A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

Laura Whitcomb's debut young adult novel is an impressive addition to relevant teen literature. Capturing the story of two ghosts who call themselves "Light" who come to inhabit bodies that have been abandoned by their former owners, Ms Whitcomb highly styled writing is both eerie and elegant. While, admittedly, this is not fast paced action packed novel, enough "events" take place to keep the reader interested. The only real downside of this book is the feeling of foreboding that strikes in the middle and leaves the reader dreading the tragic event that is surely lurking around the next page. Gratefully, despite the overdone melodrama, said tragic event never really comes and the ending is happy, if brief.

There are a few sticky spots in this book that require the reader to push on through to the finish, but it never gets dull enough that you decide to leave the book unfinished and instead donate it to the library. However, it never really gets lively enough for a reread either. In fact, although I did purchase this book and read it in one day, it has already found its way into the donate bag that has taken up residence at the top of the stairs.

As a caution to young readers, this book does have some mildly explicit sex scenes and addresses some unsettling family issues such as abuse, drug use, infidelity, hypocrisy, etc. There are very few warm fuzzy moments in this book and while it has a happy ending, you must first wade through the mud of unhappiness that surrounds the main characters in this book.

Overall, I would recommend this book for mature young adults and I would recommend checking it out from the library rather than purchasing it for your collection.

If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern

If you have ever read one of Ms. Ahern's novels, you know what to expect from her writing. She is talented with prose, writing stressful scenes frantically and slowing down and enjoying the sweeter moments. If You Could See Me Now is no different. Elizabeth Egan's dysfunctional life story begins with a frantic call to the police to report that her sister has stolen her car. Elizabeth is raising her sister's child, Luke, who's father is unknown and mother is a flighty alcoholic. Her nephew's nanny is away on holiday and he has just discovered an imaginary friend. With Elizabeth's sanity hanging by a thread, Ivan enters her life and turns everything she thought she knew on its head.

The creativity and character development in this story moves the reader. Ivan is sweet, naive and funny juxtaposing Elizabeth's sadly strict and complex world. Throughout the book, while Elizabeth is discovering love and joy, Ivan is discovering pain and despair. Not surprisingly for Ms. Ahern, the ending is bittersweet and I cried. As an author, she seems to feel that giving a perfect happy ending is tantamount to betrayal of her art. Thus, when reading, make sure to keep a few tissues near at hand.

The story moves quickly through the beginning, but does begin to drag toward the middle. While the story is not long, it does feel fairly complex in the middle and I found myself wishing I could find a synopsis online and skip reading the end. I knew it wasn't going to end well for our two little lovebirds. But it does bring up the issues of loving someone enough to let them go, opening your mind to new ideas, and accepting yourself and your issues as you are without punishing yourself for your faults and failures.

If I could do it again, I would probably read a different book, but this was a good break for me from my typical fairy tales and happily ever afters. Sometimes it is important to remember that everything is a story, even if it doesn't turn out exactly the way you wish it would. Sometimes, the greatest blessings are the ones we don't think of as blessings at all.

The Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist

I have waited nearly 24 hours from finishing this book to write the review. The reason is, I have some seriously mixed feelings about the story. I will start with the positives and they will lead into the unsettling negatives and perhaps you will decide it is a must read or perhaps you will decide to cross it off you list.

The Measure of a Lady is set in San Francisco during the middle of the Gold Rush. San Fran is a tent city inhabited my men, fallen women, and "sun-bonnets" (the women who maintain their virtue and socially acceptable mannerisms). Rachel Van Buren, her younger sister Lissa, and her younger brother Michael have been orphaned on their journey to San Fran and find upon their arrival that there is no method of returning home. Finding a building labeled "City Hotel", Rachel enters and realizes that she is no longer in Kansas, if I may be allowed to mix metaphors. Prevailing on the kindness of Johnnie Parker, former good Christian turned saloon owner, Rachel finds a lean to and becomes employed as a maid in the hotel. Her sister has a wild streak that gets her in major trouble, while Rachel holds so tightly to the reins it literally makes the reader cringe. The penultimate point of this book is very similar to the quote by Ghandi that I always keep in my mind, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." In other words, Ms. Gist, with uncanny skill, depth of emotion, and smooth, moving prose, captures the ultimate Christian folly: to judge so harshly and to separate yourself so much from the world that you forget that Christ daily interacted with sinners, adulterers, prostitutes etc. Rachel is so busy genuinely trying to separate herself from evil, she prevents her influence, love, compassion, and genuine conversion from spreading throughout the settlement.

The plot, the writing, and the two main characters could not have been more real to me. I literally could not put this book down and plan on picking it up and rereading it shortly. Very few works of fiction have touched me the way that I am currently being touched by The Measure of a Lady. I empathize with Rachel and her struggles to hold her family together on the "straight and narrow path". I know that this is a flaw of mine. I judge harshly and usually avoid those whose issues I deem irrepairable. I share her anxiety for a younger sister who may not be making virtuous choices and a younger brother who is pursuing money while deeming me "judgmental". I cannot imagine having to take the reins of my family only to watch my younger sister willfully behave as Lissa behaves. I hope to never have many of the conversations that Rachel & Lissa & Michael have throughout the book with my siblings. I hope things never get that bad for any of us.

Rachel & Johnnie are beautiful characters. They are written in such a way that I feel they are real and I can relate and empathize with them, their struggle to balance the world we live in with the world we want to live in. I hate Lissa, Michael, Mr Sumner, and many many of the supporting characters with a passion. They are written such that I believe you are supposed to feel for their plight, but I cannot empathize or sympathize with them on any level. I found myself angry that Lissa had nicer things than Rachel, and hoping that in the end she would get her due. Apparently that isn't going to happen in this book. Michael bothered me as well. I not only cannot relate to him, I feel he is a patsy for Lissa and a pawn for pretty much anyone else. Both siblings seem to me lured away from hard, honest work toward easy, dirty money. This book basically takes a family and tears it apart at the seams. That part makes me sick to my stomach.


Some of the scenes are haunting and some are upsetting. I am still angry at Lissa for coming in to Rachel's retaurant and breaking her fragile truce with life for no other reason than to be viscious. I love the scenes where Johnnie demonstrates his good judgment and Rachel bends her rules to protect her family. I am haunted by the thought of being so blind to the world around me that no one feels they can talk with me openly for fear of judgment. This book is as relevant as a history book could be to modern times. I hate it for revealing the weaknesses in a Christian society so openly and honestly. I love it for pointing out the strengths in a Christian society so that we can improve ourselves and make ourselves more available to serve and help those near us who we have the ability to aid. I have already ordered this book from Amazon and I highly recommend it to anyone who is brave enough to look at the good, the bad and the ugly in a modern Christian lifestyle.

The Visions of Ransom Lake by Marcia McClure

Ok, I admit that this is (CLEAN!) guilty pleasure time. This is a straight up romance novel set in the Rocky Mountains in the late 1800s. The author takes a bit of liberty with propriety, but the worst (or best depending on your opinion) scene in this book is a vaguely described make-out scene.

This book starts out a little rocky, with a description of our main character, Vaden, that makes her seem like she might be around 12 years old. In fact, the description of her at first made me very uncomfortable as she initially met our grizzled hero, Mr. Ransom Lake.

There isn't really a lot to describe. Vaden, the beautiful, spirited optimist, immediately takes to Ransom Lake, the town hermit. Ransom demonstrates himself to be strong, protective, aware, kind, courteous, attractive, and off-again, on-again shy. Ransom doesn't want to like Vaden. Vaden knows she is in love but doesn't believe its possible. The two have constant run-ins with each other and find there is definitely an attraction. Vaden dates someone else to take her mind off of Ransom and the guy is a slimeball. It is pretty typical of any romance novel, but is pleasant and enjoyable. It is a fairly quick read and definitely leaves you in a happy go-kiss-your-spouse mood and I would recommend it to fans of clean, non-Christian romance novels.

North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell

It is very easy to compare the work of Elizabeth Gaskell to her predecessors Jane Austin and Charlotte Bronte, but to do so would deprive the author of a great deal of skill and her obvious endeavor to be something more than a typical novelist. In North & South, Gaskell uses strong willed, prideful people to compare the distinctions between classes and geographies in England. This book is much more than a romance of two star crossed, willful lovers. It is a very specific social commentary on the state of England near the turn of the 20th century.

The story is set in England during the Industrial Revolution. Mr Hale, a country parson unable to reissue his faith in the Church of England, leaves his small parish in the countryside of the south of England and relocates his wife, daughter, Margaret, and faithful servant Dixon to a manufacturing town in the North to work as a tutor to a tradesman named Mr. John Thornton. Mr Thornton is a stubborn, prideful, hard working, self-made man who immediately is liked by Mr. Hale and disliked by his daughter. However, Margaret Hale makes short work of capturing the heart of Mr. Thornton, despite the fact that she does not return his affection. The fact that Mr. Thornton rises to the occasion and admits he still cares for and thus protects and assists Margaret whenever he can makes him by far the most likable romantic hero I have come across in historical fiction (My apologies to Mr. Darcy fans, but you have to admit, Mr. Darcy is pretty hard to read, despite being head over heels)

Margaret Hale dislikes the noise and smoke of the manufacturing town and spends much of her time romanticizing her old home in the New Forest. Mr Thornton is proud of the industry and capabilities of the Industrial Revolution to raise a man who is economical and modest out of poverty. Thus begins the love-hate romance and the event by which Gaskell is able to compare and contrast the sunny farmland of the South with the dreary industry of the North. Margaret's friendship with several of Mr. Thornton's hands does not aid her opinion of masters of industry, and she repeatedly insults our stubborn hero. Of course, I wouldn't be recommending this book if it didn't have a happily ever after.

Elizabeth Gaskell also skillfully includes many foil characters and archetypes of their stations in life as examples and vehicles to demonstrate her opinions. The lovable Oxford scholar, the servant who looks down her nose at commoners, the hard-working, prideful, impoverished hired hand, the Londoners who possess no concept of the struggles occurring in the separate areas of their country all come together to assist our hero and heroine on their journey to tolerance and understanding. I found it interesting that of all of the characters, there is not one to dislike. There are some that you pity, some that you laugh at, some that you sigh over, but none to find repulsive. Ms. Gaskell did an excellent job of explaining that each character is simply a product of his environment and predisposition. She compares different reactions to poverty and strife through Nicholas Higgins and Boucher and even then, you can only pity the one and respect the other. The villains of this book are simple misunderstanding and stubborn pride.

The plot, while fairly complex, moves swiftly and I found the language fairly easy to read, despite the text's age. The only flaw that I found is the level of description. Gaskell describes many many characters and many many scenes to a depth level that can make them tedious. If you also have this issue, I recommend skimming the scenes and keep moving. Overall, this is a fantastic book. One that I will reread shortly (and that I would like to find a hardcover version if you know of a good one).

***PS: The movie with Richard Armitage *sigh* and Daniella Denby-Ashe is FANTASTIC and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! You should be able to find a copy at your local library, but may I recommend that you purchase a copy for yourself through amazon.com or half.com? I think it is my new favorite movie ever!

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

I always find it difficult to be cruel when reviewing or discussing another author's work. The time, energy and imagination it takes to write 300 pages only to read a review that is less than stellar can only be painful. That said, I HATED this book and am entirely happy that it will not be cluttering my bookshelves. The author's writing styles is tedious and trite, her descriptions include more detail than anyone could want and her character and plotline are predictable and annoying.

The main character, Elizabeth Holland, is impossible to like. Not only do you start to hope that her rivals in love will win Will's affection from Elizabeth, you hope that her fall into the Hudson River was real and she won't be appearing in the remainder of the book. Each character follows a similar predictable, hatable pattern. Anna Godbersen obviously researched a great deal about the wealthy and their habits in Old New York, but she didn't use the descriptions or the city in a manner that would have made her novel more engaging. Even the leading man, Will, is simply a foil, a hollow shell of a person that the reader has difficulty liking. What kind of hero ditches his true love after a week? What kind of love is it if no communication between the two parties ever occurs? Perhaps their midnight booty calls are all either of them like, but in that case, they should both be able to move on.

The writing style of Godbersen is verbose. I found myself skipping entire paragraphs simply because I wasn't interested enough in the story or the book to go back and read them. When I forced myself to read them again, I found that they were just a boring and insignificant as hey looked. Pragraph after paragraph fails to move the plot to its painfully obvious conclusion. Long-winded sentences describing wedding dress fabrics and the descriptions of the supposed boring backgrounds fill page after page with drivel.

Overall, if I could do it again, I would like my five hours back. And this will be returned to the library immediately as I don't appreciate keeping such an embarrassing and poorly written work of fiction disgracing authors such as Charlotte Bronte and Stephanie Meyer as they sit together on my bookshelf.

Prom Nights From Hell by Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer, & Lauren Myracle

For anyone who hasn't heard of these five authors and read some of their full length works, this collection of short stories surrounding supernatural prom nights appears extremely quirky. For anyone who already loves the writing styles of these authors, you will absolutely understnad when I say-I WANT MORE!

That is the biggest flaw with these short stories. They are just that. In all but one instance the stories feel like snippets of a longer work I would really like to read. Each story gives the reader a different sensation, but they are all similar in the temporary reprieve they give the reader at the end of the story. A feeling of everything is all right-for now.

Overall, however, I will never pick this book up again. It was a fun once over, but not anything to add to a collection unless you like short stories that leave you unfulfilled and in a couple cases kind of sad. The authors do a great job of fitting their characters personality, dilemma, and brief solution in the 30 or so pages, but there is not enough substance to make you want to hear or read the story again. My advice would be check it out from the library. I bet there won't even be a waiting list.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Some books possess the ability to draw you into a new world, create characters so real you would swear they exist, and capture your interest from the very first page only releasing it at the last. Maria V. Snyder created just such a world with her debut novel, Poison Study. The intrinsic tale of a an orphaned and abused girl turned murderer turned foodtaster turned confidante feels natural through the entire book, skipping those awkward connections that cause so many authors to stumble. Snyder aptly details her novel appropriately, fills in every gap and ties her novel up in such a way that the reader begs for more, but doesn't lose sleep with a nasty cliffhanger.

At the heart of the novel is the character of Yelena, a girl who has much to learn about herself and the world around her. The character development of Yelena is slow and sudden all at once. Instantly likable, the reader finds themselves yearning to know more of her history and hoping for her success. Narrated exclusively by Yelena, her personality shines through on every page with the stubbornness that one would expect from a strong female character. Her ability to eloquently speak with those in positions of power as well as those who are her equals do credit to the character that Snyder has created.

Maria Snyder's writing style through the whole of the book is quite elegant. The story is told in such a way that the reader does not feel that it is being forced, chopped up and hastily reassembled, or abbreviated for space. Despite coming in at a hefty 409 pages (paperback) no place in the storyline could have been sacrificed and the end product have resulted as well. The The smooth writing style, the authors knowledgeable descriptions, and complete story leave little up to chance and make each action and reaction of the characters natural.

Lastly, the action sequences in the book deserve recognition. Within the story exist many fight and action sequences, each detailed with obvious firsthand knowledge of hand to hand combat. This addition to the story invigorates this fable out of the world of sappy, drippy fairy tale and into a full fledged enjoyable fantasy. Rarely do female writers of fairy tales put their heroines in such harrowing, dangerous positions and expect them to fight their way out on their own. Even more rarely to the authors of those fairy tales put much punch into the fight scenes. In Poison Study, Yelena has her saviors, but many times she picks herself up, uses her skills and vividly fights for her life.

As a debut novel, Maria Snyder should be quite proud. Few writers have the skill and aptitude that she demonstrates as she puts her words to work to creatte a fine fantasy story. Unique and original, this story does indeed keep the reader thinking about Yelena, Valek, and her other characters long after the last page has been read. While checking this one out at the library might be a good introduction, it will most likely earn its place on your bookshelf and demand to be reread.

Sun & Moon, Ice & Snow by Jessica Day George

Yesterday I picked up Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, the new novel from Jessica Day George. My husband was downstairs playing halo, I had finished working at my online store and was ready to retreat from reality for a few hours.Turning to my pile of library books begging to be read, the thought of a fairy tale sounded perfect. I have never heard the Icelandic fairy tale "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon" that this book was based around, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is a very close mirror of the story of Beauty & the Beast, with the improvement of having a solid, strong heroine who does not sit around and let life happen, instead fighting for her own destiny on her terms.

The book begins in the frozen tundra of Iceland and explains the family dynamics of the woodcutters family. This part does feel a bit rushed and the introduction to one of the central themes of the story, the love, devotion, and mystery between the pika and her older brother which becomes a central theme of the story remains mostly undeveloped. As the story goes on, George throws in a few elements such as the mantle carving, lengthening winters, and happenings within the kingdom that would have been better introduced in the beginning and filled out further into the story.

Jessica Day George's ability for description is fantastic, however there are many scenes that feel rushed and deprived of her fantastic style. I would have enjoyed more description of the growing relationship between the isbjorn and the pika, a better description of the evening with the white reindeer, and even a more thorough ending to the story. Jessica, in her interview at Squeakybooks , states that she struggled to write some of these scenes. When asked the most difficult portion of writing the story, she responded "Finding a way of showing how the isbjorn and the lass became friends without going on and on about everything they did all day. "First they got up. They had breakfast together. Then they took walk. . . .SNORE!" I fear that in her haste to avoid boring her reader, she left out quite a bit that would have captured the reader and recruited many devotees to her writing style.

However, despite the haste in writing, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow captures the readers interest with strange descriptions littered throughout: a room full of looms with half-woven material, a tame wolf (who was my favorite character in the entire story), and a closet full of giant dresses that smell of rancid meat keep the reader's interest piqued and the pages turned. The plot moved quickly and easily towards a terribly predictable but nonetheless satisfying finale. I only wish that there had been a bit more happily ever after to the story, but George does tie up all the loose ends in the 4 page epilogue.

The romance between the isbjorn and the pika and the mystery that separates them, while subtly written, sticks with the reader for days. In fact, as written above, the only improvement would be a bit more detail and development of the relationship and personalities of the two main characters. Perhaps details on their breakfasting together would be dull, but I would definitely like more scenes where the two characters interact prior to climax. This story falls squarely in the romantic fairy tale genre. Similar to Beauty & the Beast in more way than one, this story pulls out its own spin and its very own double romance, fulfilling punishments for the evil-doers and, after a bit of trouble, a happy ending for each and every protagonist (even the wolf!).

Overall, I would recommend this book for a quick read or as an addition to your fairytale library. With its solid female character, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow earns its place sitting next to Robin McKinley or Shannon Hale. I would recommend it for girls ages 10 & up (or any precocious first graders you have running around the house!)

If you have found this page, then chances are that you know the joy of curling up in a quiet corner chair with your favorite lap blanket, a good cup of tea, and a book who is no less a friend to you than the person you call when its 11 pm and you just want to talk to someone.

If you know that feeling, then you quite probably also know the sadness of finishing an amazing book and wondering if the next book you read will leave you as satisfied. Or the disappointment of reading an entire book only to realize at the end that you feel nothing for the characters, the story, or the author and you just wasted hours of your life you can't get back.

I have a love of reading. Since I discovered Laura Ingalls Wilder at the ripe age of 5, I have devoured every literary work I could get my hands on. Despite High School and College Reading classes, I have maintained my love for reading and it is only now that I am out of school that I realize I MISS reading assignments, because they were an excuse to clear the clutter off the corner chair, sit down and read a book without feeling that there were other things that needed to be attended to.

So I am writing this to you, as a friend. When I read a book, I will post my opinions, and please be aware that they are just that. I will probably also mention if they have a happy ending or not, because there is nothing I hate worse than a poor ending. If you disagree with me, please feel free to post. Opening a dialogue about reading is one of my favorite things!

If you have a book you would like to share or see on here, well, by all means contact me! I do NOT read anything crude or vulgar. I really enjoy history books, religious books, books of poetry, juvenile literature, well written and creative fantasies, biographies, and just straight fiction. My first love will always be fairy tales.

With that in mind, my first review will be of the new book from Jessica Day George, from SLC, UT. Below you will find my first attempt at a book review and hopefully a new friend to acquire for your library and curl up with when you have the time.