Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the local Kindle library.
I'll get my three "not as positive" comments out of the way first.
1) I could not figure out the age of the main character for several pages, which makes it hard to picture in my mind what is happening. I also couldn't figure out the race of the characters for quite some time, due to the type of dialogue of one character who was called "Aunt Hattie." I had to figure out her race and how she tied in to the other characters after things were described more. Either that, or I missed a sentence or two. You know, with a Kindle, it's hard to just flip back and read to see if you missed something...
2) Please, editors... when an author uses a phrase over and over and over again, stop them. Encourage them to change the description here and there so it doesn't distract from the story. Every time I read, "She mashed her lips together..." or "He mashed his lips together..." or "She mashed her fist to her mouth..." Yikes. It took me out of the story for a moment. It was so distracting when it happened over and over again.
3) Imagine my surprise when it turns out this is the same author who wrote the books about the Quakers that I reviewed earlier. Oh, my. This was so much better.
So, yeah... after those three concerns, I can say that this book was very good. I really, really liked it. Good writing, good Christian teachings without feeling contrived. The characters were all developed well. I felt enveloped in the story (other than when someone was mashing their lips together)... and was thinking more of her books will be going on hold on my ebook library account.
Clean.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
House on the Hill (Annette Lyon)
Why I have this book: Another escape book. What can I say? It's been that kind of week. :)
Notice this is the same author as the book just previous. This book was better. I loved it a ton until about 94% into it. (It's on my Kindle, so I where I am in the book is by percentage.) After that, I liked it very much.
I don't know... the end fell a tad bit flat for me. Some things just seem - again - too contrived. But all in all, I liked this book a great deal and will definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series. (I believe there are three or four more books?)
Genre? LDS Historical Romance Fiction. Haha!
One thing... the "Epilogue" was really more like a "sneak peek" at the next book in the series. It didn't really tie things up. It actually was more about getting the reader intrigued for the next book. I think that bugged me a little bit.
Clean.
Notice this is the same author as the book just previous. This book was better. I loved it a ton until about 94% into it. (It's on my Kindle, so I where I am in the book is by percentage.) After that, I liked it very much.
I don't know... the end fell a tad bit flat for me. Some things just seem - again - too contrived. But all in all, I liked this book a great deal and will definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series. (I believe there are three or four more books?)
Genre? LDS Historical Romance Fiction. Haha!
One thing... the "Epilogue" was really more like a "sneak peek" at the next book in the series. It didn't really tie things up. It actually was more about getting the reader intrigued for the next book. I think that bugged me a little bit.
Clean.
Friday, July 20, 2012
At the Water's Edge (Annette Lyon)
Why I have this book: Total impulse purchase because I needed an "escape book"... QUICK! ;) I love Kindle. It's easy to get your escape right when you need it. No driving to a book store, no waiting days for a book to arrive if you order it online. Although the instant gratification can be dangerous if you're in a spending mood...
Anyway, this LDS fiction book was okay. I'm sensing a pattern with LDS fiction and villains. For some reason, the bad guys are always so corny. I mean... the writing about those characters just seems too contrived. I don't know why. It feels unnatural, too stereotypical...
For the most, I enjoyed this book. The ending was too easy and a little corny (who really mails an engagement ring overseas to someone they haven't even proposed to before? Good way to lose an investment, IMO.) Things tied up a little too neatly, conflicts worked out a little too simply... but the book served it's purpose and even though my first thought as the book ended was, "That was a dumb book"... it really was just because the end was so quick and too "perfect" to be realistic.
On second thought... here is another reason I get the "dumb" vibe from this book. There are several "heavy" topics thrown into the story: adultery, abuse, attempted rape, stalking, death. I find it disturbing when things like this are part of a story, but aren't given the weight they deserve. It feels wrong. Considering the traumatizing aspects of these things, the focus of the book was still just the romance. It seems contradictory to throw in all those things and then still be a light, escape-type book.
So... if this book was "real", I wouldn't keep it on my shelf. It would go to the library or to a friend. I didn't hate it, but it's not a candidate for a "re-read" at all.
I've read other books by the author that I really liked. This one didn't live up to her talent as a writer. Just my opinion.
Clean. There are instances of physical abuse in more than one relationship. There is an attempted rape, not described in detail. One extramarital affair is mentioned and is part of the storyline, but it is not discussed very much.
Anyway, this LDS fiction book was okay. I'm sensing a pattern with LDS fiction and villains. For some reason, the bad guys are always so corny. I mean... the writing about those characters just seems too contrived. I don't know why. It feels unnatural, too stereotypical...
For the most, I enjoyed this book. The ending was too easy and a little corny (who really mails an engagement ring overseas to someone they haven't even proposed to before? Good way to lose an investment, IMO.) Things tied up a little too neatly, conflicts worked out a little too simply... but the book served it's purpose and even though my first thought as the book ended was, "That was a dumb book"... it really was just because the end was so quick and too "perfect" to be realistic.
On second thought... here is another reason I get the "dumb" vibe from this book. There are several "heavy" topics thrown into the story: adultery, abuse, attempted rape, stalking, death. I find it disturbing when things like this are part of a story, but aren't given the weight they deserve. It feels wrong. Considering the traumatizing aspects of these things, the focus of the book was still just the romance. It seems contradictory to throw in all those things and then still be a light, escape-type book.
So... if this book was "real", I wouldn't keep it on my shelf. It would go to the library or to a friend. I didn't hate it, but it's not a candidate for a "re-read" at all.
I've read other books by the author that I really liked. This one didn't live up to her talent as a writer. Just my opinion.
Clean. There are instances of physical abuse in more than one relationship. There is an attempted rape, not described in detail. One extramarital affair is mentioned and is part of the storyline, but it is not discussed very much.
Friday, July 13, 2012
This Time Together; Laughter and Reflection (Carol Burnett)
Why I have this book: It was the second half of the Reader's Digest book mentioned in the previous post.
I enjoyed this book. I remember watching The Carol Burnett show as a child. I can still picture in my mind the characters she describes in the book. I can picture Harvey Korman trying (and failing) to keep a straight face during Tim Conway's antics. I can sing the first line of her closing song. Haha.
It was fun to read about the "behind the scenes" of Carol's life and her show. It made me want to look up some reruns/DVD's of the show and watch them again. It was also interesting to see the inner workings of tv and movies that most of us are clueless about.
There is the occasional swear word in this edited edition.
I enjoyed this book. I remember watching The Carol Burnett show as a child. I can still picture in my mind the characters she describes in the book. I can picture Harvey Korman trying (and failing) to keep a straight face during Tim Conway's antics. I can sing the first line of her closing song. Haha.
It was fun to read about the "behind the scenes" of Carol's life and her show. It made me want to look up some reruns/DVD's of the show and watch them again. It was also interesting to see the inner workings of tv and movies that most of us are clueless about.
There is the occasional swear word in this edited edition.
An Irish Country Courtship (Patrick Taylor)
Why I have this book: It's 1/2 of a Reader's Digest condensed books volume that my grandma sends me. I have a whole pile of them I haven't read yet. Oops.
So this book was okay. It was actually kind of a chore for me to keep picking it up. I guess it would be good if you like this type of story... but I had a hard time keeping the characters straight and caring about what was going on for the most part. There were a couple of storylines that were more interesting, but I don't feel inclined to read anything else by the author.
Actually, it kind of reminded me of the Mitford series, only not as clean in language.
This edited edition had no sexual content, but there was a lot of swearing in the British (Irish?) fashion.
So this book was okay. It was actually kind of a chore for me to keep picking it up. I guess it would be good if you like this type of story... but I had a hard time keeping the characters straight and caring about what was going on for the most part. There were a couple of storylines that were more interesting, but I don't feel inclined to read anything else by the author.
Actually, it kind of reminded me of the Mitford series, only not as clean in language.
This edited edition had no sexual content, but there was a lot of swearing in the British (Irish?) fashion.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Invaluable (Holly J. Wood)
Why I have this book: I bought it on sale one day at my local LDS bookstore for my teenage daughter.
First, check out the author's name. I can just imagine the little smile it must put on people's faces when she says her name is "Holly Wood." :)
I was a little worried that this wouldn't be a great book because - at the time I purchased it - it was on sale for quite a bit less than the original price. I thought maybe they were just trying to get rid of it because it wasn't selling well.
This LDS genre book gets a solid "A" from me. It would be an "A+", but there was a little bit of corniness that took it down a notch. Specifically, the romance at the end... it was just too perfect. The love interest was too perfect. Everything he said was too perfect. A few other scenes just played a bit too perfect, too... but all in all, this was a really enjoyable read.
Besides the entertainment value, I thought the message was good. Really good. I liked the way it was presented. The writing was smooth, the conversations seemed to flow in a natural manner (even if some of the words were too perfect. Ha!) It's kind of sad how I expect LDS novels to have awkwardly written conversations, but I've seen too many that do. Not so much here.
Definite keeper... and a good one for teenage girls to read.
Clean. There is mention of one boy being caught looking at porn, and a girl confessing that she and her boyfriend had messed around too much... both instances were discussed with a moral context.
First, check out the author's name. I can just imagine the little smile it must put on people's faces when she says her name is "Holly Wood." :)
I was a little worried that this wouldn't be a great book because - at the time I purchased it - it was on sale for quite a bit less than the original price. I thought maybe they were just trying to get rid of it because it wasn't selling well.
This LDS genre book gets a solid "A" from me. It would be an "A+", but there was a little bit of corniness that took it down a notch. Specifically, the romance at the end... it was just too perfect. The love interest was too perfect. Everything he said was too perfect. A few other scenes just played a bit too perfect, too... but all in all, this was a really enjoyable read.
Besides the entertainment value, I thought the message was good. Really good. I liked the way it was presented. The writing was smooth, the conversations seemed to flow in a natural manner (even if some of the words were too perfect. Ha!) It's kind of sad how I expect LDS novels to have awkwardly written conversations, but I've seen too many that do. Not so much here.
Definite keeper... and a good one for teenage girls to read.
Clean. There is mention of one boy being caught looking at porn, and a girl confessing that she and her boyfriend had messed around too much... both instances were discussed with a moral context.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Uneasy Fortunes (Mandi Ellsworth)
Why I have this book: The author is a friend of a friend, so I thought I'd be supportive to an aspiring and newly published writer.
It was pretty good. The writing was better than some... the conversations seem natural, the writing smooth. The storyline was fine, too.
Some of it seemed very unrealistic. The manner in which the "bad guys" were handled, for example... just not realistic. Scenes involving the villains were probably the corniest parts of the book.
The ending tied up rather quickly and kinda cheesy-like. That disappointed me, because really, I had mostly enjoyed the book.
There were a couple of editing issues... one was a misspelling that made me think, "Um, really?" Not a typo, but just something that really needed to be caught by the editor. Strange mistake.
All in all, not a bad way to relax through a day, but not a book that will stay on my shelf and not one I really would recommend to anyone as a "must read!" I'll be donating it to my local library.
P.S. Does anyone else think of how bad one's breath must smell after several days of fevering and being sick in a time when probably minty toothpaste wasn't even invented anyway? I never can quite get through kissing scenes when I know there is probably some really rancid breath going on.
Clean. There was one use of a word that means "loose woman."
It was pretty good. The writing was better than some... the conversations seem natural, the writing smooth. The storyline was fine, too.
Some of it seemed very unrealistic. The manner in which the "bad guys" were handled, for example... just not realistic. Scenes involving the villains were probably the corniest parts of the book.
The ending tied up rather quickly and kinda cheesy-like. That disappointed me, because really, I had mostly enjoyed the book.
There were a couple of editing issues... one was a misspelling that made me think, "Um, really?" Not a typo, but just something that really needed to be caught by the editor. Strange mistake.
All in all, not a bad way to relax through a day, but not a book that will stay on my shelf and not one I really would recommend to anyone as a "must read!" I'll be donating it to my local library.
P.S. Does anyone else think of how bad one's breath must smell after several days of fevering and being sick in a time when probably minty toothpaste wasn't even invented anyway? I never can quite get through kissing scenes when I know there is probably some really rancid breath going on.
Clean. There was one use of a word that means "loose woman."
Sunday, July 8, 2012
The Ghosts (Antonia Barber)
Why I have this book: This was the other book from my childhood that I searched out. It also was out of print, so I bought it used. (Shudder!)
I must have read this book more than a dozen times as a child. I LOVED it! It just absorbed me.
Funny... reading it as an adult was different. Good book... and even well written. But it didn't suck me in with that magical feeling like when I was a kid. It was fun to recognize little parts that I remembered from my childhood, such as certain phrases or descriptions, or to see the times when I had an "AHA!" moment and knew what was coming next.
The edition I purchased had a different cover than the one I loved as a child, but luckily, a friend has the edition with my cover on it. She emailed me a copy of it, and I'll print it up and stick it inside. Just seeing the cover from my childhood adds to the nostalgia of this book.
Definite keeper. I think my kids would like it.
Totally shocked when the evil Mrs. Wickens called Sara two very NOT nice names (along the lines of "tramp"). I don't remember that at all! My jaw fell to the floor! Other than that, I don't recall any swearing or anything else that would keep me from sharing this book with my kids.
I must have read this book more than a dozen times as a child. I LOVED it! It just absorbed me.
Funny... reading it as an adult was different. Good book... and even well written. But it didn't suck me in with that magical feeling like when I was a kid. It was fun to recognize little parts that I remembered from my childhood, such as certain phrases or descriptions, or to see the times when I had an "AHA!" moment and knew what was coming next.
The edition I purchased had a different cover than the one I loved as a child, but luckily, a friend has the edition with my cover on it. She emailed me a copy of it, and I'll print it up and stick it inside. Just seeing the cover from my childhood adds to the nostalgia of this book.
Definite keeper. I think my kids would like it.
Totally shocked when the evil Mrs. Wickens called Sara two very NOT nice names (along the lines of "tramp"). I don't remember that at all! My jaw fell to the floor! Other than that, I don't recall any swearing or anything else that would keep me from sharing this book with my kids.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Mariana (Susanna Kearsley)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it on my Kindle from the library. I have another book by the author. I haven't read that one (even though I've had it for a long time), but a friend borrowed it and liked it, so I put this one on hold.
This book is stuck in my head. Here's what I didn't like about it: It deals with a subject/religious theory that I don't agree with, so that was hard to process. It wasn't enough "fantasy" (because lots of people DO believe in this theory) to just think of it as a fairy tale'ish story... time travel would have actually gone down better for me. Haha!
Also, there was one part (pretty major part) that just didn't have the development I needed to really swallow the ending. Argh! It could have been so much better in that regard. I actually feel like I need to read it again to see what I missed.
But... I really liked this book. The writing was very good... lots of good character development, very smooth writing, definitely page-turning. I think the author did a great job writing a story that covered a lot of bases and managed to make it all work. (Except that ONE really important thing! Argh!)
Good book. I probably will read it again someday... now that I know what to look for, maybe I'll find that I just missed something obvious. Then again, maybe she underplayed her hand on purpose. I just don't know!
I look forward to reading the book I have that is written by the same author.
Some implied unmarried relations (not descriptive). A handful or two of the more "minor" American swear words. The British swear word that is used often in the book is, I know, a bad, bad word across the pond, but here it doesn't have that impact - because we just don't use it that way. The name of God is used as an exclamation of emotion several times.
This book is stuck in my head. Here's what I didn't like about it: It deals with a subject/religious theory that I don't agree with, so that was hard to process. It wasn't enough "fantasy" (because lots of people DO believe in this theory) to just think of it as a fairy tale'ish story... time travel would have actually gone down better for me. Haha!
Also, there was one part (pretty major part) that just didn't have the development I needed to really swallow the ending. Argh! It could have been so much better in that regard. I actually feel like I need to read it again to see what I missed.
But... I really liked this book. The writing was very good... lots of good character development, very smooth writing, definitely page-turning. I think the author did a great job writing a story that covered a lot of bases and managed to make it all work. (Except that ONE really important thing! Argh!)
Good book. I probably will read it again someday... now that I know what to look for, maybe I'll find that I just missed something obvious. Then again, maybe she underplayed her hand on purpose. I just don't know!
I look forward to reading the book I have that is written by the same author.
Some implied unmarried relations (not descriptive). A handful or two of the more "minor" American swear words. The British swear word that is used often in the book is, I know, a bad, bad word across the pond, but here it doesn't have that impact - because we just don't use it that way. The name of God is used as an exclamation of emotion several times.
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