The Silent Gift

by Michael Landon Jr. & Cindy Kelley
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 362 pages
Christian / inspirational fiction

The best part about this book was Jodi's ranting and raving about how much she disliked it during our book club discussion. I wasn't quite so vehement, but it's one of the less cohesive stories I've read in a while.

Mary gives birth underwater after her husband has driven the car off the road and watches as it sinks. Jump eight years. Mary is a devoted mother to the deaf and mute Jack, but her husband Jerry is a mean, selfish, abusive jerk who can't stand either one of them. Travel through most of the midwest encountering rich people, scoundrels, governors, jail, a poor house with a psycho doctor, a circus, revenge plots, etc. Until you get to the end and Jack shares his insights from beyond the grave.

It wasn't a terrible book, but it was far from great. My favorite part? Listening to Jodi talk about how stupid it was. Now *that* was entertaining.

(This was originally & incorrectly posted in a different blog. I've altered today's post date of 8/23/11 to the original one.)

A Touch of Grace

by Lauraine Snelling
Hennepin County Library audioCD 11.5 hours
read by Stina Nielsen
historical fiction / Christian / romance

I cannot believe I even got this one! From the cover, it looked a lot like Janette Oke-style storytelling or one of those Amish romances that drive me nuts. But I did. And no matter how crazy it made me, I listened to the whole thing! Grrr. What a poor use of drive time.

Repetitive, over-wrought, and maddening. The narrator's voice was fantastic - she created the characters and related the story effectively. But the writing was . . . did I already say this? . . . repetitive!!! The exact same phrases were used as the main character, Grace, contemplated her feelings for Toby, suffered over whether or not her sister had forgiven her, and wondered about Jonathan's intentions.

Jonathan, his sister, and their spunky neighbor were my favorite characters. I liked the lack of swearing and crudity.

Skybreaker

by Kenneth Oppel
PRMS hardcover 544 pages
YA adventure with scifi / fantasy elements

Matt Cruse is once again off on an adventure with Kate de Vries. This time, they have banded with the arrogant Mr. Slater and the questionable Nadira.

Loved it! Fun, wonderful story!

The View From Saturday

by E.L. Konigsburg
PRMS paperback 163 pages
YA relationships

I re-read this to jog my memory and decide to whom and how to recommend it. Four sixth graders tell their piece of an overlapping story as their teacher, paraplegic Mrs. Olinski, keeps us up to date on how these four became an academic team that called themselves "The Four Souls."

An enjoyable story, but it's definitely for a younger mature reader (young in years; mature in reading ability). These are four intelligent, articulate youngsters. My favorite part of the book was the current academic challenge competitions, not the reflections upon their past lives.

H.I.V.E.

by Mark Walden
PRMS paperback 309 pages
YA / action

The Higher Institute of Villainous Education has abducted some of the brightest and most evil-prone children on the planet. The purpose of the school is to provide villain training. Some of the children, led by Otto Malpense, want to escape HIVE's island location and regain control over their own lives.

This story was enjoyable, but mostly predictable. It reminded me of a cross between Artemis Fowl and Alex Rider. My favorite character was Wing Fanchu - it will be interesting to hear more of his story in the next book. I'm also curious about the identity and motives of "Number One."

Get Out of that Pit

by Beth Moore
Carver County audioCD
read by the author
subtitled "Straight Talk about God's Deliverance"

I usually really enjoy Beth Moore's teaching, but this one didn't connect for me. I thought about sharing it with Ann, but that might be a bit much for her. I liked her down-to-earth conversational style, though she talked really darn fast. I like her illustrations. I thought about any "pits" I might be living in, but couldn't relate too much. She's great at encouraging, though, and I appreciate that about her.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Hennepin County Library, hard cover, 308 pages

What a fascinating book! I heard about it on Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog, and am so very glad I got it. These brothers have studied why some ideas (like urban legends and good marketing campaigns) "stick" in people's memory and why other ideas don't (like so much of what is shared in businesses, classrooms, etc.!).

Sticky ideas follow the "SUCCESs" checklist: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional Stories. I'll recommend this one to my principal. I'd love to see this as an all-school read (the way Sue had us do at NP). Fascinating book!

The Dive from Clausen's Pier

by Ann Packer
Dakota County Library, hard cover, 370 pages

Carrie Bell has been ambivalent about her relationship with Mike, her job, her future . . . and then a group of friends picnic up at Clausen's Pier. When Mike dives in, he breaks his neck in the shallow water. Now Carrie's dilemma gets even tougher.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. There was enough to pull me along to see what happened next. At the conclusion, though, I was disappointed. Carrie didn't seem to grow or change as a character at all. She didn't seem to ever figure out what she really wants out of life. She just went along, drifting from one situation to the next, hurting others and apologizing profusely.

I look forward to the book club discussion, but don't know how I'd rate this book. At times, it was quite engaging.

The Last Olympian

by Rick Riordan
PRMS, hardcover, ? pages

Wow. This series just got better and better with each book. I really enjoyed this conclusion to the story as the Olympians and the Titans do battle. Percy has grown and matured, other characters' storylines and futures are more thoroughly dealt with, mysteries are woven and unwoven. Delightful!

Never Sniff a Gift Fish

by Patrick F. McManus
Carver County Library, audioCD, ~6 hours
narrated by Norman Dietz

This humorous look at sportsmen's lives was more fun than I expected. I can't believe I've had it sitting around so long (at least one renewal so far). My dad will enjoy this title! It pokes fun at hunting, fishing, men, their wives, etc. Dietz's voice is perfect for this title.

Persuasion

by Jane Austen
home, hardcover, 116 pages

Anne Elliot is not nearly as likable as Elizabeth Bennett, but I enjoyed this story anyway. Reading too much of this type of fiction makes me impatient and bored with the idle rich. Yet at the same time, the excellent manners and restrained passions are intriguing. Mrs. Russell's interference prevented me from appreciating much of anything about her.
There are two Austen works I've not yet read, but here's the order of preference so far:
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Persuasion
Emma