The Printed Page

Archive for March, 2009

What’s on Your Nightstand is hosted the last Tuesday of every month over at 5 Minutes for Books.

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Historical fiction/mystery ~ Roanoke: A Novel of Elizabethan Intrigue by Margaret Lawrence

General fiction ~ Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

Historical fiction ~ A Silent Ocean Away by Deva Gantt

Historical fiction ~ The Rose of Sebastopol by Katherine McMahon

Suspense/thriller ~ Beneath the Skin by Nicci French

Mystery ~ Promises in Death by J.D. Robb

Spring is here and my reading is kicking into high gear. Of course it helped that I had 9 days of no distractions as my hubby went and worked the LPGA tournament in Phoenix. So for the month I read 15 books, had 2 DNFs and tore through 5,040 pages. More in-depth thoughts for most of these books can be found in my Pondering the pages posts.

Title: Shanghai Girls
Author/website: Lisa See
336 pages
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: May ’09
Genre: Historical fiction
I liked it but not as much as Snow Flower and Secret Fan and Peony in Love. This is much more modern and I really enjoy her books set in ancient China.

Title: Bahama Burnout (5th in the Mick Sever mystery series)
Author/website: Don Bruns
264 pages
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Publication date: March ’09
Genre: Mystery
A good, solid mystery. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work. What really a winning point with me was I didn’t have to read the other books in this series first before diving into this one. I usually like to read my series in order but I didn’t have that luxury with this series but I didn’t miss anything character-based.

Title: False Colours
Author/website: Georgette Heyer
352 pages
Publisher: Casablanca
Publication date: 1963
Genre: Regency romance
I’ve been advised not to judge Geogette Heyer’s work by this book but I didn’t finish. I put it down after 3 chapters.

Title: Meow is for Murder (4th in the Kendra Ballantyne mystery series)
Author/website: Linda O. Johnston
272 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: February ’07
Genre: Cozy mystery
I love this mystery series; lighthearted and fun

Title: The Fright of the Iguana (5th in the Kendra Ballantyne mystery series)
Author/website: Linda O. Johnston
256 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: October ’07
Genre: Cozy mystery
I love this mystery series; lighthearted and fun

Title: Mrs. Perfect
Author/website: Jane Porter
432 pages
Publisher: 5 Spot
Publication date: May ’08
Genre: Women’s/contemporary fiction
My favorite JP book. Much more than a beach read. She nails today’s issues with great insight and a touch of humor.

Title: Charmed to Death ( 2nd in the Bewitching Mysteries series)
Author/website: Madelyn Alt
304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: December ’06
Genre: Cozy mystery
Another one of the many lighthearted and fun mystery series I enjoy.

Title: People of the Book
Author/website: Geraldine Brooks
384 pages
Publisher: Viking Adult
Publication date: January ’08
Genre: Historical/contemporary fiction
I thought this was a very good book until the ending. The ending didn’t ‘fit’ with the rest of the story. The historical chapters are absolutely fascinating. I would read other novels by this new-to-me author.

Title: First Family
Author/website: David Baldacci
464 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication date: April ’09
Genre: Suspense/action/thriller
Another solid book in the Sean King/Michelle Maxwell series. One of the my favorite authors. I’ve read all his novels.

Title: Palace Circle
Author/website: Palace Circle
432 pages
Publisher: Broadway
Publication date: March ’09
Genre: Historical fiction
I found it a pleasant read; nothing to write home about. I believe it is the first in a new trilogy.

Title: BoneMan’s Daughters
Author/website: Ted Dekker
416 pages
Publisher: Center Street
Publication date: April ’09
Genre: Suspense/action/thriller
This is not a book for the faint hearted! His work has been labeled Christian fiction but there is nothing preachy about this book. After just one book he has become a favorite and I intend to work my way through his back list of suspense/thriller books.

Title: The Scarecrow
Author/website: Michael Connelly
448 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication date: May ’09
Genre: Suspense/action/thriller
Not a Harry Bosch novel but every bit as good. I met up again with Jack McEvoy from The Poet. Mr. Connelly is another favorite author and I’ve read all his novels.

Title: Afraid
Author/website: Jack Kilborn
384 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication date: March ’09
Genre: Horror
Plain and simple: you need a iron cast stomach to read this book. This one of those books where if you made into a movie there’s be no way in hell I’d watch yet I can read this stuff and it doesn’t bother me. It reminds me a lot of classic Dean Koontz whose novels I enjoy and happens to be another favorite author of mine.

Title: The Side-Yard Superhero
Author/website: Rick Niece
192 pages
Publisher: Synergy Books
Publication date: March ’09
Genre: Memoir
This charming book is peppered with down home goodness, days gone by, and the friendship between two very remarkable boys – Rick Niece and the side-yard superhero himself, Bernie Jones. There’s your typical cast of  eclectic small town characters. I laughed, I cried and was touched in that hidden, deep down place within my heart. An absolutely wonderful book about a time and place that really doesn’t exist anymore and the enduring meaning of friendship. This is the 1st book in a trilogy and I’m looking forward to books 2 & 3.

Title: Collision of Angels
Author/website: A Higher Call/Michael Carver
438 pages
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Publication date: December ’08
Genre: Faith-based fiction/thriller/suspense
OK so this book is an example of why I tend, at times, to be leery of reading faith-based fiction. It’s a tad heavy-handed along the preachiness lines. I didn’t finish reading only 52 pages (6 chapters).

Title: Dark Pursuit
Author/website: Brandilyn Collins
288 pages
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication date: December ’08
Genre: Faith-based fiction/thriller/suspense
This book is the exact opposite of Collision of Angels in terms of including faith in the storyline. If I hadn’t known this was a faith-based author and book I would have thought I was reading straight suspense. While I did figure out the killer’s sex I didn’t figure out who the killer was until revealed in the story line. I enjoyed this book and would read more from this new-to-me author.

Title: Stand the Storm
Author/website: Breena Clarke
336 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication date: July ’08
Genre: Historical fiction
While I never quite got used to the vernacular of the characters this is a interesting story of a mother and son who work as bonds people in a tailor shop in Washington D.C. before and during the Civil War. They eventually buy their freedom and make a name for themselves.

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Favorite book: BoneMan’s Daughters
Least favorite book: False Colours/Collision of Angels

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Genres:
Memoir – 1
Women’s/contemporary fiction – 1
Contemporary/historical fiction – 5
Mystery – 4
Suspense/action/thriller – 5
Horror – 1

Total pages – 5,040

Challenges
eBook – 2
New author – 10
ARCs/Review copies – 13
’09 Pub – 7

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2009 progress
Total pages: 10,796
Books read: 32
DNFs: 5

Challenges
eBook – 8/10
New author – 24/65
ARCs/Review copies – 27
’09 Pub – 16/9 (Done!)

Today’s pondering:

I was looking to read something light and engaging so I picked this charming little book The Side-Yard Superhero by Rick Niece. The Side-Yard Superhero is a heart-warming, touching view into the world of friendship. In the small town of Degraff, OH we meet Rick Niece and his intrepid, wheelchair bound sidekick Bernie Jones who is afflicted with cerebral palsy. As unlikely as this friendship seems upon first look as we spend more time with these boys we find something deeper by scratching beneath the surface.

Rick’s first encounter with Bernie happens about a third of the way through his newly acquired paper route. In those days (1950-1960s) papers were still delivered by youngsters riding bicycles taking aim at the front porch with the daily. Until Rick happens along Bernie’s world outside his house consists of the side-yard which is precisely where Rick finds him. That encounter is mighty awkward as understanding Bernie’s speech patterns takes some highly attentive listening skills. Once the boys master the art of communication there is no stopping these two. They dream, scheme and generally muck it up day in and day out.

Six days a week come rain, sunshine, snow, or whatever the weather unleashes Rick can found sharing a moment or two with Bernie. Everyday, regular as clockwork it’s Dick Tracy comic strip reading sessions. Also included might be Bernie’s dorky jokes or some other tidbit he’s gathered and saved up for this moment. Nothing seems too outrageous to dream about but then Rick is always careful to consider the limitations and logistics that Bernie’s wheelchair poses. They share a day delivering newspapers. Another time Bernie attends the carnival with Rick and a group of friends doing what comes naturally – riding rides. There are many other adventures and a group of eclectic people as your likely to meet most anywhere. This is one enchanting little town that you don’t want to pass by on the way to somewhere else.

But what shines brightly is their friendship. These boys share everything for 9 years and Rick’s world becomes Bernie’s. But alas time moves on and life progresses. The boys grow up, Rick leaves for college and once again Bernie is on his own in his side-yard.

I laughed, I cried. I was touched deep down in the place that most of us hide away and don’t show the world. This is a wonderful book filled with the simple pleasure of friendships in a quieter time and place most of us wouldn’t recognize. I spent a cozy afternoon getting to know two men who are, and were, remarkable individuals bringing laughter and light into the lives of those they encountered on their boyhood journey through the world.

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A good book should leave you…slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it.
~William Styron, interview, Writers at Work, 1958

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I have been truly blessed over the past couple of weeks to receive some wonderful blog awards. I want to thank everyone who thought of me when bestowing these honors. The latest is from Alyce of At Home With Books and she has gifted The Printed Page the Premio Dardos Award.

The Award
This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day.

The Guideline
Pass the award to 15 other blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. 

Please stop by At Home With Books and check out the other wonderful bloggers she honored.

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Gosh I was hoping to get better at accepting and giving but I still need practice. I don’t like playing favorites so once again I’m sidestepping the guidelines. It feels a bit liking standing in line in the school gym as you pick teammates and some poor soul is left for last. So I’ll pretend the ballot got lost on the way to awards show and give it to all those wonderful blogs I visit throughout the week and the ones I discover on my trips through this fantastic community.

If you’re new to Mailbox Monday welcome! Thank you to everyone who stops by Mailbox Monday. Whether you comment or visit I appreciate your taking the time to drop in.

** I did visit everyone this past week but couldn’t leave comments on some blogs because Blogger commenting was being pesky. Sorry! **

Two books for me this week.

Memoir ~ The Midwife: A memoir of birth, joy, and hard times by Jennifer Worth (new-to-me author/FSB publicist)

At the age of twenty-two, Jennifer Worth leaves her comfortable home to move into a convent and become a midwife to postwar London’s East End slums. The colorful characters she meets while delivering babies — from the plucky, warmhearted nuns with whom she lives, to the woman with twenty-four children, to the prostitutes and dockers of the city’s seedier side — illuminate a fascinating time in history. Beautifully written and utterly moving, The Midwife will touch the hearts of anyone who is, and everyone who has, a mother.

Memoir ~ The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University by Kevin Roose (new-to-me author/Hachette publicist).

No drinking. No smoking. No cursing. No dancing. No R-rated movies.

Kevin Roose wasn’t used to rules like these. As a sophomore at Brown University, he spent his days drinking fair-trade coffee, singing in an a cappella group, and fitting right in with Brown’s free-spirited, ultra-liberal student body. But when Roose leaves his Ivy League confines to spend a semester at Liberty University, a conservative Baptist school in Lynchburg, Virginia, obedience is no longer optional.

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What books came into your house last week? Don’t forget to leave a link to your Mailbox post or a list of books if you don’t have a blog.

So earlier this week I posted a Ponderings which centered around my thoughts regarding the Boneman’s Daughther by Ted Dekker which is his newest suspense/thriller novel coming out next month. BoneMan’s Daughters gets very high marks from me and was well worth my investment in reading time. I knew before requesting this book that Mr. Dekker’s work is consider faith-based (Christian-based) but I didn’t let that deter me. I’ve read nothing but high praise for his work and thought it was worth a try. My posting sparked some comments of interest and inspired me to read and write about my experiences with this particular genre. You won’t find a lot of faith-based fiction in my library and I’ve had very limited exposure with mixed results. My first real experience with this genre was several years ago when I read The Oath by Frank Peretti. I can’t recall the story in detail but I do remember it including analogies about the forces of good & evil just as the BoneMan’s Daughters does. It also, I believe, has a fantasy element (there’s a dragon?) which is another genre I usually shy away from. As with the BoneMan’s Daughter I found the book very enjoyable reading and worth the time. What initially inspired me to pick up these two books – the suspense/thriller aspect. I love a good story filled with seat-of-your pants, heart stopping, edgy plot lines. There was no heavy-handed preaching to be found and both included the concept of good vs. evil that were thought provoking without making me feel like I was attending a Sunday sermon.

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I’ll digress here for a minute to give you some background on me: I was raised Presbyterian and attended Church and Sunday School until the end of my elementary school education. Since then attending regular services isn’t a part of my life but I have a grounding in faith that works for me. The views in this posting are solely mine unless otherwise noted.

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Next on the faith-based book wagon after The Oath was  Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist. Admittedly I was wandering through Walmart browsing the book section when this book caught my eye. My first thought was historical fiction (looking at the cover) which is a genre I’ve grown to love over the past couple of years. Knowing that I live in an area that has the largest Mormon population outside of Utah one would think I might pay a bit more of attention but honestly it never dawned on me that I was browsing faith-based books or that Walmart even had a separate faith-based book section. The story sounded interesting enough and so into the shopping cart it landed. While it was a pleasant read, and, yes I finished it, it was a bit too preachy for my tastes. So, for now, off my reading list go any books by Ms. Gist. Knowing that Courting Trouble didn’t make the cut my next selection may surprise you – The Shack by William P. Young. Right about you’re most likely shaking your head and asking ‘why?’. The simple answer is this: it was for my Raved About Reading Challenge and I believe in giving a book a fair shot before passing judgement. Suffice it say I didn’t make it past page 119 and this is one book that I’ve kept my feelings about to myself and will continue to do so.

So after these varied experiences I still had not totally given up and believed that there were authors and stories in this genre that would bring me reading pleasure but I’d surmised that sticking with suspense/thriller/action novels might be the way to go. So when offered the opporutuity to read a Collision of Angels by Michael Carver at A Higher Call I thought ‘why not it’s billed as a faith-based suspense/thriller book’ and sounds like it might be something I’d enjoy. At the same time I also received Dark Pursuit by Brandilyn Collins. Apparently I’d entered a giveaway, which I seldom do, and this was my prize. I’d never heard of the author and was not familiar with her novels. Surprise! more faith-based fiction but it seemed to fit the theme I was going with. I started with Collision of Angels last night. Once again with an open mind I turned to the first page. Things started rocky but I was determined to see how themes would progress before making any rash decisions. I read 52 pages (6 chapters) before saying ‘enough’. Of those 52 pages only a handful didn’t have a reference to God, Jesus, Christ, prayers, bible verses, bible study or the acceptance of Christ as a redeeming saviour. I literally felt like I was being preached to and the only thing missing was a sanctuary. Heavy-handed is the most appropriate term that comes to mind. Also I felt like I was being told exactly what’s wrong with the world, and possibly me personally, and that we must change or else. It’s makes for good Sunday sermons but not reading material. And yes I’m definitely in the minority if you peek at the Amazon comments and ratings. I respect Mr. Carver and his writing. He is true to his beliefs and writes with conviction. He is a new author trying to make a name for himself in the saturated field of publishing. This book is self-published and that takes both courage and dedication. I wish him the best even though he book wasn’t for me. So in putting down Collision of Angels I picked up Dark Pursuit. This will currently finish what I have in my TBR pile for faith-based fiction. Honestly with Dark Pursuit if I hadn’t known it was faith-based fiction it might have passed right by me with only a thought or two in that direction. Unlike Collision of Angels the mention of God and/or prayer is a handful of times and then almost as if in passing and totally in line with the characters and their situations. I really enjoyed this book reading it in a day and intend to check out more of Ms. Collins novels though I’ll pay closer attention and maybe sample a larger portion of the book before taking it home with me.

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As Jennifer at The Literate Housewife so eloquently put it this week: It’s not that I don’t think that Christian authors can write well or even tell a wonderful story. I know that’s not true at all. There are so many wonderful authors of all faiths throughout the ages. I just don’t like to be preached to in my fiction – be that about religion, politics, philosophy, etc, and I find that modern Christian authors are not subtle in their evangelization. 

So with all that said have I given up on faith-based fiction and will I scratch it off my reading list? Nope I’m not to that point yet. I’ll be more conscientious about my decisions and spend more time reviewing books before purchase or leaving the library but I’m not ready to say ‘no thanks’. Besides I have more Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti to read!

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What are your thoughts about this genre or any genre that ‘pushes your buttons’?

My blog has been honored with the following awards. Thank you as it is indeed a compliment when fellow community members bestow these kind thoughts upon The Printed Page. One of the hardest things for me to do is accept that others find my thoughts worthy but I accept the accolades in the spirit they were given.

Kaye at Pudgy Penguin Perusals

The Proximade Award
This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!

The Guideline
Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award.

Please stop by Pudgy Penguin Perusals and check out the other wonderful bloggers she honored.

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Bonnie at Redlady’s Reading Room

The Sisterhood Award
Blogs that exemplify the sisterhood spirit and show great attitude and/or gratitude!

The Guideline
Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!

Please stop by Redlady’s Reading Room and check out the other wonderful bloggers she honored.

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Diane at The Book Resort

The Splash Award
It is an award given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive & inspiring blogs.

The Guideline
Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.

Please stop by The Book Resort and check out the other wonderful bloggers she honored.

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As a shy person accepting compliments can be uncomfortable, bestowing them is just as difficult. I find myself turning into an award show winner who gets the deer-in-headlights-look. I start fumbling around and get all sorts of tongue-tied and twisted up.

So in an effort not the forget anyone nor play favorites, or step all over myself with my addled brain I’m going to cheat a bit where the guideline part comes into play. To all the wonderful, entertaining, interesting, intriguing, enticing blogs that I come across each and every week and the ones yet to be discovered – Congratulations!! These awards for are you.

Today’s pondering:

Wow!

I had a few spare moments of uncommitted reading time so I picked up Boneman’s Daughther by Ted Dekker. This is the first Ted Dekker novel I’ve read and it won’t be the last. I’m officially a big fan of this man’s work after reading one book. From the first page I was hooked. If you want heart clutching, powerful, edge of your seat suspense look no farther than this author. I’m fairly tough on the books I read and don’t give many books high marks. It’s rare that I rate a book more than average. But this book, oh man, it gets those high marks, five stars all the way. The first night I read a 140 pages and didn’t want to stop but it was 1AM and I headed off to bed for some much needed shuteye. That is if I’d be able to sleep at all. It’s a good thing stories like this don’t haunt my dreams otherwise I’d have been up all night. This is not a book for the faint hearted. I have a pretty high tolerance level for unsettling story lines but even I squirmed occasionally as things heated up.

Normally I might not have picked up Mr. Dekker’s work because he work has been labeled Christian fiction. Labeling fiction Christian isn’t good or bad it simply is. The reason I usually shy away is because it can become too preachy for my tastes. I’m so glad I made an exception to the rule for Mr. Dekker. You won’t find any preaching here just good, solid storytelling. Yes the forces of good and evil are at work continually battling one another but that’s to be expected when one of your lead characters has a God complex and another lead character believes he will do anything to save the child he so desperately loves.

The action builds, your heart is hammering in your chest and, at times, the outcome is in doubt. Every corner you turn leads you into another living hell. You struggle with hidden agendas and moral beliefs. Could you, would you do everything within your power to save others? Do you choose to commit atrocious acts of violence in order that right prevails in the end? I’m not telling. You need to read the BoneMan’s Daughters and find out for yourself.

If you love well written, engrossing suspense novels with an edge to them I highly suggest you check out Mr. Dekker’s novels. I know I will be.

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A good book should leave you…slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it.
~William Styron, interview, Writers at Work, 1958

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I’m a very visual person and love beautiful, or interesting, cover art. It entices, and invites, me to stop and take a peek instead of walking right on by. This week’s Cover Attraction is:

Title: Still Life
Author: Joy Fielding
Release date: March ’09

From Fantastic Fiction:
Beautiful, happily married, and the owner of a successful interior design business, Casey Marshall couldn’t be more content with her life until a car slams into her at almost fifty miles an hour, breaking nearly every bone in her body, and plunging her into a coma. Lying in her hospital bed, Casey realizes that although she is unable to see or communicate, she can hear everything. She quickly discovers that her friends aren’t necessarily the people she thought them to be–and that her accident might not have been an accident at all. As she struggles to break free from her living death, she begins to wonder if what lies ahead could be even worse.

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Besides finding black and white images beautiful for their starkness this one caught my eye because the woman’s features are concealed in darkness. It speaks to me of deep mystery and closely guarded secrets. I haven’t read a Joy Fielding novel in quite a while but I think that is about to change.

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What’s your favorite cover attraction this week? Don’t forget to leave a link to your Cover Attraction post.

If you’re new to Mailbox Monday welcome! Thank you to everyone who stops by Mailbox Monday. Whether you comment or visit I appreciate your taking the time to drop in.

Only one book this week.

Memoir ~ How I Got To Be Whoever It Is I Am by Charles Grodin (new-to-me author/publicist)

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What books came into your house last week? Don’t forget to leave a link to your Mailbox post or a list of books if you don’t have a blog.