Review: Spring’s Renewal

When I said I like all sorts of books. I really meant all sorts. I have always been interested in how people of other sub-cultures live. When I saw this on a friends book shelf I knew that I had to borrow it. After all one way to learn about different people is to read about them right?

Tim is visiting his Uncles farm in Ohio. He did not want to go at first but his family encouraged him to go. He had a sweetheart he left back in Indiana so he wasn’t looking for anyone to love. Until he met Clara. Clara is different in that as a child she was badly burned. Many people in the community look down on her or pitied her but not Tim. He wonders why no one is courting her. As they get to know each other Tim must make a decision. Will he continue with his sweetheart Ruby Lee back in Indiana or will he go to Clara?

As a deaf reader I could sympathize with Clara. I know how well meaning people can make you more self-conscious about something than not.

I had to admit I was surprised by some of the things in this book. Like the romance part. I guess I had stereotyped the Amish into one big group with all adhering to ridged values instead of a group with its members having varying degrees of which they conform. Which is a mistake that a lot of people tend to make.

The romance in this book however was much more believable than romances in other books the author showed the up and downs a couple has before they finally realize their true feelings. I like the breadth that she took to show this.

Clara is shown as a strong woman in her own way. She made peace about her disfigurement and did not let it interfere with her love of teaching. This is a vital message for anyone that has something different about them. Through Clara we could see that what is “wrong” with you does not necessarily have to define or limit who you are.

This is not the only theme in this book although it is the main one there are many other side stories to hold and grip the readers attention. I will defientily be pick up the other books in this series.

Review: The Artist Way

I had been having serious writers block for the first half of the year. I tried everything I knew to combat it but to no avail. Then while reading book blogs I began to hear of a book called the Artist Way. I decided I had to check it out.

I have to say I was not disappointed with this book. It has been three weeks since I started the cornerstone of the book which is Morning Pages and Artist Dates. I can already see an improvement.

The book takes on a 12 step aura to help combat “creative blocks” It is not only for writers but for anyone who wants to live more creatively. That means even if you do not pursue any of the tradional creative outlets than this book can still help you.

Some people might be put of by the spiritual aspect of this book. I read some reviews where this was the case. I do not feel it is overly spiritual in in that case the spiritual overtones actually added a dimension to the book.

Overall people who are looking to be more creative  will enjoy this book.

                                 Happy 4th of July everyone!!

                             

Sunday Salon

It is July already!! Where has the time gone?  We are at the half way nark and I have to say I am disappointed with how my blogging and reading resolutions have turned out. Although once my dr finally gave me something for my adult ADHD symptoms it has improved. I am hoping that my reading will pick up speed and my blogging will fall into a regular pattern.

One thing I realized is that I often fail to plan. And I know the most dedicated bloggers plan for every eventuality so that’s what I am going to start doing also. I set up a Google calendar with what post I want when and I am hoping this helps me keep to a regular posting schedule and not go weeks without posting anything,

Yesterday was fun I read most of the day then when dark came I had frount row seats from my house for the firework show. It lasted longer than I thought it would around 30 minutes. I was surprised because I do live in a small town so I thought it might be 5 mins tops but nope they had a really good 30 minute show.

Today I am going to church, then after church since it is raining here again, I will spend reading “Bad Girls of the Bible” and catching up with other blogs.

I hope everyone has a happy Sunday!!

If you are anything like me when you want to get a new product you go online and check the reviews first. I just as much as anyone hate to me stuck with a crappy product. But sometimes I hear that something is so bad that I have to go read it myself since this mostly pertains to books. One example of this was Twilight. Half of the people I talked to loved it and half hated it so even though at the time a needy teenage girl falling in love with a 100 years old vampire (I am more Anne Rice kinda vampire) was light years away from what I tended to read I still couldn't stop myself from checking it out at the library.

It was akin to watching a wreck on the highway. I couldn’t look away. I kept wondering how on earth she got published. And who her editor was and so forth. And I felt sorry for the next generation who thought this was good reading. Then I wondered I could be the only person to read something just to see how bad it is so my question to you. Have you ever read something or bought something just to see how bad it was?

Review: Tankborn

FTC notice: This book was sent to me by the publisher

In the beginning of this year I told myself I was going to break out of my literary fiction rut and try new genres. So far I have tried several different genres but have held back trying Young Adult. I cant give a good reason for my hesitation for this expect maybe I thought Young Adult did not have much to offer me. I was sadly mistaken. Young Adult has changed since I was a young adult. So when I found out I had won a prize from Arm Chair BEA I picked three young adult books as the prize and I loved it. This is the first I read of three.

Tankborn is the first Young Adult that I have tried outside the harry potter craze. It is about a girl who is  a GEN (genetically engineered non-human) who is given her Assignment. Before she leaves her nurture mother though she is given a strange package to carry into where the humans live.

Her best Friend is a nurturer tasked with the care of human babies. When they realize babies are being taken in the middle of the night they realize something more sinister is happening.

I could see where a young adult especially one who is in some way different (Like I was with a hearing aid when I was younger) could relate to this story. It showed that just because you are different does not mean you are even less important. Even though they are tankborn they are still important in the grand scheme of things.Likewise YA with disabilities have their place in society also.

I also liked that it was the characters that were flawed that had a hand in solving the issues in the book. That showed that people who are different can still be leaders and have strong role models.

The characters are fully realized to such an extent that the readers starts to care about what happens to them. I was rooting for the characters to come out victorious when they were fighting to save themselves and other people.

The story itself was an engrossing one. I found that I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to know what happened next. The pace was faster than I find in lit fiction. Which is a good thing because I seem to find a lot of books to be dragging these days. Not this one though.

I really liked this book and would recommend it to a YA that has something different about them to show them that they too can find their place and overcome.

Review: West of Here

Ssummary from goodreads-From the rugged mudflats of the Northwestern frontier to a rusting strip mall, West of Here is a conversation between two epochs. In his eagerly awaited second novel, Jonathan Evison tells the stories of the people who first inhabited the mythical town of Port Bonita in Washington State from 1887-1891. Moving ahead more than a century to 2005-06, he introduces those who live there now and must deal with the damage done by their predecessors.

The characters are drawn with compassion and truth, the themes are grand and sweeping: regeneration, the trappings of history, the elusive nature of perception, who makes footprints and who follows them. Evison writes with heart and verve, capturing evocative details and unforgettable scenes.

My Thoughts- I really like how there are multiple plots so that it feels as if you are reading several books in one. When the story moves back and forth you can see how what the 1887 generation thought was a good idea has disastrous consequences for the 2007 generation.

Although the town is mythical and therefore not real Evison does a good job at providing some history to go along with the story. He develops the plots and the characters so well that the reader has no problem getting swept up in the story.

However I did find it to be slow going at first but after around 150 pages I figured out what he was attempting to do with all the different plotlines and characters and after that I started to really like the story. The reader has to be able to stick it out in the beginning though.

It is well worth the effort it takes to keep track of all the plotlines and characters in this book. The story is very rewarding to read.