"Only the River Runs Free"

Written by Bodie & Brock Thoene (pronounced Tay-nay, it's Irish)
270 pages
Overall Grade: A

I feel like the biggest hypocrite in the world: I said I was going to try and not to do a series and here I am getting ready to review another book in a series. In my defense I didn't notice that it said "Galway Chronicles" on the bottom of the front cover until after I had gotten home from the library. I was doing a quick search because I had to get home to relieve my babysitter (aka my mother). Also after doing a little more research on the Thoenes, apparently all they do is write books in a series. They've got like 30 novels to their name. I do think it's cute though that a husband and wife write together. Anyway enough babbling.

I really liked this book! The writing was really good and the plot lines were decently carried out. The writing style was a little simple for me but straightforward and easy to read, which I can appreciate. The novel takes place in Ireland in the 1800's. The Irish are trying to gain independence from England while the farmers and the rest of the working class people are trampled on by their English landlords. In a nefarious plot one man kills his brother-in-law to take over his land and tax the Irish people to death. In the midst of this coup, the landlord's son is believed to have drowned in his attempt to get away from the villain, but is he really dead? Bum-bum buuuummm.

Anyway, it's a great story of forgiveness, moving on after tragedy, and following God's leading even when you don't really understand where you are going. (Did I mention they are Christian authors?) I love historical fiction. It's so interesting to think of what life might have been like for people in that time and halfway around the world. I've never been to Ireland, although I'd like to, and my history teachers never really talked about Ireland much except the potato famine. So this little glimpse into that world was fun, although the authors really do write so well that I was catching myself talking with an Irish brogue there for a couple of days!

All in all it was a great book, shorter than I would've liked but then again there are at least 4 books in the series so how long can they be really? The book is never slow, you are always engaged to the characters and plot, and you will cry a little but a lot that comes out of Ireland makes you want to cry right? Haven't you ever heard "Danny Boy"? Anyway, great book, awesome authors, and plenty more where this one came from... Need I say more?

 

"We read to know we are not alone." - C.S. Lewis

"Deception"

Written by: Randy Alcorn
486 pages
Overall Grade: B+

I've never been a huge detective mystery fan, I do have a collection of Shelock Holmes stories but I've only read one of them. Randy Alcorn, however, may change that. His characters are so real, funny, and engaging it's hard not to get drawn in. The main character is Ollie Chandler, a detective for the Portland Police Department. (I know I said I would try not to do too many series, but sheesh now that I start looking, everything is in a series!!!) Deception is the third book in the series, I have yet to read the other two but my mom has read them and says they are just as good. Regardless of all of that I was hooked when I read this passage (Ollie is watching the TV show 24 and thinking upon his heroes Jack Bauer and Chuck Norris and has this train of thought), "They say that when the boogeyman goes to sleep, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas. Chuch Norris doesn't sleep; he waits." Maybe it's just me, but any author who writes in Chuck Norris jokes on page 33 is worth reading!

Anyway, the book starts out with the murder of a college professor. Ollie and his partner are assigned the case but there are unsettling clues at the murder scene that incriminate not only Ollie but his fellow homicide detectives. Ollie begins to suspect that another officer committed the crime. If one cop suspecting another cop of murder isn't your idea of drama then obviously you've never watched an episode of Law & Order. It does get very tense and there are more twists that a roller coaster as Ollie uncovers each new piece of evidence.

I love the way Alcorn writes. It is very gritty and real. Ollie isn't a politically correct character, he doesn't particularly care what people think, he cares about justice and making sure the guily get caught. In the beginning of the story it is a bit slow going, although to hear Ollie's thoughts on police procedure and how slow getting evidence processed through the crime lab is this may have been a deliberate choice on the part of the author. By page 100 though the story is moving along and there is enough intrigue and suspense to keep the pages flying!

Randy Alcorn is a Christian author, Decpetion is considered Christian Fiction, but Ollie is not a Christian. It seemed weird to me that the central character of the series was unsaved but the real struggles that Alcorn depecits are very moving. Some of the storylines and characters may be appreciated more if the first two books were read first but Alcorn does a good job at explaining who everybody is and I don't feel as though anything is lost by this book being read first.

All in all if you are looking for something new and different to read I highly reccommend Randy Alcorn and his "D" trilogy: Deadline, Dominion, and Deception. If you have never read a detective mystery novel I think this would be a good one to get your feet wet as the crime isn't too graphic, in case you are a little squeamish. Be prepared to laugh, to cry, maybe to jump in fright (I did once), but most of all be prepared for some good entertainment!

A Few Thoughts on "Harry Potter"....

Written by J.K. Rowling
Overall Grade: A+(+?)

Before I begin on my defense and admiration of Harry Potter, I first want to set something straight. As Christians I believe our first priority is being obedient to God. Therefore, if you have heard of Harry Potter, prayed seeking God's guidance, and you feel God has told you to not read the books: awesome. Feel free to skip this whole entry and I hope you will come back and read the next one. Far be it from me to entice you to disobey something God has told you. On the other hand, if you don't have any thoughts on Harry Potter, you are still undecided, or your pastor or family has said that he 'is of the devil' and you just want to understand the hype: please read this blog and then go seek the face of God for yourself. We should never take what others say as the end all of anything we do but seek God and His will for our lives. That being said, let's continue. :)

What I hear most upon saying that I read Harry Potter is that it's 'witchcraft'. Looking on the surface of that claim it seems to be accurate, as Harry is a wizard and he studies magic. But when one takes a closer look at things we see that J.K. Rowling's brand of 'magic' is really latin-based words that she has made up. We all know that there are no such things as magic wands, unicorns, potions (especially ones that contain eel eyes, armadillo bile, or dandelion roots). It's fake, make-believe, fiction if you will. And for those people who say Harry will lead kids to wicca, they obviously don't know the first thing about it. When I was in high school I knew several girls who practiced wicca. Out of curiosity one time while discussing Harry Potter I asked them if it was close at all to what wicca was really like. Do you know what they said? "No." And then they laughed themselves silly. They really thought I was asking them if they waived wooden sticks around and tried to make things levitate. Wicca is a demonic religion and I fully believe that, sorry if that offends people but truth usually does. Harry does not pray to the sun or moon goddesses, he does not hold seances, in fact J.K. makes fun of that whole notion. So do I think reading Harry will lead to witchcraft? No. Should we always be on guard from evil things? Yes, but I don't believe Harry Potter is one of those things.

Some of the things I love about Harry Potter are the thematic elements that run through the whole series. A few of those being: it doesn't matter who are are when you are born, your decisions decide who you really are; love and friendship are the most important things and can conquer any evil; being selfless, even to the point of dying for your friends, does not make you weak but is the truest form of bravery; and no one is better, or more important, because of their 'blood' or status we are all people and regimes that prop themselves up on those claims of being superior are evil. Would any series that teaches these lessons (along with many others) be harmful to children? I think not. In fact there aren't that many books out that teach those lessons so well anymore.

Another thing I must address is the notion that Harry is a vengeance filled teen who is out to murder. What a load of bull butter. I know whoever made these claims can not have read the books because it is so utterly stupid to think that. Harry's parents were murdered, does he want the one responsible to pay? Of course, isn't that what a justice system is all about? Holding people accountable. But when the chips are down and as Voldemort keeps coming after him Harry would really rather just be someone else. He'd rather leave and let someone else take care of it, but alas Voldemort won't let that happen. He believes that Harry is a threat and is out to kill him. So Harry stands his ground and fights back, what any red-blooded American would do.Harry alone has the power and skills needed to fight Voldemort, Voldemort gave him those weapons, and wouldn't it be more cowardly to run away than to face death but save the lives of countless innocents?  And when he has the opportunity to fight Voldemort he never tries to kill, but always to disarm so that he could be taken and held accountable by those fit to do so.

So that's my rant on Harry Potter I just finished the series, again, and felt the need to put my opinions out there for people to read. I'm always up for more debate and discussion if you want so feel free to post.  Also for those interested, there is a book I recommend: Looking for God in Harry Potter by John Granger, he's smarter than I am and the book is a good read and can clarify a few things if there are questions. Anyway I feel better getting this off my chest and I'm excited to be starting a new book today, so hopefully a new post will be coming soon!!!

Until then... "It is important to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated." -Albus Dumbledore

"The Host"

Written by: Stephanie Meyer
619 pages
Overall Grade: A

I am going to start by saying: I love this book!I love the premise, the characters, and the ride they take you on. I am a fan of Stephanie Meyer's work and she really delivers in her first installation of adult fiction. Everything is more grown up: the characters, their struggles, and the tone of the piece. While I still am a Twilight fan it was refreshing to see Stephanie spread her wings and get to write from a character's perspective who isn't a whiny teenager who has too many good looking boys falling all over themselves to get near her. I feel like this book really showed the world that Stephanie Meyer is not a one hit wonder with the Twilight series but that she will be here for many years to come, I hope.

On to the story. Wanderer is the main character. She is an alien. Aliens have taken over earth and humans now are on the endangered species list. But the fun twist is that the aliens do not have bodies that last on their own, they are parasitic in nature and use human bodies as their hosts, hence the title. Wanderer comes to earth and is put in the body of a full grown human, Melanie, and works at finding out where this human came from to help her fellow aliens root out 'the resistance' and make earth a completely subdued planet under their control. The drama begins when Melanie isn't just a memory but her spirit and mind are awake, active, and combating against Wanderer inside her own head. Bum bum buuummm!  :)

This book makes for such an interesting read because I have never read a book where two beings with thoughts, feelings, and opinions shared the same body. It is one of those things that makes you stop and wonder what that would be like, besides awful. Another cool aspect of this book is how little the world changes when the aliens take over. The sunsets are the same, there are still people at the beach, and people in the grocery stores. The biggest difference is the lack of crime, pain, disease, and a lot of the other things that makes our time on Earth sad. Stephanie has made the bad guys of the book, the aliens, the sweetest kindest beings on the planet. They really are loving, kind, gracious, and they truly believe they are helping Earth by getting rid of its evil and sadistic population of humans. An interesting thought to say the least.

As the story continues, we find that Melanie's constant thoughts and desire to be back with her "family" begin to effect Wanderer. As their relationship grows Wanderer is torn between staying and belonging with her own kind or going after the 'alien' family she has never known but who she finds herself loving. I will take a minute right here to say that this is kind of a chick book. But I strongly encourage men to read it too just because it is a good book and there aren't any graphic romance novel-esque scenes in the book or ooey-gooey love scenes either.

I don't want to give too much away in this review because I want you to go read it!!!! If you don't like Twilight it's okay I understand but don't let your dislike of vampires stop you from reading a good science fiction book. Live a little :)

Also of interest, they are making The Host into a movie. I am attaching the link so you can watch the trailer and look at the cast list.  "The Host" on IMDB  Enjoy!

Until next time..."Read in order to live." Gustave Flaubert

"The Magicians and Mrs. Quent"

Written by: Galen Beckett
498 Pages (I thought I would include this little tidbit of information because I always wonder how many pages a book has and sometimes take that into consideration when picking which book I want to read next.)
Overall Grade: B (Since I can't give a book stars or anything I'll do letter grades.)

This was a very interesting book and I enjoyed it very much. It reads like a Bronte or Austen novel, which I like, and includes many of the same features in those beloved books. The main character, Ivy, has a family that resembles Ms. Elizabeth Bennet's but smaller, and her life experiences mimic a few other Austen characters as well as Jane Eyre. The largest difference is the element of magic. Magic is everywhere: in the foreboding Wyrdwood, to the Illusion shows in the seedier parts of town, and it is even studied in the universities although in the time frame of the book it is no longer taken as seriously as it once was.

It's a fun and interesting alternate universe to be in. For the most part it resembles 19th century England with just a few subtle tweaks and some new jargon. Honestly the hardest part for me to wrap my mind around was that she used different words for day and night. And it was strange that the length of the days and nights weren't the same as ours. Sometimes nights were seemingly 13 hours long because they had time to sleep and then started working while it was still really dark. It made me think of Alaska or something. I've never read another book that was like that but once I got used to that it made the whole "Altania" experience that much more real and enjoyable.

As for the plot, you follow Ivy through a year or two in her life as she seeks to discover the meaning to a riddle her father has left her in a book. In keeping with the narrative style of Austen and Bronte's work sometimes it can feel a little dry. Lots of discussions and meetings and general scurrying about by the characters happens and the plot moves along at a slower than modern pace. But that is one of the reasons why I like this style so much. You feel like you linger with the characters rather than run with them through the adventure. The characters are endearing and maybe it is just me, but Ivy is a character that is very relateable. You're rooting for her the minute her story begins.

The one thing about this book however is that it is the first in a series. Copyrighted in 2008 the second book might be completed but honestly I haven't checked. If and when I find it however I do plan on reading it to continue Ivy's journey and see how everything works out. And isn't that a good reccomendation in itself, that I'd bother to read the next book? I think so. So if you like Austen or Bronte, if you like magic, and if you like a good mystery this really is a neat book to pick up and read.

FYI: I will try in the future to not make every book I read a part of a series but this was the last book I read before returning to a beloved series that I will write something about later.

"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free."

- Frederick Douglass

A beginning...

I would like to take a few minutes of your time to explain why I started this blog. Being a stay-at-home-mom is awesome and has more benefits than can be listed, in short I love it. However, when a 1-year-old is your only companion for hours on end it isn't hard to imagine that certain mental faculties get a little rusty. Anyway seeing that I needed something to stimulate the brain cells and I read a lot anyway my husband suggested I start a book review blog. I can combine two of my favorite things: reading and talking (even if it is only in text).

So even if no one reads this that's okay by me, obviously I'd like someone to read it, but I'm not here to gain a following. I'm here to work out a few neurons, talk about something I love (books), and if I entertain a few people along the way well that is just a bonus.

I'll be reviewing the books I have already read and this will give me a great excuse to go out and read a bunch of new books (yay), but they won't all be in the same genre or anything. Variety is the spice of life after all. I'd gladly take recommendations on books to read if you want to make a comment after a post. Also if I put in a plot spoiler or something I'll try to make a big notice at the top of the post, I hate when people spoil endings but sometimes it happens in a review.

I am already having a good time writing this and I hope whoever is reading this that you have as good a time reading it as I did writing it.

"The habit of reading is the only enjoyment in which there is no alloy; it lasts when all other pleasures fade." - Anthony Trollope