-Anna
Yes, we are still reading a book a month.
-Anna
Sometimes when I read, I am a part of the story. I am there with the hero or heroine, fighting the fight, or winning my true love's heart, or making my best friend laugh hilarously at a joke only the two of us get. But then there are times, when I am a viewer only, watching the tale unfold.
Reading The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, I was a viewer only. And I liked it. I let this sad tale, with a dark premise and a somewhat surprising end (even though when you get to the suprise end, you somehow knew it all along) carry me along. I watched the story devolop and deepen with mixed feelings of sadness and horror and approval. And when I got to the end, I was satisfied. This, friends, was a good story.
-Anna
This month's pick was easy to choose. My bestest friend from way back when (who also has a book club in the eastern part of the country where she lives) sent me The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox as a Christmas present. Before it arrived it was also preceded by this email:
So part of your present is a book. I ordered it before I finished reading it myself because I found it totally engrossing. However, I know you aren't too much a fan of sad stories and this one is sad (says so right on the cover, but for some reason I still wasn't prepared for what happened). So, if you want to return it and get something else, go ahead. It's definitely a good book. Well
written, great for conversation. But not happy.
Sad or not, this peaked my curiosity. And I couldn't return a book, that would be unheard of. So to ensure that I would actually read it and not let it linger on my desk, I picked it for book club. Now it was mandatory reading. And well, you'll just have to find out later what I thought.
P.S. Thanks bestest friend from way back when!
-Anna
The year is winding down and there is a little pocket of time to catch my breath before the new year, so it's a good time to catch up on some reviews, be they somewhat short though hopefully sweet.
My Name is Mary Sutter - I found this book boring. The characters were dry and uninteresting, propelled by motives I didn't understand.
The Pirate Bride - A fun frolic in children's literature with some great illustrations to help it along. Perfect for a bedtime story.
Mockingjay - I have finally recovered from this book. Almost. It was awesome and it was horrible. The series remains a favorite. (Not a bedtime story.)
Firefly Lane - Eh. That's a good summary of this book. It's not bad, it's not great. It's, eh.
Francine Rivers' skill as a writer moved me through Her Mother's Hope quickly and easily. But it wasn't until the epilogue that I discovered the heart of the book. In this post snippet, Rivers explains how the series is loosely based on her grandmother and mother. Laced with interesting family history and an insightful look at how relationships can get off course, I could only wish that the rest of the book had captivated me half as much as the ending.
Read more...Francine Rivers is one of my favorite Christian novelists. Her Mark of the Lion series is nothing short of spectacular. Set during the Roman Empire, this trilogy held me captivated and as soon as one book was finished I was starting the next.
But I digress. I am here to review Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers. And to be honest, this book did nothing for me. In fact, at the end it leaves you hanging and yet I have no desire to even find out what happens let alone pick up the sequel.
I guess I can't demand perfection with every single book I read. Maybe I need to lower my expectations?
I think my expectations are always too high for a Nicholas Sparks novel and I usually find myself enjoying the movies more than I do the books. But maybe that's just me and maybe I need to enjoy them for what they are instead of feeling let down when I turn the last page.
If you want typical Sparks though, then I say go for it. It's easy reading, mingled with love and redemption. And in this particular novel, you get a little insight into the mind of a soldier.
Lately I've had an undeniable urge to be more fabulous. I'm not sure exactly what to do with this new found desire except strive to be more like Miss Pettigrew.
I could land myself a job where I meet a new best friend, have more adventures in one day then Huck Finn, get completely made over and then, of course, I could find everlasting love.
But that's just the stuff silly romantic books are made of, no? And while they might not be true to life, they are completely and utterly charming.
So I say cheers to romantic comedies and to dreaming of being fabulous!
-Anna
As I believe has been mentioned before, choosing a book for book club can be somewhat daunting. I usually scour book blogs, reviews and friends' brains in my search for a good pick. This month's hunt took me to Oprah. (http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Summer-Reading-List-Summer-Books) I don't usually go to Oprah for book advice, but let's leave no stone unturned. I admit I was surprised that I found several books of interest on the Summer Reading List, including this month's Sage Room pick: My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira.
So if we like it - well done me for such great research. If we don't - let's blame Oprah.
-Anna
The Raven Ring by Patricia C. Wrede (YA) is the kind of fantasy young adult that I love to read. The characters were strong and likable. The story line was maybe not totally original, but unique. The thing is, I don't mind predictable as long as the characters and story are good. I mean, sometimes it's okay to know where you are going, as long as the ride is fun. Anyway, I liked it.
Faking It by Jennifer Crusie (Romance) - So, I don't think I've ever read a Romance Novel before. I actually didn't know that this was a Romance novel. I just came across a review of it online, read about 40 pages of it on Google Books and thought it was fun. And it was fun, but reader beware of some adult content. Not anything harlequin (well, at least, I don't think so, since I haven't actually read harlequin), but yeah, if you are used to reading YA and Francine Rivers, it's a little racy.
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson - after I finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I really didn't think I could pick up the next installment of the series. It was graphic...too graphic for me. But time passed (and I forgot some things about the book) and the movie came out (which I haven't seen), and I was ready to find out what happened next. The story is compelling, and I like the main characters, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, but some of the content is disturbing. I probably will read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, but I think I'll wait awhile to forget again.
-Anna
Well, I've done the unforgivable and waited too long to post a review about The Lucky One because now I can't really remember that much about it. Which means it wasn't a groundbreaking, goosebump giving, heart racing read. But from what I can recall, it is typical Sparks and very entertaining, a little mushy, and generally enjoyable.
-Anna
So I realize that this is a book blog. And I also realize that I have not been blogging very much of late. So you would think that this entry would, needfully so, be about books.
Well, it's not; well, sort of not.
I just watched the trailer for the next Harry Potter, and I have goosebumps! November, why are you so far away!
-Anna
I read one book (besides book club pick) and have a pile, yes pile, of overdue library books that I wanted to read. But life, was, well...life and so, in May I read:
The Ropemaker by Peter Dickinson (YA Fantasy) follows a young girl who must go on a long journey to find a magician who can save her land and her people. I know, I know. I read a lot of books that would fit that description. But I can't help it. I am drawn to the quest, to the journey of self discovery and well to magic and mystery. And this book is just that. Evil emperors, rogue magicians, a strange sickness, magical spoons, cranky grandmothers and a girl who learns her place in the world. It didn't make my heart skip erratically, like the thought of Mockingjay does, but it definitely falls in the category of good YA fantasy.
-Anna
I adored this book. It was light, fun, charming. I think I had an ear to ear grin throughout the entire book. And, oh, Miss Pettigrew, what a day she had! If you want to read something that is sure to lift your spirits, then Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is just the book for you.
-Erin
In the spirit of warm days and happy thoughts that accompany the season we affectionately call summer, I'm picking a book that I hope to be the kind you pack in your suitcase for a trip to the beach. Of course, I'm not going to the beach. But the lake might be a close second.
Here is The Sage Room's pick for the month of May:
Water for Elephants follows the story of a young man who has been hit with some of the worst tragedy you can imagine. In an attempt to forget his past and find himself, he lands a job with the traveling circus. I found this part of the story, the part about carnies and the dark lives that they led, quite interesting. It is a cultural I know nothing about and when the added elements of romance, suspense (note: READ THE PROLOGUE), and animals that seem almost human all come together, I was unable to put the book down.
Sure there were parts I could have done without but that's when my super-mad-fast-reading skills kick in. I flew through those passages barely giving them another thought. And the further away I get from reading the book, the more dreamy it seems. Dreamy in the sense of days gone by in another time and another place.
Plus, when discussed at book club, I am fairly sure I was able to persuade Anna into liking it a little more. Or maybe she just liked MY version of the story. Either way, gold star for me! ;)
I've finally figured out the slump/funk/what is wrong with me cycle that I am in.
See, I never actually finished reading A Farewell to Arms which as you might know was February's book choice. My book choice at that. And because of this, I have yet to write a review. I particularly don't like it when things go unfinished. So on my nightstand it awaits, sneering at me every night. It's almost as if it knows that it has backed in a corner and is just waiting for me to make the next move.
Well, I've decided that I will finish it. Someday. But until then, I must move forward with other reviews and more reading.
Now to figure out how to not fall asleep the second I open a book...
-Anna
The Dragon of Trelian by Michelle Knudsen (YA) is just fun. Take a level headed princess with a secret, a mage's apprentice, a plot to destroy two kingdoms, strange dark beasts and a dragon and well, read away!
The Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede (YA) takes frontier life and mixes in magic to make the story of Eff, the unlucky 13th child. Eff's family moves to the wild frontier, a place where danger is always on the fringes and magic is used to make life easier and safer. It is here, that Eff discovers that being the 13th child is perhaps not so unlucky after all, and that she may hold the power to save the struggling settlements. Even though the story is somewhat slow and I finished the book feeling that not much happened, I enjoyed it for what it was, and am hoping that there will be a sequel.
Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass (SF) follows Kira Solomon a young woman bound to fight Shadow Avatars and demons. Set in modern day Atlanta, the book blends the urban and the mystic. I'm not usually a fan of science fiction that deals with demons and demigods and this book was no different. It had its moments, but overall, for me, fell flat.
Wee Free Men: A Discworld Story by Terry Pratchett (YA) is about a spunky little girl, Tiffany, who faces off with the Queen of Fairies to save her little brother. But she's not alone on this adventure. Some quite brave, quite funny, quite blue and quite Wee Free Men help her along the way. My sister recommended this book to me, and she was right on, I loved it.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
256 pages
Published by Persephone Books
When Miss Pettigrew takes a new post as a governess, she has no idea that her life is going to change in the most startling and exciting of ways.
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