I'm glad that I am reading Charles Martin's books backwards in order of publication, because I may not have continued had I started with his first, The Dead Don't Dance. His characters are very likeable (although after reading three Martin books, I see that the protagonist is basically the same guy in all three) and the story itself is sweet, but...there's certainly a reason why he received 86 rejection letters before Thomas Nelson Publishers finally picked this one up. His writing oozes sentimentality and cliches. I said this same thing about Wrapped in Rain: he puts in too many tangential slices that distract the reader from the story without adding anything at all. I was irritated by this and skipped several paragraphs and even pages of stories he should have chopped out. (Don't tell me about pigs! Get back to the story!)
So, this is very light reading; again, great for a day when you need something happy and don't mind some sappiness. Martin is an author who absolutely improves with each book. When Crickets Cry was really excellent, and I look for more good things to come from him.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Book Review: The Dead Don't Dance
Book Review: Alice's Tulips
This book by Sandra Dallas is perfect vacation reading material. Through a series of letters to her sister, Alice relates her experiences as a young Civil War bride whose husband goes off to war. The letters are filled with accounts of quilting, farm life, customs of small-town America, war hardship, and Alice's own coming-of-age. Each chapter begins with a short description of various types of quilts and their meanings, which I found particularly interesting. There's nothing heavy or intense here, just a light summer read.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Book Review: The Other Side of the River
This book by Alex Kotlowitz (author of the best-selling There Are No Children Here) is praised by Kirkus Reviews as being "A powerful record of an untimely death in middle America." The disappointment is that this is not a particularly powerful nor compelling book, although the subject matter certainly is compelling. This nonfiction account is of two cities in Michigan: lily-white and rich St. Joseph and poverty-stricken and black Benton Harbor, just across the river. This could have been a powerful book because the contrast between these two towns is fascinating; however, Kotlowitz stumbles as a writer, taking the long way about and leaving a maze of jumbled stories. I couldn't help but compare this to John Grisham's The Innocent Man, which follows a similar story of injustice and an unsolved crime. Where Grisham uses his storytelling skills to make his nonfiction account read like a mystery as well as a social commentary, Kotlowitz's story lacks the kind of personal close-ups that makes for a gripping tale. He could have done a lot more to make the reader know the characters on a deeper level.
Book Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
It was a most, most, most satisfactory read. I have no complaints. I have no criticisms. Congratulations to JK Rowling on a most excellent and gratifying series.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Book Review: Ethan Frome
This short novel by Edith Wharton stands my test of time: I loved it upon my first reading in high school, then again in college, and now as a full-fledged adult. (Yes, I really do consider myself a full-fledged adult for the most part.) It has all the elements of a good novel: a man who struggles with his identity, a love triangle, a moral crisis, and a healthy dose of irony. The story is as stark as its New England setting. You can't help but root for Ethan, mentally urging him to shed his tedious life and marriage of convenience, in spite of the moral dilemma posed. The ending throws a twist that I had forgotten and so enjoyed all over again. Ethan Frome has now made it to the short list of books for my American Lit class next year. I'm hoping that the 1993 movie is appropriate for teens; I'll put that on my summer watching list.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Book Miscellany
2. Paperback Swap is fun. See my little linky box on my sidebar? If you click on that, it'll take you to Paperback Swap. What you do is find 10 books in your house that you are ready to give away, and you list them here. Then you get to pick out 3 books for free. It really is fun! Of course, you have to be ready to send your book(s) when requested. Paperback Swap makes this very easy by automatically generating the mailing label for you. You pay the postage, which currently is $2.13 media rate. Every time someone receives one of your books, you get to pick out another book. Is this a good deal for a book? Not necessarily. You can go to a thrift store and buy a book for a quarter. But I've been able to find a bunch of books on my reading list this way, and I so enjoy getting packages in the mail.
3. People often ask me where I find book titles to read. My new favorite place is through Sherry at Semicolon. (This is Judy D's sister, for all you Local Yokels.) Not only does she have interesting book reviews of her own several times each week, but she has a great weekly column called the Saturday Review of Books. You can check her blog every Saturday to see new reviews by 75 or so bloggers, or you can just go to her running list of Saturday Reviews. My reading list has greatly expanded since I've been a regular reader there. And if that isn't enough for you, she has a big list of Book Blogs on her sidebar.
* Another way I like to get books is by perusing Listmania at amazon.com. Just do a search for one of your favorite books, and look at the sidebars or at the bottom to see what the Listmania selections are.
* I've gotten great ideas from the Bibliovores forum at the Sonlight boards. This might be one of the private access forums, but if you spend a lot of money at Sonlight, you can read the "What Did You Read" each month reviews, which are always enlightening.
* And finally, my friends give me great book ideas! We are always saying, "GIve me a good book for my trip!" or "You've got to read this!"
4. And speaking of trips, here is what I am taking to read on my upcoming trip to New York (assuming I'll finish Harry Potter withing the next few days before I leave) (and assuming we'll have a rental van within the next three days so that I DO NOT MISS MY BROTHER'S WEDDING):
The Other Side of the River by Alex Kotlowitz; Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas; Man and Boy by Tony Parsons; The Queen of the Big Time by Adriana Trigiani; Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman; and The Scarlet Letter.
And that's what I have to say about books today. Now go read. It's good for your soul.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Book Review: Outlander
Will somebody please tell me why I spent over a week reading this 850-page book? I had read so many wonderful reviews on this book from the Sonlight Bibliovores forum. Some said that it was their favorite book/series ever. I have been trying to check it out from the library forever! But after reading this first one, I will resist the next 6 or so novels in this series by Diana Gabaldon. The storyline is yet another time-traveler one with absolutely none of the finesse of The Time Traveler's Wife. The rest of the book reads like a Scottish romance novel, with all the components you might expect in such a novel (and I mean all of the components). I kept reading because I had to figure out why so many people love this book. I am left dazed and confused.