Snippets from 2011
In order to deal with a backlog of finished but unreviewed books, as well as some I didn’t finish (DNF), I’m going to do a first ever “snippet review” on Hardkover. Get ready, here they come!
The Betrayal: A Novel on John Calvin
by Douglas Bond. 383 p. Published by P&R Publishing in June 2009. Received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Verdict: ★★☆☆☆
This is one of my DNFs – I got half way through and was uninterested and unimpressed. This historical fiction about John Calvin is told through the eyes of his frenemy, Jean-Louis Mourin. I don’t know if it was the forced feeling of the “old English” style of speaking (which doesn’t make much sense, given that the story is set in France), the slow plot, or the heavy-handed characterization of the narrator (I felt constantly bludgeoned with foreshadowing) – this book was not for me. I liked the concept, as my favorite way to read about historical people is through historical fiction (I find them much more engaging than biographies). I saw many good reviews for it on Amazon, so give it a try if you find it interesting. Just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Debt: The First 5,000 Years
by David Graeber. 544 p. Published by Melville House Publishing in July 2011. Received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Verdict: ★★★★☆
This is my other DNF. I got about one-third through this monster – it was actually a very interesting and fascinating read. It’s only downfall was that it felt like one of those books where you get the gist after the first couple chapters and the rest are just repeats with different examples (I could be wrong . . . but I guess I’ll never know!). Graeber’s discussion on our concept of debt is definitely worth reading – and if you’re really into anthropology, sociology, or economics, you might make it to the end! (And if you want someone to blame for the “Occupy Wall Street” Movement, Graeber just might be your man.)
Long Trail Home (#3 in the Texas Trail Series)
by Vickie McDonough. 304 p. Published by Moody Publishers November 2011. Received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Verdict: ★★★★☆
Picked this one off NetGalley because I liked the first two in the series, Lone Star Trail and Captive Trail. It was as good as the first two and I’m looking forward to the remaining three. This book featured the story of a young man who went off to fight in the Civil War and came home to find his parents dead and his fiancée married to someone else; the female protagonist is an abandoned child who managed to survive by pretending to be blind (so she could stay at an orphanage for the blind). As was true with the first two books, the interesting historical setting was my favorite part about the story. The romance was a little predictable, but its hard to escape that in this genre.
The Winters in Bloom
by Lisa Tucker. 288 p. Published by Atria Books September 2011. Received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Verdict: ★★★☆☆
Half mystery, half drama – this reminded me in ways of Diane Chamberlain’s The Midwife’s Confession in genre and style. A couple’s only child goes missing and each one thinks that it is someone in his/her past that is to blame. The story flashbacks to previous relationships and how the couple met to explain their fears and eventually introduce the kidnapper. This book has decent character development (although I didn’t think the characters were quite as realistic as in The Midwife’s Confession) and a good plot – I found myself fairly hooked all the way through. However, I thought it petered out at the end; the denouement was very anti-climatic and you don’t get the satisfaction of participating in the inevitable reunion.
The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis
by Nancy Guthrie. 288 p. Published by Crossway Books July 2011. Received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Verdict: ★★★★★
This was a FANTASTIC bible study! I love the format – each chapter begins with a list of questions and scriptures to read and contemplate before Guthrie “lectures” in the teaching section. The chapter concludes with a pointed description of how that chapter’s topic points to Jesus and discussion questions for facilitating a group study. The chapters highlighted primarily Creation, Fall of Man, Noah, Babel, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. I used this book for my own personal devotion time and found it very enriching. I liked it so much that I’ve talked my small group into using it for our next study! Highly recommended.
Rules of Civility
by Amor Towles. 352 p. Published by Viking Adult Books July 2011. Checked out from my local library using my Kindle!
Verdict: ★★★★☆
I vacillated on whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars – when I think about the writing, I want to give it 4 and when I think about the plot I give it 3. Overall, the characters are pretty decent, so I think it deserves the higher rating. I wasn’t blown away by the plot of this book; however, when Amor Towles puts together words, he doesn’t just make a sentence — he makes magic! I found myself stopping to re-read parts aloud, just to see if they sounded as beautiful out loud as they did in my head. He manages to find that perfect balance of writing vivid prose without it being flowery or ridiculously over-the-top. The book itself is very Great Gatsby-ish – not only because it is set in Manhattan in the 1930s as people are struggling to recover from the Great Depression, but the writing has that older Fitzgerald style. I liked the female protagonist and thought she had an interesting narrative voice for this time period. If the plot had been more poignant, it would have ranked 5 stars. Definitely recommended.
The Princess Curse
by Merrie Haskell. 336 p. Published by HarperCollins September 2011. Checked out from my local library in old-fashioned hardback binding. Recommended by the BookSmugglers.
Verdict: ★★★☆☆
I loved the idea of this book – the tale of the Twelve Dancing Princess, with the heroine being an apothecary‘s apprentice who tries to lift the curse. The book just never quite lived up to its potential, however. The imaginary world Haskell created didn’t seem to materialize and charm me the way other fairy tale worlds have (I’m thinking of Ella Enchanted and The Princess Academy in particular). Perhaps that is why the plot felt a little choppy and the characters just a little too far from reach to join my cast of literary friends – it was hard to truly fall under the magic of living in another world and allowing them to be real. Although I don’t think this one will join Ella and The Princess Academy on my classics shelf, I would still give it to middle graders or young adults who like a good fairy tale.
Mine is the Night (sequel to Here Burns My Candle)
by Liz Curtis Higgs. 464 p. Published by WaterBrook Press March 2011. Checked out from my local library on my Kindle!
Verdict: ★★★★☆
This was the first book I’ve picked up in months that I simply could NOT put down! I’ve long owned and loved Higgs first Scottish trilogy beginning with A Thorn in My Heart, which is based on the biblical story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. Mine is the Night is the sequel to her second Scottish series, this time adapting the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz in the setting of the Scottish Jacobite rebellion. Each one is well written, engrossing, and always pointing to underlying story of faith and redemption from the original biblical version. Not only is this a great time period to read about (Scotland! Rebels! Bonnie Prince Charlie!), but Higgs’ amazing depth and breadth of research combines with her clever writing to bring the heather hills and thick Scottish brogue alive. Highly recommended!
Captive Trail
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Susan Page Davis. 272 p. Published Sept 2011 by Moody Publishers. Advanced copy provided for review in electronic format, courtesy of the publishers (through NetGalley) in return for my honest opinion.
Verdict: ★★★★☆
Who Cares? Adult Inspirational Historical Fic
Short Bio (from Amazon):
The Captive Trail is second in a six-book series about four generations of the Morgan family living, fighting, and thriving amidst a turbulent Texas history spanning from 1845 to 1896. Although a series, each book can be read on its own.
Taabe Waipu has run away from her Comanche village and is fleeing south in Texas on a horse she stole from a dowry left outside her family’s teepee. The horse has an accident and she is left on foot, injured and exhausted. She staggers onto a road near Fort Chadbourne and collapses.
On one of the first runs through Texas, Butterfield Overland Mail Company driver Ned Bright carries two Ursuline nuns returning to their mission station. They come across a woman who is nearly dead from exposure and dehydration and take her to the mission.
With some detective work, Ned discovers Taabe Waipu identity. He plans to unite her with her family, but the Comanche have other ideas, and the two end up defending the mission station. Through Taabe and Ned we learn the true meaning of healing and restoration amid seemingly powerless situations.
Eyewitness Account:
I picked this up because I liked Lone Star Trail. The sequel is written by a different author, but had all the same elements I appreciated about the first – interesting historical setting (this time dealing with the Comanche, Texas settlers, and French nuns who had set up a “mission” and school for girls), decent plot, and empathetic characters. Many children were captured and raised among Native Americans during Westward Expansion, and this story is a compelling snapshot of what such a situation must have felt like to a captive.
Still loving this series, and would recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction and interested in this era!
Other Books Read by This Author: None.
What are other people saying? Reviews from the Heart, This That and the Other Thing, Sandra Ardoin
Rating:
★★★☆☆ Plot Development
★★★★☆ Characterization
★★★☆☆ Writing Style
★★★★☆ Original Idea
★★★★☆Page Turner
Overall ★★★★☆
The Book That Made Your World
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Vishal Mangalwadi. 464 p. Published May 2011 by Thomas Nelson. Advanced copy provided for review in electronic format by the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for my honest opinion.
Verdict: ★★★☆☆
Who Cares? Adult Non-Fiction (History, Christianity)
Short Bio:
Discover how the Bible became the West’s source of human rights, justice, heroism, optimism, compassion, capitalism, family, and morality.
In the 1960s many from the West went to the East in search of spiritual wisdom. The Book That Made Your World reverses the journey. Vishal Mangalwadi, an Indian philosopher, takes readers on a historical journey through the last millennium, exploring why and how the Bible reformed Europe and made the West a uniquely thinking civilization: technical and tolerant, scientific and free, just and prosperous. Readers will learn:
- Why an American president puts his hand on the Bible to take the oath of a secular office
- What forced British monarchs from Henry VIII to James I to submit to the Bible’s authority
- Why Bible translators Wycliffe, Luther, and Tyndale became history’s greatest revolutionaries
- How the Bible globalized western education
Eyewitness Account:
This book was a fairly interesting treatise on how the Bible has influenced all aspects of our civilization (for the better). You’d expect something like this to be written by a someone of Western Judeo-Christian background, but the author is actually a native Indian who writes the book as a response to a national Indian movement claiming that the Western Christian influence impacted India negatively rather than positively. Mangalwadi juxtaposes the kinds of behavior, motives, and priorities that result from the Christian faith with the mindset of those from Buddhist/Hindu faiths. He covers a rather diverse set of subjects to explore his theory that the best parts of all civilization are the result of Christian influence – the development of science and education, the protection of life and the rights of women, and the liberty and prosperity that characterize the West.
This is one of those books that you kind of get the gist of within the first couple chapters – I found it hard to keep my interest past the second half of the book. However, it is very well written and very thought-provoking. Mangalwadi includes some personal anecdotes to make his point about the effect that other worldviews have on a society that are very provocative; the most poignant is one in which a neighbor girl is not only neglected to the point of death, but her parents refuse to let Mangalwadi and his wife offer their free help and resources to nurse her back to health (as a result of a worldview that says life is suffering and everyone has the life they deserve).
If you like history and broad discussion of civilizations, you’ll probably love this book.
Other Books Read by This Author: None.
Notable Quotes:
“When a husband is forbidden extramarital affairs, taking a second wife, or divorcing a difficult wife; when he is not allowed to hate or be harsh with her; when he is required to love and honor his wife; then his wife is empowered. She has the security to seek her dignity and rights.”
“When we believe truth is unknowable, we rob it of any authority. What is left is brute power wielding arbitrary force. Whether a person or an ethnic minority is guilty or innocent becomes irrelevant. Their right to life depends exclusively on the whims of whoever has power. Any nation that refuses to live under truth condemns itself to live under sinful man.”
What are other people saying? Christianity Today, The Biblical Bookshelf, BreakPoint
Rating:
★★★☆☆ Writing Style
★★★☆☆ Organization
★★★★☆ Original Idea
★★★☆☆ Page Turner
Overall ★★★☆☆
River’s Song
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Melody Carlson. 288 p. Published August 2011 by Abingdon Press. Advanced review copy provided courtesy of the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.
Verdict: ★★★☆☆
Who Cares? Inspirational Fiction
Short Bio: Anna Larson journeys through a mid-life crisis of sorts when she returns to her hometown for her mother’s funeral and takes care of her late parents’ estate. She finds that living by the river helps her to deal with the disappointment of wanting a deeper relationship with an uninterested teenager daughter and the trauma of living under a manipulative mother-in-law. In her old hometown, she rediscovers her Native American heritage through the research of a doctoral student, Hazel, and gains the help of Hazel’s contractor son to transform her parents’ local mom-and-pop store into a riverside inn.
Eyewitness Account: Although I have been a Melody Carlson fan in the past, this book was a bit of a disappointment. It just might not have been my particular brand of tea, but I thought that the plot moved very slowly, the main character seemed oblivious and wimpy, and the relationships rather stereotyped (teenage daughter who is bratty and disinterested, overbearing and manipulative mother-in-law, etc.). Anna’s relationship with her mother-in-law is complicated by her dependence on the woman, and that situation is resolved much too quickly and easily. Similarly, for such a shy mouse of a person, her new romance blooms into marriage far too quickly. However, I did like a few things – at the top of the list, I really enjoyed the emphasis on Anna’s Native American heritage and exploring the idea that we often come to value later in life what we despised when we are younger. Anna’s mom and grandmother were the most interesting characters in my opinion, but got much less development than the other living characters. If the book had been centered around them, I probably would have liked it more. Anna was just a hard person for me to like since she just came across as a naive doormat to me. I thought this series would have the same warmth and charm that Carlson’s older Whispering Pines series, but it didn’t have the same feel to me.
Other Books Read by This Author: These Boots Weren’t Made for Walking, Whispering Pines Series
What are other people saying? A Mom with a Blog, Emmegail’s Bookshelf, Book Nook Club,
Rating:
★★☆☆ Plot Development
★★☆☆☆ Characterization
★★★☆☆ Writing Style
★★★☆ Original Idea
★★☆☆ Page Turner
Overall ★★★☆☆
Lone Star Trail
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Darlene Franklin. 272 p. Published August 2011 by Moody Publishers. Advanced review copy provided in electronic format by the publisher in exchange for my honest review, courtesy of NetGalley.
Verdict: ★★★★☆
Who Cares? Adult Historical/Inspirational Fiction
Short Bio:
The six-book series about four generations of the Morgan family living, fighting, and thriving amidst a turbulent Texas history spanning from 1845 to 1896 begins with Lone Star Trail. Judson (Jud) Morgan’s father died for Texas’ freedom during the war for independence. So when the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas (the Verein) attempts to colonize a New Germany in his country, he takes a stand against them. After Wande Fleischers’ fiancée marries someone else, the young fraulein determines to make new life for herself in Texas. With the help of Jud’s sister Marion, Wande learns English and becomes a trusted friend to the entire Morgan family. As much as Jud dislikes the German invasion, he can’t help admiring Wande. She is sweet and cheerful as she serves the Lord and all those around her. Can the rancher put aside his prejudice to forge a new future? Through Jud and Wande, we learn the powerful lessons of forgiveness and reconciliation among a diverse community of believers.
Eyewitness Account:
The last four fiction novels I’ve read have not been page turners, so it was nice to finally pick something up that I didn’t want to put down! Not only did I love the setting (Texas settlers, both “American” and German, just after the state joined the U.S.), but I loved the characters and their own personal journeys. I felt like the relationship conflict was more realistic, with just the right amount of communication struggle vs attitude hang-ups (pride, anger, jealousy, insecurity, bitterness, etc.). Some books make relationship conflict all about a lack of communication, but the characters in Lone Star Trail acted much more like my own friends and family do. I admired the way Franklin perfectly wove in the themes of prejudice and forgiveness. I finished it the day I picked it up – very well done!
Other Books Read by This Author: None
What are other people saying? Reader’s Roundtable, Along the Way, Ausjenny
Rating:
★★★★☆ Plot Development
★★★★☆ Characterization
★★★★☆ Writing Style
★★★★☆ Original Idea
★★★★★ Page Turner
Overall ★★★★☆
Lonestar Sanctuary
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Colleen Coble. 320 p. Published in 2008 by Thomas Nelson. Listened to audiobook narrated by Aimee Lilly, borrowed from my local library.
Verdict: ★★★☆☆
Who Cares? Adult Inspirational Fiction
Short Bio:
In the quiet safety of the Bluebird Ranch, old promises resurface and unexpected love brings new hope. Though tragedy has wrecked her life, Allie Siders holds on to the hope that her five-year-old daughter, Betsy, will speak again. But with a stalker out for revenge, all Allie can think about now is their safety. She must sever all ties and abandon life as she knows it. She heads to the peaceful Bluebird Ranch, nestled deep in Texas hill country, and to the only person who can help them. The ranch is a sanctuary for abused horses, and also for troubled youths: the perfect place for Betsy to grow and recover. Ranch owner Elijah DeAngelo eagerly welcomes the duo. But Rick Bailey—the ranch foreman and DeAngelo’s right hand man—hasn’t decided to let his guard down… yet. Promises made long ago soon force Rick and Allie to work together to escape danger. Will they discover love along the way?
Eyewitness Account:
I’ve been grabbing audiobooks from our library to listen to on my phone while commuting to work, and this was the second one I picked up. Texas ranch, single mom stalked by a murderer . . . sadly, it wasn’t quite as gripping as I thought it would be. If it hadn’t been something I was listening to while doing other things, I probably would have had trouble finishing it. It was a little too predictable to be really engaging – the characters were okay, but not terribly distinct from most Christian Fic heroes and heroines. It would make good summer beach reading for those who like Christian romantic fiction, seems like there are a lot of other readers out there who appreciated it more than I did.
Other Books Read by This Author: None
What are other people saying? Cindy’s Book Club, Kel Mel Blog, Romance Readers Connection
Rating:
★★☆☆☆ Plot Development
★★★☆☆ Characterization
★★★☆☆ Writing Style
★★★☆☆ Original Idea
★★★☆☆ Page Turner
Overall ★★★☆☆
Sweet Sanctuary
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Sheila Walsh and Cindy Martinusen-Coloma. 352 p. Published August 2011 by Thomas Nelson. Advanced review copy provided by the publisher in electronic format through their BookSneeze program in return for my honest review.
Verdict: ★★★★☆
Who Cares? Adult Contemporary Fiction
Short Bio (from the publisher):
“Without the storm, how would we know the sweetness of shelter?” -Ruth
Out of the clear blue, Wren’s Grandma Ruth arrives on her doorstep, dreaming of a grand party to celebrate her 95th birthday. Wren and her young son Charlie love the idea, but it quickly gets complicated: Ruth wants Wren’s estranged siblings to attend and she wants Wren to sing her all-time favorite song: “His Eye Is On The Sparrow.” It’s the very song Wren sang one fateful day during her childhood . . . and Wren hasn’t sung a note since.
Though she’s glad to have Grandma back in her life, Wren’s sleeping on the couch in her own house now . . . and worried about the expenses piling up. After all, her job at the community library is in jeopardy after budget cuts, and the fancy music program she wants for her son is getting farther and farther out of reach. What’s more, Paul—the guy she’s drawn to yet avoids—ends up being a major part of an important library project.
With family arriving and old wounds resurfacing, Wren’s about to fly when she discovers something special—a gift of grace beyond her wildest dreams.
Eyewitness Account:
Sweet Sanctuary is the story of a single-mom who fights all the usual battles – bringing home the bacon for her little family of two, delving into the ultra-emotional question of what role her ex-husband should have in their lives, moving beyond the relational failures of the past for new dating opportunities, and carrying the great burdens of parenthood alone. Because no (wo)man is an island, Wren faces all of this on top of the emotional scars of her childhood. The family tragedy of long ago not only created deep psychological wounds, but has left Wren without the support and presence of her mother and siblings.
Wren’s story is engaging and real, relatable even to those who aren’t in her particular situation. She’s easy to empathize with, partly because she makes the same mistakes that we probably would. I liked that her struggles were the usual daily life ones of figuring out how to help her son when he has trouble with his friends, how to handle the difficult family relationships in her life, and how to make life-changing decisions like where to live and what job to take. I also liked that her journey of faith was authentic – there were times when she remembered to turn to God in faith and times when she didn’t. Wren’s story emphasized the importance of having faithful friends to remind us to look toward God in all things instead of worrying.
I really loved the writing style throughout (see the excerpt below!) but the plot development at the end felt a little heavy-handed and was followed by a tidy wrap-up. However, the characters and topics covered made it a worthwhile book to read. This book had the definite plus of not being a solely “romance” novel – although Wren has a love interest, her potential relationship with a guy is not the crux of the story and blends in much more realistically than many contemporary fiction novels. I’d recommend this anyone who likes contemporary Christian fiction.
Sweet Sanctuary was not an incredibly original, fantastic, or mind-bending book – but it was definitely an enjoyable escape and a good reminder that God is into the fixing-up-our-messed-up-lives business.
Notable Quotes:
(Excerpt)
Working in a library was similar to bartending or sitting in the confessional box. She’d see library patrons at the Friday film nights or around town and many treated her as if she knew all their secrets, based on the books they read, the ones they hated and the ones they loved.
Wren especially enjoyed when a child carried off a new library card, holding his or her head high as if some rite of passage had just occurred, which was exactly how she saw it. The books the patrons borrowed told their stories for them. Wren wondered how the changing of the library would change the people who came searching for books.
In one year at the Cottage Cove Public Library, she had fallen in love with the community like they were the family she longed for.
There were layers here, stories alive in the patrons who visited the library and stories through the characters of the books. The books breathed love, places, stories, cultures, mysteries, evils, beauty, the divine, the humble . . . everything of life was found here.
Other Books Read by This Author: None.
What are other people saying? Small Kucing, Christian Fiction Addiction, Maria’s Handmade Love,
Rating:
★★★☆☆ Plot Development
★★★★☆ Characterization
★★★★★ Writing Style
★★★★☆ Original Idea
★★★★☆ Page Turner
Overall ★★★★☆
The Spoils of Eden / Hawaiian Crosswinds
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Linda Lee Chaikin. 341/350 p. Published 2010/2011 by Moody Publishers. Advanced review copy provided to me courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Verdict: ★★★☆☆ (Really, I’d give it 3 1/2)
Who Cares? Adult Christian Historical Fiction
Short Bio: Chaikin’s newest saga, “The Dawn of Hawaii Series”, debuted The Spoils of Eden in 2010, and was just recently followed by the second, Hawaiian Crosswinds, in June 2011. The series follows the third generation decendants of the first Hawaiian missionaries, families who by now have vast land holdings as well as great political influence. Although the plot centers around Eden Derrington’s struggle to fulfil a long-held dream to work with her much-absent father on the leper colony Molokai, finally meet her leprous mother, and hang on to her hunky and hardworking fiancée (Rafe Easton), the saga involves all of the Derrington clan and most especially Eden’s cousins – Candace, Zachary, and Silas.
Eden’s personal quest to build relationships with her absent parents, as well as with Rafe, is set in the middle of high political tension in Hawaii. Her grandfather and fiancée both support the annexation of Hawaii by the United States in order to have the protection of both U.S. Navy and U.S. laws at a time when Queen Liliuokalani is pushing for restoration of an absolute monarchy. The increasing need for manual labor on large fruit and coffee plantations has brought an influx of Chinese and Japanese families who not only threaten the demographic balance of Hawaii, but also bring the corrupting influence of drug and gambling cartels from the Orient. Eden and her cousins set about the difficult task of following God’s path for their future amidst these warring influences, family pressure to make strategic marriages, and internal doubts and fleshly weaknesses.
Eyewitness Account: First, I must say that Moody Publishers has a great Public Relations department – I had originally requested the Hawaiian Crosswinds galley on NetGalley, and when I received it, the formatting was illegible. Moody promptly responded to my email by sending me hard copies of BOTH books in the mail (which was great, I hadn’t realized it was the second book in a series!).
I’ve long been a fan of Chaikin’s because of her Heart of India trilogy, which I read several times as a kid (it was published about 20 years ago), so I was super excited to read this series. Chaikin did not disappoint – this new Hawaiian series has all the same strengths that her Indian series has: interesting and well researched historical period, full cast of diverse characters, interesting and complex plot, and strong undercurrent of spiritual truths.
I was a little taken aback throughout the first book because it felt like Chaikin was info-dumping a whole lot of backstory about the characters – and then I remembered that she had published a Hawaiian book a few years back, and sure enough For Whom The Stars Shine was supposed to be the first book in this series (perhaps you could consider it a prequel)? I’d read it long enough ago that I didn’t remember any of it, so the backstory helped and I was less annoyed knowing that she was actually referring to a previous novel. Unfortunately, Shine was published by Bethany House and the Dawn of Hawaii series is under Moody Publishers, so they don’t connect the two at all (leaving me rather confused and put out for most of the first book about the backstory dump). You might want to pick up Shine first if you’re interested, but it isn’t necessary.
The first two books in the Dawn of Hawaii series are full of complex characters and plot development that take patience to get through, but are worth the effort – most of the advancement takes place through dialogue, which can drive action-lovers bonkers. It’s a technique, though, that allows Chaikin to focus on the characters and their relationships to one another and provides the medium through which she develops many of her themes, such as Eden and Rafe learning to trust each other enough to confront each other about secrets and concerns. Chaikin also explores the idea that faith is not something you can inherit like you can a sugarcane plantation, but that you must claim as your own. Her characters struggle with personal sin and weakness in very human ways, like jealousy of step-siblings or anger towards abusive parents. They also battle to determine what God’s path for their future is – Candace trying to decide whether she is free to marry for love or obliged to accept her grandfather’s choice of husband, and Eden’s dilemma of putting off her fiancée in order to work with her father and meet her mother.
Another major theme of the book is the plight of the lepers, personified in Eden’s mother and in Kip. Kip is a young, orphaned boy who is rescued from Molokai by Rafe. He himself does not have leprosy, but would be banished to a life on the leper colony under the current Hawaiian rules. Eden and Rafe clash over the question of obeying the local law that Kip must be isolated and perhaps returned to the leper colony, even though he shows no signs of the disease. Rafe reluctantly allows his own appointment to the legislature on behalf of an absent assemblymen with the sole intent to change such laws that persecute those who are merely associated with, but do not have, leprosy. Eden’s father, Dr. Jerome, had dedicated his whole life to finding a “cure” for leprosy after his wife contracted the disease and was exiled to Molokai. Chaikin shows that at this time in Hawaii’s past, leprosy was greatly feared and its victims severely stigmatized. Several of the characters (including Eden, Dr. Jerome, and the local lay pastor, Ambrose), display compassion for those with the outcast disease and work to give the victims hope and give the fearful peace.
My only real quibble was that this series was eerily similar to The Heart of India trilogy – large dynastic non-native family, central conflict over an orphaned boy of questionable origin, tyrannical and manipulative uncle, mysterious fires, etc. There are no characters that are “exactly” the same, but there are enough plot devices in common to make the work feel not entirely original.
If you like well-researched historical fiction in the tradition of Alex Haley, James Michener, and Herman Wouk, then you’d probably enjoy this series. I’m eager for the third one, hopefully coming out soon!
Try it for free – grab the first chapter of The Spoils of Eden here and Hawaiian Crosswinds here, or just head over to Amazon.com to pick it up!
Notable Quotes:
Two men, two legacies, Rafe mused. “My father knew how to multiply the land’s produce. My grandfather knew how to look up at the stars and see the Lord’s footsteps moving silently through eternity. I am the restless heir of both men, and God will hold me responsible for the pathway I’ve taken. I can’t live any way I choose, then expect special treatment to be handed to me from God just because [my grandfather] lived a godly life.”
Other Books Read by This Author: The Heart of India Trilogy, The Everlasting Flame, A Day to Remember Series, Endangered, For Whom the Stars Shine, Desert Rose
What are other people saying?
Spoils of Eden: Just One More Paragraph, Christian Daily Blog, Once Upon A Romance
Hawaiian Winds: Read Great Fiction, R Bartel,
Rating:
★★★★☆ Plot Development
★★★☆☆ Characterization
★★★☆☆ Writing Style
★★★☆☆ Original Idea
★★★★☆ Page Turner
Overall ★★★☆☆
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
The Art of Romance
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Kaye Dacus. 320 p. Published May 2011 by Barbour. Advanced copy provided in electronic format courtesy of the publisher, through NetGalley.
Verdict: ★★★★☆
Who Cares? Adult Inspirational Romance
Short Bio: The matchmaking grandmothers are at it again – and this time they have their eyes on english lit professor Caylor and artist/professor Dylan. Caylor and Dylan must survive the loving meddling of their grandmothers, Sassy and Perky, as well as regret from past mistakes that could cloud both of their futures.
Eyewitness Account: Since the last several books I’ve read have been either deep theology or bizarre speculative fiction, I decided it was time for something light-hearted and fun – and this book did not disappoint! I haven’t read the first Matchmakers novel, Love Remains, but it didn’t take long to catch up with the characters and get pulled into a good story of two people learning to move forward after making poor choices in the past. Dacus developed a fairly complicated plot that, while comfortably predictable, did not depend on conflict caused by uncommunicative characters making rash assumptions (as so many romance stories do). The love story conflict was developed realistically, which helped me overlook some rather hefty plot contrivances (I thought the past connection between the two main characters a bit of a stretch). One of the best parts about the novel is that Caylor is an author who uses her daily interactions as inspiration - reading about her idea gathering and writing habits was like getting a sneak peek into an author’s brain and made me wonder if most authors have a similar creative process.
This lovely novel would make a great summer read for anyone who enjoys inspirational romance!
Notable Quotes:
Caylor perched on the edge of the credenza. “Look, I know you mean well, but I really don’t need my grandmother acting as a matchmaker for me. I don’t have time in my life right now for a man.”
“You would if you met one you wanted to spend time with. Love is something you wait for.” Sassy stood. “Now, I know you’re supposed to be getting ready to go out with the girls, so I won’t keep you any longer. But just think about what I said, and try to enter this house remodel with an open mind.”
“Open mind about the house or about the people coming in to rip it apart and rebuild it?”
“Both.” Sassy waggled her finger at Caylor, raising it above her head so it was the last thing Caylor saw as she disappeared down the stairs.
Other Books Read by This Author:
What are other people saying? No Ordinary Moments, Heidi Main, Writer, From Dawn ’til Dusk
Rating:
★★★★☆ Plot Development
★★★★☆ Characterization
★★★☆☆ Writing Style
★★★☆☆ Original Idea
★★★★☆ Page Turner
Overall ★★★★☆
God’s Answers 4 UR Life
Reviewed by Nick
Just the Facts:
Verdict: ★★★★☆
Who Cares? Young Adults
Short Bio:
Teenagers face many different pressures, stresses and questions about life. Where should they get their answers? Author Steve Russo compiles many different hot topics in the realm of ethics, from drug and alcohol abuse to loneliness, from suicidal tendencies to cults, from family to prayer, from heaven to the nature of God. He addresses each topic alphabetically with a brief explanation of experiences of his or his friends pasts or observations about live in general and then he presents scripture references that address the issue at hand.
Eyewitness Account:
This encyclopedic collection of inspirational answers to problems that most everyone face is useful to not only believing teenagers but also to people in general that want to know more about what the Bible says about life issues and problems. One thing I really appreciated about Russo’s design is that there is one page for a description of what the issue or question that needs to be answered really is and the opposing page is totally dedicated to scriptures that provide an answer to that issue or question. His issues, I’d say, are for the most part applicable to every teenager sometime in life. Russo does have a slight tendency to use more New Testament references than old and he tends to favor Meaning-Based Translations such as NIV, ESV, AMP, etc, and paraphrases like MSG, over more Inference-Based translations such as the NASB, RSV, etc. This particular book is not meant to be a page turner, so I took that consideration out of the ratings.
Rating:
★★★★☆ Writing Style
★★★★★ Organization
★★★☆☆ Original Idea
Overall ★★★★☆
Dirty Girls Come Clean
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Crystal Renaud. 160 p. Published April 2011 by Moody Publishers. Advanced copy provided in electronic format courtesy of the publisher, through NetGalley.
Verdict: ★★★★★
Who Cares? Self-Help/Christian Growth
Short Bio: Crystal Renaud shares her own personal story of pornography addiction, along with the stories of seven other women with similar struggles and her own adaptation of the 12-steps from Alcoholics Anonymous and Sexaholics Anonymous. Crystals steps form the acronym “SCARS” – Surrender, Confession, Accountability, Responsibility, and Sharing. Beyond an engaging narrative, the book includes many useful tools for anyone dealing with/in sobriety of a pornography addiction – from a personal inventory quiz to challenging application questions, as well as information on additional resources through other organizations, ministries, and websites (including Dirty Girls Ministries).
Eyewitness Account: This book is little powerhouse!! It is one of the fastest reads I’ve had in a while – yet still gave me quite a bit to think about. I struck by Renaud’s description of the problem (data from 2003 concludes that 17% of all women struggle with a pornography addiction and that 1 in 3 visitors to adult websites are women) and by the testimonials of other women (including Renaud) who claimed that they each felt like they were the only person who had this problem! It’s no surprise that Renaud’s SCARS steps heavily involve community - confessing to one another, being held accountable by someone else who is succeeding in their battle against addiction and sharing your story with others who need mentors and examples of standing strong.
Even though I wasn’t quite Renaud’s target audience, I did find some principles that are relevant to any Christian struggling against the power of sin and temptation in their life. Renaud makes a point that our resistance to confess our sins only to God and not to each other usually reveals our continued deception – to show the world our “good” side and, in doing so, claim that we are our own saviors (see quote below). I also appreciated Renaud’s statement that we can play the blame game (excusing our current addictions by saying they are the result of our messed up parents or lack of emotional intimacy growing up) all we want, but it will not produce any growth or change in our lives. We don’t actually move on and see different results until we take ownership of our own actions and choices and change them.
I requested this book to review on NetGalley because I’ve never seen another book like it. I’m very thankful I did because I plan on recommending it to any woman who struggles with sexual addiction!
Notable Quotes:
“But why is it that confessing to others seems so much harder than confessing to God? . . . When we confess to God and not also to others, we cheapen God’s grace. Your sins are of no surprise to God. You won’t find a person on earth who isn’t carrying some piece of luggage they are ashamed about. When God talks about healing through confession, He is talking about healing from having to be our own savior. That’s why Christ died. It is okay to be a screw-up because there’s grace enough to cover it.”
“But I’ve learned something over the years . . . that blaming others for my choices would not produce much change in me. In fact, it would keep me in a holding pattern. One that says that no matter what goes wrong in my life, no matter how screwed up things get, no matter how badly I mess something up . . . I could just blame someone else and everything will turn out fine. We all know that doesn’t work in real life so it certainly won’t work for this. Unless of course I wanted to remain in an emotional prison.”
Other Books Read by This Author: None.
What are other people saying? Critty Joy, For What It’s Worth, For Such a Time As This
Rating:
★★★★☆ Writing Style
★★★★★ Organization
★★★★★ Original Idea
★★★★★ Page Turner
Overall ★★★★★
A Severe Mercy
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Sheldon Vanauken. 240 p. Published by Harper & Row, 1997. Borrowed from the San Francisco Public Library.
Verdict: ★★★☆☆
Who Cares? Adult Non-Fiction – Memoir
Not-so-Short Bio (from Amazon):
A Severe Mercy, by Sheldon Vanauken, is a heart-rending love story described by its author as “the spiritual autobiography of a love rather than of the lovers.” Vanauken chronicles the birth of a powerful pagan love borne out of the relationship he shares with his wife, Davy, and describes the growth of their relationship and the dreams that they share. As a symbol of their love, they name their dream schooner the Grey Goose, “for the grey goose, if its mate is killed flies on alone and never takes another.”
While studying at Oxford, Sheldon and Davy develop a friendship with C.S. Lewis, under whose influence and with much intellectual scrutiny they accept the Christian doctrine. As their devotion to God intensifies, Sheldon realizes that he is no longer Davy’s primary love–God is. Within this discovery begins a brewing jealousy.
Shortly after, Davy acquires a fatal illness. After her death Sheldon embarks on an intense experience of grief, “to find the meaning of it, taste the whole of it … to learn from sorrow whatever it had to teach.” Through painstaking reveries, he comes to discover the meaning of “a mercy as severe as death, a severity as merciful as love.” He learns that her death “had these results: It brought me as nothing else could do to know and end my jealously of God. It saved her faith from assault. …And it saved our love from perishing.”
Eyewitness Account: This was our April book club selection. The piece that was most interesting was hearing a guy so articulately describe his love for his wife – how rare is that? Also, it was extra-intriguing to hear his “pagan” philosophy on how to have a love/marriage that lasts forever, and then hear how that view was challenged when he and his wife became Christians while at Oxford. He concludes a beautiful love story by saying that he came to accept his wife’s death as a mercy wrought by God for his own best interest (pretty ballsy).
Unfortunately, those bits were wrapped up in too much slow-moving memoir for me to find it an overall engaging book. I’ll caveat that by saying that memoir is not one of my favorite genres, and those who enjoy reading bios or autobiographies will probably get a whole lot more enjoyment out of this book. Also, you might like it if you 1) read poetry, as Vanauken has his poetry peppered throughout the story, or 2) like reading anything by C.S. Lewis, as his letters to Vanauken are also scattered throughout.
A side beef – I thought the book would have been better if the guy hadn’t been pushing his relationship with C.S. Lewis to the forefront throughout it. Even if Lewis really was such an influence, I continually felt like Vanauken (or his editors) stressed it more than he would/should have in order to make it a selling point for the book. I’m an avid Lewis fan, but the constant interjection of the letters kept annoying me because this was not supposed to be Lewis’s story – it was Vanauken’s. Just my two cents 
.
Notable Quotes:
“Under the surface of the visible world, there is an echoing hollowness, an aching void — and it cuts one off from the beloved. She is as remote as the stars.”
“Considering the prayers and their answers and considering the events . . . I cannot escape the impression that Somebody was being very gentle with us. Perhaps she had to die — for me, for our dear love, for God. And I had to live with grief, for God. But He was, perhaps, as gentle with us both as He could be.”
Other Books Read by This Author: None.
What are other people saying? What’s Wrong With the World, Lisa Notes, Reading to Know
Rating:
★★★☆☆ Writing Style
★★★☆☆ Organization
★★★☆☆ Original Idea
★★☆☆ Page Turner
Overall ★★★☆☆
Diagnosis Death
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Richard L. Mabry, M.D. 288 p. Published April 2011 by Abingdon Press. Advanced copy provided in electronic format courtesy of the publisher, through NetGalley.
Verdict: ★★★☆☆
Who Cares? Adult Medical Mystery / Inspirational
Short Bio: After the death of her husband, Dr. Elena Gardener finds herself struggling to find a job that will pay for her late husbands medical and funeral expenses – as well as escape the rumors that she euthanized him and another comatose stroke victim. She gets a seemingly golden opportunity to move away from the rumors in Dallas to a small family practice in Dainger, TX. However, picking up the pieces of her life in a small town isn’t as easy as it seems – as Elena discovers when she finds herself dealing with a tight-fisted hospital administrator who wants to strip her of ICU privileges, fending off the local womanizer, and tracking down the person who is stalking her with creepy phone calls. When yet another comatose patient dies and circumstantial evidence points to Elena, the doctor decides the only way to clear her name is to catch the perpetrator herself.
Eyewitness Account: This was a great book to sneakily read on my Kindle during an EXTREMELY BORING training class – a fast-moving plot, easily identifiable characters, and enough mystery to keep you turning pages. Even though it is the 3rd book in a medical mystery series, it works well as a stand-alone. I’d still categorize it as “mental cotton candy” though – a fun story to read, but not terribly thought-provoking or deep. Even though it is primarily a medical mystery, it includes the fairly typical romance and other overly coincidental circumstances (Elena’s love interest just “happens” to get a job in the same small town, Elena just “happens” to work at the same hospital as her dead husband’s long-lost sister, etc.). Given that blurbs often highlight this book being about the question of “mercy killings”, the book might disappoint you if you expect it to really delve into the meat of the question – rather, the narrative assumes that mercy killings are, in fact, wrong (unless you are the person authorized to pull the plug on a comatose patient’s life support) and the plot centers around discovering who did the killings.
Other Books Read by This Author: None, this is the first book I’ve read by Mabry.
What are other people saying? The Friendly Book Nook, Just One More Paragraph, Lis Carey’s Library
Rating:
★★★★☆ Plot Development
★★★☆☆ Characterization
★★★☆☆ Writing Style
★★★☆☆ Original Idea
★★★★☆ Page Turner
Overall ★★★☆☆
The Promises She Keeps
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Erin Healy. 352 p. Published by Thomas Nelson, February 2011. Electronic review copy provided courtesy of the publisher, through NetGalley.
Verdict: ★★★★☆
Who Cares? Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Fiction
Short Bio: Promise has made it her life goal to become famous as a singer, before cystic fibrosis finally claims her life and she is forgotten forever. A series of “accidents” and the suggestion of a local gallery owner lead her to believe that she might have the power to evade death within herself. She discovers the truth through an unlikely source – the powerful and self-sacrificing love of an autistic man. Read the first three chapters here.
Eyewitness Account: I’ll ‘fess up, I picked this book out because of the cover. I just loved the moment it captured – and unlike many covers, this moment plays a huge part in the book! There are three reasons why this book deserves some loud props and a hearty recommendation:
1) Healy developed very good characterization through multiple storylines that all managed to support and enhance her main theme. She easily balanced about 5 main characters and several additional supporting characters without sending me back through previously read pages for “who is that person again?” Not bad for a 350 page novel!
2) I can’t stick this book in a genre! It has elements of many – coming of age, the supernatural, suspense/thriller, mystery, romance – without any one dominating in my mind. Better yet, it was a story that, although defying the normal and natural, felt completely believable to me.
3) I fell whole-heartedly in love with Chase, the autistic guy. I loved his thinking process and his narrative voice in the book, and of course the message of truth he brings to Promise. He’s going down in my book of favorite non-real people (right under Fred & George Weasley)!
Healy definitely knows her way around a story, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else she publishes!
Notable Quotes:
“A longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Draw the longing, for time is short. Fill the heart, for days are full. All he could see were words, and then the meaning of the words disappeared and all he could see were strokes. He saw the movement of a man’s hand gripping a grease pencil and forming each symbol, the sweeping and swooping of lines, the tight angels, the free flowing tails. This was his father’s handwriting.”
“Can there be any greater accomplishment than saving a life? And maybe it doesn’t look like what we think it looks like — keeping the heart beating, keeping the brain alive. I’m talking about the intangible stuff. The reasons why a person gets up in the morning. Because she wants to sing for the people she loves. Or go to Paris with a friend. Or take care of someone.”
“The promises of love are the promises you keep. The promises of liars are worthless. Throw those promises away.”
Other Books Read by This Author: This is my first book by Healy – she’s written a few with Ted Dekker, and another on her own titled Never Let You Go.
What are other people saying? 5 Minutes for Books, Thoughts From a Princess, Beyond the Bookshelf
Rating:
★★★★☆ Plot Development
★★★★☆ Characterization
★★★★☆ Writing Style
★★★★★ Original Idea
★★★★★ Page Turner
Overall ★★★★☆
Pearl in the Sand
Verdict: ★★★★☆
Who Cares? Christian Historical Fiction/Romance
Short Bio: Rahab hears of a holy and compassionate God moving his people across the country and directly to hers. Will she and her family be destroyed? Could it be this God cares about her more than the blood thirsty ones she knows or more than her family who sold her into prostitution? Will all she risks be enough to save them and then what? Where will she live and how will she continue after the city falls?
Rahab is a savvy and beautiful businesswoman. When she meets Salmone, she has no hope that such a distinguished man of integrity would find her of interest. Her only hope of fitting in with these strange new people is to study and win the approval of this wonderful God. After Salmone is wounded in battle, neither of them is sure what God’s future for either of them will be. Rahab is sure that her past can never be put behind her and she will be unworthy for the rest of her life. How will these two be able to find a life together?
Eyewitness Account: This was the most delightful account of a story I have known since the age of 6. Not many people have taken on the hard questions this story brings. Why would Rahab betray her own city? How could a prostitute just join the Israel nation and end up a matriarch of the line of Christ? How does she reclaim her purity enough to have a normal married relationship?
Tessa tells the sweetest story of God calling and wooing a woman to himself. I loved every page of this, a true love story.
Other Books Read by This Author: As far as I know, this is Tessa’s first novel
Rating:
★★★★★ Plot Development
★★★★★ Characterization
★★★★☆ Writing Style
★★★★★ Original Idea
★★★☆☆ Page Turner
Overall ★★★★☆
The Inheritance of Beauty
Reviewed by Brittney
Just the Facts: by Nicole Seitz. 320 p. Published Feb 2011 by Thomas Nelson. Read as an advanced review copy, courtesy of NetGalley.
Verdict: ★★★★☆
Who Cares? Adult Contemporary / Historical Fiction
Short Bio: “The Inheritance of Beauty” is an engaging story told from the perspective of a couple, George and Magnolia, who are aging in a retirement home somewhere in the South. As Magnolia’s present-day mind withers from dementia/Alzheimer’s, her memories of her childhood tell the story of scarring childhood events that were shared by her brother and her, now husband, friend George. A series of “providential” occurrences bring closure on the past, not only for them, but also for the gentle caretaker who looks after them at the nursing home.
Eyewitness Account: The plot summary hardly does justice to the deep themes that run through this book – themes of childhood, aging, guilt, blessing, curses, and forgiveness. I’ve never read such an interesting tale of how our actions affect the generations after us – the biblical idea of our sins cursing our children and grandchildren. Yet, the author deftly weaves in the parallel biblical truth: that it takes only one person to redeem the generational line back for blessing.
The author absolutely excelled at telling the story through the eyes of different characters – through the insecure and frail George, the mute and sheltered Magnolia, the faithful caretaker, Annie, and the lonely prodigy, Joe. Each voice was distinctly different, and contributed well to the development of both the characters and the plot.
I also loved the element of magic/the supernatural that Seitz brought into the story – like all of the other plot elements, I found it interesting while still being believable (something difficult to pull off!). My only critique is that it was a book that read slowly – probably due to the constant switching between the present and the past. It worked exceptionally well for the characterization, but bogged down the flow of the plot a bit.
I would definitely recommend this for those who like their literary meals with substance and leftovers to think about later!
Other Books Read by This Author: none
What are other people saying? Thoughts From a Princess, Faithful Reader, Musings by Lynn
Rating:
★★★★☆ Plot Development
★★★★☆ Characterization
★★★★☆ Writing Style
★★★★★ Original Idea
★★★☆☆ Page Turner
Overall ★★★★☆
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