Author: Louisa May Alcott
Published: 1868
Genres: YA, Classics
Rating: 2.5
Summary
Meet the March sisters: the talented and tomboyish Jo, the beautiful Meg, the frail Beth, and the spoiled Amy, as they pass through the years between girlhood and womanhood. A lively portrait of growing up in the 19th century with lasting vitality and enduring charm.
Review
Perhaps better to discover this one as a youth? I found neither "lasting vitality" nor "enduring charm" in this read. The plot was dull, the pace slow, the teachings pendantic, and the characters mildly annoying.
Notes
One of the few times I preferred a movie version (Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder; 1994) to the original book. Meg in particular is much more palatable in the movie.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Cartels and Combinations
Author: Mike McPheters
Published: 2010
Genres: LDS Fiction; Action/Adventure
Rating: 2.5
Summary
The harrowing account of a Mexican-American family caught in the crossfire between the Vultures, a dangerous drug cartel, and US Homeland Security. Based on a true story, Cartels and Combinations proves the reality of latter-day evil and how we can find protection and peace in heeding the words of ancient and modern prophets and apostles alike.
Review
I appriciated the author's efforts to tell a clean adventure story. But his political agenda and flat characters detracted significantly from that effort.
Published: 2010
Genres: LDS Fiction; Action/Adventure
Rating: 2.5
Summary
The harrowing account of a Mexican-American family caught in the crossfire between the Vultures, a dangerous drug cartel, and US Homeland Security. Based on a true story, Cartels and Combinations proves the reality of latter-day evil and how we can find protection and peace in heeding the words of ancient and modern prophets and apostles alike.
Review
I appriciated the author's efforts to tell a clean adventure story. But his political agenda and flat characters detracted significantly from that effort.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens
Published: 1843
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5
Summary
Cruel miser Ebeneezer Scrooge has never met a shilling he doesn't like. . .and hardly a man he does. And he hates Christmas most of all. When Scrooge is visited by his old partner, Jacob Marley, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come, he learns eternal lessons of charity, kindness, and goodwill.
Review
If you have never read this classic. . .even if you have seen movie and theater versions countless times. . .you must read the book! I promise it will add some Christmas spirit to your life. (I also promise it is the most accessible Dickens novel you will ever read!) This is the year to do it!
Published: 1843
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5
Summary
Cruel miser Ebeneezer Scrooge has never met a shilling he doesn't like. . .and hardly a man he does. And he hates Christmas most of all. When Scrooge is visited by his old partner, Jacob Marley, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come, he learns eternal lessons of charity, kindness, and goodwill.
Review
If you have never read this classic. . .even if you have seen movie and theater versions countless times. . .you must read the book! I promise it will add some Christmas spirit to your life. (I also promise it is the most accessible Dickens novel you will ever read!) This is the year to do it!
The Forgotten Garden
Author: Kate Morton
Published: 2008
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3
Summary
Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything dear to her. But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra's life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace--the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century--Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family, and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.
Review
I really wanted to like this one more than I did. I appreciated what the author was trying to accomplish--but it feels like she took on too much. Between all the different female voices, the jumping backwards and forwards in time, the inherent mystery, the mental instability of a number of characters, a budding romance, and the actual fairy tales...it became a bit overwhelming. In addition, none of the characters are very sympathetic--which makes the novel's length a bit burdensome.
I did appreciate the author's plot twists at the end (despite their predicatability), and the fact that there was nothing vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate in her story.
Notes
If you read this one, be sure to make a list of who is who in the family tree. It will prevent a lot of confusion as you are reading!
Published: 2008
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3
Summary
Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything dear to her. But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra's life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace--the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century--Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family, and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.
Review
I really wanted to like this one more than I did. I appreciated what the author was trying to accomplish--but it feels like she took on too much. Between all the different female voices, the jumping backwards and forwards in time, the inherent mystery, the mental instability of a number of characters, a budding romance, and the actual fairy tales...it became a bit overwhelming. In addition, none of the characters are very sympathetic--which makes the novel's length a bit burdensome.
I did appreciate the author's plot twists at the end (despite their predicatability), and the fact that there was nothing vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate in her story.
Notes
If you read this one, be sure to make a list of who is who in the family tree. It will prevent a lot of confusion as you are reading!
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Christmas Sweater
Author: Glenn Beck
Published: 2008
Genres: Autobiographical Fiction, if there can be such a thing
Rating: 3
Summary
When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Life had gotten harder — and money tighter — since his father died and the family bakery closed. But Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning. What he got from her instead was a sweater. "A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater" that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball on the floor of his room.
Scarred deeply by the realization that kids don't always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned life's most valuable treasures, that Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddie's dark and painful journey on the road to manhood.
Review
This book reads a bit like a parable, and it is somewhat overdramatic and emotionally manipulative in making it's points. But it is an easy Christmastime read. And the prose flows reasonably well considering there are two ghost writers on the project.
Published: 2008
Genres: Autobiographical Fiction, if there can be such a thing
Rating: 3
Summary
When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Life had gotten harder — and money tighter — since his father died and the family bakery closed. But Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning. What he got from her instead was a sweater. "A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater" that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball on the floor of his room.
Scarred deeply by the realization that kids don't always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned life's most valuable treasures, that Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddie's dark and painful journey on the road to manhood.
Review
This book reads a bit like a parable, and it is somewhat overdramatic and emotionally manipulative in making it's points. But it is an easy Christmastime read. And the prose flows reasonably well considering there are two ghost writers on the project.
Friday, November 18, 2011
No Biking in the House without a Helmet
Author: Melissa Fay Greene
Published: 2011
Genres: Non-fiction, Adoption
Rating: 1
Summary
Two-time National Book Award finalist Melissa Fay Greene is best known for her books on the civil rights movement and the African HIV/AIDS pandemic. But Melissa and her husband have also pursued a more private vocation: parenthood. “We so loved raising our four children by birth, we didn’t want to stop. When the clock started to run down on the home team, we brought in ringers.” When the number of children hit nine, Greene took a break from reporting. She trained her journalist’s eye upon events at home. This work is a celebration of parenthood; an ingathering of children, through birth and out of loss and bereavement; a relishing of moments hilarious and enlightening. No Biking in the House Without a Helmet is a loving portrait of a unique twenty first-century family as it wobbles between disaster and joy.
Review
The book is well-written and intriguing, and the author is poignantly honest about her roller-coast emotions during her first adoption experience. Unfortunately, because of an overabundance of a strong explative, I only made it about 20% of the way into this book before putting it down.
Published: 2011
Genres: Non-fiction, Adoption
Rating: 1
Summary
Two-time National Book Award finalist Melissa Fay Greene is best known for her books on the civil rights movement and the African HIV/AIDS pandemic. But Melissa and her husband have also pursued a more private vocation: parenthood. “We so loved raising our four children by birth, we didn’t want to stop. When the clock started to run down on the home team, we brought in ringers.” When the number of children hit nine, Greene took a break from reporting. She trained her journalist’s eye upon events at home. This work is a celebration of parenthood; an ingathering of children, through birth and out of loss and bereavement; a relishing of moments hilarious and enlightening. No Biking in the House Without a Helmet is a loving portrait of a unique twenty first-century family as it wobbles between disaster and joy.
Review
The book is well-written and intriguing, and the author is poignantly honest about her roller-coast emotions during her first adoption experience. Unfortunately, because of an overabundance of a strong explative, I only made it about 20% of the way into this book before putting it down.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Hard Times and Holy Places
Author: Kristin Warner Belcher
Published: 2009
Genres: LDS Inspirational, Overcoming Adversity
Rating: 4
Summary
When the only remaining sight she had left began to fade, Kris Belcher knew her cancer had returned. First diagnosed with bi-lateral retinoblastoma at the age of seven months, she had feared blindness since childhood. Ironically, the treatment that had saved her life as a baby was responsible for the radiation-induced cancer that again threatened her life as an adult. Now a wife and mother of two young sons, she faced her greatest challenge. Five major surgeries within the space of five months left her physically and emotionally devasted--and completely blind. Yet durning that horrendous time, Kris discovered moments of spiritual strengthening that became holy places in her life--places where she could feel the purifying, transforming power of Christ that enabled her to survive and to learn how to live in a world of darkness.
Review
I am not usually one to pick up LDS inspirational books. But since Kris is a friend, I read this one. And it was amazing! Even though I already knew many of the stories, I still found the book very moving. It is well-written, logically organized, and applicable on a personal level. And I loved how strongly she focuses on turning to the Savior to overcome challenges.
Notes
My only disappointment with this book is that--because of the serious subject matter--you only get small glimpses of Kris's quick wit and wonderful sense of humor. If you ever have the chance to listen to her in person, take it!
Favorite quote: "I know there will be trials for me to endure, but I want them to strengthen and improve me, not just flatten me."
Published: 2009
Genres: LDS Inspirational, Overcoming Adversity
Rating: 4
Summary
When the only remaining sight she had left began to fade, Kris Belcher knew her cancer had returned. First diagnosed with bi-lateral retinoblastoma at the age of seven months, she had feared blindness since childhood. Ironically, the treatment that had saved her life as a baby was responsible for the radiation-induced cancer that again threatened her life as an adult. Now a wife and mother of two young sons, she faced her greatest challenge. Five major surgeries within the space of five months left her physically and emotionally devasted--and completely blind. Yet durning that horrendous time, Kris discovered moments of spiritual strengthening that became holy places in her life--places where she could feel the purifying, transforming power of Christ that enabled her to survive and to learn how to live in a world of darkness.
Review
I am not usually one to pick up LDS inspirational books. But since Kris is a friend, I read this one. And it was amazing! Even though I already knew many of the stories, I still found the book very moving. It is well-written, logically organized, and applicable on a personal level. And I loved how strongly she focuses on turning to the Savior to overcome challenges.
Notes
My only disappointment with this book is that--because of the serious subject matter--you only get small glimpses of Kris's quick wit and wonderful sense of humor. If you ever have the chance to listen to her in person, take it!
Favorite quote: "I know there will be trials for me to endure, but I want them to strengthen and improve me, not just flatten me."
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