by Katherine Reay
Scott County Library paperback 310 pages
published: 2020
genre: Christian realistic fiction, relationships
Though I like Reay's writing style, this book was a bit of a disappointment. Like The Printed Letter Bookshop, this title takes place in Winsome and has some of the same characters. There were definitely things I liked about this story - the mother / daughter relationships, the way Ryan and little Becca interacted, Jasper and his perspective on life . . . but I didn't connect strongly with any of the main characters. Alyssa was immature and selfish (though she did grow and change during the story). Jeremy became more interesting as we learned more about his back story, but it felt like too little too late. Janet was definitely a strong center (especially having gotten to know about her in the previous book), but altogether it just wasn't that compelling. We had a great book club discussion last night, though! As always, I love hearing other people's perceptions and thoughts.
Page 49 - "Her daughter's stubbornness had been adorable at two, formidable at twelve, pummeling at eighteen, and arctic at twenty-eight. Now, after three years held hostage in the cold dark, Janet found nothing 'adorable' about blazing eyes and an unyielding spirit. They terrified her. They reminded her of herself."
This struck me because of a phenomenon I've often noticed . . . something that bothers me about another person is exactly a quality that bothers me in myself! Makes me think of specks and logs in people's eyes . . .
Page 57 - "How at ten, fifteen, or even seventeen could he tell them how he 'felt'? He'd had no way to articulate the swirling pressures, colors, emotions, and forces he couldn't separate and understand, much less name."
Yes! It can be hard for *adults* to articulate these things and I think sometimes we expect too much of children to be able to express the emotions and thoughts they're experiencing.
Page 79 - "Last week he'd started to have nightmares about the whole thing."
This is at the end of a paragraph where Pastor Zach is struggling to get to know people's names in his new congregation and worried about doing a good job. This isn't rocket science, but just thinking about the fact that ALL of us can have these concerns is reassuring. I've had many, many, many "school dreams" where it's clear that my subconscious is trying to help me problem-solve some of my concerns.
Page 90 - "Janet felt a snarky You think? rise within her. Her snappy anger still felt like an old comfortable coat she often longed to wear. It was familiar, almost soothing, and for years, she would have let the comment fly and enjoyed the sting it brought . . . "
Wow. It can be hard to change communication patterns for sure! This language is a perfect analogy and I have often failed to bite back comments I KNEW I should not say aloud. I'm so grateful for God's grace and mercy and how he's still continuing to work on me!
Page 169 - "'It's an odd form of pride, you know,' he had said over coffee one day. 'You decide you know better than God and make your own ruling.'"
Seth is pointing out to Janet that her unwillingness to forgive herself for the past is what's causing her trouble. I never used to think about this (unforgiveness toward oneself) as the sin of pride, but that's truly what it is! (Yes, I know "unforgiveness" is not an actual word, but it works for my purposes.)
Page 195 - "'Mothers and daughters. It's a unique and complex relationship. You may never be able to see me in a new way. And I'm sorry for that."
Janet and Alyssa both change and grow in their relationship but it's not easy. Just like real life!
Page 234-237 Margery's funeral and all the bits and pieces to what people said. Lovely. I especially liked what their adopted son Devon shared. And I love that we are adopted children of God!
Page 243 - "In many ways, she admitted, her approach to her mom and their dynamic felt like the old clothes in her closet. Out of date. Out of fashion. But necessary. If she didn't wear them, what would she wear? Who would she be?"
Again, Alyssa changed and grew over the course of the story. Last night, Jes commented that Alyssa seemed to be too old to be reacting in such a juvenile way toward her mom. But thought patterns and communication strategies can have a strong hold on us and be very difficult to change. We had a great conversation about family dynamics!
Page 275 - Yay! Janet finally told Alyssa to stop dumping on her! This scene was long overdue. And a few pages later, Seth basically said the same thing. "She dumps on you - pick either 'she' you want - and you dump on me." Poor Janet! Getting crap from both her daughter and her mother.
Page 281 - "How long would sharing something with Margery be his first reaction? His first desire? He breathed deep and, for the first time in too long, felt true pleasure and peace in the action. Probably until my last breath, he thought."
For anyone who has lost a loved one, that realization that you cannot share, hug, listen, see with that person . . . is hard. The love that George has for his wife doesn't go away just because she is gone. Sharing your life with someone for so many years and having them as your "go to" person . . . is hard. This was a beautiful scene.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
In Grandma's Attic: Stories to live, love, laugh & learn by
by Arleta Richardson
from Betty LaMoore's books, paperback 110 pages
published: 1974
genre: short stories, life wisdom, folksy, Christian
This book was in a box I was sorting through. It belonged to my mother-in-law. (The sticker inside the cover had a mailing label with an address on Oregon Avenue in Bloomington . . . which was before I started dating Louie in 1983.)
I decided to read it because it looked interesting. Short little stories told by a grandmother to her granddaughter. In the introduction, the author writes about her grandmother's stories and the time they spent together. What a lovely piece of personal family history this short story collection is!
I especially love that grandma tells about some of the mistakes she made and the forgiveness she experienced from her parents. Her granddaughter learns from the stories, too.
This will go to my sister-in-law now. I'm glad I read it. Fun little book!
from Betty LaMoore's books, paperback 110 pages
published: 1974
genre: short stories, life wisdom, folksy, Christian
This book was in a box I was sorting through. It belonged to my mother-in-law. (The sticker inside the cover had a mailing label with an address on Oregon Avenue in Bloomington . . . which was before I started dating Louie in 1983.)
I decided to read it because it looked interesting. Short little stories told by a grandmother to her granddaughter. In the introduction, the author writes about her grandmother's stories and the time they spent together. What a lovely piece of personal family history this short story collection is!
I especially love that grandma tells about some of the mistakes she made and the forgiveness she experienced from her parents. Her granddaughter learns from the stories, too.
This will go to my sister-in-law now. I'm glad I read it. Fun little book!
Thursday, July 09, 2020
The Vanishing
by Jayne Ann Krentz
Scott County Library audiobook 7 CDs
read by Sandra Michelle
genre: mystery paranormal romance
published (book): 2020
The best thing I can say about this book is that listening to the entire thing convinced me to ditch the next two audiobooks I tried after a few chapters that just didn't "speak" to me. I'm still not sure why I finished this entire book when I kept shutting off my car stereo saying "This is so dumb!"
I thought it was going to be more mystery-focused . . . and it ended up being almost exclusively paranormal is normal and hot sex / "true love" between the initially antagonistic leads is inevitable.
My random notes:
Oh! Random note I found in my car (and laughed): condom use. At least in the steamy sex scenes, Slater always used a condom. I don't read a lot of "bodice rippers," as one of my professors called them, but there are recurring themes in sex scenes. Most of them do not involve protection of any kind. Kudos to Krentz for including this!
Scott County Library audiobook 7 CDs
read by Sandra Michelle
genre: mystery paranormal romance
published (book): 2020
The best thing I can say about this book is that listening to the entire thing convinced me to ditch the next two audiobooks I tried after a few chapters that just didn't "speak" to me. I'm still not sure why I finished this entire book when I kept shutting off my car stereo saying "This is so dumb!"
I thought it was going to be more mystery-focused . . . and it ended up being almost exclusively paranormal is normal and hot sex / "true love" between the initially antagonistic leads is inevitable.
My random notes:
- Fog Lake / paranormal / seeing auras
- Olivia, Catalina - seeing visions
- trust your own intuition
- Slater Argonbright
- "seeing" after 15 years . . . is that at all plausible? (It strains credulity on so many levels.)
- oracle is the town librarian - smiley face
- Nila Trevalyn aka Alma York
- dangers of lake / fluorescent plants
- sex scenes - yada yada . . . fast forward?
Oh! Random note I found in my car (and laughed): condom use. At least in the steamy sex scenes, Slater always used a condom. I don't read a lot of "bodice rippers," as one of my professors called them, but there are recurring themes in sex scenes. Most of them do not involve protection of any kind. Kudos to Krentz for including this!
The Kitchen House
by Kathleen Grissom
Scott County Library paperback 365 pages
genre: historical fiction, slavery
published: 2010
Wow! This is another book I got for my sister for her book club. I'm curious and love books, so I read it. Absolutely intense and wonderfully written. I'm going to get Grissom's Glory Over Everything after I've read some of the other books I already have.
Lavinia is a white Irish girl who is purchased as an indentured servant by slaveholder Captain. She was orphaned on the Atlantic crossing and separated from her brother Cardigan (I kept picturing a sweater) upon landing in America. Traumatized, she initially doesn't talk or eat until Mama, one of the slaves, coaxes her to engage. The story follows the lives of Lavinia, the "Big House" family, the slaves, and others through several twists and turns over the following decades. This is an incredible book, so I don't want to include any spoilers. I'll just make note of some of my reactions. (If you want a "pure" reading experience, stop here. Because there ARE some spoilers.)
Page 148 - "Will Stephens had been raised to go to church, and every Sunday he hitched up a wagon inviting as many to ride as could, while others walked the hour's distance. I was beyond envy the first Sunday when I discovered that Beattie and Fanny, accompanied by Ben and Lucy, had been given permission to go with the group from the quarters."
I think I put a post-it here because it was such a bright spot - Lavinia wanting to go to church, Will being kind, the slaves having a different option in their harsh lives. But when Lavinia does get to go, she doesn't understand why she rides next to Will, sits on the bench in church instead of standing in back with her friends, etc. Even in a Christian environment, the slaves were treated as lesser human beings. Humanity can be so awful.
Page 232 - "You must know I care for you. I want you to come with me, Lavinia. I want to marry you."
Ugh! No! First of all, I don't believe that Marshall would ever ask Lavinia to marry him. He's too arrogant and awful to want her - an Irish girl with no family, money, and as a former indentured servant. I just don't believe that. And HOW could she say yes?! She is fond of him, but also knows how he can be . . .
Page 278 - "Mama came back to sit in the chair beside me. She blew her nose before she took my hand. 'There times all we can do is pray to the Lawd,' she said. 'We say, "Lawd, we don't know, but we sure do need some help."'"
Other than the quotation marks getting out of hand in that . . . I loved Mama as a character. I loved her constancy, her calm, her wisdom, her love, her faith. She was a fantastic, amazing woman. (This scene was after Lavinia realized that Marshall was raping and beating Beattie.)
Page 329 - "'Thank you, Papa,' I said. That day, with Papa's words of forgiveness, my obsession for the drug began to recede."
Her use of laudanum as an escape from the horrors of marriage to Marshall and her cluelessness about the impact of her choices on the slaves were a boil that needed to be lanced. I love that forgiveness were such a key part of her willingness to change. I love that Papa George had told her, "We know you do the best you can when it come to Sukey. Now we askin' the Lawd to make you strong again. We here all needin' that.'"
Page 334 - "When Jamie don't come, I think, I got to get over there before Will gets back. I got it in my head that just maybe, if I talk to Marshall, he'll see my way. I'll show Marshall my papers, maybe even tell him the cap'n's my daddy."
THIS! I was picturing the very opening scene where a woman with a green headscarf was hanging, and I was shouting at the book, "No, Belle! Don't go! Marshall will not listen to you! He raped you even though you're his half-sister. He's a drunkard and an awful man! Don't go!" This also made me think (again) - WHY did Marshall's parents allow him to hang out with the overseer Rankin. He was such an evil man. WHY did they allow the tutor to abuse him? That was sick.
Page 353 - "I go to leave, but I hear Mama talking to herself. 'My head feel cold,' she says, patting at her ears and looking lost as a little girl. I take off my own dirty green head scarf and wrap it around her head, then I kiss her and say, 'You stay right here, Mama. I'm coming back for you.'"
Ohhhhh. Oh this made me realize how the author had misled me by that opening scene . . . and wonder if they would really hang Mama. And what would happen to Belle. And it made me reflect on the fact that American slaves really did have horrible things done to them. They had children taken away from them, owners who physically, verbally, and psychologically abused them. They were beaten, starved, and cheated. This was a very heavy book but there were moments of beauty, love, and kindness. It was realistic and gripping and powerful.
Author's Notes - Grissom really did her research. I loved reading about her process of writing this book. She said, "Each day more of the story unfolded, and when I finished, often emotionally spent, I was left to wonder what the following day would bring." Reading it felt a bit like that, too. At times, I had to put it down because it was draining. But SUCH a good book!
Scott County Library paperback 365 pages
genre: historical fiction, slavery
published: 2010
Wow! This is another book I got for my sister for her book club. I'm curious and love books, so I read it. Absolutely intense and wonderfully written. I'm going to get Grissom's Glory Over Everything after I've read some of the other books I already have.
Lavinia is a white Irish girl who is purchased as an indentured servant by slaveholder Captain. She was orphaned on the Atlantic crossing and separated from her brother Cardigan (I kept picturing a sweater) upon landing in America. Traumatized, she initially doesn't talk or eat until Mama, one of the slaves, coaxes her to engage. The story follows the lives of Lavinia, the "Big House" family, the slaves, and others through several twists and turns over the following decades. This is an incredible book, so I don't want to include any spoilers. I'll just make note of some of my reactions. (If you want a "pure" reading experience, stop here. Because there ARE some spoilers.)
Page 148 - "Will Stephens had been raised to go to church, and every Sunday he hitched up a wagon inviting as many to ride as could, while others walked the hour's distance. I was beyond envy the first Sunday when I discovered that Beattie and Fanny, accompanied by Ben and Lucy, had been given permission to go with the group from the quarters."
I think I put a post-it here because it was such a bright spot - Lavinia wanting to go to church, Will being kind, the slaves having a different option in their harsh lives. But when Lavinia does get to go, she doesn't understand why she rides next to Will, sits on the bench in church instead of standing in back with her friends, etc. Even in a Christian environment, the slaves were treated as lesser human beings. Humanity can be so awful.
Page 232 - "You must know I care for you. I want you to come with me, Lavinia. I want to marry you."
Ugh! No! First of all, I don't believe that Marshall would ever ask Lavinia to marry him. He's too arrogant and awful to want her - an Irish girl with no family, money, and as a former indentured servant. I just don't believe that. And HOW could she say yes?! She is fond of him, but also knows how he can be . . .
Page 278 - "Mama came back to sit in the chair beside me. She blew her nose before she took my hand. 'There times all we can do is pray to the Lawd,' she said. 'We say, "Lawd, we don't know, but we sure do need some help."'"
Other than the quotation marks getting out of hand in that . . . I loved Mama as a character. I loved her constancy, her calm, her wisdom, her love, her faith. She was a fantastic, amazing woman. (This scene was after Lavinia realized that Marshall was raping and beating Beattie.)
Page 329 - "'Thank you, Papa,' I said. That day, with Papa's words of forgiveness, my obsession for the drug began to recede."
Her use of laudanum as an escape from the horrors of marriage to Marshall and her cluelessness about the impact of her choices on the slaves were a boil that needed to be lanced. I love that forgiveness were such a key part of her willingness to change. I love that Papa George had told her, "We know you do the best you can when it come to Sukey. Now we askin' the Lawd to make you strong again. We here all needin' that.'"
Page 334 - "When Jamie don't come, I think, I got to get over there before Will gets back. I got it in my head that just maybe, if I talk to Marshall, he'll see my way. I'll show Marshall my papers, maybe even tell him the cap'n's my daddy."
THIS! I was picturing the very opening scene where a woman with a green headscarf was hanging, and I was shouting at the book, "No, Belle! Don't go! Marshall will not listen to you! He raped you even though you're his half-sister. He's a drunkard and an awful man! Don't go!" This also made me think (again) - WHY did Marshall's parents allow him to hang out with the overseer Rankin. He was such an evil man. WHY did they allow the tutor to abuse him? That was sick.
Page 353 - "I go to leave, but I hear Mama talking to herself. 'My head feel cold,' she says, patting at her ears and looking lost as a little girl. I take off my own dirty green head scarf and wrap it around her head, then I kiss her and say, 'You stay right here, Mama. I'm coming back for you.'"
Ohhhhh. Oh this made me realize how the author had misled me by that opening scene . . . and wonder if they would really hang Mama. And what would happen to Belle. And it made me reflect on the fact that American slaves really did have horrible things done to them. They had children taken away from them, owners who physically, verbally, and psychologically abused them. They were beaten, starved, and cheated. This was a very heavy book but there were moments of beauty, love, and kindness. It was realistic and gripping and powerful.
Author's Notes - Grissom really did her research. I loved reading about her process of writing this book. She said, "Each day more of the story unfolded, and when I finished, often emotionally spent, I was left to wonder what the following day would bring." Reading it felt a bit like that, too. At times, I had to put it down because it was draining. But SUCH a good book!
Saturday, July 04, 2020
A Fragile Hope
by Cynthia Ructi
Hennepin County Library paperback 315 pages
genre: Christian realistic fiction
published: 2011
This was good, not great. We had a delightful book club conversation about it. Basically, Josiah Chamberlain is an author and "marriage expert" who mostly takes his wife for granted. When she lands in the hospital in a coma after a car accident, he struggles with some major confusion and misunderstanding. From the back cover, "Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equiped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love."
For not liking it that much, I sure marked a lot of pages. I'll try to be brief.
Page 43 - Made me laugh!
"Son, we'll get through this. Gum?"
Gum? Stan's answer? Your life is falling apart? Here, have a piece of gum. "No thanks."
Page 76 - There are times I wish I could wash my mind out with soap!
Josiah pounded his temples with his fists. Leah's husband died in that accident! And Josiah felt relief? Relief! Was there a way he could wash his mind out with soap?
Page 110 - I'm thankful that I don't often feel this kind of ambivalence, but I recognize this.
Why can't I have one genuine, unadulterated emotion? I can't feel either joy or pain without interference from its opposite. I can't rejoice over a contract without the cement block of guilt and almost laughable inadequacy pulling me under.
Page 132 - This is just sad . . .
"His mind scrolled through page after page of text he'd written, tips he'd outlined with memorable titles, sessions with couples he'd felt sorry for, faces of those who'd appeared starved for his wisdom. His pathetic wisdom. . . . . It's not about finding someone to blame.
Page 134 - The whole infertility / adoption conversation! Ouch for any woman who has been in that situation like the character Karin.
Page 138 - This scene wasn't unexpected, but still made me cry. Both Catherine and Stan were amazing characters. And I love this line:
"Josiah sensed his soul would look pale, anemic, if it stood side by side with Stan's."
Page 176 - Another line that jumped out at me.
"Could he wipe out several hundred backed-up emails? He held the current title in destructive tendencies. World-class master at despair, depression, disillusionment, disgust, defeat, delete."
Upon reflection, I probably just like the alliteration. I didn't especially like the character of Josiah or his negative attitude.
Page 197 - Interesting . . .
"Josiah formed the words, 'Can I pray for you?' but swallowed them. It wasn't the kind of thing he had to announce in order for it to work."
I wish we'd talked about this at book club . . . when you ask that question, isn't it partly about inviting the person to open their heart to God's will for them?
Page 216 - Ugh! This part just rang TOO true for anyone who has spent time in an ICU environment. The author nailed it!
"After this long, he knew all the words, could distinguish the variety of beeps and wheezes from the equipment, felt at ease pronouncing the Latin labels for Karin's broken bones, the pharma-cute names of her medicines. He knew which nurses worked casual, which phlebotomists knew what they were doing, which fluorescent light tubes in the hall ceiling had bad baffles. He knew how far the maintenance crew had gotten in converting to LED."
Page 261 - I love Dr. Moore!!!!
"Don't you trust me. Don't trust the surgical team in there." She pointed upward. "You trust the only One who can make a difference for your family. He can pull off rescues beyond our abilities. You hear me?"
And I love the follow-up line:
"Five foot nothing, and she could talk him into believing hope hadn't exhausted itself yet."
Page 265 - Stan is an absolutely amazing man! Josiah clearly had a less than stellar father himself; good thing his father-in-law was a stronger role model.
Where did you go to school to be a father, Stanley Vortman? You graduated with honors, didn't you?
Page 312 - We had a great discussion about this major plot point in our book club. . . but I don't want to put any spoilers out here. Let's just say that most major relationships miscommunications have TWO participants.
Hennepin County Library paperback 315 pages
genre: Christian realistic fiction
published: 2011
This was good, not great. We had a delightful book club conversation about it. Basically, Josiah Chamberlain is an author and "marriage expert" who mostly takes his wife for granted. When she lands in the hospital in a coma after a car accident, he struggles with some major confusion and misunderstanding. From the back cover, "Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equiped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love."
For not liking it that much, I sure marked a lot of pages. I'll try to be brief.
Page 43 - Made me laugh!
"Son, we'll get through this. Gum?"
Gum? Stan's answer? Your life is falling apart? Here, have a piece of gum. "No thanks."
Page 76 - There are times I wish I could wash my mind out with soap!
Josiah pounded his temples with his fists. Leah's husband died in that accident! And Josiah felt relief? Relief! Was there a way he could wash his mind out with soap?
Page 110 - I'm thankful that I don't often feel this kind of ambivalence, but I recognize this.
Why can't I have one genuine, unadulterated emotion? I can't feel either joy or pain without interference from its opposite. I can't rejoice over a contract without the cement block of guilt and almost laughable inadequacy pulling me under.
Page 132 - This is just sad . . .
"His mind scrolled through page after page of text he'd written, tips he'd outlined with memorable titles, sessions with couples he'd felt sorry for, faces of those who'd appeared starved for his wisdom. His pathetic wisdom. . . . . It's not about finding someone to blame.
Page 134 - The whole infertility / adoption conversation! Ouch for any woman who has been in that situation like the character Karin.
Page 138 - This scene wasn't unexpected, but still made me cry. Both Catherine and Stan were amazing characters. And I love this line:
"Josiah sensed his soul would look pale, anemic, if it stood side by side with Stan's."
Page 176 - Another line that jumped out at me.
"Could he wipe out several hundred backed-up emails? He held the current title in destructive tendencies. World-class master at despair, depression, disillusionment, disgust, defeat, delete."
Upon reflection, I probably just like the alliteration. I didn't especially like the character of Josiah or his negative attitude.
Page 197 - Interesting . . .
"Josiah formed the words, 'Can I pray for you?' but swallowed them. It wasn't the kind of thing he had to announce in order for it to work."
I wish we'd talked about this at book club . . . when you ask that question, isn't it partly about inviting the person to open their heart to God's will for them?
Page 216 - Ugh! This part just rang TOO true for anyone who has spent time in an ICU environment. The author nailed it!
"After this long, he knew all the words, could distinguish the variety of beeps and wheezes from the equipment, felt at ease pronouncing the Latin labels for Karin's broken bones, the pharma-cute names of her medicines. He knew which nurses worked casual, which phlebotomists knew what they were doing, which fluorescent light tubes in the hall ceiling had bad baffles. He knew how far the maintenance crew had gotten in converting to LED."
Page 261 - I love Dr. Moore!!!!
"Don't you trust me. Don't trust the surgical team in there." She pointed upward. "You trust the only One who can make a difference for your family. He can pull off rescues beyond our abilities. You hear me?"
And I love the follow-up line:
"Five foot nothing, and she could talk him into believing hope hadn't exhausted itself yet."
Page 265 - Stan is an absolutely amazing man! Josiah clearly had a less than stellar father himself; good thing his father-in-law was a stronger role model.
Where did you go to school to be a father, Stanley Vortman? You graduated with honors, didn't you?
Page 312 - We had a great discussion about this major plot point in our book club. . . but I don't want to put any spoilers out here. Let's just say that most major relationships miscommunications have TWO participants.
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