BOOK REVIEW: "A Sister's Secret"

A Sister's Secret

By Wanda E. Brunstetter

Copyright 2007

Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Adult Fiction

2 Bookmarks

I have a thing for the Amish.  No, really.  I do!  I find all plain-clothed religions just simply fascinating.  Mostly because I just couldn't imagine adhering to those types of strict rules by choice.  But anyway, on to the book.

So I picked it up because of my fascination with the Amish, but it ended up being an intriguing little story. 

Grace Hostettler has been home from her rumschpringe (her running-around years) for four years and has joined the Amish faith.  But when someone from her past shows up in town, Grace fears the secret she has been keeping hidden for four years will come out, possibly ruining her future with the Amish man she is soon to marry. 

A side story transpires while Grace is dealing with her issue.  The side story involves mysterious vandalism that keeps occuring at the Hostettler home.  Grace is concerned the person from her past is behind the vandalism, but there is no way to prove it.  A few other suspects are mentioned, but as Grace is finally forced to face her past and find her way toward a future with her new Amish husband, the book ends. 

I turned the last page back and forth a couple times just to make sure I hadn't missed anything.  Really?  After thefts, an explosion, a dog tortured, another dog killed, a clothesline cut, and finally a house nearly burned to the ground, there was NO RESOLUTION to the vandalism sidebar to the story. 

Knocked off a whole bookmark for that lame mistake on the part of the author. 

BOOK REVIEW: "Five-Star Families: Moving Yours from Good to Great"

Five-Star Families:

Moving Yours from Good to Great

By Carol Kuykendall

Copyright 2005

Fleming H. Revell Publishing

Non-Fiction

1 Bookmark

Have you ever thought your family was pretty good but you'd really like it if they were "great"?  I saw the title of this book and wondered what some author might say about taking your family from "good" to "great". 

But wow.  What a disappointment. 

I think the author had the grandest of intentions when writing this book; i.e. help others do what needs to be done to have a "five-star family."  But her effort falls woefully short.  Instead, she merely points out the things she now thinks she did wrong and touts the things she thinks she did well.  She has really no expertise in this area, other than being the mother of three children that somehow managed to reach adulthood without landing in juvenile hall.  Oh, and she has a bachelor's degree in journalism. 

So many things irked me while reading this book. Seriously too many to list.  But the biggest one was the author's assumption that a family consists of two parents and numerous children.  I felt like so little of the book applied to my life (with my little family of mom, dad and one, lone child), that it was nearly a complete waste of my time to read it.  Over half the book seemed to be devoted to getting siblings not to fight with each other.  The other half seemed to be devoted to getting the siblings to stand up for each other against "the rest of the world."  I can't imagine someone living in a non-traditional household (one parent and kids, or grandparents raising kids, etc.), finding this a useful book either.

The one bright side to the book is that she did actually list five qualities that she thinks all families should have:  Love, Fun, Loyalty, Growth and Faith.  Although probably not the five qualities I would have listed were I to write a book of the same title (hmmmmm.....let's see.....if I had to list five right now I would say love, patience, forgiveness, devotion and......kindness).

Frankly, I was really disappointed that there wasn't anything more to this book than "This is what I did and it worked for me so you should do it too!" 

BOOK REVIEW: "Menu for Romance"

Menu for Romance
By Kaye Dacus
Copyright 2009
Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Adult Fiction
3 Bookmarks

So I'm a sucker for a good unrequited love story.  This one seemed to have all the makings of a juicy story right up my alley. 

Professional caterer Meredith is secretly in love with her head chef, Major.  Only she doesn't tell him because he's never even hinted that he was interested in letting anyone into his life.  Major has a "problem" mother that he doesn't want anyone to know about so he keeps to himself and doesn't get involved. 

When Meredith decides to try dating someone else so she can move forward with her life, Major realizes what a huge mistake he has made by not telling her that he, too, is in love with her.  But now it's too late.

The author does a great job introducing the characters and getting the reader emotionally involved in the outcome of the story.  The author brings a lot of religion into the story, which isn't usually my favorite thing, but she does it in a tasteful manner that is not overly evangelical.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a light, quick read.  I loved the John Wayne references and appreciated the fact that there wasn't any gratuitous sex in the book (obviously due to the Christian background of the author).

BOOK REVIEW: "This Side of Paradise"

This Side of Paradise
By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Copyright 1996
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Adult Fiction
2.5 Bookmarks

So I had worked my way completely through my stack of library books and had to resort to my own bookshelves for a book to read.  I saw This Side of Paradise, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and realized I hadn't read it in a really long time.  So long, in fact, that I couldn't really remember what it was about.  So I pulled it off the shelf and started reading.

This is the story of Amory Blaine, a privileged youth making his way into adulthood.  The story follows Amory through his college days, a trip to "the war", and aimless wanderings through the world as he tries to find his way.  It is by the same author as The Great Gatsby, and the story followings a similar, meandering track as that classic. 

There were some parts of the book that were interesting, especially when Amory discovers a girl he likes.  But when that little flirtation ends badly, Amory turns into a sort of purposeless person and ends up in a lot of strange situations that don't really make him any better for it. 

I suppose my biggest criticism of the book is just the constant wandering of the story without rhyme or reason as to WHY.  Of course Fitzgerald is a "good" writer, and I never felt the desire to set the book down, but it's just not a good enough book for me to want to pull it off that shelf again anytime soon. 

COMMENTARY: "2012--Here We Come!"

Well, 2011 has drawn to a close…..finally! It’s been a rough year with health issues, surgeries, family concerns, work stress, school stress and everything in between, but I survived. And I’m now looking forward to the new adventures coming in 2012.

There’s something rather cathartic about these New Beginnings we are lucky enough to experience on the first day of January every year; a fresh start, a clean slate, a renewal of life. There are times when the day-to-day stresses are so overwhelming that they smother any ability to see the big picture of life. These New Beginnings are, in a way, an apology from life for the crap we’ve had to deal with every day. Sometimes just being able to take a deep breath and let go of the tough times and the sad times and the mistakes we’ve made is a necessary step in moving forward and progressing as human beings.

If there were no clean slates, we would be constantly bogged down by those negative experiences and life would surely become an extremely unpleasant undertaking.

I did two small activities this year that made me realize just how stuck I’ve been in that negative mindset. First, every day during the month of November, I posted on my Facebook status something I’m thankful for. You’d think that would be a pretty easy task, but it was not. There were days I really had to reach into the depths of my brain to find something “good” to say. I realized that forcing myself to see the good in life when I sure didn’t think there was any actually did make the day better. So, in December, I decided to keep the good thoughts coming and I posted one of my “favorite things” every day. Those days when I felt stumped trying to think of something to say made me realize I need to have more favorite things in my life.

But really, the thing that made it so apparently obvious that I need to be more positive, was a gift my daughter gave me for Christmas. She called it an “Optimism Box”. In reality, it was just a simple Kleenex box on which she had written in marker a message on each side: “If you are stressed, just be optimistic”, “Sometimes it’s good to be optimistic”, “Don’t worry, be optimistic”. On top she had written “The Optimism Eater” and inside the box she had several little notes including “If black cats were bad luck…I wouldn’t be alive. So proves they are not!” and my favorite: “Bear hugs are good….just not from a bear.” (Okay, so she may not have the exact definition of optimism down, but I got her point). Opening that gift, I laughed until I cried. Partially from overwhelming love at my sweet little kid who noticed I had a tough time this year and was trying to make things better. And partially from sadness that my sweet little kid was obviously affected by my reactions to life.

So as 2012 peaks his squeaky clean little head around the corner, I will be making a concerted effort to bring the positive around me. To show my little mini-me that life is good and that happiness is free. So if you catch me being a complainer this year, just give me a smile and quick reminder, “Don’t worry, be optimistic!”

SONG OF THE DAY: "Color on the Walls (Don't Stop)"

My new favorite band: Foster the People
"Color on the Walls (Don't Stop)"

BOOK REVIEW: "The Shade of My Own Tree"

The Shade of My Own Tree
By Sheila Williams
Copyright 2003
Random House Publishing
Adult Fiction
3.75 Bookmarks

An abused woman finally finds the courage to walk out on her husband after 15 years of marriage. Opal Sullivan finds that courage and heads out to begin her life anew. Over the course of her journey, she realizes many things.

First, that she will never truly be free of her ex-husband. Second, that she likes living under the shade of her own tree. And third, that life is full of nothing but surprises.

Normally, a book about domestic violence is not something I have on my radar. But I liked the title of the book and immediately "got" the significance of the phrase. And I was pleasantly surprised with the manner that the author handled the subject matter. It was not terribly graphic but got the point across when needed.

I really liked that the author gave the main character the strength to go out there and do the things that she did, including helping other women in abusive relationships. The reader gets a great feel for Opal's struggles and her triumphs in overcoming them.

I really enjoyed this book and would absolutely recommend it! Would make a great book club read.

BOOK REVIEW: "An Ideal Wife"

An Ideal Wife
By Gemma Townley
Copyright 2010
Ballantine Books
Adult Fiction
1.5 Bookmarks

Wowza. This is the most typically typical British novel I've read in a long while. Jessica Wild-Wainwright (even the name is typical!) is madly in love with her perfect, perfect husband Max. Unfortunately, Jessica is not so perfect (quite the opposite, in fact).

And so, Jessica sets out on a mission to become the ideal wife.

Now just so you understand, Jessica is so far from being the ideal wife that it is, frankly, difficult for the reader to imagine her becoming what she has set out to become.

There's just a slight problem with her plan. Jessica has a dirty little secret that she has kept from her husband that is now coming back to haunt her. An ex-fling is extorting her for money and she isn't quite sure what to do about it.

You get to watch as Jessica tries to make up for the dirty little secret by attempting to learn to be a good cook, how to iron, and volunteering at a soup kitchen.

One particularly amusing episode of Jessica's attempts at wifely perfection leaves poor Max laid up in the hospital for a week.

Unfortunately for Jessica, her efforts are a dire failure. Soon it becomes apparent that her secret can stay a secret no more. And throw on top of that a couple of thugs from the Russian Mafia, a long-lost father that she never knew, and a few million pounds of money that she doesn't know what to do with.

Stories like this always have a happy ending, but they usually have quite a nail-biting climax and this was no exception. It was a quick read, and there were a few moments that were even kind of fun. But for the most part it was just so much like so many other British novels I've read that it was boring.

Open this one only if you really like predictability.

BOOK REVIEW: "This Fine Life"

This Fine Life
By Eva Marie Everson
Copyright 2010
Revell Publishing
Adult Fiction
3 Bookmarks

A young girl comes home after graduating from a prep school where she has lived away from home for the past four years. Mariette is not sure which direction to go. Her mother wants her to "marry well". Her father wants her to go to University. Mariette just doesn't know what she wants.

But when Mariette stumbles upon a young man in a stairwell at her father's company who takes her breath away, just doesn't really think about it any longer. Keeping Thayne Scott a secret from her parents doesn't last long, and soon Mariette is forbidden from seeing him since he is not in the same social class as her family.

Mariette soon finds a way to go to him. They run away together and, surprise! They elope. But it's not all fun and games when Mariette realizes the kind of life she is going to have with Thayne. The two stumble through life's ups and downs together and Mariette tries to understand her husband's calling.

I enjoyed reading this book for the most part. There was definitely a bit of religiosity strewn throughout the story but it was not obtrusive. The characters were a bit weakly defined, but you sort of got the gist of who they were as people. A nice Sunday afternoon read.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Land of Painted Caves"

The Land of Painted Caves
By Jean M. Auel
Copyright 2011
Crown Publishers
Adult Fiction
4 Bookmarks

Well here it is! The last in the Earth's Children series. It was published back in, I think, March of this year and I finally got around to reading it (after making my way back through the series again). I think this may be the thickest of the books. With 757 pages, it was certainly daunting.

Okay, first let me point out what annoyed me about this book. After writing five other books in this series, for some reason, the author still feels like she has to write the book as if it's a stand-alone book. Meaning, that in each of these books, she feels she has to re-cap all the important events of all the previous books in the series. A great number of those 757 pages were reminders of what I just got done reading in the previous six books, which was unbelievably tedious!

I was ready for some new material! Some new characters, some new subject matter. Instead, the recaps just went on for page after page after page. I'm guessing that 99% of the people who will read this book are addicts of the series (as I am), and already know the history of the characters. The recaps were totally overdone.

The other thing I didn't like was the basic plot of the book. The main character, Ayla, has become something of a spiritual leader of the group. Because of that, she is taken on a tour of the sacred sites of the people. Much of the book is the travel from one sacred site to another, from one painted cave to another. Not much variety in the storyline.

Whew! Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way, let me just say I still love this series. I still really enjoyed the characters and the situations they found themselves in. I enjoyed being able to picture the landscapes and the surroundings. I enjoyed the descriptions of the different medicines and rituals observed by the people. I imagine I would have made a great cavegirl!

Normally when I read a book and have more negative things to say than positive, it's going to get a low rating. But hard for me to give anything by this author a low ranking when I really enjoy these books so much. Even with the 757 pages, I made it through the whole book in less than a week. Snatching a paragraph here or a paragraph there between other things going on in my life.

My frustrations really have more to do with it not quite fulfilling my expectations and not with any lack on the quality of the writing. Do read this one!

BOOK REVIEW: "Love in a Time of Cholera"

Love in the Time of Cholera
By Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Copyright 1988
Vintage Books (Random House)
Adult Fiction
2.5 Bookmarks

A strangely odd and depressing story to have been made into a movie. I haven't seen the movie, but I'm pretty sure it's not one I would really enjoy watching.

Basic plot of the book is this: young boy falls in love from a distance with young girl, expresses his love solely through written letters since it's nearly impossible for them to actually meet face to face, father finds out, takes daughter away for a length of time, but boy manages to continue writing letters which are sneakily delivered to the girl, father thinks he's successfully ended the little love affair and thus returns the daughter home where she, nearly on accident, runs into the boy face to face. Girl turns tail, runs and marries the first man who proposes to her. Boy never gives up hope that he will be with girl (once the husband dies, of course). And so he waits. And waits. And waits. Most of the book is the waiting. And then suddenly, almost without warning, the characters are in their 80s.

I won't spoil the ending because it actually is kind of an enjoyable book to read, and many readers out there would appreciate it. It is very well-written with beautifully detailed sentence structure and compelling narrative.

Particularly meaningful, as I have always felt that it was easy to love through the written word. Being able to write what you feel and to read between the lines of what someone else has written is, for me, the ultimate romanticism. It is an art that is lost, and is painfully missed.

I probably would have given it a higher score if I didn't feel so sad when I finished reading it. It needed a little lightening up, but I suppose with a name like "Love in the time of Cholera", I shouldn't have expected it to be much more than depressing.

SONG OF THE DAY: Young the Giant - "Cough Syrup"

I feel this song today.

BOOK REVIEW: "making love to the minor poets of Chicago"

making love to the minor poets of Chicago
By James Conrad
Copyright 2000
Thomas Dunne Books
Adult Fiction
2 Bookmarks

Well frankly, with a title like that I expected a lot more. After all, I love "love", love poetry, and loathe all things Chicago; it made for an interestingly incongruous picture in my mind. But instead of being interesting, I just simply found the book boring. And weird. Actually more weird than boring.

So the basic story is this, a failed poet stumbles upon this opportunity to write a poem to save humanity from the nuclear waste stored beneath Yucca Mountain in Nevada. It seems that someone has been commissioned to paint a painting to be placed at the mountain to warn future generations for the next 10,000 years or so that it's going to take the nuclear waste to lose its dangerousness, and so this poet believes she can convince The Powers That Be that a poem should be called for as well.

So, maybe a slightly interesting premise, but the execution was severely lacking. First of all, the one who wanted to write the poem has to ask a colleague of hers to actually get in contact with The Powers That Be because, oh yes, the colleague's ex-husband is the painter who's been commissioned to do the painting. Since she has an "in", of course, they agree and you would think the story would move forward from here. Instead, it ended up being just a really discombobulated mess of minor storylines dropped in here and there that really had nothing to do with anything.

There was a seriously over-stereotyped group of gay characters linked to the poetry department at the local college. And I mean seriously stereotyped. I was even mildly offended by a scene in the book that is set in a gay bar where the author actually makes fun of the music playing "a groggy male vocalist was whining about someone having blue eyes, green eyes, and gray eyes" (which just happens to be from my very, very favorite New Order song ever!)

At the end of the book, two of the characters take off from Chicago and end up near Yucca Mountain (one of them even volunteering at the nuclear waste facility for a period of time for no apparent reason at all). And then that was the end of the book.

There were a few entertaining scenes written into the book, but really just not much substance or purpose to the story. The review on the back cover called it "the ultimate love story of the nuclear age" (Dale Peck). That one really left me scratching my head. Love story? There was no love story here.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Shelters of Stone"

The Shelters of Stone
By Jean M. Auel
Copyright 2002
Crown Publishers
Adult Fiction
4 Bookmarks

Book Five of the Earth's Children Series takes the main characters, Ayla and Jondalar, back to Jondalar's home, the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii. Ayla is nervous to meet Jondalar's family but after more than a year of traveling to get there, she is ready.

As has been the case with all the groups of people they've encountered on the way, Jondalar's people are startled by the woman with the horses and wolf as traveling companions. But because they remember Jondalar, some of them are more willing to accept her at face value, including Jondalar's family, although some members of the community hold grudges against Jondalar and take it out on Ayla.

Once again, Ayla comes to the rescue of various individuals in her new community, including a baby who is being neglected and a boy who gets gored by a wooly rhinoceros. Ayla struggles with her innate ability to heal and faces some tough choices.

In The Shelters of Stone, Ayla and Jondalar finally become officially "mated" and have a baby to expand their family as they start this new life.

This is not my favorite book in the series. Partially because it is so dang long (753 pages, in case you were wondering why I haven't posted anything in awhile). Partially because now that they're "back home", they have to re-tell their story several times (and the author includes these retellings in the book), which gets a little redundant. However, it does have some interesting plot twists and new adventures for the pair, as well as some very novel characters.

Once again, I do really love Auel's ability to tell a story and capture the feeling of a situation through her words (although the "adult" portions of the book are pretty over-the-top graphic). And this is the last "old" book in the series (one that I have read before). Next will be the last book in the series that was just published this year, The Land of Painted Caves (watch for my review as soon as it comes up in my library queue!)

BOOK REVIEW: "The Year of Pleasures"

The Year of Pleasures
By Elizabeth Berg
Copyright 2005
Random House
Adult Fiction
3.5 Bookmarks

Betta Nolan does what many of us often dream of doing; she sells her house, picks up and moves halfway across the country. Unfortunately, she only does this after the death of her beloved husband, John. The two had planned to retire together, then move to the country. But when John is diagnosed with cancer, their plans change.

Near the end of his life, John makes Betta promise she will finish what they started, and so Betta sells the house shortly after John's death and starts driving. She finds herself in a small, midwestern town and buys the first house she sees.

As Betta confronts her new life alone, she meets many new and interesting characters, feels much pain, and tries to move forward.

The author does an absolutely amazing job of delving into the feelings and fears that Betta goes through during this process. Grief is an incredible thing, but to feel it through the words written by the author was a new experience. At one point, Betta can't sleep. She keeps thinking she hears her husband talking to her. "I left the lights on, pulled back the bedclothes, and climbed in. I listened carefully: nothing. I turned out the light and listened again. A car going by, my alarm clock ticking. I took of my coat and boots, then lay back down. Some nights lasted weeks."

When I was about two chapters into this book I thought for sure it was going to be a 5 Bookmark book. In the end though, I really felt like the author let some really great opportunities get away from her.

After John's death, Betta finds a box with dozens of small slips of paper that John had written on; "Japanese tea ceremony", "iron grates", "Soprano gone--good". Betta is at first confused, but eventually realizes what John was trying to tell her. The memories Betta recollects as she's looking at these slips of paper were entrancing, but unfortunately, the author left it at that. They ended up being no more than just a sideline to the story.

That author also seemed to miss a few beats with another angle of the story. Betta meets a gentleman who is interested in her. She tries to force herself to move forward with him, but it just never feels right. I think the author could have explored this area a little bit further and gone into more detail about why she wasn't ready for another relationship yet, but instead she just sort of lets it fizzle and then get snatched out of her hands.

There were definitely parts of the book that I liked, and other parts I was disappointed with. One thing that always made me catch my breath were the moments in the book where Betta "remembers" that she's grieving. She thinks, "...part of me still lingered at John's side, staring both at him and at the future without him, waiting to see if he were going to change his mind and come with me after all." Heartwrenching for anyone who has ever loved another.

Although there was never a clear explanation for the title of the book, I did really enjoy reading it. There were a few moments where I would find a small tear in my eye, but it was good because it made me remember those in my life who I have lost, and appreciate those in my life that I still have.