZo4VkqGLdxJcq3FaO671akIhO2aHXbVpx-j7n0w201HU5B8pU/s1600/The+Great+Gatsby.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yoij9vv1QhuQvji1umlPMx7r8DpWyMA4CM8_R8DeYWB2UlzP0NDyg9axDV1j2iQOKtz7sTgEKYF7ZtHtBDaFZUGqvgZo4VkqGLdxJcq3FaO671akIhO2aHXbVpx-j7n0w201HU5B8pU/s400/The+Great+Gatsby.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641911529518849538" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKqTFak7pZf7BACLcF7f5VwPpTGsm70Ycx8pPz7BlPz8uC1cY1pLWUwXtFGUA_yKM6BFk6FB0odRAkv83diJVeTi5hO07hPDEmd3hyRVpsyUY3n4u8dlvY8uJD34dLER8Lc-lCEMcdrs/s1600/daniel-gies-576x921.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKqTFak7pZf7BACLcF7f5VwPpTGsm70Ycx8pPz7BlPz8uC1cY1pLWUwXtFGUA_yKM6BFk6FB0odRAkv83diJVeTi5hO07hPDEmd3hyRVpsyUY3n4u8dlvY8uJD34dLER8Lc-lCEMcdrs/s400/daniel-gies-576x921.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641911532746799170" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-20071124698082570592010-08-05T22:27:00.001-06:002010-08-06T16:26:40.945-06:00The Last Ember by Daniel Levin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQ3bdH4GdoQAAXYHx2cbZxz82p3bC2WVwQK7nBu5eZTC5FPUP8RzQK7D59-EZTsNrBoJXUHchpqQWBQE2RLO9JHThLKDmaLpGmBfMKVywY_KMgZPSLyq1w0_g-LXy0Pirb8cc92Mqduc/s1600/6416800.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQ3bdH4GdoQAAXYHx2cbZxz82p3bC2WVwQK7nBu5eZTC5FPUP8RzQK7D59-EZTsNrBoJXUHchpqQWBQE2RLO9JHThLKDmaLpGmBfMKVywY_KMgZPSLyq1w0_g-LXy0Pirb8cc92Mqduc/s200/6416800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501995565841760050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and Review</span><br /><br />Jonathan Marcus is a young, high powered attorney from New York. His background in classics--he was once a fellow at the prestigious American Academy in Rome, gives him the perfect background for legal work dealing in ancient artifacts of dubious ownership. One afternoon, he is handed a memo telling him to board a plane for Italy. In Rome, he finds himself trying to defend a mysterious client's ownership of two ancient pieces of Roman marble. The seemingly innocuous court case brings him face-to-face with an old girlfriend and together they are thrown into a deadly race to recover an ancient artifact from the last temple in Jerusalem.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Last Ember</span> has a clear political agenda. It is clearly anti-Palestinian and pro-Israel, and was written to counter alleged historical revisionism occurring in the Holy Land. I have no problem with Levin writing from this viewpoint, but I think the reader should be informed of it upfront. Daniel Levin's website, www.daniellevin.com, is straightforward and makes his views clear.<br /><br />I picked this book up from the Readers' Choice table in my local library. The storyline as summarized on the back of the novel sounded intriguing enough, and I thought it would be a nice break from some of the hefty non-fiction histories that I've been reading lately. I have to say that I was really disappointed.<br /><br />As I said, the idea for the book is interesting, but I can't even give Daniel Levin credit for that. Have you read<span style="font-style: italic;"> The Da Vinci Code </span>or watched <span style="font-style: italic;">Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">National Treasure</span>? If so, all you need to do is throw in some Nazis (oh wait, Indiana Jones already took care of that), a mysterious, conspiratorial group of wealthy religious fanatics (check, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Da Vinci Code</span>), a family legend passed down through generations (check, <span style="font-style: italic;">National Treasure</span>), a race against the bad guys through the underground of Rome (<span style="font-style: italic;">The Da Vinci Code</span> again), the Knights Templar (check, <span style="font-style: italic;">Indiana Jones, National Treasure</span>, <u>and</u> <span style="font-style: italic;">The Da Vinci Code</span>) and an ancient artifact, sought after for its power but lost to history as a mere legend (again, check, check, check).<br /><br />No joke, the plot for this book was lifted straight from these previous storylines. The characters were rote: the noble, indefatigable policeman, a la Brown's Bezu Fache, the sexy, smart and uptight Sophie Neveu/Abigail Chase/Elsa Schneider female sidekick character, and the hero, in this case modeled after the author himself, a former-American-Academy-scholar-turned-international-lawyer, all brawn<span style="font-style: italic;"> and </span>brains.<br /><br />There was even a scene in which the hero is trying to save his colleague, who is dangling over a precipice, from certain death. Marcus yells to his friend to give him his other hand, but the colleague, who is clutching a priceless historical find in that hand, refuses to let go, and so slips from Marcus' grasp, falling into the abyss below (p. 270). I could almost hear Harrison Ford saying, "Elsa, give me your other hand, honey. I can't hold you!" and Alison Doody's reply, "It'll be ours, Indy! Yours and mine!" just before her glove slips off and she falls screaming into the crevice.<br /><br />Seriously.<br /><br />But you know what? I could have dealt with all of that. After all, that's how much of literature happens, building and borrowing from previous works. I could even have looked past the utter cheese in the book, such as the description of Jonathan Marcus' and Emili Travia's first sexual encounter, when the description of Marcus removing Travia's clothing is likened to an archeologist "uncovering archaeological strata that required great study and attention" (p. 333). Ugh. That is just. so. bad.<br /><br />But anyway, I could have gotten past all of that if it hadn't been for the unbelievably poor characterizations. For the most part, the characters were extremely one-dimensional--all good, all heroic, or all bad. And the ones who weren't--well it was hardly a surprise. As paradoxical as it sounds, even the duplicitous characters are irritatingly one-dimensional.<br /><br />Most irritating was the way that Levin wrote the character of Emili Travia, the sexy and supposedly smart former colleague-cum-lover of Jonathan Marcus. Supposedly, Emili is so brilliant that she has a post as a preservationist with the UN--deputy director of the International Centre for Conservation in Rome. She's received prestigious awards and can even, upon entering a dark, partially ruined chamber, instantly ascertain that the stone came from quarries in Jerusalem rather than Rome (p. 350). Yet she doesn't know the origins of the name "Maccabee," has never heard of the Hanukkah story (pp. 174-175), and when faced with a fresco depicting the life of Joseph of Egypt, she is at a complete loss to identify it:<br /><br /> <span style="font-size:85%;"> "These frescoes," Jonathan said. He trained his beam on a series of ancient paintings that lined one of the corridors. "They look recently excavated." In the first painting, the pigment had faded, but the figures were quite clear: a young man, in a neck chain hitched to other prisoners, pulled heavy stones.<br /><br /> "I don't recognize the myth," Emili said. "Sisyphys pushing a boulder?"<br /><br /> "No," Jonathan said. "Look at the next painting." The same young prisoner, Jonathan noticed, the chain still around his neck, but he was now standing before a king, who listened raptly. The prisoner was pointing above his head, where two rows of cows stood side by side among starts in a night sky.<br /><br /> "In this last frame, a slave has been brought from prison before a king," Emili said. "It looks like an Egyptian pharaoh."<br /> <br />"Yes," Jonathan said, "and he's interpreting the pharaoh's dream, pointing to skinny cows and fat cows."<br /><br /> "What Roman myth is it, then?" Emili said. (p. 215)</span><br /> <br />Are you KIDDING me? <span style="font-style: italic;">"What Roman myth is it, then?" </span>And just in case you still think that this world-renown archeologist should be excused for her ignorance, perhaps on the basis of a secular upbringing, 50 pages earlier Emili quoted the Abrahamic covenant, citing Sunday school as her reference (p. 173). She must have been a very selective listener, both in Sunday school <span style="font-style: italic;">and in graduate school.</span><br /> <br />Oh, and she knows Latin well enough to read Ovid's erotic poetry (p. 39), but throughout the book, Marcus is constantly having to translate other Latin passages for her, such as "Phere Nike Umbilicus Orbis Terrarum" (p. 184), which I could pretty much get the gist of with just a couple years of high school French.<br /><br /> To me, this is all evidence of two things: lazy, sloppy writing, first of all; and second, it indicates that the author has a very low estimation of his readers' intelligence. Clearly Levin, a Harvard Law graduate and former visiting scholar at the American Academy in Rome, is not unintelligent. Therefore, I have to conclude that he thinks his readers are.<br /><br />I know that a lot of the things I mentioned seem petty. And to be honest, there are a number of books that I enjoy which suffer from some of the same problems that I've mentioned above. However, in the case of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Last Ember</span>, I didn't see anything to redeem these failings and make it worth my time as a reader.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆☆☆</span> (2/10)<br /><br />Content:<br /><br />Blood and gore: Yes; nothing that you won't see in <span style="font-style: italic;">Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade</span>, however.<br /><br />Sex: There are a couple of sexual encounters referenced, but they are not descriptive and overall the sexual content is extremely mild.<br /><br />Language: The F-word is used once. Otherwise the book is fairly clean.Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-45265160236860588952010-06-21T10:11:00.008-06:002010-06-24T22:25:37.273-06:00Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQIqHgbr_pX6tywwkMMJom1hKPoh8GAv1czR58bc1D5W7YPeTzX7e0u3uR6bAJIHt0jPu6BEl1gESgaSaWDIBu2WZ4IZ3KARjjMEia5hZZ_jOXMPiRLCRaeUOBKjC90Uuhx4FEUs7tB0/s1600/15858.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQIqHgbr_pX6tywwkMMJom1hKPoh8GAv1czR58bc1D5W7YPeTzX7e0u3uR6bAJIHt0jPu6BEl1gESgaSaWDIBu2WZ4IZ3KARjjMEia5hZZ_jOXMPiRLCRaeUOBKjC90Uuhx4FEUs7tB0/s200/15858.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485260479018107522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and Review</span>:<br /><br />Gregory Maguire is well known for re-imagining the lives of famous storybook characters--the ugly stepsister from Cinderella and the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz are his two most famous takes. In <span style="font-style: italic;">Mirror Mirror</span>, Maguire reworks the story of Snow White. In <span style="font-style: italic;">Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West</span> (inspiration for the Broadway musical that we all know and love), focus is clearly on the traditional antagonists of the original stories. In <span style="font-style: italic;">Mirror Mirror</span>, Maguire's focus seems to be split. Bianca de Nevada, the beautiful child with snow white skin (which is more often compared to that of a corpse in Maguire's version), certainly is less interesting than the wicked Lucrezia Borgia, the historical inspiration for Maguire's evil stepmother, but much of the third-person narration comes through her point of view. Although the storyline is easily recognized as having the same origins as Disney's version, Maguire's take on Snow White is much darker, grittier, and seemingly grounded in history, via the infamous Borgia family of Renaissance Italy.<br /><br />I loved seeing Lucrezia Borgia as the wicked stepmother. Maguire takes a multitude of literary liberties with her character, but even without Maguire's assistance, she and her family are darkly fascinating characters. Legend (and history) describe Lucrezia as beautiful and intelligent, but also ruthless, decadent, and morally depraved. And, as suits the traditional purveyor of poisoned fruit, Lucrezia and her kin are infamous for their draughts (see also: The Count of Monte Cristo). I thought it was perfect "casting."<br /><br />I also appreciated the fact that, although standing in for the part, in Maguire's version, Lucrezia wasn't actually the wicked stepmother. There are a number of stories (like The Wild Swans, Cinderella, and Snow White) which feature a wicked stepmother, a persecuted daughter, and a kind and loving father. Here's the thing: if Daddy's so great, why would he bring home a femme fatale and then sit by while his new squeeze tortures his beloved daughter's life out? In <span style="font-style: italic;">Mirror Mirror</span>, Maguire introduces his villainess without implicating Bianca's dad. I liked that.<br /><br />However, there was a lot about Mirror Mirror that I did not like.<br /><br />I really didn't like Maguire's writing style in this book. At times it seemed oddly like he was writing in free verse. In other spots, I could have sworn he was writing in riddles. It got to the point where it seemed like nothing was stated directly; everything was oblique and drawn-out, and it became incredibly frustrating and tedious to read.<br /><br />What was clear though, was how crude it was. There was everything from the nursemaid/cook having sex with a squid (what?!--and it was totally unnecessary and unrelated to the story, by the way), to a repeated mentions of bodily functions and even a description of Bianca's first menstrual period. Maguire succeeded in making the story earthy, gritty, and as un-Disney as possible, but it was just too much for my taste.<br /><br />Also, I had a hard time relating to the characters or, really, caring what happened to them. I thought they were all very unsympathetic. With the exception of the Borgias, who were completely horrifying, the characters were extremely passive. I think Maguire tried to dredge up some sympathy for Lucrezia, but it wasn't enough to make up for the fact that she was a complete monster. Bianca was too remote and otherworldly to be interesting, and her father was neither heroic or compelling. In fact, much of the action wasn't action at all--events came about and people either gained or lost because of them through no merit or fault of their own.<br /><br />And actually, one of the things that I liked about the book, which was Maguire grounding the fairy tale in history, messed up the ending (we all know a handsome prince--of sorts--wakes her up, right? So I'm not letting out any spoilers?). I can buy the fact that the kiss of a handsome prince will somehow counteract the effect of deadly poison when it's in a Disney fairy tale. But Maguire made his story too realistic. It's ludicrous to think that a kiss (especially considering the unromantic way that Borgian relationships were thrown around as bargaining tools) would be the antidote to a Borgia's poison in this case. And, as if he realized this but just didn't want to deal with it, Maguire didn't even attempt to explain how the kiss revived Bianca. Her resurrection was just an afterthought. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆☆☆</span> (3/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and gore: yes<br /><br />Sex: Extreme. There are no graphic descriptions, but everything from rape to adultery and incest to beastiality are mentioned.<br /><br />Language: Very crude in places. Use of the "s-word."Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-80443923064521742612010-06-17T23:01:00.006-06:002010-06-17T23:19:48.068-06:0050 Years: 1960-2010<p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YjaZdAAOahJ5pcUW6QgThK6qlVSEo7X0XbfwHpVdXf0wFzaHfit5h8Twr9RN_3FJHl2IYI5LJVe8GN_tiF_-O6qm-mFALiJm7QdFH5QNTg5M6hWDVF05ht44ZtMq5d4b8J4NfwFX0lA/s1600/Mockingbirdfirst.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YjaZdAAOahJ5pcUW6QgThK6qlVSEo7X0XbfwHpVdXf0wFzaHfit5h8Twr9RN_3FJHl2IYI5LJVe8GN_tiF_-O6qm-mFALiJm7QdFH5QNTg5M6hWDVF05ht44ZtMq5d4b8J4NfwFX0lA/s400/Mockingbirdfirst.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483978901882386626" border="0" /></a><br />Dear Ms. Lee<br /><br />Thank you for Scout, Jem, and Dill. Thank you for Atticus, Miss Maudie, Tom, Calpurnia, Boo Radley and even Miss Stephanie Crawford; for Maycomb and the image of southern ladies wilting in the heat "like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum." Thank you for teaching us about kindness, strength and understanding, the true meaning of courage, and what it really means to be "fine folk." Thank you for writing the book that millions of us around the world claim as our favorite, for uniting us and binding us together across generations and continents by our love for your little novel. Thank you for pouring all of your heart and soul into this book. It has captured ours.Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-63074903745464285662010-06-17T22:25:00.016-06:002010-06-17T23:21:41.491-06:00Book covers, Part 2In the spirit of the last post, here are a few other book covers that I love:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktXzw7h0H4OpPuN9VwAJgZBNhTW3N3JQf4UXuZb2IVmbgERxAersZLr-Ls_95rhb97Dfe7ONQk72bIpOXymuO5s6RUWwcu7Bcul-_fhB9HlGJXZjF8mWCJXuHzD_oVCu-75GIZRGR3JA/s1600/10920.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktXzw7h0H4OpPuN9VwAJgZBNhTW3N3JQf4UXuZb2IVmbgERxAersZLr-Ls_95rhb97Dfe7ONQk72bIpOXymuO5s6RUWwcu7Bcul-_fhB9HlGJXZjF8mWCJXuHzD_oVCu-75GIZRGR3JA/s400/10920.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483968882357846754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqdEaTdo2MGdAtEVg5r3EyP6lXJcvmrnH8usasJj-MLyNFxe_OuaNjjRyJ7I5N8XtHTlxUDpje3Qk_JLmTKMVNFpHu-QkacqdMSIPBs_8xnP6VBJUZ8TrxF6al1qEtJHr_kxGNzIR8P8/s1600/sweetness-at-the-bottom-of-the-pie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqdEaTdo2MGdAtEVg5r3EyP6lXJcvmrnH8usasJj-MLyNFxe_OuaNjjRyJ7I5N8XtHTlxUDpje3Qk_JLmTKMVNFpHu-QkacqdMSIPBs_8xnP6VBJUZ8TrxF6al1qEtJHr_kxGNzIR8P8/s400/sweetness-at-the-bottom-of-the-pie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483968752729705826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsiYGEDdCKUUjhlsmepL_kV-mrO4m5C1QY3rNDGexOuaJm58aTPxBLagiie-_nACrhUC5HXws38HaPGKJF1XWb4JePYqH6N3_WxSnJyY1GuYF948XsPxTzmOS4dTNtP6CwIglODWHJ9c/s1600/stranger.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsiYGEDdCKUUjhlsmepL_kV-mrO4m5C1QY3rNDGexOuaJm58aTPxBLagiie-_nACrhUC5HXws38HaPGKJF1XWb4JePYqH6N3_WxSnJyY1GuYF948XsPxTzmOS4dTNtP6CwIglODWHJ9c/s400/stranger.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483968696032821554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIt9vPZSRj97nlYNyEGn6lblfq_WboOSH-8VsEnyE3AlUczKhF47L2mOHYOuIZZ8nz7J6vXqTsYGB01Mx3wxzcc36ZaKVkLTn-ZH2h7lHEoeXfwygne3DgizUsHNzjr6k83V5ktxHPto/s1600/313oe-zJnUL.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIt9vPZSRj97nlYNyEGn6lblfq_WboOSH-8VsEnyE3AlUczKhF47L2mOHYOuIZZ8nz7J6vXqTsYGB01Mx3wxzcc36ZaKVkLTn-ZH2h7lHEoeXfwygne3DgizUsHNzjr6k83V5ktxHPto/s1600/313oe-zJnUL.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Q2IA5KL_VOJ_sEARke40__CHgiR1fa08tr38AhjEqquHP_tJG8y2qDZqLfDzPpNBphHIdQAuurlFhI-H_NZ4ckurO8SugAU6VESMNMWYnNNp19wRi9BD_Q0xCzMyQYrAOn2zR5IkkBc/s1600/natural1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Q2IA5KL_VOJ_sEARke40__CHgiR1fa08tr38AhjEqquHP_tJG8y2qDZqLfDzPpNBphHIdQAuurlFhI-H_NZ4ckurO8SugAU6VESMNMWYnNNp19wRi9BD_Q0xCzMyQYrAOn2zR5IkkBc/s400/natural1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483968637262277874" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkceFwPQJi3WHONwbEG2ieX61bMdlnDp64mtg71cj4RV3T2v6Mr3jdYdZCjzGlSkgX1uF2dpBYJGmyjNO6yD99HvcWjTGprjw0vPeyqgwlu1bXXVWezjwgtS2pWbPtr5X2IaRHDW15y40/s1600/extremely_loud_and_incredibly_closelarge.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkceFwPQJi3WHONwbEG2ieX61bMdlnDp64mtg71cj4RV3T2v6Mr3jdYdZCjzGlSkgX1uF2dpBYJGmyjNO6yD99HvcWjTGprjw0vPeyqgwlu1bXXVWezjwgtS2pWbPtr5X2IaRHDW15y40/s400/extremely_loud_and_incredibly_closelarge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483968574833000914" border="0" /></a>(I haven't actually read this yet, but it's near the top of my list)<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplK1v7Iswy7lAhyHAgNRy5xeXg8OZD0qPW-2FIKPSJKcE04FRzhb-xs_-a6RUBxrTpD09wQuwFM-sCmicQ9hQwcvNX5CGcuZxldvUBdBm8n9wa305nldeSznmFfmHRZh0TF7lY2HENkY/s1600/4078927.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplK1v7Iswy7lAhyHAgNRy5xeXg8OZD0qPW-2FIKPSJKcE04FRzhb-xs_-a6RUBxrTpD09wQuwFM-sCmicQ9hQwcvNX5CGcuZxldvUBdBm8n9wa305nldeSznmFfmHRZh0TF7lY2HENkY/s400/4078927.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483968518194886370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1JBQcs-CQhbL95cOUxK6k50XF916lwjtM4VUKg_ncRj81LBWDgNGLqfY_osK_qhXLXO05-GGrWxFo9g2d9uc3EZc7_UtlN6_MuGuMMFa88IAqCY-_U0vMFciwAn8dwrsHnK1LJEfcQ4/s1600/51bMFxkjeAL._SS500_.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1JBQcs-CQhbL95cOUxK6k50XF916lwjtM4VUKg_ncRj81LBWDgNGLqfY_osK_qhXLXO05-GGrWxFo9g2d9uc3EZc7_UtlN6_MuGuMMFa88IAqCY-_U0vMFciwAn8dwrsHnK1LJEfcQ4/s400/51bMFxkjeAL._SS500_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483979458755671842" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">and of course...<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARqQsU3izkPAinWUb8vnOARHtcPoCHSzd40BoqvqP-_SmsNMKKXyCiO4lX6KZzvUMGqJyNEVfLfNEtCq1s3fOxvTRfAw6gplM7KbI5n7-5zTMywvjrevGPcAE8qg-82sOzEgqkRWkRWI/s1600/795921.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARqQsU3izkPAinWUb8vnOARHtcPoCHSzd40BoqvqP-_SmsNMKKXyCiO4lX6KZzvUMGqJyNEVfLfNEtCq1s3fOxvTRfAw6gplM7KbI5n7-5zTMywvjrevGPcAE8qg-82sOzEgqkRWkRWI/s400/795921.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483968460638731074" border="0" /></a><br />What are your favorite book covers?Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-84884794906056458582010-06-17T22:01:00.010-06:002010-06-17T22:56:35.979-06:00Go ahead--judge this book by its coverI'm a little late to the game on these, since they came out late last summer, but I spied this Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of <span style="font-style: italic;">Wurthering Heights</span> at the library last week, and it literally stopped me in my tracks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaf4nN9LsfosAc0FzFZj4PrLeBN4a8dECUzCuPS1S7f5MpfkeeNHi7Qy2swSwIqTR1ERqtFaqQmUxT-IDCjipBXhMjMOQFGrpcxTX3oYA-77m_ak0KTXKjMylzNM5kiAMwjBmfCEJnnVk/s1600/ruben-toledo-emily-bronte-cover-penguin.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaf4nN9LsfosAc0FzFZj4PrLeBN4a8dECUzCuPS1S7f5MpfkeeNHi7Qy2swSwIqTR1ERqtFaqQmUxT-IDCjipBXhMjMOQFGrpcxTX3oYA-77m_ak0KTXKjMylzNM5kiAMwjBmfCEJnnVk/s400/ruben-toledo-emily-bronte-cover-penguin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483960756983697106" border="0" /></a><br />How fabulous is that?<br /><br />I'll admit it--I can't count myself as a fan of <span style="font-style: italic;">Wuthering Heights</span>. I've read it twice and really, really tried. I can see Emily Bronte's genius as a writer and storyteller; but the story she had to tell... Yikes. However, I am in love with this book cover (the illustrations run onto the inside flaps of the book jacket as well), illustrated by Ruben Toledo. For me, they evoke perfectly the twisted, gothic, torrid world of Cathy and Heathcliff. Heathcliff's actually my favorite part of the illustration--he has a kind of sinister James Dean thing going on. It actually makes me want to give the book another chance. And I definitely need this on my bookshelf.<br /><br />Toledo illustrated two other classic book covers for Penguin as well,<span style="font-style: italic;"> Pride and Prejudice</span>,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1w2n6ukxP4SI3UWqyaAOgNowkgDp0mzmUoIZlDgONYwgr9XUCS5oHKjHy0KNxQynz1I_BYO1CaGole_QcXY0HlGxfKptB94znWWFanFUIcZ-8y741RtoUOH6YIeHLhwdV40uPENiNCY/s1600/ruben-toledo-pride-prejudice-cover-penguin.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1w2n6ukxP4SI3UWqyaAOgNowkgDp0mzmUoIZlDgONYwgr9XUCS5oHKjHy0KNxQynz1I_BYO1CaGole_QcXY0HlGxfKptB94znWWFanFUIcZ-8y741RtoUOH6YIeHLhwdV40uPENiNCY/s400/ruben-toledo-pride-prejudice-cover-penguin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483963009504802162" border="0" /></a><br />and the <span style="font-style: italic;">Scarlet Letter</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5q60JZIcsYsXWl3ziH0K8J34ijKL2kQrjv4TpDK2wnILto-nCh7-AxuXFiFgeZkIceVSE-B2ITNpA9_9AcMPnQmFU5OUprEnutvgefLseytzXwrnlM97Wq_rj-4Rm-jnuoAyPM1NmKTk/s1600/ruben-toledo-scarlet-letter-cover-penguin.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5q60JZIcsYsXWl3ziH0K8J34ijKL2kQrjv4TpDK2wnILto-nCh7-AxuXFiFgeZkIceVSE-B2ITNpA9_9AcMPnQmFU5OUprEnutvgefLseytzXwrnlM97Wq_rj-4Rm-jnuoAyPM1NmKTk/s400/ruben-toledo-scarlet-letter-cover-penguin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483963073964166178" border="0" /></a><br />Toledo's take on <span style="font-style: italic;">Pride and Prejudice</span> doesn't quite work for me. It's a little too Tim Burton for the BBC version that I have running constantly through my head, but I like the <span style="font-style: italic;">Scarlet Letter</span>. It doesn't put me in the novel as well as Toledo's version of <span style="font-style: italic;">Wuthering Heights</span>, but it's an interesting take on Hawthorne. I especially like the gossips. It feels like Desperate Housewives meets Puritan New England, which is kind of fun.Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-20768782104967476502010-04-30T23:12:00.009-06:002010-06-17T22:57:13.448-06:00The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4yC5HRno2RNiuo1JpgdzlYbkvQoHMItxpxQBfXw4MVtMKkw-CHQO4duGJQmD26uMuVclGjBRzDIfuBGL5KQspkXG2RpN3FgdyCa2-pOD5El0Pzh8041WrKrcBIHPGddWudWzcuqouYQ/s1600/2342881.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4yC5HRno2RNiuo1JpgdzlYbkvQoHMItxpxQBfXw4MVtMKkw-CHQO4duGJQmD26uMuVclGjBRzDIfuBGL5KQspkXG2RpN3FgdyCa2-pOD5El0Pzh8041WrKrcBIHPGddWudWzcuqouYQ/s200/2342881.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466165256685494514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br />This "secret diary" of Charlotte Bronte follows her romance with Arthur Bell Nicholls. Nicholls was the Brontes' next door neighbor. He worked under her father as the curate of tiny Haworth village for eight years before expressing his love to Charlotte and giving her an offer of marriage. The near-decade that spanned the time between Charlotte's first meeting with Mr. Nicholls and his proposal saw Charlotte evolve from an imaginative spinster to a celebrated writer.<br /><br />I thought the book started roughly. I didn't buy the idea that these characters were living in a tiny parish in Victorian England. The language seemed stilted and overly formal, yet it was peppered at times with modern-sounding phrases that were completely out-of-place in the dialog. For example, in one scene, Charlotte and Emily are angry with one another. "You cannot stay angry with me for ever," says Charlotte, to which Emily replies, "Watch me."<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">Watch me</span>?" Umm, I'm sorry, but I just don't think that Charlotte and Emily Bronte spoke like 21st Century eight-year-olds. So that bothered me. I also didn't like the fact that the "diaries" weren't written in a diary format. The style is more of a narrative than a diary. Charlotte begins the novel by addressing "Diary," but there aren't individual entries; it's as if she's recounting the entire story in two or three sittings.<br /><br />I did, however, think that the story, if not riveting, was interesting. Syrie James based the plot around letters written by and about Charlotte Bronte and the other characters mentioned. Although the dialog was fabricated and much is conjecture, from what I can tell the story is relatively true to history. It was interesting to learn about the sources of inspiration for the Bronte novels. The lives of the Brontes were tragic, and while reading I realized that I knew very little about Charlotte or her sisters. I admit that formerly I had a difficult time keeping track of the three sisters and remembering which one was which. Having read this book, I feel like I know them better; I doubt I will be confusing them in the future.<br /><br />Charlotte's romance with Mr. Nicholls is unusual; it was definitely not the sweeping, passionate love affair found in <span style="font-style: italic;">Jane Eyre</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">Wurthering Heights</span>. It was different from what I expect in a romance and interesting because of it.<br /><br />I would have liked to know more about Charlotte's early life; actually, I would have liked to know more about the life of all three sisters, Emily in particular. Although her life seems to lack the romance which Charlotte experienced, Emily Bronte is perhaps the most fascinating of the sisters. I've read <span style="font-style: italic;">Wurthering Heights</span> twice times, and each time I was more disturbed by it. What were the circumstances that produced a woman who, coming from the strict, sternly religious upbringing in the rigid Victorian age, could write such a sordid, passionate and disturbing story full of horror, violence, and illicit love?<br /><br />I also would have liked more more description of the village and the moors. The moors played such a huge part in the Bronte novels, but I never really felt their presence in this book. Haworth as portrayed by Syrie James felt like a bland one-size-fits-all English village.<br /><br />Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books, and I approached this novel hesitantly. I didn't want to read something silly or talentless that merely coasted off of the popularity of <span style="font-style: italic;">Jane Eyre</span> (Aside: I feel that most of the modern novels based on Jane Austen and her writing fall under this description). I wasn't expecting a true biography, and I didn't get it. I thought that most if not all of the romantic scenes were silly and would have been embarrassing for Charlotte Bronte to have read. <span style="font-style: italic;">However</span>, I did end up liking this book much more than I expected, much more than I did when I first began to read. I imagined that Charlotte Bronte lived a cloistered life akin to that of Emily Dickinson; however her experiences were much more far-reaching than I knew. I'm looking forward to reading Jane Eyre again, and I'm also planning to venture out to Charlotte Bronte's other works and will be looking up some actual biographies written about her. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆☆☆</span> (5/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and gore: N/A<br /><br />Sex: Very mild innuendos<br /><br />Language: N/AKierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-14898735978743193912010-04-30T23:09:00.004-06:002010-05-04T21:39:40.950-06:00Impossible by Nancy Werlin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYDtx2M6pEQwFcDWSlr8-dNTx47_k5uyf2FVq7EsyZwCD6Tv9eOBEqPtz3lQf4mFjJZmd18GHiU6ccVG9vWeNVF8XomKfjkCPPwLO9F0J3Nn2m6sgUcmFSc-PNCxWGx_GYHCZy_gD6uc/s1600/6300287.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYDtx2M6pEQwFcDWSlr8-dNTx47_k5uyf2FVq7EsyZwCD6Tv9eOBEqPtz3lQf4mFjJZmd18GHiU6ccVG9vWeNVF8XomKfjkCPPwLO9F0J3Nn2m6sgUcmFSc-PNCxWGx_GYHCZy_gD6uc/s200/6300287.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466164324554383602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br />The Scarborough women have been cursed for generations--at the age of 18 they become pregnant and, after giving birth (always to a baby girl), they go mad. The curse will end only when a Scarborough woman can complete three impossible tasks before the birth of her daughter. Lucy is the next Scarborough in line for the curse, but with the help of her boyfriend, her foster parents, and clues passed down to her from her mother, she is determined to successfully complete the tasks and escape the fate of the Scarborough women who have come before her. The tasks are outlined in a version of the folk song "Scarborough Fair" that Lucy's ancestors have sung for generations--make a magical shirt without needles or seams, find an acre of land between salt water and the sea strand, and plow an acre with goat's horn before sowing it with a single grain of corn.<br /><br />I loved the way that Nancy Werlin used the song "Scarborough Fair." It's such a brilliant idea. The song is perfect; despite its familiarity, its beautiful tune is haunting and the meaning of the lyrics cryptic. The idea that something so common can hold so much mystery and hidden meaning is exciting. It gives a magical, mystical possibility to everyday life. <br /><br />I also really liked the relationships in the book. It's so easy in young adult fiction to manufacture plot lines by giving the teen antagonist backstabbing best friends, unfaithful significant others, and unsympathetic, distant, or totalitarian parents (who are usually divorced and fighting, adding additional angst to the storyline). Not every relationship in the book was healthy--Lucy's mom, for example, was a deranged bag lady. However, Lucy had a strong support system in the form of her boyfriend, her best friend, and the Markowitzes, the foster parents who reared Lucy since birth. Anyone of these people could have easily let Lucy down, considering that she was a pregnant teenager with some pretty crazy-sounding ideas about how she ended up that way, yet they didn't. It was refreshing to see Lucy's loved ones stand by her. <br /><br />I wish that the villain had been a little more menacing. The truth about the punishment he imposes on the Scarborough women is absolutely evil and creepy and horrifying, but with regards to Lucy completing the tasks, he didn't seem to pose much of an obstacle. I think Werlin definitely could have upped the tension in that respect. <br /><br />Overall, I thought that this was a captivating book, especially at the beginning. The momentum died down a bit towards the book's conclusion, but I loved the premise and the characters. This is the second book I've read by Nancy Werlin, and I will definitely be adding more of hers to my library's hold list. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">★★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">☆☆☆</span> (7/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and gore: Minor<br /><br />Sex: References to abortion, pregnancy, and teenage sex, and rape. Although Lucy refuses to consider abortion and mentions that she is alive only because her mother refused it, abortion is offered by several different people as a viable option to end an unwanted pregnancy. Furthermore, teenage sex is seen as something inevitable and normal. This may be offensive to some people, so please take that into consideration. <br /><br />Language: MildKierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-30276679958245013072010-04-30T22:56:00.007-06:002010-05-04T22:27:51.790-06:00Get Me Out: A History of Childbirth from the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank by Randi Hutter Epstein<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-CotBuIHomsRMFxsX2IuK9KZtiqWcYTSpFRIpZT274uWI-YtMUVnLdNHqmveZRfAOYvp7hSoT5qFJdZRdn9n66mpjuOqmPsQ3TO4bKlsJDQin9-zkqh6dM2GrSFzV4Sj5oT-aGr_y1Y/s1600/417+8G9ahFL.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-CotBuIHomsRMFxsX2IuK9KZtiqWcYTSpFRIpZT274uWI-YtMUVnLdNHqmveZRfAOYvp7hSoT5qFJdZRdn9n66mpjuOqmPsQ3TO4bKlsJDQin9-zkqh6dM2GrSFzV4Sj5oT-aGr_y1Y/s200/417+8G9ahFL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466161668513701858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br />As the subtitle to Randi Hutter Epstein's book suggests, <span style="font-style: italic;">Get Me Out</span> follows the science and superstition of childbirth from the earliest recorded births to the fertility industry of today. But <span style="font-style: italic;">Get Me Out </span>does more than just deliver birth-related anecdotes; Epstein uses historical attitudes toward conception, pregnancy, and delivery to comment on contemporary society. From feminism to industrialization to urbanization, Epstein argues that the way humans view childbirth is a reflection of the morals, values, and beliefs that we espouse in general. It is a fascinating read and moves quickly, throwing out examples from various historical ages. In particular, Epstein traces the "medicalization" of childbirth. Pregnancy, which began as a spiritual journey on which a woman was accompanied by instincts and fellow women became, in the 20th Century, a medical condition that necessitated professional treatment as would a life-threatening disease.<br /><br />Epstein's attitude toward non-medical births is interesting. As a medical doctor (she received her M.D. from Yale University), I expected her to be aggressively pro-hospitals, pro-obstetrics, and anti-midwives and homebirths. She is firmly against "freebirthers," women who give birth at home without any medical intervention, shunning both doctors and midwives (her tone in the "Freebirthers" chapter is actually rather sarcastic and mocking. It's clear she finds the movement not only ridiculous but irresponsible). Yet Epstein seems surprisingly open to midwives and non-hospital births. She seems to regret the loss of the sisterhood that supported a woman before, during and after labor. Many of the anecdotes Epstein includes reflect negatively on medical professionals: doctors who unfairly painted midwives as incompetent and dangerous; men who had never stepped foot into a birthing room yet published medical tracts contradicting midwives' knowledge; horrifically painful medical experiments performed on unanesthetized slave women; epidemics of puerperal fever, spread by unwashed medical equipment and doctors' hands; and DES, a synthetic estrogen prescribed for everything from morning sickness to miscarriage prevention, which had horrific consequences for the children of DES mothers, and yet was prescribed by doctors even after it was shown to cause reproductive cancers and malformations in animal trials.<br /><br />Initially I was slightly turned off by Epstein's writing style. As I mentioned, she has a medical degree from Yale, but she also has a masters degree in journalism from Columbia. However, her writing in places seemed unprofessional, even flippant. For example, in the introduction Epstein writes about the superstitions regarding cauls, pieces of the anmiotic sac that sometimes stick to a baby's head. She writes of a Roman emperor whose son was born with a caul, a fortuitious sign. "As predicted," she writes, "the boy joined his father as a co-emperor by age 9, but father and son were murdered the following year. Whatever" (ix).<br /><br />Seriously? She has Ivy-league degrees in medicine and journalism, but that sentence sounds like it was written by an eighth-grade girl. Through text messaging. A few other instances like this in the beginning of the book made me wary, as if Epstein were trying too hard to sound cool, or to make a boring subject (how could childbirth and pregnancy be boring to a postpartum woman?) sound cool. Fortunately, things improved. I actually ended up liking Epstein's writing style. It felt like I was listening to an interesting lecture given by a well-spoken professor.<br /><br />Other interesting stories in the book included the Chamberlens, male "midwives" who invented a type of obstetric forceps, "Twilight Sleep," a cocktail of narcotics given to women to make them forget the pain of childbirth (it was becoming increasingly popular in the early 20th century, but fell out of favor after its champion died during childbirth after having taken the drug), the use of X-Rays during pregnancy and the possible dangers of ultrasounds, and the ins and outs of the sperm bank industry.<br /><br />Again, I thought this book was fascinating. The way Epstein presents the history makes it relevant to more than just women with children. Anyone interested in sociology or medical history will enjoy <span style="font-style: italic;">Get Me Out</span>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆☆</span> (8/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and gore: Little, but the descriptions of surgeries may be disturbing to some people.<br /><br />Sex: Nothing too racy, but it is kind of the crux of the book. There is also mention of pornography as used in the sperm banks.<br /><br />Language: MildKierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-12976253147574950012010-04-18T15:43:00.009-06:002010-04-30T22:55:56.165-06:00Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwpoIkA5Ngf-NaUSWuaFMEgozmcqmqxebfiw0A9fl87uGds8YJcmI9VFAo40p39v7u6T7uoqwdJeFTf0U5UcvEFoZUY3twVJQEbNV-s_69MBEgxVKzaq0FaxdufBEwKZoi_YBYcZ4R5Q/s1600/5152478.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwpoIkA5Ngf-NaUSWuaFMEgozmcqmqxebfiw0A9fl87uGds8YJcmI9VFAo40p39v7u6T7uoqwdJeFTf0U5UcvEFoZUY3twVJQEbNV-s_69MBEgxVKzaq0FaxdufBEwKZoi_YBYcZ4R5Q/s200/5152478.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461597953929725362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br />Wintergirls begins as Lia learns that Cassie, her former-best friend, is dead. Cassie died alone in a cheap motel room during a cold New Hampshire winter's night, after having left 33 messages on Lia's phone. Lia refused to pick up the phone when Cassie called; Lia also encouraged Cassie's bulimia by making a pact with Cassie to be "skinniest" when the girls were in eighth grade. And now Lia is haunted by Cassie's ghost.<br /><br />Wintergirls seems like an attempt at poetic prose--different sizes of fonts, repetition, crossed-out phrases, even pages left entirely blank. I sometimes found the style irritating and distracting, but at other times I felt that it captured the confusion, compulsion, and disjointedness Lia suffered because of her disease. One of the most commonly used stylistic devices was crossed-out text, but I'm not actually sure what that meant. Sometimes it seemed like the struckthrough phrases were Lia's attempt at sarcasm, other times they seemed like the conscious censoring of her thoughts to conform with what she feels is acceptable to others, and then there were times when it seemed like the very opposite, as if Lia were rebelling against what she was supposed to feel in order to express her version of reality.<br /><br />Lia, I would imagine, was a difficult character to write. Typically in order to receive positive reviews, a book needs a sympathetic main character. Lia...isn't really. It is <span style="font-style: italic;">extremely </span>frustrating to watch Lia do things that are so destructive and appear so irrational, especially when she seems to know better at times. Unfortunately, that's the nature of the beast. Anorexia (officially, "Anorexia Nervosa") is, from what I understand, a compulsive disorder, meaning that those who suffer from it are driven to act in a way that is irrational and destructive. Like Lia, those who suffer from anorexia may know that they harming themselves but their disease leads them to continue on the same course regardless.<br /><br />I don't feel that I gained any insights to the causes of anorexia--rich, upper-middle class white girls with difficult family lives who feel pressured by their parents and want control over their lives. Not much new there. There were places in which Lia's way of thinking was eye opening, however. The way that food conjured up opposing feelings of desire and disgust and the ever-receding target weight were interesting. I was actually worried at times that it was <span style="font-style: italic;">too</span> explicit; some of Lia's methods for hiding her weight loss and disguising her refusal to eat seemed a bit too educational.<br /><br />I was really conflicted by this book. While the topic is obviously important, I don't know enough about the disease to say whether or not <span style="font-style: italic;">Wintergirls</span> really captured the essence of anorexia. It was definitely not pleasant to read; if terrifying and disturbing were what Anderson was going for, than it was spot on. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆☆☆</span> (6/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and gore: The description of Cassie's death are disturbing, and Lia is a cutter as well as suffering from anorexia.<br /><br />Sex: N/A<br /><br />Language: Not extreme, but the F-word is used (just once, I believe) and other curse words are scattered throughout.Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-53640803949568119622010-04-18T14:51:00.003-06:002010-04-18T15:43:12.855-06:00The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAH1J1nWHDHTjrbCbdw4SgCSPXSNO_9IYFMpFVBxai1suItF5M6ADFFxe86TBuKUd6bP-BJGx6DHRaOTnBMUR0aDGx1q32puCh9N-H5GRzUTbJ0YQ_5frQvkeDFPC9cJ8kI3utXvIkcI/s1600/6868106.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAH1J1nWHDHTjrbCbdw4SgCSPXSNO_9IYFMpFVBxai1suItF5M6ADFFxe86TBuKUd6bP-BJGx6DHRaOTnBMUR0aDGx1q32puCh9N-H5GRzUTbJ0YQ_5frQvkeDFPC9cJ8kI3utXvIkcI/s200/6868106.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461583849252117922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br />David Bernard Yaffe is embarking on a second attempt at finishing his senior year. His first senior year was stalled when he was accused of killing his girlfriend, Emily. Although he has recently been acquitted, the memory of Emily's death and the sensationalism of the trial are too fresh in the minds of David's Baltimore community, so he moves to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to live with his uncle's family and finish school. Cambridge, however, is not free from complications. David's Uncle Vic and Vic's wife Julia aren't speaking to each other; there is something seriously wrong with Lily, their 11-year-old daughter, who resents David's intrusion into her life and embarks on a campaign to drive him out; On top of it all, David is staying in the attic apartment which, until four years previously, was occupied by Kathy, Vic and Julia's eldest daughter. Kathy is dead, but she still haunts the Shaughnessy family.<br /><br />David is the book's narrator; the story follows him as he tries to manage the guilt he feels over his role in Emily's death, but, as the book's title seems to imply and as David's prologue states, the story is about Lily. Lily is haunted by her sister's death, and deals with her emotions by attempting to manipulate and control those around her. David's arrival throws her world into disarray, but it may also give her the chance to finally come to grips with what happened that day.<br /><br />I was surprised by how creeped out I was at times while reading <span style="font-style: italic;">The Killer's Cousin</span>. It's a thoughtful, well-written book that explores grief, forgiveness, family, and guilt, but it's also extremely suspenseful, and exhibits characteristics of thrillers and supernatural-type books. Lily in particular is creepy. If I were David, knowing that Lily was lurking around my apartment would be much more disturbing than anything else that could be hanging around.<br /><br />I felt that the big mystery which was revealed towards the conclusion of the book was kind of obvious, however, I don't really have a problem with that. In many ways, anticipating the horror David would feel upon discovering the truth actually increased the suspense I felt while reading.<br /><br />Although <span style="font-style: italic;">The Killer's Cousin</span> deals with some extremely weighty topics and is a very sad book overall, it ends on a hopeful, redemptive note. The ending was satisfying, giving the characters a fresh start, and left me feeling positive. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆☆☆</span> (7/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and Gore: No graphic descriptions are given, but the book explores the deaths of two young women.<br /><br />Sex: Again, no descriptions are given, but sex is mentioned multiple times in relation to several characters.<br /><br />Language: The language is mild throughout the entire book, and then all of a sudden the F-word, used in a sexual context, is thrown in.Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-12119578116247265362010-04-13T22:21:00.004-06:002010-04-13T23:27:54.321-06:00All Other Nights by Dara Horn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfPEJBQQ-weYfjVW7-evU1HH-D2efurNvOtbvN_3svWCiimpLli_7KDOHrozA2d-Zu7EN3_2JAJnzWK58XYC7G1rW_5muXrg7YNawHQkcImugKIuyFPC4HAzANGmLrx_jXEdHb6tz_98/s1600/5294347.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 127px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfPEJBQQ-weYfjVW7-evU1HH-D2efurNvOtbvN_3svWCiimpLli_7KDOHrozA2d-Zu7EN3_2JAJnzWK58XYC7G1rW_5muXrg7YNawHQkcImugKIuyFPC4HAzANGmLrx_jXEdHb6tz_98/s200/5294347.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459843894192585458" /></a><b>Summary and review</b>:<div><br /></div><div>Jacob Rappaport is the son of a wealthy Jewish merchant in New York. In 1861, at the age of 19, he joins the Union army in order to escape the marriage his parents have planned for him--to the mentally disabled daughter of his father's colleague. He quickly settles into life as a soldier, pleased with his anonymity; however, one night he is called into the tent of a visiting general. Expecting a promotion, Jacob is puzzled when the general begins quizzing him on his background. Soon Jacob finds himself on an undercover mission. A Confederate spy in New Orleans is planning to assassinate President Lincoln, and Jacob's mission is to poison the man before he can harm the Union leader. The mission will be carried out on Passover, and the target is Jacob's own uncle. And the army has other plans for their Jewish secret service agent. Upon his return to Washington, Jacob is given another assignment. The daughter of Phillip Levy, one of Jacob's father's associates, is a suspected Confederate spy. The object of Jacob's mission is to marry the girl. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was so incredibly disappointed with this book. So disappointed. I was thrilled when I first read the synopsis on the book jacket. Jewish espionage during the Civil War? How did I not know about this before? The premise had so much potential. But the book really did not go anywhere. First of all, there was so much needless repetition, of both small details and larger thematic elements. And these repetitions are not subtle, they are often word for word--twice we read about Jacob "mourning" the disappearance of an attractive girl's body part after she had covered up some skin that was provocatively visible, and "errant curls" must have escaped from their owners' carelessly coiffed hair at least a half-dozen times. And there were so many unlikely coincidences that occurred. Jacob meeting Abigail, who looked just like Jeannie and was in love with a soldier who looked just like Jacob, for example. And don't you think someone would have flagged Jacob's name after his first attempt at espionage in the South? It was just too improbable. I didn't buy it and it bothered me to read it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was also irritated by the constant corny sexual innuendos. This book always seemed like it was on the verge of becoming a corset buster. While it never crossed that line, there were so many cheesy lines that I actually found myself groaning out loud a few times. I'm sorry, but getting turned on over someone threading a needle? That's just a little too much imagination, in my opinion. </div><div><br /></div><div>Probably the most disappointing aspect of this book, however, was Jacob. I can't think of the last time I read a book with such a weak, sapless main character. Other than running away to join the Union army, Jacob did not once act of his own volition. Every step he took was forced upon him by another person. And even signing up for the army was something Jacob did only as a last resort, after he was forced into it by the prospect of an arranged marriage. Jacob is constantly having misgivings about what he is doing, but he does it anyway, every single time. Pretty major spoiler coming up right here, but if Jacob was so in love with Jeannie, why didn't he do anything about it? Why did it take two years and the combined efforts of his father and hers to get him finally track him down? I honestly just wanted to shake him, "wake up man and <i>do</i> something!" To be fair, I think that what the author was going for was a discussion on choosing between competing impulses: love and honor, self and society, justice and emotion. However, the debate never fully played out, because the only choice Jacob consciously made was to <i>not</i> act. The rest of the time he was just swept along in the machinations of characters who actually had backbone. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the conclusion of the novel, Dara Horn includes a fairly lengthy author's note, in which she discusses her motivation for writing<i> All Other Nights</i> as well as the historical sources for her novel's characters and plots. The information contained here is really interesting--she lists off a number of Civil War spies and also gives some background on Judah P. Benjamin, a major player in both Horn's novel and in the actual Civil War. Reading this, I came to a realization about the plot of <i>All Other Nights</i>, which at first seemed like nothing more than a messy, soupy mix of random detail and far-fetched characterization: there are simply too many incredible stories to tell. The historical details Dara Horn mentions in her author's note are fascinating, even though they're only the barest outlines of the stories. In trying to pull them all together, the spy who could dislocate her jaw at will, the slave in General Longstreet's camp who relayed messages through laundry, and the riding crop used to transport messages, Dara Horn tries to do too much. It feels like she was so enamored by the many stories she came across in her research, that she forced them into the novel, and they therefore sit awkwardly with the reader. With this reader, at least. <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ (3/10)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Content</b>:</div><div><br /></div><div>Blood and gore: although little of the action takes place on the battle field, it is a Civil War book and so, as is to be expected, you'll read about quite a few amputations, bloody head wounds, and so forth.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sex: More cheesy than explicit, however the reader is still privy to way too many of Jacob's fantasies, in my opinion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Language: "Minor" curse words and blasphemy. </div>Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-90094631862907358372010-04-12T10:35:00.006-06:002010-04-18T15:44:44.820-06:00Midwives by Chris Bohjalian<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XWRNDAa__cRs-8uytGwYeQgo1QaBjE0c6iTAWeEey4dFbNAeXc-NnMHkgXiEDffTBzbMUChNgeBBJndAaqDNxenxuX2uXyhz7hOpoty1YkLfgWs6AI46ShsNE716V1XvQSoKQYfHr54/s1600/834293.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XWRNDAa__cRs-8uytGwYeQgo1QaBjE0c6iTAWeEey4dFbNAeXc-NnMHkgXiEDffTBzbMUChNgeBBJndAaqDNxenxuX2uXyhz7hOpoty1YkLfgWs6AI46ShsNE716V1XvQSoKQYfHr54/s200/834293.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459290661614676114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Midwives</span> is told from the perspective of Connie Danforth, a thirty-year-old woman. When Connie was fourteen, her mother, Sybil Danforth, was a midwife in rural Vermont. That March, Sybil was called to assist at the bedside of a laboring woman. During the labor, it appeared that the mother had died of a stroke and so, in order to save the baby, Sybil performed an emergency c-section on the woman with a kitchen knife. Sybil saved the infant, but the next day faced questioning from state police and was later arrested in the death of the mother. The book follows the Danforth family through the summer and into the fall of Sybil's trial.<br /><br />My husband saw me reading this book and said, "Huh. <span style="font-style: italic;">Midwives</span>. Sounds boring," and I have to say, this is not a book that your average male is going to feel comfortable reading. There is far too much talk of female anatomy for that. I am actually rather surprised that the author is a man. Maybe that's sexist of me but, it really is a compliment. I thought the predominately female characters were very believable, and I'd imagine it could be difficult for a man to write like that. And anyway, as the novel makes clear, the birthing room has historically been the woman's domain.<br /><br />My reaction toward this book was kind of unusual. While I found myself being more and more drawn in to the life of Sybil Danforth and the outcome of the trial--I even had to stop a couple of times to remind myself that it was fiction--there were places when I was kind of bored. I had a hard time with the courtroom scenes in particular. Not to sound too cliche, but the posturing of the attorneys really irritated me, and all stereotypes about lawyers aside, I don't think Bohjalian meant for it to be that way. I really can't figure out how the book managed to be both compelling and tedious at the same time. There were a couple of spots during the courtroom chapters where I was tempted to skim ahead to read the verdict, much like I would have done if reading about an actual trial in a newspaper. I am glad I didn't; the end (like seriously, the<span style="font-style: italic;"> very end</span>) of the book was so, <span style="font-style: italic;">so</span> good. I actually gasped when I read the last page, and it's been replaying in my head over and over again ever since.<br /><br />I do have to take issue with the people who keep comparing this book to <span style="font-style: italic;">To Kill a Mockingbird</span>. (Interestingly enough, on <a href="http://www.chrisbohjalian.com/bohjalian-qa.htm">his website</a>, Chris Bohjalian lists Atticus Finch as his favorite fictional hero). Okay, <span style="font-style: italic;">Midwives</span> does feature a courtroom drama, and the narrator is a young girl (I'm going to sound prudish here but whatever, she was WAY too mature for my taste. Or not mature, depending on how you classify premarital sex, underage drinking, and drug abuse), but that does not make it <span style="font-style: italic;">To Kill a Mockingbird</span>. This book is good, but not that good.<br /><br />One thing that I really liked about the novel was that I finished reading and still didn't know know how the author, Chris Bohjalian, felt about the home births vs. hospital births (in <a href="http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=183">this interview</a>, Bohjalian says that although his daughter was born in a hospital, he and his wife would not hesitate to have a child at home). I had a baby less than a year ago, so I've heard a lot from both sides about the debate, and one thing that is not lacking in the argument is fiery opinions from both sides. Before I began to read, I expected to encounter a lot of propaganda from one side or the other, but fortunately the book was free of that. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆☆☆</span> (6/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and gore: Two words: emergency cesarean. There is some <span style="font-style: italic;">major</span> home birth carnage going on here. Those of you with weak stomachs might want to steer clear of some of this.<br /><br />Sex: besides the obvious (if there weren't any, Sybil Danforth would have been out of a job), there is some teenage experimentation and various parts of the female anatomy are discussed, but there isn't anything gratuitous.<br /><br />Language: MildKierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-68226947173846161462010-04-12T09:11:00.004-06:002010-04-12T10:32:38.933-06:00The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDq2VKGYNv2_rVvc7MDyiY94KgtD5ObywpETC-L7G_O-_1FKLy1bz8U6H-g2Yo3M2gthwmdWyhGIilCOuaRTYOn_ZN4lzDgXrdBmMvZyqDA_O5iy36Y1RtL13aP_whAMNvz7lvzat61a4/s1600/4590265.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDq2VKGYNv2_rVvc7MDyiY94KgtD5ObywpETC-L7G_O-_1FKLy1bz8U6H-g2Yo3M2gthwmdWyhGIilCOuaRTYOn_ZN4lzDgXrdBmMvZyqDA_O5iy36Y1RtL13aP_whAMNvz7lvzat61a4/s200/4590265.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459268928465527970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br />For years, Milo Weaver was "a tourist"--a black ops agent for the CIA. His handler, the only man he trusted, was God, and, like the most fervent believer, Milo carried out orders without hesitation or question, no matter what was required. He had no name, no home, no family, and no past. Eventually, however, the life of tourism begins to take its toll. By 2001 Milo is hooked on amphetamines and weary of the endless cycle of new orders, foreign cities, and dead bodies, and he attempts suicide during a mission. The attempt fails, and immediately Milo is given another assignment, which he accepts with a weariness and resignation born of exhaustion mingled with long years of unquestioning obedience. This next mission, however, gives Milo the resolve to do what he has long been unable to do--retire. In Venice, with a near-fatal gunshot wound leaking blood from his chest, gripping the hand of a laboring pregnant woman, with the broken form of a young girl on the cobblestones beside him and the body of a former-colleague-turned-traitor a few yards away, Milo makes the decision to leave the world of tourism.<br /><br />2007 finds Milo living in Brooklyn, with a name and a permanent address. He is no longer a field agent, having traded in his former life for a desk job, a wife, and a daughter. He is happy in his new life, but is brought back into the field when one of his closest friends is implicated in a plot against the United States. By accepting the new assignment, Milo descends back into the world of black-ops CIA. This time, however, Milo is a different type of tourist; no longer willing to work on blind obedience, Milo uncovers previously unseen elements of lies, manipulation and betrayal in his old cases and soon finds himself on the run.<br /><br />I really enjoyed this novel. It reminded me a little bit of The Bourne Identity (the movie; I've yet to read the books)--extremely suspenseful with tons of twists. There were multiple times when I thought that Milo (and I) had figured out who the "bad guy" was, only to find out that there was someone else holding the strings. And <span style="font-style: italic;">The Tourist</span> wasn't just some shoot-em-up James Bond-type story where the protagonist sleeps with the girl and shoots a bunch of people and asks questions later. Milo Weaver was a government-hired assassin with a conscience. It was really interesting to imagine the psychological ramifications that a "career" like this could have on a person, and I'm glad Steinhauer included passages where Milo struggled with what he left behind him in the wake of an assignment. <br /><br />My biggest complaint about the book was the way Steinhauer used September 11 to bookend Milo's story. Milo's Venice assignment, the one that resulted in his retirement from Tourism, happened on September 11, 2001, and the book ended six years later on September 11, 2007. I couldn't figure out why Steinhauer decided to use this date, and it really bugged me. There were a few asides about the way the CIA changed after 9/11, and Milo complained a few times about post-9/11 airport security, but having the action take place on September 11 didn't further the plot in any way that I could see. I kind of think Steinhauer, who, as an American living in Hungary publishing novels with an American publisher, has probably enduring more than his share of post-9/11 flights, was annoyed with the airport security himself and thought it would be clever to title the Venice section "The End of Tourism." <br /><br />Regardless, that's a pretty minor complaint. The book ends with a gigantic cliffhanger, so I suspect that we'll be seeing more of Milo Weaver, and I'm looking forward to it. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">★★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">☆☆☆</span> (7/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and gore: There are a lot of people getting shot, poisoned, thrown off balconies, and stabbed with HIV-infected shards of metal in this book. Be warned.<br /><br />Sex: There are no sexual encounters described in this book. There are, however, two references to sexual abuse of children. While absolutely no details or descriptions are given, it is still a pretty disturbing. <br /><br />Language: Bad. In addition to the usual suspects, the f-word is also used quite a few times.Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-2892286861695505322010-04-07T17:43:00.008-06:002010-04-07T21:54:44.186-06:00Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExyR-1fZYhq3Bq5yYPQcM46mk0GqvKCuMlDLzhYN_7MxqBlg84Z4hrLmz_DHMG8155hF35KLkggyVUUuvhOWQhAb1MMEeXOWLIhZSUT61G-eBrZOc_qy5Yn7W16Tf0RTE-i8Xf1lZFeo/s1600/6068551.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExyR-1fZYhq3Bq5yYPQcM46mk0GqvKCuMlDLzhYN_7MxqBlg84Z4hrLmz_DHMG8155hF35KLkggyVUUuvhOWQhAb1MMEeXOWLIhZSUT61G-eBrZOc_qy5Yn7W16Tf0RTE-i8Xf1lZFeo/s200/6068551.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457545731361049810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br />Okay, here's the gist of <span style="font-style: italic;">Shiver</span>: Ordinary teenage Girl meets, is in fact saved by, "Monster." Monster is not really a monster. Changed against his will from a human being, he longs to be human again and fights against the darker urgings that come with his new form. He joins with a group of fellow monsters, cobbling together a type of family, with a wise patriarch at its head who sets rules for the group and helps new monsters cling to their humanity. Monster and Girl fall desperately in love, and Girl wishes that she could be a monster, too. When that can't/won't happen, Girl then spends the rest of the trying to seduce Monster, who resists her advances despite his own desire.<br /><br />Sound familiar? <span style="font-style: italic;">I know</span>! The bare bones of <span style="font-style: italic;">Shiver </span>are very similar to Stephenie Meyer's <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight</span> (yeah, like I had to give the author's name so that you'd know what I was talking about when I said <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight</span>). In fact, Sam, the main male character (who is a werewolf, not a vampire), even has yellow eyes. Actually, when I first read that about Sam I was like, "Crap. Stiefvater isn't going to pull a Stephenie Meyer and mention that <span style="font-style: italic;">repeatedly</span> on every other page is she? Because seriously, I just won't be able to handle it." Fortunately however, although the yellow eyes were maybe mentioned a few more times than was strictly necessary, it never got too out of hand.<br /><br />Anyway, yes, the basic plot of<span style="font-style: italic;"> Shiver</span> could be confused with <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight</span>, but, yellow eyes aside (okay, I guess, technically Edward's are amber. Whatever.), they are very much different books. I enjoyed reading Twilight; Stephenie Meyer is a great storyteller but let's be honest, she isn't going to be bringing home the National Book Award anytime soon. I don't necessarily think that Maggie Stiefvater is either, but her writing is, in my opinion, at least a little bit better.<br /><br />The book is written with alternating points of view, switching off between Grace and Sam. I did find this distracting at times; instead of becoming lost in the story, I sometimes had to stop and remember who was narrating the chapter I was reading. However, the format made Sam a much more sympathetic character. I loved that I could see what was going on his mind, not just in Grace's. I could see why Grace fell in love with him, and I understood what was at stake because I actually knew and liked Sam. He was much more than just <strike>amber</strike> yellow eyes and the body of a young Greek god. (<span style="font-size:85%;">Okay, okay that was a low blow.</span>) But the dual points of view didn't take away from the character development of Grace. Instead, it was made clear that she was her own person apart from Sam, and it made the longing between the two more stark by highlighting the lonely worlds in which they've grown up.<br /><br />Stiefvater also put in bits of poetry, lines supposedly written by Sam, and excerpts from actual poets, particularly Maria Rilke, throughout the text. Parts of text were actually written in a kind of free verse form. Normally this would bug me, in <span style="font-style: italic;">Shiver</span>, however, it did not. I thought Sam's poetry was sweet and romantic but not overly cheesy, and the lines from other poets were appropriate and furthered the plot rather than taking away from it.<br /><br />The setting is beautiful, as well. You can feel the cold of the Minnesota winter sinking into you. It's in every way a perfect book to read while curled up on the sofa with a cup of hot cocoa. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆☆☆</span> (7/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and Gore: There are several wolf attacks in the book and a lot of blood everywhere all the time, it seems.<br /><br />Sex: There is a lot of sexual tension going on between Sam and Grace, pretty much the whole time. No graphic descriptions, but Stiefvater makes it pretty obvious from the outset that something is going to happen. And it does. Oh, but don't worry, she makes sure to tell us that they used protection. Whew.<br /><br />Language: There is quite a bit of blasphemy and some "minor" curse words. No f-word.Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-29462971521143555442010-04-07T16:07:00.003-06:002010-04-07T21:55:21.354-06:00Lamentation by Ken Scholes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBURyO2gjgL9rhKU9BMK_QdE1mKkqmPEUX2ARQkOzX8p5o2XVLh3oxAEKRgOpaqa4MkV6YZdvE-LynV3n2cGL4f5PfU8EnFhs2q0aFzVnU-SGbl2IVgq_WEQfScf3ngkqIodApTos35M/s1600/3531469.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 127px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBURyO2gjgL9rhKU9BMK_QdE1mKkqmPEUX2ARQkOzX8p5o2XVLh3oxAEKRgOpaqa4MkV6YZdvE-LynV3n2cGL4f5PfU8EnFhs2q0aFzVnU-SGbl2IVgq_WEQfScf3ngkqIodApTos35M/s200/3531469.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457520879572488722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and Review</span>:<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Lamentation</span> begins with a holocaust. Windwir was a city of scholar-priests built around the knowledge, amassed for millinnia, of an ancient world. On the day the book begins, it is destroyed, along with the priests of the Androfrancine order who guarded Windwir and its secrets. All that is left of the city is a pile of ash and bones, and a column of dark smoke rising into the sky, a beacon to the surrounding people telling of the horror that has occurred.<br /><br />The destruction of the city brings together a group of strangers: Neb, an apprentice to the Androfrancine order who witnesses the destruction of Windwir from outside the city walls and, in an instant, loses everything and everyone he has ever known. Sethbert, Overseer of the Entrolusian City States, rules the land bordering Windwir and claims responsibility for its destruction. The Lady Jin Li Tam is his beautiful and cunning consort and a longtime spy for her father in Sethbert's household. Rudolfo, Lord of the Ninefold Forest Houses, seems to lead a foppish, indulgent life, but in reality is a canny military leader with the complete devotion of the men he leads. Petronus is a humble, aging fisherman whose past life weighs heavy upon him, and Vlad Li Tam, father of Lady Jin Li Tam, is a powerful ruler playing a cunning game of statescraft. His machinations into the lives and destinies of others extend deeper than anyone knows.<br /><br />In the wake of Windwir's destruction, these players will contend for power in a world without the leadership once vested in the Androfrancine brethren. The followers of the light must restore order to the world and salvage the light of knowledge which was once held in Windwir.<br /><br />There were a few things in the book that bothered me. For instance, one of my least favorite elements of fantasy fiction is the tendency for authors to come up with hard-to-remember and impossible-to-pronounce names for the places and people populating their fantasy worlds. Ken Scholes was no exception to the rule. The names in the first dozen pages of the book nearly convinced me to give it up and move on to something else: P'Andro Whym, Xhum Y'Zir, The Wizard King Aelys, Franci B'Yot, and, my least favorite, Glimmerglam. Why do fantasy novels always have to feature places with names like <span style="font-style: italic;">Glimmerglam</span>? To be fair, Glimmerglam is not impossible to pronounce, but still. Blech. Scholes also had an irritating habit of capitalizing things that didn't need to be capitalized and having his characters mentioning events and people without giving any background to them whatsoever. <span style="font-style: italic;">So annoying</span>. Also, while I was very grateful that there were no explicit descriptions of sexual encounters, some of the references to them were almost worse than hearing the real thing. In describing a couple's first night together, Scholes writes that the male character "had laid his seige, bribed her sentries, eventually, taken the city." Later, when that male character turns out to be infertile or something, Scholes writes, his "soldiers might be swordless, but they needed no marching instructions." Have you ever read anything more cringe-worthy? Oh, that's just bad.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">However</span>, I did like <span style="font-style: italic;">Lamentation</span>, much more than I initially expected to. It kept me guessing. The layers of political intrigue were complicated and intense, difficult to follow at times, but always interesting. I enjoyed unwinding the plot and discovering more of the intrigues and manipulations along with the characters. Although most of the characters were relatively standard for a fantasy novel, the elements in the book were surprising--robots, magic, dream prophecy, science, and religion. It's fitting that the weapon which destroyed Windwir was like the 10 plagues of Egypt meet the A-bomb. I thought that the character development was good. You saw the characters learn, develop, face difficult decisions, and challenge many of their fundamental beliefs. This was the case for most of the main characters, Petronus, Rudolfo, Jin Li Tam, and Neb, in particular.<br /><br />There were also a number of details in the book that were clever. I liked the characters' use of sign language and the complex codes they used in their messages. I really liked many of the secondary characters as well, such as Gregoric, Grymlis, and Oriv (you'll have to read the book to find out who they are). And I liked the way the romance stood at the conclusion of the novel. Without giving too much away, it was dissatisfying in a strangely satisfying way, and seemed true-to-life. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ (6/10)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and Gore: It's a war novel brought about by the destruction of an entire city, so, yeah, there's some violence. A lot of people get their throats slit, it seems, and there is also mention of a rather unsavory group of institutionalized experts of torture.<br /><br />Sex: Mention of prostitution and way too many cheesy references to sexual encounters. No explicit or graphic descriptions, however.<br /><br />Offensive Language: There are a few "minor" curse words, but not many. The book also uses a number of pejorative terms for women.Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-31597219378930954712010-04-06T19:43:00.007-06:002010-04-07T17:39:12.141-06:00Sanditon by Jane Austen and "Another Lady" (Marie Dobbs)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtJ56-zmtmpQxIssqqn07ctaTVYeFYBYJVWmiuJToqjucDsj-d5RaC2ltaNTyS3E3AaAGf2Cqn84Le5IxRpUcMy9Jw0pprHoIJubqUKcyH4uHTbh6krsfuiL7uYN2wFwn5Hx49r2Eg1Y/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtJ56-zmtmpQxIssqqn07ctaTVYeFYBYJVWmiuJToqjucDsj-d5RaC2ltaNTyS3E3AaAGf2Cqn84Le5IxRpUcMy9Jw0pprHoIJubqUKcyH4uHTbh6krsfuiL7uYN2wFwn5Hx49r2Eg1Y/s200/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457213240572617682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and Review</span>:<br /><br />I love Jane Austen and have read each of her novels multiple times, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard about<span style="font-style: italic;"> Sanditon</span>, Austen's last-attempted, unfinished novel, which was begun less than six months before she died. Austen only finished 11 chapters of <span style="font-style: italic;">Sanditon</span>, which she originally titled, "The Brothers," before she passed away. She bequeathed the manuscript to her niece, and work on it has been completed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanditon#Continuations">several different authors</a>. The version I read was originally credited only to Jane Austen and "Another Lady," but subsequent editions revealed the author's name to be Marie Dobbs. The author bio on the back of the book claims that "Another Lady" is a "pseudonym for a novelist who lives in England;" however, I was unable to find any other works written by Dobbs. She is however, obviously an Austen aficionado, with a clear understanding of Austen's writing style. I believe she finished the novel beautifully.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sanditon</span> begins when Mr. and Mrs. Parker, a young married couple traveling home from London, overturn their coach. The Parker's are thus compelled to accept the hospitality of the Heywood family for two weeks while their coach is repaired and Mr. Parker's ankle, which was sprained in the accident, heals.<br /><br />Mr. Heywood is a gentleman farmer with fourteen children. He and Mrs. Heywood live comfortably but frugally, and rarely travel outside the bounds of their parish, Willingden. Despite Mr. Parker's best efforts, they cannot be convinced to accompany the Parkers back to Sanditon, an emerging resort town in which Mr. Parker has invested, and which has become his new obsession. With her characteristic humor, Austen informs the reader that "Sanditon was a second wife and four children to [Mr. Parker], hardly less dear, and certainly more engrossing." The easygoing Heywoods, however, agree to allow their eldest daughter, Charlotte, to accompany the Parker's to Sanditon for the rest of the summer, which is where the real Austen-action begins. In Sanditon, Charlotte is introduced to the polite society of the seaside resort and, away from her family for the first time, she meets new sides to her own personality which she never before knew. Charlotte prides herself on being level-headed and and sensible; however when she is introduced to Sidney Parker, Mr. Parker's charming and good-naturedly manipulative younger brother, she meets her match. Despite her best efforts, it seems that Charlotte will find romance on her summer holiday.<br /><br />The characters in <span style="font-style: italic;">Sanditon</span> will be familiar: although the population of Sanditon is small (much to Mr. Parker's chagrin), all of our favorite Austen archetypes are on the scene. Charlotte is reminiscent of Elizabeth Bennett from <span style="font-style: italic;">Pride and Prejudice</span>. She is charming, sensible, witty, and high-principled. She is also attractive, although certainly not the most beautiful girl to grace Sanditon's social scene. Like Elizabeth, she tends to sit back and survey those around her with an amused, and at times self-satisfied, air. The hero, Sidney, reminds me of Henry Tilney from <span style="font-style: italic;">Northanger Abbey</span>, educated, sarcastic, charming and flirtatious, albeit extremely confusing at times for the heroine. Clara Brereton seems an easy match for Jane Fairfax, the beautiful, mysterious, sometimes-foil of the heroine. And of course all of our other Austen favorites are there as well--Lord Edward is Mr. Collins meets Henry Crawford, and his sister, Miss Denham, channels Caroline Bingley. We have the kind but bumbling Mr. and Mrs. Parker, the frivolous Miss Beauforts, the hypochondriac Miss Parkers, and the haughty Lady Denham. Of course none of the characters is a carbon copy of anyone from Austen's other works. Each is delightfully unique, with his or her own quirks, yet they all fit seamlessly into the world that Austen's readers know and love. The biggest departure character-wise, in my mind, is Miss Lambe. She is a sickly heiress from the West Indies who is mulatto, to my knowledge the only character of color in any of Austen's works. Although I don't know how Austen originally intended this character to be used, the storyline created for her by Dobbs is probably my very favorite in the entire book.<br /><br />I loved <span style="font-style: italic;">Sanditon</span>. I could not have identified the spot where Austen's manuscript ended and Dobbs picked up the narrative without the "Apology from the Collaborator," which Dobbs included at the end of the book. In the apology, Dobbs humbly excuses herself, explaining that she is no Austen. However she comes much closer than I expected. I haven't read any other continuations of this novel, but I can't think they'd get much better than this. Although the plot twists at the end of the novel were a little less subtle than what one would expect from Austen, the book still sparkles with her humor, sarcasm, delightfully biting wit, and flair for the perfect romance. I think that any Austen fan would love <span style="font-style: italic;">Sanditon</span>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" ></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆☆ (8/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and Gore: N/A<br />Sex: N/A, although one of the female characters is abducted by a male character with dubious motives<br />Offensive Language: N/A<br /></span>Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-73049262990017747352010-03-30T14:08:00.015-06:002010-04-13T23:22:23.204-06:00The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwu2Rq4gx1flicWMvYVXcmOcQNLM8Jf68y228KC5Fp-vB7jgl4vUdfw52Ow8ILQfwMnDMwUjMOHuynaKEwUfqa9Ip0f1DoqG4i8QsUmTGSeNCE5iM-sdnYuJLHe80zRe46iyOsLwDGG4/s1600/6316205.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwu2Rq4gx1flicWMvYVXcmOcQNLM8Jf68y228KC5Fp-vB7jgl4vUdfw52Ow8ILQfwMnDMwUjMOHuynaKEwUfqa9Ip0f1DoqG4i8QsUmTGSeNCE5iM-sdnYuJLHe80zRe46iyOsLwDGG4/s200/6316205.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454541301236200098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br />Vish Puri is the force behind India's "Most Private Investigators, Ltd.," an award-winning outfit that has solved the most baffling cases, from homicides to political intrigues to matrimonial stake-outs. Vish Puri is stout, has a carefully groomed and curled mustache, and is never to be seen without one of his tweed Sandown caps (his collection is imported from Jermyn Street in Picadilly), which pair beautifully with his new, always carefully pressed, gray safari suit. He is also clever, has stellar connections, loves disguises, and never fails to solve a case by using old-fashioned detective skills, persistence, and the art of deduction. But don't compare him to Sherlock Holmes, who, in Vish's opinion, merely copied the methods first set down thousands of years ago by Vish's guru, Chanakya, the Indian philosopher who established the art of investigation.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Case of the Missing Servant</span> is the first installment of what is to be a detective series by Tarquin Hall, a British journalist who has spent his career in south Asia. The case involves an honest public litigator is who is accused of murdering Mary, one of his family's servants who has mysteriously disappeared from his home. As nothing, not even Mary's last name, is known about the girl, this case stretches even Vish Puri's detective skills. At the same time, he is dealing with his overprotective "Mummy," an attempt on his life, his wife's insistence that he forgo delicious but artery-clogging Punjabi food, and a matrimonial case that is not as simple as it first appears.<br /><br />Vish Puri is a great main character. More than a little sure of himself, he nevertheless seems to deserve the credit he gives himself, which makes him a sympathetic character, and his ego adds spice and humor to the novel. I loved the the nicknames given to characters in the book, Chubby, Tubelight, Facecream, and Flush. Although the plot was interesting and had a number of twists and turns, the book wasn't particularly suspenseful. I never feared for Vish or any of his compatriots, and I didn't know his client, Ajay Kasliwal, well enough to be overly concerned for what happened to him.<br /><br />I've never been to India and don't know much about it, but this book makes me feel as if I've experienced it in all of its incarnations--fascinating, disturbing, colorful, raw, modern and traditional. There is an extensive glossary at the back of the book which includes words in Hinid, Punjabi, Sanskrit, and Nepali. The glossary was very interesting, and the use of the non-English words and terms definitely added to the atmosphere of the book; however it was distracting at times to have to flip to the back of the book to find a word's definition. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6/10)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and Gore: There are descriptions, though not graphic, of the murder victim's body<br /><br />Sex: The missing servant may have been raped, and there are several sexual innuendos throughout the book, as well as mention of adultery.<br /><br />Offensive Language: There is some blasphemy and "minor" swearing in English. In addition, the Punjabi equivalent of the f-word is used and then translated in the glossary.Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-43845419954639405742010-03-30T14:08:00.013-06:002010-04-07T17:41:43.936-06:00Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hMCe-cy78FFS_N4gMv5KQeH_nSL92EymlX75EM7XmfDFXZfn8kftHKKX1odf9RQx62I6xSzA0pKyRfCuNaxMmmzWzKRsl4727gNvLG1xB8Gl_R45BpVdfhWdIC4hagAbi-3K8IkM2rc/s1600/4618898.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hMCe-cy78FFS_N4gMv5KQeH_nSL92EymlX75EM7XmfDFXZfn8kftHKKX1odf9RQx62I6xSzA0pKyRfCuNaxMmmzWzKRsl4727gNvLG1xB8Gl_R45BpVdfhWdIC4hagAbi-3K8IkM2rc/s200/4618898.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454531203579616354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br />Hennie Comfort is an eighty-six-year-old woman who has lived in Middle Swan, Colorado, a mining town situated high in the Rocky Mountains, since leaving Tennessee over 70 years ago. Hennie is, in many ways, the glue that holds the rough mining town together. Befriending everyone from the wife of the president of the mining company to the various "sorry girls" who entertain the men of Middle Swan. This story is about Hennie's friendship with Nit Spindle, a seventeen-year-old newlywed girl who has recently arrived in Middle Swan with her husband. Lonely in her new town and grieving over the loss of her baby, Nit is drawn to the sign hanging over Hennie's home, "Prayers for Sale." When she approaches Hennie to ask for a prayer, a deep friendship is born between the two women. Despite their differences in years, Nit and Hennie are drawn to each other by their love of quilting, their need for friendship, and the tragedies that they have each experienced. Throughout the book, Hennie unfolds the stories of Middle Swan to Nit, by doing so, she is able to confront the darkness of her past and embrace the future.<br /><br />Sometimes I felt like I was looking at an early draft of the book. The stories that Hennie told seemed unfinished, since they were told without dialog and through the point of view of the third-person narrator. One of the themes in the book is Hennie's story-telling ability, but I never heard her voice in the stories. There were also a number of repetitions: we are reminded constantly that Hennie does not want to leave Middle Swan to live in Iowa with her daughter and that she has some unfinished business to take care of before she leaves. It is clear that Sandra Dallas knows quite a bit about both quilting and life in mining towns, but at times it seems like a little too much. There were places in the narrative that seemed to be trying to educate the reader, rather than telling a story and letting little facts about life in a mining town be gleaned along the way. For instance, on page 74, Hennie is perusing the shelves in the town's general store:<br /><br />"Another shelf held the tin bins of spices and sultanas. The lettering identified them as sultanas yet, but most everybody called them raisins now, and they no longer had to be stoned."<br /><br />I read these sentences and thought, "Hmm. I guess raisins used to be called sultanas. Now I know." Instead of fleshing out the atmosphere of the old store, the passage totally pulled me out of the story.<br /><br />Hennie was maybe just a little bit too perfect, she didn't seem to have a single weakness. Giving Hennie a few more flaws would have made it easier to relate to her, but I didn't mind all that much. Instead, I just really wished that I were her neighbor. Although some of Hennie's stories were sad and dwelt on the darker side of human nature, this was a happy, comfortable book. It reminded me of being young and sitting in a spot of sunshine in the kitchen while watching my mom make cookies on a Saturday afternoon. This book won't change the course of literature, but it doesn't need to. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >☆☆☆</span> (7/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and gore: The book talks about awful mining accidents and mentions several other deaths, mostly from natural causes. However there are a few murders, including murders of children.<br /><br />Sex: Despite the presence of the town's "sorry women," there is very little in the way of sex.<br /><br />Offensive Language: blasphemy and a few "minor" curse wordsKierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-55004094281799117692010-03-25T09:20:00.009-06:002010-04-07T17:42:41.032-06:00Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffeneger<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kfuLY5G1v7zqIKF3n-u1Ddh0v0ExHOvWHgIPdfX77-2lRTg0wKa97OYp9ZY08BGQvipO03bhj_L2wrERLUcDKNJeYny-X1SN0732z0By7mSzB4kcPVhctbeJLQ6aVseHzWw-AVxECCY/s1600/51X874aof7L._SL500_.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kfuLY5G1v7zqIKF3n-u1Ddh0v0ExHOvWHgIPdfX77-2lRTg0wKa97OYp9ZY08BGQvipO03bhj_L2wrERLUcDKNJeYny-X1SN0732z0By7mSzB4kcPVhctbeJLQ6aVseHzWw-AVxECCY/s200/51X874aof7L._SL500_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452592182902170530" border="0" /></a><b>Summary and Review</b>:<div><br /><div>Okay here, in a nutshell is the plot of <i>Her Fearful Symmetry</i>: A woman dies, leaving her inexplicably large estate, including a large furnished apartment in London, to her twin nieces. The only catch: the girls must live in the apartment for a year before inheriting it, and their mother, who is the dead aunt's long-estranged twin sister, and their father are not allowed to step foot in the place. Oh, and the dead aunt has also become a ghost who is trapped in her former residence and is becoming increasingly obnoxious. And her creepy cemetery-obsessed younger lover is going to stalk the girls when they show up and then seduce one of them, either because he has some pedophilic tendencies (there are constant references to the 21-year-old twins looking like they are 12 or 16) or because the niece looks just like her dead aunt, his former lover with whom he is still obsessed. <div><br /></div><div>(Having read this book and The Time Traveler's Wife, I think that Audrey Niffenegger may have a thing for old men romancing younger women (Henry and Claire, Robert and Valentina, and Julia and Martin. Which is creepy. And no, I don't feel like I'm giving away any plot spoilers because, come on, it was SO obvious what was going to happen.)</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Okay, now for <i>my</i> thoughts on <i>Her Fearful Symmetry</i> (I think you can tell where this is going, can't you?). No, it really wasn't that bad. Well, okay the plot actually was that bad. But Audrey Niffenegger writes well. Has it ever happened to you that you're reading, just cruising along, lost in the plot, when suddenly you come to a clunky, poorly-written phrase or a tired cliche, and the narrative just comes to a halt, like you've hit a huge pothole while driving along on the freeway? That never happens in this book. Audrey Niffenegger is a great writer; the writing itself is enjoyable to read. I also enjoyed the little tidbits about the "residents" of Highgate Cemetery. However, the plot is kind of a mess. </div><div><br /></div><div>It started out promisingly. The mysterious feud between the aunt and the twins' mother, the prospect of the girls alone in London, and in a haunted apartment next to a graveyard, no less, obviously lent a lot of suspense and anticipation. However, it the intensity never really picked up. There was never a moment when I felt concerned about the fate of the characters. I mean, I knew that bad stuff was about to happen, but...I just didn't really care all that much. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's hard to overly sympathize with characters that seem to have absolutely no point in life--the twins were obnoxious. They didn't have jobs, didn't have any real interests or connections...I don't know. I think that if I were Elspeth watching these two girls loll around my apartment watching reruns on TV without any occupation or purpose would have really gotten on my nerves. </div><div><br /></div><div>Furthermore, I wasn't sure who the protagonist was supposed to be. Was I supposed to be rooting for Julia, the 6-minute-older, pushy, bossy, manipulative twin? Or were my loyalties supposed to be with Valentina, the meek, shy, sickly sister. Valentina supposedly had talent, interests, and a way of attracting people to her (although how she managed to do that was never fully explained) but she let herself be dragged around by Julia until she just kind of exploded in fury. She went from "I'd like to order my own sandwich, thank you very much" to "death is better than living with you" in like three pages. Why didn't she ever speak up for herself before? If the girls knew each other so well, how is it likely that in 21 years Julia never clued in on the way Valentina was feeling. And let's just talk about the name Valentina for a minute. It was so incompatible with the rest of the book, I felt. Every time I read it I was like, "Valentina? Really? You name one twin Julia and the other one gets <i>Valentina</i>?" Looking back, I wonder if it was actually more appropriate, in a symbolic way, than I originally thought. I would be surprised if it weren't an homage to Valentine from Dumas' <i>The Count of Monte Cristo</i>. The name seemed to fit a character who very much acted the gothic/romantic heroine, pushed and pulled about and helpless in the face of tragedy. Except that she <i>wasn't</i> really helpless. She could have just told Julia to back off and everything would have been fine. </div><div><br /></div><div>And the book never really explained why the girls were this way. They were so bizarre--dressing the same, never leaving the house without the other, finishing each other's sentences, even sleeping in the same bed and spooning all night long (there were some way creepy undertones), and the only explanation the book seemed to give for this behavior was that they were twins. This idea was reinforced by the fact that their mother and aunt had apparently behaved similarly at one time. I'm sorry, but I've known a lot of twins, and none of them have ever acted like this. There was some weird and unhealthy stuff going on, and sharing the same womb for nine months was not enough to explain it. In fact I kept waiting for a reason, something a la "House of Usher" preferably, but it never happened. </div><div><br /></div><div>The same with the reason for Edie and Elspeth's estrangement. After a few pages, I kind of forgot/didn't care about the reason they separated, which greatly contributed to the lack of suspense in the book, and when the reason was finally revealed it was just...unbelievable. And I mean unbelievable not in an "Oh my gosh I can't believe that happened!" sense, but in a "yeah right, there is no way that would have happened" sense.<br /><div><br /></div><div><div>Finally, I just thought that the ending was really unsatisfying. I think Audrey Niffenegger was going for some kind of poetic justice, but it didn't feel right. Furthermore, it felt like the plot dragged for about 80% of the book and then all of a sudden was on fast-forward for the last 10 pages. </div><div><br /></div><div>Again, I don't think that this was the worst book I've ever read. Far from it. Audrey Niffenegger writes well and the plot had potential. It just wasn't pulled off well, especially after the incredibly tightly-woven plot in The Time Traveler's Wife; in all it was just a bit of a letdown. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(76, 76, 76); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ (4/10)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Content</b>:</div><div><br /></div><div>Blood and gore: N/A, although the plot does kind of revolve around death</div><div>Sex: No explicit sex scenes, although there are numerous references to sex.</div><div>Offensive Language: Three uses of the F-word, which come of out nowhere. Much, much cleaner than <i>The Time Traveler's Wife</i>, thank goodness, but still more than necessary. </div></div></div></div></div>Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-82780825914654989612010-03-18T14:51:00.007-06:002010-03-19T22:23:47.523-06:00Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Dana M. Pike, and David Rolph Seely<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIObnVW_Gww_BqEOUVNZ1lrn9qJvyI0KNNQV7XsMcDoc6mg0ObxTlw290otw45EcX88tl-VjtYoDVy_2prsvQodCahabj3ow1rb-MBjQGmZc5by1TfLVc6_S1nAyG0zywVTo2S2UM25E/s1600-h/jehovah.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIObnVW_Gww_BqEOUVNZ1lrn9qJvyI0KNNQV7XsMcDoc6mg0ObxTlw290otw45EcX88tl-VjtYoDVy_2prsvQodCahabj3ow1rb-MBjQGmZc5by1TfLVc6_S1nAyG0zywVTo2S2UM25E/s200/jehovah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450080081793849794" border="0" /></a>To say this is comprehensive reference guide to the Old Testament is putting it mildly. This is an almost <span style="font-style: italic;">overwhelmingly</span> comprehensive reference guide to the Old Testamant! From Adam to Malachi, the authors dissect the culture, history, laws, geography, climate, economies and religions from the world of the Old Testament.<br /><br />The graphics, which include images of ancient artifacts, photos, maps, and original artwork, are beautiful. And while packed with text boxes, notes, graphics and captions, the layout of the book is easy to follow.<br /><br />The book is broken down into several sections based (mostly) on chronology : Adam and Eve to Abraham, the patriarchs and matriarchs, Israel in the wilderness, Joshua, the Judges, Saul through Solomon, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the Exile, and the Jewish return. Each era is examined in light of what is known about the period from a scholarly point of view. In the section titled "The World of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs" for example, an overview of Genesis 12-50 is given and then the stories are summarized. Images of ancient artifacts from the period, maps of trade routes, photos of the region today and photos of archeological excavations and artifacts which are relevant to the Biblical text are shown. There are also text boxes which elaborate on "details" from the Biblical narrative, covering topics such as slavery, wedding customs and household gods, and give "portraits" of the people mentioned in the narrative, such as Melchizedek. Finally, there are chapters within the section that discuss important elements of the story--the Abrahamic Covenant and the Egyptians.<br /><br />I was impressed with the way the authors balance academic research and LDS beliefs. The authors aren't afraid to bring up inconsistencies in the Biblical narrative or point out places where it doesn't correspond with scholarly research, and they are always careful to explain the LDS viewpoint when it differs with other beliefs about the ancient world. The authors also reference the Book of Mormon as a document with which to examine the historicity of the Old Testament. So while the book identifies parts of the Old Testament about which LDS and scholarly opinions differ, it never becomes an apologetic, and the authors are never on the defensive.<br /><br />As you can probably tell from my description so far, the text is scholarly and is meant as a reference and study companion to the Old Testament. It is not as a light Sunday read. I actually think the authors could have been a little more layman-friendly; for example, while discussing the Egyptians the text reads, "During this period, Akhenaten moved his capital to Amarna and attempted to revolutionize Egypt's religion to his unique form of monotheism (more properly, henotheism)." Growing up, I had a little obsession with Egyptology, so I'm familiar with the basic history of Akhenaten; however, I'd never heard of "henotheism" before, and I'm still confused about it, even after reading its entry in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henotheism">Wikipedia</a>. I understand that with a project this extensive, it's impossible to fully explain everything, but the text could definitely benefit from footnotes, a glossary, or just a simple boil-it-down-to-one-sentence explanation for some of these terms. I think the typical Deseret Book patron, who probably doesn't have PhD in theology, would appreciate it.<br /><br />While we're being nit-picky, there are places where the book is repetitive. For example, the story of Esther is summarized in nearly the exact same way three times within the space of four pages.<br /><br />However, despite those two teeny tiny criticisms, this book is <span style="font-style: italic;">amazing</span>. The amount of material covered is just mind-blowing. No wonder three authors were required! I learned so much from reading this volume. There were many times as I was reading when I thought, "okay, wow! So <span style="font-style: italic;">that's</span> why [fill in the blank with some confusing verse or obscure OT practice]!" It really makes the Old Testament accessible, because the strange things that happen in it make sense when you understand the laws and culture of the time a little bit (or a lot bit) better. And it helps when you're reading a long string of unpronounceable names to know a little bit about the people you're reading about.<br /><br />I loved this book and have a renewed desire to read and study the Old Testament. I'm also looking forward to reading the authors' first guide, <span style="font-style: italic;">Jesus Christ and the World of the New Testament</span>, which was published a few years ago. ★★★★★★★★★☆ (9/10)Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-11501793678644392132010-03-16T22:02:00.015-06:002010-03-19T22:07:48.543-06:00Women of the Old Testament by Camille Fronk Olson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3DYMlsrCsnWWmkMgaT64HowOYO7CpJJzfeNxWVkoa7TFAm6Q-DPIpoNgPkWg1eNgFSG-Ywx9GzqIHolq0g8BAYR3HFMALxVs_ppnFgJuibXVO_xaoWBtZ0dFkPze6-yxuHwD5JUq6YI/s1600-h/WomenoftheOT.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3DYMlsrCsnWWmkMgaT64HowOYO7CpJJzfeNxWVkoa7TFAm6Q-DPIpoNgPkWg1eNgFSG-Ywx9GzqIHolq0g8BAYR3HFMALxVs_ppnFgJuibXVO_xaoWBtZ0dFkPze6-yxuHwD5JUq6YI/s200/WomenoftheOT.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449449272565984994" border="0" /></a>This book explores the stories of 21 women mentioned in the Old Testament. The selection is surprising. It includes Eve and the well-known wives of the patriarchs as well as relatively obscure women, such as Huldah and the Shunammite, whose stories will be unfamiliar to many.<br /><br />Instead of a generic, "these women were righteous, you can be, too," approach that many such books take, this book goes into great detail about the lives of these women, pulling from historical, scriptural, and modern-day accounts to flesh out the life of each woman.<br /><br />Each chapter begins with a painting of the woman by Elspeth Young, the name of the woman written in Hebrew characters, the Hebrew meaning of the name, and a list of scriptures which detail the woman's story. Olson also includes the background for each woman's story, establishing the cultural and political setting for the account. To introduce the Little Maid's story, Olson first describes the complex relations between Israel and Syria, and before detailing the story of the Widow of Zarapheth, the reader is given a summary of the political conditions during the Omride Dynasty in which the widow lived. A wealth of historical and archeological information is included for each woman. For example, in the story of Sarai and Hagar, Olson references texts written by the Hurrians, a people from Mesopotamia who were contemporaries with the patriarchs. Olson uses their surviving documents--marriage certificates, wills, and adoption agreements--to explain the events of the Genesis narration in the context of the laws and culture of the time. Other ancient texts referenced include the Code of Hammurabi, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus, ancient Jewish rabbinical writings, and the Greek and Hebrew translations of the Old Testament (the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text, respectively). Illustrations, maps, graphs, time lines, pedigree charts, and modern-day photos of the locations mentioned further ground the women's stories in historical reality.<br /><br />In addition to the historical side of the accounts, Olson takes pains to discuss the spiritual significance of each woman's tale. Each chapter includes commentary from latter-day apostles and prophets. Olson also explains the symbolism in each account and draws connections between our modern-day lives and the lives of these ancient women. Finally, at the end of each chapter, Olson lists several, "points to ponder," which encourage additional application of the Old Testament events to our lives.<br /><br />The book also contains an extensive appendix, with an Old Testament Time Line and a complete listing of every woman mentioned in the Old Testament, including those who are not identified by name. The scripture references are listed for each woman, and, for those women whose names are given, the meanings of the names are listed. The appendix also includes an introduction to Elspeth, Ashton, and Al Young, the artists whose work appears throughout the book. For each of the paintings by Elspeth Young, the book's primary artist, the story behind the painting, the relevant scripture references, and a list of symbolic elements in the painting is given.<br /><br />Finally, the book lists Olson's sources and includes both a scripture and a subject index.<br /><br />In terms of improvements, I would have liked to see more sources cited in the text itself. Although I appreciated the sketches of archeological excavations, artifacts, etc. made by Ashton Young, the artist's sources for those inclusions needed to be given; were the sketches based on actual artifacts (and if so, which ones?) or, like his sister's paintings, were they simply the artist's interpretations? I was also confused at times whether the "facts" presented by Olson were accepted as such by scholars and historians at large or by only the LDS population. And although I thought many of Olson's attempts to connect Old Testament events to the reader's modern-day life, a few of these associations seemed either too sentimental or too much of a stretch, or both; I came across the phrase "one wonders," and the word "perhaps" a little too often. It seemed at times that Olson's narrative became almost an apologetic; she became so defensive when describing the women's accomplishments that at times that the very points she was trying to establish seemed dubious, a sort of, "the lady doth protest too much," type thing.<br /><br />With that being said however, I loved this book. It was fascinating from both a historical and a spiritual perspective. The cultural, legal, historical, and political background given for each story shed light on the Old Testament as a whole, not just on the stories of the women listed. And it read like a novel rather than a reference text. ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7/10)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-87723861431283527032010-03-13T15:02:00.011-07:002010-03-16T23:45:19.894-06:00Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YaPxhy-evztG8uoCOdrfkw0LMGYvQ_z5j429BgWegUyNV2Fr7AS7Y-DKdaP-5X6eHqmWLpVVIdoDxJvdnFKyl3dKh7wFDVPkqWci0D8dvK9VabuzGfZJl4CwPCbUQmVP1uj6ZAoY9dM/s1600-h/Nanny_Returns_A_Novel-63828.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YaPxhy-evztG8uoCOdrfkw0LMGYvQ_z5j429BgWegUyNV2Fr7AS7Y-DKdaP-5X6eHqmWLpVVIdoDxJvdnFKyl3dKh7wFDVPkqWci0D8dvK9VabuzGfZJl4CwPCbUQmVP1uj6ZAoY9dM/s200/Nanny_Returns_A_Novel-63828.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449291152307667682" border="0" /></a>*Note: spoilers follow. Not any specific details, more like "meta"-spoilers that might give away the overall <span style="font-style: italic;">attitude</span> of the book, I guess you could say. So if you're worried about that, you might not want to continue reading. <span style="font-size:78%;">Honestly though, I wouldn't suggest reading this book, so my recommendation is to read on!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and review</span>:<br /><br />Private schools are the new nannying positions in this sequel to <span style="font-style: italic;">The Nanny Diaries</span>. Nan has returned to New York City after a ten-year hiatus, in which she and her husband, "Harvard Hottie" Ryan Hutchinson, have been globe trotting in pursuit of Ryan's career with the UN. In the meantime, Nan earned a master's degree in organizational development. Back in the city, Nan is attempting to juggle the renovation of a crumbling Harlem brownstone with starting a consulting business, while dealing with an absentee husband, run-ins with old high school "friends," and her decade-old guilt over the way she left Grayer and the Xs. Oh, and her husband wants to start a family.<br /><br />Only a few days back in the city, a very drunk 16-year-old Grayer shows up on Nan's doorstep. His parents have finally split, leaving him alone with a 7-year-old brother, an incapacitated mother, and a need to know why Nan left 10 years ago. Just like that, Nan is thrown back into the bizarro world of the Xs and their Upper-East-Side insanity.<br /><br />From there, the plot shatters and splits off in about a thousand different directions. There's just too much going on for any one of plot lines to be fully developed, or to arrest the reader's attention and sympathy. The plot line involving Nan's self-absorbed high school acquaintances doesn't seem to add anything to the story other than providing settings for some of the action to play out. The same is true of the story line about Nan's parents possible eviction. The home remodel story fits better, but just goes way too far, until it becomes a little bit ridiculous.<br /><br />The main plot lines in the story [seem] to be the Xs and Nan's position with a consultant for Jarndyce, an exclusive private school run by an absolutely toxic parental board, which puts the Xs' exploits from the first book to shame. Oh, and Nan having a baby. That's supposed to be one of the main parts of the story, but it's completely overshadowed by everything else going on. Anyway, while working for Jarndyce, Nan is put in a variety of situations that go against her beliefs, providing the perfect opportunity for Nan to stand up stick it to the scum of the East side, but instead, and here come the spoilers, she totally and completely folds in the name of remodeling her new house. The authors tried to excuse Nan's behavior by establishing that she knew the actions she was enabling were morally reprehensible. The thing is, however, that knowing right from wrong and choosing wrong anyway does not make a person any less culpable. It makes you a hypocrite and a coward.<br /><br />While Nan does her best to help out the X boys, there is no "nanny-cam" moment like the one readers cheered at the conclusion of <span style="font-style: italic;">Nanny Diaries.</span> With the exception of a short outburst to Grayer, Nan never stands up for herself or her supposedly-high morals; in fact, she is complicit in some of the worst goings-on at Jarndyce.<br /><br />Equally offensive is the barrage of F-words that the reader is pelted with in this book. There are 305 pages in the copy I read, and without going back over the book in its entirety, I feel comfortable saying that the F-word is found on half of those pages, often multiple times.<br /><br />All in all, I would advise most readers, even those who loved <span style="font-style: italic;">Nanny Diaries</span>, to skip this installment in the life of Nan. ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ (2/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and gore: N/A<br />Sex: multiple references to adultery, an explicit "sexting" episode, use of the F-word in a sexual context, and reference to a sexual encounter à la The Graduate. Gross.<br />Language: abhorrentKierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-32538885612575304732010-03-11T21:39:00.007-07:002010-03-11T22:34:30.608-07:00Life of Reilly: Moving OnMy dad started getting<span style="font-style: italic;"> Sports Illustrated</span> years ago (well, he got all but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Illustrated_Swimsuit_Issue">one issue</a>, which my mom would intercept at the mailbox each year and dutifully deposit in the recycling bin). After reading each issue, my dad would leave the magazines in a basket in the bathroom. Once, when I was sitting on the toilet and particularly bored, I opened up an issue and thumbed through. Nothing caught my eye until I saw an article on the back page. The story was about a handicapped boy whose teammates carried him across the goal line to score the winning touchdown of a game, while the opposing team sat back and watched and cheered. I cried. From that moment on, I was hooked. Each week from then on out I looked forward to flipping to the back page and reading Reilly's column. When Reilly <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3074248">moved on</a> to <span style="font-style: italic;">ESPN the Magazine</span>, I did, too. Now, after 12 years and two magazines, "Life of Reilly" has come to an end.<br /><br />Reilly wrote the following at the top of his latest column in <span style="font-style: italic;">ESPN The Magazine</span>:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">Note to readers: My math says this column puts me over one million published words. And that doesn't count books (No. 11 coming up in May), screenplays (two), sonnets, ransom notes and quilts. This is one million too many for many citizens, but the fact remains.</blockquote> <blockquote style="font-style: italic;">Ironically, this is also my last column for The Mag. I'm going to try my hand at a weekly 90-second essay on "SportsCenter" beginning this spring. I'll still write longer pieces for The Mag, write my ESPN.com column, host "Homecoming," cover golf for ESPN and ABC and anchor "SportsCenter" once in a while.</blockquote>You can read the final column <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=reilly_rick&id=4977305">here</a> and one of my favorites from the archives <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1018605/index.htm">here.</a>Kierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6355874579658894104.post-53329864667172279652010-03-11T20:56:00.016-07:002010-04-07T17:41:24.260-06:00In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLkfYW4iHYHrpX7i9bXwn8zTeU3WaPQXiLBZ5WdQkt13Pp3yZYqtuCumrd9vD45bboF-qhmb7MUK_cZQc4aFHYu859-VZsJ9MiepKZ_x_4OnEZCYRym8E1m9vLPVScd95pUkrr2gamTs/s1600-h/in+the+shadow+of+gotham--.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLkfYW4iHYHrpX7i9bXwn8zTeU3WaPQXiLBZ5WdQkt13Pp3yZYqtuCumrd9vD45bboF-qhmb7MUK_cZQc4aFHYu859-VZsJ9MiepKZ_x_4OnEZCYRym8E1m9vLPVScd95pUkrr2gamTs/s200/in+the+shadow+of+gotham--.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447600591518583058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summary and Review</span>:<br /><br />Simon Ziele was working as a detective with the New York City police force when his fiance, Hannah, was killed along with 1,000 others in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS_General_Slocum"><span style="font-style: italic;">General Slocum</span> ferry disaster</a> on the East River. In order to escape memories of the tragedy, Ziele transfers to a sleepy one-man police department in Dobson, a city located a few miles to the north.<br /><br />However, only a few months after accepting the new position, Ziele encounters one of the most brutal murders of his career. A young woman is murdered in her bedroom in an upper-class portion of the city. To complicate matters further, Ziele is immediately contacted by Alistair Sinclair, a blue blooded academic who runs a criminology research lab at Columbia University. One of his "subjects," a psychopath named Michael Fromley has disappeared. And the murder in Dobson bears an uncanny resemblance to Fromley's style.<br /><br />Although doubtful of Sinclair's motives, Ziele has to trust the researcher and his staff in order to discover the connection between Fromley and the murdered girl, and stop the killer from striking again.<br /><br />I picked this book up from my library's "Readers' Choice Nominees" table. I've been unimpressed with some of the other nominees, but was pleasantly surprised with this pick. I haven't read a good detective novel in a long time, and it was a fun little diversion. I thought the book's biggest weakness was establishing the setting; despite Ms. Pintoff's obvious knowledge of the culture and history of the era, for some reason I never really felt like I was in turn-of-the-[last]-century New York. There were also a few places where the first-person narration was a bit clumsy. However, the book was engaging and exciting. It kept me guessing and was fun to read. I enjoyed the historical inclusions, such as Tammany Hall corruption, the steamship disaster, "yellow" journalism, and women's rights and the emancipation movement (I did not know, for example, that it was illegal for a woman to eat in a restaurant unaccompanied by a man). I also enjoyed learning about the early use of forensics (such as fingerprinting) and psychological profiling in criminal investigations. I'm looking forward to reading more by Stefanie Pintoff. ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6/10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Content</span>:<br /><br />Blood and gore: graphic descriptions of murder scenes<br />Sex: mention of prostitution, non-explicit references to sexual violence<br />Offensive Language: slight, if anyKierstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10608541030569560197noreply@blogger.com0