Anna Godberson - "Splendor"

     I think "Didn't see THAT coming..." is a more appropriate title for this too-hot-to-handle novel.  Once again Ms. Godberson delivers yet another dose of 350+ pages filled with glamorous girls, scandalous secrets, and gobs of expendable cash.  This book is another snapshot of pretty young girls living life at the pinnacle of high society with too much money, too much time, too many dirty little secrets, and entirely too many opportunities to twist a plot.  Kinda' makes me wish I was an upper echelon debutante then and there and with that much money.

     This is that last of the four-book series and the author does a great job of wrapping up each of the story lines.  She doesn't necessarily end the various plots in ways that one would expect either.  That was very refreshing, especially since it falls under the "young adult" genre.  The writing style remains the same throughout the series, and this book is no exception.  Each chapter begins with a few sentences that give you a veiled preview of the chapter to come, and each chapter is usually about a different thread in the plot line tapestry which keeps the pages turning.  You never know what is coming in this series.  One of the things I really liked about the novel is that the characters all pretty much "got what was coming to them," meaning that all "had to face the music," or "reap what they sowed."  Ok, enough with the cliches!  They all had to live with the consequences of their actions.  I LOVE IT!  It's a novel idea (pun totally intended) in the teen fiction genre.  Yes, it's a fairy tale, and a lovely one at that, but it isn't so out of touch with reality that the totally unrealistic occurs. 
Splendor: A Luxe Novel (The Luxe)

     The book is a great way to expand your vocabulary, especially in relation to textiles, colors, and French decor.  The style allows for easy reading, but it's not brainless reading.  I almost tangibly felt the grandeur of some of the fancy parties the diva-like debutants attended in the plush mansions and hotels of that era (and socio-economic status) as well as the floods of emotions that these characters experience throughout the book.  I love the sensation of closing my book and letting the realization hit me that, "Wow, I was here the whole time, not actually tippling expensive champagne or dancing with Henry, Teddy, or the Prince of Bavaria in my magnificent gown!"  I'd say the author does an outstanding job when that's your experience...

     I think the series as a whole was entertaining, especially this last edition.  I discovered that Anna Godberson has begun work on a new series "Bright Young Things" which seems similar in nature, but is set in the roaring 20's as opposed to the turn of the century.  I don't foresee myself delving into the next series soon (if ever).  I just have too many other literary delights on my plate, awaiting my consumption before I start the next "teen queen" series.  (I don't mean that in any way derogatorily, it's just my opinion on the matter.) 


Until we meet again: eat, read, and be merry!

Francine Rivers - "Unspoken"

     I love Francine Rivers' writing so much!  She is probably my very favorite author of all time, but that's really hard to say so, just to keep from losing sleep over it, I'll rank her in the "Top 3" for now.  I actually got to "meet" her at a Barnes & Noble book-signing this past May.  As embarrassing as it is, I was totally star-struck.  For being such a verbose person, it was very unsettling to not be able to utter a single cohesive sentence.  Hubby to the rescue!  Yes, I did drag my dear sweet, tolerant husband to a Francine Rivers signing.  There were about 200 women, and about 6 very patient men in attendance. 

     When my turn came to put my newly purchased copy of  "Her Mother's Hope" (soon to be read!) on the table, I could not make my brain send words to my mouth.  I just kept thinking, "Oh my goodness, it's REALLY her.  The woman who actually writes down the words to the books that I can't put down!"  I put my copy of "Redeeming Love" down as well, hoping against hope that the B&N event Nazi wouldn't publicly harass me for not obeying orders to only bring the pertinent book to the "Her Mother's Hope" signing.  I was so hoping she'd sign my copy of "Redeeming Love" because that book changed my life.  I have owned about 6 or 7 copies of it throughout the years because I keep lending it out.  All of the people I lend it to end up asking me if I mind if their friend so-and-so reads it.  I answer "Sure! as long as they pass it on as well."  Needless to say, this copy will not get lent out!  Mrs. Rivers did sign both books and even included a scripture reference in each book. 
    
     As I was standing there dumbfounded, my always apropos Hubby strikes up a conversation asking her what her advice to aspiring writers was, and even made the comment, "I hear you like gardening.  I want to start a garden too."  (I had just finished "Leota's Garden" and had told Hubby my little "back of the book trivia" for the day, that she not only writes, but also has a garden.)  She said, "Never give up."  He offered up his little writer's notepad that LIVES in his back pocket for her to sign as well.  A very elegant, gracious, Godly, and ingenious woman!

   Now... on to the good stuff.                                                                              Unspoken: Bathsheba (The Lineage of Grace Series #4)

     "Unspoken" is the novella Mrs. Rivers wrote about Bathsheba, one of the five women mentioned in Matthew's account of the lineage of Christ.  She was the wife of Uriah, one of David's trusted mighty men, and was very beautiful.  David saw her bathing one day, and decided that she should be brought to his personal chambers for some illicit quality time.  They ended up having an affair that produced a son.  In an attempt to cover up their sin, David ends up having Uriah killed.  Double whammy! 

     What is so beautiful about this story is how, despite some very grievous sins (aren't they all?!), God still called David, "A man after God's own heart," and He still honored Bathsheba by giving her a place in the bloodline of Jesus Christ himself.  This is obviously a work of fiction, but it is hemmed in prayer and stems from a heart that desires to please God and honor His Word.  She says from the get-go that there is artistic license taken throughout the work, as there almost has to be in order to round out the story.

     This work does an outstanding job of showing the mercy and grace that God freely extends to us despite our most despicable and deplorable behaviors.  King David fornicated, murdered, tried to bring an honest man into sin to cover his sin, and STILL God calls him a "Man after God's own heart."  Amazing!  As always, Francine Rivers captures your imagination and heart from the beginning of the story, and gives you a vehicle by which to feel as though you are a part of the story.  History comes alive.  I felt my heart race a little when David summons Bathsheba to his room and woos her.  I felt guilt and shame right along with the characters, as well as joy when God blesses them despite it all.  Don't get it wrong, there are still some pretty hairy consequences for their actions that they must face, but that's the nature of the beast, I think.

     It's so easy to empathize with these characters when the writing is so wonderful.  When I finish one of her books, I am always inspired me to want to live my life for God in a more passionate way than before I had read the book.  God has gifted Mrs. Rivers in an awesome way, and I for one am thankful for it.

     And now, for something completely different...

Randy Alcorn - "Lord Foulgrin's Letters"

     Ok, so I admit, I bought this book not, because of a desire to grow my spiritual life, but merely because I shared his last name for 26 years of my life.  For all of 30 seconds, I felt famous.  Shallow?  Maybe, but it was still worth reading...

Lord Foulgrin's Letters

     This book was written in the same vein as C.S. Lewis's, "Screwtape Letters," which I do own, and DO intend to read; I've just not quite gotten there yet.  This is the story of Jordan Fletcher and his family.  Each everyday vignette is followed by a letter from Lord Foulgrin to his subordinate Squaltaint instructing him to destroy, confuse, deceive, and distract Jordan and his family at every opportunity.  Squaltaint is specifically assigned to Jordan to keep him from learning the truth about God, to distract Mr. Fletcher from doing anything that would honor the Lord, as well as to do anything to destroy "the maggot-feeder" in all areas of life.

     The author writes in the Afterward that he has spent much time in prayer and Biblical study regarding fallen angels, their abilities, their motivations, as well as their realm.  He also   As with anything in the spiritual realm, it's hard to translate it into words.  As Mr. Alcorn states, he does his absolute best to present his work truthfully, but he is human and thus prone to error, so don't take this work of fiction as truth.  He also quotes G.C. Berkouwer saying, "There can be no sound theology without a sound demonology."  I think there is something to that; one must understand their enemy in order to oppose him. 

     I think that while this isn't totally an original idea for a book, it is very creative.  I personally had a little bit of a hard time with some of the book, not too much with the content, but with his style of writing.  It was a little cliche' for my taste.  There were a very few ideas/statements that I thought were a little on the "overly conservative" side of the spectrum, but there's nothing wrong with that at all, it's merely my humble opinion of things.  Overall I think it's worth reading just to give you a different perspective on the battle in which we are entrenched, but from which we will one day emerge victoriously. 

     Amen and let it be so!

       

   

Flavia Bujor - "The Prophecy of the Stones"

The Prophecy of the Stones: A Novel


     Flavia Bujor is a young french writer who had this book published by the age of fifteen.  I've never had anything published with the exception of this "self-published" blog and an essay or two (if you call Mom's refrigerator "published").  So I may be a really awful, hypocritical human for saying this, but this book is terribly overrated!  I literally had to force myself to finish it so I would be able to: 1. say that I finished it, and 2. give my readership a review on the entirety of the book.

     I would be horrendously wrong to not give her credit for writing a very creative story, and have it published all before she even finished high school.  I give her "mad props" for that.  This is a story with two main plot lines, and a very few subplot lines.  Story one is about three, fourteen-year-old girls named Jade, Opal, and Amber.  It's set in what appears to be medieval Europe, but resembles something more like "Middle Earth" replete with Tolkien-esque creatures.  Story two is about another fourteen-year-old girl nicknamed "Joa" (Jade, Opal, Amber - a creative acronym if you ask me) who lives in modern day Paris and is dying of a horrible sickness.  She has dreams of another world which is the one where Jade, Opal, and Amber reside.

     The three girls are given three stones on the occasion of their fourteenth birthdays and find that when they all hold their stones, close their eyes, and think about the same thing, stuff happens.  I enjoy some fantasy fiction, for sure, but this particular one is not my cup of espresso.  The reason being that the characters were underdeveloped as were their dialogue and motivations for taking the actions they did, the story was lacking sufficient descriptions leaving giant plot holes everywhere, and there was no real conclusion.  Ms. Bujor made an excellent attempt at trying to build a complex set of story lines, but didn't quite pull it off,  nor did she really tie the ones she had going together very will.  As I said before, I'm impressed that it was written by so young an author, but I think it could have really been a lot better with some editorial guidance.  Better luck next book, Missy!

     My advice to survive the summer, stay inside and read!  It works, I promise...

    

  

Mark Haddon - "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"

     So, how does one describe "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"?  I would start with: curious, intelligent, heart-warming, creative, eccentric, and just down-right greatness!  Mr. Haddon has crafted an exquisite work that definitely keeps you on your mind on it's toes and your heart on a rollercoaster.

     It is the story of 15 year-old Christopher, who is quirky to say the very least.  The story begins during one of his late-night wandering spells, Christopher discovers that his neighbor's dog, Wellington, was murdered.  Christopher loves animals; he feels like he relates to them better than he does to humans.  He determined to become a detective, in the same vein as the great Sherlock Holmes and discover who killed Wellington.  Christopher's mother passed away a few years previous, and he lives with his father in a small English town; he goes to his school, likes the color red, hates the color yellow, and wants to sit for his A level maths test (something like AP math here in the States).  He worms his way into your heart through his tale.  It's true!

     Although the story is written as Christopher's book about being a logical and observant detective, it also includes a look at his everyday life.  In some ways he's very organized and methodical, and in other ways, he's total chaos.  For instance, as a child he made a timetable for his toy train set to follow, but he totally flies off the handle if someone touches him.  I cannot emphasize enough just how much this character not only LEAPT off of the pages, but also how much I want to hug him.  (No, I've not TOTALLY lost my marbles, I'm just lacking in the creativity department today.  Not enough coffee, I suppose...

     I read in Mr. Haddon's bio that earlier in his life, he had spent some time working with autistic children.  It really shows through in this book that he understands them.  Because it's a narrative, you really get a glimpse of what it must be like inside one of those kids' heads.  I realize it's a work of fiction, but it is still really neat to read.

     I seriously cannot think of one negative thing about the book! I did have some difficulty in understanding a few of the English terms like, A level maths, but that is no fault of the author. I realize it's not a lot of fun to read a review with nothing in the "Cons" column, but I really really really enjoyed it and have been recommending it to all of my friends.

Please, taste and enjoy!

                   The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Janet Evanovich - "Twelve Sharp"

     I'm currently struggling to decide if I want to continue feasting on my Stephanie Plum novels, or if I want to stop completely.  My rationale being that I've just flown through number twelve and, as of yet, there are only sixteen Plum delights on which to sustain my voracious appetite for clumsy women, sexy law enforcement agents, doughnuts, psychotic kidnappers, and the other random chaos in which hilarity ensues.  (That one's for you, Rum Fitts.)

     As always, our heroin, Stephanie is dropped smack-dab (I have no idea where that phrase came from, but it seemed appropriate in this context...) into the center of a crazy man's scheme, a too tight pair of leather pants, an adult store mishap, a bar brawl, and the newly renovated Stiva's funeral home.  In this episode, Ranger is accused of kidnapping his daughter, Julie.  Did he do it?  Did his dark side finally get the better of him?  I'll let you find out in this scintillating story of Stephanie Plum at her best.  I do have to say I was a little disappointed that she managed to own only one vehicle throughout the entire book; she didn't even sustain ANY too permanent damage to it.  Strange, right?  

Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum, No. 12)  

     Stephanie is definitely "sharp" in this story; she manages to keep her wits about her in the midst of all the craziness that is "The Burg" and the Plum family.  I think the highlight of this work is not only the ongoing tension between Steph, Joe, and Ranger (Yum! *lip lick*) , but also Grandma Mazur and Lula's stint in "The What" band.  I'll let you get an idea of what that may look like to you, and then I'll recommend that you read the book and totally obliterate your own picture with something more asinine that only Mrs. E could conjure.  
     Things between Stephanie and Morelli heat up right at the end, but I don't want to spoil a great thing for you.  I'll keep this review short and sweet simply because I'm afraid I'll spill the beans...

     Until then...

Stephenie Meyer - "The Host"

     Boy, does this girl know how to write a love triangle or what!?!?  I read all of the Twilight books, and have to admit that it was the kind of reading that goes something like: "One more chapter," and the next time you look up and it's 4 a.m., and you wonder how that happened and how you're going to peel yourself out of bed in a few hours, all the while debating if it's worth it to even TRY and sleep because you will be tired no matter what at this point, and if you forgo the iota of sleep you may or may not get you will probably be able to finish the book completely which would give you an excuse to go to the used book store and buy the next one, hoping you don't run into anyone you know as you fiend for the next little bit of the story...
WHAT?!?!?! It's not like it was that way for ME?!?!  It was merely a hypothetical situation.  (or was it? - you decide...) 

     I didn't feel the need to utterly devour The Host the way I did the Twilight series, but it's still worth the read.  Stephenie says this is her first novel for adults, but honestly, it's not too far off the "teen scene."  There is a little less "high school" going on, and a few more in-depth themes woven throughout the work.  It's a beautiful blend of the sci-fi and romance/adventure genres.  I'm not a huge sci-fi reader, but despite the alien invasion premise, the story is very easy to relate to.  It's set mostly in the desert of Arizona, and centers around a group of humans who have managed to not only survive the invasion, but also to escape detection.  Though it is a bit of a stretch to relate to hiding from aliens, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine yourself hiding yourself and your family from bad guys.  That seems plausible to me; I've never had to do that, thankfully, but I could imagine what it would be like.               The Host: A Novel

     Right off the bat Ms. Meyer does a stunning job of constructing a love story, as twisted and triangle-shaped as it may be.  It's not an original idea to write about "body snatching aliens," but it is a novel idea (pardon the pun) to make the body snatching alien "go native" and join humanity's side (at least as far as I know).  I like the how the love triangle is constructed and complicated by the fact that it's between three bodies, but four entities.  It will make you think!

     It was, I felt, a little redundant in some areas of the plot.  The plot definitely moves forward at a fairly paced jaunt, but it seems to linger a little in some seemingly random places.  I feel like the book could have been about a hundred pages shorter, but, hey, I didn't dream up the story.  I like all the inner monologue that takes place throughout the story.  There is a lot of it due to the fact that one of the main characters only exists inside another character's head/body.

     My recommendation is to read it for yourself.  I don't think it's in my top 10 or anything, but it's not all that bad.  It's an interesting idea for sure, and it really gives sci-fi another facet, that's usually missing (the love story...I don't want to be THAT girl, but I also don't really crave sci-fi in general.)  I feel like she's made science fiction a little more "female friendly."

     Let me know what you think!