Moloka'i (Alan Brennert)

Why I have this book: I've had it for years. It was a book club pick a long time ago, but this is the first time I've read it.

This is a novel set in the leper colony of Hawaii on the island of Moloka'i. I don't think most Amercians are really familiar with leprosy... it's not a disease that is common in the States in this day and age (thankfully), and until I saw a documentary on it a few years ago, I didn't even know it was still common in other countries.

I liked this book for the most part. I liked it a lot... for the most part. There were things that could have been left out of the story and it still would have invoked the same emotions for those who were the victims of this disease and all the social repercussions it brought.

In both this novel and the other I read by this author (Honolulu, reviewed a few posts ago), there is quite a bit of talk of sexuality. It's not graphic or vulgar... it's just treated as a natural urge that is a part of life. There is no morality attached to it, really... he doesn't seem to have an opinion one way or the other on religion. He writes about it in a detached way, I think. He also brings a character into the story who is transgender. I'm not sure why... he doesn't mention this character as a "real" person in the author notes, so it must just be a storyline he threw in there to make things interesting. It didn't bother me (she is actually a likable character), but I wonder what the point was.

Interestingly, he talks about "The Church of Latter Day Saints" on the island. He not only got the name wrong (should be "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints"), he also didn't do his research on how the ministry works. He called the congregation leader "pastor" and referred to a "deacon"... which was used more in the way a deacon would be used in a Protestant church. It's something that would be overlooked by any reader who isn't familiar with the LDS Church, but I found it curious that with all the research he did on other subjects, this fell through the cracks.

All in all, I'm glad I read it. It was informative, interesting, and emotionally compelling.

This book contains some bad language (including the Lord's name as an exclamation of emotion), non-graphic sexuality (although I now know the Hawaiian word for "boy parts"), some descriptions of the wounds caused by leprosy, and there is plenty of death for obvious reasons. There is also a transgender character.

Getting rid of a few more books...

In keeping with the purpose of this blog (getting rid of books I don't want... which I really am not focusing on, it seems), I am tossing out a handful of books:

Five Reader's Digest condensed book volumes. I am passing them on to other readers.

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. I read this 2 or 3 years ago. I didn't love it. I would have gotten rid of it then, but my husband liked it... anyway, he'll never read it again, so it may as well move on to the thrift store.

An LDS book about teaching youth moral choices. I bought it years and years ago and have never read it and probably never will. Or maybe I did read it. I don't know. Anyway, it can go. Some of the pages are falling out, so I will throw it in my recycle bin.

So not a big dent in my bookshelf piles, but still progress!

Honolulu (Alan Brennert)

Why I have this book: I bought it several years ago on the recommendation of a friend and it has sat there all these years. This is actually a "real" book. My book club decided to read it this month, which worked out great for me!

I loved this book. First of all, I had no idea that the protagonist was Korean. I have a special connection to Korea, so that was a bonus for me. I love learning more about their culture and history.

Second, the author is a man, but wrote the book through the eyes of a woman. The book has the same kind of view point as The Help... it's a story about women. There are men in the book, but they play a secondary role. I find it fascinating and impressive that I really never heard anything other than a female voice as I read the book. I even double checked the cover once to make sure I remembered correctly that a man wrote the book.

Third, the fictional story intertwined with real life people and real life events. After a while, I found myself checking online to see if this character was real or that event was real. It was amazing how smoothly the real events and people of Hawaii came into this story.

This isn't a complete history of Hawaii. It covers the early 1900's, for the most part. Just a brief time in their history, but eye-opening as to what most tourists don't even think about as they visit those beautiful islands. There is a very rich history, and it explains why the "locals" might have some strong feelings about their home. I wish I had read this before I went. I will see things a little differently if I get to go again. (I hope so! It's such a alluring place... at least when you're visiting.)

There is some nasty language from one character, who also happens to be a prostitute. I could have done without quite so much "colorful" dialect, but it's a relatively short part of the story.

This book is a keeper for me.

This book contains some bad language, including one or two instances of the "f" word. The Lord's name is also used quite often as a swear word (nearly all of this is from one character.) Outside of that character, swearing is rare. There is also some content involving marital relations, rape and attempted rape, abuse, and prostitution. None of it is glorified (although you might find the prostitute to be a likeable character), and none is really graphic.

Damaged: A Violated Trust (Melody Carlson)

Why I have this book: It was one of the old freebies/cheap reads I downloaded a long time ago.

I think this book has value, as it covers the topic of date rape. I'd say it plays out a bit predictably and ends pretty neatly (although it never said if the "girlfriend" of the rapist ever believed that it happened or how she dealt with it.) I would have my girls read it, though, just to help them be mindful of what can happen.

This is Christian literature. There is no bad language and the rape scene is not really descriptive. There is a lot of "making out," but again, not really descriptive.

The Reluctant Bachelorette (Rachael Renee Anderson)

Why I have this book: My friend recommended it and it was free to borrow on Amazon, so I borrowed it.

It was cute. I enjoyed it. It probably would make a cute romantic comedy on the big screen.

Clean.

Flowers in the Attic, etc. (V.C. Andrews)

The first three books in this series.

Why I have these books: I read them as a young person and wondered what I would think now that I'm an adult.

I returned them for a refund. Reason: Objectionable content.

Don't read them. That's all.

Standing in the Rainbow (Fannie Flagg)

Why I have this book: A friend recommended it, so I borrowed it from the e-book library.

I couldn't finish the book. Maybe it's my brain, maybe it's the book. I don't know. I got through page 300+ and still was waiting for something to happen. I got on Amazon and read the reviews, and the one-star reviews all mentioned that nothing ever ends up happening. So I just stopped reading it.

I rarely stop reading a book.

It was kind of cute, but it just didn't keep my interest. Maybe it would if I didn't have so many other things going on right now.

There was some swearing in this book.