A Rumored Fortune

by Joanna Davidson Politano
Scott County Library paperback 390 pages
genre: Christian historical romance

Like her first book, there are things I truly enjoy and also things I dislike about Politano's writing.

Enjoyed: the male protagonist Donegan Vance! What a wonderful leading man. (That's not really a spoiler . . . if you can't tell from the get-go that he'll be the hero . . . you don't read much.) I liked Tressa's painting and praying. What a great way for her to draw near to the Lord. I liked the clever retorts between the two - '"At your service, one scrawny little bird.' I lifted my hand gracefully to meet his. 'With airs.'" Nice! And at the very end when she echoes his line: "I don't listen well either."

I also liked that it was a light, pleasant romance. Delightful.

Didn't like: It was way too predictable! At least her first book had me wondering. This was much too obvious. I don't want to put spoilers here for other readers, but the "questions" are too clearly answered in advance. It also kind of bothered me that the daddy issues and money theme are so much like the first book. If her third one reads the same way, I may be done with Politano's books.

Overall, a light, pleasant book to read. Donegan was a worthy hero!

Oh! I also liked on page 347 when Tressa is talking with the lamplighter about Donegan.
"Why would he do all this in secret?"
"It's what the Good Book says, isn't it? Don't let the right hand see what the left is doing. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit."
"Donegan isn't the sort of man I would imagine knowing much Scripture."
He studied me with a knowing smile. "No, miss. He simply lives it out."

Yes! Living out God's Word is much more powerful than just knowing it!

What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do

by Dr. David Jeremiah
Scott County Library hardcover 292 pages plus reader's guide
genre: non-fiction Scripture study

I tell my students often about the "right book at the right time" and in this case, it isn't my right time. I was interested in doing an in-depth study of the book of James. There are so many Scriptures that hold so much meaning! This book is highly reviewed, but I find myself not really immersing into it.

The one passage that really struck me (I've only read to page 71 . . . and plan to return it to the library today) was on page 23. I've scanned it to include below.

It's not the greatest scan, but the message is so powerful! I cannot imagine the grief and pain in losing a child. Even trusting that their daughter was safe in Heaven with the Lord . . .

And I love how the sadness and brokenness was not ignored by our loving and faithful God!

I don't think people who are not yet believers / followers of the Lord can understand this. His love, mercy, and grace are so incredibly powerful!

There was another passage a bit later that I read about the destructive power of anger . . . but all the verses reminded me of the current president of the United States.

This is a book I will come back to, but it is clearly not the book that I need right now.

I can just open my Bible and read James!

All the Light We Cannot See

by Anthony Doerr
Scott County Library - audiobook (3 of 13 CDs) read by Zach Appelman,
hardcover 530 pages
genre: historical fiction, WWII

There was a waiting list for the audiobook and I wasn't "reading" it fast enough (not enough commuting these days) so I got the print edition. I'm glad, because the foreign phrases and the time period jumps were clearer when I could use my eyes and not just my ears.

This book is stunning and won a Pulitzer Prize. I can't adequately blog about it except to say I would definitely re-read it. What an amazing book! My favorite blurb on the back cover describes it the way I feel:

"Doerr sees the world as a scientist, but feels it as a poet. He knows about everything - radios, diamonds, mollusks, birds, flowers, locks, guns - but he also writes a line so beautiful, creates an image or scene so haunting, it makes you think forever differently about the big things - love, fear, cruelty, kindness, the countless facets of the human heart. Wildly suspenseful, structurally daring, rich in detail and soul, Doerr's new novel is that novel, the one you savor, and ponder, and happily lose sleep over, then go around urging all your friends to read - now." - J.R. Moehringer

I did make note of the sections and their timing in the novel:
0 - 7 August 1944
1 - 1934
2 - 8 August 1944
3 - June 1940
4 - 8 August 1944
5 - January 1941
6 - 8 August 1944 (short!)
7 - August 1942 (telegram)
8 - 9 August 1944
9 - May 1944
10 - 12 August 1944 (Werner! gasp)
11 - 1945
12 - 1974
13 - 2014

One quote I captured from listening to the audiobook: "History is what the victors say it is." I find this to be pretty profound. It makes me think, once again, how it would be to read history texts (in English, since I cannot read other languages) from the WWII perspectives of the French, German, Italian, Japanese, and other historians.

There were so many characters and they are still with me . . . Marie-Laure, Werner, Jutta ("Yota"), Frederick, Sister Elena, Etienne, . . . this book is definitely worth a re-read.

12 Years a Slave

by Solomon Northup
Scott County Library paperback 230 pages
genre: memoir, history

I started listening to this on audiobook. Richard Allen's vocal work was exceptional. Toward the end of disc 1, there was a large scratch which made the rest of the disc unlistenable. I decided to just get the print book. But then I could only read a few chapters at a time. This man's experience (and eloquence) just made it so difficult to read. Slavery was so horrible . . . and for a free black man to be kidnapped and sold into slavery . . . ugh.

I've been substitute teaching in some social studies classrooms. It's hard to communicate the horrors of an era that's prior to these kids' lives by so many years. (They think the 1980s are ancient history . . . ) I remember as a kid watching Roots - our entire household stopped everything and were glued to the tv each night. It is the first "miniseries" I ever remember encountering. It was harrowing and horrible and so incredibly riveting. I felt such compassion for Kunta Kinte and wanted him to be free!

I tagged Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s opening "What Is An African American Classic?" but don't feel like reading it now. He is the editor for this book (originally written in 1853) and it is probably worth reading, but I'm tired and ready to bring this back to the library. Likewise, I'm skipping Ira Berlin's long introduction.

Northup's story can stand on it's own. His experiences are powerfully told. I don't think I want to see the movie . . . cruelty and the evils of slavery are real enough that depictions of them are just depressing.

I liked that Bass (the man who eventually helped him achieve his freedom again) was Canadian. It made me think of my dad saying "everything in Canada is better." I liked best of all that Solomon Northup's wife and children were still alive and he got to go home to them.

In This Moment

by Karen Kingsbury
Scott County Library audiobook 8 discs
read by January Lavoy and Kirby Heyborne
genre: Christian fiction

I wasn't going to blog this book because I only listened to the first part of the first CD . . . but I want to make a note here. I usually love Karen Kingsbury's writing! The vocal work by the two performers was fine.

In the opening scene, the principal wants to start a Bible study in his public high school. None of the Christian students or teachers want to run it. He has a proposal that he's going to present, but he is seriously worried and his girlfriend is terrified.

What?! I was the advisor for a Bible study in a public school. It was amazing! An after-school, optional / choice program is just that - an option. I subbed yesterday (10.3.18) and there was a poster for a Christian group open to all students. Minnesota is a fairly liberal state, but I don't think it's that unusual for Bible studies to exist in public schools. (And what about Fellowship of Christian Athletes? There are many high schools that have a branch!)

Beyond the Christian perspective that public schools are evil (dramatic, I know, but there are people I know who definitely have that perspective) . . . where is your faith?! Believing in Jesus Christ means that you will be persecuted. It's part of the deal. So, this book might be excellent. I don't know. The opening scene was much too melodramatic for me! And I have friends who home school (I respect that choice) but talk about sending children to public schools as something akin to child abuse. I have worked with so many Christian teachers who live out their faith in their classrooms! The two are not antithetical!


Blurb from Amazon:
Hamilton High Principal Wendell Quinn is tired of the violence, drug abuse, teen pregnancies, and low expectations at his Indianapolis school. A single father of four, Quinn is a Christian and a family man. He wants to see change in his community, so he starts a voluntary after-school Bible Study and prayer program. He knows he is risking his job by leading the program, but the high turnout at every meeting encourages him.

A year later, violence and gang activity are down, test scores are up, and drug use and teen pregnancy have plummeted. The program is clearly working—until one parent calls the press. Now Quinn faces a lawsuit that could ruin everything.

With a storm of national attention and criticism, Quinn is at a crossroads—he must choose whether to cave in and shut down the program or stand up for himself and his students. The battle comes with a high cost, and Quinn wants just one attorney on his side for this fight: Luke Baxter. In This Moment is an inspiring, relevant story about the nuances of religious freedom and how a group of determined people just might restore the meaning of faith in today’s culture.