Black Duck

by Janet Taylor Lisle
Carver County Library, audioCDs, 5.5 hours
read by David Ackroyd
genre: YA historical fiction, adventure

One of the 2010-11 MHL nominees, but I'm not sure I'll promote MHL this year . . . This was a good story and well-read, but I think I'd have enjoyed it more just reading the text myself. Two boys discover a dead body on a local New England beach during Prohibition. Jeddy, the son of the police chief, and Ruben are both drawn into the rum-running business, but in different ways. Their lives and friendship never recover. Tom Morrison was my favorite character. The story is told through an old Ruben Hart relating the tale to aspiring writer David.


Interesting! My memory of Black Duck was "not impressed." Then when I was subbing last month, I re-read the first five or so chapters to be ready for a group of students I was going to have that day. I found myself so engaged with the story that I checked a copy out yesterday and finished reading it in print. I really liked it! (It isn't that I think Dan Ackroyd did a bad job with the vocal work, necessarily; I think it's more that I enjoyed the text without his interpretation of the characters.)

This time around, I liked David helping elderly Ruben with his yard work. A lot of the ethical considerations of the Prohibition era also resonated for me (especially in light of the current political and social climate).

Page 12 Ruben is defending his dad's honor. I love how each of the boys believed the best about their dads, but am sad that their friendship was fractured by loyalties. (I had made a note when I subbed about "commerce and greed" but don't know what passage it referred to . . . different editions have different paginations. Ah well.

Page 145 "He must make ten times on smuggling what I clear in legal sales in a month. It's money, not law, that speaks loudest to him." Sad but true for many people. Ruben's dad is referring to Mr. Riley here. " Later that page: "It seemed unfair that a man of my dad's worth should be forced to go against his moral conscience in order to keep his job. That wasn't something that should be asked of anyone, I thought, and I was amazed that my mother would advise such a thing."

Page 217 Tom - my favorite character! "'I'm lifting my finger in the direction of peace and quiet,' Tom replied. 'Money's no answer to what's needed in my life.'" I love it when people value better things than money!

Page 237 - "There are times when truth becomes invisible, I think, beyond the reach even of those who believe they're closest to it." Again, this makes me think of the current cultural climate and it makes me sad.

Plum Lovin'

by Janet Evanovich
subtitled "A Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers" novel
Hennepin County, audioCDs 3 hours
read by Lorelei King

Glad this was short - shouldn't have spent the time. Cruder than usual, didn't make me laugh out loud. King does a fantastic job with the voices and really brings the characters to life. The story just didn't do it for me. Stephanie teams up with Diesel, yet another sexy man in her life, to find the bad guy and bring romance into hapless lives in time for Valentine's day.

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett
Jenifer's copy, hardcover, 451 pages

PRMS book club title for May(?) - What an incredible book! I'm so glad we decided to read this one, even though I missed part of the discussion. As I read the first few chapters, I had to flip to the back jacket to see who the author was. A white woman! Incredible first novel. The story is told from the perspectives of three women in 1962. Mississippi and the growing civil rights movement create a realistic, turbulent location for Aibilene and Minny - aka "The Help" of the story. Skeeter's growing awareness of the chasm between her world and the world of these women made me think of we all have something of a blind eye for situations that we don't necessarily want to think about. Powerful book, but painful too. I loved it.

I'm such a dork that I wanted Celia and Johnny to take Minny and her kids in to their huge house! I'm such a Pollyanna sometimes . . .

This was blogged on 7/11/10 and I just listened to the audiobook. I love this story! And I strongly dislike the reality it represents in a fictional manner. The vocal work was done by Jenna Lamia (Skeeter), Bahni Turpin (Aibileen), Octavia Spencer (Minny), and Cassandra Campbell (additional narration). The audiobook brings to life the joy, pain, irony, and nuance of 1962 Jackson, Mississippi. I am still amazed at the power of this story.

The Love Revolution

by Joyce Meyer
Hennepin County Library, audioCDs, 8 hours
read by Sandra McCollom (Joyce's daughter)
genre: Christian living / inspirational

This took me a while to "get into" - I think I might actually enjoyed reading the text more than listening. Joyce's teaching is really powerful, though. There were times when I listened to just the right concept at the right time. I love how she uses Scripture for her basis of teaching - that's why it's so powerful. If all Christians truly loved the way Jesus taught us to, it would revolutionize the world. This is one I wouldn't mind owning - the teachings are that meaningful. I would love to be part of the revolution that changes the world through Jesus' love!

Her Mother's Hope

by Francine Rivers
Kim C's copy, hardcover, 483 pages
genre: Christian fiction, relationships, historical fiction

This was a very engaging book. My big frustration was with the main character, Marta, not talking with her husband or her daughter Hildemara about her childhood, her dad, her sister Elise. I wish I'd been able to go to the discussion for book club. It sounds as though they had a great conversation about mothers and daughters and the relationships that can get sticky. Communication is such a key!

Overall, I enjoyed this story of Marta overcoming horrible odds to be successful. I just thought she turned too bitter and nasty after she got married. Hildemara was a delightful character. The scene that really hit me hard was when her cruel teacher overheard her telling her sister about praying for the teacher. Powerful!

Keeping Up!

Wow. I haven't really read a lot lately, but definitely more than I've blogged! I'm going to play catchup and apologize in advance for the lack of quality and thought. I'm in "get-r-done" mode.