One of the great things about doing this blog this year has been discovering all the wonderful and talented people out there in the world who are already blogging about books. Many of them also promote “challenges” — personal challenges to read. I’ve selected my first challenge to take on for 2010 – the support your local library reading challenge – hosted by J. Kaye on her book blog: http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/2009/11/2010-support-your-local-library-reading.html. I encourage you to check it out and sign up, too! I’m aiming for the “just my size” 50 books level.

I noticed that several of my fellow book bloggers were blogging about Christmas themed books this month. Personally, I usually try to stay away from Christmas books as I find they fall into two categories ~ 1) the self-centered and recently single main character is forced to spend time with an elderly relative/friend. Said elderly relative/friend retrieves an item from the attic/basement/old desk and uses item to tell stories of his/her youth. Self-centered protagonist realizes that there is true love in life and he/she almost lost their chance at it with their recent break-up. All is resolved. Or 2) bitter protagonist (a la Scrooge) or perhaps depressed protagonist (a la George Bailey) has pretty much given up on living life until a series of supernatural events occur which help him/her to realize that life is worth living. All is resolved.

However, I figured I’d give some Christmas books a try. So this week I chose three to read from the library: The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Perlman, The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber, and A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid. I tried to pick books that would not follow my above formulas! I’m just finishing the Cookie Club book, so that full review will follow soon.

I first read A Dog Named Christmas. Now I have to admit: I love dogs. The cover alone grabbed me: a sweet black lab sitting in the snow in front of a farmhouse. This story centers on a family with a special needs son who take a dog home as part of a Christmas week foster program. I figured they would love the dog and want to keep him. I did worry that the dog would die or the son would die or they both would die (NOT what I wanted to read). However, this story was a nice read. At points it moved slowly – I believe this may be the author’s first work – but I was able to read the whole thing in a few hours. And SPOILER ALERT – the dog does not die, so you’re safe there if that is an issue for you (as it is for me!).

Then I read A Perfect Christmas. Now first let me say that I love, love, love Debbie Macomber. Her Promise, Texas books are my favorites from her, along with the Blossom Street books. She’s considered a romance writer, however, I don’t find her books about romance as much as about human relationships. I thought this book looked interesting: it’s about a young professional woman, Cassie, who goes to a professional matchmaker – to the tune of $30,000 – in order to meet her perfect match. She’s feeling pressured that so many of her friends at her age are already married with children, etc. I’m sure many of us can relate?! However, I really didn’t like this book. In fact, I pretty much hated it, which kills me since I love Debbie as a writer so very much! I found the characters in this book SO driven to find a mate that all the rest of their life was paling by comparison. The main character had a wonderful nuclear family, good friends, a great education and job and apartment, and yet it was all deemed rather worthless since she didn’t have a boyfriend/husband. That really bothered me. (Don’t get me wrong — I love my husband and children more than anything, but before I had them I certainly didn’t feel like my life was worthless or I was a failure since I was single!). What a message this book sends! Additionally, I felt the character of the matchmaker was pretty much a caricature. He was the typical analyst who cannot analyze himself – the one who seeks mates for others since he feels there is no mate for him. Bleh! I really disliked his pedantic character and couldn’t imagine SPOILER ALERT why Cassie fell for him. Anyhow, this book was a real disappointment. I’d love to hear from other Debbie Macomber fans if they’ve read it.

Lastly, I am reading The Christmas Cookie Club. This story is about a group of women friends who do a cookie exchange yearly. Different chapters are told about different women in the club. So far, I am liking it! It’s well written, I have to say, and I saw that the author was a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize for a previous work. I have to say the first sentence totally threw me and turned me off, but I kept reading (I don’t usually give up after the first sentence!) and am glad I did!

Okay – there are three books for you to consider this year. I’ll write and update on Cookie Club when I finish it.

Happy Reading!!

Recently my friend Amy Clark gave me a shout-out on her blog MomAdvice.com and wow did my numbers go through the roof! I had a record number of hits that day, with an increase ever since. So here’s a big THANK YOU to my dear friend Amy!
Those of you who know me well, may remember Amy from when she lived in MA and we were friends (doing theater in the “old days”). Well, she is a blogging queen these days – running a very popular website of all sorts of good things, especially for at home moms and people who appreciate being frugal! She has all sorts of great ideas, craft ideas, recipes, Freebie Fridays, and occasionally even an article by yours truly, so check it out at http://www.momadvice.com! 🙂

For my online bookclub, we read for November Michelle Moran’s The Heretic Queen. I had received this book free in an online giveaway, and was thrilled since I loved Moran’s Nefertiti (reviewed on Aug. 18) . This novel centers on the story of Nefertiti’s supposed niece, Nefertari, as she marries Ramses the Great and seeks to become chief wife. She is a strong and intelligent young woman (and by young I mean in her teens). It was fascinating to read of her collaboration with Ramses in running the kingdom, her ideas on policies, and her accompanying Ramses to war (an event based in fact). At the end of the book, Ramses has created for Nefertari her tomb at Abu Simbel, one of the greatest tombs still standing today.

I loved this book! I really enjoy reading of Ancient Egypt, and Moran makes it come alive with vivid details of daily life and strong and varied characters. I highly recommend this book to readers who like reading historical fiction of this era.

I give it 5 Stars!

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran (review coming soon!)

Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran (I won these books, signed, online – I LOVE this author!)

The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman (I’ve read most of her books)

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton (LOVE these mysteries!)

and a few Hamish MacBeth cozies….

I recently came across American Wife: A Novel at the library. I had heard of this book, but it hadn’t peaked my interest. I knew it was loosely based on the life of Laura Bush and personally, I like Laura Bush. I had the opportunity to meet her at a fundraiser and found her to be intelligent, compassionate, and charming. I didn’t want to read a book that might change my opinion of her!
However, I really like Curtis Sittenfeld’s writing. So I thought I’d give it a try. To my delight, I really enjoyed this book. It paints a picture of “Alice Lindgren” as a very human, very compassionate, sensitive human being.

This book is divided into four sections, named for the addresses at which she lived: one covering when Alice is young and growing up in Wisconsin. One covering when she is an adult working as a children’s librarian and first meets “Charlie Blackwell”, one covering when she is a young wife and mother with her husband still not in politics, and one when she is living at the White House. I definitely liked the part when she is young and growing up best. So much of who she became as a person was shaped from her childhood and the events, some tragic, that occurred then. I also loved reading the section when her daughter was young. However, the ending section of the book, while they were in the White House, bored me. It moved into the first person from the third person narrative (tense changes like that often throw me) and became more of Alice’s thoughts and ruminations on her husband’s work and decisions and reconciling those with her own beliefs.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading novels that cover a person’s life, but I would suggest that you not try to spend too much time wondering what was based in fact from Laura Bush’s life and what wasn’t (or you might interrupt your reading flow). For that, you could pick up a biography!

Cutis Sittenfeld is a great storyteller, so I give this book 4 Stars!

And just a note — we’ve been on vacation without Internet, so I am seriously behind in posting this review! My apologies to my readers!

I am thrilled to report that I recently had the opportunity to ask my friend Trilby Kent (whom I have known since she was a young girl!) a few questions about her novel “Medina Hill”. So, I give you, my first “mini author interview”!

(Me) How did you get the idea for “Medina Hill” – and how long did it take to write?

I’d been interested in T.E. Lawrence since the age of 14 or so, but it was over a weekend in Cornwall, where my boyfriend and I stayed in a house that had once been part of an artists’ colony, that I had the idea for a story about a boy who couldn’t speak. It took me about a month to come up with a first draft (extremely speedy, by my standards!) and several weeks more to get it into presentable shape.

(Me) Did you base any of the characters on anyone you know?

Yes – but I can’t say who! What I can tell you is that Uncle Roo and Sancha are the only major characters that had no real-life inspiration…

(Me) What is your best advice for aspiring writers?

Read, read, read. Read widely, and read deeply in the genre in which you intend to write. Don’t send out your work until it’s really, really ready. And try not to take rejection personally (I know, this can be hard – but if there’s one thing writers need to develop alongside their writing, it’s a thick skin!)

(Me) What are you working on now?

My agent is currently submitting my first novel for adults to publishers, so I’ve been spending a lot of time trying not to think about that! My second children’s book is now with my editors at Tundra, so with any luck I’ll be able to start working on revisions soon. In the meantime, I’ve started a PhD in Creative Writing, for which I’ll be producing another novel. Watch this space..!

Thank you, Trilby, for taking the time to share your answers with us! Happy Reading, folks!

First, let me say that it is my great privilege to review my friend Trilby’s book today for my blog! I’ve known Trilby since she was a young girl, and I am so thrilled and excited to hold her first novel for young adults in my hands!

Medina Hill tells the story of young Dominic, an 11-year-old boy from working class London in 1935, and his younger sister, Marlo. Dominic’s mother has fallen ill and his father has lost his job. Dominic responds to the pressures of life by “losing his voice” and being mute among non-family members. His parents decide that it would be best to send him and his sister to their uncle and aunt’s house in Cornwall for the summer. While there, Dominic takes a keen interest in a book about Lawrence of Arabia and forges a friendship with a young Gypsy girl whose family’s caravan has evoked rage among the locals. Dominic’s adventures lead him from living in fantasy to finding his voice, and realizing the gift of true friendship.

Now, call me biased, but I just loved this book. I loved the characters of Dom and Marlo – and the eccentric cast of people they lived with in Cornwall – including the “clarivoyant” Miss Birdie and the widow Reverend Cleary. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and this was a time on which I hadn’t read a lot (between the two world wars in England). Trilby’s writing evokes the time and place so strongly, I felt I had been to Cornwall. I cheered for Dominic (and Marlo) and their young Gypsy friend. I can only say that I look forward to Trilby’s next novel!

This book was a nice aside from the current YA abundance of fantasy and vampires literature (at least here in the US). I haven’t seen it in bookstores here, but I have had it ordered for me through a local bookstore and also through Amazon. My copy for this post was purchased from Amazon.

Again, call me biased, but I give it 5 Stars! Nicely done, Trilby!

Several friends had recommended The Elegance of the Hedgehog to me, so I got it through our inter-library loan. Translated from the French, this novel tells the story of the residents of an apartment building in Paris – particularly of Paloma, a 12 year old genius who plans to commit suicide on her 13th birthday, and Renee, the concierge who hides her keen mind behind a facade of ordinariness. The novel is told through their alternating viewpoints – each with her own typeface.
When I began this book, I found it moving quite slow. It read more like a glimpse into two people’s diaries. I was enjoying it, but wondering if there was going to be a plot-driving dilemma. A good portion of the book occurs before Paloma and Renee even meet for the first time and strike up an unconventional friendship. Additionally, the coming of a new tenant, a wealthy Japanese businessman, further strengthens the friendship of Renee and Paloma, while lending an air of discovery and beauty to their every day world. After Mr. Ozu enters their lives, the pace of the book picks up and becomes more action-oriented, while still being their very personal stories.
The ending of this book is startling and sudden, but it left me feeling positive. I think this would be a great book to read if you were feeling rather down on life. It is beautifully written (I find I am always saying that about novels translated from Romance languages!) and celebrates the simple beauties of the preciousness of life.
I give this novel 4 Stars!

Almost all of my friends loved Niffenegger’s book The Time Traveller’s Wife — but I didn’t. I thought it was well-written but I hated the ending, which I saw foreshadowed and hoped wasn’t coming (but did).

However, I respect Audrey as a writer and wanted to read her new novel, which sounded compelling: twin sisters inherit a London flat from their mother’s twin whom they have never met, and must live in it for a year. They meet and befriend the other residents of the building, including their aunt’s lover and a crossword-creating genius who suffers from severe anxiety and compulsions. This book, which I got from the library, was part a coming-of-age novel, part mystery, part romance, and part ghost story. And I really, really liked it!!

Throughout this book, I enjoyed the sense that there was a mystery just under the surface. Why didn’t the twins’ mother and aunt talk to each other? What really happened? And the ghost story was intriguing to me, too – though at some points it seemed rather fantastic (ghostly communication through dust on a regular conversational basis). However, thoroughout the story I was immersed in Valentina’s (one of the twins) character development. Would she grow to independence? Would she stay attached to and under the power of her sister? And how much did the twins’ relationship mirror their mother’s and aunt’s? What DID happen to their mother and her sister, and what is being hidden from Valentina and Julia?

While I could certainly see disaster coming down the pike, I did like the ending of this book as I felt it was somewhat redeeming and positive. Each character had their own demons to dispel and most did a pretty good job of it, in one way or another. It wasn’t predictable – at least to me – and the characters who lacked strength seemed to finally get it. (I won’t go into details – that would give too much away!!).

I would give this book 4 Stars!