Views From Hobbit Hole

Books I Read in 2011

2012-01-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

In 2011 I made a goal to read fifty books in that year. It's about a book a week. I suspected that I wouldn't come close to the goal. I used to read several books a week but that was before kids and computers. My reading had gone way downhill and often I was lucky to get a book read a month.

So I kept track and I was pleased to see that I had read thirty seven books last year. Thirteen off my goal but really not too bad considering.

So what did I read. That was more interesting than how many. I read nine classic or literary books. Two of those were for my English class, "The Handmaids Tale" by Margaret Atwood, and "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison. I enjoyed them both but was frustrated with the lack of discussion especially in the case of the Atwood novel. Now as I read the bible I can see even clearer how Atwood came to her conclusions and wrote this haunting tale that was not so far off reality. Among that list of nine it included "Catcher In the Rye" a book that I felt was hugely overrated. Mr. Chips, a lovely book about a lovely man. Good Morning Miss Dove, another lovely book. Secret Daughter because I was involved briefly in a book club. The "Mansion" by Henry Van Dyke because President Monson recommended it and "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" because my daughter brought it home and I had heard about it from my son who had watched the movie.

My daughter, a twelve year old, was very influential in my book choices last year. I liked reading what she read. It was a connection. I read fourteen juvenile novels, five of them were because my daughter was reading them. Two of them were from J.K. Rowlings and neither were a Harry Potter novel. I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and used them for essays illustrating Marxism and Psycho-Analysis. Three of those books were from LDS writers, one of which was assigned to me to review.

Speaking of reviews, I read four books specifically for review purposes where the authors sent me copies. Two of these were historical, one was juvenile fiction, and one was a sort of fantasy about what happens when we die.

I read six biography/memoir books which sent me to Italy, had me on a race to keep ahead of the police, let me in one of the most powerful women in the world, sent me back in time to the war era a couple of times, one with a family that adopted kids of different races and the other to an island off Seattle not far from where I grew up, and into the background of the funniest woman in show biz.

The big surprise for me was that I read only one mystery and it wasn't so much a mystery as espionage. Old lady espionage.

The one book I read which I wish I hadn't had to was about literary theory. Talk about brutal, but it was a requirement so it went on my list. I can never get my life back on that one.

There were only a couple of inspirational novels which was another surprise.

I have several books started for this year and they are all different. I'm setting a goal for fifty books again this year, and don't have school so it will be interesting to see if I can do it.

Overall not a bad year in reading.

Books Read in 2011
Fiction

Literary

The Handmaid's Tale – Margaret Atwood
The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
Catcher In the Rye – J.D. Salinger
Secret Daughter – Shilpi Somaya Gowan
Bab: A Sub-Deb – Mary Roberts Rinehart
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne
Goodbye Mr Chips and Other Stories – James Hilton
Good Morning Miss Dove – Frances Gray Patton
The Mansion – Henry Van Dyke

Historical Fiction

The Assassination of Governor Boggs – Rod Miller

Mystery

Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha – Dorothy Gilman

Christian Fiction

A Bride Most Begrudging – Dianne Gist
Sleight of Hand – Deanne Blackhurst (LDS Author)
All That Was Promised – Vickie Hall (LDS Author)

Youth Novels

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator – Roald Dahl
Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them – J.K. Rowling
The Tales of Beedle the Bard – J.K. Rowling
The Dragonfly Pool – Eva Ibbotson
Dear Canada: Home Child – Jean Little
Dear Canada: Arabella Daughter of a Loyalist – Janet Lunn
Jimmy Fincher: The Tower of Air – James Dashner (LDS Author)
Jimmy Fincher: War With the Black Curtain – James Dashner (LDS Author)
The Key of Kilenya – Andrea Pearson (LDS Author)
Witch and Wizard – James Patterson
Witch and Wizard 2: The Gift – James Patterson
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – Ann Brashares
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place – E.L. Konigsburg

Non-Fiction

Christian Inspirational

Wonka Mania – Kris Rasmussun

LDS Inspriational

Time Out for Women: Live, Love and Learn - Various

Biography/Memoir

Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
Catch Me If You Can – Frank Abagnale
Oprah – Kitty Kelly
The Family Nobody Wanted – Helen Doss
One More Time: A Memoir – Carol Burnett
Onions in the Stew – Betty MacDonald

Scholastic

Literary Theory - Terry Eagleton
Traitors and Turncoats – Ian Crofton

Virtual Blog Tour Review: The Assassination of Govenor Boggs by Rod Miller

2011-12-07T02:19:00.000-08:00

The Assassination of Governor Boggs by Rod Miller

On May 6 1842 a bullet ripped through the window of Lilburn Boggs parlour window severely injuring him to the point where he was announced dead. He survived it and recovered but was sure that the shooter was Porter Rockwell, a known bodyguard for Joseph Smith, the prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Boggs had a reputation for persecuting the Mormons and upholding those that did, eventually leading to his extermination order of all Mormons. It was no wonder, after the massacre of Hauns Mill and the Saints being forced to leave behind all their property and goods and travel in the winter, that suspicion would fall upon the Mormons.

In this novel, Boggs' son hires detective Calvin Pogue to track down the gunman twenty five years after the incident, and after the death of his father. Although the statute of limitations has run out and Rockwell was declared not guilty in a court of law, Bill Boggs is convinced he did it. He's looking for proof now just so the family can know.

We follow Pogue's progress as he makes his way back to where it all began and follows the trail to Salt Lake City where he eventually interviews Porter Rockwell.

I found the book to be well balanced. It was neither pro-Mormon nor anti-Mormon and the detective himself had no feelings one way or the other. He was interested in the truth.

It was also well written and had nice touches, such as Porter Rockwell's recollections interspersed with the detectives interviews, the constant ache in Pogue's injured leg that needed to be readjusted all the time, and his lookout for all things horsey to send back to his daughter Emily Elizabeth in Chicago. The author was good about giving our detective a background, although I found it surprising that he would relay his personal background to his client. That was the one thing that seemed off to me and I wonder if the information could have been given another way. Usually I like characters telling each other things, but in this instance it seemed out of place. However, the personal problems in his family life gave the detective another layer as he struggles with his own personal decisions while he tries to track down the truth. Like all good fictional detectives this guy has his idiosyncrasies and imperfections.

This is not a mystery. There's no tada moment where the detective reveals all. Nor is this a suspense thriller. No wagon chases or shootouts here. What it is, is a thoughtful look at an event in history that has never been solved.

I was frustrated by one thing. Although several characters expressed resentment towards the Mormons, the reasons why the resentment started weren't explained or why they felt justified in their persecution. Certainly after the Danites came into existence they would have had concern, but the Danites were formed because of the persecution. I was waiting for a character to express why his hatred for the Mormons existed.

Over all a good solid historical novel that doesn't make either side look like angels.

To visit the book's website and read more reviews of this book go to The Assassination of Governor Boggs.

Books by Rod Miller

Traitors and Turncoats - Ian Crofton

2011-10-08T03:44:00.000-07:00

Traitors and Turncoats by Ian Crofton

Just what is a traitor? Well I guess it depends on whose side you are on. One persons or country's traitor may be another's hero.

Crofton focuses in on twenty-one people who have been labled traitors in one form or another. Yet although there are some who are definate traitors, others would not be considered so.

The usual ones we think of as traitors are here...Judas, Benedict Arnold, Guy Fawkes and the controversial and legendary Mata Hari, but there are others that could hardly be called traitors.

Anne Boleyn was beheaded for having affairs with men (including her brother) other than Henry VIII, a crime considered treason if a queen did it although not if a king did and one that Crofton begins the chapter pointing out that Princess Diana admitted to. However there was actually no proof and most believe she was innocent of the crime. However Henry used it as a way to get rid of his marriage so he could marry his mistress Jane Seymour.

Lady Jane Grey could hardly be considered a traitor by any stretch of the imagination. She was an innocent fifteen year old who was used as a figurehead by those who did not wish to have Henry VIII daughter Mary to ascend to the throne. For nine days, Lady Jane was Queen and her reign ended by her beheading. She never wanted the role but was forced into it.

Sophie Scholl might very well fall into the hero category. A German girl during the Nazi regime, she, her brother and her friends spread literature denouncing the new regime. She was found guilty of treason against her country and along with her brother and friends was guillotined. It might be argued that she committed treason against the reigning government, but actually she spoke out for her fellow Germans.

Perhaps I focus in on those wrongly labled traitor because of my own family history. My paternal grandfather and great-grandfather were executed for being traitors against the Soviet government. They were later proclaimed innocent.

However I am not accusing Crofton of wrongly lableing others. More than likely he included them to show the different views of traitorism. He isn't afraid of expressing an opinion in this easy readable and non-scholary book. I use this as a compliment. It's part of this books charm that while he makes the reading enjoyable occasionally you will see his opinions sneak in.

Perhaps a traitor can be catagorized as someone who makes an allegience to a person, country or belief and yet works for the opposite of what he proclaims. Not all the people in this book fall into that category. For instance Rose O'Neal Greenhow, an advocate for the South in the American Civil War never actually hid her alliances or bigoted viewpoints and worked for the south as a spy. Although most find her despicable she isn't really a traitor to the cause that she sided with.

Crofton shows us how Benedict Arnold, a name that like Judas has become synonymous with the word traitor, came to the decisions he made and how at the same time that he is spat upon as a traitor, he rightfully earned the lable hero before his disillusionment that led to his traitorism.

And perhaps that is the type that hurts most of all. Those who are revered and then let us down. Judas was an apostle of Jesus. He was one of the few chosen and he became one of the most hated men in history.

We love these stories. Star Wars tells us the same tale. That of Anikin Skywalker, a chosen one who become the trecherous Darth Vader.

Our own history of the earth begins with the traitorous Lucifer who turns into Satan.

And even on a more personal note, when our own family betrays us it is often the most painful experience we will ever have.

A great non-fiction title. If you like history, you'll enjoy this one.

Books by Ian Crofton

Bab: a Sub-Deb by Mary Roberts Rinehart

2011-09-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

This book was a contemporary novel written in 1917.

It doesn't read like it was written in 1917, for Bab could have been a girl of anytime. While I read it I had to remind myself that this is a book of another time, because I could easily imagine Bab living now.

It just goes to show that even if times change we basically don't.

Bab by the way is hilarious and yes, all those spelling errors in the book are not a product of bad editing or writing. They are supposed to be there because this is a girls diary, spelling mistakes and all.

I will say, Bab is consistent with her spelling. Such as the way she refers to her Familey.

More importantly are the scrapes Bab gets herself into. In the opening of the book she tells us how she feels being a sub-debutant which in her world is equal to being invisible. She can't become a debutant and have boys pay attention to her until her older sister gets married. So, she creates an imaginary boyfriend which might normally not go very far, but for Bab it does. I think that TV shows have borrowed some of their plots from Bab's escapades.

In a second story, Bab becomes infatuated with a celebrity. I swear Bab was Lucy before Lucy was.

In a third story Bab is given a thousand dollar a year allowance for clothes and other necessities (even now I think that's a lot). Giving Bab money is not really a good idea and she ends up with a secret car and a plot to capture a thief.

In the last story the world is at war so Bab creates a local girls group to support the troops which somehow leads her to suspect the house servants of being spies.

It's a funny book and the most interesting is how fresh and honest it comes across. And Bab is honest about her self-delusions. She honestly has no idea how she gets into these predicaments. It just happens.

I'm always happy to discover a new favorite author, even if the author has been around for a hundred years. I plan to read more of her books.

You can find free Kindle editions of her books at Amazon.

Books by Mary Roberts Rinehart

Virtual Blog Tour: The Key of Kilenya by Andrea Pearson

2011-09-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

The Key to Kilenya – Andrea Pearson

When Jacob through some strange magical force suddenly finds himself in a strange land surrounded by strange people and given the quest to obtain the magic key of Kilenya, his first reaction is to head home because he's got a basketball tryout which according to him he's been training for years for and how is he going to become a basketball hero if he doesn't even make the high school team?

As it turns out he's expected to be an even bigger hero, so reluctantly he embarks on his journey to get the key back. He sets out with a Makalo, and two Minyas and meets along the way Lorkans, Dusts and a crazed cloud guy.

I enjoyed the book. Pearson has created a world full of monsters and magic and she doesn't make it particularily easy for our protagonist. There's also a double story in here that I enjoyed and intrigued me. We get to follow a little bit of Prince Dmitri journeys while we go along the journey with Jacob.

This story is well written and it shows what a good editor can do to help a talented writer. There were a couple of puzzling places that I think could have been fixed, but they were minor.

The one problem I had with the book was the plot part where the Minyas could journey back and forth with messages and at one point Jacob is shrunk and brought back. Why couldn't they have just shrunken Jacob or that matter any one of the Makalos at the beginning of the journey and sent them with the Minyas? Why have Jacob have to walk the whole way? I'm sure there's an answer that I may have missed.

The story in this book doesn't really have an ending. There are too many ends to tie up and it's obviously the first in a series. There's too many things that Jacob has to still do and too many mysteries still to be solved to leave us there. So I'm hoping that Pearson is able to complete the series. Some things at the end when there's a lot of explanation I think could have waited for the next book since there's undoubtedly a next book. It was like the author was trying to wrap things up all at once even knowing that she couldn't. For instance, any explanation about Jacobs magical powers could have been left out and just allow us to discover them with Jacob.

Overall a nice read for any age and I'm looking forward to reading the next book from this series. Not only am I hoping for more of Jacob, but I would love to read a prequel of Prince Dmitri.

To purchase the book click on The Key of Kilenya

And to read more about this book and the author go to Andrea Pearsons blog. Not only will you find information about the book but you can read other reviews there.

Virtual Blog Tour: All That Was Promised by Vickie Hall

2011-09-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

All That Was Promised by Vickie Hall

From the back of the book:

An encounter with a Mormon missionary and his unusual message of a “restored gospel” leaves Richard Kenyen, a young Methodist minister, questioning his life's work when he cannot deny a growing testimony of this peculiar American religion. But Richard soon finds himself struggling to recoginze the promiesed blessings of the gospel when violent persecution shakes the fledgling Church in Wales.

This is Vickie Hall's debut novel about the church in the 1840's and she has created some interesting characters. Probably for me the most interesting and layered is that of Meredith, a young bar maid who has survived by any means possible – Hall eludes to prostitution without going into detail – who is hired by John Morgan to infiltrate the Welsh Saints, become one of them, and then relate back to him personal details to enable him to persecute the Saints. It is unclear what John Morgan's motivation is, since he appears to be a man who would do things for his own benefit and there isn't any apparent reason why the Saints persecution is for his benefit. He just hates Mormons.

There is also the story of Richard's brother Robert, a successful business man, and his horrible wife Abigail who tortures their daughter Amelia. No, I'm not talking thumb screws and racks. She uses mostly psychological torture with a little violence thrown in.

At the heart of the story is Richard and his wife Leah. For Richard becoming a member means also abandoning his career, his livelihood, and his flock, a decision that can't be an easy one.

To be honest, I had trouble with the writing style of the book. I think it lacks a good editor. There are too many point of view changes within scenes, too many cliches, and the author gets in the way too much. Often Hall will show us a scene and then instead of allowing the reader to feel what is going on, she steps in and explains things. Hall needs to trust her readers more. This type of writing might work if the author creates a narrative character – such as in the Lemony Snicket books – or writes from a first person perspective, but she does niether. Instead she gives us an omnipresent viewpoint which works if you're presenting a scene the way you would watch a movie, but if you choose to do that you can't explain what just happened. You can't tell the reader what everyone is feeling. There is so much telling going on in this book when showing would have been far more effective.

The other problem I had was that the characters tended to be one-dimensional. In the book blurb it states that Richard finds himself struggling to recognize the promised blessings. In fact it seems that Richard doesn't struggle at all. His faith is unwavering as are everyone else's other than one couple. In this book Mormons are good and non-Mormons are bad. All Mormons forgive easily, all non-Mormons don't. It makes life easier when everyone is wearing black or white hats and you can tell them apart, but life is filled with gray. No one is all good or all bad. In fact in the case of Abigail she is almost a cartoon and you expect her to show up in a black dress and a witches hat screeching “I'll get you my pretty.”

Which brings us back to Meredith, the character in this book that does fall in the gray area. I liked how Hall allowed us to see how far Meredith had sunk. She shows us to a certain point without going beyond decency that she does have more than just a business relationship with John Morgan. In this respect she does trust her readers to understand what is going on without painting the picture in detail and without telling us. She shows us a little and lets us fill in the rest. I would have liked to have gotten into Merediths head more and seen more of a struggle, not just with her choices but with her own forgiveness and obtaining the foregiveness of others.

If you're looking for a book that supports LDS beliefs and gives a little history then this might be the one for you. There is violence here, but that is because its a part of history. The LDS church has a violent past, most not of it's own fault, and the fact cannot be glossed over.

It was interesting to get a peek into Wales. We were treated to some Welsh superstition (Leah's mother is another interesting character who firmly believes in the superstitions), some Welsh food, and a few Welsh sayings. If the author writes another book set in Wales I would love to have her incorporate more of the culture into the book for it is the Wales aspect that sets it apart from other books of the early Saints conversion.

By the way, the cover of this book is beautiful. I know that may not be important, but it is to writers. This cover has a unique overlay on top of the gorgeous artwork that makes the book unique.

To know more about Vickie Hall go to her website. There are links to her blog, Welsh recipes, and more information about the book.

To read more reviews of this book go to Tristi Pinkstons site. There are lists in the side bar of all blog tours and the addresses where you can read more reviews.

And to purchase the book:

Want to win an Ipad?

2011-09-02T16:44:00.001-07:00

In conjunction with the release of Pumpkin Roll the author, Josi S. Kilpack, and the publisher, Shadow Mountain, are sponsoring a contest for a new iPad. To enter, leave a comment in the comment section of this blog before November 1, 2011. Winners will be announced and notified November 3rd 2011.
For additional ways to enter, go to http://www.josiskilpack.com/

Josi is a good writer. I've reviewed two of her books. To Have and Hold and Tempest Tossed. Plus she's been kind enough to read and comment on my reviews even when they were critical.

Pumpkin Roll is the sixth in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Series and it looks like a good one. They all look good. Don't those covers look yummy?

Books in the Series

Oh I wish I could get my hands on them, but I have to spend money on real food and rent.

About Pumpkin Roll

Sadie Hoffmiller is looking forward to spending her favorite baking season of the year making delicious New England recipes in Boston, Massachusetts, with her favorite leading man, Pete Cunningham, as they babysit his three young grandsons. But when the boys insist that Mrs. Wapple, the woman who lives across the street, is a witch, Sadie and Pete are anxious to distract the boys from such Halloween-induced ideas. However, it gets harder and harder to explain the strange things that keep happening, particularly after Sadie learns the eccentric Mrs. Wapple has been attacked in her home.

As the unexplained occurrences escalate, Sadie finds herself embroiled in yet another mystery with life-or-death consequences. Can Sadie discover whoever—or whatever—is behind the mystery before anyone else gets hurt? Or will this be Sadie’s last case?

You can read the first chapter here. Chapter 1 There's a recipe for pumpkin roll as well.

So now I hope I win an ipad. I could really use one.

Virtual Blog Tour: Sleight of Hand by Deanne Blackhurst

2011-08-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

Daniel Cabrero is a con man. If it weren't for that he might have lived a long and happy life. Instead he dies while trying to escape from his latest con and is sent to a place called Wasteland where he must face the consequences of his actions on earth.

I like what Blackhurst has done here with the concept of Wasteland - a place where some must go to confront their past sins. She does a good job creating Dan's particular prison, a log cabin in the woods which he has often daydreamed about as the perfect place. However Dan isn't allowed the usual things that keep his mind busy. Although he can dream up food and scenery, he can't create people, books, movies or television. In fact he soon discovers that he can't create anything that would relieve boredom. It's so dull that a person would commit suicide if they weren't already dead. The result is that he must deal with his past and we and he discovers who he is and his story through the scenes that Dan must witness and feel. This is a story of redemption and sacrifice and for the most part it is told well.

Now for the bad not because I want to say bad things, but simply because I think this is a good writer who could be better.

Blackhurst makes two critical mistakes on the very first page of her novel. If you can get past these mistakes then you will be rewarded, but they're bad enough for any editor to toss the manuscript aside, and seeing that this is an e-book edition and doesn't have a hard copy, the chances are that not only can the author avoid these mistakes in the future, but she may be able to fix them on this novel.

He grabbed his toothbrush from the sink, then looked up and studied his reflection in the mottled bathroom mirror.
At fifty five Daniel was in pretty good shape. His light brown hair, now streaked with white was thick, and the lines at the corner of his gray-green eyes suited him.

Did you catch what was wrong here? One of the things editors hate, is using the cliched mirror to describe what a person looks like. It's lazy. It's been done too many times. And it's completely unnecessary. Now there are times to use a mirror. If it adds to the motivations of a character, if it moves the story along, if the character is talking to himself... but using it for the sole purpose of giving the reader a description is a big sin in the writing world and that's what has been done here. It does one other bad thing. It stops the action. We open up to Daniel packing up his things quickly to get out of his motel room fast, and instead of being able to race along with him, we are stopped in our tracks while the author tells us what he looks like. All of this description can be threaded in without disturbing the action or using a mirror.

Blackhurst goes on to tell us that Dan is a con-man and that his father died young and was a creep. On the first page. In the middle of the action.

We don't need this information now. First off, we know by the description of the book that Dan is a con-man and if we don't know it we'll figure it out within the next couple of pages, not only that he's a con-man but what kind of con. The author shows us very well within moments, so there's no point in telling us up front, plus later on the author shows strong scenes that illustrates Dan's father and their relationship. The author needs to trust herself and her audience that we'll figure it out. Telling too much too soon, is not necessary. This author is good enough that she can show us and in fact she does it very well.

I liked the character of Jonah, but I feel and I'm sure many would disagree with me, that I had too much information on him. I have no problem with books that show us different points of view, but I think that this particular book should have stuck solely with Dan's point of view. We should have seen Jonah exclusively through Dan's eyes. Jonah should be an enigma. Everything that we know about him, what he sees, what he thinks, and the things that Jonah does and says, should come from Dan.. I think it would have been a stronger story this way. Not that I don't want to find out about Jonah, but I want to question it, wonder about it, and then buy the book that tells Jonah's story, because I think there's another book here. Jonah's story sounds like it would be great, but not in this book. Give Jonah his own story and let him be a mystery here.

One more thing and I don't know how to say this in a positive way. I really enjoyed the book. I really enjoyed the concept. I think the writing was good (although there were some mistakes that an editor would have caught, but that's not the author's fault because it's impossible to completely edit your own work, you don't read what's really there, you read what you meant to have there), where was I? Oh yes. I hated the scene where Dan rescues Michael. It seemed way too cheesy to me and resembled something out of a Home Alone movie. It ended up being comedic which is fine when your writing comedy, but this isn't a humorous book. It simply didn't work for me and made me cringe through the whole thing. It didn't make much sense either. Why was Michael waiting for these men to come? Why didn't he try to escape? Couldn't Dan have come up with something well- better. It left me with a bad taste that ruined the worthy ending of the book. I felt – cheated somehow. I'm sure there are those who disagree with me but I think the author can do better. It was too contrived and didn't grow naturally out of what was happening.

Overall I think it's a good book and Blackhurst is a fine and imaginative author. It made me think about my own salvation and wasteland. Will I have to go through what Dan did? What will I have to face. The thought made me uncomfortable – which is a good thing. This book would be great for a discussion. I just wish that it had an editor to point out some problems – easily fixable problems. . I think this book is worth more time and some reworking and I look forward to more work from this author – like that Jonah book.

One other suggestion. I would like to see a scene or two that shows that Dan is worth saving. That his earthly life wasn't just one con after another but that he showed a kindness, did something good along the way. Yes, he did have a lovely wife who loved him and she must have seen something, but we don't get to see it. It would give him an added dimension. Few people are completely bad.

Purchase Sleight of Hand

Other books by Deanne Blackhurst

Two CD's from Debbie West Coon

2011-08-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

I actually won something a couple of weeks ago. I never win anything. I would really like to win several million dollars, but I'm happy to settle for a couple of CD's.

Debbie West Coon is my age and she looks way better than I do. I don't know how she can be so thin after having five kids. That and she can sing. I tell you, life isn't fair.

You can visit her website here.

Come and Never Leave

In 2006 she recorded this album. She has a crystal clear voice. I'd call it a soprano but it isn't high enough to shatter glass. It just means she can hit high notes. You can see my ignorance when it comes to music.

This is not music you're going to stick in the stereo and have a dance party. Nor is it going to be great workout music unless you're doing yoga or tai chi. It's easy listening. Great for relaxing, or background work music. Also nice for getting ready for church, or Sunday afternoon listening.

My favorites:

Mary's Lullabye - this is a song I learned in choir and one that I love singing, so it was nice to find it on this CD.
I Heard Him Come - I'm not sure where I first heard this song, but it was with a male voice, so I like hearing a woman's interpretation. The title of the CD refers to a line in the song.

You Are Loved
She doesn't do much different on this CD. It's the same type of music with her clear voice. She does stray a bit from LDS music and borrows from contemporary artists with her renditions of From This Moment, a hit for Shania Twain; two versions of The Prayer, a song that Celine Dion made famous, and Amy Grant's Breath of Heaven, a truly gorgeous Christmas song that could be sung at any time of the year.

There are four duets with guest singers, all male singers with good voices.

My wish though, even though the music is beautiful, is that the next time out she changes things up a bit. Maybe some up tempo songs between the ballads. Uplifting and spiritual doesn't mean that every song has to sound like a sacrament hymn and the problem with recording a CD where all the songs are around the same tempo is that the songs can get hard to distinguish from each other.

Also there can also be a fine line between praise music and preach music. Praise music allows the listener to participate. Preach music doesn't. I'm not saying she's doing this, but there were moments where it seemed to be coming close. Again, great music for a Sunday afternoon.

Debbie West Coon is certainly a talented musician and I look forward to hearing more from her.

And thank you Debbie for giving me the opportunity to listen to your music.

Debbie West Coon's website where you can purchase her CD's and listen to her music.

Debbie West Coon

Secret Daughter - Shilpi Somaya Gowda

2011-08-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

Secret Daughter: A Novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

In a village in India in 1984, Kavita gives birth to a girl, her second daughter. The first daughter had been ripped out of her arms by her husband while only a few minutes old, never to be seen again. It is common practice to dispose of girls. Girls cost money in dowries and they leave home. Sons are the pride and joy and will stay to work the farms. In an effort to save this daughter Kavita manages to keep her survival secret and only days afterward makes the long trek on foot and by wagon to the city of Bombay where she gives her baby a name, "Usha" meaning dawn, and agonizingly hands her over to an orphanage.

In America pediatrician Somer gets the heartbreaking news that she is unable to have children. While she's in mourning for the children she will never have, her mother-in-law from India tells them of a little girl with hazel eyes that resides in the orphanage. She would be a nice match for blond Somer and her Indian husband Krishnan. It takes months and a trip to India where Somer struggles with the country and its customs but they bring home one year old Asha, meaning hope.

Throughout the novel we jump from chapter to chapter focusing on several characters, notably Kavita and Somer and later Asha. Gowda does a beautiful job bringing us to India and showing its two faces. The luxurious and romantic India with the lush fabrics, celebrations and food, and the downtrodden India where we see poverty unlike anything that resembles poverty in North America. Gowda doesn't skimp on this and is brutally honest about the tenuous survival of women and girls among the poor. We see how Kavita, because of culture and poverty, must find a way to have peace with the man that caused the loss of her daughters, while Somer's culture and money allow her choices when her marriage is on shaky ground.

But what resonates strongest is the power of mothers as Asha comes to discover when she goes on a hunt for her biological parents and finds out the sad truth of the plight of baby girls in a country and a people that she belongs to because of biology and adoption, yet doesn't because of her American upbringing.

This is a heartbreaking and yet inspiring novel from this first time novelist. Unlike Eat, Pray, Love which made me have a mad desire to visit Italy, this did not give me the desire to visit India although it has given me a desire for a beautiful sari.

Gowan is a Canadian born of Indian immigrants who received her university education in the states and resides there now. She worked as a volunteer in an Indian orphanage and through her background, culture and experience she was able to write this novel of three worlds. The upper middle-class world of American doctors, the privileged and extravagant world of upper class India, and the world of the poverty stricken in India.

At almost 350 pages it is a surprisingly quick read and one that is difficult to put down. A highly recommended read for any mother, anyone affected by adoption, anyone who is interested in India, or just anyone.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

2011-07-03T00:27:00.000-07:00

Not many books are more moving than this. If this were a story of a woman who sacrifices everything to do the right thing, it would be enough.

But it is more than that.

It is the story of love and the ultimate forgiveness.

It's 1937. Corrie and Betsie are the Christian daughters of a watchmaker. Corrie at forty five and Betsie, seven years older, have lived all their lives above the family clock shop in Holland. It is here that they do the only thing they feel can do. They hide the Jews trying to escape the Holocaust.

Eventually they are discovered and arrested and sent to the German prison camps where they manage to maintain their dignity and faith in spite of the humiliating treatment they receive from the guards.

In one of the most inspiring passages Corrie and Betsie are in the barracks and have this conversation.

"That's it, Corrie? That's His answer. 'Give thanks in all circumstances!' That's what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!"

I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room.

"Such as?" I said.

"Such as being assigned here together."

I bit my lip. "Oh yes, Lord Jesus!"

"Such as what you're holding in your hands."

I looked down at the bible. "Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages."

"Yes," said Betsie. "Thank You for th very crwoding here. Since we're packed so close, that many more will hear!" She looked at me expectantly. "Corrie!" she prodded.

"Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds."

"Thank You," Betsie went on serenely, "for the fleas and for-"

The fleas! This was too much. "Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea."

"Give thanks in all circumstances," she quoted. It's doesn't say 'in pleasant circumstances.' Fleas are part of this place where God has put us."

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.

Later they discover that the reason why the guards didn't step into the barracks and stop the Bible reading among the women was because of the fleas.

Corrie not only survived, but she lived into her nineties traveling and speaking and became a beacon of hope and a testament of love and foregiveness.

If you're in the mood for an inspirational true story, this is it, and one that will forever change your perspective.

Books By Corrie Ten Boom

Books About Corrie Ten Boom

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

2010-08-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer

There's not a vampire to be found in this book. Nor are there werewolves, not that Jacob was a werewolf, he was actually a shape shifter who changed into a wolf.

This is more like invasion of the body snatchers, a race of aliens that goes from planet to planet taking over the bodies of the beings that reside there. They justify it by claiming that they make the worlds better, and in the case of earth, humans are so violent that they're actually doing them a favor.

As the story begins, the process is already well underway, and now the Wanderer, who has lived many lives on many planets in many different types of bodies, unusual even by her alien races standards, is inserted into Melanie, a fugitive who has finally been caught.

Only Melanie won't go away and disappear like humans are supposed to. Her soul is alive and kicking and leads the Wanderer on a trek that reunites her with her younger brother and her boyfriend and a hideout where other human fugitives survive. A hideout that the Wanderer should be reporting to her superiors but chooses not to, because now the Wanderer if feeling guilty for taking Melanie's body, and she's starting to like these humans.

I couldn't put this book down. You would think that a six hundred page novel that takes place mostly in a set of caves where nothing much happens would be dull, but it wasn't. Add into the science fiction element a romance, no, two romances and this one is a winner. Wanderer or Wanda as she's eventually called, struggles with her conscience between duty to her own race and empathy for her host and the other humans. As well, there is a hunt for Wanda by a determined alien who is convinced that Wanda knows far more than she's told. And of course there's also the humans who knowing what Wanda is, are battling within their community about keeping her around. She's the enemy but she's in a loved one's body who claims to still be there. Between that and the constant trial of obtaining food and supplies in world that wants to capture you and obliterate your soul, tensions are high.

It's not easy making the bad guy someone you want to root for. To be sure there was a big part of me that was thinking "Stop being so selfish. You've already lived hundreds of years. Get out of Melanie's body!" and another part of me that wanted Wanda to somehow survive, although not in Melanie.

We don't really get into Melanie's perspective. It's told from Wanda's but there are conversations between Melanie and Wanda and Wanda does let us know how Melanie is reacting to what's happening.

Meyer has improved from the first Twilight book. The protagonist doesn't faint every time something happens and the writing is simply better. Meyer has proven to be good at taking conventional horror stories (vampires, werewolves, body-snatchers) and given them her own spin, re-inventing and making them fresh again.

Other Books by Stephenie Meyer

Holes by Louis Sachar

2010-07-20T00:56:00.000-07:00

Holes by Louis Sachar

From the back cover: Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake where the boys build character by spending all day, every day, digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep.

There's something about books where the protagonist is treated unfairly. You automatically root for him. The sides of good and evil are clear and you know in the end that he will come out ahead and say "ha, ha!"

It's a good book although I still don't get what all the ravings over it are about. It has a feel good ending that relies a lot on circumstance which we tend to all go "ahhh" over. The ends all tie up neatly and all the pieces fall into place. Stanley is a likeable guy and so are the other kids in the camp. The adults are the bad guys, which I have no problem with. This is a kids book and kids like to feel that they can rise above the oppressors and be the heroes.

A fun book with a fun ending. Most definitely a fantasy although there isn't a unicorn or magic sword in sight. Sacher knows how to write for kids and remembers what being a kid is about and even manages to put in lessons of friendship, persistence and honor without hitting you over the head with it.

Other Books by Louis Sacher

And there is a movie which I haven't seen.

The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

2010-07-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (Mrs. Pollifax Mysteries #2)

Mrs. Pollifax had just got home from church that Sunday and had not yet taken off her hat, a confection of pale pink roses, when the telephone rang. Mr. Carstairs from the CIA had another job for the sixty something widow.

Now with instructions that she only has twenty minutes to prepare, Emily Pollifax must cancel her karate lesson and give her regrets that she can't pour tea at the Art Association the following Sunday. After all, going to Turkey and rescuing a well known international spy who has mysteriously disappeared does take precedence.

And so off on another adventure, only the second one as a spy. Such a quiet conventional life Emily had lived until just a few months before and now when other ladies her age enjoyed their retirement with clubs and service groups and cards on Thursday afternoon, Mrs. Pollifax was facing murderers and espionage in the midst of the cold war.

Dorothy Gilman delights with her resourceful Mrs. Pollifax, sending her on one wild adventure after another and picking up people along the way. After all, Emily can't help but help others as she does her job. Yes there may be a few bodies along the way, and some time spent with a gypsy caravan, and the unveiling of a rogue spy, but none of it prevents Mrs. Pollifax from serving her country. And really, who would be the least suspicious spy than an elderly woman who wears outlandish hats.

Published in 1970 it now stands as a historical text of that time giving us a glimpse of life in the late sixties.

Most of all, it's just plain fun. How can you not like Emily Pollifax?

Dorothy Gilman has written many books but it was Mrs. Pollifax that is the most beloved of her characters.

Other Mrs. Pollifax Books by Dorothy Gilman

The Rag Nymph by Catherine Cookson

2010-07-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

The Rag Nymph by Catherine Cookson

Between 1950 and her death in 1998, Catherine Cookson wrote almost 100 books, becoming one of the most successful writers in the world.

The Rag Nymph, a historical novel, published in 1991, tells the tale of Millie, an orphan taken in my Raggy Aggie, a woman who supports herself in Victorian England by gathering unwanted clothes and reselling them.

Aggie isn't at all sure she wants this strange and exceptionally beautiful child who speaks as if she belongs more in the upper class drawing rooms, rather than in the desperate section of town. Yet what could she do, when an unknown woman suddenly thrusts the child on her as she runs from the police.

The book takes us to the time of the industrial revolution when the population exploded, prostitution is rampant, and criminals lurk waiting to snatch a beautiful child who could bring them big money as a call girl. Much of the book explores the difficulties Aggie and her young ward Ben have keeping Millie safe from the dregs of society.

The time of Victorian England is often romanticized and deemed as a moral time, yet it was actually a very immoral time. Cookson isn't afraid to explore the gritty realities of poverty, kidnapping, prostitution and rape. Children frequently disappeared from their homes and sold, and police had little power to do much about it, especially when so many were from the lower class. Yet in spite of the seediness, Cookson tells a story of love between a child who grows into womanhood, an elderly lady whose life changes forever because of her generosity, and a misshapen young man who discovers he has greatness in him. We get to visit an upper class drawing room where a horrendous crime is about to be committed, a brothel where good and evil meet, the streets of an English town, and the ramshackle but loving home of Aggie. We learn something too, not all the bad guys are the criminals in the streets, and not all heroes are perfect.

This is the first Cookson book I've read and I'll be reading more of her.

Other Books by Catherine Cookson

Beastly by Alex Flinn

2010-06-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Kyle is handsome, althletic, rich and popular. He can get any girl in school - or believes that he can. He's also arrogant, mean, and looks down on others. And then a witch comes along and casts a spell on him, turning him into a beast, showing him by his outside what he looks like on the inside. She offers him one chance at breaking the spell, based on a moment of kindness when he handed a plain girl a rose corsage, although he admits it was because he didn't know what else to do with it.

Ever wanted to know what the fairy tale Beauty and Beast was like from the Beast's point of view? Well, it tells it here, only updated to modern day New York City. Told in the first person, we see the beasts transformation from a 16 year old arrogant beast into a true prince.

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales. It takes imperfect characters and offers then redemption. Beauty is here in this book as Lindy, and like the fairy tale and unlike the Disney version, her father is a contemptable creature who trades away his daughter for his own safety. The Beast has his staff in a blind teacher and a housekeeper who has left her family behind in another country. They both have their desires just as the enchanted people did in the fairy tale and the Beast makes a deal with the witch that they too will get their wishes if he can break the spell.

The only uncomfortable part of this book is that he keeps Lindy trapped in his castle, although he goes out of his way to treat her well.

Definetely an entertaining book, written well and in a teenage boy's voice, a voice that doesn't gloss over his misdeeds. My daughter turned me on to it, and I will be looking to read more works from this author. I couldn't put this book down.

Books by Alex Flinn

Phyllis A. Whitney

2010-05-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite authors is Phyllis A. Whitney. I first discovered her in the third grade with her juvenile novel "Mystery of the Haunted Pool". At that age any book with a title that includes the word mystery had to be good.

Whitney is good and extremely prolific. She was born in Japan of American parents in 1903. Her first novel, "A Place for Ann", was published in 1941 when she was 37. Her last novel, 1997's "Amethyst Dreams", was published when she was 94. She died in 2008 when she was 104 years old.

Yes, she worked until she was well into her nineties and she lived to be over a hundred.

Amazing. Along the way she wrote 76 books and traveled throughout the world using the locations as backgrounds in her books. Often the locations took on a character of their own and were integral pieces to her novels.

She wrote in four different genres. Adult suspense/romance, juvenile mystery, books for girls, and she also wrote three non-fiction books on writing. As well she wrote over a hundred short stories and magazine articles, worked as an editor and raised a daughter.

Whitney was ahead of her time in subject matter. Her first books were written about girls discovering their careers, at a time when most girls were concentrating on marriage only.

In 1947 she published "Willow Hill" (note: cover picture from a republished version), a book set in a high school and dealing with race relations between the white kids and the black kids. This was dangerous ground, especially when she doesn't use stereotypes and the black kids are dealt with in a real and sympathetic manner.

Phyllis A. Whitney states: "Most of my writing has been concerned with understanding between people. Whether of different relations, or religions or even in the same family, I tried in my books...to deal with the subject of understanding the other fellow.

For a complete list of her work and more about the author she has a website. Phyllis A. Whitney.

Snowfire by Phyllis A. Whitney

When champion skier Julian McCabe's wife is found dead, suspicion falls upon his protégée Stuart Parrish.

Stuart's step-sister, Linda Earle, goes undercover as a hostess at the ski lodge that Julian owns in the Poconos, in an effort to solve the murder and clear Stuart's name.

But it isn't as easy as she thought it would be. People are hiding secrets, and Linda hadn't planned on liking Julian so much.

Published in 1972, Whitney weaves her magic spell and creates a mystery with a touch of romance that had me befuddled until the end. And then I hit my head because I should have seen it all along.

Unfortunately, this book is out of print but you may find editions at used bookstores.

Guide to Fiction Writing - Phyllis A. Whitney

With 76 books in both adult and juvenile fiction, Whitney is certainly qualified to write a book on writing. And a very good book too. Probably the best. There are a lot of writing books out there, but unlike many that talk about theory, Whitney actually gives you a step by step process into how she has been so prolific.

Turns out, she sets up the dots in the planning stages and in the writing one she connects them.
Although I'm a much more linear writer, I start at the beginning and write to the end, I can see how Whitney's style can be beneficial to many writers who lose steam part way through, like to have a plan or would like to attempt a different way of writing.

Added to that are some helps for every writer no matter how you go about tackling your project. Such as how to keep all those names straight. When you write 76 books you have a lot of characters and you don't want to go repeating them.

Whitney also gives us some background on her writing career and some writing wisdom that can be used in everyday life.

An excellent book for any writer.

That Summer Reading Thing 2009: To Have Or To Hold - Josi S. Kilpack

2009-07-07T00:29:00.000-07:00

To Have or to Hold - Josi S. Kilpack

Andrew Davidson is handsome, wealthy, and about to come into a two million dollar trust on his 30th birthday. He meets all the requirements except one. He isn't married, nor does he have any immediate prospects.

Emma is 22, and a single divorced mother struggling to make ends meet. One of those ends includes being Andrew's housekeeper.

So Andrew comes up with an idea. If Emma marries him he'll give her enough money to start life again once he comes into his trust fund. They will then happily divorce and go their merry ways.

Emma agrees seeing it as a good option and getting her out of the rut she's in.

Kilpack is a master at creating flawed characters that we can get angry at for being so stupid and there's a lot of stupid things they each do making the actual marriage look like the smartest idea. And yet we still want them to come to their senses and win.

And Cedar Fort isn't afraid to publish books where one night stands (who knew you could have a one night stand with the one your married to), drunkenness and really really bad home teachers exist.

I say bravo.

Often in LDS fiction the conflict happens to the main characters. They don't create the conflict, but in Kilpack's books (okay I only read one other, "Tempest Tossed" you can find my review of that book with it's flawed characters here) not only do they create the conflict, but they keep making things worse and worse before they come to their senses. Like real people.

Things I didn't like about the book. If Andrew was wealthy and on his way to creating more wealth, why was the 2 million dollars that important to him? Sure it's a lot of money, but not for a guy who owns two highly successful businesses and has a mansion in Salt Lake and an upscale apartment in L.A. The premise might have worked better if he were a struggling businessman, or heading into bankruptcy, or if the trust were bigger, like 20 million dollars.

And if Andrew is so handsome and rich why is finding a wife that difficult for him? He lives most of the time in LA, a mecca of beautiful young women with no children who would happily marry a guy for money.

The main plot has been done before. I'm sure there was even a TV show and several movies that involved getting married to your housekeeper for money.

And a minor point here, why is it in one scene Andrew, alone in the house, goes swimming in his pool in the nude, but later in the book he's alone in the house and makes a point of putting on a swimsuit? Sure he's baptized into the church by then, but really, if you're alone in the house, why would you put on a swimsuit?

Now, I don't generally read contemporary fiction to learn something. Historical yes, but not modern day. Yet I did learn something. I had never heard of Hyperemisis Gravidarium before. Yes, I'd heard of morning sickness, and my mother was even given Thalidomide when she was pregnant with me. Fortunately she listened to the spirit and didn't take the stuff. However HG is truly debilitating and dangerous. I could forgive a lot of Emma's behavior because of what she was going through. Who can possibly be reasonable or thinking straight going through that? I tell people that if I had ever suffered from morning sickness at all I would have had only one kid not seven. I hate throwing up, so I could never be bulimic. HG is far worse and I learned a great deal from this novel.

If you can overlook the done before main plot, this book is an enjoyable read and one I would recommend because of the main characters who even though I was angry with them most of the time, I still liked them.

Other Books by Josi S. Kilpack that I've Reviewed

Tempest Tossed

Other Books by Josi S. Kilpack

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

2009-06-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

There is a reason why when you go to a bookstore there are shelves of Jodi Picoult's novels.

She's good.

This is the first novel of hers I've read, and I'm anxious to read more from this talented writer.

The story takes place in Amish country where a dead baby has been found on a dairy farm. Katie Fisher, the 18 year old farmer's daughter, is the one where fingers point, when it's been discovered that she had a hidden pregnancy and that evidence shows that the baby was smothered.

But Katie not only denies killing the baby, she denies that she ever had the baby, a pregnancy or sex. Enter Ellie Hathaway, a highly successful defense attorney who is going through her own personal issues as she ends another relationship while her biological clock keeps ticking. The last thing she wants to do is defend a teenage girl who has killed her baby, but before she realizes it she has volunteered for the job and has found herself living on the Fishers farm as a condition of Katie's bail.

Katie isn't very co-operative with her defense but Ellie manages to break down Katie's defenses to get to the truth with the help of an old college boyfriend who she brings in as Katie's psychiatrist.

Picoult writes a riveting and complicated story of a teenage girl who straddles the line between the Amish world and the "English". She does it with a great deal of respect towards the Amish, a community that although we don't completely understand and often shake our heads at, most of us have a great deal of respect for.

Her characters are multi-layered and behave in ways that are both consistent and yet in-consistent, like real people.

I often wanted to shake Katie. She was frustrating and yet I couldn't help but be on her side. How could a mother kill her baby? Yet in the book you can see how a mother could, and understand and have empathy for it.

The other characters including main character Ellie (every other chapter is told in first person from her perspective) is also multi-layered and complicated. My heart went out to Samuel, Katie's Amish boyfriend who has to come to terms with the fact that since he had never slept with Katie, someone had. Jacob, Katie's excommunicated brother is also a sympathetic character and the Bishop is a flexible and caring individual. Even Aaron, Katie's father, who appears to have the traditional inflexibility we assume with those who are devoutly religious, has reasons that aren't on the surface, as Sarah, Katie's mother, a warm and loving person, explains to Ellie.

The ending was a surprise although I figured it out several chapters previously as certain scenes and conversations clicked in my head. It was perfect and added to the multi-layered story.

I did have a couple of concerns. Why was the prosecution only looking at one possible scenario and one suspect? Why didn't Ellie look for other evidence sooner than she did? And why did Ellie jump to conclusions when Katie drops a bombshell on her. I knew what Katie meant, why didn't Ellie who had just spent every moment for the past four months or so with her.

Other than those two questions, I thought the book was well-researched and written. Picoult is a master at getting into the hearts and minds of people in a difficult situation, and helping us relate to a different culture. This is definitely a writer I will be adding to my bookshelves.

Warning: Profanity although not excessive. Some sexual scenes although not explicit and they are important for the story line.

The Plain Truth a Lifetime Movie

It's hard to take a 400 page novel with several story lines and complicated characters and reduce it down to a 90 minute movie.

The result is a movie that just highlights things without really delving into the why's or how's. There's not much character development here, there isn't much room for it even though a couple of story lines from the book were dropped.

More confusing to me is why locations, names and circumstances were sometimes changed. In the book the baby is found in the barn. In the movie by a pond. Katie's younger sister falls through the ice and drowns in the book, in the movie she disappears in the summer and drowns in that pond. Even the outcome is changed somewhat. It doesn't make sense to change such things.

Mariska Hargatay (Law & Order SVU) is excellently cast as Ellie the defense attorney, and does a good job with the material she has, but the other characters were a disappointment. Either they did not fit the descriptions or they simply don't have anything to do other than be scenery dressing.

You may enjoy this movie if you've never read the book, and indeed it is a competent movie and I would have enjoyed it more had I not just read the book, but it doesn't compare in spite of good intentions. Too little time to tell too much. Read the book. It's much more satisfying.

Other Books by Jodi Picoult

That Summer Reading Thing: The Runaway Mother by Carol Lynn Pearson

2009-06-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

The Runaway Mother by Carol Lynn Pearson

Carol Lynn Pearson was among the first to write fiction for LDS audiences and paved the way for the writers today. When I first joined the church I would delight in picking up her "Notebook" books, little books set up like a notebook that bore funny little notes.

Shortly after, although I didn't get a parts in her plays "The Dance" and "My Turn On Earth", I helped out backstage, and I did get a minor parts in "Don't Count Your Chickens" and "The Order is Love".

Since that time she has gone through difficult experiences which she has willingly shared and in turn has become a politically vocal advocate for the gay community.

It's nice now though to read a book of humor. And this book is hilarious. I read it in a couple of hours and enjoyed every page.

Allison is fed up. She's a divorced mom with two kids who don't appreciate her and a perfect neighbor that makes all of her kids clothes. The kids are perfect too. They make their mom crepes for Mother's Day and plant rose bushes for her.

Added to that there's a well intentioned but gaggy program that the men are creating at the church to celebrate Mother's Day. Feeling already unworthy, Allison overhears why her children are involved and then determines that she's running away for the weekend.

And that's where it gets really brilliant. Why didn't I ever think of this, I wonder. Allison decides to go to a hotel for Mother's Day weekend.

Yeah! She reclaims Mother's Day. She takes it as time to celebrate being a Mom rather than a day where everyone can feel good about themselves for making their mothers macaroni cards.

Frankly, my Mother's Days suck. There's always fights over who has to make Mom breakfast and there isn't time for breakfast anyway because we have to get to church where we do the same thing there we do every Sunday. When I get home if anyone does decide to make something to eat, I end up with the dishes, either that day, or if i don't do them, I have to do them the next day.

I want to go away for the weekend every Mother's Day. I LIKE this idea.

This is a great gift for every mom, and give it to her before Mother's Day so she can make reservations at a hotel.

Aside from the brilliant idea, Allison voice is funny. Some of the story line is a little outrageous, but it's forgivable. Okay, a lot of the story line is outrageous but then I don't really know since this is about Utah saints and I've never been one of them. Are there Mom's out there who can make their kids full Scottish outfits and play the bagpipes for Halloween? And really, did it have to be Allison to save the day at the end of the book?

No matter. The book is funny. Allison is likable and completely relatable.

Now I'm going to start saving up for next year's Mother's Day run.

Previously published as the non-Mormon story Morning Glory Mother

Other Books by Carol Lynn Pearson

Welcome to Morning Shade

2009-06-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

A Case of Bad Taste (A Morning Shade Mystery #1) by Lori Copeland

Someone in the tiny town of Morning Shade is breaking into people's houses moving furniture around, putting ugly things away, and leaving behind nice things to take their place.

This is a job for 87 year old Stella Diamond to solve. Helped (or hindered) by the local law, Hargus, she sets out to solve the mystery.

Actually this book is told in first person from the perspective of Stella's recently widowed daughter-in-law, a successful writer - although she doesn't think so since money is always tight and she's not on the best sellers lists.

Maude Diamond's husband left her without insurance. Unable to pay for Stella's seniors residence she moves Stella in with her, closely followed by her own daughter CeeCee who has also been recently widowed. CeeCee brings three dogs and before long a cat that makes the dogs tremble in fear.

Finding time to write in a house with an active senior citizen who loves to read the obits and leaves her teeth all over, a crying thirty year old and a menagerie of animals, has Maude frustrated and disappointed with the way life has turned out. Certainly not the peaceful existence she had imagined for herself at sixty.

I found this book funny. Funny enough to want to read the rest in the series. Lori Copeland has created some humorous characters here. Characters that although seem somewhat outlandish, live and breathe. They think funny things, say funny things, do funny things and have consequences that are funny. None of the characters are perfect. Stella is thoughtless, Maude is controlling, CeeCee is weepy. But I liked them all anyway. Some similes are cliched, some are new but most made me laugh.

A Case of Crooked Letters (A Morning Shade Mystery series #2) by Lori Copeland

Someone is sending out chain letters through the mail. A definite breaking of the law. What's worse, Stella Diamond, who sent out the first batch in order to make money for her family, is horrified to realize that someone has taken her idea and upped the ante. The mystery needs to be solved and Stella is on the case.

There's a slight change of writing style in this book. It's still told in first person from Maude's point of view, but we also get third person in Stella's and CeeCee's eyes.

Introduced in the town is new guy Gary Hendricks who has his eyes on CeeCee. Trouble is although he's attractive and helps out with the local scout troop, he's a practical joker to the point of being annoying, is oblivious to CeeCee's feelings and is just plain obnoxious. I kept wondering why all the Diamond women were so nice to him even though none of them wanted him around.

This book continues on with the amusing inner and outer dialogue and situations that these women find themselves in.

A Case of N osy Neighbors (A Morning Shade Mystery 3)

There are two peeping toms in Morning Shade. Stella Diamond and Hargus are on the case before some woman dies of a heart attack. What's more, one of them wears a size 14 shoe and the other one left behind his girdle.

The Diamond saga continues as CeeCee finds a new love interest, Maude struggles with a broken ankle and surgery on her wrist just as her latest book is due, and Stella takes up driving again.

Although much of the book was funny (Stella has the church carpet cleaned on a Saturday so that all the church goers have to take off their shoes on Sunday so she can sort through them while they're not looking. Not finding what she's looking for she leaves them all in a jumbled pile), some things in the book started to annoy me. There was a lot of controlling going on with these women. Stella felt it was her responsibility to arrest any citizen caught smoking (a new bylaw in town prevented everyone from smoking anywhere), and for some reason these men went along with it. Maude felt it was her job to decide when Stella could go out and when she couldn't. And they both wanted to control the love lives of others. It stopped being endearing and became annoying.

The other thing that bothered me was the complete character change of Gary Hendricks. He suddenly became the good guy who got away. Gone were the mean practical jokes and obnoxiousness. In it's place was a kind, considerate person. I kept scratching my head trying to figure out what happened.

Still these books were all a fun read. If you like light mystery with lots of laughs, quirky characters, and a Christian viewpoint, you'll enjoy these.

Lori Copeland has written over 95 books. 95! She started off in romance under the banners of Harlequin and Avon and then later switched to Christian. Her first book was published in 1982 when she was forty. I don't know how she does it.

Other Books by Lori Copeland

LDS Fiction Summer Reading Thing

2009-05-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

The LDS Fiction Summer Reading Thing is starting off soon. My list of books are on the sidebar, one for each week. I never finish all of them, but I always say "Aim for the stars, you may just get over the back fence. If you aim for the back fence you'll fall into the prickly bushes."

Might As Well Laugh About It Now - Marie Osmond

2009-05-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Might As Well Laugh About It Now by Marie Osmond

I didn't mean to read the whole thing right away. After all, I was already reading another book. I just meant to dip into it.

So I glanced through it and then read the first chapter, and then the second and before I knew it, I had read the whole thing.

Marie doesn't give us a chronological biography here. Instead she highlights particular things that happened in her life, both recently and growing up, and then relates them to what she's learned along the way.

More positive and lighter than her previous book - understandably so since the last book was on post-partum depression and this one is on finding joy in life - she relates funny stories (a blind date at an amusement park), heartbreaking stories (the birth of a niece that didn't survive but inspired one of the most successful charities ever), and introspective memories of her own insecurities growing up. So while girls like me wished that we could be as beautiful and talented as Marie Osmond, she was comparing herself negatively to all the lesser talented and not as beautiful women that she had worked with.

It just goes to show that none of us are immune to self-esteem issues.

I had to go to You Tube to look at the tango dress she talks about in one chapter. From the sound of it, it was put together with tape and glue, but you can't tell by looking at it.

What comes across here is a warm, witty woman who's made mistakes, had successes and failures, and is just trying to do the best she can.

Great fun and inspirational read.

Other Books by Marie Osmond

Merchants of Deception - Eric Scheibeler

2009-04-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

Merchants of Deception by Eric Scheibeler

Eric Sheibeler reached Emerald status in the Amway company. Yet in spite of his high status and apparent wealth his paycheck from the company put him at the poverty level.

He was shocked when he discovered how those above him (Diamonds) actually made their money and bought their mansions and expensive cars. Money was not made from the products, a concept that was taught through the ranks, but instead came from the instructional tools that were "required" to build the business.

Risking everything he wrote this book telling of his experience in the Amway company, the reasons why he went from being financially stable to having to declare bankruptcy and unable to put food on the table, and how he lost his friends and even almost his family in his desire to obtain the dream.

This is a free e-book that can downloaded from Eric's website. Having been approached by MLM's (multi-level marketing) schemes in the past, and having a husband who would sometimes join up only to have to give up because it simply didn't work, I found this book fascinating. I meant to only read a chapter or two at a time, but I ended up reading the entire thing in one day.

Much of this stuff I already suspected and wrote about. This is must reading for those looking into Amway/Quixtar or any other MLM company. It's wise reading for the rest of us who will at one point be approached.

I applaud Eric for being brave enough to publish his experiences. Apparently other websites like his have been shut down through the legal powerhouse of Amway.

This book is bound to make a lot of people angry. Either at Amway or at Eric depending on where you stand on the whole MLM thing.

To get the free book go to Merchants of Deception.

And to read what I wrote about this subject a few years ago for my column (but wasn't run due to the editor deeming it too controversial) go to The Dream Scheme - Part 1.

Virtual Blog Tour: Tower of Strength by Annette Lyon

2009-03-31T03:45:00.000-07:00

Tower of Strength A Novel by Annette Lyon

This is the first Annette Lyon book I've read, and I'll be reading more of her work. Not that it's perfect, but her characters are strong, likeable and believable. No simpering women waiting to be rescued here, nor is the main character a superwoman. She's real and although the story is set in the 1880's in Utah, Tabitha could be the woman next door.

Her other main character, Samuel isn't a superhero either. He has his weaknesses as well, which makes him all the more endearing. Yet he's strong and masculine with a good heart. So what if he can't read the heart of a horse and is afraid of them, he can read the heart of a woman.

Lyon switches between her two protagonists, getting both of their points of view giving us a wider vision than we would have had with just one character's voice.

Some of the fault of this book lies within breaking that rule. On a couple of occasions we are allowed into the minds of some minor characters which I think the book would have been stronger without. In fact in this book there is a mystery which Tabitha solves, but we are let in on the secret before we even know the characters. I would have preferred to find out the truth of what happened at the same time as Tabitha and from Tabitha's point of view. Granted, it's not a mystery book, however I think the book would have been stronger if we had been on the journey with Tabitha rather than knowing something that she didn't.

The other stumbling block I had was the handling of past events. The general rule of thumb in writing is show, don't tell. I believe there are exceptions to this rule, however, in this case, it would have been better to follow it. I would have much preferred flashbacks to key events rather than the characters telling us what happened. I think Samuel's pain would have been more real to me if I had been allowed to meet his wife rather than just things he thinks about her, then his struggle with his attraction to Tabitha would have been more poignant. The same with Tabitha's memory of the day her husband dies. If we had been taken to that day through her point of view, then every time she hears the blasts from the temple site we can better feel her pain.

There are well researched details in this historical book which is well done. Enough to set the story without taking away from the story. Lyon has done her homework and for the most part she writes well, although I caught a couple of unnecessary cliched phrasing that should have been cut.

Overall, a good book and one that I actually learned from. I went and looked at pictures of the Manti temple. It's beautiful and unique. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a clean romance set in a different time and culture.

Other Books by Annette Lyon:

Lost Without You: A Novel

At the Water's Edge

SPIRES OF STONE

At the Journey's End

House on the Hill

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

2009-02-20T23:03:00.000-08:00

Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer

I'm enjoying the books, but there is something kind of disturbing about these love stories written for teenagers.

Are teenagers getting a realistic view of romance? All right, I know we're talking about humans loving vampires and werewolves, but still.

Basically this book boils down to Bella having the choice of Edward the Vampire or Jacob the Werewolf - because Mike the human just isn't dangerous enough.

My copy even included t-shirt transfers so you could be on Edward's team or Jacob's team.

So here, I'm stating who I think Bella should choose.

Well, really, I think Bella should just forget about both of them and go to college.

But seeing that I must choose I team, I'll pick...

Jacob.

Yes, I know, the story is really about Bella and Edward, but here are my reasons.

Edward is described as being cold with skin like marble. Jacob on the other hand, is warm. Warm enough to keep Bella alive while she's freezing in a tent in the middle of winter.

Now for me personally, I prefer a warm body to a statue.

Jacob doesn't sit in Bella's bedroom and watch her sleep. That's just creepy.

To be with Jacob, Bella doesn't need to change who she is. Bella is considering becoming a vampire and killing people and turning into a monster and becoming unable to bear children, so she can be with Edward. None of that is expected from her from Jacob. She can't turn into a werewolf.

The purpose of the werewolves is good. They are protectors. Vampires on the other hand are killers. Alright, Edward and the Cullens aren't, but it's a constant battle for them.

She doesn't have to leave her family to be with Jacob. She doesn't have to give up her friends. Again, she doesn't have to change.

Aside from this storyline, we get treated to Rosalie and Jaspers' stories. I like reading the back stories. However Rosalie's left me wondering. Why did her fiance do that to her? It didn't make sense. Was she raped? It wasn't clear. Was it Carlisle that turned her into a vampire? And she was pretty blase about all the people she killed afterward. Yes some deserved it, but some didn't.

And Jasper went from being a protector to being a murderer when he got changed.

I find the whole serial killing thing disturbing. Okay, so they don't choose to be vampires, but still.

But then we're not reading this books for reality sake. Yet, there is something disturbing about setting up a stalker who is capable of being a serial killer as a romantic lead for a young impressionable girl.

And as a side question...Why are the Cullens in high school? If they want to go to school why not go to university? You can spend forever in university and learn something new all the time.

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

2009-02-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2) by Stephenie Meyer

The beginning of the book treats us to Bella's birthday party at the Cullens house, where things go horribly wrong and Edward has to protect her from one of his own.

It's then he realizes that she would be better off without him and so moves away with his vampire family.

The result is a very clever several pages of just the names of the months signifying that Bella has retreated from the world and doesn't remember a thing about that time. She gets up, goes to school and goes through the motions but is in such a severe depression that she only functions on a very basic level.

And then one day she wakes up and renews a friendship with Jacob, a native living on a nearby reservation. But Jacob discovers that he has a secret just as dangerous as Edwards, and Bella's determination to live dangerously causes a series of events that brings Bella and Edward back together with a new set of problems.

I enjoyed the book and I liked that Bella was able to have a friendship and love for Jacob while still being in love with Edward. However I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the overly dramatic "i can't live my life without you" desperation of Bella. I'm sure it appeals to teens when feelings are heightened and love is romanticized, but it frustrated me that Bella needs Edward so much.

The other thing that frustrated me about this book was that everytime the adventure got interesting or something was about to be explained, Bella needed to sleep or faint. If this girl can't handle the situations should she be hanging out with vampires? Was this just a device that Meyer used to drive readers crazy? "Yes, I'm standing in front of a legion of vampires, but first I need a nap."

I haven't officially jumped on the Twilight Saga. But I'm not a hater either. I'm enjoying them but it isn't something I'm raving over. Still I'm reading them because I want to. I need to find out what happens next. And that's what a good book does.

Read my review for Twilight Book 1 by Stephenie Meyer.

My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life - Julie Wright

2009-01-15T21:06:00.000-08:00

My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life by Julie Wright

Suzanna and Sam grew up in an abusive household. Sam joins the LDS church, marries and lives a responsible life. Suzanna goes on drinking binges, becomes a drug addict, serves time in a juvenile hall and at the beginning of this book discovers herself pregnant with no clue who the father is.

Kicked out of her Massachusetts home and having no where to go, Suzanna sets out to her brothers home in Utah hoping, that she'll be accepted there.

I loved this book. I can't see how it could have been any better. Wright deals with the issues and doesn't make the answers easy. No matter what the decisions are, there are painful consequences attached, and unlike other authors who would make everything turn out perfectly for the protagonist, Wright doesn't do that.

It's interesting to see how two people, growing up in the same home react in two different ways. And I think the key here, is that one decided he deserved better, and one decided she didn't.

There is a happy ending, but not without some difficulty. I admit it, I cried several times.

The dialogue is witty and real without resorting to the profanity that most writers fall back on.

Wright takes a chance by creating a main character who isn't likeable yet she is sympathetic. Her handling works.

I was struck by a particular similarity between this book and mine although our topics and treatments are completely different. When I contacted the author I found out that one of the titles being considered for this book was Roses & Daisies. Seeing both our books came out the same year that may have caused some confusion.

Highly recommended and I will be reading more work from Julie Wright.

Marley and Me

2009-01-03T23:12:00.001-08:00

Marley and Me was not a movie that was high on my list to see. I'm not big into dog movies. Images of Beethoven, Benjie and Lassie come to mind with stupid plots and unbelievable rescues and...well, I'm just not a dog movie fan.

But that Saturday I was feeling so depressed I couldn't get out of bed when a friend called up and begged me to allow her to take us all out for dinner. Following dinner she suggested a movie and we went to our local theater where Marley and Me was. It was high on everyone elses list of must see, so I readily agreed.

Marley and Me is not a dog movie. Yes, it's about a dog. But it's really about a family.

The trailers are misleading. Yep, Marley is a dog that doesn't know how to behave, but the movie is about far more than wacky hi-jinks.

Owen Wilson is charming as a columnist (hey something I can relate to although I never made the money he does), and a newlywed. I never thought of Owen Wilson as attractive, but he is in this movie as he shoulders the responsibilities of marriage, fatherhood, and work. He looks aghast at his free wheeling globe trotting friend when divorce is brought up. He isn't about to even think of divorce just because his wife has reached the end of her rope and demanded that Marley get out of her house. This is real stuff folks.

Jennifer Aniston rises to the occasion as well, going through a miscarriage and then later PPD and a blow up when exhausted she finally manages to get two children to sleep only to have Marley create havoc. I could really feel for this woman. Later, although Wilson is the story teller, it's through Anistons eyes we see the heartbreak of losing Marley.

Yes, Marley dies. He grows old and dies. Dogs do this. It's part of life. It's an important lesson for children to learn. Much criticism has come from parents about this aspect, parents thinking they were taking their children to see another Beethoven.

The other criticism has been for the sexual content. Frankly, although I would have edited some scenes a couple of seconds shorter, there's nothing here that I had a problem with my children seeing. My kids are 9, 11, 15 and 17 so that might have something to do with it. All sexual situations were between a married couple and none of it was graphic. Instead of being inappropriate it painted a picture of a couple who were married and in love and working through things. Married people have sex. I want my children to know this and recognize it as good.

Some of the language could have been changed although the only word I have a problem with is the once spoken "s" word, which my kids hear all the time on the playground.

Their was one poignent moment, at least for me, which isn't mentioned. Wilson's character (John) hasn't seen his globe-trotting writer friend in a few years and in the meantime he's had a third child. They meet by chance on a street corner and have little to say to each other. His friend hasn't changed at all, still chasing women and having no home, and John although he never says it, realizes that he's chosen the better part.

His wife Jen does vocalize it when John asks her one day when he feels adrift with his work, "was this part of your plan" referring to the time when she made detailed life plans and mapped them out and that now they have three kids, an old house in the country and a crazy dog.

"This is better," she tells him.

I must make a comment about staging here. I've come to appreciate the details in movies. The couple's first house in Florida is an ordinary house and claustraphobic. Later they move to a much nicer house with a pool, but toys litter the floor and the home doesn't look like it's ready for a magazine shoot. Their third house in Pennsylvania is a beautiful historic home, but you can sense a real family lives here. I like that. I like to see homes dressed to look like real people live there.

Okay, to sum up...Don't take your kids to see this movie if you don't want to deal with real life things like death, sex or loss.

However, if you're looking for a movie with humor, healthy loving relationships, and a message that we love even those who are not perfect, then this is the movie to see. You're kids may cry (mine did), but it's a good cry and they will recover.

Virtual Blog Tour- The Santa Letters - Stacy Gooch-Anderson

2008-09-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

The Santa Letters by Stacy Gooch-Anderson

I was quite pleased with the book when it arrived. Hardcover with a beautiful embossed cover. There's something special about a lovely looking book. It's highly recommended as well with quotes from other writers. Plus it wasn't very long so I was looking forward to a lovely light yet emotional read.

It certainly was emotional, there were a few places I teared up. The writer came up with a wonderful concept of an anonymous person who sets out to make the first Christmas with a husband and father special for the Jensen family. Letters signed SC that spoke about the different gifts that Heavenly Father gives, along with tangible items to further illustrate the point and make the family feel special, lead the Jensen family through a tough time. William the patriarch of the family had been killed the previous Christmas Eve while he was on an errand for a gift for his wife, Emma. Naturally the holidays seems more like something that Emma has to endure for the sake of the children rather than a happy time.

Yet SC has other ideas and through the special packages is able to lead Emma back to a place where she can find joy again.

And that's the good part.

Now here comes the hard part. As a reviewer and a writer I don't like to say bad things about a book. I want to love each book that I read, plus when a publisher is kind enough to send a book for review I want to give the book nothing but a great review. And as a writer I know that no writer wants a bad review. As writers we tend to focus more on the bad things that are said about our work than on the good things. I make no claims to being a great writer or a great reviewer. I know writers are able to see problems with other writer's work but with our own we are totally blind. We either see our work as utter garbage that doesn't deserve the light of day, or pieces of sheer brilliance that can't be surpassed. Of course the middle ground is the truth.

This book was badly in need of a good editor. The first chapter had the right idea of introducing us to William, but, I think it might have been better if we had seen the family just before the accident, not years before. I'm glad that the writer didn't show us the accident, having the first chapter just as one of pure joy was the right move, but it could have been more powerful by choosing a different time.

The second chapter was unnecessary. Everything in it showed up later and better somewhere else. It would have packed more punch to just skip that chapter and move to chapter three.

There's far too much telling in this book. Several times I wanted to see the scene not be told about it. And Emma, the main character just goes over and over the same things in her head, explaining as if we didn't know and understand. Yes, we do that in real life, but it can get tedious in the reading. As a reader, I don't need to have things explained to me. The writer did an excellent job showing me without the explanations.

Some of the dialogue is stilted and unbelievable. As an example, this was a conversation between the oldest son, 17 year old Jesse and his lab partner Tina:

"I'm telling you, it was the weirdest thing,"......"It's like Kenna knew something absolute, like someone was standing right there in front of her and she had no doubts whatsoever."

"I guess that's why they always talk about the faith of a child. It's perfect and absolute," Tina said.

I don't know of teenagers that talk like that. It sounds like Tina is about to go into a faith lesson with Jesse. Simpler would have been better. The word absolute shouldn't be involved in either sentence, and Tina would have been better off replying that "Yeah, that is weird", or going into her own story of an aunt who could do the same thing. Or not answering at all, just nodding. But turning it into a Sunday School lesson didn't seem like the right place to do it. It's not that kids don't talk about faith, but they don't sound like teachers at the front of classrooms when they do it.

There were a few other awkward dialogue places. Dialogue is a tricky thing to do and sometimes we end up with characters that explain things to people who already have information or use it to preach instead of expressing emotion or acknowledgement.

I also found the kids were too perfect. They all listened to mom. They all did their chores without being asked. No one fought with anyone. There wasn't any acting out. No one stepped on Lego, or broke anything. Surely with the events of William's death there would be some anger from at least one kid. Especially when SC leaves the gift of forgiveness. Everyone's reaction was too easy and similar to each other. It's acknowledged by SC that this one will be hard, but as it turned out it wasn't hard for anyone. A blow-up would have been well with-in reason. Tears, anger, something. But it wasn't there. Single parenthood is much harder than this. Parenthood is much harder than this. Forgiveness is much harder than this.

There were sentences that could have been clipped a little closer. Another example:

'And with that McKenna grabbed the envelope...'

This would have been much better by clipping "And with that". I cringed several times in the book with this type of trite phrase. Again, something an editor should have caught.

There were several times where thoughts neither shed light on a character, showed growth, nor moved the story forward. Often thoughts didn't need to be written down because the actions were there. The reader knows by the action what the character is thinking and feeling.

Oh, and why does Emma keep her curtains open all the time even at night so that people can watch her and the family, especially when she's worried about who SC is and how he knows so much about her family.

And the Santa letters were a little long and trying too hard to make a point.

All right the bad part is over. I hate doing this. I love LDS fiction and writing in the LDS world isn't easy.

As a plus, because I like to end on a good note, McKenna, the youngest child is adorable and believable. The explanation about William's death was moving and understandable. The ending was happy and lovely without being cloying and although we get to know who SC is (I had it figured out almost from the beginning) the family never does know.

The other thing that I found interesting and this is not a criticism, is how Emma had to have dinner and the dishes out of the way before she could open the packages. She's such a Mom. See, if it were me, I would have been "Let's see what's in the packages now." It just shows that Emma is a real Mom and I'm still a kid. But I liked that about her. It was a consistent character trait.

And so there's my review. Both of the writer's work and Cedar Forts. So now I'm sure because it wasn't glowing, I will probably never be asked to review again. Which is too bad because I really like getting free books.

But I can't consciously give a glowing review to a book that I don't feel glowingly about. What then can I say about a book that I loved?

I guess it's like being Simon Cowell. Every contestant hates what he says, but they all want to get a good comment from him and it means more coming from him than the good comments coming from Paul Abdul.

But I'd still rather be a Paula than a Simon.

And now I'm rambling.

There is an interesting website about this book. Go to The Santa Letters

Soul Harvest - Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

2008-08-17T02:12:00.000-07:00

Soul Harvest: The World Takes Sides (Left Behind, Book 4) by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

As the book opens the world has been rocked by an earthquake. Several close friends of the Tribulation Force have been killed, Chloe is missing, and Rayford doesn't believe that Amanda his wife, is dead.

And here's where the weakness of these books show up which I'll mention in a minute. But first let me say, that I found this book exciting and hard to put down. Lots of stuff is happening and Nicolae Carpathia is beginning to show who he is. He's not fooling as many people as he used to.

Nicolae already know there's going to be an earthquake. Well, he is the Anti-Christ so I'm sure Satan would have told him. There's already an underground city for Nicolae to disappear to with the latest technology and elaborate suites. Rayford ends up here and Leon Fortunato eventually shows up with a story of how Nicolae raised him from the dead claiming that Nicolae is the Messiah, which Nicolae doesn't argue with. It's here that Rayford is told that the airplane is wife was one went down in the Tigres and she's dead.

Later it's leaked to him that Amanda may have been a spy for Carpathia.

Which we're supposed to care about. Here's the weakness.

I wanted her to turn out to be a spy. The answer to this question lies in the next book which did keep me reading. But the thing is, I don't think the authors want the readers to want Amanda to be a spy, and I'm sure they want us to care if Amanda is dead or not.

But the authors (and I've mentioned this before) don't write women well. While Rayford is agonizing over Amanda, I'm trying to remember if Amanda actually did or said anything interesting. We were cheated in the whole Amanda/Rayford love thing because we were simply told about it. Amanda never takes on a role in the Tribulation Force. She barely speaks. She doesn't have an opinion, a thought, nothing that made me care about her. Frankly I was annoyed that she was around since she didn't add anything to the story. We never get a Raymanda love story like we did with Buck and Chloe.

So it seems that Amanda was created to make an interesting plot point. Yes this plot point kept me interested, but it didn't make me care for her as a character, just as a plot device.

I think if you want me to feel what the characters are feeling (and I'm sure that's what they were going for here) then you need to get me involved with the characters that our heroes are involved with. Amanda was badly written. Frankly she wasn't written at all. She was just an entity with a comment thrown in now and then. Like kids on sitcoms that are always sent to their rooms but have no story lines.

There is also lots of concern over Hattie, Rayford's almost mistress and Carpathia's fiance. Again, a character that I don't feel sympathy toward. I really don't care what happens to Hattie because the writers didn't write Hattie in a way that made me care about her. Yet the main hero characters do care, and I can't help but wonder why when there are lots of people that they could be caring about. Hattie just appears to be a reason for the characters to spout their opinions about abortion (because Hattie is pregnant with the Anti-Christ's baby and now Nicolae doesn't want her anymore so she's thinking about getting rid of it).

So when a woman (me) who loves to read about women, and cares about women, doesn't care about the women in a book, what does that say about the writers when it comes to them writing about women?

And I think that the authors made a mistake by not including Chloe's perspective on things. The focus in these books is Rayford's, and Buck's point of view, but I would have loved to have seen Chloe's too. She's an important part of the Tribulation Force, and there right in the beginning. Maybe I could have cared more for the women, if I could actually hear her voice as well.

So aside from that, Soul Harvest, a reference to the numbers of people who are accepting Jesus Christ through the teachings of Tsion Ben Judah, is really an exciting book. Buck is back with his pilot buddy Ken Ritz this time smuggling Chloe, and then Hattie out of Global Community hospitals where they are being held and guarded. One of the most exciting books in the series and one I read the fastest.

I am wondering though, with the rapture, WW3 an earthquake, and other events, how come food isn't an issue yet? Any one of those circumstance can cause food issues yet, they haven't had any problems eating or even complained over food shortages and high costs.

I will also give kudos to the writers for not being afraid of killing important characters. We really never do know which characters will survive (well except for Rayford and Buck because the story is from their points of view) and which characters will bite the dust. That's real, because in life in those circumstances we would lose people that we loved, so I'm glad the writers aren't trying to save everyone who is important or who we care about. It makes the events much more exciting because we don't know how the outcome will be.

Prepardness Principles - Barbara Salsbury

2008-08-14T03:16:00.000-07:00

Preparedness Principles: The Complete Personal Preparedness Resource Guide for Any Emergency Situation by Barbara Salsbury

I am a grasshopper.

I'm sure most of you are aware of the story. The ants work all summer carrying food working hard to prepare for the winter, while the grasshopper plays in the sun, fiddling around.

When winter comes, the ants are all cozy and warm with plenty of food and the grasshopper is out in the cold. He comes to the ants door for help.

There are two different endings to this story. One ending has the ants turn him away saying "well, you should have prepared." And the grasshopper goes out into the world to die.

The other ending has the ants invite the grasshopper in where the grasshopper entertains the ants with his fiddle playing thereby earning his food and lodging.

I guess it depends what values you want to instill. Each ending teaches something.

I am that grasshopper. It's something of a joke.

Personal preparedness (from now on referred to as PP) is something that overwhelms me. I don't know where to begin. It costs money. It takes up space. What if I move. I don't mind lugging books around, but I hate lugging those stupid buckets of wheat that I've had for eons.

Although I guess those buckets of wheat will come in handy. However, I won't notice I'm hungry if I have books to read.

Anyway, PP is a subject that scares me. I don't want to deal with it. I don't want to do it. I want fairies to come along and do it for me.

So lacking fairies, Barbara Salsbury has provided a way for us to do it for ourselves. I'd sure like to know where she lives, because if I need an emergency place to go I want to go to her house.

The book is big. Really big, but then so is the subject. It's well laid out so you can find what you want quickly. Salsbury's writing style is engaging and friendly. I was actually going to quickly look through this book (after all it isn't fiction) but found myself reading things. (I learned way more about bugs than I really wanted to). I always thought you had to throw things out that were bug infested but it turns out you can still eat them. It's protein.

She covers everything you would want to know about being prepared. 72 hour kits, long term storage, supplies, building storage areas, heating sources, toileting, even indoor gardening so you can have fresh veggies all year round.

And yes, even my books are useful and not for firewood. So are those empty canning jars that I've been lugging around for years.

No one can be totally prepared for everything. You can have a two years food supply and have it all swept away in a tornado, but if you have the mind-set than you have a back up plan. And that's what preparedness is about. Having those back up plans. The food supply is gone, but maybe you know where to go for help and you have skills to help others.

Okay, so maybe I can do this. If I take it in bite size pieces. She doesn't tell you you have to get this all done overnight, and she breaks it down into manageable parts. Even a little preparedness is better than none. So I'm thinking I'll start on filling up those canning jars with water and creating 72 hour kits for everyone. It's not a lot, but it's something.

Oh, and she does encourage having some grasshopper activities.

Best selling author Barbara Salsbury, a nationally recognized personal preparedness expert, is on of America's leading authorities on self reliance For more than 25 years she has been teaching and developing practical preparedness solutions based on experience and in-depth research. She's a veteran on the national TV and talk show circuit and a preparedness consultant for several cities.

Okay, I'm impressed. Barbara's Website

And here's an interview I did with her.

1. Your book is an excellent guide to personal preparedness with a lot of information. Where would you suggest somebody begin if they're feeling overwhelmed by personal preparedness?

I would suggest that you assess your space, your budget and then find the chapter or section that seems the most practical for your situation. I think finding the space and knowing how to care for the items you are planning to buy would be important. Dealing with the disasters is a good place to start. Just find some enthusiasm that you can do this, and then do a little bit at a time. A key word is consistent!

2. When did you become interested in the subject? Surely you weren't planning your stores of wheat when you were a kid.

I think when I started thinking about getting married and being responsible for a family was when the interest became part of my DNA. And I was more interested in stores of chocolate than wheat.

3. What do you suggest for people who move a lot or are in temporary circumstances?

There are a couple of different ways to look at it. We moved A LOT. My preparedness program has always been a priority, so it always went with us, no matter how hard it seemed to be to move. You could always consider what would be the most basic for your family, such as canned goods or cans of rice. Temporary circumstances is an easy to solve challenge. when we rented we always found a way to put in free standing cupboards or rearranged the "normal "use of closets and made pantries out of them.

4. Did writing happen first, or was the interest in personal preparedness there first?

I've always loved writing, but I got serious about it when I discovered a niche that needed to be filled, and then another one and then another one. A lot of the writing fell into place as a result of many, many workshops and seminars.

5. How did you become nationally known for this? What were the breaks in your career?

The breaks or opportunities came as the result of books being published and my love for TV and radio. It was a natural to do the talk show circuits, and then I had several TV segments and radio segments of my own. I didn't happen overnight, but remember I started when I was two. :]

Nicolae by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

2008-08-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist (Left Behind, Book 3) - Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

World War 3 has begun and one of the Tribulation Force is dead. As the remainder of the Force mourn his death, Nicolae Carpathia rubs his hands in glee, although he is careful to show a concerned face to the world.

Rayford Steel is still working for Nicolae as his personal pilot, but thanks to an old friend and former boss, he's able to listen into conversations Nicolae has with his cronies, through a special tap into the main part of Nicolae's plane that only Rayford can hear. It's here that Rayford learns of what the next plans are.

And Nicolae has plans.

Meanwhile Buck Williams sets out to rescue Tsion Ben Judah, an Israeli scholar who has just appeared on national tv and proclaimed that Jesus is the Messiah. Unfortuneatly for Tsion this results in the loss of his family and a run for his life from the Global Community as accusations of murder are on his head.

The authors have upped the action in this book. There are explosions, death, and diabolical scheming.

For me the most fascinating part is seeing how things can change so drastically from a society that values human life, freedom of the press, religious expression, and democracy, to one where one man rules all and the freedoms are taken away one by one.

Another home run for LaHaye and Jenkins. And like all good sequels, they left me hanging on the end so that I would have to pick up the next book.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

2008-08-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Twilight (Twilight, Book 1) - Stephenie Meyer

I joined the pack. Do vampires run in packs?

I've never read a vampire book before. I'm not an Anne Rice fan (although I might be if I read one of her vampire books). I've seen some of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And I did watch a redone Dark Shadows. But generally I'm not a big vampire fan. I always found the Count on Seseme Street annoying.

We have gone beyond the guy in the black cape with red lips and black hair that smiles with pointed teeth and says "I vant to bite your neck."

It's kind of like the Harry Potter craze for me. It took several books and having me see them everywhere for me to finally break down and read one. And Meyer grabbed my attention with the first line.

I'd never given much thought to how I would die - though I'd had reason enough in the last few months - but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

Okay, Stephenie, you sold me the book on that line.

The other thing that sold me was the first person. I love first person. I read somewhere by well meaning writers, that first person is the kiss of death. I've ignored that piece of advice myself. So much so that my published book is in first person from seven different characters.

So she got me on the first line and first person.

Bella is a normal teenage girl. She's self-depracating and self-sacrificing and amusing to listen to. She moves to her father's place in Washington where everything is always wet. (I come from BC so I know what she's talking about, but I love it and she hates the weather). She's a Pheonix sun worshiper. The first day of school gets her noticed by the strange yet beautiful Cullen clan and most especially Edward who appears menacing and won't have anything to do with her, in fact going out of his way to avoid her.

Later he performs a superman move while saving her life. It isn't long before Bella figures out he's a vampire.

Meyer has done some interesting work here melding vampire lore with new ideas, especially when we've all been vampired to death. I thought the vampire thing was dying out, but she's given it a fresh shot. The most interesting is showing us what happens when vampires are out in the sun.

There's been a lot of talk of the romance in this book. It's clean although it's just on the edge. Bella doesn't succomb to Edward, well, actually Edward doesn't even try because he's fearful of what would happen, and Bella would give in to him, but it's other things they do that would cause a mom to be upset at her daughter. Nothing that you're teenager can't read, but on the other hand, we don't want them to think this is acceptable behavior.

There's some cool things about Edward. He is superman. Faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a locomotion, comes from a different time, reads minds (although not Bella's) is caring and emotional, and handsome to boot.

If it weren't for that pesky thing where he lives forever and she's going to age and die. Oh, and he's got to be constantly on alert so he doesn't suddenly get hungry and turn her into a prune. Oh, and there is that stalking thing where he's watching her all the time. See, he doesn't sleep which is kind of cool except for the part where he watches her sleep. I would not want someone watching me sleep especially since he gets amusement out of the fact that she talks in her sleep and she's dreaming of him.

There's a hunt and chase near the end of the book as well. There's plenty of danger and excitement and if anyone is worried about darkness or the occult, it doesn't exist.

I admit it. When I was done reading I wanted to immediately start on the next one. I guess I've joined the masses.

Tribulation Force - Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

2008-08-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Tribulation Force: The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind (Left Behind, Book 2) by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

Officially #2 in the Left Behind series, or #5 if you include the first three prequels, this continues the story where it left off at the end of "Left Behind."

It's a time of relative peace after the Rapture. The Tribulation Force made up of airline pilot Rayford Steele, his daughter college student Chloe, journalist Cameron "Buck" Williams and pastor Bruce Barnes, are on a mission to tell people what happened to the millions of people who had disappeared and to figure out how to survive the next seven years of tribulation. They know the Anti-Christ is on the move, and they know who he is.

After climbing the ladder of journalism, Buck has been kicked back down to a small office in Chicago due to his non-appearance at a key media event. What everyone doesn't realize, is that he was there, but Carpathia's hypnotic abilities has caused all those in the room to forget what happened there, all but Buck, who was protected by his new found faith, and remembers the entire diabolical event.

But the demotion to Chicago gives him the opportunity to get to know Chloe Steele better and to spend time at the New Hope Church where he learns more about his faith.

Meanwhile Nicholae is on the move, setting up situations that will leave him with ultimate power, including having every country destroy their weapons, except for the 10 percent which they will give to the UN which Carpathia is now the head of and has renamed.

There's some interesting events in this book. Two strange men show up in Jerusalem preaching at the Wailing Wall of Jesus Christ. Two men who appear to be untouchable. A new world religion has been created, one that recognizes all religions yet has no precepts of its own. And Carpathia has bought up all the media, newspapers, magazines, radio and TV, and now controls all the news that goes out there.

And in all this chaos we're treated to a love story. Honestly though, I like Buck better than Chloe. I wanted to shake Chloe. For someone who wouldn't accept the gospel, even after the rapture because she didn't have enough proof, she sure jumps to a lot of conclusions concerning Buck and then to top it off after she learns the truth, she then jumps to conclusions concerning Bruce Barnes, even admitting she's jumping to conclusions, but she does it anyway.

And there is the weakness with the writing. LaHaye and Jenkins don't write women very well. It's forgivable because they write them from a man's point of view. We never get to go into Chloe's head. We see things from Rayfords, Bucks, and Nicholae's point of view, but the voice of women is pretty well non-existent. Still, I can forgive this weakness. It's hard to write from another gender's point of view.

The other weakness was the tendency to repeat things. Granted in the first couple of chapters things have to be repeated from the previous book so all readers can know what's going on, but I found repeats within the same book. Yes, we all repeat ourselves, especially in our heads, but it can get a little tedious in the writing.

The other mistake I found is that Mother Theresa was raptured. This book was obviously written before her death, but there is a mistake to using real names attached to events that haven't happened yet, because they may not be around for the event.

And at the end of the book they jump eighteen months to where Rayford is suddenly in a new relationship. I felt kind of cheated having everything summed up in a couple of chapters.

Aside from those, it's another edge of your seat kind of book, and if you're going to read the Left Behind series, then you can't skip this one.

Virtual Book Tour: Room for Two by Abel Keogh

2008-07-30T01:15:00.000-07:00

Room for Two by Abel Keogh

Abel Keogh reached home just in time to hear his wife shoot herself in the head causing not only her death, but also the death of their unborn baby.

Keogh is a good writer and tells his heartbreaking true story with honesty. There are times when I can feel his fuzziness as he goes through the motions of calling the police and going to the hospital in hopes of saving the baby. And yet other times within those moments where his observations and memories are crystal clear. He's able to describe unimportant sights and sounds giving solidness to an otherwise ethereal situation where nothing makes sense and the ability to string two coherent thoughts together disappears. And that's the way bad situations are. Some things are remembered clearly and yet other, more important things are cloudy. Keogh illustrates this very well.

There are no answers as to why Krista did this. She left no note and the only reason that becomes clear is that she may have been suffering from a mental illness.

But the story isn't so much about what Krista did, as it is about how Abel coped with what she did.

To be honest it surprised me how quickly he was able to get back into the dating scene. Now this is probably because I've been divorced for five years now and I'm still not dating (mind you, I don't live in Utah either so that has something to do with it, and I'm not in my twenties, or a man, or have abs of steel), so I can't imagine dating someone within months of losing a spouse so tragically. That's not saying I'm judging him, I just can't quite wrap my head around it. But this is his story not mine.

With a great deal of honesty, Keogh tells us his experiences finding someone to love and learning to love again. It was interesting to me to see the dating world of Utah. One young woman in this story takes it upon herself, within a couple of weeks of dating, to assume that marriage is involved . I couldn't help thinking "Abel, run!"

With sensitivity, Abel is able to understand the difficulties of a young woman marrying a widower. I can't imagine that would be an easy decision for her to do.

Oh, and the cover is very pretty. Not that that's important. Wait it is. A good cover makes you pick up the book. It has a good cover.

There's lots of running in this book. Abel and his girlfriend run like thousands of miles a day. It's like Forest Gump or something. Not that I don't admire it. I've tried running. It's hard.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it, especially to those who have lost a spouse. Keogh is a good writer. It couldn't have been easy writing this book and then sharing it with strangers.

I was able to ask Abel a few questions and he actually answered me.

This is such a difficult and personal subject. What made you decide to write the book and have it published?

There were two motivations to write Room for Two. The first was a lack of any compelling memoir about losing a spouse. I read, or tried to read, a lot of books about people who went through similar experiences and found them to be completely worthless. The second was that a lot of people who were reading my old blog - most of whom had not lost a spouse -- told me I had a story that could help and inspire a lot of people.

How have those who know you reacted to it? For instance, Jennifer comes across as possessive and presumptuous. Did you talk to her about it before doing it?

The reaction from those who know me and my story before the book has been overwhelmingly positive. Most everyone is happy to get answers to questions about my late wife they were afraid to ask or talk with me about. I didn't talk to Jennifer or anyone else about the book before I wrote it. The only person who read drafts and revisions was Julianna.

Do you and Julianna still run together and does she still do marathons?

We still run together on Saturday mornings. Having three young children makes running together at other times impossible. On Saturdays we take the kids with us by pushing them in running strollers. Those runs together are the highlights of my week. Julianna still runs marathons but not as many of late. Pregnancy has a way of interfering with long runs.

Have you done any marathons?

I ran one about six months after Julianna and I were married. It's probably the last long run I'll run too. My body's has a hard time with runs over 13 miles. I'm more of a 5k or 10k guy.

Have you talked to your children about Hope?

Our kids are too young to understand that they have a half-sister in heaven. Part of the reason Julianna encouraged me to write the book was because she wanted our kids to know our story and how we met. I'll plan on telling them about Hope when they're a little older.

Did you ever read more of Krista's poems and journals to better understand why she did what she did?

I eventually combed through everything she wrote the year before she died but was unable to find any clues to why she killed herself. Krista's journal writing became very erratic in the months leading up to her suicide. She stopped writing about six weeks before she died. However the writing doesn't sound like Krista. Even though the entries are in her handwriting, when I read it, it seems like someone else wrote it.

If there was some advise you could offer to those who have gone through similar experiences, what would it be?

Don't let the suicide of a loved one stop you from living your life --
even if you don't know why they did it. Life's too short to spend being miserable and sad. Press forward and make the best of the hand you've been dealt.

You can reach the author and read his blog at Abel Keogh.

Left Behind by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

2008-07-26T23:29:00.000-07:00

Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days (Left Behind No. 1) by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

This is the book that started it all.

Christian fiction isn't supposed to make the best sellers list. After all, they testify of Jesus Christ and most people don't want to read about that. Right?

Well enough people wanted to read about it to make it a bestseller and spawned thirteen more books in the series, another series geared for youth, several movies, and the writing careers of two men.

The book opens on a commercial jet during an overnight trip to Europe. In the darkened cabins no one notices that many of the passengers disappear leaving behind the clothes they were wearing, their jewelry, glasses, contacts, even tooth fillings.

Panic and fear set in with the remaining passengers and Rayford Steele the pilot receives permission to turn back home.

It turns out that millions across the world have disappeared, including all the children and even unborn babies. Not only have people disappeared but houses burn down, driverless cars crash, and accidents caused by the sudden disappearances kill many more.

Theory's abound as to what happened, but Rayford Steele knows when he comes home and find his wife and son have disappeared. He had been warned, and now it has happened, the Rapture where Jesus takes all of His people to heaven leaving behind those who were not completely converted.

In sorrow he turns to the church where his wife Irene had gone and discovers Bruce Barnes, a pastor who had missed the rapture as well but is determined to fix his mistake and bring people to the flock so they don't miss out again.

Meanwhile the world becomes enraptured by a handsome, intelligent and charismatic young man. Nicholas Carpathia seems to appear from nowhere. A wealthy businessman who has risen quickly through the ranks to become president of the small country of Romania, he has his eyes set on the United Nations.

With his promises of peace, his plans to destroy weaponry, his bid to unify the world into one nation, one currency and one religion, he convinces the people that he is the Savior they're all looking for.

Yet Cameron "Buck" Williams, a new convert to Christianity after the rapture, discovers the truth after one horrifying press conference.

There's a reason why this book is a best seller. It's a roller coaster ride, and the writers aren't afraid to delve into the ugly to get their point across. It's cleverly written so we can see how the Anti-Christ can deceive men and they use scripture to base their story.

My only quibble is the last scene where Rayford, his daughter Chloe, Bruce Barns and Buck Williams join arm in arm and march forward as the "Tribulation Force." Yes, it's that cheesy. Like a scene from a superhero movie or a music video using the cast of Friends. But other than that, the pacing is quick and there aren't easy answers. Although Rayford's heart is changed easily, and we understand why, Chloe is more cynical and takes a much longer time to accept the concept of a rapture. I liked that. Perhaps that scene was created because in the initial writing of the book they had no way of knowing if there would be more. If you notice with first books of an on going series, they tend to have some sort of ending where the other ones don't.

Buck the hardened journalist (okay he's not hard, he's actually a softie) takes some time convincing as well. Meanwhile he has his own problems as he realizes that someone has targeted him after a car he was supposed to be in blows up along with the friend that was in it. And he discovers that his own peers are involved in cover-ups.

Yes, things are tough and they're going to get tougher. And there's ten more books to go.

But at least I'm enjoying the ride.

The Rapture by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

2008-07-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

The Rapture: In the Twinkling of an Eye--Countdown to the Earth's Last Days (Before They Were Left Behind, Book 3) by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

As commercial jet pilot Rayford Steele draws further away from his Christian wife Irene, he becomes more enamored of the beautiful Hattie Durham, a flight attendant he frequently works with and frequently secretly socializes with.

Irene Steele knowing that Rayford is drifting further away attempts to save her marriage and her husband from being left behind. To her heartbreak, her college daughter Chloe is following in her father's footsteps. Only Raymie, her twelve year old son is on her side, and he too does his part to have his father see the light.

Meanwhile journalist Buck Williams is coming to grips with the supernatural escape that Israel and he had from Russian bombers.

And Nicolae Carpathia is moving quickly through the ranks of government with the help of Leonardo Fortunato. There is nothing they won't do to get what they want.

It's another gripping novel from the team of Tim LaHaye, a pastor, and Jerry B. Jenkins, a writer.

I just wish they wouldn't have all their "saved" characters drive everyone away by insisting everyone but them is going to hell.

But maybe that's because I have a different concept of "saved" than LaHaye and Jenkins have.

Left Behind, the first book of the series begins when everyone has disappeared. This book a prequel to Left Behind, actually shows us the rapture.

Not that I believe that there's going to be a rapture. Wouldn't it be nice if all the followers of Christ were just taken up to heaven before the whole Armageddon thing? I'm afraid we're going to have to suffer through it like the rest of the people. There's actually nothing in the scriptures about a rapture. But that's all beside the point. The writers are basing this book on a rapture, so I'm going along for the ride.

There's some really beautiful descriptions of heaven and what will happen when the rapture occurs. We get to go with Irene and Raymie up to heaven and watch as people are given their crowns of glory. This is not an easy fete for a writer to try and convey time and space in a place where there isn't time and space. Or actually not to convey time and space to a world of people who can't conceive of it. There's some pretty cool imagery and aside from a few little quibbles (like Irene retaining her earthly scars because Jesus kept his) I believe that the descriptions are pretty close. Although what do any of us really know about it? Or actually remember about it.

The writers take some time giving their nod of approval to some famous Christians (some I had to look up to see if they exist, and they do). They make clear that they're convinced that Billy Graham has done more for Christianity in the twentieth century. I don't know. It's not my place to decide how righteous Billy Graham is. I found it kind of annoying that they more or less played God here, but again, another minor quibble. It smacked too much of preaching, just kind of spoiled the whole heaven experience.

It's the last time we'll see Irene and Raymie for awhile since the following books deal with the people left behind. But they're real here, so we can feel the sorrow of the people more clearly in future books as they are grieved.

Books In the Left Behind Series

Scoop by Rene Gutteridge

2008-07-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

Scoop (Occupational Hazards, Book 1) by Rene Gutteridge

I picked this book up in the library on a whim. I'm not sure what it was, maybe the TV camera on the cover. Covers are really important.

When I find out it was about a girl who comes from a family of clowns, and she has a clown phobia, I knew I had to read it.

Actually, it's not so much about that singular girl, Hayden Hazard. It's an ensemble cast taking place in a television news station. Among the cast is an aging anchor woman who is quite satisfied with her facial lines but it's an issue for the producers, a young and handsome anchor man who can't get through a serious news story without smirking, a field reporter who wants to do real news stories but finds himself exploiting people - a situation that his Christian faith makes him detest. There's the producer who is hooked on little blue pills that keep his emotions calm because he would blow up all over the place if he didn't have them, the weatherman who can't tell when it's raining, the executive producer who has his own underhanded dealings, and the new girl, Hayden Hazard. She's been home schooled all her life and doesn't understand that you don't go around talking about Jesus all the time.

Which drives her producer crazy, intrigues the field reporter because he's a closet Christian, and eventually, because of her calm and bright demeanor, ends her up in front of the TV cameras taking the place of the anchor woman who has mysteriously disappeared after a botched Botox incident that caused her to smile idiotically while reporting a serious news story.

Then there's the whole telephone conversation between the producer and an informant about what name the informant wants to go by. The informant initially likes Midnight Cowboy but when he/she finds out what Midnight Cowboy is about. decides to change names.

Think the Mary Tyler Moore Show crossed with WKRP in Cincinnati and throw in a little Law & Order, 100 Huntley Street, and a romance, and you kind of have an idea about what this book is about.

Rene Gutteridge is a talented writer. She's fresh and funny, (who would come up with a family that runs a clown business with one of it's members afraid of clowns?) and she's not afraid to talk about God. I'll be looking for more books from her. Scoop is the first in a series about this family. Other books focus on different family members after the clown business is sold and they're left to find new careers.

Books in the Occupational Hazards series...

Virtual Book Tour: Caught In the Headlights

2008-07-16T00:47:00.000-07:00

Caught in the Headlights: Ten Lessons Learned the Hard Way by Barry K. Phillips

Barry K. Phillips is funny. I do not mean this in the "isn't he weird" or "he smells bad" way. I mean it in the "yes, that was amusing and it brought a smile to my face" way. I can say this as an expert because I spent years writing a humor column which may or may not have been funny but several professionals paid me to do it so I must have done something right - well, until I got fired for saying something that the editor didn't like, but that's another story.

Which is what Barry does too. See, I think in some ways we're kindred spirits as Anne of Green Gables used to say. We both sometimes wander off the subject, bring ourselves back, use self-deprecating humor and hopefully entertain while we share our great and abounding wealth of wisdom.

But this isn't about me. This is about Phillips. We'll get back to me later.

The focus of the book is pointing out the ten things that we strive for and find out later that it's not what we wanted, that instead it's something else we needed and wanted more. For most of it I thought he was dead on. The chapter on Tolerance had me nodding so hard I got a crick in my neck. Yes, Barry, I have noticed that the ones who scream the loudest for tolerance are the ones who have little tolerance themselves and I would agree with you on the gay population but I'm afraid to because the last time I mentioned gay too many times in my blog the google ads started advertising things strictly for gay people.

By the way, I'm pretty sure Barry is reading this because every writer reads whatever he/she can find on his/her work and he knows this review is happening.

I did disagree with him on a couple of things. The self-esteem chapter was too narrow and only focused on one aspect of self-esteem. I got the impression that he felt that self-esteem should be earned. Something you get through accomplishments and helping others. Yet I feel that self-esteem is the right of every human being because we are all children of God. There are many teenage girls who become pregnant because of low self-esteem. Many people who settle because they don't think much of themselves. Many who get involved with drugs, alcohol and smoking because they are looking for ways of being accepted. Those with good self-esteem don't do things for the sake of pleasing everybody because they know it can't be done. They do things because they know it's the right thing to do for them.

He often prescribed service for feeling better about ourselves. Again, I agree but only to a certain degree. Yes, service gets our minds off our troubles and we can feel better doing it, but telling a woman who is already stretched as far as her arms and soul can reach that if she would just do more service she'll feel better, will only cause her to whimper in a corner, eating chocolate and watching reruns of the Gilmore Girls.

There was also the suggestion that if we take care of others then we will be taken care of. The reality for many people, especially single mothers, is that the only one who takes care of her is herself, and unless she fills up her own reserves she won't have anything left to give. Bear in mind, the writer has a wonderful, patient wife who does take care of him.

The other statement I had trouble with was when he said that we all have equal opportunity. I asked him about that and his statement is below in the Q and A section of this review. Even after his answer I still have trouble with it. I think that those born in stable families with good finances, and who are healthy and attractive have better opportunities. I could go deeper into this theory but this is about Barry's book, not my theories.

However in spite of my disagreements, I think he's really got a lot of intelligent things to say here, and he tells you how to go about getting what you really want. It isn't just theory, there's practical application here as well, and it's not hard. Sometimes the simplest things can solve the most difficult problems.

Plus he does something different. He starts each chapter with a cartoon that he drew himself (and they are funny too) and he ends each chapter with a poem. Now I know, from experience, as someone who likes to mix up eclectic things and do new stuff that there will be naysayers out there. I can hear people now, "You can't put cartoons, poems and humor in a self-help book, it just isn't done."

See, I know this because as a writer, I've had my share of people telling me I can't do things the way I've done them. And I did them anyway.

So, I really like that about this book. He mixes up different elements and instead of giving us a meal with one dish, he serves up several different dishes. Some of them we may like more than others, but they are there for the tasting.

The other bonus of this book is that it's easy reading and it doesn't take very long. I read it in an afternoon on a computer. Barry doesn't use words that require a dictionary and his writing is lively and full of fun yet still gets to the meat of things.

A good read, even if you're not into "becoming a better person books."

And now for the Q&A I mentioned. Yes, I really made up these questions myself and as far as I know Barry really did answer them, although I wasn't watching him when he did it.

Q&A with Barry K. Phillips

Why did you write this book? Was it therapeutic? Was it for yourself or others? Did it help you focus in on what you really thought?

Wow, you get right to it, don't you? Well… let's see. I wrote the book because I noticed that a lot of people struggle with the same issues I did, but don't have much luck at resolving them. Not that I'm perfect at them by any stretch, but I've learned what works if I just follow the lessons learned. I guess it was therapeutic to finally get it all down, but it was just a lot of fun. I wrote it both for myself and for others, and it did help me focus on the complete lessons learned.

(Note: I got to the point fast because I didn't think that the weather had much to do with anything.)

Loved the cartoons. Did you actually do them or do you have a ghost cartoonist?

Ghost cartoonist? Yeah, right. He gangs out with my chauffeur and the butler. I did actually do them. I've always loved to draw. I have a confession… I thought up all 10 cartoons in about a two hour period, while mucking out our horse stalls. Maybe the manure cleared my head, or clouded it, depending on your point of view.

You said in your book that we all have equal opportunities. Isn't it obvious that in the world we don't all have all equal opportunities and life is harder on some people than on others. So what do you mean by equal opportunities?

First, things may not be equal all across the world, but in the U.S. and Canada, I stand by that for most of us. We all have different challenges, and our experiences and skill sets are different, but we are not a class driven society like many other countries. The poorest of us can become President, or even some reputable job, assuming we have the skill and determination. But the opportunity is there, even though the obstacles vary greatly.

Are you planning a sequel? Do you have other books that you've finished or that you are working on?

I'd love to do a sequel, if the first one does well enough. I am in the process of writing my second book, which will hopefully have a lot of humor… at least I'll think it's funny. I don't want to spill too much more about it just yet, but I hope to have a rough draft complete in 3 or 4 months.

If you got the chance to hang around your own funeral, what would you like to hear people say about you? What would you like to say about your own life?

Are you related to Stephen King? Just wondering. First, I'd be happy if someone was there. I have visions similar to Ebenezer Scrooge looking at thieves after his death bartering for the curtains. Seriously, I hope my children are there and truly believe that I was a positive role model in their lives. If they thought I was fun, occasionally wise, and always showed that I loved them, their mother, and God, life will have been good.

You mentioned taking risks. What was the scariest thing you ever did and did it work out for you?

I've risked it all on more than one business. The combination of the .com crash and 9/11 took one of them down in a less than pleasant way. Recovering from that was not much fun to go through, but it's a great experience to have gone through.

So there you have it. My review, which I'm hoping isn't going to cause anyone to curse me with the black plague and a desire for Amy Winehouse hair.

A Conversation with Candace Salima

2008-07-14T01:34:00.000-07:00

Usually I do reviews here, but as part of the virtual book tour of Forged In the Refiners Fire, I had the opportunity to ask Candace Salima some questions. It's a little late, but here it is.

As a writer, I'm curious as to how compilation books come about. How did you get involved in putting together this book? Was it your idea or Elizabeth's? Did you have a publisher before you started on it?

Elizabeth and I met at a writers conference and gravitated toward one another. Tall women tend to do that. We found we had a lot in common and we continued to communicate after returning to our respective homes and families. Initially, Elizabeth contacted me with the idea this book became based upon. I was very busy at the time, working on the sequel to Out of the Shadows . . . Into the Light, but the general concept of sharing stories of trial and tragedy which would inspire, uplift and strengthen others in like circumstances took hold of me and just wouldn’t let go. So we sat down and figured out what direction we wanted the book to take. We wanted a book that would help people to see that trials come in all shapes and sizes and so do people. This book helps the reader to feel hope that there is light in the middle of that dark night, and that is Jesus Christ.

How did you contact people about sending stories to this book? Did you end up with a lot of stories and then had to sift through them? Did you pay the contributors?

Elizabeth wrote a series of questions and then we emailed every single person we knew, asking them to pass the email on to everyone they knew and so on. Soon the stories began to pour in and we did have to sort through them for the ones which fit our criteria. There were so many, but slowly the stories which we needed began to emerge and we started the process of editing for grammar, punctuation, structure and doctrine. Little by little the book began to emerge as Elizabeth and I studied the words of prophets, apostles, general authorities and trusted theologians. It was truly an incredible experience.

We didn’t pay the contributors, but they were given a free copy of the book and the author discount if they wished to purchase more directly from the publisher.

There's a saying that if we put down our personal crosses thinking that we would like to trade with someone, and looked at other people's crosses, we would end up picking up our own. Did you feel that way after reading these stories?

Without question. The second chapter, “Lean Not Unto Thine Own Understanding” is my experience with infertility. As I read about Hazel Jensen’s horse rearing up, falling back and crushing her pelvis I began to feel as if my own burdens were much lighter. And as I read about Linda Scanlan’s horrible car accident and resulting divorce I decided life wasn’t that tough after all. But more importantly, I learned from these men and women and how they dealt with their trials and tragedies. They inspired me to continually look for that light at the end of the tunnel and lean on God, counting on Him to get me through my own trials.

Are you planning any other compilations?

We are. Elizabeth and I are working on the sequel to Forged in the Refiner’s Fire which is called No Pressure, No Diamonds. We will take a slightly different tact, but anticipate that it will be equally inspiring and helpful to those who read it. Those who are interested in submitting stories for this book may email me at ces@candacesalima.com.

How do you feel about LDS publishing? Have you had any problems with it? Do you prefer to publish with the general public?

Publishing in the LDS Market has been a wonderful experience. It’s been an interesting and enlightening education which I will not soon forget. While the LDS Market is specific to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, many of the authors who write for this market could write for the national market as well. Our literature is not so Mormon centric that it wouldn’t be enjoyable to any who enjoy reading clean fiction. That being said, I am just finishing up a manuscript with entertainer, Merrill Osmond, called Standing on the Fifth: The Long Road which will be released in the national market. So ask me this question next year and I’ll let you know what the differences are. People can track the progress of my upcoming works at http://www.candacesalima.com/ or http://candacesalima.blogspot.com.

How did you and Elizabeth work together on this?

Elizabeth and I worked in perfect harmony. It is my hope that I didn’t run roughshod over any of her feelings and she definitely didn’t over mine. Elizabeth came to me with a goal and we accomplished it with the publication of Forged in the Refiner’s Fire. She is an absolute delight to work with and I look forward to working with her many times in the future.

I've noticed that you have a very active blog and you speak a lot. When do you write your own books? Do you schedule time for writing or do you just write when you have time?

I hold down two jobs, am a wife and active aunt. It isn’t easy to find the time to do everything I must. But the words are literally flowing out of me again and I write off and on throughout the day and evening. My husband likes to watch television when he gets home, so I get out my laptop and sit on the couch and work while he watches television. It’s a system that works for both of us since I feel the need to keep working as late as possible until I’ve finished the two manuscripts I am in the middle of right now.

I was quite moved by your personal experiences. Was it difficult to share your own stories?

There was enough distance from the infertility that I was able to write that one with very little tears. Alvin’s, my husband, end stage renal failure is a different matter. It has been an ongoing trial for more than six years. So when I share our experiences from that, yes, it is difficult to write through the tears. The fear of losing my husband overwhelms me every time I write about it. But, on the flip side, there is a catharsis which occurs as I write. Generally speaking, I always feel better, see more clearly and understand so much more after writing my experiences down. So, all in all, it was a very positive experience.

What advice would you give to struggling writers? Do you have tips for getting your work noticed or starting up speaking engagements?

Writing is a tough business, but we do it because we can’t deny the stories, thoughts and words rolling around in our heads. So my advice is as follows:

1. Read, read and read authors who write well. Stay away from the ones who can’t write well. Your writing is influenced by those you read.
2. Attend Writers Conferences. At writers conferences is where you will be able to improve your writing, socialize with other writers, meet published authors, listen to publishers and agents, gain access to those publishers and agents because of the conference, even pitch your ideas, one-on-one, with those same publishers and agents. These conferences are invaluable for so many reasons and struggling writers should attend as many as possible. My very first writers conference is where I found my publisher. So I’m living proof these conferences are very valuable.
3. Write every day. Even if it’s only 10 to 15 minutes, but write every single day.
4. And last, but certainly not least, never give up. Even if you’re never published, never stop writing. Your posterity will thrill in reading everything you’ve written.

Anna, thank you so much for letting me drop by. Forged in the Refiner’s Fire and my other books may be purchased at www.candacesalima.com/inPrint.htm or http://www.amazon.com/.

Forged In the Refiner's Fire

2008-06-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

Forged in the Refiner's Fire compiled by Candace Salima & Elizabeth Cheever

I admit it.

I hate admitting this.

I cried.

Not that this isn't a feel good book. It is. But it isn't candy coated either. The stories from real people include a lot of heartache and pain.

I know going through my own trials, I can't help but look around at others and observe their apparently perfect lives and wonder "why can't that be me? Why is the Lord testing me so much? Haven't I proved my faith enough? Where are the blessings that are promised? Why do people who aren't living the commandments being blessed while I struggle so much? Did I do something wrong? Am I being punished?

It turns out I'm not alone. There are plenty of good people who are struggling. If I hear one more Mormon say when they hear of another LDS member with great life-changing news "that's what happens when you follow the gospel", I think I'm going to scream. Because it makes me wonder "then what am I doing wrong?"

As it turns out, I'm not doing anything wrong. Neither were any of the people who's stories are in this book. We're not talking about people who have trials because of their own stupid decisions like the celebrities of our time who aquire drug addictions because they have more money than they know what to do with and no idea how to handle it, or think they can get away with drinking and driving, or those who go from one six minute marriage to another. Not to say there isn't drug addictions in this book, but it's the kind that makes you realize that anyone can become addicted when your dealers are the local pharmacist and your trusted doctor. There are car accidents in this book, none of which are the result of drinking. There's divorce in this book, and not because the story teller got bored with her marriage and found someone else. The voices are mostly women, which is fine with me since we don't hear enough women's voices in the church, but there are a couple of men. There are housewives represented here, and writers, and professional women, and in one case a very famous individual.

Admittedly, it was Merrill Osmond's story I turned to first, simply because I've been a fan of the Osmonds for well over thirty years - which is amazing since I'm not that old. I ended up reading his story twice, once because of my Osmond fandom that had to read it first, and the second time because of my compulsion to read books from cover to cover. His story was interesting in that we get to take a peek into a behind the scenes historial event, although I'm not entirely convinced that the Lord had much to do with the bribe that Merrill offers to a driver at the end of the tale. Ah, did that pique your interest? You'll have to read it.

Both Candace and Elizabeth offer stories of their own. Although I'm not familiar with Elizabeth I have enjoyed Candace's blog for awhile now, even when I've disagreed with her. Yet although Candace posts regularly I had no idea of the heart wrenching situations she has been in.

Tristi Pinkston, another LDS writer shares her own frightening story and wonders why the Lord didn't warn her.

They both mention being angry with Heavenly Father. Yeah, I've felt that too. But I've come to the conclusion that He can handle my anger. After all, if I can handle my children's anger towards me, then surely He can handle my anger towards Him, and that is the conclusion that all these writers come to again and again. It's okay to be angry. It's okay to question. After all, if we don't question, how can we come to an answer?

Some of the most compelling stories came from people I had never heard of. I read story after story of trying situations, some of which I could relate to, others which made me think, "I hope I never have to go through that," and some which didn't make sense until the story teller was able to look at the situation from a much broader perspective than her own.

Some stories made me cry. Yet, they all end up with a deeper understanding, a deeper testimony, less judgement toward others, and great hope.

And isn't that what we're all here for.

Before They Were Left Behind

2008-06-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

The Rising: Antichrist Is Born (Before They Were Left Behind, Book 1)

The concept behind the original Left Behind books was the theory that something called "The Rapture" would take millions of Christians suddenly up to heaven without tasting death. Those who are left behind have to then live through the seven years of the end of the earth before Christ comes again.

Personally I don't believe in "The Rapture" in the sense that many Christians and these books do. I'm putting that aside for now (I'm sure at a some point while reading this series I'll delve into that further), I originally started the Left Behind series a few years ago but didn't finish it. Now I have all the books and I'm attempting to read them including a set of three prequels before the Left Behind series begins.

The Rising is the first one in the prequel series.

I've sustained disbelief for this series, just as I would for any fantasy series. That's how I'm reading these and admittedly it is an exciting ride, especially as these books get more intense.

The Rising introduces us to Rayford Steele (I know, sounds like Remington Steele), as a young boy and sets up the events that lead to the birth of the Anti-Christ, Nicholae Carpathia.

Rayfords childhood is fairly normal; loving parents, church attendence, and a rocky relationship with his father who wants him to go into the family business. But Rayford excels at sports, yearns to be a jumbo jet pilot, and hopes for athletic scholarships.

The more interesting story is the one of Marilena Titi, a brilliant (so we're told) university professor who is married to another brilliant university professor and her former teacher. Life for Marilena and Sorin is dull. Work, home and study take up their time. An agreement between them there would be no religion (it's a laughable crutch), no physical passion and no children. Sorin already had children from a former marriage and didn't want anymore, and although Marilena is still young, she agrees.

It's a marriage of convenience although what convenience is never quite clear. What Marilena gets out of this marriage is never really apparent other than help with the finances. What Sorin gets out of it, it turns out is an identity other than his true one.

And then Marilena desires a child. The desire overwhelmes her and in an effort to make sense of it she attends a spiritualist's meetings initially dragging Sorin with her in spite of his protests.

The decisions that Marilena makes as a result of meeting Viviana Ivinasova resulted in me screaming out loud, "No, you complete idiot!"

You would think someone so intelligent would make some intelligent decisions. But Marilena does not. Her desire for a child is so great that it overwhelmes her common sense and doesn't let her see around the corner and down the street at the big yawning hole of hell.

The result is the birth of Nicholae Carpathia, who it turns out, is an unfeeling little monster, although on the surface he has an angel face, a past the charts genius IQ and physical abilities, and winning ways. But those are the most dangerous kind. The anti-christ isn't going to born with horns on his head and fangs with drool coming out of his mouth and his eyes looking in different directions. But this is no Omen here. Nicholae is smart enough not to do the killing himself.

As for Marilena, in spite of having direction from both heaven and hell, she is unable to discern the right and is unaware of the evil that surrounds her, even teaching the evil herself without realizing that it is evil. The others are not so naive.

We leave our characters as Nicholae has his 40 day test (similar to the one Jesus went through) and Rayford proves himself a hero setting the stage for further events.

The Regime: Evil Advances (Before They Were Left Behind, Book 2) by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Nicholae is gaining in popularity and proving himself a leader in buisiness and politics and we're introduced to a key player in Nicholaes service, Leon Fortunato.

Rayford has married his college sweetheart, Irene, and they have two children, Chloe and Raymie. He's moved his way up through the ranks and is now flying International jets, leading him to some powerful people. Rayford and Irene's marriage is strained, the main division is Irene's devout Christianity which makes Rayford uncomfortable. He would rather just view church as a social club that you can go to occasionally. As well, he's more interested in his career than in his family.

We're also introduced to a new main character, Cameron "Buck" Williams, a hot shot journalist just out of college who is already making his name and winning Pulitzer prizes.

I didn't find the second book as interesting as the first, but when doing a series or any book, and in a sense this ongoing series where we're left with cliffhangers is one long book, you have to take some dips and slow things down to set the stage.

What I did find annoying were the Christians in the book. And I'm a Christian. I shouldn't be annoyed by these people, but I am.

Rayfords wife Irene represents the devout Christian in this book. A woman who judges everyone elses faith based on her own perspective. At one point (I think it was in the first book) her mother-in-law states, "I"m a Christian" and Irene thinks, "You just think you are."

There's a lot of judgement going on from the devout Christians which doesn't do much to convince the ones who are on the edge and I ended up having sympathy for those who lived with them. There's nothing like "if you don't believe exactly the way that I believe you're going to hell" type of attitude that can turn you off of religion or getting closer to Christ.

And that will eventually lead to another post another day, as I've come across those types of Christians myself.

The other problem I had with Irene was her willingness to be a victim. She wanted to change churches. Rayford didn't. Rayford rarely went to church and he forbade her to go to a different one, since their church was the one where he had his social contacts. So what does Irene do? She continues to go to the church she doesn't want to go to and then whines about not being able to go to the one she wants. Why didn't she just go to the church she wanted to?

In fact, there's another woman, a Muslim woman living in a country where women are lesser, who becomes a Christian and she has the ability to stand up to her husband and even divorces him when he attempts to forbid her. If she can then what is Irene's problem?

Still there are enough interesting things going on to keep me going on. Mind you I've read some of the future books and I know how exciting they can be.

Other Books In the Left Behind Series

The Rapture: In the Twinkling of an Eye--Countdown to the Earth's Last Days (Before They Were Left Behind, Book 3)

Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days (Left Behind No. 1)

Tribulation Force: The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind (Left Behind No. 2)

Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist (Left Behind No. 3)

Soul Harvest: The World Takes Sides (Left Behind No. 4)

Apollyon: The Destroyer Is Unleashed (Left Behind No. 5)

Assassins: Assignment: Jerusalem, Target: Antichrist (Left Behind No. 6)

The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession (Left Behind No. 7)

The Mark: The Beast Rules the World (Left Behind No. 8)

Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne (Left Behind No. 9)

The Remnant: On the brink of Armageddon (Left Behind No. 10)

Kingdom Come: The Final Victory: The Final Victory (Left Behind Sequel)

Armageddon (Left Behind No. 11)

Glorious Appearing (Left Behind No. 12)

Thomas S. Monson - Inspiring Experiences that Build Faith

2008-06-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Inspiring Experiences That Build Faith: From the Life and Ministry of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson

Having an apostle come to visit is a rare experience where I live and one that is valued highly. About ten years ago, Thomas S. Monson came to Calgary Alberta to speak. I took my two oldest girls and drove to Calgary. We were a little later than recommended but we found the perfect parking space. When we walked into the building (a public stadium), there were escorts to help people with seating. The place was packed and I wondered where they were going to find a spot for us. We were taken down past the seats that looked down on the stage. Down we walked until we were on the main floor. Then we followed our escort past all the seated people on the floor and up to the front. To our astonishment we were seated three rows from the front right in line with the podium.

President Monson came in and sat at the front. I was determined that I wanted to catch his eye and smile at him. He must have sensed it, because I did catch his eye and he winked and smiled at me. Again I was astonished and looked at him to see if it was really me he winked at. He nodded at me then.

Of course my daughters weren't paying any attention. They were gabbing with each other.

He spent about an hour telling funny stories about his experiences and then he told us his message. By that time we had such a good time the audience was ready to hear whatever he had to say.

This book is a collection of his experiences. None are more than a page or two. Great for a quick read or you can treat it like peanuts, one inspiring story after another.

My favorite is his first one where he tells of the time he made his primary teacher cry. I immediately warmed to him letting us know that he was not perfect. There are stories both personal and those he was a witness to in his various church positions.

Various stories will touch different hearts. What touches mine, will not touch yours and vice versa. I found reading this book after my scriptures was what worked best for me.

There's not heavy doctrine here. Monson's style is light and readable, yet each story bears his testimony.

A nice book to have around.

Brooke White - Songs From the Attic

2008-05-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

Songs From The Attic I admit it, I'm a fan of the screechers. I love Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion. I love the way their voices soar and they can take a note and turn it into a work of wonder.

The problem is that few singers can do this well. And those that do can lose the ability. Mariah hasn't made an album I've really enjoyed since 1995's Daydream, choosing instead of singing to intersperse her voice amongst a lot of rappers on following albums. Whitney has lost her clear voice because of wild living, and Celine went the route of turning every song into a rock opera although in her earlier albums she had several nice rock songs amid the wailing ballads.

American Idol is known for bringing out the Houston/Carey/Dion wannabes. Their voices soar - painfully. They take every other note and try and see how often they can go up and down the scales with it. The champs know you can't do it too often without sounding tedious, but it became a staple of American Idol singing. As it turns out, only a handful of the Idols could do it well. Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Jennifer Hudson come to mind, and they all know you don't do it all the time.

And then Brooke White comes along. She readily admits that she doesn't have the multi-octave voice and doesn't do vocal gymnastics.

But she doesn't need it. Her voice is pure and clean with a touch of huskiness. She brings us back to a time when people sang songs, not just notes. She's been compared to Carly Simon and Carole King and I would add Karen Carpenter to that list, a singer who has been hugely underrated. They sang the songs and let the emotions come through, so well that even mistakes get translated into something real.

Brooke recorded "Songs From the Attic" a couple of years before her idol experience. She also did a music video for the first cut "Free". The album did not take off then. But failure is not necessarily because the material is bad. There's a lot of things that can prevent an album from doing well.

As it turns out this work written mostly by Brooke (9 out of 11 songs) is a really enjoyable listen. Mellow and yet exciting songs are interspersed with some fun ones, all of them well sung and written and in spite of having little money, it is a well executed album. Even the cover songs, Aerosmith's Dream On, and Coldplay's Yellow, Brooke has made her own.

Brooke was my favorite idol this year, and although I knew she wouldn't win, I suspect that she's going to have a long career in the music world. She would attract the fan that would stick with her. I also think that if the idols were allowed to sing their own material she might have gone even further than fifth place (which is not a bad placing anyway).

This album is being redistributed again, taking advantage of Brookes success on the show.

Highlights: Free, The Way Things Used To Be, Dream On, Come To My Rescue, In Love, Follow Me

The Red Tent: Spoiler Alert

2007-09-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

The Red Tent, Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Novel by Anita Diamant

Anita Diamant is a Jewish scholar. She has written several non-fiction books on Jewish history and customs.

So when she decided to write a novel she naturally went to the Old Testament for inspiration. She found the story of Jacob and his sons, and the small story within it of Dinah, her rape and how two of Dinah's brothers massacred an entire city. Dinah doesn't say a word in the bible and Diamant decided she wanted to tell Dinah's story from her point of view.

Now I would normally say Hurrah! Women's voices are few and far between in the scriptures.

However when someone chooses to write biblical fiction, I would prefer it if they kept to the story instead of just using names and a couple of incidents and then CHANGING EVERYTHING!

And that is exactly what Diamant has done. Jacob's wives are pagans who worship idols and several gods. Jacob is an absent and uncaring father to his only daughter and is not a religious leader of any kind. What's more, the women in Jacob's camp know nothing of the God that Jacob worships. Dinah's rape is not a rape but a love story. Jacob's mother Rebekah is a horrible unloving woman with a host of female slaves that she refers to as Deborahs not even bothering knowing their real names. Jacob and all his sons are blood thirsty murderers and even beloved Joseph of the coat ofmany colors fame is a gay opportunist fake who slept with both Potiphar and his wife and is bitter and vengeful.

It isn't that I think that the heroes of the Bible were perfect. The Bible tells the high and low points of people's lives to illustrate faith, not to give us a biography. Joseph, one of my favorites strikes me as a kid who went "nah, nah, nah, nah, and bragged enough to drive his brothers crazy. He was an annoying little brother. We can even see a bit of his mischievousness as an adult when he hides his cup and sets up Benjamin as the thief sending the brothers in a tizzy, afraid for their lives and all claiming that they were the thieves not Benny. But Joseph is still a good and righteous man who protected his virtue and was given a spiritual gift and forgave his brothers. And yes, two of the brothers did a terrible atrocity, but Diamant, through Dinah says that all the brothers and Jacob planned it and carried it out.

Diamant shows every man to be evil. This is really a man-hating book.

And it's not that there isn't some good things in this book. The Red Tent refers to the tent that the women would retire to during their cycles and childbirth. It's here that the women bond. Instead of going here in shame as inferred by the thought that they are unclean and not worthy of serving the men while they bleed, they take it as a time to rest from their labors. It's a tent of celebration. It's where Dinah learns the secrets of being a woman.

Although I even question this. I could be wrong but I thought the uncleanness didn't show up until God gave Moses the laws that the Jews had to obey. And in the book their cycles all seem to happen in the exact same three days. Now women who live and work together do tend to cycle together, but in the exact same days?

Diamant does give us a look into a different culture and time when women did not have a great deal of power, nor were they valued much other than child bearers with many women only being servants with no say over their lives. She shows how the women still embrace and magnify the power that they do have. And as far as the massacre goes she doesn't gloss over it but shows us the horror of it.

But the good in this book doesn't make up for the outright lies that Diamant has made up. Is it ethical to take a real person's life and completely change their history?

What puzzles me more, is that Jewish and Christian women have taken this book almost as an anthem for women. Pagan women I understand would like this book, but why Jews and Christians would embrace this book makes me scratch my head. It doesn't even speak that well for women when they get power as shown by the characterizations of Rebekah and her cruelty, and Dinah's mother in law who took Dinah away after the massacre and then demanded and took Dinah's child relegating Dinah to a nursemaid.

And the ending is unsatisfying. Dinah returns home briefly, but no one acknowledges her. Their only sister and she isn't welcomed back, further she doesn't tell them who she is. She carries bitterness and anger with her throughout her life blaming her entire family which I guess it's realistic, but there's no redemption here at all.

You would think that Diamant's credentials would be trustworthy and that she would have told Dinah's story with integrity. Instead because some things are puzzling, (why didn't Jacob realize that he had married Leah and not Rachel, why does Jacob consider a bride offer from Dinah's rapist, why didn't the two brothers have consequences for murdering an entire city), Diamant decides that the bible must be wrong in it's telling and doesn't give us possible reasons, but instead changes the circumstances.

And I found a glaring error in the writing. When writing in first person unless you change perspective you can only show us what your character knows. Yet Dinah somehow is able to tell us about Ruben's indiscretion and her mothers' deaths even though she's long gone from the situation and hasn't received news from anyone. How does she know this?

There is other biblical fiction that focuses on women and stays close to the story. Orson Scott Card's Sarah for instance. Or Ellen Gunderson Taylor's Esther.

The Red Tent is fiction all right. But other than names it's not biblical.

And that's sad, because Dinah deserved better.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows

2007-09-08T13:23:00.001-07:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
Warning! There are spoilers ahead! If you have not read this book and want to, don't read. I will give things away. I will make you curse me for telling too much. I will....

Well, you get the point. Just don't read it. Whatever you do don't read it.

As for the rest of you...

I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!

Ha! Is that smug enough?

What did I know?

Well, in The Half Blood Prince, Snape kills Dumbledore and runs away.

At that time, I emailed people and layed out a list of reasons why Snape is the good guy and Dumbledore isn't dead. I said that it was a plan between Snape and Dumbledore to protect Draco from himself and to keep Snape undercover because he was a spy.

Of course I can't back this up because I didn't have a blog at the time and the emails are long gone... Hold it! They're not gone! Be right back.

Okay I'm back and here is proof that I did have this theory. These are a couple of emails I sent to an LDS writing group I belong to...

Email dated Aug. 1 2005

I don't think Dumbledore is dead.

And as much as I dislike Snape, I don't think he's one of the bad guys.

Why? Well in the first place, it's too obvious.

In the second, although Dumbledore can make mistakes, he seemed to be unexplicably trusting of Snape for reasons we don't know or understand. There is a missing piece of the puzzle here. Why did he trust Snape so much?

At the beginning of the book Snape takes an oath to watch over Draco and protect him from harm.

There's nothing evil there. Draco may be a bad guy but Snape may feel that there is hope for him and in fact Snape may know and understand Draco better than anyone. And to be fair to Draco, he doesn't know any better being raised by Death Eaters. He's bad because that's what his parents taught him. Draco doesn't know there are choices.

The third part of the promise is to carry out the Dark Lords command if Draco fails.

The consequence of not doing this, is death.

In a war, sometimes people must sacrifice themselves. Snape twitched at the request, yet he did agree to it, knowing that he would rather die than to carry out the request.

Up on the roof, Dumbledore for unknown reasons, paralyzes Harry and in fact loses his wand doing so.

Why would he do this? He has great respect for Harry's abilities and you would think he would want Harry for backup. They just came from a dangerous mission together. There is no reason to paralyze Harry, unless he doesn't want Harry to use his powers which he knows Harry would.

I think it was an effort to save Draco. Dumbledore and the Death Eaters, knew it was important for Draco to be the one to kill him. (He would get his information from Snape). If Harry were able to fight, there wouldn't have been a chance to convince Draco not to carry out his deed. So instead of magic shooting out of everyone's wand, they all stand around waiting for Draco to kill him, giving Dumbledore precious time to save Draco. Draco in fact, falters and considers the alternative. In fact, just long enough for Snape to arrive.

When Snape does arrive, he takes matters into his own hands and apparently kills Dumbledore.

I think this was planned out by Snape and Dumbledore in advance. Dumbledore at one point changes his tone and pleads "Severus". This may have been the code. Dumbledore falls over the side of the tower and we do not see him again for awhile.

When he is found there isn't any mention of injuries. If he had actually fallen from that great a distance, wouldn't there have been obvious injuries? Perhaps Dumbledore apparated in mid air and placed himself on the ground using a spell to make him appear dead.

But why fall over the side? Perhaps to protect himself from any one else placing a death spell on him.

Snape and Draco meanwhile have no choice but to flee. Snape has saved Draco from being a murderer, and saved Dumbledore from being killed.

At one point Snape faces Harry, taunting him, even playing games with him. Perhaps even teaching him? Don't say your spell, think it. Yet, Severus said his spell to kill Dumbledore. Could he actually have said one spell, and thought another?

Why not just kill Harry? He's now thought of as a Death Eater so his reason for not killing Harry is no longer a reason. Yet, he doesn't kill him.

It is unlikely that Snape and Draco will go back to Voldemort. Draco did not fully carry out the plan. But Snape could put him and his family in hiding explaining to his mother that Draco is in danger for failing.

With Dumbledore apparently dead, Albus now has more freedom to do things without anyone suspecting.

We don't actually see Dumbledores body. It's completely covered. And then "they could not see what was happening at the front. Hagrid 'seemed' to have placed the body carefully on the table." At one point it bursts into flames and dissapears. Dumbledore has used flames before to hide in.

Added to that, the pheonix singing. Pheonix's rise from the ashes. Dumbledore apparently is burned up.

What's more, where is Dumbledores wand? Wouldn't it have been found. And wouldn't it have been been layed with his body which is suggested by the song that Hagrid and Slughorn sing earlier in the book.

Snape also lies at the beginning of the book, telling Draco's mother and aunt that Harry is mediocre. Snape knows this is not true.

Also, Snape knew Harry had his old book (by the way, I thought the "half blood prince" was Tom Riddle), yet Snape doesn't delve into the matter further when he catches Harry in the lie about Ron's book. He could have insisted on getting the book and even gone to Dumbledore. Harry would have given up the book to Albus. But he didn't do that. Furthermore, Snape could have gone to Albus to have Harry expelled for such a serious offence, yet he doesn't do that either. Instead he gives Harry a punishment that gives Harry more information about his father and keeps Harry safe in school. And wouldn't Snape have suspected that Harry had his old book. Snape knows Harry isn't good at potions, yet, he would have heard from Slughorn that he was. Wouldn't that cause suspicion? Perhaps, Snape wanted Harry to have the book, for reasons we don't know yet.

We also see a little of Draco's torment as he struggles with the task that Voldemort has set for him. Would Draco really cry if it was just frustration? He may very well cry out of fear. But is it possible that Draco is having second thoughts about what he's gotten into? Myrtle says "he's sensitive, people bully him too, and he feels lonely and hasn't got anybody to talk to, and he's not afraid to show his feelings and cry."

When I first read this, I suspected Draco and thought it was a manipulation of Myrtles feelings on his part. But it is possible that this could be the real Draco. Bully's are often bullied (his father I'm sure has bullied Draco) and Draco doesn't have any real friends. Bully's don't. They just have people who are afraid of them. If Draco is surrounded by bad people, yet, perhaps doesn't feel like he belongs, this would make him lonely as well. Added to that the huge weight on his shoulders of what he's been ordered to do. Draco never actually confides anything to his "friends". He brags, but he never confides, unlike Harry.

This turned out to be pretty long, and perhaps Rowling is leading me down a path she wants me to go and is going to pull a switcheroo where Snape really is a bad guy.

Still, it seems too obvious.

Email dated Aug. 3 2005

Albus is an smart and intuitive man. Yet for some strange reason he trusts Snape. We never actually learn why, but he does. That in itself doesn't prove anything because he could make a mistake, but he's not very forthcoming to Harry about his relationship with Snape. In fact Albus doesn't do much to convince Harry that Snape isn't bad. Yet Albus sticks by Snape.

There is a point in the book (I'm not sure where), where someone has overheard something about Dumbledore and Snape having a plan.

Dumbledore, never a man who appears afraid, changes his whole demeaner and appears to be begging Snape not to kill him. He says "Severus" in a pleading voice. This may have been a code.

Spells work on intent as evidenced by the students. If you don't "mean" your spell it won't work. We've seen six years of kids struggling with spells. It's entirely possible that Snape said one spell and thought another.

Albus falls over the side, from an immensly high tower (I believe the highest tower in Hogwarts), yet when he's found there is not a sign of a fall. He's completely intact, no broken bones or smashed up brains. He appears to be sleeping. That high a fall would have done some serious damage. Even to a wizard.

The fall also prevents someone else from possibly casting a spell on him.

Could Albus have apparated in mid air and then lied down on the ground in a self induced spell? Or could Snape have actually put a spell on him that gently takes him down. I don't know.

Dumbledores wand is not found. There's a song earlier in the book that Slug and Hagrid sing while drunk about a wizard that gets buried with his wand. It appears to be customary to bury wizards with their wands. Where is the wand?

We don't see Albus' body at the funeral. It's completely wrapped up. And there's a line "Hagrid 'seemed' to have placed the body carefully on the table." Why is the word 'seemed' used?

The body is engulfed in flames and a tomb is in its place. Albus has previously used fire for escape especially in this book. In fact Albus makes a point of telling Harry about the use of fire.

The pheonix sings. Pheonix's rise from the ashes. Perhaps a simile?

And now the review...

Admittedly, I was completely wrong about Dumbledore. He does die. But I can't help but feel smug about being correct about Snape. He was a spy.

I really enjoyed the entire series. Rowling has masterfully taken created a complex world that has caused a lot of theories all over.

Saddened at the ending yes. There were those who I didn't want to die, but in war, people die. Even those we love. Happy at the ending, yes. Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't die. They went on to live happy lives. Snape was redeemed.

Snape was a complicated character. Neither all bad nor all good. I didn't realize he was in love with Lily, but it makes sense why he hated James so much. Not just because of the bullying, but because the bully married the girl he loved.

Even Dumbledore turned out to be imperfect. We don't see this until the end of the book. But that's what makes Rowlings characters so compelling. James and Lily are heroes, yet James was a bully as a teen. Dumbledore was the greatest wizard and the kindest teacher, but he became a teacher because he had power hungry tendencies. Snape was jealous and mean, yet he was extremely brave and fought on the right side. Neville began as a timid little mouse, and became as brave and heroic as Harry. I loved Neville at the end. He was like a modern knight in shining armor. Harry offers the ultimate sacrifice even though he doesn't want to. Even Draco's mother shows a sign of goodness not giving away that Harry is indeed still alive, at risk of her own life. Perhaps if she had been married into the Malfory family she would have been a different person.

I wish the Christian groups that are against Harry would read it to the end. They would find a story of good and evil, bravery, mistakes, foregiveness, sacrifice, healing and love. And a lesson that death is not the end. Isn't that what good Christian stories are about?

One day soon, I will reread all the Potter books from 1 to 7 as one book. There is so much I know I missed.

Tempest Tossed by Josi S. Kilpack

2007-08-30T23:46:00.000-07:00

I admit, I'm feeling a little intimidated with this review because Josi reads my blogs. Hi Josi. :-) It's not to often that anyone reads my reviews never mind the author. So here it goes.

Tempest Tossed takes it's title from a hymn in the LDS hymn book. It tells the story of Janet, a financially and professionally successful, single mother with two failed marriages and a troubled childhood in her past and Tally, a physically damaged yet emotionally strong and well grounded young man.

The book goes through their meeting, their marriage and mostly, Janet's prescription drug addiction.

This is a powerful read. Kilpack doesn't flinch at writing something this controversial. I don't know how she got away with it frankly. Her characters are likeable and flawed and even when you reach the point when you want to slap Janet silly it's because you care. "Look at what you're doing with your life you idiot!" I almost yelled at my book.

And she doesn't offer easy solutions. There's no sudden "I see the light and now I'm cured!" Not that there isn't a happy ending. There is, but it's realistic and believable. We're dealing with real characters here. Things are not wrapped up on neat little bows with everyone singing Kumbaya and eating marshmellows.

I greatly appreciate that, especially in an LDS book.

Now I did have a problem with the book. (Sorry Josi). I had trouble getting into it. So much trouble that I put it aside for another book. (Okay the other book was Harry Potter, but I never do that.) I found that the first two chapters could be almost eliminated. Most of it was telling me stuff. Things that I would have figured out along the way (yes, I would have figured out that she has a drug problem without being told that she has one). Things that I didn't really need to know and were kind of dull (is how Tally got into his job and exactly what he does really that important?) And things that could have been woven into the story more. It's called information dump and Kilpack dumped way too much. There's something to be said for holding back. I almost put the book aside because I felt I knew everything I needed to know.

But once she got going it was as if she was a different writer. She stopped telling and started showing. The characters said "whew, the writer has gotten out of our way and now we can take over." That's when the characters become real and respond in ways that we can understand.

So if I were to give advice to Josi (which is ridiculous because she's more successful than I am), is to start your story later than you think you should. Jump right into the action and don't explain so much. Trust that your readers will understand what is happening.

And maybe she does do that because I haven't read any of her other books.

I would recommend this book to anyone. And congrats to Josi for writing about a tough subject in a realistic way without getting into trouble with the book stores.

Hairspray 2007

2007-08-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

"Mom, I just saw this movie a week ago and I want to see it again. You have to see it!"

So I went with my 22 year old daughter to see it. One week later...

"Mom, I just saw this movie a week ago and I want to see it again. You have to see it!"

So I went with my 74 year old mother to see it.

Easily the best musical to come along in a long time and I really liked Dreamgirls.

Not that there have been a lot of musicals in the past twenty years. Musicals belong to the 40's, 50's and 60's and the exception of Grease in the 70's. Then they died. It was a painful death and only the Disney animation studio managed to be successful at weaving music and story together. Yes occasionally we had a decent one like The Little Shop of Horrors, but the days of Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady were gone.

Meanwhile on stage, musicals were a big hit. Why they didn't go to screen successfully I don't know. The new gang in Hollywood weren't interested.

And then a few years ago Moulin Rouge came out. Who knew that Nicole Kidman could sing? Trouble is that although I enjoyed the frantic almost psychedelic cinematography on the large screen, I couldn't get into it on TV.

Then the television studios decided to redo some of the old musicals. We saw Brandy as "Cinderella", China Phillips and Jason Alexander take the roles made famous by Anne Margaret and Dick Van Dyke in "Bye Bye Birdie", Bette Midler chomp her teeth into "Gypsy", and Matthew Broderick as the "Music Man".

It was great fun although the critics hated it.

Then "Chicago" came out. A dark tale of murder. No one felt especially good after leaving that movie no matter how well the music and story were done.

And then Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar in "Dreamgirls." If you watch her signature song where she's kicked out of the group, you'll understand why she won that Oscar.

Note: I have not seen High School Musical so I can't comment on it.

Interestingly although Dreamgirls tells a tale about a girls group in show business, it comes across as much darker and heavier than Hairspray which is about the far more serious subject of segregation.

Hairspray takes it's cue from the musicals of the 50's and yes from Grease as well.

In spite of the serious message, the whole movie is just plain fun!

Taking place in May and June of 1962 it's about a teenage girl who dreams of dancing on the local all white Corny Collins show (think Dick Clark's American Bandstand) and then wants to conquer the problem of segregation. Tracy is blessed with a loyal best friend, supportive loving parents and a spirit of fairness and adventure.

It starts the moment newcomer Nikki Blonsky (her first professional role) wakes up and starts singing "Good Morning Baltimore" and continues through the closing credits as the three actresses who portrayed Tracy Turnbald (first movie, Broadway, and current movie) sing "I'm a Big Girl Now."

The look of the movie reminds me of the old style musicals where bright colors and clear images were the rule. The clothes by the way are fabulous! I asked my mother if they really dressed that way in 1962 and she said yes they did. It's too bad we don't have some of those fashions now. Oh wait, my 14 year old daughter does have a dress with a crinoline in an early 60's cut. And it's a fabulous dress that she loves. Yes, I used fabulous twice in one paragraph. And lets face it, a straight knee length skirt, flats and a light sweater always look great. Still, it would be nice to see these clothes make a bigger come back.

As for the music, unlike many musicals where the songs sometimes stop things all together, every number in this movie carries the story forward and almost all of the music is memorable.

Highlights for me, were "Good Morning Baltimore" the opening number where we meet Tracy and the world she lives in including flashers, rats and the drunk that waves hello; "Welcome to the Sixties" a number that involves Tracy taking her agoraphobic mother (played amusingly by John Travolta) out to the Hefty store to sign a contract and get make overs; "You're Timeless to Me" where Tracy's parents Wilbur (Christopher Walken) and Edna sing and dance among the laundry, that even though your fat and balding and old I still love you; Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle singing the inspiring "I Know Where I've Been" as she's on a protest march; "Run and Tell That" with Seaweed (Elijah Kelly) and a bunch of kids getting on the bus singing how the darker the berry the sweeter the juice; "Without Love" where Tracy and her friend Penny (Amanda Bynes) are rescued from Penny's crazy mother; and the finale "You Can't Stop the Beat" which has so many things going on that it's a wonder they ever got through it.

Talk about long run on sentences.

Nikki is perfectly optimistic and perky as the short rotund Tracy who really doesn't care that she's short and rotund because nothing will stop her from getting her dreams.

John Travolta gives a funny and sweet performance as Edna, Tracy's protective mom who is afraid to have people see how heavy she's gotten. In fact one of the sad spots in the movie is when Edna protests going out with Tracy saying "I haven't been out since 1951". Yet in spite of all her protests, she proves to be the one who changes and grows the most. You always know it's John Travolta and yet you can put it away and believe that he really is Edna Turnblat and Tracy's mom. This is not a role of a man pretending to be a woman. This is a woman. And even the love duet with Christopher Walken seems believable. Hard to think that Edna was also Danny Zuko singing Greased Lighting.

Christopher Walken is the perfect father. Sweet, dorky, funny, gentle and completely devoted to his family and happy in his joke shop.

Amanda Bynes is mostly quiet as Tracy's best friend Penny but she comes into her own at the end of the movie showing that she does indeed have some gumption.

James Marsden proves he can sing and dance and be handsome as the Dick Clark like host of the Corny Collins Show and breaks a stereotype that stars are self-centered and demanding. In fact he's the voice of reason in the craziness that he works in and it's Corny who decides that it doesn't matter what Tracy looks like, she deserves to dance on the show.

Michelle Pffiefer is deliciously wicked and beautiful as Velma Von Tussle, an aging beauty queen, producer of the Corny Collins show and mother to the favorite Amber who dances on the show. Every story has a bad guy and you don't get much better than this. As a side note, Michelle also played the lead in Grease 2, which never should have been made but it wasn't her fault. And check out that fabulous (there's that word again) red dress she wears when she goes after Tracy's father.

Brittany Snow is Amber, a snide jealous girl who hates Tracy. Brittany by the way was also a lead in the too soon cancelled TV show American Dreams, about a girl who becomes a regular on American Bandstand in the 60's. I notice this movie likes to have fun with the casting.

Queen Latifah brings dignity, beauty, and charm to Motormouth Maybelle, the host of "Negro Day", owner of a record store, and mother to Seaweed and Inez.

Okay, I know that I'm a grandmother, but Zac Efron is gorgeous in his role as Link. He's the dreamy boy that all the girls go crazy over, one of the stars of the Corny Collins show, and the boy that Tracy loves. He too breaks a stereotype. He's by no means a jerk, stupid or shallow.

Elijah Kelley brings a great voice and dancing to his role as Seaweed. You can totally understand why Penny falls for him.

Allison Janney (West Wing) is hilarious as Penny's crazy overprotective religious zealot mother.

My favorite lines:

Motormouth Maybelle as she's talking to her son Seaweed and Penny about their romance: Well, love is a gift, a lot of people don't remember that. So, you two better brace yourselves for a whole lotta ugly comin' at you from a neverending parade of stupid.

Penny : So you've met my mom.

*****
Penny's mom tying Penny to the bed: Penny Lou Pingleton, you are absolutely, positively, permanently punished. You will live on a diet of saltines and Tang, and you will never leave this room again!
Tosses sprinkles of holy water on Penny: Devil Child! Devil Child!

*****
Edna Turnblad: No one is auditioning for anything in this house!

Tracy Turnblad: But why not? Why not?

Edna Turnblad: Dancing is not your future. One day, you're going to own Edna's Occidental Laundry.

Tracy Turnblad: I don't want to be a laundress. I want to be famous.

Edna Turnblad: If you want to be famous, learn how to take blood out of car upholstery. That's a move you can take right to the bank.
*****
(Same scene)
Edna Turnblad: Well, I had a dream that I would own a coin-operated laundromat but I came down from that cloud real quickly!

*****
(Same scene)

Edna Turnblad: First the hair, now this?

Wilbur Turnblad: But, all the kids are battin' up their hair now, hon.

Edna Turnblad: [to Wilbur] You're no help.

Tracy Turnblad: It's ratting, daddy. [to Edna] And our first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy does it!

Edna Turnblad: I don't believe that.

Tracy Turnblad: What do you mean you don't believe that? How else would it look that way?

Edna Turnblad: I believe that it is naturally stiff.

*****
Link Larkin: I was just at home, practicing my new twist on The Twist, when I overheard it on the news. I can't believe Tracy savagely bludgeoned an Eagle Scout. That's just not like her.

Edna Turnblad: But it's not true! I was there! He didn't even bleed.

Link Larkin: I shoulda been there, beside her. I can't sleep. I can't eat...

Edna Turnblad: You can't eat? Well, come on in and worry with us. I'll make you some pork.

Link has just finished singing "Without Love" a song about his feelings towards Tracy who is missing..
Edna (from offstage): Link, your pork is ready!

*****
Wilbur Turnblad: [to a sobbing Edna] Honey, it took me five years to realize you were flirting!

************
Some have compared this movie to Grease. I loved Grease but hated the message at the end of it and always wished they went a different way. Hairspray doesn't leave a bad taste at the end of it. The message is positive. Also Grease had a lot of questionable content. I was an adult when I found out what John Travolta was really singing in Greased Lighting, but as far as I know there aren't any surprises like that in Hairspray. Yes there are a few sexual innuendos, but nothing blatant like Grease.

It's rated PG for language (don't worry, nothing really bad there), and teenage smoking by extras (none of the main characters smoked). I would let my kids watch this.

Easily the best movie of the year (and yes I'm including Harry Potter in that, and I loved Harry Potter).

Will it win any Oscars? If it does it will be in music, costumes, sets and cinematography. It's far to0 light hearted and fun to win the major ones.

So go see it, and take your mother, or your daughter.

By the way, on our way out of the movie theater when I went with my mother, there were a small group of 60 year old women dancing to the music. After all it was their teenage years that we just watched.

The Dan Brown Code

2007-07-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

The Da Vinci Code was a fun ride. Brown does brilliant work here. So brilliant that people have taken a work of fiction and thought of it as real. Not many books are this controversial, and few are taken as seriously as this one. Churches, both Catholic and non-Catholic have rushed to defend themselves. Historians have rushed to prove or disprove the concepts behind it. Authors have jumped on the bandwagon publishing Da Vinci code books of their own. Which only proves what a great story teller Dan Brown is.

Let me make this clear. The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction. Dan Brown has not claimed that it's anything else.

It's hard to seperate fact from fiction in this book especially if you're not a historian. Obviously Brown has done extensive research, weaving it seamlessly into a high octave cat and mouse mystery where the good guys can turn into villians and the villains mean to do the right thing.

Robert Langdon is a professor of symbology and innocently drawn into his second adventure. He doesn't possess outstanding looks or fancy gizmos. He's not a super hero. But he is extremely intelligent and that's the sex appeal about him.

Sophie Neveu is a French crytologist, and Brown does a great service to this character. It's easy to turn the girl into well, the girl who's along for the ride, especially when it's a male writer, but in this case Sophie does her fair share of action and solving mysteries, in fact she's the one who brings Langdon on for the ride, little realizing where it's going to end up.

The codes and puzzles in the book were extremely clever, although I admit I solved a couple of them before the characters did, which only made me feel good. It didn't detract from the book at all.

My only problem with the Da Vinci code was the premise of an either or. I go into further detail about his here.

A great read and highly recommended. Those people who are offended by this book or have their faith shaken by it, need to work on their faith and realize that it is just a work of fiction.

The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

You would think with such rich material to work with, Tom Hanks as the star, and Ron Howard as the director, we would have recieved a better movie.

It's not that the movie is bad. I enjoyed it and would watch it again. But so many things were quickly glossed over. Understandbly they can't put everything in the book into the movie and they did a fairly faithful adaption changing a few things as all movies do.

I would have liked more lingering over the Da Vinci paintings. We barely saw the Mona Lisa, or Madonna of the Rocks. In fact we barely got a glimpse of the painting that held the key.

Added to that the chase didn't seem as urgent as it was in the book.

But my major problem with the movie was the treatment of the Sophie character. In the book, she's a highly trained cryptologist who solves a lot of the puzzles. In the movie she barely speaks, but spends a lot of time looking bewildered. Yes she comes through in the crunch, but a movie that's supposed to celebrate the "Sacred Feminine" managed to overlook the feminine aspect. To their credit they didn't turn her into Lara Croft with lots of cleavage and a penchant for kicking the bad guy into walls, but they completely forgot that Sophie is a cryptologist and capable of breaking some of these codes, especially as Langdon points out in the movie, her grandfather trained her as a child.

So where was her input?

The movie itself was beautiful and it made the desire stronger to visit Europe. Most especially after watching the bonus features.

I'm glad I watched the movie after I read the book, otherwise I might have been confused. I would recommend the movie for those who have read the book. It's nice to see someone else's take on it. Langdon in the movie isn't as sure of himself as he is in the book, and leaves the possibility of faith, where as in the book he comes across as an athiest.

Supporting characters did a good job and the man who played Silas was both scary and sympathetic. It also helped seeing some of the things and places that I could only imagine in the book.

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

Not to be forgotten, take a look at the first Robert Langdon mystery adventure. Angels and Demons isn't afraid to take on the vatican. If you have the chance, it's better to read the illustrated version as I did. You get to see the works of art, sculpture and symbols that Brown uses.

Sure some of it is implausable. Much of it is like an Indiana Jones movie where Indie gets out of situations he can't possibly get out of. Langdon does the same thing without the hat and whip.

But who cares. It's a fun roller coaster ride that leaves you breathless. Frankly I would think the Catholic church would be more upset over this book than the Da Vinci Code. It does not make them look good.

I would sure like to know if Dan Brown actually did get into the vatican and how he did it.