"Seaside"

Author: Terri Blackstock
Genre: Christian Lit / Fiction
Publisher: Zondervan, 2009
Pages: 122
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Sarah Rivers has it all: successful husband, healthy kids, beautiful home, meaningful church work.Corinne, Sarah's sister, struggles to get by. From Web site development to jewelry sales, none of the pies she has her thumb stuck in contains a plum worth pulling.No wonder Corinne envies Sarah. What she doesn't know is how jealous Sarah is of her. And what neither of them realizes is how their frantic drive for achievement is speeding them headlong past the things that matter most in life. So when their mother, Maggie, purchases plane tickets for them to join her in a vacation on the Gulf of Mexico, they almost decline the offer. But circumstances force the issue, and the sisters soon find themselves first thrown together, then ultimately drawn together, in one memorable week in a cabin called 'Seaside.' As Maggie, a professional photographer, sets out to capture on film the faces and moods of her daughters, more than film develops. A picture emerges of possibilities that come only by slowing down and savoring the simple treasures of the moment. It takes a mother's love and honesty to teach her two daughters a wiser, uncluttered way of life---one that can bring peace to their hearts and healing to their relationship. And though the lesson comes on wings of grief, the sadness is tempered with faith, restoration, and a joy that comes from the hand of God. Seaside is a novella of the heart---poignant, gentle, true, offering an eloquent reminder that life is too precious a gift to be unwrapped in haste.

Review: I really struggle with novellas. I love that they are short and there's instant gratification in that I can start something and finish it within a reasonable amount of time, BUT there's little character development and depth. I feel like an English teacher as I read, "develop this thought", "more descriptive language needed here", etc.

This storyline was trite. In typical novella fashion the storyline flew along and leaves the reader thinking, "wow, they came to terms with that quickly".

If you're a fan of this genre or Terri Blackstock, you won't be disappointed. However, for those readers who want to savor, reflect, and almost becomes characters in the story themselves, this book will leave you wanting more.

"The Picture Book"

Author: Susannah Keating
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2000
Pages:  244
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Fresh from school, Patrizia Orman, 22, works as a gallery assistant in Soho, and is dreaming of success in the art world, when her mother is killed in an accident. She is still reeling from shock when her godmother presents her with a cache of letters from the father she never knew. A Roman art dealer, he had once given her mother a terrible choice: their relationship, or their unborn child. Hurt and confused by the revelations, but longing to know the truth, Patrizia travels to Rome to find her father, and weaves her way into his life—all the while concealing her identity. In Italy, Patrizia feels revitalized, and indulges her artistic passion as well as her deepening interest in a young Italian named Andrea. But her unresolved relationship with her father threatens her happiness, when she begins to fear that like her father before him, Andrea might also abandon her, and surrender his chance to deserve her love. The Picture Book is sure to be one of the most moving, memorable, and inspiring love stories of the season.

Review: This was a sweet story with the wonderful backdrop of Rome. In fact, while I was reading this, I kept thinking, "I really need to go back to Rome" (I was there in 2000).

It would be impossible to write about Italy/Rome without including a romance, but there is plenty of substance and depth.

The Picture Book is a neatly wrapped package and one of my favorite reads in a long time.

"Escape from Andersonville"

Author: Gene Hackman and Daniel Lenihan
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2009
Pages: 342
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis (from the book jacket): An explosive novel of the Civil War about one man’s escape from a notorious Confederate prison camp---and his dramatic return to save his men.

July 1864. Union officer Nathan Parker has been imprisoned at nightmarish Andersonville prison camp in Georgia along with his soldiers. As others die around them, Nathan and his men hatch a daring plan to allow him to escape through a tunnel and make his way to Vicksburg, where he intends to alert his superiors to the imprisonment and push for military action. His efforts are blocked by higher-ups in the military, so Parker takes matters into his own hands. Together with a shady, dangerous ex-soldier and smuggler named Marcel Lafarge and a fascinating collection of cutthroats, soldiers, and castoffs, a desperate Parker organizes a private rescue mission to free his men before it’s too late.

Exciting, thoroughly researched, and dramatic, Escape from Andersonville is a Civil War novel filled with action, memorable characters, and vividly realized descriptions of the war’s final year.

Review: Explosive, this is not, but it is interesting. I wanted more of the book to be about the actual escape and less about details that I'm not convinced added to the storyline (ie LaFarge's gambling habits). The plot and characters kept me interested, but I found myself reading a chapter or two and then setting it down to return to later.

If you like history or like reading about the Civil War, this probably won't be the best book on the subject you will ever read, but it is worth checking out.

I would estimate that Gene Hackman is a better actor than writer. 

"The Modern Magi: A Christmas Fable"

Author: Carol Lynn Pearson
Genre: Fiction / Fable
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 1994
Pages: 90
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: All her life, Annabelle Perkins has dreamed of traveling to Bethlehem and bringing a gift to the birthplace of Jesus. But when it finally happens, what actually occurs is not what Annabelle expects.

Review: I must preface my review with this. . .between graduate school, kids, and work I've felt dissatisfied lately with my ability to get through a book in a reasonable amount of time. It's frustrating for a fast reader such as myself to spend a week (or longer) on one novel, when I am more accustomed to instant gratification from a book. Meaning, I am used to finishing a novel in one day preferably, but two or three is acceptable (and admittedly, more realistic these days).

I hit the library, sans kids, on Monday with the sole intention of finding books short in stature and thin in width, not content. You know the kind I'm talking about. The librarian noticed my stack of 13 short, thin books and commented. I shared my sob story, "I just want to finish something."

The joke is on me though, I finished this book in under 30 minutes tonite and was left feeling under-satisfied. I was just getting into the story and it ended. Just like that. . .and very predictably as well.

If you want a quick read that won't give you much food for thought, but will give you the satisfaction of finishing something in a "reasonable" amount of time, this is well worth your while. It is a "warm and fuzzy" kind of story.

"Secret Life of Bees"

Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2003
Pages: 336

Synopsis: Sue Monk Kidd's ravishing debut novel has stolen the hearts of reviewers and readers alike with its strong, assured voice. Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the town's fiercest racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina—a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna who presides over their household. This is a remarkable story about divine female power and the transforming power of love—a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.

Review: If we're comparing debut novels (and it's hard not to since I read these back to back), The Help was a better written, more interesting story. However, I enjoyed this and at times found it hard to put down. On the other hand, I don’t feel compelled to watch the movie.

"Baker Towers"

Author: Jennifer Haigh

Genre: Historical Fiction / Family Saga

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishing, 2005

Pages: 368

My Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Baker Towers is an intimate exploration of love and family set in a western Pennsylvania coal town in the years following World War II. Bakerton is a town of company houses and church festivals, union squabbles and firemen's parades. Its ball club leads the coal company leagues. Its neighborhoods are Little Italy, Swedetown and Polish Hill.

For the five Novak children, the forties are a decade of tragedy, excitement and stunning change. George comes home from the war determined to leave Bakerton behind and finds the task impossible. Dorothy is a fragile beauty hooked on romance. Brilliant Joyce holds the family together, bitterly aware of the life she might have had elsewhere, while her brother Sandy sails through life on looks and charm. At the center of it all is Lucy, the volatile baby, devouring the family's attention and developing a bottomless appetite for love.

Baker Towers is both a family saga and a love letter to our industrial past, to the men and women known as the Greatest Generation; to the vibrant small-town life of America's Rust Belt when it was still shiny and new.

Review: I have yet to read a family saga that I didn't enjoy. The author did a great job of tying the characters' lives together, and without giving the reader too much information in which to get lost.

It is unfortunate that the author did not delve more deeply into Rose, as a widow and a mother. The reader sees her only through the eyes of her children.

I wish the author would have noted the years of a particular chapter or section at the beginning. There were plenty of clues throughout the chapter, style of dress, who the President was at the time, etc, but I missed that reference.

This book is set in a small coal mining town in Pennsylvania and captures the growth, height, and decline of such towns. Having grown up in small town Pennsylvania, I could relate. I also understood the characters' desires to leave their town, and the reasons they had to return.

While the conclusion could leave some readers hanging, others will appreciate the simple ending. Check this out and decide for yourself.

"The Story of Country's Living Legend, George Strait"

Author: Mark Bego

Genre: Biography

Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation, 1999

Pages: 256

My Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: This biography of George Strait presents the in-depth story of a small-town Texas boy who rose to fame and stardom in the world of country music, breaking Elvis Presley's record for the most sold-out performances at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Review: I found this book interesting, but it is outdated enough to not be worth reading. A more current biography, King George: The Triumphs and Tragedies in the Life of George Strait, was published in 2010. Look for a review soon.