August Book List

Despite completing several cross stitch projects this month, August has been another good reading month.

Books Read:

1. The Barn Owl's Wondrous Capers (2007) by Sarnath Banerjee
   I found the story hard to follow, perhaps too clever for me, but Banerjee is a talented artist and I had no trouble interpreting the emotions he portrayed. 
2. A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent (2013) by Marie Brennan
   Fabulous yarn with a wonderful narrator; I look forward to more installments!
3. Transparent Things (1972) by Vladimir Nabokov
   Parts of it were absolutely brilliant, parts of it I didn't get. I plan to reread it in a few weeks before writing about it.
4. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (2011) by Alexander McCall Smith
   The twelfth in his charming No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.  I've not read all of them, but this was as gentle, warm and enjoyable as the others I have read.
5. Death at the President's Lodging (1936) by Michael Innes
   I found this an intelligent  well-written novel--it's rare I need the dictionary for a mystery!--and the solution was believable and amusing.  This was my first time reading Innes, and he will be a favorite.
6. Some Die Eloquent (1979) by Catherine Aird
   The first mystery I've run across by Aird; she's now another author I wish I had found sooner.  I look forward to reading more!  
7. The Imposter Bride (2013) by Nancy Richler
   Well written and richly layered; I read it in two days.  (Don't be fooled by the title; it's not a romance.)  Highly recommend this one.
8. The G-String Murders (1941) by Gypsy Rose Lee
   Rather ambitious plot with a somewhat murky ending, but both characterizations and conversations were excellent.  The inside look at the burlesque was also wonderful.
9. American Born Chinese (2006) by Gene Luen Yang
   Graphic novel, often poignant, with an excellent message that would be especially relevant to teens that feel like outsiders.

Audio Books: 

1. Death of a Gossip (1985) by M. C. Beaton
   The first of the Hamish MacBeth mysteries.  I didn't care for the foul language, and the readers weren't given enough information/clues, but I did like Hamish quite a bit; I may read more of this series, if I find myself short of audiobooks.
2. Poseidon's Gold (1993) by Lindsey Davis
   I am rereading the earlier ones of this series as I work my way to the ones I've not yet read.  I enjoy the characters and plots, and especially all the historical details.
3. The Secret of the Old Clock (1930) by Carolyn Keene
   I am sure I must've read this one as a pre-teen, since my parents blessed me with a large collection of Nancy Drew books, but I didn't remember the plot.  It was silly, yes, but I still enjoyed it--especially now that I can picture the clothes and vehicles in the right time period.
4. Sparkling Cyanide (1945) by Agatha Christie
   An intriguing "stand-alone" mystery.  I hadn't read this one before and was kept constantly guessing and changing my mind about who was guilty.
5. By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968) by Agatha Christie
   Another in the Tommy and Tuppence series; a rather complex solution, but satisfying, nonetheless. 
6. Anne of Green Gables (1908) by Lucy Maud Montgomery
7. Anne of Avonlea (1909) by Lucy Maud Montgomery
8. Anne of the Island (1915) by  Lucy Maud Montgomery
   I had seen the two Anne mini-series as a teen, but had never read the books.  These books are gentle, pleasurable, and full of the morals and mores of the turn of the 20th century.  I was immediately drawn into the stories and felt deeply for the characters.  I will definitely read the rest of the series.  (Naturally, the mini-series bear only little resemblence to the books; why make up things for the movies when the books were filled with such wonderful material?!?!?)
9. The Sign of the Four (1890) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
   The second Holmes novel; better written and more enjoyable than the first but still not of the quality that the short stories will become.  Still good fun, though.
10. Instructions for a Heat Wave (2013) by Maggie O'Farrell
    The characters and situations seemed very true to life, as did the rather ambiguous ending.  I found it an excellent read.
11. Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) by George Orwell
    Wow.  I'll be writing up some notes about it soon.  (update: my discussion is here.)

Summer 2013 Book Challenge, Completed

Here is my completed Summer 2013 Book Challenge from Semi-Charmed Life

Rules:

• The challenge will run from July 1, 2013, to September 30, 2013. No books that are started before 12 a.m. on July 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on September 30 will count.
• No re-reads (unless specifically stated)! I want you to experience new books with this challenge.
• Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audiobooks are fine, as long as the print versions meet the page requirements.
• A book can only be used for one category. If you want to switch the category later, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.

The Challenge:

• 5 points: Freebie! Read any book you'd like, as long as it follows the above rules. :)
  The Barakee Mystery by Arthur Upfield; 336 pages.  (July 2013)
• 5:  Read a book that is less than 150 pages long.
• The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan; 148 pages (July 2013/audio)
• 10: Read a book with a color in the title.
  The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley; 288 pages (July 2013)
• 10: Read a book that is not the first in its series. (And yes, it must be in a series.
  The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (12th in the series) by Alexander McCall Smith; 240 pages (August 2013)
• 15: Read a book it seems everyone but you has read! 
  The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury; 256 pages.  I was late in "discovering" Bradbury--it seems that all my fellow fantasy and sci fi literary nerds had read this long ago! (July 2013)
• 15: Read a banned book.
  Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, 267 pages. (August 2013/audio) 
• 20: Read a book written by a celebrity. 
  If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White; 272 pages (July 2013/audio)
• 20: Read a non-fiction book that is not a memoir.Becoming Myself: Embracing God's Dream of You by Stasi Eldrige; 256 pages; Christian Living nonfiction. (July 2013) My review is posted here.
• 20: Read a book that takes place in a state you have never been in. 
  The House without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers.  Takes place in Hawaii; 240 pages.  (July 2013)
• 25: Read a book that is at least 400 pages long.
  The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold; 464 pages.  (July 2013)
• 25: Read a book with a main character who shares your first name.
  The G-String Murders by Gypsy Rose Lee, 209 pages. Main character is Gypsy herself and though we spell it differently, I thought it would be close enough! (August 2013)
• 30: Read a book written by an author who was born in or died in your birth year.
  The Barn Owl's Wondrous Capers by Sarnath Banerjee; 280 pages; born in 1972. (August 2013)

(I have condensed the challenge descriptions to save space; go to the original challenge page for more details.)

Library Books Reading Challenge Update

As of today, I have surpassed the highest level of the library book reading challenge with over 50 books listened to/read.  You can see my (ever expanding) list of library books read here:
Library Books Reading Challenge

The Library Books Reading Challenge 2013 is hosted by Gina at Book Dragon's Lair. 

4 Month Challenge, Completed

Here are the results of my 4 Month Challenge, Part 12. It was great fun, and I'm looking forward to the next one!

5 Point Challenges

• Read the second book in a series
  Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie, the second in the Tommy and Tuppence mysteries. (July 2013/audio)
• Read a book with water on the cover
  Down Among the Dead Men by Patricia Moyes (June 2013)
• Read a book with a colour in the title
  The Yellow Streak by Valentine Willaims (May 2013)
• Read  a book set in the 1900′s
  Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet  by Michael Pearce, set in Cairo in 1908.  (July 2013/audio)
• Read a book whose author name begins with M (First or last)
  Dead Men Don't Ski by Patricia Moyes (May 2013)

10 Point Challenges

• Read a book published during your birth year
  Transparent Things by Vladimir Nabokov, published 1972  (August 2013)
• Read a book with a door, lock or key on the cover
  The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (July 2013/audio; thanks to the vintage cover pictured here)
• Read a book with a flower/flowers on the cover
  Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton (May 2013)
• Read a book with something ‘hot’ in the title (sun, fire, heat, etc)
  Flame and Shadow by Sara Teasdale (July 2013; my discussion)
• Read a book whose author name begins with J (first name only)
  Who Killed the Curate? by Joan Coggin (May 2013)

15 Point Challenges

• Read a book currently on a bestseller list
  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman  is #11 on the NYT list on 11 July 2013. (July 2013/audio)
• Read a book that shows a woman from behindThe Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith (August 2013)
• Read a book with a moon or stars on the cover  The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (July 2013; my discussion here)
• Read a book with an adjective in the title
  The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin (May 2013)
• Read a book whose author name begins with J (last name only)  Innocent Blood by P.D. James  (June 2013/audio)

20 Point Challenges

• Read any book in one weekend (Friday to Sunday)
  Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer  (June 2013)
• Read a book with a child on the cover.
  The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell. (July 2013)
• Read a book with over 400 pages
  The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold; 464 pages.  (July 2013)
• Read a book with an animal on the cover
  Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown (June 2013/audio) 
• Read a book whose author name begins with A (first or last)
  The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie  (June 2013/audio)

July Book List

July was a great month for reading--mainly because it was too hot to cross stitch under my bright (hot) lamp.

Books Read:

1. The Mouse in the Mountain (1943) by Norbert Davis
   Very much enjoyed this well-written blend of the hard-boiled detective with a '40's screwball comedy.
2. The House without a Key (1925) by Earl Derr Biggers
   The first Charlie Chan mystery, set in Hawaii of the 1920's.  I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated; Biggers developed the characters nicely--with the exception of Chan, who played a minor role.
3. The Book of Secrets (2013) by Elizabeth Joy Arnold
   My review is posted here.
4. Becoming Myself: Embracing God's Dream of You (2013) by Stasi Eldredge
   My review is posted here.
5. The Barakee Mystery (1929) by Arthur Upfield
   Characters were nicely fleshed out and the narrative was detailed and surprisingly good.  I will certainly read other mysteries by Upfield.
6. The Secret of the Mansion (1948) by Julie Campbell
   The first in the Trixie Belden series.  I adored these books as a preteen, so I'm doing a reread of the series. 
7. The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933) by Erle Stanley Gardner
   My first Perry Mason mystery and wasn't at all what I expected.  Mason is a sort of soft version of the hard-boiled noir detective (soft-boiled?) and I enjoyed it tremendously.
8. From This Dark Stairway (1931) by Mignon Eberhart
   Another enjoyable hospital murder mystery. I'll admit, I never once suspected the guilty party, though it all made perfect sense when all the pieces fell in place.
9. Flame and Shadow (1920) by Sara Teasdale
   My discussion is posted here.
10. The Red Trailer Mystery (1950) by Julie Campbell
    The second book in the Trixie Belden series.  I'm surprised at how good they still are; then again, it could just be because they are "comfort food" books.
11. The Black Honeymoon (1944) by Constance and Gwyneth Little
    Another darkly funny mystery by these sisters; not as excellent as the other two I've read, but still good.
12. Keepers of the Faith (1944) by Emilie Loring
    Loring was a favorite of my pre- and early teen years.  I've been nostalgic lately for the books of my childhood and bought a box of her novels recently.  This was the first I've read in well over twenty years.  I expected it to be hokey, but it wasn't all that bad; it was written during WWII and I always enjoy glimpses into that era.  It was, however, rather poorly written.  I don't know if Keepers is typical of her writing style, and plan to read at least one more (this time I'll pick one I had read and loved before) to see if they are all like this one before I give up on them.
13. The Martian Chronicles (1950) by Ray Bradbury
    Wow!  My discussion is here.
14. The Penguin Pool Murder (1931) by Stuart Palmer
    A delightful mystery introducing Hildegarde Withers.  I knew the killer early on, and I took umbrage at 39-year-old Miss Withers being described as middle aged (now 41 myself, I see things a bit differently), but the pleasure of the reading experience far outweighed any negatives I found. I look forward to reading more of this series.
15. The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray (2010) by Walter Mosley
    What should have been a sad, melancholy story was not; well written, believable characters, engrossing plot.

Audio Books:

1. Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1945) by Cornell Woolrich
   I couldn't connect to two of the main themes of this novel (near obsessive parent/child love and a paralyzing fear of death) and yet I was drawn into the story because of his power of narration and vivid word pictures.
2. Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet (1988) by Michael Pearce
   Set in British "advised" Cairo in the early twentieth century; enjoyable plot and interesting characters.  Will doubtless read others in the series.
3. The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013) written and read by Neil Gaiman
   Magical, terrifying, awe-inspiring and wonderful.
4. Partners in Crime (1929) by Agatha Christie
   Another highly improbable, thoroughly enjoyable Tommy and Tuppence mystery.  Christie makes references to the popular fictional detectives of the time, including a hilarious poke at her own Poirot.
5. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2009) by Jonas Jonasson.
   I can't begin to say how much I enjoyed this book!  Allan Karlsson, with his sunshiny disposition and incredible adventures, was a fantastic, likable character.  Yes, the book was improbable, but it was extremely fun.  I highly recommend this one.
6. Every Crooked Nanny (1993) by Mary Kay Andrews
   Another chick lit/Southern/mystery by Anderson, which I am sort of embarrassed to be caught reading (listening to?) and enjoying, but nonetheless, I did both.
7. If You Ask Me (and Of Course You Won't) (2011) written and read by Betty White
   A set of short, cute vignettes--just what one would expect from Betty White.  It was especially fun to listen to it, as she made it very personal, as though she were conversing with the listener instead of reading.
8. The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) by John Buchan
   my discussion here
9. N or M? (1941) by Agatha Christie
   As is typical of the Tommy and Tuppence mysteries, this is a rather unbelievable, national espionage story.  As is also typical of the Tommy and Tuppence novels, it is delightful.  My only quibble was that the reader (this was sadly not the Hugh Frasier version) didn't seem to have any experience with children; his voice for a child of two was atrocious!
10. A Study in Scarlet (1887) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    The first Holmes novel and worth reading only for the introduction of Holmes to Watson, not for plot or solution.

If you aren't swooning over this dangerous,
dashing Captain, you must be dead.

Massive Disappointment of the Month award goes to my attempt to read the fourth book in the Burton and Swinburne series by Mark Hodder.

I had been looking forward to the Secret of Abdu El Yezdi since last April, when I finished the Expeditions to the Mountains of the Moon, with it's rather murky ending.  I was excited to have it all cleared up and go on adventuring with my favorite real life hero and now steampunk novel hero, Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton.

I was stunned when I was unable to fall right into this book. It just didn't grab me; I found it too dark, confusing. . .  I was afraid it was a dud.

However, other reviewers that are also lovers of this series are giving this new one high praise.

I am going to assume then, that I just wasn't in the mood for Burton (WHAT?!?!), that for some reason the time wasn't right.  Or maybe it's just that it didn't start out doing what I wanted, i.e. explaining the ending of Mountains of the Moon.

Anyway, my plan now is to reread the first three books (visually this time, as I did audio last time), making sure I remember everything and am in the right steampunky mood, and then start this one.

It's just so disappointing to have looked forward to it for so long and then to find it unreadable!

I still highly recommend the first two of this series (The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack and The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man), and a bit less highly the third.  I recommend even more highly that you read about the real Burton, an amazing man that no fiction could contain.  As a tantalizing morsel, I'll just say that the scar is from a lance that went through both cheeks!  The story is better than a Haggard tale!

The Classics Club: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

.

I was a late bloomer as far as Bradbury is concerned.  While my friends were discovering Bradbury and Vonnegut, I was engrossed in Austen and Shakespeare and Hardy.  The idea of "science fiction" (or "fantasy" for that matter) just didn't appeal to me; I had to grow into it.  As an adult, I came across Bradbury as I began to read the books that it seemed like I "should" read.  Fahrenheit 451 made me an instant Bradbury fan and I've been trying to catch up ever since.  I chose The Martian Chronicles for my latest, knowing it to be one of his most highly regarded and one that I should read sooner than later.

Wow.  No, I'm not being facetious.  It so often made me stop and think, "wow!"--not just for the story he unfolds, but for the amazing way he uses words in this book.  It is stunning.

As most of you know, The Martian Chronicles is a series of linked short stories, telling the story of Mars and it's people, of Earth's exploration and subsequent colonization, and of the end result.  Naturally, I thought a lot about colonization and the harm it has done over the years.  I thought about how often we do things, particularly as a nation, in absolute surety that it is the right thing, only to look back in horror years later.

I also thought about the cyclical nature of things: life in general, civilization in particular.

Bradbury also make me think about the power of words.  His masterful command of the English language, his ability to write volumes in a few sentences, his amazing use of words to set tone and mood. . . it is awe inspiring.

My explanation of the Classics Club can be found here
and the Classics Club itself can be found here.

I thought about "space: the final frontier".  My husband and I have often discussed our belief that our world is such a violent one because there is no longer a "frontier" to explore.  We've discussed how, the roughs and toughs were most often the ones that went off to explore, lightening some of the violence in the "civilized" world.  I was interested to see that for Bradbury, too, the first Earthmen to go to Mars were those types.

I thought about how the line between science fiction and fantasy is so blurred, and about what makes a book "fantasy" or "sci fi".

 I felt the entire spectrum of emotions throughout these stories.  The Martian Chronicles made me sad, melancholic, nostalgic, and happy.  It gave me joy and pain.  I felt love, hatred, embarrassment and hope.  Putting it into words seems to somehow belittle the emotions, but it is all true.  Reading the Martian Chronicles was a highly emotional experience for me, due to Bradbury's ability to create such reality inside his stories.

I know that this will be one that I will reread; it felt familiar immediately, while still feeling new and vaguely threatening.

There were many amazing passages that made me stop, go back and reread.  Here are two favorites.

"He awoke to a tap on his brow.
Water ran down his nose into his lips.  Another drop hit his eye, blurring it.  Another splashed his chin.
The rain.
Raw, gentle, and easy, it mizzled out of the high air, a special elixir, tasting of spells and stars and air, carrying a peppery dust in it, and moving like a rare light sherry on his tongue.
Rain."  --from "The Green Morning"

"There was a smell of Time in the air tonight.  He smiled and turned the fancy in his mind.  There was a thought.  What did Time smell like?  Like dust and clocks and people.  And if you wondered what Time sounded like it sounded like water running in a dark cave and voices crying and dirt dropping down upon hollow box lids, and rain.  And, going further, what did Time look like? Time looked like snow dropping silently into a black room or it looked like a silent film in an ancient theater, one hundred billion faces falling like those New Year balloons, down and down into nothing.  That was how Time smelled and looked and sounded.  And tonight--Tomas shoved a hand into the wind outside the truck--tonight you could almost touch Time. --from "Night Meeting"

Michael Whelan's amazing cover of the Martian Chronicles

The Classics Club: The Thirty-Nine Steps by James Buchan

.

Despite never actually having read Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), I was familiar with it as one of the earliest hero-on-the-run suspense-thriller-mysteries, and one that was influential on the genre as a whole.  I take a historical interest in my favorite genre, and felt I needed to read it.

What a grand adventure!  I had to think that this is the precursor to those heroes so prevalent in today's thrillers (you know, the ones that get out of bed, get beat up, shot, drowned and beat up again all before they take the dame back to bed) but yet it didn't seem hokey.  Hannay was just this side of believable, like a hero should.  He was crush-worthy for the female reader and role model-worthy for the males.

The action of this book takes place just before the Great War starts (but is written after the War started, so it is written with the knowledge that the War will start, if that makes sense) so it also made me think a lot about the War, about patriotism during that War, and about how this book would have been the most excellent sort of propaganda.  It depicts an average man who realizes the fate of Great Britain, if not the world, rests on knowledge he has, so he steps up to the plate and does what he can.  I hate to borrow the overused phrase "stiff upper lip" for Blighty, but that is exactly it. Hannay is willing to die--even as an expatriate Scotsman just over from Rhodesia--to protect home and country.  Just an average guy (okay, maybe a little above average in strength and endurance but we'll not quibble) and he single-handedly beats the Germans at their own game.  Pretty good stuff to be reading in the muddy, infected, hell-on-earth trenches.

So yes, I started thinking about what a fun adventure it was, and ended by mourning the slaughtered Tommys who probably died a little happier for having read this.


 I suffered nostalgia for a time I've never experienced--that time, right before the Great War, when a speeding car went 40 mph and putting on working man's clothing could disguise a gentleman, when airplanes were a novelty and to be hatless was unconscionable.   I felt sad for the innocence that was lost in that War, sad that books like this--new as it was--would only have a few more years to exist, a few more years before violence and sex become the staples of fiction.  (Let me note here that there is no romance in this book--not even one slightly attractive woman.  How refreshing!)

I felt patriotic, too, for a country that isn't mine, for a cause that is hard to remember.

I also felt a longing for Scotland.  Apparently Buchan was Scottish; his descriptions of Scotland are lovely.  I've always wanted to visit and the mental images of Hannay's on-foot adventures to the highlands (or was it the lowlands?) added fuel to that flame.

Most of all, though, I felt satisfied by a good read.  It was a darn good yarn, and I enjoyed every moment of it--and for some reason, especially the ginger biscuits.  I'll never eat gingersnaps without thinking of Hannay hiding in the heather, munching on ginger biscuits.

Patriotism!  This was the subtle undertone and blatant overtone throughout the entire book.  Even an expatriate will answer the call to save Great Britain when it comes, because of natural patriotism.

 It is a level of dedication and love for country that I don't think we, in the U.S., will ever experience again. As such, it was almost a novel idea to me, here in this skeptical, cynical age.

My explanation of the Classics Club can be found here
and the Classics Club itself can be found here.

My Friday Fives (on Sunday)

Running a little bit behind this week, and I blame the heat!

We had to say goodbye to our hamster, Vinnie, this week.  He had developed some tumors, so we had him put to sleep Thursday morning.

Good night, sweet Vinnie.

1. Sorted out a box of things that had been needing sorting.
2. Sorted and donated winter coats.
3. Read and reviewed two books for the Amazon vine program. (The Book of Secrets and Becoming Myself.)
4. Freshened up the hermit crab tank with new sand and stabilized their climbing wall.
5. Completed week two of The Frosted Pumpkin's Summer Sampler.

My husband thinks the little lantern looks like Tom Servo. :)

The strawberry jam was my favorite from this week.

1. Ordered and received a complete set of Trixie Belden mysteries!  It's a pleasure to revisit childhood favorites.
2. Jack Jack did a wonderful job of taking care of Lizzie when I accidentally hurt her.  We have the sweetest cats!
3. I spent a lot of time reading--always a pleasure!
4. Was given a book as a reward for one of my reading challenges!
5. St. John loves his toilet paper!

St. John is ten months now!

1. Find a home for the things that got stacked up on the chest freezer when the electricity went funky and the freezer was out of service. 
   Mostly accomplished.  It's not perfect, yet, but it will do for now.
2. Read at least half of one of the ARCs I need to review.
   Accomplished!  Completed and reviewed one both of the books. (second review)  Great accomplishment!
3. Return to taking my photos every day.  Trying this one again.  Photo-taking brings me joy; I want to reignite that spark.
   I accomplished three days this week, which is much better than last week!
4. Sort through the box of things that I found in the cupboard above the refrigerator (that belong to my mother-in-law from when she lived in this house a loooong time ago).
   Woot!  Done!
5. Sort through the coats for keepers and donations.
   Not only done, but took the donations on Thursday.  Still need to make a home for the winter coats, though. . . 

1. Make a home for the winter coats.
2. Wash and store the hamster house.
3. Move the tools to the basement, from the spare room.
4. Do better taking photos than I did last week.
5. Tidy up the breakfast room.

1. a quiet mind
2. air conditioning
3. iced tea
4. good childhood memories
5. fun toys to photograph 

In an effort to reflect more positively on what I accomplish and to plan goals more reasonably, I'm going to start writing out My Friday Fives.

Book Review of Becoming Myself: Embracing God's Dream of You

• Becoming Myself: Embracing God's Dream of You by Stasi Eldredge
  Paperback: 256 pages
  Publisher: David C. Cook (August 1, 2013)
  3/5 stars

I received this ARC to review for the Amazon vine program.  My Amazon review:

Becoming Myself is an encouraging book written to help Christian women "lay down their past" and embrace who they are in Christ. Eldredge writes frankly about her feelings of failure and short comings. She directs comments to the reader as if she and the reader were carrying on a conversation, creating a very personal feel to the book.

Eldredge's first chapters deal with finding healing for the emotional wounds that can be caused by one's mother. She is very open about her own experience, and bases her advice and encouragement on those experiences. Happily, this is not a wound I have, so I was not able to connect with this, but it did seem that it would be beneficial for adult women who bear scars from childhood.

She also discusses the importance of female friendships and how best to nurture and keep those friendships. Though this has been presented in other contexts by other writers, Eldredge does a nice job with this and again makes it very personal.

Her main theme throughout the book is to find self-worth through Christ and not through the eyes of how one perceives that OHTERS see her. Despite this, Eldredge still, most likely unintentionally, connects self-worth with beauty, size, weight and even marriage. She frequently mentions her size, how her self-worth was caught up in her larger size but now it's not, all the while mentioning that she has lost quite a bit of weight. As another example, the word "beauty" is used to mean both how God sees us, and the standard the world sets for women. Her good intentions are there, but her actual meaning becomes fuzzy at times; it seems almost as though she, too, is still trying to find self-worth outside of society's view of what a woman should be.

In the final chapters, Eldredge focuses on freeing oneself from fear, becoming a Godly woman like Mary, and seeing the vision that God has of you. She gives lots of Bible verses, personal anecdotes and stories from friends, but I never felt like she actually gave solid information on how this was to be done.

The premise of this book is great, and she does provide good insight in some areas. However, in the end, I came away with a "feel good" message, but no actual working plan of how to achieve the goals she suggests.

On a personal note: for those that have "mother wounds" and that still have any sort of difficulties with or stemming from their relationship with their mother, I recommend borrowing this book from the library when it is released and reading those first chapters.  I was struck by how open Eldredge was with that issue and to me, it seemed that it could be very beneficial.  The rest of the book contained, for me, nothing new or revelation-ary that couldn't be found just as well explained, if not much better, by other Christian writers.  

The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold

• The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold
  Paperback: 464 pages
  Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (July 2, 2013)
  5/5 stars

I received this ARC to review for the Amazon vine program.  My Amazon review:

"The Book of Secrets is a complex novel that tells a story in the present, as it simultaneously recounts the known past and uncovers past secrets. It is narrated by Chloe Sinclair, a bibliophile and bookstore owner. She and Nate have been married over twenty years, and have begun to drift apart. One evening, Nate is gone, leaving only a letter telling her that he has gone back to their childhood home to deal with a family crisis. Chloe is hurt at his departure, at his secretiveness and at his willingness to return to a place that holds emotional scars for them both. She then finds Nate's secret book, a journal he has kept in code. As she begins to decode it, both she and reader return to the past, face the future and find answers to secrets.

Arnold very skillfully allows the reader only glimpses of events that were so pivotal in shaping Nate, Chloe and their relationship. She allows the reader to guess, to anticipate and to be surprised. Her prose is beautiful and descriptive, drawing both people and places in vivid pictures.

In addition, Arnold celebrates words and literature with the Book of Secrets. She weaves various classics as integral parts to the story throughout, and the joy of words, especially the right words, as another recurring theme. With this novel, Arnold gives, not only a love story of people, but of people for books.

The Book of Secrets is an absorbing novel of love, loss, betrayal, deception and books.  It is also one that is certain to appeal to fellow bibliophiles."

On a personal note, despite it's size of over 400 pages, I read this in two nights.  It was quite engrossing and I would certainly recommend it.  Yes, there were bits that I didn't like, but were overshadow by the overall quality of the rest of the book.  

Summer 2013 Book Challenge

30 August 2013--Completed!  

I found yet another appealing book challenge, through Bev at My Reader's Block.

The Summer 2013 Book Challenge from Semi-Charmed Life has caught my fancy.  I don't know if I'll finish all of the challenge, but I always find it enjoyable to stretch myself with reading goals.

Rules:

• The challenge will run from July 1, 2013, to September 30, 2013. No books that are started before 12 a.m. on July 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on September 30 will count.
• No re-reads (unless specifically stated)! I want you to experience new books with this challenge.
• Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audiobooks are fine, as long as the print versions meet the page requirements.
• A book can only be used for one category. If you want to switch the category later, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.

The Challenge:

• 5 points: Freebie! Read any book you'd like, as long as it follows the above rules. :)
  The Barakee Mystery by Arthur Upfield; 336 pages.  (July 2013)
• 5:  Read a book that is less than 150 pages long.
• The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan; 148 pages (July 2013/audio)
• 10: Read a book with a color in the title.
  The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley; 288 pages (July 2013)
• 10: Read a book that is not the first in its series. (And yes, it must be in a series.
  The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (12th in the series) by Alexander McCall Smith; 240 pages (August 2013)
• 15: Read a book it seems everyone but you has read! 
  The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury; 256 pages.  I was late in "discovering" Bradbury--it seems that all my fellow fantasy and sci fi literary nerds had read this long ago! (July 2013)
• 15: Read a banned book.
  Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, 267 pages.(August 2013/audio) 
• 20: Read a book written by a celebrity. 
  If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White; 272 pages (July 2013/audio)
• 20: Read a non-fiction book that is not a memoir.Becoming Myself: Embracing God's Dream of You by Stasi Eldrige; 256 pages; Christian Living nonfiction. (July 2013) My review is posted here.
• 20: Read a book that takes place in a state you have never been in. 
  The House without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers.  Takes place in Hawaii; 240 pages.  (July 2013)
• 25: Read a book that is at least 400 pages long.
  The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold; 464 pages.  (July 2013)
• 25: Read a book with a main character who shares your first name.
  The G-String Murders by Gypsy Rose Lee, 209 pages. Main character is Gypsy herself and though we spell it differently, I thought it would be close enough! (August 2013)
• 30: Read a book written by an author who was born in or died in your birth year.
  The Barn Owl's Wondrous Capers by Sarnath Banerjee; 280 pages; born in 1972. (August 2013)

(I have condensed the challenge descriptions to save space; go to the original challenge page for more details.)

The Classics Club

Oh my gosh!  I just discovered the Classics Club!

(I hear ya. . . This is supposed to be a blog where I am encouraging myself in my housework, organization and crafts--not an outlet for my book obsession.    Well, I am doing that!  I'm just doing this too!)

Here are the basic rules of The Classics Club:

• choose 50+ classics
  I have choosen 50; the ones denoted with an asterisk are rereads.
• list them at your blog
  Tada!
• choose a reading completion goal date up to five years in the future and note that date on your classics list of 50+ titles
  I'm setting the goal to have read my 50 by 6 July 2018, which is less than one classic a month.  The Classics Club stresses that this is a "living list/goal" and as such it the list can grow, the goal date can be extended. . . the point is to read and grow with the classics. 
• write about each title on your list as you finish reading it, and link it to your main list
  The point of this is not to write reviews (which is good, as I got so burnt out reviewing), but to initiate discussion by writing about "your reading thoughts".

They also do an occasional (monthly?) "lucky spin".  Members are invited to make a numbered list of 20 of the books still to be read.  A number is given, and members read the book that corresponds to that number.  I like that idea too.


update: I have begun to add more to the list as I think of them, increasing my list from the original 50.  My goal is still the same, though: to read 50 of these before 6 July 2018.  I am making good progress, but don't want to change my goal date in case I can't keep on at this pace.  


Here's my list of classics that I've somehow missed, planned to read but just never did, or that I am longing to reread:

1. Flatland by Edwin Abbott
2. Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott*
3. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
4. Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake*
5. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury 
6. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury  (my discussion)
7. The Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan  (my discussion)
8. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
9. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote*  (my discussion)
10. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain
11. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
12. The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper
13. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel deFoe
14. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
15. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
16. The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot*
17. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
18. Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore
19. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
20. Allan Quartermain by H. Rider Haggard
21. She by H. Rider Haggard
22. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
23. Iliad by Homer*
24. Odyssey by Homer*
25. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
26. Uncle Silas by Sheridan Le Fanu
27. Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
28. Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis*
29. The Monk by Matthew Lewis
30. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald*
31. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
32. The Four Feathers by AEW Mason
33. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
34. Anne of Windy Poplars by Lucy Maud Montgomery
35. Anne's House of Dreams by Lucy Maud Montgomery
36. Anne of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery
37. Nineteen Eighty-four by George Orwell  (my discussion)
38. Transparent Things by Vladimir Nabokov
39. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
40. Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger*
41. Nine Stories by JD Salinger
42. "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" and "Seymour: an Introduction" by J.D. Salinger
43. Flame and Shadow by Sarah Teasdale*  (my discussion)
44. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien*
45. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole*
46. The Warden by Anthony Trollope
47. Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne
48. The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
49. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
50. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
51. The Island of Doctor Moreu by HG Wells
52. The Time Machine by HG Wells*
53. East Lynne by Ellen Wood
54. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
55. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
56. Beau Geste by P.C. Wren
57. Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss